In my practice as a Registered Dietitian at Toronto Public Health, I have heard many newcomers tell me that they get overwhelmed by the huge number of choices at the grocery store. Think about the last time you went down the cereal aisle. How many different cereals were there? What are the factors you considered […]
As a dietitian with Toronto Public Health’s Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention program for the past 11 years, I have had many years of experience bringing healthy eating messages to newcomers. In my experience, what influences my audience isn’t dazzling them with details about the science of nutrition, it’s helping them to understand how to […]
Over the years, I have always found it interesting that the first three words many of my students have seemed to master by day one are peace and safety. Oh, the third? – double-double, or so it seems. I’ll get back to that in a moment. Most of my students come from places where conflict […]
Many teachers struggle to find the time to reflect, or they may not know how to reflect in a way that enhances their teaching and benefits their learners. Making the time to reflect is key. Here are 8 ways to get you started in the practice of self-reflection.
I always attend conferences to try to improve myself as a teacher, and sometimes I come away exceptionally motivated. This was the case a few years ago when I attended a great session on rubric creation. At the time I was working in a private language school and also doing some part-time LINC teaching. I […]
One of my TESL Professors told me that to be an effective educator you needed to participate in the community. I’m not sure I’ve accomplished the first part yet, but I have certainly learned a lot from volunteering. What I love about being on the TESL Ontario Board is how it has enriched my knowledge […]
Teach your ESL students about Canada as we celebrate 150 years since Confederation.
Empower your students with lessons on Ramadan this season – and let your students be the teachers.
Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA) is here to stay. “Teachers cannot opt out” (p. 58) and it is “an expectation of employment” (p. 71). Once implemented the way it was meant to be, the evidence suggests, it is an academically sound approach to teaching and learning. The PBLA programme, now being implemented in all ESL […]
Kahoot has been around for a few years, but why not try the new Jumble game. It’s great for students at any level who need to practice word order or any other type of sentence structure. Ready made games are available, but you might want to create your own too.