For me, learning can be anxiety provoking– learning new concepts, being tested, and the pressure of needing to get a good mark. All this combined! Now imagine how our ESL learners might feel. It can be an overwhelming experience. I wanted to share with you what has helped me to ease those worries, and that is music. So how can we bring music into the classroom to relax our learners? Continue reading
Lesson planning has always played a crucial role in the professional lives of ESL teachers.
It’s not just a routine step—it’s part of what defines us as thoughtful, organized, and committed educators. In this post, I’ll address some common questions about lesson planning, including one that’s often debated: Is a lesson plan a genuine necessity or just a formality? Continue reading
Mark your calendars! The TESL Ontario Annual Conference returns from November 19–21, 2025, and this year’s theme, “Igniting the Future of Language Education,” promises to spark meaningful dialogue and innovation in our field.
We’re excited to announce that the Call for Presentation Proposals is officially open! This is your chance to showcase your knowledge, share your research, and contribute to the evolving landscape of language education.
Presenting at the TESL Ontario Conference offers more than just visibility—it’s a platform for professional growth. Engage with a dynamic audience, gain fresh perspectives, receive constructive feedback, and take part in conversations that inspire future collaborations and ideas.
By stepping into the role of presenter, you’ll enhance your communication skills, expand your professional network, and establish yourself as a leader in the TESL community. Whether you’re an experienced speaker or a first-time presenter, this opportunity can boost both your confidence and career.
Presentation formats include:
Why Present? Here are just a few of the benefits:
New to presenting? No worries! You’ll have access to a detailed, self-paced training package, plus the support of our experienced organizing team, moderators, and technical staff.
Returning presenters won’t need to repeat training unless they choose to, but a quick “What’s New in 2025” orientation video will be available to keep you up to date.
To learn more about this year’s theme, session requirements, and how to submit your proposal, visit our Call for Presentations page. Be sure to submit by 12:00 PM (ET) on June 13, 2025.
We look forward to your ideas—and to seeing you in November!
Educators can face challenges when trying to predict student achievement, future decisions, continuity, and overall academic success. (Lee & Song, 2022). Understanding these factors can help language educators offer additional supports or interventions if they suspect students are struggling. According to Eccles & Wigfield (1995), Task value is about how important a student thinks a task is and how confident they feel about doing well on it (Eccles & Wigfield, 1995).
Task value contributes to educational development and offers insights into key motivating factors that enhance a student’s performance, choice, and persistence which helps explain both how well they accomplish a task, and the importance the assign to the task (Yue & Lu, 2022). As a result, a student’s value of a task can be considered as the driving factor behind their motivation (Kotla et al., 2023). Continue reading
As an adult, speaking Italian became very difficult for me. When I was young, my grandmother lived with us and the main language in the house was Italian.
She immigrated to Canada in the 1950s and was unable to speak English, so, in order to communicate with her, we needed to speak Italian. When she moved out of the house English became the main language of the household, and as a result, my ability to speak Italian nearly disappeared. This motivated me to learn how to speak it again and in 2014, I began my journey to re-learn the Italian language. Continue reading
Technology has transformed the learning process and will continue to evolve. Even in conventional classrooms, students need to develop digital skills, as many assignments are now submitted online. Adapting to technology is no longer optional—it’s an essential part of modern education. Continue reading
My experience ranges from teaching students in a private school from grades 1 to 5 to tutoring adults at the public library. My current experience, and the most rewarding one, is tutoring English at the Hamilton Public Library. We cannot disregard the power of one-on-one instruction.
That one or two hours a week of attention can change a person’s outlook. Not only are we teaching them English, but we are also trying to boost their self-confidence in a world where they need to navigate, learn, and jump back up after rejection or criticism. Continue reading
Teaching and learning in the age of AI is fascinating for both teachers and students. Both can largely benefit from this phenomenon, making their journeys much more efficient. 
Of course, we all know when AI can backfire, and to be frank, as an ESL teacher, I think it backfires when irresponsibility creeps in on both ends. This blog post, however, isn’t focused on this issue. Instead, I’m going to focus on those who are responsible and committed to learning. I’d like to share my opinion and my experience in class when students eventually told me, “AI? No, thank you. I’d rather stick with you, human teacher.”
Artificial intelligence is a quickly growing technological development that is rapidly transforming various sectors of society. Also referred to as “machine intelligence,” artificial intelligence (AI) is demonstrated by non-humanoid or humanoid robots that behave similarly to humans, and this technology can be applied to businesses in order to enhance and improve operational efficiency (Prentice et al., 2019).
Learning in the age of advanced technology and AI is a great opportunity for both learners and educators.
Much of the teaching and learning is now being conducted on virtual platforms, which undoubtedly requires users to know how to manage computers, the Internet and technology well.
In other words, developing digital literacy now holds a prominent position in education. In this context, as ESL teachers working with various proficiency levels, our job with elementary learners who lack enough digital literacy might require more effort to handle both fronts successfully. We should be mindful of the fact that handling both language learning and digital literacy is quite challenging for learners, and the reasons why some adults are struggling with digital literacy is also important if we want to help them overcome this challenge. So, in this blog post, I’ll point out why some learners at the basic level are struggling with technology in their learning and suggest how teachers can help them overcome these problems.