Real Learning in a Virtual Space
At WAESOL, we want to encourage you in your continued efforts to support your students and develop as teaching professionals. To this end, we were honored to launch WAESOL Online in April 2020, attracting a great many participants. We continue this new tradition now.
Net proceeds of WAESOL Online go toward supporting WAESOL Grants, Awards, and Conference Scholarships. WAESOL is a registered WA non profit/charity and an IRS 501(c)3 .
WAESOL Online is excited to be back in 2026.
Our first trainings of 2026 are coming up. There are several more in the works for this year.
Special Pricing in May and June: Each 2-hour training is only $15 for WAESOL members, $25 for non-members. Be sure to become a WAESOL member prior to registering to ensure member pricing. All sessions qualify for WA State clock hours ($3/hour).
If you are interested in providing a two-hour online training, please contact joan@waesol.org .
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Creating Equitable Opportunities for MLs’ Academic Discourse: Layering Evidence-Based Strategies & Cultivating Teacher Agency
with Sally Baer, NBCT
- Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
- Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm Pacific Time
- Live Online
This highly collaborative, interactive session will begin by grounding our work in 2nd Language acquisition theories, engage with basic “talk moves” and evidene-based ELD strategies to understand how integrating these routines into our teaching and learning spaces can scaffold and support equitable opportunities for academic discourse for every student, specifically our MLLs. I am excited to model how using accountable talk empowers students to engage in meaning-making, higher level thinking and rigorous self-expression of learning; and cultivates teacher agency and efficacy. In the last half of the session, participants will have time to explore using a “choice board” and collaborate with peers in small breakout groups.
Objectives:
- CONTENT:
- Explore and Ground in Theories of 2nd Language Acquisition and How it Informs our Work,
- Understand How Revoicing Makes Student Discourse “Accountable” and
- Explore Evidence-Based Strategies to Create Equitable Opportunities and Build Teacher Agency
- LANGUAGE:
- Describe Theories of 2nd Language Acquisition and How it Informs our Work,
- Demonstrate & Model Revoicing Strategies During Our Time Together,
- Synthesize Evidence-Based Strategies to Create Equitable Opportunities and Build Teacher Agency
Presenter: Sally Baer, NBCT
Sally is a dedicated instructional leader, educational advocate, professional development facilitator and researcher. She has over 20 years of K-5 teaching experience as an elementary teacher, reading interventionist and most recently, a multilingual learning (MLL) specialist, on the East and West coasts. Sally also does contract work for NBPTS and OSPI, supporting the National Board certification process.
She has varied and broad work experience in supporting every student’s success using MTSS, UDL, GLAD, SIOP and evidence-based ELD strategies, such as accountable talk, translanguaging pedagogy and other embedded scaffolds. Her passion is lifting those families who have the potential to be farthest away from educational and social justice; Sally believes that every student succeeds, no exceptions!
Sally is a life-long learner; she is a Nationally Board-Certified Teacher in English as a New Language/Early-Middle Childhood. is currently in a PhD Doctoral program at Seattle Pacific University with a focus on equitable educational practices and culturally-responsive, sustaining frameworks.
Sally lives in WA with her son, husband and cat, Leo. She is an avid reader and loves coffee, traveling and gardening.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Beyond the Classroom Walls: Culturally Responsive Strategies for Multilingual Learner Wellbeing and Success
with Jaimie Bin Li, Melanie Charlton, and Carly Beatty
- Date: Wednesday May 27, 2026
- Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm Pacific Time
- Live Online
How do we make multilingual learners feel truly seen, connected, and supported, both emotionally and academically? In this session, three educators share powerful, ready-to-use strategies that bridge home and school. Discover how Me Museum invites students to curate and share artifacts from their cultural backgrounds, building oral language and narrative skills. Explore how an extended Language Portrait becomes a daily tool for identity reflection and belonging. And experience Tea & Culture Stations, where families demonstrate tea-making traditions, students engage their senses, hear stories, and build vocabulary through authentic discussion. Join us for practical ideas you can implement tomorrow to nurture the whole learner.
