Developing Empathy for EAL Learners in a TESOL Training Course

Dr. Hilda Freimuth

As an immigrant child to Canada, I experienced teachers who had very little understanding of how difficult it was to learn a new language. In fact, the strategies and methods used back in the 1970s primary school system were so dreadful that it inspired me to become not only an English as an additional language (EAL) instructor but also a professor of Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL). My early experiences of learning English as a newcomer to Canada were painful. The inability to speak English often left me emotionally and physically scarred, as it did other immigrant children. The lack of empathy from most teachers at the time was palpable. I fear most teachers had not received any training in anti-racism, anti-bullying, the process of acculturation, or second language education in the mid-70s. The notion that EAL learners need support with both language acquisition and the acculturation process (Berry, 1997; Daniel & Conlin, 2015) seemed non-existent at the time, despite government funded programs for adult newcomers having been around since 1947 (Ciccarelli, 1997). This lack of training and experience in new teachers of EAL in the school system in Canada was also noted more recently (Aisicovich, 2018). Even the lack of desire to get training was noticed. In the case of British Columbia, most EAL students are immediately placed into mainstream content classrooms (Gunderson, D’Silva, & Murphy Odo, 2014). This underscores the importance of teacher training. Teachers of EAL learners need to acquire an understanding of what it is like to learn a new language and, possibly, even to live in another culture– ideally before they step into a classroom. In light of the mainstream placement of most EAL learners, Cummins and Early (2011) emphasize the need for all teachers in the school system to have a basic understanding of teaching approaches that are culturally and linguistically responsive. So, the question then is: how can universities in Canada better prepare teachers for their EAL students? The building of empathy is one possible solution. This article examines how one university in Canada addresses the building of empathy in its TESOL training program. Although all the courses in the program develop empathy to varying degrees, the ‘curriculum and instruction’ course is an ideal place to situate this type of learning and therefore the focus of this discussion.

The Challenge: Building Empathy

The old Greek term ‘empathicus’, from which the word empathy stems, refers to the ability to understand others “by entering their worlds” (Jaray-Benn, 2019, para 4). Brown (2000) confirms that this definition of empathy fits well into the world of language learning as learners need to be able to understand and feel what another person does in order to effectively communicate. While the focus here is on the learner, an argument can be made that ‘empathicus’ is needed for teachers to do their job effectively as well. Here, Krznaric (2014) takes the notion of empathy one step further and maintains that the cognitive and affective components of empathy need to be combined with a third aspect – empathic concern. This is the use of the one’s understanding to guide one’s actions. In the case of a language teacher then, this empathic concern would guide the teacher’s actions and activities in the classroom. But is this type of empathic concern even teachable?

Over a century ago, Edith Stein (2008), a renowned German phenomenologist, argued that empathy is, at its core, not teachable. This is due to the nature of how empathy works. Empathy is something that is experienced in the moment – a natural phenomenon that emerges from within a person. Consequently, it can be facilitated, but not taught (Davis, 1990). In light of this, teacher training programs should try to find ways for future teachers to experience empathy naturally through activities in the classroom that allow them to enter their students’ worlds. The importance of developing empathy in teacher training programs for K-12 has been already noted:

Literature indicates that an ethos of caring deeply and empathically about children and their welfare has been identified as being at the heart of purposeful teaching, vital to personal happiness and daily attitude renewal and essential to inspiring children to care about their own learning (Boyer, 2010, p. 313).

In the K-12 classrooms, the positive impact of teacher empathy on learners has been widely acknowledged (Verducci, 2000). In one particular study, empathy training for K-12 teacher trainees showed statistically significant increases in levels of empathic abilities (Fraser & Vitro, 2012). This success in K-12 teacher training programs begs the question: what is being done across Canada in TESOL training programs to build empathy? Here is one example at one university in Canada.

The TESOL Course

The university TESOL certificate program for both international and domestic university students, who are either working towards or have completed an undergraduate degree, consists of five different courses, all of which touch on the building of empathy in some way. The focus of discussion here is the ‘Curriculum and Instruction’ course, a 3-credit full semester university course. The course description is as follows:

This course emphasizes the development and practical application of English language teaching methodology. Topics include curriculum design; lesson planning; techniques for teaching reading, writing, listening, and speaking; evaluation; and assessment.

Although the building of empathy is not one of the course’s specific learning outcomes, it was embedded in ‘the history of teaching methodology’ component of the course by the instructor. Part of the assessment of this course was the keeping of a ‘learner journal’. As students experienced the learning of different languages through different historical methodologies, they needed to reflect on their experience and how it felt to be a new learner of the language. They closely examined their emotions in terms of the difficulty of the task and the methodology used. In the first class, students learned a writing system that was new to them all – hieroglyphics. They learned how to read and write their names (and others’ names) in hieroglyphics. While they were doing the lesson, students were asked to think about how it would feel to step back into Ancient Egypt with no knowledge of the communication system. How easy would it be to communicate? What if the lesson were taught fully in Egyptian and not English? How would they feel?

The course then continued on to introduce the history of methodology in language learning. In particular, students experienced learning German from the instructor using the grammar-translation method, the direct method, total physical response, suggestopedia, and the communicative approach. In order to expose students to as varied an experience as possible, the teacher trainees had to create their own lessons based on what the instructor had just done but for their own second or third language. In this way, students not only experienced the methodologies but also learned how to use them in the classroom. The languages students taught each other through the various methodologies included Tagalog, Spanish, Mandarin, Korean, Farsi, and French. The instructor was part of the class lessons as well and so experienced what the cohort was experiencing at the same time. As a student, the instructor experienced the frustrations and joys of learning a new language all over again.

To give the reader some context, an example lesson using the direct method is given here.  The instructor begins with three physical items (pen, watch, book) from the classroom. She places them on a table near the students. The following dialogue begins:

Instructor: (holds up the pen and says the word and signals for students to repeat) STIFT

Students: STIFT

Instructor: (holds up the watch and does same thing) UHR

Students: UHR

Instructor: (holds up the book and does same thing) BUCH

Students: BUCH

Instructor: (holds up the pen and says the article and item) DER STIFT

Students: DER STIFT

Instructor: DAS IST DER STIFT.

