On September 17–18, 2021, we will be hosting a free two-day virtual conference to explore current teaching trends and the future of education technology. At this conference, you’ll connect with organizations and teachers, share your experiences and expertise, and help shape the future of English language education. This article is part of a series of posts introducing some of the conference speakers.
Meet Dr. Katie Welch, an Educational Consultant for Welch Education. In this role, she provides professional development to language educators through partnerships with institutions like the US Department of State and Cambridge University Press.
Katie originally enrolled in a master’s program in counselling, but after teaching ESL in Chile and providing ESL support to newcomers, she decided to pursue a Ph.D. in linguistics instead. Second language acquisition was the focus of her dissertation.
These days, Katie is interested in and passionate about multilingualism.
“There is a significant shift happening in the field in how students’ home languages are viewed and used in the English language classroom. Significant theoretical conversations about translanguaging are beginning to trickle down into English classrooms, and we are seeing teachers more fully embrace students' full linguistic repertoires.”
Katie also gets excited about differentiation, technology in language teaching, and social-emotional learning.
“I tend to be a very reflective practitioner and am constantly thinking about how to be a better teacher to my students. I particularly enjoy making theory-practice connections so that teachers can feel confident that their instruction is grounded in solid research.”
Here, Katie is pictured presenting at a TexTESOL conference.
On September 18, Katie will be joining us to discuss how to incorporate social-emotional learning into adult ESL classrooms.
“Social-emotional learning, or SEL, seeks to engage learners as whole beings with not just academic needs but with social and emotional needs as well. This is a topic that is especially timely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as teachers have grappled with how to meaningfully connect with learners in online and/or socially distanced environments. In the session, we will identify three signature SEL practices that can be used in classrooms with adult learners. While practices can be used with any curriculum, I will specifically highlight some ESL Library tools and lessons that utilize a social-emotional framework.”
To hear Katie speak, be sure to register for our virtual conference.
To learn more about Katie, you can visit her website at www.welcheducation.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter at @drkatiewelch.
