Learning English is important The Fresh Voices Youth Advisory Team, which formed in 2011, is a diverse group of young people who are working to improve the policies and practices that affect immigrant and refugee youth in British Columbia and in Canada. This inspiring group of young p
Plugging in for listening comprehension My work is all done on the computer, which means I spend between 5 and 9 hours a day staring at a computer screen. I love my work, but at the end of the day I almost always have sore eyes and a pounding headache—which means that I can̵
Sample Sentences Bu kız çok güzel ama yürüyüşu çok tuhaf. This girl is very beautiful, but the way she walks is very strange. Arabaya benzin lazım. This car needs petrol. Bu kutuyu açma. Do not open this box. Bunu bana söylemene rağmen, anlamadım. Although you told me this, I did not
Thoughts on negative self talk and language learning confidence Being able to speak a language is how we often frame the ultimate goal of language learning. But we don’t often–at least not in my experience–explicitly address how we speak about our language skills. Ma
Using Illustrated Books as a Learning Tool A few years ago I was at a boutique shop in the Kensington Market area of Toronto. There was a book section and I was excited to see some Spanish language books. I randomly pulled an illustrated Spanish version of the Odyssey off the shelf &
My new favourite language learning tool In one of my first posts for this blog, I shared some ideas for using chinese dictionary apps and in a way that ensures strong and continued language learning. And while I’m still all about the paper dictionaries, I recently discovered the
Chinese TV shows have been great for my brain I like TV. I’ve been told that it’s bad for your brain, but if you’re like me and like to unwind with a good (or terrible) crime show, then I say harness the power of television for language learning as well. Listening comprehension has al
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 challenge of claiming additional languages “So, what languages do you speak, anyway?” I am always reluctant to answer this question. I have spent time learning French, Spanish, Turkish, and two kinds of Arabic, and even dabbling in German and Mandarin, but I shrug and
Audio-Visual Resources for Bilingual Children Since my first trip to Costa Rica at the age of 15, I have always loved watching TV in Spanish. At first I enjoyed the challenge of understanding, and I think that now it’s more nostalgic than anything because I just love the way Spa
