Category Archives: Language

The role of making and correcting errors in second language learning


Written by - Brian Strong & Elif Once Buyukerol, Canada

Download PDF

Understanding the role of errors in second language learning is crucial for developing effective teaching strategies. Despite their frequent occurrence, errors are often viewed negatively. However, they can provide invaluable insights into the learning process and serve as potent learning tools. This discussion aims to explore how making and correcting errors can enhance second language vocabulary acquisition, offering practical implications for classroom practices. Errors and mistakes are terms often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings in the context of language learning. Errors are systematic and occur due to a lack of knowledge; they reflect gaps in the learner’s understanding and are often persistent. Mistakes, on the other hand, are occasional lapses that learners can self-correct when pointed out,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
Assessment, EAP, ESL, Language
POST COMMENT 0

Utilizing the affordances of an AI bot to facilitate a grammar lesson in an EAP classroom


Written by - Plamen Kushkiev, Canada

Download PDF

See PDF for images.

Purpose

In this article, I critically analyze the integration of an artificial intelligence (AI) bot known as Pi (Personal Intelligence), introduced by Inflection AI in May 2023. The insights and implications that I share in this essay represent my observations and reflections as an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) professor at a public college in Ontario. These are not meant to present the results of a formal study but to create a dialogic space to problematize and conceptualize the applicability of Pi as a personal assistant bot to both the professor and intermediate-level EAP learners during in-person class activities. Although the bot has also been used for pedagogical and interaction purposes in class and as part of specific home assignments,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
AI, EAP, ESL, Language
POST COMMENT 0

Anxiety during the Silent Period: Anxiety of the unknown specifically for temporary and refugee claimant students


Written by - Ricardo-Martín Marroquín, Canada

Download PDF

Abstract  

This article focuses on the importance of supporting all English language learners, specifically those who endure an added level of stress due to their immigration journey. In this article, I will raise awareness by pointing out the importance of not only being aware of temporary/visa/no status students but also to be more compassionate while teaching them. Moreover, recent numbers such as the number of newcomers, visa students, and study permits will be shared, and the topic of anxiety will also be discussed, with the intention to best support students who are hoping to stay in Canada but do not necessarily have the permit to do so.

 

 

The reason for this article is to promote empathy and allow for greater support for newcomers,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
ESL, Identity, Language, Refugees
POST COMMENT 1

Exploring effective professional development for ESL instructors


Written by - By Mohsen Jazeb & Sepideh Sharafi, Canada & Iran

Download PDF

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 Ontario, Canada, where research on the efficacy of PD events for ESL instructors is limited. By utilizing a quantitative research design with a survey-based approach, data were collected from ESL teachers employed in language schools and institutions in Ontario. The findings reveal that while teachers recognize the importance of PD, there is room for improvement in terms of PD topics, activities, and program relevance.  Continue Reading →

Categories:
ESL, Language, Professional Development
POST COMMENT 0

Elevating ELLs in a science classroom: Evidence-informed strategies to support language development used by a high school teacher


Written by - By Maria Zaman, Ryan Summers, & Sarah Boese-Noreen, USA

Download PDF to see images

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 a bilingual educator, my constant endeavour is to explore inventive ways to make subjects more accessible, particularly for English language learners (ELLs). In a recent undertaking, I conducted a comprehensive interview with an experienced high school teacher, delving into effective strategies for teaching science to ELLs. This endeavor sheds light on the fact that mastering science surpasses conventional language skills, such as reading,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
ESL, Language
POST COMMENT 0

Spotlight — Shahriar Mirshahidi


Written by - An interview with Shahriar Mirshahidi

Download PDF

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 & Learning Centre. This award highlights the importance of fostering an equitable, diverse, and inclusive learning and work environment, a mission I am passionately dedicated to. My commitment lies in empowering racialized and multilingual students by providing them with an equitable pedagogical space through amplifying their unique resources and knowledges. I advocate for translingual approaches to teaching English as an Additional Language and creating more accessible curricula that cater to multilingual students’ needs to ensure their success.  Continue Reading →

Categories:
communication, culture, Curriculum, EAL, EAP, ESL, Interview, Journal, Language, Research, Speaking, Spotlight
POST COMMENT 0

Wax on. Wax off.


Written by - Jen Artan

Download PDF

“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 a new tool or technology gives them the edge, they will take it.