Students: DAS IST DER STIFT.

Instructor: (holds up the watch and says article and item) DIE UHR

Students: DIE UHR

Instructor: DAS IST DIE UHR.

Students: DAS IST DIE UHR.

Instructor: (holds up the book and says article and item) DAS BUCH.

Students: DAS BUCH

Instructor: DAS IST DAS BUCH.

Students: DAS IST DAS BUCH.

Instructor: (holds up the pen and says) IST DAS DER STIFT? JA, DAS IST DER STIFT.

Students: JA, DAS IST DER STIFT.

Instructor: (holds up the watch and says) IST DAS DIE UHR?

Students: JA, DAS IST DIE UHR.

Instructor: (holds up the book and says) IST DAS DAS BUCH?

Students: JA, DAS IST DAS BUCH.

Instructor: (holds up the book again and says) IST DAS DER STIFT? NEIN, DAS IST

NICHT DER STIFT.

Students: NEIN, DAS IST NICHT DER STIFT.

Instructor: (holds up the pen and says) IST DAS DIE UHR? NEIN, DAS IST NICHT DIE UHR.

Students: NEIN, DAS IST NICHT DIE UHR.

Instructor: (holds up the book and says) IST DAS DER STIFT?

Students: NEIN, DAS IST NICHT DER STIFT.

Instructor: (points to the book and says) WAS IST DAS?

Students: DAS IST DAS BUCH.

Instructor: (holds up the pen and says) WAS IST DAS?

Students: DAS IST DER STIFT.

Instructor: (holds up the watch and says) WAS IST DAS?

Students: DAS IST DIE UHR.

The instructor stops the lesson at this time and debriefs with the students. Then the students choose three items from the classroom and apply the same technique to teach their peers a different language they know. Even if the students only know the basics of another language, they are able to do this lesson. Students without fluency in second or third languages, chose either French or Spanish (from high school or university) for the lesson. After everyone completed their lessons, students took out their learner journals and reflected on the experience and technique as a whole.

Evaluation of Technique and Conclusion

The learner journals clearly revealed that the teacher trainees gained a better understanding of what it felt like to learn a new language through these activities. Since the journal reflections were part of the course grade and protected, they cannot be cited here. However, at the end of the course, students were asked to give feedback on this particular course methodology and to comment if it helped them build empathy for their future students. These are the three responses (out of six) that spoke to the issue:

A:        It gave me a perspective I didn’t know I needed. I am of two ethnicities, so I thought I had a good understanding of empathy for learners of new languages, but I was wrong… The patience, the frustration, the excitement, the happiness are but a few emotions I experienced… I think it would be, and is, extremely valuable for any teacher to experience in any area of teaching!

B:        This technique provided an immediate experience of being a ‘fish out of water’. From hearing new sounds to trying to form these sounds, I had feelings of awkwardness, shyness to be loud, doubt and [uncertainty], but also joy. This experience definitely gave me an experience of being a new language learner and what it would feel like… Very helpful!

C:        This technique was a great way to step into the shoes of the students who we will one day be teaching… since we were learning different languages for the teacher and one another, many of which we had no previous exposure to, it was a perfect introduction to what a beginner English learner would go through.

From the limited feedback given, it can be seen that the use of the historical methodological approach allowed students to step into the world of a new language learner and helped them build empathy for their future students. What it does not address is the understanding of culture shock that students experience in the acculturation process. For this, students would need to travel overseas for a short period of time (at minimum) as part of the TESOL program to experience culture shock and life in a new environment. At this point in time, the closest thing our current TESOL program has on offer is a practicum course in Vietnam. Some of the teacher-trainees from the class cohort are at the terminal with me as we speak. At the end of the practicum in Ho Chi Minh City, students will once again reflect on how the experience has helped them build empathy for their future students. In fact, the students may not understand the impact of the experience until they are back home. In the words of the famous American screenwriter, Eric Roth: “It’s a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what’s changed is you”.

References

Aisicovich, M. (2018). Teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of EAL students in one Manitoba metro division. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Manitoba]. https://mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca/items/db44c5c8-8cfc-4d6c-937f-6b03f479e38f

Berry, J. (1997). Immigration, acculturation and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5-34. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.1997.tb01087.x

Boyer, W. (2010). Empathy development in teacher candidates. Early Childhood Education Journal, 38, 313-321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0419-8

Brown, H. D., (2000). Principles of language learning and teaching (5^th ed.). Pearson & Longman.

Ciccarelli, S. (1997). ESL for nation building: The origins of federally funded ESL in Canada. [Master’s thesis, University of Toronto].

Click to access MQ28700.pdf

Cummins, J., & Early, M. (2011). Identity texts: The collaborative creation of power in multilingual schools. Trentham Books Ltd.

Daniel, S. & Conlin, L. (2015). Shifting attention back to students within the sheltered instruction observation protocol. TESOL Quarterly, 49(1), 169-187.  

https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.213

Davis, C. (1990). What is empathy, and can empathy be taught?, Physical Therapy, 70(11), 707–711. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/70.11.707

Fraser, J., & Vitro, F. (2012). The effects of empathy-training on empathie response levels and self- concepts of students in a teacher-training program. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 10(1). Retrieved from https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/60020

Gunderson, L., D’Silva, R., & Murphy Odo, D. (2014). ESL (ELL) literacy instruction: A guidebook to theory and practice (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Jaray-Benn, C. (2019). Empathy as a source of motivation in language learning and language teaching. https://www.hltmag.co.uk/feb19/empathy-as-a-source-of-motivation#:~:text=In%20order%20to%20communicate%20effectively,further%20enhance%20their%20empathic%20skills

Krznaric, R. (2014). Empathy: A handbook for revolution. Rider.

