Registration Open for ESL Symposium Focused on Supporting Students Online

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Alissa Blair and Renee Speight.

The upcoming University of Arkansas English as a Second Language symposium will focus on research-based practices to support students who are learning English simultaneously with content-area subjects in an online environment.

The 13th annual event, sponsored by the College of Education and Health Professions, will be free and held over Zoom on Saturday, Feb. 27. Keynote speakers are Alissa Blair and Renee Speight, U of A professors in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction.

Blair is an assistant professor of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Her research focuses on the education of K-12 multilingual learners in two broad areas: culturally responsive language and literacy instruction and home, community, and school partnerships. In relation to these areas, Blair supports teacher learning through site-based and university-based professional development.

"This is a timely topic because of the shift to virtual learning on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the use of web-based learning will continue, hopefully to the ultimate benefit of our multilingual students and of our brave teachers who are building capacity to leverage digital technologies to scaffold learning on a daily basis," she said.

Speight is a teaching assistant professor of Special Education at the U of A. She teaches courses on effective instruction for students with high-incidence disabilities and developing proactive and supportive multi-tiered systems of behavior support. Her research focuses on training in-service teachers to implement evidence-based practices and to evaluate associated outcomes related to student and teacher behavior.

"Effective teachers understand the importance of relying on evidence-based educational practices. Even with shifts to virtual instructional contexts or web-based platforms, teachers should continue to emphasize such practices in their instruction to support favorable outcomes for their students," Speight said. "Building teacher knowledge related to embedding research-based strategies into web-based learning contexts is key."

The symposium schedule also includes "stories from the field" in TESOL and several teacher-led breakout sessions, including:

• Virtual Learning Spelled Out: Virtual Learning for English Learners with IEPs presented by Joey Breaux, Springdale Public Schools, and Jamilyn Dugger, Fayetteville Public Schools
• ELL Technology Integrations for the 1-1 Classroom, Virtual and Online Learning Environments presented by Krystle Merry, University of Arkansas
• Tips and Tricks to Thrive in Synchronous Blended Learning Environments presented by Stacey Valley, eSTEM School
• Project REACH Virtual Formative Assessment Strategies for ELs and SPED presented by Mary Xiong, Tracy Whelan and Sarah Dennis, Springdale Public Schools

Teachers will receive a certificate for two hours of Professional Development and DESE Assurance Number upon completion of a survey. All participants must register. The online registration deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 24. If you would like to register for the symposium after Feb. 24, please email the registrar.

For more information, contact Diana Gonzales Worthen or Janet Penner-Williams, professors in the College of Education and Health Professions.