When the internet emerged, educators prophesied the end of originality. They pondered how plagiarism will now exist on an entirely new plain. The teachers had a point. The internet made it super easy for essay mills to exist and recruit customers.  Continue Reading →

Categories:
AI, EAL, EAP, ESL, Language, Writing
POST COMMENT 0

Using cinema as a teaching tool in the language classroom


Written by - Ricardo-Martín Marroquín

Download PDF

The art of teaching a second language (L2) in today’s demands has allowed teachers to become ever so crafty and creative. When teaching any L2 (either as a foreign language or a second language) i.e. English, Spanish or Italian (to name a few), one must make sure of two concepts: First, the motive for which the student is learning an L2; and second, the strategies and tools that a teacher may possess to attain the outcome. This conforms the aptitude that the teacher may readily possess. Furthermore, I would say that any strategy may hold its own weight, and therefore, be useful depending on how the teacher decides to implement it. In fact, I would also mention that any strategy or tool has a specific purpose,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
culture, Drama, EAL, ESL, Language
POST COMMENT 0

Promoting intercultural communicative competence in ESL classes


Written by - Alireza Pourdastmalchi

Download PDF

*Note: For article appendices, please see the PDF.

Introduction

In a globalized world, ESL teachers are increasingly urged to consider developing students’ intercultural communicative competence in language classes. This paper starts with the definitions of communicative competence (CC) and intercultural communicative competence (ICC) from different perspectives. It then explains what teachers need to teach to help their students develop their ICC. Next, the paper touches on the appropriate method that teachers need to adopt when incorporating ICC into their lesson plans. Finally, drawing on the fundamental elements of ICC in this paper, one classroom activity is offered to show how ESL instructors can encourage students to practice the concept of ICC in their daily life situations.  Continue Reading →

Categories:
communication, culture, Language, Research, Speaking
POST COMMENT 0

The rise of random task generators in language learning: Embracing the era of randomness


Written by - Alexander Popov

Download PDF

With the advent of online platforms and resources, English language teaching is undergoing a remarkable transformation. In recent years, researchers have become increasingly concerned that modern educational systems are not stressing higher-order and abstract thinking enough, resulting in a decline in human IQs. A new luminary has emerged to meet these challenges: random task generators. The use of these platforms has revolutionized language learning, stimulating creativity, critical thinking, and authentic language use.

Higher-order thinking, which goes beyond mere memorization and recall, is crucial for fostering intellectual growth. Bloom’s Taxonomy (Lasley 2023) provides a framework that encourages learners to progress through levels of thinking, from basic understanding to more advanced abilities like analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Abstract thinking,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
AI, ESL, Language, Other
POST COMMENT 0

A framework for self-regulated learning in an ESOL classroom


Written by - Jennifer Gilbert

Download PDF

It is the end of the 2022-2023 academic school year and grade level teams are gathering to begin their annual data dive. Inspecting English language learner (ELL) results is on the agenda. With just over 50% of Toronto District School Board’s K-12 population being deemed an ELL (tdsb.on.ca, 2023), supporting the academic achievement of this demographic is a priority. A question is posed amongst the team leaders: How do we boost an ELL’s language acquisition and content learning in our classrooms while still keeping the learning standards intact? The answer may lie with the inclusion of ELL-targeted self-regulated learning strategies.   

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is certainly not a new concept, for it was first introduced by Zimmerman in 1986 (Panadero,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
EAL, ESL, Language, Other
POST COMMENT 0

Multimodality-enhanced teaching: Fostering global citizenship and intercultural competence in ELT


Written by - Heejin Song & Jacqueline Ng, York University, Canada

Download PDF

*For images, please see the PDF version of the article. 

Introduction 

This article showcases multimodality-enhanced learning tasks that embrace learners’ linguistic and cultural diversity as an asset to advance their oral communication skills, promote global citizenship (UNESCO, 2018), and cultivate intercultural competence (Byram, 1996) in a university English communication course. Drawing upon Cummins’ (2009) transformative multiliteracies pedagogy and García’s (2009) translanguaging that highlight affirming diversity and acknowledging a fluid flow of ‘languaging’ (Swain, 2006) in transnationals’ language learning as a source of empowerment in teaching, we exemplify two innovative multimodal projects called My Cooking Show and Plurilingual and Intercultural Expression Corner. These projects invited learners to activate and share their prior cultural and linguistic knowledge base with the aim of developing their cross-cultural and cross-linguistic awareness,  Continue Reading →

Categories:
culture, Curriculum, ESL, Experiential, Identity, Language
POST COMMENT 0