As part of the TESOL program at the University of Toronto, students are required to complete a 50 hour practicum in a government funded English language program. Under the guidance of a a TESOL instructor, certified by TESOL Ontario, Twenty-six to thirty hours are dedicated to observation of a class and approximately twenty hours of teaching . I am fortunate to have the opportunity to join a LINC program in the region of Peel. The class I am placed in is a LINC 6/7 class, with a focus on employment. Topics discussed this week included WSIB [Workplace Health and Safety Insurance Board], WHIMS [Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System] and employment law in Ontario. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all LINC classes have moved to an online teaching format. I was very nervous since I had never taught online, but excited to learn what techniques and platforms are being used to teach LINC online. My first week has been very positive. I was able to not only take part in the class by presenting a pronunciation activity, but I was also able to join my first English conversation circle. The students and instructors have been very welcoming which has made the transition from teaching children to teaching adults much more pleasant than I anticipated. However, instructors have told me that I should be prepared for challenging situations and questions where students will challenge me. Tips that I have learned this week through online teaching in LINC are :
0 Comments
When the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 Pandemic , this news brought our lives to a halt. Many of us had to become comfortable with the idea of online/distance learning whether we liked it or not. As a result, of the pandemic, I finished my semester and took part in professional development workshops via Zoom meetings and other platforms. From these and previous experiences with distance learning, I liked that I didn't have to travel to campus, and some professors posted materials/audio recordings of the lesson that I could access at my own leisure. One challenge was collaborating with other students to complete assignments. After attending workshops on jobs after graduation, I still had some skepticism about teaching online. However, with the pandemic teaching online became more of a desirable way to earn an income even when the pandemic has slowed down. Additionally, I could keep my day job and gain some English teaching experience ! I came across a blog by Teach Away that gives you a good overview of a few online teaching companies, that have popped up during my job search. Here is what I've learned :
Companies showcased in this blog that caught my attention:
For the full blog post, click on the button below. References :
Fernandez, S. (2018) 8 amazing companies that let you teach English online from home. Retrieved from https://www.teachaway.com/blog/8-amazing-companies-let-you-teach-english-online-from-home During the early stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I was going through my bookshelf and came across a book that I had found at a thrift store a few years ago called "642 Things to Write about". About three weeks into the stay-at-home order, I had a video chat with two friends and thought it would be a great idea to write in the book. One person would write in it and drive it to the next person's house and continue the cycle. This was a creative way for us to connect during the pandemic. It gave us an outlet to express our creativity and imagination through writing. While passing the journal from one friend to another, I thought about how I could use this as a learning tool in an ESL context. I did some research and found an article about how journal writing can help students in an ESL classroom. Here's what I learned :
This weekend I was supposed to be celebrating a friends' birthday in Paris, France. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic this trip has been put on hold. It also got me thinking about an assignment I completed about French speakers learning English as an L2, for my linguistics class. Part of the assignment was to research difficulties French speakers have when learning English. The second component was for students to create and present one of the activities they had researched. According to the research, French speakers have difficulty with pronouncing certain sounds in English because they do not exist in French (Avery & Ehrlich, 1992). Instead, they pronounce them as other sounds (Avery & Ehrlich, 1992). For example, the aspiration of the sound /p/ as in “plot” might sound like “blot” because the student is not producing the “puff of air” required to say these sounds (Avery &Ehrlich). I found an activity online called “Run and Grab”, that I thought would be a great way for students to practice the sounds they find difficult pronouncing. I changed the name to ”Sound Race” to emphasize that students need to focus on the sound of the words . Goal – For students to differentiate between minimal pairs (consonants) that French learners have difficulty with recognizing and pronouncing. Objective
References:
Avery, P., & Ehrlich, S. (1992). Teaching American English pronunciation. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Whckham, R. (2020) 10 ESL activities for powerful pronunciation progress. Retrieved from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/esl-pronunciation-activities/ A quantifier is a word or phrase that is used before a countable or uncountable noun, to indicate amount or quantity of something. Part of my grammar class is dedicated to students creating sample lessons or activities that they would implement in an ESL classroom. I decided to create a role-play activity using quantifiers that can be used in a CLB 2-3 classroom.
This is a photograph of how I would display the words on the board for the class, to use as prompts during the role play. I have drawn the different items for visuals, since I could not find any grocery store flyers.
During my undergraduate career, I was introduced to the idea of creating a blog as part of our practicum to showcase to our professor and classmates our learning experiences. Being in a health-care environment, there were many things I was not able to share about my practicum. Therefore, I never found this platform useful as student pursuing a career as a child life specialist.
