Since my ESL teaching experience has primarily been in ELSA contexts, I felt that doing my observation hours in the CNH ELSA program would not be the best learning opportunity for me. Instead, I observed a number of different adult ESL classes in a variety of different contexts. As a result of these observations, I have gained further insight into what I believe are best practices in teaching. The following information provides an overview of the observations that I completed and my reflections on what I learned.
I appreciate the opportunity to observe so many different ESL classrooms, and the experience has highlighted the importance of:
I appreciate the opportunity to observe so many different ESL classrooms, and the experience has highlighted the importance of:
- building trust and rapport with learners
- creating lesson content that is purposeful, well-planned, level-appropriate, and relevant to the students lives, needs, and goals
- creating a classroom environment that maximally supports language learning
- setting tasks that are interconnected and build upon one another
- providing opportunities to use language in real-life situations and in the community whenever possible
Observation #1 (8.5 hours)
Program/Class Level: ELSA Level 3
Location: Collingwood Neighbourhood House Program Focus: English for everyday life Students: Adult newcomers to Canada. Most have been in Canada for less than 1 year. Key Observations: C. teaches in a theme-based ESL program, and has an informal and relaxed manner with the students. She uses her humour as a way to engage students and help maintain a sense of ease and levity throughout the classroom. She is skilled in breaking down complex concepts by using concrete examples and by telling anecdotes from her own life. |
Observation #2 (2 hours)
Program/Class Level: English Language and Culture, "Lower level"
Location: Simon Fraser University (SFU) Program Focus: English and culture Students: young adults, immigrants and international students. Key Observations: In the lesson that I observed, A. used an episode of a popular television sitcom to teach a listening class. Students had the opportunity to discuss and understand many common cultural references and ask questions about slang phrases used by North American youth. Although it seemed difficult for the lower level students, everyone seemed to be motivated by the interesting and age-appropriate content. |
Observation #3 (2.5 hours)
Program/Class Level: ELSA Youth Class (4/5)
Location: Vancouver Community College Program Focus: project-based language learning designed for younger adult learners Students: Adult newcomers to Canada, ages 18-25 Key Observations: This is a full-time class that has two instructors working in a job-share arrangement. As a result, the learners benefit from two different but equally skilled and committed instructors. I observed K. as she guided the learners through a student-driven photo contest project involving the entire school community. K. supported the students as the prepared to make presentations to other classes and as they decided on details about the contest. Her teaching presence was supportive yet allowed the students to take the lead on the tasks at hand. |
Observation #4 (2 hours)
Program/Class Level: Parenting ESL (mixed levels)
Location: Pacific Immigrant Resources Society, at South Vancouver Family Place Program Focus: Language learning & parenting/culture Students: Women with children Key Observations: I sat in on the final day of class for the ESL Parenting group. I noticed that although the group of 9 women represented a wide range of language levels (from literacy to upper intermediate), there was a trust and close rapport between all of them that clearly reflected the nature and goals of the program. The instructor, P., facilitated the discussion about summer plans and she also highlighted different low-cost activities and trips that students could do during the summer with their families. |
Observation #5 (5 hours)
Program/Class Level: English for Health Sciences 2 (CLB 7)
Location: Vancouver Community College Program Focus: Content-based ESL & language upgrading for students wishing to enter the Health Sciences programs Students: Adult learners working (or planning to work) in the health support services sector Key Observations: I spent a full day with this group, and I was struck by the level of motivation and energy that the learners had. J., the instructor, is a very experienced teacher and every task that she gave the students had a clear purpose and reflected a scaffolding approach to language learning. She challenged the students and skilfully supported them as the practiced their oral skills through role plays and recorded interviews in preparation for their mock interviews the following week. The expectations for the students is high in this class, and the students are clearly ready to meet any challenge that J. gives them. |
Observation #6 (1.5 hours)
Program/Class Level: World Beat Program
Location:Vancouver Community College Program Focus: educational, career and life planning; integration of music into lesson content Students: Young adult newcomers (immigrants and refugees) to Canada Key Observations: I observed the music class, which they have every day as part of their curriculum. The students are at the end of their 4-month long program, so they were preparing for their final music performance. It was interesting for me to observe the interplay between the music teacher, the language teacher, and the students. At this point in the program, the students were clearly expected to have a strong understanding of what they needed to do for the final presentations, and the teachers were decidedly hands-off in their problem-solving approach. Adding to that were the emotions that come at the end of an intense, life-changing experience, and I could sense that it will be difficult for these students to leave the program. My visit to this class reinforced my belief that teaching and learning a language is never as straightforward as it might seem at first, and that a truly effective language instructor needs to be attuned to the personalities and needs of her students at all times. |