CONTACT | ESL
Teacher, I write a photograph
Introduction
Writers make the blind see. We are talking about readers here. Readers see only what writers show them. I tell my students this, adding that luckily readers can see photographs and it is their job to make good photographs.
Then we get down to business, and I run through a drill that goes…
Exploring effective professional development for ESL instructors
Abstract
Professional development (PD) plays a crucial role in the success and quality of various occupations, including English as a second language (ESL) instruction. However, there is a need to understand ESL teachers’ perceptions of PD, the challenges they face, and their recommendations for enhancing the PD process. This study focuses on language schools in…
Elevating ELLs in a science classroom: Evidence-informed strategies to support language development used by a high school teacher
Learning science can be a daunting task, resembling the challenge of deciphering a complex foreign language for many individuals. The intricacy stems from the incorporation of vocabulary with Latin and Greek roots, intertwined with specialized jargon that references specific concepts. This linguistic complexity often proves to be a stumbling block for learners. As…
Spotlight — Shahriar Mirshahidi
Congratulations! You received the OCAD University Employee Equity Award. Talk to us a bit about that award and what it means to you.
I am deeply honored to receive the 2023 Employee Equity Award for my work as an English Language Learning Specialist at OCAD University’s English for Art & Design Program and the Writing…
Wax on. Wax off.
“Your first draft isn’t an unoriginal idea expressed clearly; it’s an original idea expressed poorly, and it is accompanied by your amorphous dissatisfaction, your awareness of the distance between what it says and what you want it to say.” (Chiang, 2023)
The rise of ChatGPT
Students have always been the subject matter expert in cutting corners; if…
Recommendations for the inclusion of mathematics education in language instruction for newcomers to Canada (LINC)
Abstract
This paper draws on literature that examines the underpinnings of language and math education in Canada as well as on the author’s own professional observations and reflections as an adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) educator in Toronto, Ontario in order to advocate for the inclusion of mathematics education in the LINC program. It evaluates the program’s…
