Professional Development Workshops

This workshop will provide hands-on, experiential activities and theory to address teaching pronunciation to English Language Learners. We will learn about first language interference and strategies to aim at producing native-sounding words. Dr. Seuss books have a lot of helpful secrets, let’s discuss them! Even native speakers of English teach pronunciation incorrectly, why is that?

The HiSET program continues to expand opportunities for adult learners by offering a flexible, accessible pathway to a high school equivalency diploma. This interactive session will provide educators, test center staff, and advocates with the latest updates on the HiSET program, including test features, scoring, and accommodations. Presenters will also highlight effective instructional strategies, showcase recent rebranding and website enhancements, and share resources designed to better support both learners and educators. Participants will leave with practical tools and knowledge to help guide students toward academic achievement and career readiness.

This workshop will equip both new and experienced educators with the knowledge, tools, and strategies needed to help students succeed on the GED® test. We will explore student performance on the GED test from both a national perspective and through data specific to Massachusetts. The session will also cover key aspects of the program, including an overview of the GED test, Massachusetts testing policies, the GED Ready® Official Practice Test, our new mobile app GED & Me™, and the GED Manager™ system. You will also discover a wealth of teaching resources and student support tools designed to boost readiness, build confidence, and maximize success on test day. Q&A is encouraged. Let’s get your questions answered!

This interactive, hands-on workshop will introduce practical and engaging activities designed to energize adult ESL classrooms and boost student participation. Participants will experience a variety of strategies—ranging from low-prep icebreakers to skill-focused tasks—that can be adapted for multiple proficiency levels. By the end of the session, teachers will leave with ready-to-use activities, ideas for fostering communication and collaboration, and tips for tailoring lessons to meet diverse learner needs.

In this practice-oriented session, you’ll explore ways that ESOL teachers can incorporate generative AI (like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude) into their teaching practice. We focus not on classroom use with students, but on teachers’ back-end work: planning lessons, working with materials, developing curriculum, assessments and evaluation. Participating teachers will walk away with several practices that integrate AI into their work, along with a set of useful AI tools, frameworks, and resources to support their continuing professional development. The ideal participant has some basic awareness of generative AI tools but may not be actively using them.

This workshop is designed to provide teachers with practical hands on strategies when teaching adult learners with emotional disabilities and/or trauma. Learn critical trauma based skills that will help create positive relationships, between students and staff while being cognizant of individual student needs and experiences. A student can not reach their potential if they do not feel acknowledged and recognized and this workshop will provide methods to help each student learn to the best of their ability.

Mental Health First Aid is an internationally-recognized training program that teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial help and support to someone who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem or experiencing a crisis. The evidence behind the program demonstrates that it does build mental health literacy, helping the public identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illness.

Please note that while the workshop is free, there is a charge of $23.95 per participant for the certification. Payment can be made via PayPal. Please include “Mental Health Workshop” in the note.

Approximately two hours of self-paced, online pre-work for the certification is required. You will be sent a link upon certification payment. Registrants who do not pay the fee and/or complete the pre-work will not be allowed to participate in the training.

Registration for this workshop will close on Friday, December 12.