Bottom of Form

Stein, E. (2008) [1917]. Zum problem der Einfühlung. Verlag Herder.

Verducci, S. (2000). A conceptual history of empathy and a question it raises for moral education. Educational Theory, 50(1), 63-80.  

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-5446.2000.00063.x

Exploring Inclusive Education in the Latest ‘Sound Education’ Podcast Episode

by Tyler Ballam, Neil Leveridge, and Amber Shaw

Introduction:

The Teaching and Learning Center at Selkirk College proudly introduces another episode of ‘Sound Education’. This podcast series does a deep dive into what drives instructors and students towards higher education. Each episode uncovers key ideas fueling our motivation to continue learning.

A Glimpse into our Latest Episode:

In a recent episode, Tyler Ballam, your host at Selkirk College’s Tenth Street campus, sat down with two guests from the University of British Columbia: Dr. Neil Leveridge, President of BC TEAL and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Forestry, and Amber Shaw, 1^st VP of BC TEAL and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Faculty Fellow. Their discussion revolves around two progressive educational concepts: decolonizing assessment practices and Universal Design for Learning – aiming to foster more equitable teaching practices through both.

Why You Should Tune In:

The conversation begins with a personal touch, as both guests share their journeys into the realms of UDL and decolonizing assessment practices. Dr. Leveridge offers an intriguing perspective on grading strategies, especially in the context of language barriers faced by international students. He discusses his unique approach to grading that emphasizes improvement in communicative abilities rather than traditional marks.

Amber Shaw then takes the stage to discuss the implementation of UDL, particularly in the wake of the pandemic, which transformed teaching methods. She illustrates how making a class accessible to all can not only benefit everyone but also reduce the need for individual accommodations.

Key Takeaways:

As the conversation unfolds, you’ll discover:

• Innovative methods to support students, especially EAL speakers.
• The application of UDL principles across different disciplines.
• How these approaches can lead to more equitable and inclusive educational practices.

Invitation to Listen:

We invite educators, students, and anyone passionate about educational equity to listen to this thought-provoking episode. Whether you’re looking to implement new teaching methods or simply interested in the future of education, this podcast offers valuable insights.

‘Sound Education’ is produced by instructors and students at Selkirk College, and we encourage you to subscribe for more inspiring episodes. You can find the full episode on Spotify

Podcast transcript: Link

Author Bio

Tyler started his teaching career in Seoul, South Korea, shortly before the World Cup in 2001. His background covers the full spectrum of EAL in Korea. He has taught EAP in Kangnam University, EAL in large multinational companies including Samsung Electronics, and TESOL training to English teachers in the Kyunnggi-do school district. In 2012, he was offered a position to teach EAL at Selkirk College in the West Kootenay region. Currently he is an educational developer in the Teaching and Learning Centre at Selkirk College while completing his doctorate in education at the University of Glasgow.

Dr. Neil Leveridge, an Assistant Professor in UBC’s Faculty of Forestry and Communication Strategist, has extensive EAL teaching experience in Taiwan and Canada. Dedicated to Indigenizing courses and decolonizing Forestry practices, he also presides as the President of BC TEAL and recently chaired the transformational BC TEAL 2023 conference.

Amber Shaw currently teaches in the UBC Vantage program. She has taught EAL in private colleges, LINC, and was a CELPIP test rater. She holds TESL Canada Professional Standard Three Certification, TCPS-2 (Research Ethics) Certification, and currently serves as 1^st VP of BC TEAL.

Voices of Experience 2: EAL Teacher as a Guide and Facilitator

Hello everyone! Welcome again to my blog series where I interview professionals working in EAL education in Canada.

In my second interview (conducted in the fall of 2022), I am talking to an experienced EAL teacher and researcher, Karin, who is also a BC TEAL Publications Chair. Karin is going to tell us about her fascinating work and research.

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Olessya: Karin, could you tell us a little about you for the blog?

Karin: I grew up in the Okanagan, and love swimming, boating, hiking, and our bounty of agricultural products including wine. My ancestry is German on one side, with family originating from a Mennonite colony just south of Kyiv in what is now Ukraine. On the other side, my ancestors hail from England, Scotland, and Canada. I have lived and worked in communities across Canada, the US, and abroad where I encountered new perspectives, friends, and foods!

I received my TESL certificate in 2014 and worked as an EAL instructor at LINC in Kelowna (subbing and summer programs), at another local non-profit organization with an EAL program specifically for Syrian newcomers and I started an EAL course at the local recreation centre. I started my BA (Anthropology) at UBCO because I wanted to work with community language instruction providers like LINC. The university experience was excellent, and the more I learned about cultures, sociolinguistics, and language learning, the more I loved it. I pursued this interest into the MA of Education program (just defended my thesis this summer!) WOW! It was amazing! I learned so much about language learning and about myself…  My thesis title is Self Taught: A case study of successful self-directed strategies, practices, and affordances used by newcomers engaged in English as an additional language learning in the workplace. https://open.library.ubc.ca/soa/cIRcle/collections/ubctheses/24/items/1.0417271?o=0

Olessya: You are currently pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies. Could you please tell us a bit more about your research? What (or who) has inspired you to pursue this research topic?

Karin: I am now pursuing a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies where I bring my experiences in cultural tourism, EAL teaching and learning, business management, and research to bear on better understanding additional language learning in the workplace, and how we can support that in the classroom.

My inspiration for this research has come from different directions. Working in multicultural environments, I often encountered coworkers who were also language learners. Through work relationships and friendships, I learned about the kinds of struggles and success newcomers had learning to work in new spaces while simultaneously learning English. I also reflected that my own grandparents, and really almost everyone’s grandparents immigrated to Canada at a time when there was no EAL instruction. Our ancestors engaged in self-driven language learning within their workplaces and communities, where they gained speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills that supported their successful participation in all their endeavors.

