The One Thing Conference Workshops: English as a Second Language

Making Language Visible: Using SIOP to Support English Learners in Every Classroom

Date and Time

This is a one-day, four-hour, in-person workshop on Saturday May 30, 2026 from 9am-1pm.

Location

This workshop will be held in-person at the Edward St. John Building (4131 Campus Dr, College Park, MD 20742) on the University of Maryland College Park campus. Room details will be provided following registration.

Description

Every student deserves access to rigorous content—and English learners are no exception. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll dive into the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) model, a research-backed framework for teaching academic content to English Language Learners (ELLs) across grade levels. SIOP will help you make language visible and content accessible in your classroom. You won’t just learn about SIOP—you’ll practice it, applying the protocol directly to your own teaching context and walking away with objectives and strategies you can use immediately in the classroom.

Audience

This workshop is open to ALL Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Educators, and is designed specifically to support MSDE licensed educators to earn Professional Development Points (PDPs) for recertification professional learning hours. If you are not currently affiliated with the University of Maryland (welcome!), you will be prompted to create an affiliate account upon registration. Simply follow the prompts to create an affiliate account, then you will be able to register.

Facilitators

Dr. Nihat Polat and Dr. Laura Mahalingappa

PDP Alignment

English as a Second Language, Sheltered English, or Bilingual Education

Parking and Transportation 

Parking and public transit instructions can be found on our website

Questions?

Please contact Elizabeth Gotwalt, egotwalt@umd.edu