Two years later, I changed gears to a career in teaching English as a second language and was re-inspired by the idea of blogging and the many ways it can be used in the classroom. What have I learned so far in this process ? : - As a future TESOL instructor, I could use this as a teaching tool for students. Depending on my class demographic, I could use this as a source to post important notes, homework, and announcements. - Blog can be used as a source of information for students where they can obtain information about lessons. - Instead of using pictures from other websites that may have a copyright, use your own photos or photos from a public domain. As a new teacher in the field of ESL, using a blog as a teaching and documentation tool is still a work in progress. For more information on different ways that a blog can be used in the ESL classroom, I found an article on blogging for English language teachers that I found to be very informative. how to form plural froms of nouns adding -s or -es : lesson for low-level learners [review]3/6/2020 This week, I was asked to choose a grammar concept and demonstrate how I would present this concept to low-level learners in the classroom. As an early childhood educator, I am responsible for planning developmentally appropriate learning activities for children based on their interests. Many of these learning experiences are hands-on that include real world objects for children to manipulate. As a result, I find myself adding a variety of tangible elements when asked to prepare activities within adult education. For this task, I decided to teach "How to form plural forms of nouns by adding -s or -es". - I created a worksheet, pdf is attached, for students to use as a reference and to come up with examples of their own.
During the lesson: -I wrote the definition of a noun on the board and made charts to help students see the comparisons between common and proper nouns. - I elicited from students the names of different nouns, in this case, types of apples - Once the board work was complete, I presented students with props to show them the difference between singular and plural nous (1 green house - singular vs. 4 red houses) - I used props that I had from home like children's toys, boxes, and cups. Props used for this lesson can be anything, you can utilize the classroom and use items within the classroom to enhance learning. Extending learning:
In early childhood programs, educators are also required to extend children's learning by adding more to the activity, in order to enhance children's skills. I used this concept , to also extend learning for adults in the ESL context by: - Putting students into groups, turn this lesson into a scavenger hunt. - Students have to find different objects in the room and sit with their groups to create a chart with the names of the different items found, in singular and plural form. - The objective of the activity, would be for students to practice writing skills, and review of singular and plural nouns. Review: Upon completing my lesson, my professor had some pointers that I didn't realize could have an impact on my teaching. As a new teacher, the professor suggested that: - Make sure your back isn't turned to the board the whole time when writing on the board. - Provide handouts after the lesson or else students will be too distracted and might miss critical points during the lesson . However, handouts are a great resource for students. - Props are great to use for students in low-level classes because it gives them something tangible to look at and hold ; helps them remember concepts - Create sentences with the props being used so students can relate more to the experience --> lesson becomes more meaningful - Repeating words helps students at low-levels remember them One of the tasks assigned to students in the "Transitions into the Classroom" course in the TESOL program, is to have students observe an ESL class in an academic institution. I had the pleasure of being apart of an academic English class run by the University of Toronto through their English Language Program, continuing studies department. I had the opportunity to sit in with international students who are at the highest level of academic English. I loved: -The small class sizes which made it easier to initiate group work and pair work throughout the class. - The materials, topics, and strategies, presented and discussed to students was meaningful and relevant to student interests. I was surprised that: - The interactions between students and instructors were positive and the vibe from both instructor and students was close-knit. I learned that: - Using techniques such as paraphrasing and using synonyms to clarify concepts and words to students is a great way to help students grasp the information being taught. - Using different tools to present information to students also keeps them engaged in learning (Youtube videos, power point, news paper articles that are relevant to student interests). Verdict : - I really enjoyed being able to take part in the class and observe the instructor. However, as a new teacher I don't think I am ready to work in the academic setting. I feel that with more experience in the field I can potentially see myself working in this area of ESL. For more information on this program, visit : https://learn.utoronto.ca/english-language-program As I mentioned in the previous post, I reached out to a local organization that offers LINC programs to immigrants and refugees within my community. Today I had the pleasure of observing and working with ESL students in a
CLB 1/2 class. I loved: -The the eagerness of all the students who came to class and were ready to learn - Tips on how to evaluate students during assessment (e.g: use positive wording in the assessment instead of pass/fail ) I was surprised that: - The instructor gave me the opportunity to work with students in the class (which I also loved !) , since I was very nervous to work one-on-one with the students and the majority of my teaching experience was with children. - I was also surprised that the students were open to me helping them with their work in class ! - I noticed that many of the skills that I use as an early childhood educator to help my students, also worked when I was assisting students today. For example, to describe the difference between singular and plural nouns I drew pictures. I look forward too: - Learning and observing the different teaching methods that are used in different CLB level classes What are modal verbs ? - Modal verbs are used to express ability, possibility, permission, advice, and obligation. Examples of modal verbs are :
Get students to work independently, in pairs, or small groups to practice using modal verbs in speech and writing . Objective (depending on the audience):
Review modal verbs covered in class and increase student confidence in speaking, reading, and listening. This game can be altered to meet the needs of students by:
|
Archives
February 2021
Categories |