Bridging Worlds: Cross-Cultural Communication & Academic Belonging in the Adult ESOL Classroom

Part 1: Friday, April 10, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (in person at First Literacy's office)

Part 2: Friday, May 1, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (online via Zoom)

This two-part workshop—one in-person and one virtual—guides ESOL educators through the invisible dimensions of academic culture that impact adult learners from Haiti, Brazil, China, Spanish-speaking countries, and beyond. Using two Intercultural Communication Competence frameworks, participants will explore how to teach academic norms while honoring students’ survival realities. Through storytelling and reflection on “culture bumps,” educators will gain practical strategies and classroom activities that integrate social-emotional learning and foster academic belonging. Between sessions, participants will complete a short assignment to deepen their understanding and apply insights to their own teaching contexts.

Workshop Learning Objectives:

• Participants will be able to design and implement at least one classroom activity that integrates social-emotional learning and supports cross-cultural communication for adult ESOL learners.

• Participants will be able to identify and explain two strategies for teaching academic culture to students with survival needs, including how to interpret and respond to culturally influenced communication signals (e.g., silence, tone, timing).

Presenter:

Dr. Jennifer Lacroix is a pedagogy-focused applied linguist and part-time lecturer at Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business. She is the founder of Authenticity: Cross-Cultural Communication, a training company dedicated to helping educators and global leaders navigate cultural complexity with empathy and effectiveness. Her workshops integrate evidence-based teaching practices, social-emotional learning, and intercultural competence frameworks to support academic belonging for international students. Dr. Lacroix is also a seasoned TESOL trainer and public speaker, known for her engaging, reflective approach to professional development.

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.