Who Are Our Learners? (Unit 2)

Who Are Our Learners?

As I enter into the English language learning environment, my eyes have been opened to the wide array of types of classrooms and the learners that fill them.

Speaking and writing English is not only necessary for those moving to English-speaking countries, but is also the primary language used by professionals around the world.  Some classes cater to  professionals with advanced degrees in their own languages, that want to improve their English skills.  Other classes focus on job language and skills so students can quickly move into the workforce to support their families.  Others are intensive and immersive experiences in the English language designed for students wanting to apply to English universities. Other classes offer childcare for families with young children to lessen the burden of finding it themselves.  School age children often have special English classes along side their regular classes to try and quickly integrate them into regular school programs.  Many English classes are offered in other countries where students all speak the same first language, and approaches to teaching may be different than teaching a class with students from various language backgrounds.

While each type of class is different, each learner bring their own needs with many variables.  We must consider their age, cultural background, family and work obligations, digital literacy, learning strategies, goals, expectations and motivations, previous English and other education, and any special needs or assets they have.  All of these can greatly impact how the learner learns. It also affects how we adapt our lessons and the strategies we use in creating a good learning environment for everyone. If can affect how we organize classroom groups, how we use technology, seating arrangements, classroom dynamics, whether we assign homework, etc.

So where do I fit into all of this?  I enjoy working with lower level classes (CLB 1-4) but have also worked with many university students with English as a second language.  This is a growing market as many international students want to attend English universities.  As I proceed through the TESL program, I hope that I will have exposure to more information and possibly more hands on experience in different levels, so that I may be able to answer this question better.  However, a career at the end of this program, may be entirely dependent on where there actually are positions available

Reference:

Brown, D. & Lee, H. (2015). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy
      (4th ed. revised). Chapters 6 and 7 Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.

My Favourite Teacher (Unit 1)

My most memorable teacher was my graduate thesis supervisor.  He was a most kind and caring individual, and very highly respected within the university community.  But two qualities that stand out most in my mind are his wonderful storytelling and his sense of humour. Both, I think, are two very important qualities in any teacher, and I strive to reflect this.
He was able to take the most complex subject, and break it down and build the story so it all fit together and made sense.  Sometime so well that the students would forget to take notes, and this was before notes were available online.  He also interjected little funny anecdotes, or made up names to help us remember complex names of biochemicals.  Being Scottish he was a Robbie Burns fan and would read his poetry on Robbie Burns day (bear in mind, this was not an English class).  He was a wonderful character.

In the beginning..... adjusting to technology in ESL (Unit 1)

Technology is a wonderful thing if you know how to use it.  On the flip side technology can be very frustrating. Have you ever tried to hook up a new TV these day?  But technology and digital literacy are very important aspects of our world today, and therefore very necessary in teaching ESL.

I once taught an online course at the university many years ago.  Most of the online part was really about dissemination of course notes and other information.  The platform was much simpler and all communication with students was done through email or phone calls.  I had never taken or given an online course before, so it was a big learning curve for me, as well as the students, who were mostly first year.  But I managed.

Skip ahead several years (actually more like a decade), and I find myself again in the head spinning world of creating blogs, and setting up accounts in new social media sites and other resourceful sites.  Getting used to D2L again took a few days.  It's not like I haven't done this before, as I've taken several courses online.  But it always seems to be a learning curve for me.  Part of this may be my age.  The brain works a little slower as you age, and part may be some resistance.  So just beware of this when you are using this with older ESL groups or those who not used to using digital and social media.

The major learning point here is that don't assume students know how to use digital technology.  Even the simplest technology (which this course is not) is very difficult for some.  Although I have found that many ESL students are very proficient (sometimes too much in class) with their cell phones, they may only know the platforms and apps that they use regularly, which vary greatly from country to country.

I once organized an ESL drop in class for a group of Chinese students and newcomers.  They used a social media app for connecting with each other and advertising the group.  It was in Chinese so I felt a bit left out of it, but one of the students kept in close touch with me and acted as the moderator.  So social media can be very useful, but you have to be careful of what you use.  We probably would have had a much smaller group if we used an English app, but with the Chinese app, I had no control.

Teaching digital media literacy to ESL students is necessary part of their education.  They will all have to use it at some point.  It's very hard to avoid.  But remember to be gentle, be slow, make it fun,  and make it useful!