My TESL Journey

TESL 0150 Resources  Development and Integration In Unit 2 one of our tasks was to review and evaluate one of the  First Peoples units created by LISTN. I selected the Traditional Aboriginal Education unit from the First Peoples: Learning Materials for Newcomers as a resource to evaluate. The target learning context for these materials is a CLB 6 LINC class. The following content objectives are listed in the Teacher’s Guide. In this unit, students will: • learn about traditional ways Aboriginal Peoples educated their children before contact with Europeans  • learn about the importance of oral traditions and the role of Elders as knowledge keepers and teachers in Aboriginal cultures  • explore some traditional Aboriginal stories from different First Nation communities  • identify and practice effective storytelling techniques  • discover how some Aboriginal traditions are being used in schools today to preserve Aboriginal lan...

TESL 0150                                                                                                                                                                Resources Development and Integration One of the topics we delved into in Unit 1 was the development and use of teaching materials. We were asked to consider the following questions: What materials have you used or would you use in a language classroom? Who should develop the materials? What would you like to see as the future of materials development? I believe that having a curriculum, syllabus, or some other form...

TESL 0140 Assessment and Evaluation Unit 4 At the outset of the Assessment and Evaluation course I created a  Learning Plan with three personal goals and a description of how I planned to achieve each one. As I review my goals and reflect on my learning experiences over the past four weeks, I can see that I have come a long way in my knowledge and understanding of assessment, but I am still by no means an expert; there is always more to learn! The topic of assessment was touched on in previous TESL courses that I have taken, however, until taking this course and completing the readings, activities, and assignments, I did not comprehend it to the extent that I now do. As a result of this course, I have a much deeper understanding of such things as the difference between an assessment and an evaluation, how to determine if an assessment is valid or not, and how to create or adapt effective formative and summative assessments. Goal 1 : To gain a stronger understanding ...

TESL 0140 Assessment and Instruction Unit 1 I created this pictorial needs assessment to be used with a Stage 1 (CLB 1-4) class. It would be used at the beginning of a course. The students would be asked to check the boxes next to the topics they are interested in learning about or they could be asked to check the four topics they are interested in learning about first.  This would help the instructor to plan the course. I have seen several similar needs assessments with topic themes and pictures and decided to create my own. The topic themes are suitable for newcomers to Canada.  All pictures are from  pixabay.com Pictorial Needs Assessment Link

TESL 0140 Assessment and Evaluation Unit 1 The following chart outlines my personal goals for the Assessment and Evaluation course and how I plan to achieve them.  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: To gain a stronger understanding of the differences between assessment, evaluation and test, and how the terms are interrelated.  Complete assigned readings, do additional internet research, discuss terms with PLN, classmates and professor, analyze and reflect on meanings.   I will have a stronger understanding of the differences between the terms and be able to use them appropriately.  I will use the terms appropriately in discussion posts and conversations.  I will review the terms at the end of each unit. Goal 2: To learn how to determine the val...

TESL 0110  Unit 4 Reflection  There are three main approaches to grammar-based lesson planning, and I think they all have some merit. In Present-Practice-Produce lessons, students are presented with a structure, practice it, and then produce that structure in a more communicative task. Task-based lessons begin and end with a task with grammar and language elements being taught in the middle. Grammar instruction is integrated into the teaching of a language skill in Skills-based lessons. I do not think that I necessarily gravitate to one approach entirely; I think the way I think of teaching a grammar lesson incorporates bits and pieces of each approach. In addition, my decision on how to teach a lesson would be primarily based on the needs of my students, the context I was teaching in, the length of the class, and a multitude of other factors.  Initially I was drawn to the Task-Based approach, but in a somewhat more structured way with a bit of Present-Practice-P...

TESL 0110 Unit 3 Reflection Teachers should be selective when correcting students' mistakes . This appears to be a topic that is hotly debated. According to Scott Thornbury's true or false quiz on myths and misconceptions about corrective feedback, this statemement is false. I  completely disagreed with Thornbury's answer to this question. I don't think it is beneficial to a student's learning or self-esteem to point out every single mistake that they make, in any skill area. If a student has many errors and they are all identified, it may be overwhelming and the student may not be able to process the amount of information they are being told. As a result, they are not likely to learn from those mistakes or correct them in future speaking or writing tasks.  In addition, pointing out all of a student's errors can have a negative effect on their self-worth. It can crush their self-confidence and cause them to not want to do further tasks. It may also result...