CONTACT | pedagogy
Artificial intelligence in education: A practitioner-informed perspective on opportunities, challenges, and human-centered integration
Abstract
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is transforming teaching and learning across global contexts. While existing literature highlights the potential of AI to support personalized learning, improve efficiency, and expand access, less attention has been given to practitioner-informed perspectives grounded in sustained classroom experience. This paper draws on 19 years of international teaching and curriculum development…
Beyond the classroom: Real-life impact of task-based language teaching for newcomers
As a LINC instructor at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB), teaching Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels 3 and 4, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of task-based language teaching (TBLT) on my students. Working with newcomers to Canada, many of whom are adjusting to a new culture, language, and environment, I have found…
Learner variability in English for Academic Purposes classes
As educators, we may often hear the term learner variability, especially when working with English for Academic Purposes (EAP) because classes consist of learners from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Before I delve into defining learner variability, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on yourself as a learner at a specific time…
Critical literacy and counter-narratives: Disrupting power and enhancing inclusivity in the LINC classroom
Many immigrants come to Canada not understanding the long and complex history it has with its Indigenous people, colonization, residential school system, and the impact of this on Indigenous communities. As a result, many newcomers learn negative stereotypes about Indigenous people because of their representation in the media and literature. Therefore, there is a pressing need to…
Supporting online language education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Insights into language teachers’ use of action-oriented, plurilingual scenarios in Northern Italy
Abstract
The shift to remote classes due to COVID-19 required teachers to reimagine their pedagogical practice and develop new strategies for providing quality language education in online environments. The sudden transition also meant teachers had to intentionally create affordances for online interaction or risk reverting to methods that ignore the interactive and socially-mediated aspects of language…
Individualized program plans for adult ESL literacy learners
*For all footnotes, refer to the PDF version of the article.
Abstract
Adult ESL literacy teachers are often perplexed when instructing pre-, non-, and semi-literate adult ESL learners due to their L1 literacy level, age, and possibly traumatic experiences. Classroom instruction and assessment should be carefully planned and strategically implemented because of the underlying financial and…
