Professional Learning (Past Sessions)

Be Proactive, not Reactive – How to organise a New Arrivals Box before your EAL/D students arrive

Details:

This session will include ways of addressing initial needs of CALD students newly arrived in Australia. (1.3) It show examples of being proactive in arranging New Arrival Boxes to support students during resettlement (2.2),  creating a sense of safety and enhancing learning (4.1).The session will provide opportunities for teachers to share their experiences with colleagues about how they prepare for newly arrived students (6.2).

Audience: Primary

Presenters:

Robyn Johnson is currently a Kindergarten Teacher in the Riverina area. She has 24 years teaching experience, having taught as an EAL/D teacher in South West Sydney and Riverina areas. Robyn has a Masters in TESOL and has experience in consultancy for South West Sydney and state office. Robyn has presented and tutored at Wollongong and Sydney Universities.

Dannyelle Thompson is currently an EAL/D teacher in the Riverina area. She began her teaching career 20 years ago. Dannyelle spent 10 years teaching in the Middle East, where she was a Stage 1 teacher and Team Leader and had the privilege of working with colleagues, students and families from around the world.

When:

Term 1 Week 8 Thursday 20th March 2025

4pm – 6pm.

Where: Online

Readers Theatre: Theatre of the imagination

Details:

This session aims to show how a creative and inclusive translanguaging space can be developed by incorporating Readers Theatre in a range of subject areas, especially English. This strategy supports reading, writing, listening and speaking and encourages the use of the first language (Dutton et al, 2018, p.47). Participants will be introduced to strategies where stories, fact or fiction, personal or published are developed into a script using all the creative, linguistic and cultural resources which students bring to the text.

Audience: Adult, Secondary, Primary

Presenters:

Robyn Ewing AM is Professor Emerita and Co-Director of the Creativity in Research, Engaging the Arts, Transforming Education, Health and Wellbeing (CREATE) Centre at the University of Sydney. Robyn is passionate about the arts and education and the role quality arts experiences and processes can and should play in creative pedagogy and transforming the curriculum at all levels of education.

Dr Kathy Rushton is an experienced TESOL and classroom teacher working in primary, secondary and tertiary settings and with adults learning English. She is an Honorary Lecturer at the University of Sydney and is interested in the development of language and literacy, especially in culturally and linguistically diverse socio-economically disadvantaged communities.

When:

Term 1 Week 9

Wednesday 26 March 4.00 – 5.00 PM

Where: Online

Scaffolding English language learners’ imaginative writing

Details:

This session examines a successful experimental teaching strategy, ‘Storystyles,’ which improved EAL/D learners’ ability to write engaging imaginative narrative texts using stylistic language and literary techniques of narration, perspective, descriptive setting and mood, and dialogue and voice. The scaffolded task design of the teaching experiment is examined, the quality of student responses evaluated, and their language acquisition analysed, with a view to teachers designing and implementing the strategy in their own classrooms.

Audience: Upper Primary, Secondary

Presenter:

Dr Michael Michell worked as an ESL teacher and senior education officer in the NSW Department of Education. He was part of the national writing team for the ESL Scales and the UTS research team investigating scaffolding in EAL/D classrooms. He worked as a language and literacy lecturer at UNSW (2008 – 2016) and is now an honorary lecturer at the School. Michael was President of ACTA (2015-2020) and is currently President of ATESOL NSW.

When:

Term 1 Week 10 Wednesday 2nd April 4:00-5:30 pm

Where: Online

Understanding Democracy in Australia: Roleplay to debate a Bill in Parliament

Details:

In this workshop we will deliver a course project, presenting a Bill for debate in Parliament.

Students develop:

• a persuasive text—written and spoken
• pronunciation skills for public speaking
• students AV record their practice taking the roles of members of parliament.

The session satisfies TAFE standards for teachers to maintain professional currency requirements and NESA standards at proficient teacher level

The workshop will use AV recordings from the classroom. Workshop participants will receive a free workbook with audio.

Audience: TAFE, Adult, Secondary

Presenters: Glenice Aiken & Marina Pearce

Time: 4-5:30pm

Where: Online

Integrated programming for language learning – what are the non-negotiables?

Details:

This session shows primary and middle school teachers how they can plan an integrated literature teaching program that supports English language learners. It will cover key areas of building the field, vocabulary instruction, speaking and listening, comprehension at word, sentence and whole text levels, and writing in context including audience and purpose, grammar and cohesion, vocabulary and spelling. Participants will be supported with exemplar EAL/D resources.

Audience: Secondary, Primary

Presenter: Janet Freeman

Janet Freeman began teaching in 1985 completing TESOL training in 1989-90, teaching EAL/D until 2002 and was ESL Rural and Regional &R consultant with Jodie Braiding. Completed MA TESOL and MA Language and Literacy in 2004-5; was Sydney Region ESL consultant 2006-2013. EAL/D teacher and part-time TESOL Tutor at USYD from 2009-19 and Macquarie University 2020-22. President of ATESOLNSW 2018-19. Since 2023, Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instructional Leader.

When:
Week 5 – 28th May 2025

Time: 4.00-5.30pm

Where: Online

Differentiating writing assessment for EAL/D learners

Details:

The first workshop will identify language and content demands of the new secondary syllabuses with a focus on writing and suggest ways for designing differentiated teaching and assessment.

The second workshop will provide opportunities for participants to share their differentiated assessments.

Audience: Adult, Secondary

Presenters: David Partridge and Margaret Turnbull

Margaret Turnbull, Associate Lecturer, Language and Literacy, University of Wollongong.

