Author Archives: MATSOL

About MATSOL

Equity & Excellence for English Learners

“Thrown to the wolves” – Teacher education during a pandemic

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By Johanna Tigert, Christine Leider, and Michaela Colombo for the MATSOL Teacher Educator Special Interest Group.

Special thanks to Adrienne, Anastasia, Claudia, Helen, Irma, Ivone, Jocelyn, Joni, Josh, Laura, Marialuisa, Melissa, Moira, Paula, Peter, and Rachel, whose voices we drew on in writing this piece. 

The MATSOL Teacher Educator Special Interest Group (SIG) met on April 27 via Zoom to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our work. A record number of people attended – a testament to the desire of people to connect and be heard during these unprecedented times. In small groups, we shared both our recent challenges and triumphs as distance teacher educators. We’re not going to pretend challenges didn’t dominate our conversation – they were serious, multiple, and complex. People needed the space to voice their concerns. However, the resourceful group we are, we also shared strategies, resources, and tips for overcoming some of the challenges. 

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English/Multilingual Learners with Disabilities: Teaching and Learning Remotely

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Online Open House

Thursday, May 7, 3:00 p.m to 4:00 p.m.

Co-presenters: Dr. Jenny Jacobs, Boston Public Schools and Joni Magee, Lasell University

Please join the Coalition for Equity, Diversity, and Disability (CEDD) for an open house meeting to discuss teaching and learning remotely with students who are linguistically and culturally diverse students with disabilities. The Coalition for Equity, Diversity, and Disability (CEDD) promotes interdisciplinary collaboration to address the needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students with disabilities and their families.

During this open house, a diverse community of practitioners will meet to discuss:

  • Practices that are working well in remote teaching with this student population
  • Challenges that present as we teach remotely with this student population
  • Resources for teaching remotely with linguistically and culturally diverse students with disabilities and their families
  • Opportunities to share experiences from the field and higher education

Please register here for this open house. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting in Zoom.

Co-sponsored by MATSOL, MABE & Lasell University

Introduction to Online Classrooms and Best Practices

Video

Watch the recorded presentation to learn some of the best practices MATSOL has developed while hosting online meetings. Members can also download all materials that were used during this presentation. If you have tips or resources that you like to use, please share on the Padlet link provided!

Materials from the presentation:
PowerPoint Presentation
Zoom Meeting Procedures
Shared Padlet

Thank you to all who came to the live presentation. Our intention is to help and we hope this does!

Free Multilingual Online Libraries

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Multilingual online books that can be accessed for free.

Free Multilingual Online Libraries

  • Unite for Literacy: Early Learning eBooks: More than 100 original ebooks carefully crafted to connect with young children and their families. Books are written in English and include audio narration in English and 28 languages.
  • Worldstories: A growing collection of short stories including retold traditional tales and new short stories from around the world. The stories can be read and listened to online, or downloaded and they’re all free!
  • International Children’s Online Library: A searchable library of digital children’s books in more than 50 languages.
  • Rosetta Project: Books in Multiple Languages: Digital books in more than 40 languages.
  • Epic!: Completely free for teachers and librarians, Epic!  is a digital reading platform for kids ages 12 and under. Epic! offers more than 35,000 thousand high-quality and award-winning fiction and nonfiction books, audio books, and videos from 250 publishers. Books in English and Spanish.

For Parents

Understanding the Dual Capacity Framework for Family-School Partnerships

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The next MATSOL Family-School Partnership Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting will focus on the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships.

At the meeting, guest speaker Dr. Bertha-Elena Rojas will introduce the framework. Participants will then have the opportunity to ask questions and meet in small break out groups to discuss the framework in the context of their own schools and districts.

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2020 Awards – Call for Nominations/Proposals

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MATSOL awards and grants recognize Massachusetts educators of English Learners for excellence, creativity, and innovation. 

2020 Call for Nominations & Proposals

  • MATSOL Teacher of the Year: For excellence in the education of English learners.
  • Anne Dow Award for Excellence & Creativity: For leading collaboration to support the education of English Learners.
  • Linda Schulman Innovation Grant: Grants of up to $1,000 for pedagogical projects that benefit English language learners by improving their language competency or increasing their understanding of American culture.

Submission deadline: Monday, March 23, 2020

Information: www.matsol.org/awards-grants

MATSOL Statement Supporting the Safe Communities Act

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Jan 24, 2020: MATSOL submitted testimony to the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security in support of the Safe Communities Act H.3573 (Reps. Ruth Balser & Liz Miranda) and S.1401 (Sen. Eldridge).

