Something new and uniquely beneficial With 25,000 Syrian refugees meant to arrive in Canada in the next months, there has been a surge of interest in supporting newcomers. In terms of language support, I believe we can develop something new and uniquely beneficial, for both newcomers
Helping EAL Students Develop a Diverse Vocabulary How do you help English learners identify and understand new vocabulary and then use it? I’ve put together some English as an Additional Language (EAL) vocabulary resources I’ve been using to support new word usage, and to
Which is better for kids? Public vs Private Education Through a series of lucky circumstances, I’m teaching at a brand new independent school. Our school is tiny. Our largest classes have 10 students at a time. We play badminton together on Fridays. One of the teachers is person
Reviewing writing with my student Norma. Photo by Nataly Smakhtina. This blog post was prompted by a coffee date I had last weekend, with someone who wanted to know about my journey as a language teacher. It made me reflect: Wow, I have been doing this for ten years! What’s more
Language teaching in a classroom is so different than tutoring one-on-one. This really hit home last week, when I came back to classroom teaching as an instructor with SFU’s digital communication and advanced English certificate program. You need a whole different set of skills and ac
Basically The federal government of Canada has cut $17 million in funding for adult ESL training in the province of British Columbia (B.C.), specifically funding delivered through public colleges. Background There is a bit of blurriness around the jurisdiction of adult ESL training. T
Is spending money on TESL or CELTA really worth it? My short answer Yes. My long explanation If you don’t have any formal teaching experience, then getting some sort of certification is a crucial. You may be able to get a job without a TESL or CELTA accreditation, but walking into a c
The pleasures and frustrations of learning a new language From fully-functioning adult Speaking my mother tongue all day and being understood is a privilege. Whether I go to the library, the bike shop, the café, or the office, I carry all the necessary vocabulary and grammar and all t
An Online Resource Humanising Language Teaching is a wonderful online journal in its 15th year. Free, well-organized, and complete with back editions—what’s not to like? The target audience is the EAL (English as an Additional Language) teacher, specifically the EAL teacher in countri