Margaret Turnbull has worked as a secondary teacher, Instructional Leader, regional consultant, statewide EAL/D coordinator and researcher. In these roles her work has focused on leading teacher learning in EAL/D pedagogy and assessment and on the development of EAL/D curriculum, policy and research projects.

David Partridge, Sessional Academic, University of New England

David works as EAL/D specialist, primary in rural education context. He has a background as a secondary school teacher, head teacher, curriculum advisor and EAL/D Education Leader. David’s research interests include how teachers use students’ plurilingualism in their practice, the role of bilingual teaching assistants and refugee education.

When:
Workshop 1 – 21st May 2025
Workshop 2 – 11th June 2025

Time: 3:30 – 4:30pm

Where: Online

Pronunciation Bites: Intonation & Pragmatics

Details:

This practical session will provide teachers with the basic tools to teach intonation, along with pragmatics, to EAL/D learners. Techniques for teaching a range of adolescent-adult learners, from beginning level to advanced levels of English proficiency, will be demonstrated and discussed.  Demonstrations will include visual, audio, and tactile/kinesthetic techniques.

Audience:

Adult

Secondary

Presenter:

Associate professor Amanda Baker, UOW

Amanda Baker is an Associate Professor in TESOL at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Her research interests focus on the dynamic relationships that exist between teachers’ knowledge, beliefs and teaching practices, especially regarding oral communication pedagogy. She has given numerous plenaries and presentations at national and international conferences.

When: Term 2, Week 6, 3rd June 2025

Time: 6-7pm

Where: Online

Assessing and teaching Oracy

Details:

In this session we will present a case history (AV recordings) demonstrating a practical classroom-based methodology which involves learners hands-on from day one of a course in diagnostic assessment of their oracy, setting relevant objectives and designing a learning plan.

In this workshop participants will be able to:

1. review research into issues affecting judgements of ‘intelligibility’
2. undertake assessments of video-recorded samples of learner English using a draft assessment tool for intelligibility
3. clarify factors in the assessment process: task design, the stakeholders, the local moderation process: ensuring ‘fairness’ and ‘validity’.

The workshop will use AV recordings from the classroom. Workshop participants will receive a free workbook with audio.

This session satisfies TAFE standards for teachers to maintain professional currency requirements and NESA standards at proficient teacher level.

Audience: TAFE, Adult, Secondary

Presenters: Glenice Aiken & Marina Pearce

Glenice Aiken and Marina Pearce, University of Sydney, TAFE. Their work draws on fields including linguistics, drama and voice production (NIDA), AV production for educational purposes (AFTRS), speech physiology, phonetics and phonology.

Research interests and publications focus on pronunciation and listening; language development and stabilization, and design of materials and methods; independent learning skills and self-assessment; AV recording skills for self/ peer assessment; oral history to promote language development.

When: 17 June 2025

Time: 4-5:30pm

Where: Online

Engaging CALD communities using QR code technology

Details:

This workshop draws from recent research (Partridge, Harper & McKinney, 2025) looking at how and why EAL/D teachers use QR codes in their practice to engage with and empower CALD communities. Key findings from this research will be shared with participants. After this, participants will be shown how to use QR code technology in their practice and have the opportunity to troubleshoot with the presenters. This is an ideal workshop for EAL/D teacher who work with CALD communities who often struggle to engage with Australian school systems and processes.

Audience: Primary, Secondary, Adult

Presenter: David Partridge and Carole McKinney

When: Tuesday 2nd  September

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A workshop for students: Preparing for the HSC after the trial EAL/D English exam

This presentation will provide guidance for EAL/D students and teachers to maximise results in the HSC and learn from the experience in the trials. Students will better understand how HSC markers view their responses and how the questions in papers are purposely shaped. The presentation will include a Q & A session on each module of the HSC.

Audience: Secondary

Presenter: Margaret Wajs

When: Tuesday 9th September

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm.

Where: via Zoom

Welcoming a Newly Arrived Student Learning English in an Australian School as a classroom teacher

This professional learning session emphasises the creation of an inclusive classroom environment, aligning with standards that promote belonging and respect for cultural diversity. Strategies discussed reflect differentiated instruction and assessment practices, while focusing on positive reinforcement and home-school communication to enhance engagement and support newly arrived students’ learning experiences.

Audience: Primary

Presenter: Robyn Johnson

When: Thursday 11th September

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 pm.

Where: via Zoom

Integrating Writing through Stage 6 EAL/D English Topic Areas

The presentation will examine the new senior EAL/D English syllabus (to be implemented in 2026) and identify ways writing can be incorporated to enhance both writing skills and understanding of topic areas.

Audience: Secondary

Presenter: Margaret Wajs

When: Tuesday 23rd September

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm.

TAFE NSW forum  Language to Launch: Leading Learners to New Opportunities

Details:

This panel discussion will explore how TAFE NSW’s VET English programs are meeting the needs of diverse learners. Panelists will share insights on curriculum development, program adaptations, industry trends, and practical classroom strategies, highlighting pathways to higher education and career success.

Audience: TAFE/Vocational, Tertiary, Secondary, Secondary Intesive English Centres

Panel speakers include:

Maree Howle: Accredited Course Specialist for Foundation Skills and Languages

Mandy Nour: Manager: AMEP Program

Debi Richardson: Industry Innovation Specialist for Foundation Skills and Languages: Industry and workforce trends

Paul Bradley: Team Leader ESOL: Practical Classroom Teaching.  

When: Tuesday 28th October

Time: 4:00 – 5:00 pm

Where: via Zoom

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