The Safe Communities Act restores confidence in our public institutions by allowing our police and court officials to focus on public safety, providing clear guidance for their interactions with ICE, ensuring that in Massachusetts, no one has to live in fear, and everyone’s civil rights will be respected.

The passage of the Safe Communities Act is not just a public safety issue; it is also an educational issue. MATSOL urges legislators to support the Safe Communities Act in order to protect students and their families, and to allow our students in all educational contexts to pursue their educational goals. Most immigrant families include US citizens and people with varied immigration statuses, so the bill will have a far-reaching impact within our school communities. If we are serious about valuing every student, we need to show this by creating an environment in which every student can learn and thrive. The Safe Communities Act is vital to the success of Massachusetts students and the future of the Commonwealth. 

Integrating Social Emotional Learning in English Learner Instruction

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Utilizing research-based strategies to craft SEL-embedded lessons in a culturally relevant teaching (CRT) classroom environment.

A 15 PDP course focused on embedding Social Emotional Learning (SEL) concepts and strategies into curriculum and instruction for English Learners. 

  • Analyze data on the benefits of teaching SEL skills to ELs
  • Become familiar with DESE Guidelines on implementing Social Emotional Curricula K-12
  • Be introduced to a SEL-embedded curriculum model used in a Newcomer program
  • Learn how to increase culturally responsive practices (CRT) in their classrooms
  • Practice strategies that combine academic content and SEL skills for ELs
  • Create/ revise lesson plans that integrate SEL in content-area instruction
  • Analyze rubrics and assessment strategies for monitoring and assessing SEL
  • Collaborate with peers to develop end-of-unit projects that embed SEL and CRT.

Audience: Any school educator or leader who works with K-12 English Learners. 

Format: Two six hour sessions plus a 3-hour on-line/assignment component.

PDPs: 15 PDPs that fulfill recertification requirement in English learner education.

Credit: 1 credit option available.

Registration & Information: www.mastol.org/courses

Webinar: Submitting a Proposal for the 2020 MATSOL Conference

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Are you thinking about submitting a proposal for the MATSOL Conference, but have questions? Please join us for a webinar that will cover these topics:

  • Proposal review and selection process
  • Choosing and focusing a topic
  • Drafting the proposal
  • Submitting the proposal online
  • Preparing to present

New and experienced presenters welcome!

To prepare for the webinar, we recommend that you review the Call for Proposals at www.matsol.org/2020-call-for-proposals. Bring your questions!

Date: Thursday November 14, 2019 at 4 pm
Register: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pD5XIQHFTUWdRQl9VZn3Hw
Presented by: Helen Solorzano, MATSOL Executive Director

2020 MATSOL Conference – Call for Proposals

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Proposal deadline EXTENDED to Monday, December 16, 2019 11:59 PM

The 2020 MATSOL Conference brings together educators of English learners from across Massachusetts to learn, network, and share expertise.

Submit a proposal to present at the conference!

MATSOL encourages engaging, interactive presentations that make the theory to practice connection. Successful proposals include practical classroom activities informed by current research and pedagogy, demonstrations of successful instructional practices, examinations of current issues in education, and research that informs educators in the Massachusetts context. Presentations should engage the audience through hands-on or interactive activities when possible. 

Presentations may address audiences from all program types including PK-12 schools (public, charter and independent), adult and workplace education, community college ESL, Intensive English Programs (IEPs), private language schools, and pre-service and in-service teacher education.

Topic strands:

  • Academic Language in the Content Areas
  • Bilingualism and Biliteracy
  • Co-Teaching and Collaborative Practices
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching
  • Curriculum Development
  • Data and Assessment
  • Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation
  • Digital Learning & Technology
  • Family and Community Engagement
  • Policy and Advocacy
  • Program Administration and Evaluation
  • Professional Development and Teacher Education
  • Reading, Writing and Literacy
  • Vocabulary and Grammar

Presentations take place on Wednesday, May 27 – Friday May 29, 2020.

Proposal deadline extended to Monday, December 16, 2019 at 11:59 PM.

Submit a proposal: https://www.matsol.org/2020-conference

View webinar: Submitting a MATSOL Conference Proposal (recording)

Note: The Call for Graduate Student Poster Sessions will open in January 2020.