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Showing posts from February, 2018

TESL 0160: Unit 2 Reflection

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TESL 0160 Unit 2 Reflection: ESL Students and Group Work - Classroom Language                                                                                                  (Source: Pixabay)  While reading chapter 13 from Brown and Lee (2015), one point stood out to me that I had never considered before; "Do students have the language to be able to complete a group work activity?" They refer to this language as "classroom language", which refers to the vocabulary and grammatical structures necessary to carry out a group task (2015). Until now I hadn’t considered this when planning my group-based activities, and yet it is essential to planning effective group-work. Otherwise, the students may feel overwhelmed and not accomplish what you hoped they would.      Brown and Lee offer several tips for ensuring students have sufficient language to complete various group-work activities. For example, students could be taught various expressions on how to s

TESL 0160 Assignment 2: Job Analysis

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                                               (Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Don_Quijote_in_Shinjuku_at_night.jpg)  Good afternoon! For TESL 160 Transitioning to the Classroom, I have done some research on a teaching job for the AEON Corporation, a company that operates English language schools across Japan. Below is a link to my analysis as well as an activity that I adapted for this context. Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gMy7TClCUuPI7S61QNWyb2ydtzGgGvBy/view?usp=sharing

TESL 0160: Unit 1 Reflection

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                                    TESL 0160 Unit 1 Reflection: English as a Lingua Franca                                         (Source: https://pixabay.com/p-909149/?no_redirect ) Until now, I always believed that in order to learn a language, one must also immerse oneself in that culture in order to better understand it. For example, I have studied Japanese for a number of years and one approach that has helped me immensely is to listen to Japanese music, watch Japanese TV programs, and read Japanese news. In addition to this, I have learned about Japanese customs, which has given me a greater context for how and why the language is the way it is. However, in my case, I am learning Japanese so that I can communicate with other Japanese people, in Japan. What’s important to note is that I am learning about the culture so that I can integrate into Japanese society when I move there. However, when learning a lingua franca, such as English, it isn’t necessary to lear

TESL 0150 Unit 2: Aboriginal Peoples Unit Review

For this activity, I have chosen to write my evaluation on the Aboriginal Identify unit, which is pegged at the CLB 8 level.  Below you will find a link to the student materials. https://listn.tutela.ca/wp-content/uploads/CLB8-Identity-SS-2014-07-29.pdf Target Learning Context: A classroom consisting of young and mature adult learners, ages 25 to 50, with an English proficiency of around CLB 8, who have recently immigrated to Canada. These students wish to improve their English and learn about Canadian culture and customs. Objectives: Students will be able to use a variety of skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, to learn about and to discuss the identity of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Students will be challenged to apply their language skills in order to think critically about issues that affect Canada’s First Nations and relate them to their own experiences. Some criteria that I have applied to this unit include: -         1.)  Do the m

TESL 0150: Unit 4 Resource Review

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Learning Technology: Duolingo (Source: http://socialna-akademija.si/digitaleducationaltools/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/duolingo.jpg)  What is it? Duolingo is a free language learning app that can be accessed through smart phones, tablets or PCs.   How can I learn how to use it? In order to use this app, learners are required to create an account. From there, learners can choose to start learning from scratch, or take a proficiency test to place them at an appropriate level. The app itself is very user-friendly and quite easy to navigate, and tailors the lessons based upon the performance of the student, focusing especially on areas where they struggle.   Why do you like it? Duolingo incorporates listening, speaking, reading and writing skills into its lessons, through a variety of activities. Some examples of the activities include matching vocabulary, writing answers to listening questions, pronunciation practice, and sentence re-ordering.  In addition to this, Du

TESL 0140 Assignment 3: Self-Evaluation

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TESL 0140 – Assignment 3: Self-Evaluation (Source: https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/d-man-thinking-red-question-marks-over-white-background-36749970.jpg)  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: GOAL 1: 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 approaches to assessment and evaluation. In addition to this, I will be able to apply what I have learned to my own