Webinars: Useful for Continued Professional Development

  

Webinars are seminars offered on the web.  They are usually on a specific topic and are easily accessible to a large group of people. TESL webinars are a very useful resource to ESL teachers to keep current with recent developments in ESL teaching, and for new ideas for teaching. They are also highly relevant for new teachers to help develop their skill set. 

 

I have participated in several webinars that have been offered through Tutela (Tutela.com), the umbrella organization for TESL organizations across Canada, and through Avenue (Avenue.ca) which is a Canadian online learning platform for teaching ESL which has recently been introduced (replacing EduLink). While taking the practicum course, I have participated in a webinar on gamification (Avenue), one on Avenue for using video in online classes, an Avenue webinar on setting up assignments on the learning platform, and a Tutela webinar on “Encouraging learners to go beyond their comfort zone” (Nikilay Slavkov, University of Ottawa).  The webinars were all one hour long, and were given by experts in the field.  All were very well organized and structured.  Two of the Avenue webinars were set up to allow participants to actually log in and use the parts of the program during the demonstration.  All webinars were offered using either Big Blue Button (a videoconferencing tool from Avenue) or using Zoom (Zoom.com).  All webinars also used a chat feature which allows participants to ask and answer questions of the host during the webinar.  All had a moderator who helped with this feature.  Most of the webinars were also taped so that others could watch them at a later date.

 

The webinars were a very good learning experience for me.  I am a very visual learner, so being able to see the material, and participate in activities with live examples on some of the webinars was a real asset for me. Having participants actually do activities in real time reinforced learning so it was easier to remember.  Presenters went slow enough so that everyone could easily follow the material. If you had a question or problem, you could use chat for help.

 

I found the webinars very easy to use.  You just 1) register online 2) watch for the email with the access link and sometimes password 3) open the link about 5-10 min prior to the webinar 4) and sit back with coffee and learn. I like to take notes for future reference. All speakers were open to participants contacting them later with questions. 

Many webinars require participants to sign up because there is often limited capacity, so you may have to sign up early to ensure registration, because some popular webinars fill up early.  With others you can just ‘drop in’ at the last minute, to see if there is room. 

 

During the Avenue webinars I learned about many useful features on the learning platform and how to use them.  It helped both with the additional features and how to incorporate them into learning, but also the general understanding of the platform, because I’m just learning how to use it.  I found that all of the webinars increased my knowledge of the specific areas, but they also gave great ideas for class activities, which I think is very important, especially for new teachers. 

 

A few drawbacks of the resource is that they may require membership or association with an organization.  I had tried to sign up for one through TESL Ontario, but didn’t have the required membership.  Some webinars are also only offered at a specific time, and may not be taped for later viewing, so this may be inconvenient for some.

 

I would highly recommend that all TESL teachers use webinars on a regular basis, either live or taped, as they are a very valuable resource for accessing information, increasing creativity, and offering new ideas for activities from teachers and academics who are experts in their fields. 

Practicum Self-evaluation Report

  

When I began this journey to become an ESL teacher, I felt I had a good understanding of what teaching English entailed.  I had experienced several years of classroom volunteering, and interacting with students, and seen examples of both excellent, as well as not-so-good teachers.  I had a teaching background from my previous job and had facilitated many workshops. And I felt the TESL classroom courses had given me a very good understanding of what ESL teaching required.  However, the test truly is in actually doing the teaching! 

One of my greatest strengths as a teacher is that I really love interacting with the students, learning their backgrounds, goals and just discussing their everyday living and challenges, especially LINC and literacy students.  I try very hard to connect with the students to find what they need to succeed as a new resident of Canada.  I’m often surprised with their tenacity and the hardships they endure. Therefore, trying to make learning English and Canadian culture easier for them is my goal.  I am typically a fairly organized person, and I think this is a great asset to teaching, as planning is a huge part of ESL teaching.  I also think that I can inspire students to work hard for their goals to achieve them, as I have had to do in my own life. I also like sharing my own experiences and interests with the students, which helps them relate to living here.  