How did they achieve this? What successful strategies and practices did they employ? Is there something there that I can collect and turn into explicit teaching to support the new generation of newcomers? This has been my guiding inspiration that led me to this program.

Olessya: I would now like to ask you about your work as an EAL teacher/instructor. Why did you choose this profession: EAL teacher?

Karin: The TESL certificate program from Okanagan College was really life changing for me. I spent over 25 years working in cultural tourism in multicultural and multilinguistic environments, and the things I learned within the program solidified my interest in languages and cultures, with the added bonus of being able to help newcomers.

Olessya: How would you describe your teaching approach/pedagogy as an EAL teacher?

Karin: I consider myself a classroom facilitator, and work to support student-centered approaches. Because I am interested in self-directed language learning in the workplace, I structure my classes to be personally relevant for adult EAL learners, supporting their search for practices and strategies that will work for them in the workplace and the community. I draw on a language socialization perspective of EAL learning and try to foster an awareness of our environments as potential learning affordances.

Olessya: What have been the biggest challenges for you in your work as an EAL teacher?

Karin: One challenge I find is tempering my enthusiasm for how much new knowledge I can introduce in a class, against the realities of learners who are sometimes exhausted from their workday which includes a double cognitive load of work and language learning. My aim is to effectively lighten the load for language learners, but sometimes it seems like I am just adding to it.

Olessya: What do/did you like about being an EAL teacher?

Karin: I love being surrounded by and learning from different cultures, experiences, knowledge, and perspectives. As newcomers gain new English skills and grow their ability to participate, I feel like my community becomes a little richer for their presence. Being an EAL instructor allows me to participate in that process!

Olessya: What has been the biggest lesson (or lessons) that you have learned during your work as an EAL teacher?

Karin: An effective class plan is not set in stone at the start of the semester. It evolves to embrace learners’ contexts, previous knowledge, and ideas. From this perspective, students co-construct the outcomes by taking the learning experiences and materials and making them all their own.

Olessya: What advice would you give to other EAL teachers/instructors who would like to pursue a graduate degree, either Master’s or PhD?

Karin: Don’t hesitate. UBC’s Okanagan School of Education will teach, inspire, and support you to be a better version of yourself. You will gain new skills and a renewed perspective on the field with positive impacts on your life and your students.

Olessya: Why/how did you join BC TEAL? What do you think work at BC TEAL as a TEAL Publications Chair gives you?

Karin: I was introduced to BC TEAL during the TESL certificate program at Okanagan College. The first time I attended a conference, I felt like I had transformed from a world of one instructor to a world filled with people with shared interests. It opened my eyes to the possibilities of growing my own skills through connections and professional development opportunities. I gained a sense of flourishing in a field populated with people passionate about teaching and learning.  

As BC TEAL Publications Chair, I am taking a kind of activist-with-a-pen perspective. I am working to find previously unheard voices in our field, and give them space to share their experiences, perceptions, and ideas towards enriching everyone.

[CONCLUSION] Thank you very much, Karin, for your answers and best of luck with your research and work!

That’s all for now and stay tuned for my next blog where I share my interview with Garima, an experienced EAL teacher and EAL program coordinator!

Author’s bio

Olessya Akimenko is a PhD Candidate and an instructor in the Faculty of Education at SFU. She is currently conducting research for her thesis related to the identity negotiations of teachers of English as an additional language (EAL), supported by the SSHRC CGS Doctoral Scholarship. Her other research and educational interests include dialogic pedagogy and the pedagogy of multiliteracies. Before embarking on her doctoral journey, Olessya worked as an EAL/ESL and EAP teacher for more than 10 years.

Decolonizing EAL material development in Vancouver: Mary Bertucci’s journey as a published author

Alys D. Avalos-Rivera and Mary Bertucci

Becoming a published writer might not be one of the chief goals that busy EAL instructors have in mind when considering their next step in professional development. Our colleague and fellow-BCTEAL member, Mary Bertucci, was not necessarily planning on that goal either. Yet, when the 2020 pandemic hit, Mary began to wonder if the lockdown was an opportunity to make an old dream come true:

“I guess it probably started 15 years ago. I had been teaching a lot of beginner and low-intermediate level students and would always like to recommend readers as a fun way to study at home, but also in class. However, I often found that the choices available were neither the best for my students’ level nor representative of our local communities in Vancouver. Students would be reading about London or Thailand, and that is great, but there was nothing about our [local] setting”.

 Developing a reader that was positive, local, and diverse took a more defined shape in Mary’s mind when she found inspiration in her own family. Mary’s husband, Jeremy, and their children are Nak’azdli Whut’en First Nations. So, the idea to compose a story representing First Nations’ culture and family life in a positive and inclusive manner was very important to her. Jeremy was the first one to encourage Mary to choose one narrative from the multiple options she was considering: A story about a family going to Kamloopa for the Powwow.

Once the concept was clear, Mary started on a journey of consultation and collaboration. Mary’s background is mostly European (Ukrainian, Polish, German, and Dutch). Therefore, working collaboratively on the project was a must for her. She consulted with her husband, his family members, and her own Aunty who is Woodland Cree, a many other people among First Nations. In this process, she found two amazing collaborators: Chloe Bluebird Mustooch, who made the illustrations for the book, and Bernice Jensen, a Traditional Knowledge Sharer and cultural educator who was key to help Mary create an accurate representation of Kamloopa. In addition, Bernice also facilitated the connection with the Kamloops Powwow Society and the Tk̓emlúps te Secwépemc Chief and Council to seek the necessary permissions, as the story is set in their territory. Finally, after the Powwow Society allowed her to reference Kamloopa, Mary also worked with the Tk̓emlúps Language and Culture Department before approaching Chief and Council. After almost two years of work, she was given permission to publish A Powwow Story on September 27, 2022.

