Category Archives: self reflection

2021 – A look back


Written by - teslontario
            Image source: Bigstockphoto.com

As the year 2021 wraps up, the Blog Admin Team want to wish everyone a restful holiday and the very best for the new year!  We hope you enjoy our look back at some of our favourite blog posts from 2021.

Happy Holidays!  Beth, Jessica, Claire, Elyse, Sarah, & Gordon

Enhancing Reading Comprehension II: Structured Experience Techniques 

In this post Gonul offers some great ideas on how to get the most out of text readings in the classroom. Pre-reading activities and discussions are valuable ways to help students make sense of what they’re reading, grasp the core message of the text, and more easily draw on the information presented. The great thing about structured-experience techniques is that the students can be more hands-on in their efforts, while the teacher is there to provide guidance if needed.  Continue reading →

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Focusing on Student Reflection


Written by - Beth Beardall

Do you encourage and provide opportunities for learner self-reflection in your classes? When and how often?   

I like to give students opportunities during the term (and of course PBLA prescribes it).  But it always seems especially pertinent as the year closes out – whether it is the end of the school year or the end of the calendar year. So, as 2021 comes to a close, I thought I’d share some self-reflection activities that I have used and that you might like to try in your classes. These are good for upper-intermediate and higher levels, including EAP. 

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Tip for TESL Career Advancement: Be Visible! 


Written by - Heather Donnelly

Are you a part-time ESL/EAP instructor hoping to step into fulltime employment at your institution? If so, you are not alone. Recent evidence shows most ESL/EAP instructors in Canada are sitting in the precarious part time employment boat with you and are hoping to advance.   

Perhaps you are wondering how you can distinguish yourself from the pack? One method of distinguishing yourself is to have workplace visibility. 

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Personal Reflections on Online Teaching


Written by - Svjetlana Vrbanic @lanavrb
Image taken from: Big Stock Photo

Going back to class can be daunting. I feel sad to leave my online classroom and excited to interact with students in person.

I learned many lessons during this unprecedented coronavirus period. Returning to in-class teaching, I can reflect on my experience. Continue reading →

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Stand Out and Stay Ahead in the TESL Market


Written by - Heather Donnelly
Marathon running race, many runners feet on road racing, sport competition, fitness and healthy lifestyle concept

Even during prosperous times ESL professionals in Canada encounter precarious employment: contract work, limited hours, and no/minimal benefits (Breshears, 2019). TESL graduates often struggle as they enter the field with limited knowledge of how to navigate the diverse segments of Canada’s TESL market (Wu, 2019).

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How are you taking care of yourself during COVID-19?


Written by - Gonul Turkdogan
Source: bigstockphoto.com

It’s never been more important to focus on taking care of yourself. Maybe like me you are teaching or working from home. Hours of screen time and sitting too long can have negative health impacts. Here are the eight top self-care tips that I have tried and now use every day to reduce stress and boost mental health. Please test them yourself and let me know what you think. 

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A Toast to Coaching


Written by - Guest Contributor
Metaphor of development, growth, transformation, change Coaching icon Logo transform
Image source: www.bigstockphoto.com

Fellow TESL Community, whether you’ve benefited from working with a professional coach or not, join me in raising a proverbial glass in honour of coaches. 

 In March 2020, like some, or even many of you, I found myself suddenly unemployed. The private language school I had taught at for the two years prior was unable to keep its doors open to welcome local and international English Language Learners due to the swift pandemic measures that came into effect that same month. My experience, sadly, was not unique.  

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#CDNELTCHAT: JOIN THE CHAT ON TUESDAY!


Written by - Guest Contributor
Image Source: #CdnELTChat Team

If you’re a Twitter user, join the next #CdnELTchat on Tuesday, March 30, when our topic will be: Teaching and Learning Vocabulary.  Below is a recap of the March 16 chat written by #CdnELTchat moderator Bonnie Nicholas.

A little over a year ago, on March 11, 2020, our lives were upended when the WHO declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Most schools and learning institutions in Canada closed to in-person learning soon afterwards, and many of us found ourselves teaching online classes for the first time. As we left our workplaces, I suspect few of us thought that we would still be in the midst of the pandemic a year later.

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#CDNELTCHAT: JOIN THE CHAT ON TUESDAY!


Written by - teslontario
@CdnELTchat January 26, 2021 chat. What should we leave behind in #ELT?
Image Source: #CdnELTChat Team

If you’re a Twitter user, join the next #CdnELTchat on Tuesday, February 9, when our topic will be: What should we keep doing in #ELT?  Below is a recap of the January 26 chat written by #CdnELTchat moderator Jennifer Chow.

Whether we were ready or not, since last spring COVID-19 has forced almost all of us to become online teachers. For many of us working in ELT, the move to online teaching was a giant leap out of our comfort zone. As the pandemic enters its second year and mostly-online teaching and learning continues, we have an opportunity to think critically about our practices and to reflect on what we should maybe leave behind. This was the theme for the January 26 #CdnELTchat; the follow-up chat is on what we should keep going forward.

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I Speak, Therefore… I Teach?


Written by - Guest Contributor
Foreign language speaking icon. Outline foreign language speaking vector icon for web design isolated on white background
Image source: www.bigstockphoto.com

I have been an English Language Teacher for 20 years. When I started my career, I didn’t think it would take much effort to teach others something I had learnt during my childhood and teenage years. I could even make some “easy” money while I was at it!  “How hard could it be?” I thought to myself.

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