Professional Development Sites
Media Library of Teaching Skills for adult learning and literacy: A free, online, digital library of short videos of adult education teachers and their classes or tutorials, intended for use in professional development.
Read Write Think: Strategy guides define and provide examples of effective literacy teaching and learning strategies and offer a wealth of related resources to help sharpen your instruction.
LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System), a professional learning community for adult educators that provides access to resources, professional development, and a connected network of practitioners. Host of the LINCS Learning Portal, which offers self-paced online courses for adult education practitioners on these topics: English language acquisition, integrating technology, differentiated instruction, career pathways, disabilities & equitable outcomes, among others. (To use the Learning Portal, you'll need to create an account, but it's free!) Also hosts LINCS ESOL Pro Resource Collection, which offers evidence-based resources to enhance the impact of adult English Language Learner (ELL) instruction.
Outreach and Technical Assistance Network for adult educators: adult education and literacy providers support services including electronic collaboration, access to information, and technical assistance. Includes a video gallery that can be used for professional development.
Minnesota Literacy Council: Offers training for adult literacy volunteers and professional development courses for Adult Basic Education teachers and staff. Also provides Educator Resources.
New American Horizons Foundation: Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action is a series of twelve videos, which can be viewed online. Each video is about 30 minutes long. The buzz words in italics next to the title of each video indicate some of the instructional strategies that you'll see demonstrated.
The Practitioner Tooklit: Working with Adult English Language Learners from the Center for Applied Linguistics offers many resources and tools for ESOL instructors.
American English Webinars: This site from the US State Department offers teacher training seminars on topics related to speaking, listening, & pronunciation; reading & writing; US culture; fun & games; teaching methods; grammar & vocabulary; & global citizenship. Download free resources.
Ed Tech Center @ World Education offers online courses as well as free, self-paced courses. Below are a few examples of the courses offered.
TESOL seminars on ESL teaching; free for TESOL members.
Read Write Think: Strategy guides define and provide examples of effective literacy teaching and learning strategies and offer a wealth of related resources to help sharpen your instruction.
LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication System), a professional learning community for adult educators that provides access to resources, professional development, and a connected network of practitioners. Host of the LINCS Learning Portal, which offers self-paced online courses for adult education practitioners on these topics: English language acquisition, integrating technology, differentiated instruction, career pathways, disabilities & equitable outcomes, among others. (To use the Learning Portal, you'll need to create an account, but it's free!) Also hosts LINCS ESOL Pro Resource Collection, which offers evidence-based resources to enhance the impact of adult English Language Learner (ELL) instruction.
Outreach and Technical Assistance Network for adult educators: adult education and literacy providers support services including electronic collaboration, access to information, and technical assistance. Includes a video gallery that can be used for professional development.
Minnesota Literacy Council: Offers training for adult literacy volunteers and professional development courses for Adult Basic Education teachers and staff. Also provides Educator Resources.
New American Horizons Foundation: Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action is a series of twelve videos, which can be viewed online. Each video is about 30 minutes long. The buzz words in italics next to the title of each video indicate some of the instructional strategies that you'll see demonstrated.
- Building Literacy with Adult Emergent Readers Language experience approach, whole-part-whole.
- Lesson Planning for Life Skills Review/warm-up, presentation, practice, application, evaluation, extension.
- Growing Vocabulary with Beginning Learners TPR (total physical response), contextualized vocabulary, recycling, comprehension check, pair-/group-work.
- Teaching Grammar in Real-Life Contexts Eliciting, inductive approach, comprehension check, meaningful practice, focus on accuracy/fluency, error correction, modeling, activating prior knowledge, PPP (presentation, practice, production), circle toss, grid activity, information gap.
- Working with a Multi-Level Class Whole group, like-ability grouping, cross-ability grouping, eliciting/brainstorming, critical thinking, collaborative learning, modeling.
- Developing Listening Skills with High-Intermediate Learners Authentic listening, activating prior knowledge, anticipating vocabulary/themes, listening for main ideas / for specific information, learner autonomy, jigsaw activity, pre-teaching vocabulary, higher-order thinking, open-ended questions.
- Cultivating Writing Skills at the Intermediate Level Pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, presenting, publishing.
- Developing Reading Skills for Intermediate/Advanced Learners Connecting new info with previously acquired knowledge, activating prior knowledge, pre-reading activities, schema (background knowledge), making & evaluating predictions, reading for specific info, jigsaw reading, graphic organizers, main ideas & supporting arguments, follow-up activities, justifying answers to encourage reasoning & analytical skills.
- Assessing Learning in the Adult ESL Classroom Formative assessment: connects with instructional objectives & outcomes; uses multiple, varied strategies & tasks; is ongoing throughout the lesson; provides feedback on progress to inform instruction.
- Tasks to Promote Critical Thinking and Learning Skills Critical Thinking Skills (compare & contrast; identify assumptions; interpret, analyze, & evaluate; summarize & synthesize), Learning Skills (categorize & organize ideas, make & confirm predictions, listen & read selectively, practice note-taking), Activities (categorizing tasks, activities using grids, graphic organizers).
- Effective Grouping Strategies in the Adult ESL Classroom Maximal STT (student talking time), random grouping, like-ability groups, mixed-ability groups, whole group, modeling, collaborative learning.
- Tasks to Promote Oral Skills: From Accuracy to Fluency Tasks that focus on vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, & language functions & competencies; TPR, line-ups, matching & chain activities, flyswatter game, & grid interviews.
The Practitioner Tooklit: Working with Adult English Language Learners from the Center for Applied Linguistics offers many resources and tools for ESOL instructors.
American English Webinars: This site from the US State Department offers teacher training seminars on topics related to speaking, listening, & pronunciation; reading & writing; US culture; fun & games; teaching methods; grammar & vocabulary; & global citizenship. Download free resources.
Ed Tech Center @ World Education offers online courses as well as free, self-paced courses. Below are a few examples of the courses offered.
- Ideas for Teaching Reading Explore some of the research on reading and its implications for the development of curriculum and instructional techniques. Read articles that relate to your role in the program—ABE instructor, ESOL instructor, or program administrator/counselor. Consider how the findings or practices might apply to your situation and develop plans for trying out some of the ideas.
- Supporting Student Persistence Adults choose to enroll in ABE, ESOL, and ASE classes with goals that require lengthy time commitments. Due to the complexity of adult students’ lives, many factors can either support or hinder students in persisting in programs until they reach their goals. Delve into the research conducted by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) on persistence and its implications for your instruction and program practices. Learn about the four supports to persistence that they identified—management of positive and negative forces, establishment of a goal by students, progress toward reaching a goal, and building self-efficacy.
- Examining Social Issues in the Classroom with The Change Agent Consider the intersection of social justice and adult education and identify concrete steps that you can take to implement classroom activities that will help students understand underlying social issues and how to advocate for themselves and their communities.
TESOL seminars on ESL teaching; free for TESOL members.