How We Think About Technology in the Classroom


Written by - Derek Czajkowski
www.bigstockphoto.com

Technology is so embedded in our daily lives that we hardly notice, even take for granted, that we can’t get through our day without our phones, the internet, automated check-outs, Zoom. Yet, when it comes to using computers in the classroom, most teachers are reactionary in their response.

The school where I work will be using Avenue as the main delivery platform for all levels starting in September. This decision, when it was announced last year, did not, and indeed, has not, gone over well with the teachers, to put it mildly.

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Establishing Rapport with Learners: Challenges & Solutions


Written by - Ozma Siddiqui
Image source: Unsplash, photo by Luann Hunt

Teaching is a rewarding profession, but it does come with its challenges. One important aspect of teaching is to establish a rapport with the learners. A teacher who is unable to communicate with her learners in the first few days is at risk of “losing” her class altogether. Research shows that learners learn better when they find the content interesting and like the teacher! In fact, a positive and favourable learning environment is necessary for effective communication in a classroom that learners find safe and supportive. This article will pose some challenges and offer solutions that will ensure student engagement.

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Making Meaning in Online Environments


Written by - Patricia Patel

Let’s face it, teaching in an online learning environment can be difficult when it comes to engaging and motivating learners. This non-traditional learning environment  poses an additional challenge to ensure learners are constructing meaning from the content and deepening their learning and understanding.  

Educators often struggle to help learners make meaningful connections to the content while deepening their understanding within an online learning environment. For this reason, I want to emphasize  the benefits  of discussion boards  in online learning. Discussion boards can be defined as virtual platforms where learners can interact with their instructor and  peers by posting and responding to  discussion posts. This type of interaction and knowledge building foster a sense of community among students while promoting active learning within an online learning environment. 

Discussion boards offer a range of benefits for learners:  

  • opportunity to explore, analyze, and discover the essence of  topics 
  • build new meaning 
  • improve critical thinking skills  
  • deepening the understanding of course content 
  • increase learner engagement 
  • increase learner motivation 
  • foster a sense of community 
  • cultivate a social presence among learners 

Some learners may experience feelings of isolation from the course content, their peers, and their instructor within the online learning environment. These feelings of isolation and disconnect can further hinder their motivation and potential academic success. However, discussion boards within an online learning environment can cultivate a social presence among learners by offering additional opportunities to interact with peers and the instructor. Fostering this sense of community and social presence increases feelings of support and engagement which can further contribute to academic success and motivate learners to continue their education.  

Overall, discussion board is a constructivist tool which helps learners construct meaning and make a deeper connection to class content. I find that discussion boards are largely beneficial for the online learning environment as they help learners build on each other’s knowledge while reducing feelings of isolation, deepening their understanding, and broadening their own perspectives. Discussion boards are  essential   to contribute to learners’ academic success within an online learning environment.  

References 

Li C. (2022). English Research Learning and Functional Research Based on Constructivism Theory and Few-Shot Learning. Computational intelligence and neuroscience, 2022, 3698802. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3698802 

Mazlan, A. F., Mohammad, M., Kassim, R., & Erni. (2022). Online Teaching and Learning During Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges Faced by English Teachers in Islamic Tertiary Institutions in Malaysia and Indonesia. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 12(10), 2005–2013. https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1210.07  

Wang, Y., Chen, Y., & Anderson, T. (2020). Exploring the effectiveness of online discussion boards in higher education: A systematic review. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 58(4), 419-433. 

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Summer Break: A Time to “R(. . .)”


Written by - Cecilia Aponte-de-Hanna
Image Source: Created with Copilot. Prompt by Aponte-de-Hanna (2024, July 16).

If when reading the title, the first word that came to mind was “Relax,” you are lukewarm. Collocation wise, you are correct. However, as a teacher, I am referring to “Reflect” — as in Time to Reflect. Don’t get me wrong; teachers need time to relax, and I have been doing some of that during my summer break from teaching, but as teachers, we also need time to recharge for when classes restart. That is where reflection comes in.

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Four Tips For Teaching A Literacy Class


Written by - Derek Czajkowski
                                                              Image source: www.bigstockphoto.com

Hands down, foundation literacy is the most challenging level to teach in language instruction. In fact, it’s a completely different universe from the other CLB levels, even CLB 1. If you’ve ever taught a literacy class, along with a CLB 1 class, as I did this year, you’ll see how dramatic the differences are between the students. A teacher sees that the approaches, strategies, and pedagogy they use for the other levels don’t apply to a literacy class. With that in mind, here are four hard-earned principles I learned from my past year teaching literacy.

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2024 Award Nominations Now Open


Written by - Guest Contributor

Kiara Kim, Learning and Development Assistant, TESL Ontario

Nominate Now: Recognize Excellence in TESL for 2024

As we prepare for the TESL Ontario 2024 Annual Conference: Navigating New Routes in Language Education, it’s time to spotlight the leaders who are making a significant impact in the TESL community. One shining example is Gonul Turkdogan, the 2023 recipient of the Sparks of Excellence Award. Gonul’s journey since receiving this prestigious award offers a glimpse into the profound impact and inspiration these accolades can bring.

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Challenges of Large Classes


Written by - Ozma Siddiqui
Image taken from: Big Stock Photo

Advantages of Bigger Class sizes 

Most public schools globally have larger class sizes than private schools. This is due to the fact that accommodating larger groups of students lowers the cost of building extra classrooms, buying extra equipment and hiring more teachers. On the other hand, it is often argued that children from diverse backgrounds bring different perspectives and experiences to the classroom, making for a varied learning environment. 

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Strategies for Online Learning to Promote Student Engagement and Satisfaction 


Written by - Patricia Patel

From my experience, and the experiences of my colleagues and students, online learning and teaching have gained significant popularity on a global scale in recent years. Hui & Yunus (2023) suggest that teachers could benefit from a revision in curriculum to support modernized online teaching approaches that help foster a motivating, authentic, and satisfying online learning environment with the goal of promoting a sense of student autonomy. Implementing proper strategies could result in better learning.   Continue reading →

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