2020 Virtual Conference & Thoughts on the Natural Approach

2020 Spring Virtual Conference - You can still register!

Join CATESOL online this Friday, May 8th from 1:00 – 6:00 pm and Saturday, May 9th from  9:00 am – 2:00 pm to hear some of ESL's most influencial including:
  • Donna Brinton: Achieving Coherence in Content-Based Language Teaching: Applying the 6 Ts to Course Design
  • Keith Folse: Three Ideas for Teaching Academic Vocabulary with a Word List
  • Yvonne and David Freeman: Building Academic Language and Content Knowledge through Translanguaging 
  • Stephen Krashen: Three Short Talks: Perspectives on Individual Differences, Writing, and Pronunciation​
  • Maggie Sokolik: Teaching in Complex Times: Navigating New Water
You have until tomorrow, May 7th, to register: 2020 Virtual Conference Registration

Why I Parted Company with Natural Approach

Stephen Krashen

“The Natural Approach never caught on in language teaching circles in the U.S. perhaps because it was too ‘radical’ compared to standard explicit instruction and practice of grammar and vocabulary. Among those who claim to use it, the Natural Approach has become an approach that layers input over the traditional syllabus, making input a technique to teach the same old things.” (VanPatten, 2017, p. 70).

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CATESOL'S Just-In-Time Online Training Videos

If you didn’t participate in the 65 hours of workshops and coaching sessions we held March 18-26, don’t worry! Many were recorded and edited for your viewing at a time that is convenient for you. Some have links to ancillary materials, too.  So if you missed them, or you attended and want a review, you may access the videos from the CATESOL.org website. Look for Resources > Online Training. Here are some of the recordings that are currently available:
 
  • Using Zoom Breakout Rooms - Ryan Detwiler
  • Using Discussion Boards for Graded Assignments - Marsha Chan
  • Zoom Basics for Users on Computers and iPhones - Marsha Chan
  • Teaching Listening Lessons on Zoom - Jayme Adelson-Goldstein, Lori Howard, and Sylvia Ramirez
  • Role-play Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation for Low-tech Learners - Marsha Chan
  • Gamify Your Classroom with Quizizz and Quizlet - Susan Gaer
  • Reconceptualizing and Implementing Assignments for Online Teaching - Margi Wald
  • Basics of Zoom, Blackboard, Google Docs, Kahoot, and Flipgrid - Lily Lewis
  • Zoom Basics - Roz Tolliver
  • Google Classroom - Roz Tolliver
  • Recasting your Curriculum for Delivery in Zoom - Marsha Chan

CATESOL Provides Just-In Time Online Training for Teachers

Marsha J. Chan

California was the first state in the United States to establish a "shelter in place" mandate to prevent the COVID-19's spread. However, even before Governor Newsom's official shelter in place mandate, California schools had begun shutting down. This sent hundreds of thousands of students and teachers home. Pro-active CATESOL trainers started delivering online workshops and interactive coaching for ESL teachers to make this transition easier.

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Book Review: Creating a Culture of Reflective Practice, Capacity-Building for Schoolwide Success

Kara Mac Donald and Hanan Khaled

Divided into three sections, Creating a Culture of Reflective Practice, Capacity-Building for Schoolwide Success by Pete Hall and Alisa Simeral provide meaningful insights on how both leaders and teachers can create a conducive environment that sets up a school for success. The book is divided into three sections, Part I: The Game, Part II: The Players and the Playing Field and Part III: The Playbook, with four to five chapters in each part. From the get-go, the tone is so accessible and friendly as if the authors were chatting with you in a lecture hall, across a table in a faculty meeting or in the campus or school cafeteria. This is one essential component of the whole text.

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We want to hear from you! Top Five Online Teaching Tips

Christie Sosa

CATESOL Newsletter - 2020 Virtual Conference & Thoughts on the Natural Approach