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TESL 0100: Unit 10 Reflection - Look How Far We've Come!

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TESL 0100 Unit 10 Reflection: Look How Far We’ve Come! (Source: Etienne Robin) It’s incredible how quickly time has flown by! Within the blink of an eye, we are already heading into the last week of this course. Seeing as this is the last blogpost I’ll be writing for TESL 0100, I would like to take the time to stop and reflect on my learning over these past ten units. We’ve covered quite a bit of content and so I would like to share three things that really resonated with me. The first thing that particularly stood out to me were the different roles a teacher must assume in the classroom. Brown and Lee (2015) outlined these roles on pages 259 – 261: 1.)     Teacher as Controller 2.)     Teacher as Director 3.)     Teacher as Manager 4.)     Teacher as Facilitator 5.)     Teacher as Resource Until reading this chapter, I hadn’t given much though to the various roles a teacher needs to take on in order effectively interact with their students. By stating th
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TESL 0100: Unit 9 Reflection - Social Media and Language Learners

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TESL 0100 Unit 9 Reflection: Social Media and Language Learners  (Source: https://pixabay.com/en/social-media-3d-render-bubble-2636256/ ) At the turn of the 21 st century, the internet revolutionized the way we interact with each other, namely with the birth of social media. Thanks to this innovation, the world no longer feels like such a big place; we can now connect with people from every corner of the Earth instantaneously. By its very communicative nature, social media can also be a powerful tool for language learners. Through social media, they can now extend their language learning outside of the classroom in new and exciting ways. Below I have taken four headings from Brown and Lee (2015) to outline some ways in which social media can enrich language learning: 1.)     Opportunities for Interaction: Social media offers language learners an abundance of opportunities for them to interact with others in their L2. They can “…express themselves, build profiles, for
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TESL 0100: Unit 8 Reflection - Test Anxiety

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TESL 0100 Unit 8 Reflection: Test Anxiety                                     (Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albertogp123/5843577306 ) Imagine that you are a student about to take a test. The teacher hands out the papers and you are instructed to complete this test within an hour. You look down at the test paper and your mind immediately goes blank. Your palms are clammy, and your heart is racing. You try to focus on the questions in front of you but the fatigue from staying up all night studying clouds your memory. You try to make sense out of the questions, but they don’t resemble anything you covered in class. You focus on trying to solve the first question, but you struggle to come up with an answer. Before you know it, the teacher announces that there are only five minutes left until you must hand in the test and you’ve made very little progress.  Does this sound familiar? Have you ever been in a situation where test anxiety has gotten the better of you?
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TESL 0100: Unit 7 Reflection - Controversial Topics in the Language Classroom

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TESL 0100 Unit 7 Reflection: Controversial Topics in the Language Classroom (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Debate_Logo.svg ) For this week’s blog post, I’d like to discuss the use of controversial topics in the language classroom as a way for students to develop their skills in debating and expressing opinions. To start, I think that these can make for some incredible learning opportunities, where students can develop their language skills while exchanging their opinions on relevant issues. These activities can help build better informed individuals and allow them to use language in a powerful way. However, with that said, I feel that teachers should also use some caution when introducing certain controversial topics, especially ones that relate to politics and religion. These can be sensitive areas that not all students may feel comfortable talking about. As a teacher, should you encourage students to step out of their comfort zone and share their beliefs on
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TESL 0100: Unit 6 Reflection - Lesson Planning for the Unexpected

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TESL 0100 Unit 6 Reflection: Lesson Planning for the Unexpected   (Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/83633410@N07/7658298768 ) This week’s readings focused around the mechanics of lesson planning and how to structure one that will effectively address the students’ needs. On that note, I would like to talk about planning for the unexpected. Although I do not have much experience in lesson planning, one thing I have learned is that it involves a lot more calculated guestimates and predictions than I had initially expected! While there is research and plenty of resources to guide teachers in their lesson planning, there are still many unknown variables that teachers must address; variables that do not always have clear cut answers. Will my students find this activity difficult? Will this keep them engaged? When should I correct my students? The list goes on and on. There seems to always be some element of uncertainty. With all that said, I think that is a good thing. I
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TESL 0100 Unit 6: Lesson Plan 2 - Using Winnipeg Transit

Lesson Plan 2 – Using Winnipeg Transit   Date: October 19, 2018 Class Levels: CLB 3-4 Class Time: 120 mins Communicative Language Task Goal Students will ask someone how to get somewhere by bus and be able to identify route information when looking at the outside of a bus. Students will also give instructions on how to go somewhere by bus. By the end of the lesson today, learners will have: -         Identified the information displayed on the outside of a Winnipeg Transit bus (Route number, destination, via what location, and express route/vs. local route) -         Asked someone about how to get to a destination via bus, referencing bus routes, stop names and other related vocabulary -         Used a logical sequence of simple instructions to explain how to get to a destination via bus. -         Restated information they heard and asked for clarification when necessary. Lesson Procedure Lesson activities and procedure Language Skills
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TESL 0100 Unit 4: Lesson Plan 1 - Returning Items to the Store

Lesson Plan 1 - Returning an Item to the Store   Date: October 5 th , 2018 Class levels: CLB 5 Class Time:  60 mins Communicative Language Task Goal Students will return an item to a store and explain why they were not satisfied with the product. By the end of the lesson today, learners will have: -         Learned how to politely open and close a conversation when requesting to return an item. -         Learned and used necessary language to explain why they are returning an item to the store, in a series of steps.   -         Learned how to use adverbs and adjectives to describe an item they are dissatisfied with Lesson Procedure Lesson activities and procedure Language focus Language Skills Purpose of the activity Interaction Time Describe what learners are doing Identify what linguistic and communicative ability elements are being addressed (e.g., vocabulary, sociolinguistic knowledge) What skills are being practiced (e.g.
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