Video/Webinar
Training and support for tutors and teachers working with students for whom English is not their first language (ELL/ESL/ESOL).
Most tutors and teachers receive quality training before they start working with students. However, once they begin their teaching experience, they have little access to additional training and support.
Teacher Training Plus, funded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, is a webinar series that presents best-practice instructional strategies. These video recordings are of the first round of webinars presented in the fall of 2022 and the winter and spring of 2023.
We’ve identified three areas of need and have designed webinars to address each. Throughout all three topics, we will also address working in a multilevel class or group and converting in-person teaching strategies to distance learning.
Scaffolding Techniques with Low-Level English Language Learners
When working with lower-level English language learners, presenting new material in a variety of ways can improve the students’ understanding and retention of information. Scaffolding strategies meet students where they are academically, build on what they already know, and provide a framework that sets students up for success. In this webinar, Steven Reid will demonstrate scaffolding techniques to use with lower-level students that provide the necessary support students need to meet the demands of rigorous instruction.
Pick Your Battles: Best Practices for Helping Students with Pronunciation
Pronunciation can be the biggest obstacle for an English language learner trying to communicate. By understanding what is causing the mispronunciation and what it takes to overcome it, ESOL teachers can guide their students toward the path of better communication. Join Steven as he works through some general issues students face with pronunciation in some of the most common language families. He’ll also be looking at some tips and tricks to use when addressing those problems. Learn how to “pick your battles” and how to decide what to correct and what to leave for another day.
Using Dialogs and Role-Play to Build Conversation Confidence
Conversation can be very intimidating for English language learners. Students worry about what they will say and if they will be able to understand their conversation partner. Dialogs provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills in a safe environment before trying it in the real world. Dialogs help students practice complex sentence structures and verb tenses, idioms and expressions, or new vocabulary. They can also help students role-play real life scenarios they may face in their day-to-day lives. Join Steven as he explores the use of dialogs in the ESOL classroom to help students build confidence in their conversation skills.
About the Presenter
Steven Reid is the Program Manager for Literacy Volunteers Charlottesville/Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia. He currently oversees more than 200 volunteer tutors, providing training and guidance with curriculum and instruction. In addition to his duties with LVCA, Steven leads a group of program managers and executive directors from Community-Based Literacy Organizations from across the Commonwealth of Virginia, focusing on sharing best practices and providing moral support. He has also taught in Texas, Slovakia, and New Hampshire. When not helping his volunteers and students, Steven enjoys reading, writing, traveling, cooking, and spoiling his two cats, Charlie and Alistair.