The Great Vocabulary Caper Eli Hinkel, Seattle University

Relying on current research findings on L2 vocabulary in writing, the workshop elaborates on successful and time-tested techniques for academic vocabulary learning--recycling, reviewing, practicing, and contextualizing--all of which are designed to promote vocabulary retention.  Retention rate is the single most important factor in expanding learners' academic vocabulary range that can be effectively used in L2 writing.  Learning academic words is easy, but so is forgetting them.  Thus, the strategies for vocabulary retention represent the single most important facet of growing one's vocabulary repertoire.  The vocabulary learning and retention strategies discussed and exemplified in the workshop include The most effective techniques for learning academic words and word families (e.g. book, books, bookish, booking, booked, booklet); Recycling words and learning collocations (co-occurring words) and lexical phrases in which the words occur, e.g. a book of stamps/matches, to do the books, publish a book; noticing new words; identifying new features and new meanings of old words; Teaching dictionary skills and keeping student vocabulary notebooks (a great time-saving device)    

What’s Your Grammar Teaching Style? Donna Lee Kennedy, Thomson Heinle

Thomson Heinle offers the most comprehensive and communicative grammar series available on the market today!  From teaching grammar through form, meaning, and use to teaching grammar in context, we offer a variety of approaches that will fit your grammar teaching style and meet your curriculum needs for basic to advanced learners.    

eezee speek: A New Approach to English Pronunciation Howard Coffman, eezee speek

eezee speek™ represents a breakthrough approach to English language pronunciation. eezee speek™ is based on phonetic theory and is easy to learn and use. It is suitable for use by all English language learners at any age, cultural background or educational experience, including students, immigrants and professionals.    

Index Card Games: Low-Tech Learning Ray Clark, Pro Lingua Associates

One of the most effective techniques for promoting language acquisition is playing games.  From Index Cards for ESL, participants will play “Scenarios,” “Categories,” a memory game from Match It and from Pronunciation Card Games, a variation of “Go Fish.”    

Teaching Honesty to International Students in Colleges & Universities Anne Shaw & Laura Gabiger, Johnson & Wales University

This demonstration aims to assist teachers of multinational pollutions in promoting academic honesty in higher education.  The subject will be placed in a broad historical and global context emphasizing western conventions and expectations.  Practical suggestions and a select bibliography will be included.  The following overheads were used in the presentation: Overview; Avoid Plagiarism; Argumentative Essay; discussion guide; source documentation; IPQ; Interviews

Introducing ‘Ventures’ John Perry, Cambridge University Press

Introducing Ventures, a new, five level, standards based, integrated skills series from Cambridge University Press. The focus of the presentation will center on how Ventures addresses the needs of ESL students and teachers with regard to building learning communities, encouraging learner persistence, aligning instruction to standards for accountability, integrating technology, and providing basic skills instruction within a format that accommodates a variety of learning environments. We will look at a level of Ventures and investigate how it successfully addresses each of these issues.  Please join the Ventures community at www.cambridge.org/us/esl/ventures/VenComForm.html    

See Why NHPTV is More Than Just Television Susan Adams, NHPTV-Knowledge Network

In this presentation, you will learn about all the valuable resources NHPTV’s  Knowledge Network has been providing to educators for over 14 years.  From free classroom resources to professional development and much more, come see how we can make a difference in your classroom. 

SIOP and Math Pedagogy for K-8 ELLs: Adjusting the Fit  Rita MacDonald & Tim Whiteford, St. Michael’s College

ESL teachers are taught always to use manipulatives, and it certainly makes sense to use them in math lessons, right? Well, not always… In this presentation, Dr. Timothy Whiteford (Math and Diversity, Education Dept., Saint Michael’s College) and ESL specialist Rita MacDonald (VT Consortium for Language and Academics, SMC) will illustrate the importance of understanding K-8 math pedagogy in light of students’ culturally diverse math backgrounds. For example, participants will learn when and how to incorporate manipulative math materials into the SIOP model by using appropriate mathematical pedagogical content knowledge.     

A Vital Web-based Resource for ESL/EFL Teachers & Students Lyra Riabov, Southern New Hampshire University

Prof. Lyra Riabov will demonstrate the use of Web-based ESL Resource Site created by her for the faculty and students of IEP Program in SNHU. She will also discuss how it can be used for teaching all ESL skills to the students in all ESL proficiency levels. 

