TESOL Seminars offered at Heartland AEA

Heartland AEA will be hosting three online Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) seminars that we are happy to bring to you at no cost to you or your district. We encourage you and your staff to come and enjoy the seminars, taking and using the information that is beneficial to you and your students.

To register for any of these seminars, please go to the Heartland Professional Development Catalog located on the front page of our website or at https://prodev.aea11.k12.ia.us/4DCGI/YYYYYYYYYYYYYYSRCH

Why Are We Still Teaching the Wrong Grammar the Wrong Way?
Time: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 from 9:00-10:30 a.m.
Location: Room 13 of the Johnston Regional Education Center (REC) at 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
Activity Number: ES005692111101

In this seminar the presenter critiques the standard pedagogical model then attempts to simplify it to a more elegant system that might be applied in practice. Alternative approaches might require viewing grammar, not as a discrete, sentence-level system but as both big lexis and small text. Likewise, teachers might be better off aiming to inculcate, not rules, but a “feel” for the way that the systems interrelate.

The Multilevel ESOL Class: A Multitude of Opportunities for Language Development
Time: Wednesday, October 27, 2010 from 2:00-3:30 p.m
Location: The Learning Center at the Johnston REC
Activity Number: ES0056-92111102

In this seminar, participants examine ways to organize multilevel classrooms, consider the principles of effective multilevel instruction and work with specific presentation and group management strategies that address the challenges of multilevel instruction and enhance its benefits.

A Focus on Academic Oral Language and Vocabulary Instruction in Language Learning
Time: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Location: Lower Level of Zion Lutheran Church (4300 Beaver Ave., Des Moines) Activity Number: ES005699991101

This seminar will address the role of oral language and vocabulary development in K-12 students’ school success. It will then explore a number of effective and practical ways to teach academic language and the vocabulary of the content areas of math, science and social studies.