 

There is always room for self-improvement in anything we do. I am typically a quieter person who does not like being at the center of attention, so facilitating a class is a challenge that I have to really work at.  I find that if I am organized it usually goes well.  However, in an ESL class you must be more spontaneous, and open to where the learning takes you sometimes, and recognize the immediate needs of the students.  So this is one of my goals. I am also usually too serious, and need to focus on the lighter side of life, and bring some of this into the class. One of the challenges that I had with teaching was knowing the level of understanding of the students and teach to that.  Even though the CLB levels are defined for the class, this may not always be truly reflected in the class makeup and I will have to be more perceptive to this.  Also, teaching online has its challenges and I will focus on learning better ways and methods for online teaching in the future.

 

The LINC class that I taught was unique in that it was all female, and most were mothers.  They were truly a joy to work with.  I had always envisioned myself working with a group like this that I could relate well to, or a group of older learners, as I am older myself. Both of these groups face unique barriers to learning, and I feel that I can help them meet their challenges. I won’t be working fulltime in the future, but I hope to obtain experience teaching different levels and a variety of classes to determine the best fit for me, and where the need is. I will be doing some one-on-one teaching online, and possibly some substitute teaching online. 

 

The students’ assessment of my teaching was helpful and confirmed my own thoughts.  Generally, they felt they were successfully learning both the language and culture.  However, many felt I was going too fast and giving them too much information.  So in my planning I must be more repetitive with activities and exercises, slow the pace of new material, and choose videos and online material that are more appropriate. The assessment suggested that their understanding of my speaking and explanations was appropriate, and the homework difficulty was also in mid-range in the class which was good.  Several of the learners commented on how they really appreciated my detailed error correction of their homework, and felt it really helped them learn. So this is something I think is very important to continue.  

 

Experiencing real teaching in an ESL classroom had its challenges for me.  However, I feel much more confident about the teaching process, my abilities, facing future challenges, and how to adapt to and learn from each class.  It has been a great experience, and I am looking forward to my new ESL teaching career! My daily teaching reflections can be found on my blog at https://maureenteslblog.blogspot.com/2020/

 

 

 

Banking Lesson 4 Banking Account Information

Boiling it down and summing it up are two things that I think I still have much to learn about in teaching ESL.  

 

Boiling all the available information down into useable material is often very difficult for me.  I think part of the problem is that I’m not completely familiar or comfortable with the different CLB levels, and need to really look on Tutela and at the CLB handbook for more good examples of the levels for teaching.  The other part, of course, is the internet is so full of information, which is both good and bad at the same time.  There is so much to choose from that it can be overwhelming of what to teach, especially if it’s a new topic, like banking was for me.  There’s lots of information, but is it useful information?  I think I overwhelmed the class today with lots information, although this time I tried to do it in a question/answer format.  I knew I had talked too much because my voice was becoming horse, but I wanted them to know how they can look for more information if they need it.  This is part of their digital learning.  

 

Summing it up is also difficult sometimes. Going over the information and distilling it into something that the students will end up using is also very important.    Although I did not do a formal assessment with the students, I did want to see how much they remembered.  Using a game at the beginning of the class (What am I?) was a useful informal assessment.  It seemed that most could answer most questions, with a few difficult ones thrown in there.  They also seemed to like it, so I know that I should use games more in the class.  Just figuring effective ways to do that on Zoom is the challenge, and I will have to do more research on this as well. 

 

Today we looked at some specific government of Canada websites on banking, so they can extend their learning about banking.  I sent them the links to the websites, and some students did seem interested in using them, but they also know that if they do need more information, it is available to them, and they do know some of the vocabulary from these sites as well.  So I did feel that it was useful to include this. 

 

On my feedback assessment, I did note that for some of the students there was too much vocabulary, and we did cover it too quickly for them.  However, others thought it was OK. So I guess if I’m teaching to the middle of the group, it should be OK. 

 

I really enjoyed working with the students, and now I much more confident that I started this journey with TESL, and am really looking forward to the future. But so much to learn yet…….

