My TESL Journey

During Unit 7, the authors discuss the importance of the classroom environment and its impact on both the teacher and the learner (Brown & Lee, 2015, p.291).  I am purposely making a post to discuss this topic because I find it is a very important aspect of teaching and learning. The book discusses the importance of comfort, lack of external distractions, organization, temperature, and lack of internal distractions to the success of a learning environment and learning experience.  In my own classroom, I attempt to organize the room in a way that everyone can see the black/whiteboard and see whoever is instructing the class at that time. Through a combination of trying to keep the room at a good temperature (which can be difficult in old or poorly insulated buildings), keeping the external distractions of the rest of the school out, and preventing stuff like chairs squeaking and tables wobbling has helped to keep my students’ attention.  Not all of the positive le...

Unit 7 discusses some interesting topics that I find both interesting and also challenging in some regards.  The unit generally discusses the importance of interacting with the language and seeing how it is used in realistics scenarios (Brown & Lee, 2015, p. 258).  This is an approach to teaching English that I use on a regular basis with my students. I attempt to make most, if not all, of the information I am attempting to share with my students applicable to their daily lives and show them how this information is used in realistic scenarios to provide them with a chance to see its importance.  I have had many experiences with students claiming the information they are learning in a particular class is useless for them or they will not need it in the future. I attempt to show them that the information is important and make it more of an interaction in a realistic circumstance than a scenario that may not be applicable. I also found the description of a ‘teacher...

In my own classrooms, I think that it might be difficult to use this text. With the 6th graders (10-11 year olds), I think with some modification it could be possible, however with the 4th graders (8-9 year olds) I believe it would be very difficult. I say this because, the learners in my classroom, have not traveled much and many have never been on a trip without their families or even sleepovers at a friends place. They would not be able to relate to the text about studying abroad.  I would definitely need to modify the text as the vocabulary is too difficult for them. If this text were mandatory for my 6th grade class, I would heavily modify it, in terms of vocabulary and follow-up questions. The text itself is not too far above their reading level, but the questions and context is beyond their understanding. As for the fourth graders, it would be a text I could read to them, but not one that they could read themselves. From this text, we could springboard into discussions abo...

Mix and match the vocabulary word with the definition. The pre-reading vocabulary activity would include the learners doing a mix and match with the words they will encounter and they must establish what they think the words mean. As a group, the instructor would go over each word as well as the possible definitions. As a group, the instructor can discuss the possible words the learners may already know or have heard before. During the reading the learners can re-adjust their answers from the original word matching task. They can use the context of what they are reading to work on the definition. The post-reading activity would include the learners sharing with a partner what they think the words mean. There would then be a group discussion on the vocabulary. Aboriginal the descendants of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, who were the first inhabitants of the land now called Canada.  First Nations, Métis and Inuit people are Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. T...

This unit was interesting to me as much of it I have learned before in other education related classes.  However, there are a couple sections that were completely new to me and I found very interesting. First and foremost, I have never heard about the SQ3R sequence before.  I have heard of similar sequences and orders like SQ3R but this is the first time I have heard an acronym associated with it.  I use this sequence, or my original interpretation of it, on a daily basis in my own classrooms while teaching English and French, but knowing the acronym and using the terms associated with that acronym will help me better remember all of the steps in the sequence while I am considering the effectiveness of particular activities I do with my students.   I have also heard about approaches to balancing authenticity and readability, however the use of words like suitability, exploitability, and readability makes it easier to consider the material that I am using in ...

Lesson Plan Template Date: October 22, 2018 Class Levels: Beginner Class Time: ~1 hour Communicative Language Task Goal CLB 1.4 Sharing information Give basic personal information in response to direct questions from a supportive listener. Ask for basic personal information.   By the end of the lesson today, learners will be able to: Share their name and date of birth when someone asks for it. Formulate the questions necessary to ask for someone’s name and telephone number. Lesson Procedure Lesson activities and procedure Language Skills Language focus Anticipated problems & solutions Purpose of the activity Interaction Time Group Review: the instructor will go over what personal information i s as well as i mportant terms to use in a question. Learners will be asked to give examples. Reading, listening and speaking Vocabulary, grammar and sociolinguistic knowledge Learners may have troub...