Developing Students’ Active Vocabulary Jane Cook, Oxford University Press

Come explore a variety of communicative vocabulary-building activities for secondary and adult learners.  Participants will discover strategies that increase students' active vocabulary.  The presenter will demonstrate how to make the most of the Oxford Picture Dictionary Program's activities and lesson plans.    

Camera, Lights, Action! TESOL Video Projects Elvira Dana, St. Michael’s College

Low-tech, hands-on video projects encourage macro-skill development and offer opportunities to promote community development.  Drawing from her experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer, the presenter introduces a sample project and the "appreciative inquiry" approach and Participatory Analysis for Community Action (PACA) tools used in the creation of the video.   

Everybody Teaches, Everybody Learns: Professional Development as a Learning Cooperative Judy Sharkey, University of New Hampshire

The purpose of this session is duo-fold: to introduce participants to the scope and possibilities of the ELL professional development grant that NH was recently awarded; and to invite participants into a meaningful discussion around successful, transformative professional development. One of the principal goals of ELL Co-op is to create a statewide comprehensive and coordinated network of professional development opportunities and resources for education professionals across New Hampshire. Please come join a lively discussion on who we can make this happen!

The Effect of Using Feedback on the Achievement of Primary School Pupils in TEFL Zena Al-Jubouri, St. Michael’s College

This study was designed to investigate empirically the effect of feedback on the achievement of English language learners’ performance on various testing items presented to them systematically during the lesson. Results indicated that learners who received continuous, corrective, informational, and immediate feedback perform better than those who do not receive the indicated feedback.  

ELLs with Suspected Language-Learning Disabilities:  Guidelines for the Prereferral and Special Education Processes  Susan McDonald, Speech Pathologist, Burlington

This double session is designed to provide ELL instructors with background knowledge and practical tools to use when they or another school staff member suspects that an ELL student may have a language-learning disability.  The first part of the session will discuss systematic methods to examine the various factors involved when an ELL student has been identified as not progressing in the classroom setting.  The second part of the session will provide an overview of the special education process and the role of the ESL instructor.     

Bringing Letters and Sounds to Life!  Reading with TLC    Penny Castagnozzi & Nancy Telian, Reading with TLC

Using mnemonics, imagery, oral mouth cues, hand cues, and music, participants will be shown how to dramatically improve their ELL students’ skills in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, and sight word acquisition. Fun and motivating for students, the powerful techniques shared are research based and have been clinically proven.  

Globe Trotters: A Passport to Learning around the World Kaitlin O’Donnell & Ann Schroth, Johnson & Wales University

Globe Trotters: A Passport to Learning around the World is a successful collaborative project between a university ESL program and an urban elementary school.  Volunteers from a university level ESL Oral Communications class prepare and teach a series of interactive lessons about their native countries for third grade students.    

Looking at Literacy through a Multicultural Lens Sarah Forbes & Kirsten Kollgaard, St. Michael’s College

English language learners’ (ELL) cultural and language backgrounds can affect their understanding of literacy.  We will examine how using multicultural literacy by integrating multicultural readings, histories, and perspectives, can enrich classroom instruction.  Through interactive, hands-on activities, we will illustrate how teachers’ knowledge of students’ cultural backgrounds can inform and enhance English language learners’ literacy experience.

Helping English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom: A Collaborative Assessment Protocol Linda Ward

English Language Learners (ELLs) in the K-12 classroom have differing academic language needs across the content areas as they attain higher levels of academic proficiency   In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to combine student data with a collaborative assessment protocol to make more accurate and strategic instructional decisions. 

Difficulties in Oral Skills for Arab Learners of English Sundus Ruhaif, St. Michael’s College Here are Sundus' PowerPoint and paper.

Homework They’ll Like? A Facebook Unit Kathryn Bechdoldt, University of Pittsburgh

This presentation will demonstrate a task-based unit using the website FaceBook for a number of interesting, fun homework assignments, geared toward high school or young adult learners.  Offline, in-class activities using FaceBook as the topic of discussion will also be presented.  Privacy concerns will also be covered. 

Teaching Adult Refugee Students Dilini Walisundara, St. Michael’s College