Banking Lesson 4: Banking Account information
Date and Time: Nov 17, 2020 Class and Level:  CLB 3/4/5
Resources: Websites for Gov of Canada and banking comparison tool, Appendix A Jigsaw exercise Technology: Computer, Zoom.com Unit: Banking Lesson: Banking account information Learning Outcome: Students will be able to use comparison tools for banking accounts online, and have a better understanding of their rights when opening accounts.  Learning Objectives: 1.     Students will be aware of online tools for comparing bank accounts. 2.     Students will understand what their rights are when opening a bank account. 3.     Students will look for the fine print when looking at bank accounts.
Lesson Stage / Activity	Skill	Special Instructions	Timing	Teacher Reflections
Warm-up / Review	Listening Speaking	Review of homework of banking statement: common errors.  Do you feel more confident about banking terms and how to read your bank statement?	10 min	Reviewed articles again.  Used What am I? game from last lesson for review. (worked well)
Introduction: Choosing a bank or bank account	Listening Speaking	Watch:  Live Learn Video of how to choose a financial institution and accounts: While watching try to remember a few things that are important.  https://livelearn.ca/article/money-finances/essential-facts-newcomers-need-to-know-about-financial-institutions-in-manitoba/   Large group discussion: What are some things that you learned from the video?     Show the Gov of Canada financial tool site (https://www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/services/banking.html) where you can find lots of good information about finances. Go through different parts of the site for students info. Also look at the Financial Consumer association of Canada link on the page	30 min	I think this video was a bit fast and long for some learners. Should find a different one. But the discussion was good.                    The students seemed interested in the information and the tool on the websites. I emailed them to them.
Presentation: Using online tools for comparing banks	Reading	How to compare banking services using an online tool:  Explain how bank comparison tool works from  https://itools-ioutils.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/ACT-OCC/SearchFilter-eng.aspx Point out important to read the fine print about services.  Example 1: PC Financial (https://www.pcfinancial.ca/en/campaign/sem06/?gclid=CjwKCAiAv4n9BRA9EiwA30WNDx78c Whk2j0DkP7kBiosPcgGFPF8j7xk2zmw 0YLtFfarxrsUNPkOCxoC8nAQAvD_BwE Example 2: BMO newcomer account https://www.bmo.com/main/personal/newcomers-to-canada/	15 min	The tool seemed like they were interested in it and could answer questions.              Did not have time to cover this.
Focused Practice: Comparing two accounts using tool	Reading Speaking	Use tool at fcac.gc.ca to compare three different banks.(set up on shared screen. Ask students to look at the information and use superlatives/comparativestalk about features from the table. Look for the fine print.	15 min
Semi-focused Practice: reviews some of the vocabulary	Reading Writing	Small groups: Jigsaw exercise on account information and applying for an account. (Appendix A)	20 min	This exercise worked well except posting the paragraphs on chat took took too long,  It would be better to email all the paragraphs to everyone and assign them one per group.
Free Practice / Application		Homework: Appendix B Assessment for me.		They were happy it was not an assessment of them.
Filler Activity		None needed
Closure		Thank you.  Will be back for volunteering each week.

 

 

Appendix A:   Jigsaw Activity for Banking

 

Paragraph 1: Your right to a bank account

 

One of the first things newcomers do is open a bank account. Canadian banks are very safe and secure and your money is insured. Everyone has the right to open an account in Canada. You do not need a job. You do not need to have money to put in it right away. All you need is two pieces of identification like a SIN card, passport, driver’s license or permanent resident card.  When you open a bank account the bank cannot force you to buy other financial services from them.

 

Questions: What do you need to open a bank account in Canada? What do you not need to open a bank account? Are Canadian banks a safe place to put your money? 

 

Paragraph 2: Types of bank accounts. 

 

Most of the big banks offer many different types of accounts, but they all have some low cost accounts.  The accounts will include a debit card, cheque writing, no charge for deposits, a free  monthly statement, and a certain number of free transactions per month. You can use the debit card for paying for purchases and also accessing the ATM.  Watch for extra service charges when using an ATM from a different bank.  With you debit card, you will need to use a PIN (personal identification number). Also watch for the fine print, which is extra information about the account and is important to know because it may have other service fees or charges. 

 

Questions: What do you get with a low-cost account? What do you need to use with your debit card? Why do you need to look at account information very carefully?  

 

Paragraph 3: Information the bank must give you.

 

When you open a bank account, the bank must give you a copy of your account agreement. You must also sign a copy.  They must tell you the rate of interest and how they determine it.  They must tell you all the different service changes on the account, and if they increase the fees they must tell you how they will contact you (email, phone, letter). Other information that they must give you is how to make a complaint, and how long they can put a hold on your cheques. If the bank does give you this information, they are breaking the law. You can complain to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada if you do not get all of this information. 

 

Questions: What are three things that the bank must tell you about when opening an account? Why must the bank give you this information?  Who would you complain to if the bank doesn’t give you this information.