All this effort truly paid off as “A Powwow Story” reads as a charming and authentic story written from the perspective of a teenager who is seeking to connect with his First Nations roots. This is achieved without losing the pedagogical intent to address the needs of beginner and low-intermediate EAL learners. The story can also be adapted to other teaching contexts such as elementary school or as a resource for Community and Friendship Centres. More importantly, the reader provides additional teaching resources. For those who are interested in finding ways to incorporate the book into their classroom, BCTEAL has organized a 90-minute webinar with Mary Bertucci as we kick off the Fall semester. Interested? Follow this link:  https://members.bcteal.org/members/evr/reg_event.php?orgcode=BCTE&evid=40163153

What Does It Mean To Be “Okay”?

‘Okay’ is used so widely that it is quite often heard in conversations, both formal and informal. Listen to the conversations around you.

How are you? Okay.

How was your day? – It was okay.

 What do you think about my idea? Well, it seems okay to me.

Recently, with all of us returning to our ‘normal’ work lives, I observed that many of my students as well as colleagues are using the phrase ‘it’s going okay’ in most of our conversations. One of the interesting uses of this term by both students and professionals is the way it helps them get out of both simple and difficult conversations. The former tend to use it more inside classrooms where they are required to engage with their peers or with the instructor and the latter use it for small talk in the lunchroom or staffroom. This inspired me to learn for myself the feelings people wanted to convey when they use ‘okay’ as it is one of those words that fail to capture the true essence of our feelings yet conveys them without any issues.

Google dictionary (2021) defines ‘okay’ (adjective) as “satisfactory but not exceptionally or especially good”, which resonates with the responses I received from my students. I used to co-facilitate an English Conversation Circle in my school, where we focused on ways to improve our communication skills. It was in one of the sessions, I asked the question, “what does the word ‘okay’ mean to you?” The student’s response was, “nothing too good and not too bad either”. They used it to express that nothing exciting was happening in their lives apart from the usual. This is quite similar to the definition on Google.

Most interestingly, my students seemed to have picked up the word when they exposed themselves to the English language. ‘Okay’ is a common word they came across in movies, conversations, and as when they went about their daily lives. It was the same for me, but I remember hearing the word ‘okay’ in many places in quite different ways. It was a word that depicted agreement, authority, as well as a state of being fine. ‘Okay’ seems like a highly versatile word which can fit in any situation and offer an escape from making small talk to giving permission in an easy manner. 

While pursuing my Master’s in Education at TRU one of my amazing professors would start her class with a ‘heart tuning’. The purpose of this activity was to check on each other to see if we were doing ‘okay’ and if we needed help. We would get into pairs or three people in a group, and everyone would ask the other person ‘how are you doing?” it was important to respond to it in a way that others understood our feelings on that day. For example, ‘I’m fine, but the assignments are stressing me out, or I’m doing okay and just got a day off from work’. One time I asked my instructor ‘how she was doing’ as she never paired up with anyone and her response made me realize how important it is to check on each other. She said, ‘no one has ever asked me on how I am doing in my classes or when I’m in the university’. It made me feel the loneliness that educators may feel in an area that is always supporting students.

Now, I’ve been in the professional field for nearly 3 years, and I understand the emotion my instructor was conveying to me that night in the classroom. Professionals in the EAL field are barely floating with their heads above water and not drowning in the sea of constantly changing expectations. However, what could be most concerning is that, while much effort and resources are put in place to support students, there is a major lack of support for EAL educators and staff, such as myself and my colleagues, who are expected to support their students- It is not okay! All of us are weathering the storm in our own capacities in different ways, so it is important to check on each other and ask if we are doing ‘okay.’

Author’s Bio

Hi! I’m Garima, an educator who loves enjoying little things in life, such as a full 8-hour sleep, hot coffee and sunshine! My teaching journey in Canada started in 2017, when I started as a teaching assistant supporting EAL students in person at Thompson Rivers University while completing my Master of Education. There, I developed my philosophy of education, circling the idea of nurturing oneself as well as others in a holistic way. Since the COVID19 pandemic, my work and teaching has changed drastically. I currently work at a private business school in Downtown Vancouver where I support international students with their English language learning happening both online and in person.

Using Authentic Material for EAP Students

By Shadi Khosravi, OCELT, MATESOL

Have you ever considered how you might conduct effective and enjoyable EAP sessions?

Despite the limited duration and high-stakes nature of EAP classes, the emphasis on learner autonomy, critical thinking, and authentic academic situations renders the teaching process potentially more engaging than that of a standard English course, provided appropriate delivery methods are employed.

As per Tomlinson’s (2013) perspective, classroom material ought to offer an array of authentic input in the target language, encompassing diverse styles, forms, and functions.

Based on this notion, I developed a lesson plan aimed at introducing my EAP students to academic research reports, facilitating their exposure to an authentic lecture, and enabling them to independently explore the subject matter. To achieve this objective, I selected a TED talk and a pertinent research article as the primary resources for this lesson.

The talk is called, “Want to be more creative? Go for a walk.” by Marily Oppezzo, a behavioural and learning scientist. The research article is titled, “Give Your Ideas Some Legs: The Positive Effect of Walking on Creative Thinking” by Marily Oppezzo and Daniel L. Schwartz from Stanford University.

Course: University Pathway

Level: C1

Material: TED video/ Question sheet /Research report

Discussion: (Group work) Warm-up questions

What does creativity mean to you? How do you define it?

Do you think creativity is an innate talent, or can it be developed through practice and experience?

Can you think of an example of a creative idea that has had a significant impact on society or the world?

In what ways can creativity and innovative thinking be beneficial in the workplace? Can you provide an example?

Can you recall an instance in which you devised an inventive resolution to a problem? If so, what was the nature of the problem, and by what means did you generate your solution?

Do you believe that constraints or limitations can help or hinder creative thinking? Why or why not?

What steps can individuals take to develop their own creativity and innovative thinking skills? *

*These sample questions are merely suggestions, and as an educator, you may customize them to suit the requirements of your particular class. Additionally, you may incorporate collocations into classroom discussions as well. Trial and error methodology/ Out-of-the-box ideas/ Resourceful approach/ …

Phase one:

(Exposure to the academic article and practice referencing)

• Research report (Oppezzo, 2017)

(Pairs) Ask Ss to look at the first page and imagine they want to use this article as a source for their essays. They now write down the bibliography entry for the article in APA format.

