Tag Archives: teaching

Understanding Task Value to Predict Academic Performance 


Written by - Patricia Patel

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).

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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 →

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“Teacher, I’m sorry, but I’m not good at technology!” How should we address this challenge in the AI era? 


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh
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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 →

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Utilizing Expectancy-Value Theory in a Student-Centred ESL Learning Environment to Increase Learner Motivation 


Written by - Patricia Patel
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How can ESL learners benefit from a student-centred learning environment? How can ESL teachers utilize a student-centred learning environment? The expectancy-value theory can serve as a framework for guiding student-centred learning.   Continue reading →

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The Power of One-on-One Tutoring 


Written by - Diana Lombardi

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 →

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AI? No, Thank You. I’d Rather Stick with My Teacher.  


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh

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.” 

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Encouraging Critical Thinking in the Classroom


Written by - Ozma Siddiqui
Background concept wordcloud illustration of critical thinking strategy glowing light
image source: bigstockphoto

The recent buzzword in second language or foreign language teaching is critical thinking. Studies confirm that promoting critical thinking in the classroom yields long term rewards in terms of helping students to think for themselves, analyze the meaning of language and take ownership for their learning. Moreover, critical thinking enriches the language learning experience and makes it more meaningful. 

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Artificial Intelligence: Are Educators Secure? 


Written by - Patricia Patel

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). 

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When the Moment Calls for Differentiated Instruction


Written by - Derek Czajkowski

We sometimes forget that learners are at different points along the learning continuum. Our students range from beginning to advanced, and all points in between. While we pitch our lessons to the middle, and expect our students to meet the objectives, the students at the lower end of the continuum tend to get left behind. Yet, these learners present us with the greatest opportunity for teaching and learning in the use of differentiated instruction.

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Teacher Reflective Practice to Foster Student Engagement 


Written by - Patricia Patel

I’ve witnessed many programs permanently transition to facilitating education through an online platform ever since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Educational programs have either completely transitioned to online learning or have exploded with additional online offerings. However, have teacher education programs reformed their curricula to offer teaching strategies and theories related to the increased demand for online learning? In other words, are teachers being taught how to teach online? Perhaps not. 

 

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Helping Unsuccessful Listeners 


Written by - Setareh Dabbagh

One of the main challenges that ESL students face both in language learning in general and in listening skills specifically, is how to improve! Often, not surprisingly, one of the teachers’ frustrating questions is how to help their students overcome their difficulties. In fact, they should both know that if they place their focus on the listening process, they can improve listening skills, and achieve successful comprehension. In this blog post, I’d like to highlight the problems that students deal with in this process, and how we can better assist them as teachers.   Continue reading →

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