 

Paragraph 4: Making a complaint to the bank

 

A bank can refuse to open an account if they think you may use it in a dishonest way or if they think your personal information is not true.  If the bank will not open an account for you, they must tell you why in writing.  You have the right to complain if they will not open an account. You must first tell the bank you want to make a complaint, and then follow the steps the bank requires. If you are not happy with the results of you complaint, you can also get help from the  Financial Consumer Agency of Canada on their website.

 

Questions: Why can the bank refuse to open an account for someone?  If they will not open an account what would you do?  If you are not happy with the banks reason, who would you contact? 

 Adapted from: Canadian Newcomer Magazine (Editor 2017) The Basics of Banking in Canada Retrieved from:  http://www.cnmag.ca/the-basics-on-banking-in-canada/

Appendix B: Assessment for Maureen: 

 

1)    The lessons on banking were useful and will help me with my understanding of banking in Canada.   Circle one:  True     False

 

2)    The Remembrance Day lesson helped me understand why and how Canadians celebrate this day.       Circle one:  True     False

 

3)    The teacher was easy to understand.  

 

a.     (circle one)            always,   mostly,   sometimes,   never

 

4)    The homework was: 

a.     (circle one)        easy           usually easy          sometimes difficult            always difficult. 

 

5)    The teacher explained things well. 

a.     (circle one)        always             mostly               sometimes                  never

 

 

6)    What are some things you liked in the lessons?

 

 

 

7)    What are some things you did not like in the lessons?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banking Lesson 3 Bank Statements

                           Banking Lesson 3  Bank Statements                      Nov 16 2020

Try, try, try again.  Something that we must always tell our students, and also ourselves. 

After my second lesson, in which I went on far too long with my powerpoint presentation, I knew that I had to make adjustments, and I have.  Today’s lesson went much better.  I had more activities where the students were active participants, and with the second monitor and screen it was much better again for seeing the students on Zoom and keeping track of who was answering questions.  All students seemed much more engaged in the lesson.  

I used a video to introduce the material on bank statements and I think it was a good level and useful.  I forgot to mention to the students that it was produced in Australia so the person speaking had a different accent and different pronunciation of some words. Something I have to remember to do, so they are not confused.  Viewing the video twice was good, along with asking them specific questions of what to look for in the video.  

I also made sure that I wrote every new vocabulary word or question in the chat box.  I will look at also using the whiteboard, as this seems like it might be better for somethings.  I introduced new vocabulary in a powerpoint again but kept it to about 7 slides which was much better.  Even then there were words that were difficult for some because, as my instructor explained, many of them will not have a banking experience that they can relate the words to.  Many do not do the banking or payments in their family, so this is completely new to them.  I think pictures and video are so very important in this situation. And slow, repetitive activities which gives them lots of opportunity to review and use the vocabulary.

Some of the students are struggling a big with the vocabulary and questions, while others find them easy.  This is to be expected, but I don’t want some students to be frustrated, so I must tell them this in the next lesson.  

The instructor suggested that some of the students are making a good connection because they are asking questions and discussing on their own.  So now I feel like I am making some headway in my own learning of how to actually teach a lesson. I have learned that writing a good lesson plan is one thing, but actually teaching it to a class it a whole other leap.  