Ask them to skim the article and find the following information in pairs.

• The main thesis statement (main point)
  • The method used in the research
  • The result

Phase two:

1. Watch a 5-minute video on the topic. https://www.ted.com/talks/marily_oppezzo_want_to_be_more_creative_go_for_a_walk#t-33391
2. Who is the presenter?
3. Guess the meaning of the words that were new to you in the context of the talk.

Phase three:

Reflect on the talk:

1. What is the main idea presented in the TED talk?
2. How does the speaker support their argument? Are their points convincing? Why or why not?
3. What questions do you have for the speaker or about the topic discussed in the talk?
4. How can you integrate the concepts discussed in the talk into your own academic or professional life?
5. How can you critically evaluate the information presented in the talk and determine its credibility and validity?

References

Oppezzo, M. (2017, April). Want to be more creative? Go for a walk [Video]. TED Conferences. https://www.ted.com/talks/marily_oppezzo_want_to_be_more_creative_go_for_a_walk#t-33391

Oppezzo, M., & Schwartz, D. L. (2014). Give your ideas some legs: The positive effect of walking on creative thinking. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 40(4), 1142–1152. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036577

Tomlinson, B. (2013). Developing materials for language teaching. Bloomsbury.

Back to the Classroom!

My journey as an educator began in March 2020, and the very first class I taught was on zoom. It was a disaster as everything that could go wrong did! I spent most of the class being IT support instead of a teacher. Thankfully, some of my students were experts and assisted me along the way, so that we could make some learning happen within class time. All my dreams of incorporating different elements of a physical classroom in my lesson plan had to be adapted for the online world. This remained true for almost all my classes for the first term. Call me old school, but I prefer the original physical boards, be they black or white, over the virtual ones. This preference stems from the love of using different coloured markers to highlight different aspects of a concept taught in class. Blue, black, green, red, and purple are lined up neatly on the desk alongside the whiteboard eraser and the cleaner, just in case a permanent one is used on the pristine whiteboard by mistake!

The last two years have been a journey filled with transitions, constant battles with technology, and continuous effort to manage my expectations as well as provide tech support to students. Do not get me wrong, Zoom is fabulous for meetings and consultations and, to some extent, classes as well; but as I said, I’m old school, and there are certain things that, despite all my best efforts (including tech training from an amazing expert), I could not learn. One of them is the whiteboard on zoom – it reminds me of all scribbles toddlers leave on the walls and floors. Every time I tried the whiteboard, the result was pure abstract art that only toddlers would appreciate. Forget sentences I was struggling to make a straight line on that thing.

Despite some successes in the online world of teaching, I still felt like something was missing. It was not until we went back to the physical classrooms that I found the missing part – coloured markers and the whiteboard. For 2.5 hours, I was comfortable, confident, content, and most of all, cheerful throughout the lesson. The students laughed at my lame jokes and answered enthusiastically, realizing they would earn both bonus marks and candies. Most of all, it felt like I was in the space where I fell in love with teaching- I was inside a classroom with a whiteboard and coloured markers.

My favourite marker would be a blue one, and for contrast, I love to use the black one. Red is my least favourite colour because it reminds me of all the mistakes I made as a student in school. Inside the classroom, the students remind me of the reason I became a teacher- to make learning fun, and in order to do that I need my whiteboard and blue marker.

On that note tell me, what’s your favourite part of going back to the classroom?

Author’s Bio

Hi! I’m Garima, an educator who loves enjoying little things in life, such as a full 8-hour sleep, hot coffee and sunshine! My teaching journey in Canada started in 2017, when I started as a teaching assistant supporting EAL students in person at Thompson Rivers University while completing my Master of Education. There, I developed my philosophy of education, circling the idea of nurturing oneself as well as others in a holistic way. Since the COVID19 pandemic, my work and teaching has changed drastically. I currently work at a private business school in Downtown Vancouver where I support international students with their English language learning happening both online and in person. 

Voices of Experience: EAL Teacher as a Guide and Facilitator

Hello everyone! My name is Olessya Akimenko, and I would like to welcome you to the blog series. In this series, I will be interviewing EAL professionals, including teachers, administrators, and program coordinators, or those who are working in English as an additional language (EAL) education in Canada. Through this series, we learn more about the professional experiences of EAL educators working in the EAL sphere in British Columbia.

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Olga is an EAL teacher of more than 20 years. She is also an incredibly hardworking and active individual. In this interview, Olga shared her professional journey as an EAL teacher, her teaching philosophy, and the important lessons she has learned throughout her career.

Olessya: Thank you, Olga, for opening this blog series with me! So, first of all, can you tell us a little bit about you? Whatever you would like to share with the readers.

Olga: I am an EAL/EAP professional, passionate about my lessons, my students, my workplaces, whatever I am doing. Currently, I teach University and Academic Preparation Program at University Canada West and English for Academic Purposes at Acsenda School of Management. I also teach English at Capilano University EAP Department and English Language and Culture Centre at Simon Fraser University and a sessional instructor. I very much appreciate this opportunity to share some of my life with my professional community. Thank you for this, Olessya.

Olessya: Great! Thank you for sharing. My next question is, why did you choose this profession, an EAL teacher?

Olga: I started teaching English in 1998 when I was a graduate student of Linguistics and TESOL in the Far East of Russia. I chose this profession because back there and then, it opened some opportunities. There was a high demand for this profession; besides, being able to speak English fluently in late 1990s in Russia made it possible not just to make a living, but also to enter the global community, a new world of ideas, contacts, cultures, technologies. It was exciting. At that point, I also discovered teaching as my passion, and it still is.

Olessya: And how long have you been teaching in Canada? Could you tell us a bit about how your professional journey as an EAL teacher in Canada began?

