WALPOLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SPECIAL EDUCATION

In its mission statement, WIDA notes “Children and youth who are linguistically and culturally diverse bring a unique set of assets that have the potential to enrich the experiences of all learners and educators.” The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is committed to continued training so that all educators have the skills and knowledge to support and educate English Learners in our classrooms. In this workshop, participants will review and explore new teaching strategies to support English Learners and refresh their commitment to providing supportive classroom environments which benefit all students. 

A safe and supportive learning environment is essential to ensuring a student’s academic success. Behavioral health and emotional well-being can have a profound impact on a student’s motivation, engagement, and ability to learn in academic settings. Integrating social and emotional learning (SEL) into curriculum and instruction can help teachers learn how to foster caring, and participatory learning environments that will allow students to feel safe, supported, and motivated to learn. In addition, social and emotional competencies are protective factors against both interpersonal aggression and violence such as bullying and self-directed violence and suicidal behavior.

This course contains four sessions that address specific areas of social and emotional learning that all Massachusetts schools are required to address. The sessions are designed to help teachers support all students in the classroom. The four sessions are: Managing Stress and Anxiety; Preventing and Addressing Bullying In and Out of School; Supporting the Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Students; and Suicide Prevention and Postvention. These are complex and sensitive topics and each session can be a starting point for learning how to ensure that all students feel comfortable and supported in school so that they are able to reach their academic potential. Each session will provide participants with resources to help self-assess their understanding on the topics covered, resources to build their understanding, and activities that guide them to reflect on and apply what they learned in a variety of formats. There are additional resources in the “Extend” section of each session so that participants can continue learning.

Understanding and responding to students’ individual learning needs can be a challenge for teachers. Participants in this course, Engaging All Students with Differentiated Instruction, will explore many strategies and tools that will help them to plan lessons so that all students are appropriately challenged and supported. Participants will also explore technology tools that will facilitate instruction of students with diverse learning needs and strategies to differentiate assessment. To apply what they learn in the course, participants will complete an Implementation Plan outlining how they will modify instruction in their classrooms to meet a variety of student learning needs. This self-paced course can be used, in conjunction with the Individual Professional Development Plan, to satisfy the minimum 15 PDPS related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles as according to the Massachusetts License Renewal Requirements for a Professional License. 

In this workshop, Inclusive Classroom Design with Technology, participants will learn about intentionally designing an Inclusive Classroom to further education equity for all learners. The thoughtful infusion of technology will be an essential part of this process. Participants will use the principles of Universal Design for Learning to plan flexible lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners in the classroom, use the SETT Framework to match learner needs to tools that ensure access and engagement, and explore a range of accessibility tools and features.

This self-paced course can be used, in conjunction with the Individual Professional Development Plan, to satisfy the minimum 15 PDPs related to training in strategies for effective schooling for students with disabilities and instruction of students with diverse learning styles as according to the Massachusetts License Renewal Requirements for a Professional License.

English language learners (ELs) are an important focus of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (ESE) Proficiency Gap Task Force. Closing the proficiency gap depends on teachers having the skills and knowledge necessary to instruct ELs effectively. Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) is an approach to teaching academic content in English to ELs. Generally, but not always, ELs are in the same classrooms as native English-speaking students.* In this course, participants will review and explore teaching strategies to support English language learners. Participants will also explore technology resources that can support English language learners within the classroom. To apply what they learn in the course, participants will complete a Lesson Plan Template outlining how they will incorporate in their classrooms instructional practices that have been shown to be effective in supporting the learning of English language learners. This self-paced course can be used in conjunction with the Individual Professional Development Plan to satisfy the minimum 15 PDPs related to training in SEI or English as a Second Language in accordance with the Massachusetts License Renewal Requirements for a Professional License.