Professional Development

            At the Rhode Island Teacher’s of English Language Learner’s conference this year, they discussed Sheltered instruction and Common Core Standards. I had been playing with the idea of becoming an ESL teacher but given my lack of experience as an educator, I thought it was best to focus on one facet of education at a time. The truth of the matter is that it is impossible to provide differentiated instruction without considering the students who are English Language Learners. More importantly, research has shown that using the SIOP model benefits all students, not just those learning a second language. Attending this conference was very crucial to my professional development. I gained a better understanding of the SIOP Model and its components. which were briefly touched upon during Educational Psychology but which were still unclear to me. Lesson planning and delivery suggestions were made available. There was a huge stress on adaptations such as graphic organizers and outlines which I found to be extremely helpful even for myself as I presented my second microteaching lesson. Making lessons multisensory was also something I took away from that session and judging from the feedback I received from my peers, it was extremely effective when I incorporated it into my lesson.

            All in all it was a highly beneficial conference that made me better aware of my options as I create future lesson plans.  I will definitely attend more conferences throughout my career as an educator.