Olga: I’ve been teaching in BC, Canada since 2016, although in my first year here I was mostly volunteering in places like Mosaic, and the other immigrant societies. The first school I volunteered in, for just several weeks, was New Directions in Langley. I started there only two weeks as my family and I landed in Canada. I am a person who needs to be involved in professional activity. At that moment, I was not sure yet what I was going to do in Canada; however, the director Yvonne and the instructors at the school were so welcoming and encouraging; I loved the students and how the teaching process was organized; plus, everyone was so friendly and supportive, that the short experience played such a big role in what I did next, which was taking the TESOL Diploma Program at VCC. This is how the journey began.

In 2017, I started my first instructor job in BC at Thompson Rivers University, in its English for Academic Purposes Program (now the ELLT Department). The Department will always hold a special place in my heart. I am so grateful to Dian Henderson who was leading the department in 2017 and to other colleagues; I wish I could name and thank everyone here personally, for giving me the chance to be a part of their team and providing incredible support every step of the way.

Olessya: How would you describe your teaching philosophy and/or pedagogical approach?

Olga: We live in the age when finding information, generally, is not hard. With just a click, people can find answers to most questions they might have. The key is, and the role of an instructor, in my opinion, is to encourage students to ask questions and actively look for the knowledge, to inspire curiosity and love for learning, to guide them in how to choose the right values, to increase self-awareness and to explore the world around them because the world is fantastic! My teaching philosophy would also include genuine care for the needs of the students, their physical and mental health and individual learning needs.

Olessya: And how do you care for students’ mental and physical health?

Olga: I believe in some kind of a “perfect EAL world”, which can be embedded in curricula, along with, say, speaking and writing learning outcomes, where the students can learn the importance of such things as physical activity, rest,

journaling and meditation, gratitude, etc. As EAL educators, we often have the opportunity to choose the themes and sources for creating teaching materials; this way we can implement these things in our lessons. We can also discuss them in class. We have the time and place for it.

Olessya: What have been the biggest challenges for you in your work as an EAL teacher?

Olga: I believe many ESL instructors would agree with me that the biggest challenge is the precarious nature of the position. The work can be very unstable, because it depends on the political and financial situations in Canada and other countries. Most ESL teaching positions are contract-based and don’t include any benefits. I usually don’t know at which institution and what courses I am going to teach next term. It can be quite stressful at times.

Olessya: What do you like about being an EAL teacher?

Olga: I genuinely enjoy working with people. I enjoy interacting with the students in class; their needs and their success are my first priorities. I love working in a team, having the pleasure of co-working and sharing. Besides, at absolute most of places I have worked or volunteered at, both the leadership and coworkers have been so supportive and inspiring. I’ve had (and still enjoying!) a privilege of learning from (my personal opinion!) – best in the world educators and leaders. Really, I wish I could list everyone’s name here to express my heartfelt gratitude.

Olessya: What has been the biggest lesson (or lessons) that you have learned during your work as an EAL teacher?

Olga: The biggest lesson… Communication is essential. Your expectations, your ideas, your feelings, what you want, what you need must be communicated clearly and in such a way that people can understand you. How many greatest ideas have been ruined by poor communication? Then, listening is a mega-important skill. To sum up, in all situations, from simple everyday tasks to bringing a mega-important idea to life, we need to be able to speak clearly and listen carefully. Communication is a skill we are constantly learning. Oh, and kindness is also essential. Communication and kindness, combined.

Olessya: Great, very interesting! And my final question is why did you join BC TEAL, and what do you think BC TEAL membership gives you?

Olga: For me, BC TEAL embodies two essential components in a career of an ESL educator: professional development and networking. Since 2016, I have had the honor and pleasure of attending numerous workshops and conferences. It is also a wonderful opportunity to connect and share with a diversity of experienced EAL colleagues. It is a benefit, a treasure of having a professional organization of this level of professionalism and commitment. It is incredibly valuable.

Thank you very much, Olga, for sharing your experiences as an EAL educator, as well as some really great ideas and tips that I think will be useful for all EAL teachers, both beginner and experienced. I especially liked the idea about the importance of communication and that communication is not only about sharing ideas, but also being able to listen to the other party to understand their needs better.

Stay tuned for my next blog where I share my interview with Karin, who is going to share her experiences as an EAL teacher and researcher!

Author’s bio

Olessya Akimenko is a PhD Candidate in the Languages, Cultures and Literacies program at SFU. She is currently conducting research for her thesis related to the professional identity negotiations of teachers of English as an additional language (EAL), for which she has received SSHRC CGS Doctoral Scholarship. Her other research and educational interests include dialogic pedagogy and the pedagogy of multiliteracies. Prior to starting her PhD program Olessya worked as an EAL teacher in Kazakhstan for more than 10 years.

Lessons about Lessons: Reflections on My First Year Building Ed-Tech

Jonny Kalambay

It’s been just about one year since I quit. One year since I said goodbye to my safe and well-paid software engineer job and jumped fully into pursuing my passion, building education software. Here’s the catch: I’m not a teacher. For years I’ve studied various languages, but I haven’t taught them.

“Who do you think you are, building education software if you haven’t been a teacher?” This was often whispered by the imposter-syndrome demon that hid under my desk. It didn’t stop me, but it did help me realize the most important thing for me to do. If I wanted to build something in an unfamiliar space, I needed to, first and foremost, learn as much as I could about it. It was a great idea, but the way I went about it wasn’t so great.

