Practical ESOL Strategies for Beginners

Friday, March 13, 2026
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (in person at First Literacy's office but please note that the location may change)

This workshop equips teachers with strategies for working with beginner ESOL students who have minimal English proficiency. The session includes lesson planning guidance that integrates all four language skills within meaningful contexts. Teachers will leave with concrete tools and sample activities they can implement in their classrooms immediately.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

• Learn strategies to make language comprehensible

• Discover scaffolding techniques that build confidence while developing skills

• Explore error correction methods that encourage rather than discourage communication

Presenter:

Danny Stone brings over a decade of diverse ESOL teaching experience to the classroom, with expertise in working with beginner-level English learners. He has experience teaching adult refugees from around the world through his work at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services in New Haven, CT, where he managed the newcomer curriculum and citizenship test preparation program. Danny has taught ESOL at all proficiency levels across multiple contexts, including at a private language school in Connecticut, for New Haven and Buffalo Adult Education and the International Institute of New England, and in Everett Public Schools, where he currently serves as a grade 5 ESOL teacher and teaches ESOL to parents and family members of students across the district.

This workshop is free to staff of all Massachusetts non-profit ABE and ESOL Programs.

First Literacy does not receive any state or federal funding and we work very hard to raise 100% of our budget from private sources. Please consider making a donation to First Literacy so we can continue to offer FREE high quality professional development workshops.