Banking Lesson 3: Bank Statements
Date and Time: November 16, 2020 Class and Level: CLB 3/4/5
Resources: Powerpoint presentation, Examples of bank statements (Appendix A, B and C) Technology: computer, zoom.com, video on bank statements (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiZTrxRkvdY) ASICS Money Smarty Top Tips on Checking Your Bank Statement. Unit: Banking  Lesson: Bank statements Learning Outcome: Students know the different aspects of a bank statement and the importance of checking it. Learning Objectives: 1)    Students can use more vocabulary related to bank statements. 2)    Students can dissect information from their bank statement. 3)    Students understand why it’s important to look at their bank statements and know their account balance.
Lesson Stage / Activity	Skill	Special Instructions	Timing	Teacher Reflections
Warm-up / Review:  Go over homework and vocabulary review and any questions.	Writing	Review homework corrections: Bank 1 and credit union. Warm up:  What is one thing that you have learned about banking so far?  Write in the chat box.	5-10 min     5-10	Forgot to do this
Introduction	Speaking	Large group Discussion: How do we keep track of our banking? 1.     How do you know how much money you have in the bank? 2.     Do you know how much you pay in service fees each month?	5-10 min	I think using just the first question is enough
Presentation: Bank Statements  Video, additional banking vocabulary on bank statements and discussion of parts of a bank statement	Listening	Bank Statements (chat box):features and checking them.  Watch video on bank statements: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiZTrxRkvdY What are some things we should look for on our bank statement? (chat box) Show video again. Watch for things we mentioned. Powerpoint part 2: (bank statement vocabulary) -withdrawal, deposits and other transactions (write vocabulary in chat box) bank statements, bill payment, overdraft protection, special savings accounts (RESP, RRSP, TFSA). Show and discuss the different parts of a bank statement (Appendix A) and what they mean.  Review vocabulary shown in the powerpoint, and find on bank statement.	20 min	Must explain that the narrator has an Australian accent and some words sound different.  It was good to give specific things to look for and to view the video 2X.    The ppt was a better length with about 7 slides of new vocab.
Focused Practice:  understanding the vocabulary and parts of a bank statement	Listening and speaking	Large group: answer questions about the example bank statement (Write in chat box)(Appendix A)	20 min	Should have gone over this more slowly because some students missed things.
Semi-focused Practice: true or false statements about bank statements	Reading and speaking	Small group (3 groups) discussion followed by large group answers: True or False questions (Appendix B) (Email to everyone)	10-15 min	This was more difficult for some students.
Free Practice / Application: applying knowledge of bank statements	Reading and writing	Bank statement with questions for homework (Appendix C): Send students email with statement and questions, and have them reply by 3 PM today.	30 min asynchronous
Filler Activity	Listening and speaking	What am I Game (Appendix D)		Didn’t have time.  Will use for review.
Closure		Homework reminder.

 

 

Appendix A:  Banking Statement

(from Bank Statements, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_statement)

Questions: 

1.     Are the total withdrawals higher or lower than the total deposits? 

 

2.     Which date had the greatest withdrawal?

 

3.     Are there more personal cheques or ATM withdrawals? 

 

4.     What is the greatest amount for a transaction? 

 

5.     Where did John spend the most money? 

 

6.     How does John get paid? 

 

7.     What were the total bank fees that John paid for this month

Appendix B: 

 

True or false questions on bank statements.

 

True or False: 

 

1.     The branch number is the same as your account number. 

2.     You receive bank statements every week. 

3.     The opening balance is the amount of money in your account at the beginning of the month.

4.     You can use direct deposit for payroll and government cheques.

5.     Withdrawals are only the amounts of money that you take out at an ATM.

6.     Personal cheques are deposits.

7.     Banks can charge monthly account fees and ATM withdrawal fees.

8.     Using your debit card to pay for something will be a deposit.

9.     The closing balance is shown for the end of the month. 

10.  Bank statements will have all your accounts listed.

11.  You should always check your bank statement for errors. 

 

 

12.   

Appendix C: Bank Statement Homework

 

(From  Bow Valley College 2016, Financial ESL Literacy Toolkit, https://globalaccess.bowvalleycollege.ca/sites/default/files/financial_ESL_literacy_toolkit_0.pdf)

Questions:

1)    How many withdrawals did Adama have this month? 

2)    What was the total amount of withdrawals?

3)    What are the total charges for service fees?

4)    What were the total deposits?

5)    How many ATM transactions did she have? 

6)    How did she get paid for work?

7)    How did she pay for her rent?

Appendix D: Filler Game

 

What am I?   Game  (give the vocabulary word that matches the clues)

 

1.     I am money coming in and money going out of your account.  I can be a debit or a credit. 

 

2.     You can pay for things with me. You must put a date, an amount, and a signature on me. You can write me on a special piece of paper.  

 

3.     I am a machine.  I can give you cash.  You can find many of me all over the city.

 

4.     I have no buildings.  You can only contact me with your computer or phone. 

 

5.     I am a credit union or a bank. I help you with your finances. 

 

6.     I tell you how much money you have in your account every month.  I will give you an opening and closing balance. 

 

7.     I am when you write a cheque and don’t have enough money in the bank. The bank will charge you a big fee for me. 

 

8.     You can use me to build your credit score.  You keep me in your wallet. 

 

9.     I am an account that has low interest and high fees.  You use me for paying your bills. 

 

10.  You put your documents and valuables in me.  You get a special key for me.