Etienne and ESL

TESL 0150 Unit 3 Reflection: We Must Learn How to Learn (Source: http://sayquotable.com/quotes/quote-about-it-is-better-to-know-how-to-learn-than-to-kno-image.html ) What stood out to me from this week’s assigned readings from Tomlinson (2014) was the idea that students, as well as teachers, must learn how to learn. What he means by this is that in order to become independent learners, students must first be exposed to a variety of learning skills and mediums. Once students become familiar with a wide range of approaches to learning, they can then be tasked with choosing an approach that best suits their needs. This plays into the idea of creating a learner who is self-aware of their abilities and needs and can effectively work at bettering themselves. One way teachers can go about doing this is by stating an objective for an assignment and giving the students the freedom to choose how they will set out to accomplish it; the students might decide to write a poem, compose a...

TESL 0150 Unit 2 Reflection: Evaluating Learning Resources (Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghozt_Tramp_-_Business_Communication_Duplicat_model.jpg)  While I was reading through some of the learning theories Tomlinson outlines in his book “Developing Materials for Language Teaching”, one that particularly stood out to me stated that “…the most important thing that learning materials have to do is to help the learner connect the learning experience in the classroom to their own life outside the course.” (2014) In other words, the material that the students learn must translate into something relevant and useful to them. This is especially true with studying any language.  If a student learns a new language feature but has no way to use it elsewhere, they will most likely forget about it. Why hold onto information that will be of no use? I can remember many times when in high school, I studied grammar rules and conjugations in French class and...

TESL 0150 Unit 1 Reflection: Authentic vs. Scripted Materials                                                        (Source: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/52455)  In this blog post, I’d like to reflect on the assigned reading from Brian Tomlinson’s book “Developing Materials for Language Teaching”, pages 1 to 13, specifically on the use of authentic texts. In this reading, he compares authentic texts and non-authentic texts, or scripted texts. This appears to be a hotly debated topic as there are those who insist authentic texts are better for learners, while others argue that scripted texts are best (Tomlinson 2014). This applies to everything from reading materials to listening materials. Authentic texts are those which are not specifically written for language learners, but rather make use of real examples of native Eng...

Hello everyone! Below you will find a link to the needs assessment I created for a class made up of new immigrants looking to adapt to life in Winnipeg, ranging from ages 25 to 45. The majority of them only have a beginner level of English. Needs Assessment In addition to this, I have posted a link to a little graphic I made outlining "when", "where" and "how" needs assessment can be implemented. Needs Assessment Graphic

Hi everyone,  Now that the Winter Holidays have come to a close, I am starting the year with two TESL classes. For TESL 0140, I have made a learning plan that I will look back to throughout the course. I'll be updating it from time to time as my goals develop.  Your goal for this course: How are you going to learn it? How will you know you have achieved it? How will you demonstrate that you have learned it? Notes: I hope to be able to effectively use resources and strategies to assess the needs of my students and evaluate their progress. I will use the assigned readings, various assignments and class discussions to educate myself on suitable methods. I also plan to use my PLN and discuss with them how they approach assessment and evaluation in their own classrooms.  I will be able to look back at the assignments I have completed and reflect on how I’ve used different approach...