Objectives:
To share practical, culturally responsive strategies that affirm multilingual learners’ identities, foster a sense of belonging, and strengthen academic language skills through artifact-based learning, daily identity connections, and community-engaged cultural experiences.
Presenter Bios:
Dr. Jaimie Bin Li, EdD
Dr. Jaimie Bin Li is a researcher, published author, district multilingual learner specialist, and educational consultant with 15+ years of experience in K-12 classrooms in BC, Canada, and across North America. She holds an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she conducted research on structured teacher collaboration for multilingual learners. She publishes in peer-reviewed journals and partners with teachers to design equitable practices and inclusive classrooms where every student thrives.
Melanie Charlton Grade 4 Classroom Teacher, Langley School District, BC, Canada
Melanie has spent the past decade teaching in British Columbia’s public school system, where she has built a reputation for creating classrooms that genuinely embrace diversity and celebrate each student as they are. Deeply committed to her students’ well-being, she consistently seeks out ways to support their unique needs, whether academic, social, or emotional. Her colleagues often note her distinctive gift for guiding student behavior through positive, affirming language that builds children up while helping them grow. Melanie believes that when students feel seen and valued for who they are, they are empowered to do their best learning.
Carly Beatty Grade 4 Classroom Teacher, Langley School District, BC, Canada
With over 16 years of experience in BC’s public education system, including years as a primary teacher before moving to Grade 4, Carly brings a wealth of knowledge to her practice. She excels at scaffolding activities to meet learners exactly where they are, ensuring that every student can access the curriculum and experience success. Carly is passionate about hands-on, creative learning experiences that spark curiosity and deep engagement. Her classroom is a place where students build, create, explore, and grow, both in their skills and in their confidence as learners.
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Family Engagement as a Relational, Cultural, Ethical and Instructional Work
with Dr. Sonia Spar
- Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
- Time: 9:30am – 11:30am Pacific Time
- Live Online
This interactive 2 hour online workshop aims to equip Pre-k to Second Grade teachers and school administrators with practical strategies to engage multilingual families as co-creators of knowledge, which will enrich multilingual students’ learning experience. Participants will explore Funds of Knowledge and Funds of Identity, recognize and challenge raciolinguistic bias and deficit thinking, and practice deep listening to understand and respond to family experiences with respect and care. By connecting family strengths to classroom practices, school routines, and school-wide initiatives, participants will learn how to foster inclusive, culturally responsive environments that support multilingual learners’ engagement, identity development, and multimodal language acquisition skills for early academic success.
This professional development aligns with CRT standards by centering students’ identities, languages, and family voices, and by challenging practices that marginalize multilingual learners and their families. It also aligns with TPEP criteria related to family engagement, culturally responsive practice, equitable learning environments, and professional reflection.
Objectives:
- Introduce educators and administrators to key concepts such as Funds of Knowledge, Funds of Identity, translanguaging, raciolinguistics, and how these inform culturally sustaining, relationship-centered practices.
- Support participants in identifying and interrupting deficit thinking, replacing it with asset-based approaches that honor students’ and families’ strengths.
- Provide practical tools and strategies for designing respectful, actionable family engagement routines that position multilingual families as co-educators, not just participants.
Presenter: Sonia Spar, Ed.D.
Sonia Spar, Ed.D. is a scholar-practitioner and community engagement leader with extensive experience supporting multilingual learners, migrant families, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Her work focuses on strengthening family-school partnerships, honoring families’ Funds of Knowledge and Funds of Identity, and helping educators and institutions create more equitable, relationship-centered practices. Sonia’s research centers on family engagement, culturally sustaining education, translanguaging/Trauma informed practices, and empowering multilingual families as co-educators in children’s learning.
For May and June: Each 2-hour workshop is $15 for WAESOL members, $25 for non-members. Be sure to become a WAESOL member prior to registering to ensure member pricing. All sessions qualify for WA State clock hours ($3/hour).
If you are interested in providing an on-line training through WAESOL Online, please contact joan@waesol.org with your ideas for a 2-hour online training.