I started by researching the tools that are already out there. I figured that would give me a good idea of where I could find my place in that ecosystem. It turns out we have some awesome Canadian technology tools for language education. Here are just some examples:

• Ellii: This seems to be the website most used by LINC teachers who want to find lessons at a particular level. They’re based out of Manitoba, which explains why they have an endless amount of quality material specifically tailored for Canada.
• Mauril: With this app, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has made Duolingo-like language exercises based on television clips. It is funded as part of the “Action Plan for Official Languages” and, as a result of their collaboration with the Centre For Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB), includes a lot of great CLB-aligned tasks for students to try in their day-to-day lives. 
• The Language Portal: This Canadian government-run site provides a large, easily navigable bank of learning resources for English learners and teachers. It started in 1970 as a terminology bank at the University of Montreal and has since grown into a treasure trove of learning material for French and English

“We already have all these incredible tools, built by large teams of experts. What could you possibly have to offer?” The imposter-syndrome demon had crawled into my headphones and was no longer just whispering. However, once again, there was a valid, actionable critique behind those negative words. I was going about this the wrong way, if I wanted to figure out what to build, I needed to start with the people for whom I wanted to build. I needed to talk to teachers.

On July 23rd, I attended a BC TEAL Lunch ‘n’ Learn. At that point, I had no connections to TEAL. As a matter of fact, I didn’t know of its existence until I Googled  “teacher events in Vancouver” a couple of days prior. At this event, I learned about something many of our teachers struggle with: adapting material for different levels. More importantly, I met teachers, who willingly take the time to help me understand this challenge in more depth.

To give you an idea of the depth of this issue, let’s look at one of the core components of most English lessons, the text. This text, whether it be a newspaper article, a video, or even a document, has a lot of ways to have its “difficulty” labeled. Here are a few:

• The Flesh Reading Ease: A commonly used numeric measure of complexity designed by educator  J. Peter Kincaid in 1975. The score is calculated based on the total words, the total sentences, and the total syllables in a text. It goes from 100 to 0, with 100 being the easiest to understand and 0 being the most complex.
• Sentence Length: (self-explanatory, I hope)
• Lexical Density: This refers to the level of the vocabulary used in a text. One common way to measure its difficulty is by referencing frequency lists such as the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA)
• Syntactic Complexity: This is not a specific measure but rather a catch-all term to describe the complexity of grammatical structures used in a text. Within that umbrella, one specific example is nominal density, which measures the ratio of noun groups to clauses.
• Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: The CEFR international standard for describing language ability. It has scores that range from A1(easiest) to C2 (most complex).
• Canadian Language Benchmarks: I’m willing to bet that most people reading this understand this one better than I do. The CLB is our own standard out language proficiency, which similarly to the CEFR, is characterized by indicators of ability

You might have noticed something different about those last two: they don’t describe the text by itself; instead, they describe the person interacting with the text. This is because, even though teachers often do this out of convenience, it isn’t the best practice to label a text in isolation. An educator has to consider what the reader is being asked to do with the text. A simple task (e.g. identifying a specific piece of information) in a complex text can be just as easy as a complex task (e.g. high-level inferences) in a more “simple” text. In addition to the tasks, there are plenty of other adjacent factors to consider when levelling a lesson, such as a reader’s background knowledge, and how the text is formatted.

Over the past few months, I’ve been studying these different characteristics of complexity in order to figure out how to design technology tools to adapt to them. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak with and get help from educators with all the expertise I could hope for. I had great conversations with CLB consultants, LINC teachers, K-12 teachers, and university professors who have been kind enough to field my questions and share advice.

Things are going well, and I’ve even gotten customers across Canada with the tools I’ve built, but I still have a lot to learn. Too much to learn. These are concepts that are far beyond what I can hope to fully grasp in a short amount of time (let alone while running a business). Thankfully, I haven’t had to do it alone. 

The welcome and support from the community of educators have (almost) completely silenced that imposter syndrome demon under my desk. Looking back, I’m glad I decided to quit my cushy developer job for this journey a year ago, and I hope that it was the first of what will be many years to build tools for education.

Author’s Bio

I’m Jonny Kalambay. I’ve always been passionate about language education, but I’ve spent more time as a learner than a teacher. French is my first language; throughout my life, I’ve learned English, French, and Japanese, and I’ve enjoyed every moment of it. Most of my professional experience is in technology, so I’m now putting my expertise and passion together. I’m working full-time on developing Roshi.ai, a language-education toolkit to create and adapt lesson material.

Trauma in the Classroom – Part 2

This blog post is originally published at the blog of TESL Ontario on November 7, 2022, written by Allyson Eamer, Amea Wilbur, Katie Crossman, and Jennifer Allore.

This blog is the second in a two-part series on trauma in the classroom. Part 1 discusses how teachers can better facilitate learning and provide support for students who have experienced trauma, such as refugees. This segment focuses on vicarious trauma?

Vicarious trauma is a form of second-hand trauma. It is experienced by people in helping professions when they are deeply affected by their exposure to others’ trauma. The term was coined in 1995 by Laurie Pearlman and Karen Saakvitne, and originally was used to describe symptoms that clinicians experienced from working with clients with trauma experiences. Vicarious trauma has since been recognized in other fields. It can occur in various ways, such as listening to traumatic stories or viewing disturbing images. 

Anyone who engages empathetically with survivors of trauma or materials relating to trauma can be affected. In particular, it can affect instructors that hear traumatic stories from their students. This is especially true for instructors who work with recent immigrants or refugees to Canada. Instructors in full time language programs where they spend a lot of time with their learners may be at a heightened risk.

Vicarious trauma accumulates over time. Someone with vicarious trauma will experience a shift in how they view the world, or a shift in their fundamental beliefs about the world. For example, they might observe a shift in the belief that they are safe. This might manifest in checking and re-checking that doors and windows are locked or that family members are safe. These shifts in belief tend to gravitate towards the negative and play out subconsciously. 

How can vicarious trauma be addressed?

Like most things, prevention is better than a cure. Vicarious trauma can be prevented. In language classrooms, instructors can use trauma-informed approaches by creating a predictable, consistent, and safe environment for learning. Instructors should also be clear with themselves and their learners about their own boundaries and the scope of their role. For example, it would be irresponsible to listen to a learner’s disclosure of trauma and try to provide them with advice. Instead, an instructor should remind the learner of their role and acknowledge that they are not trained to provide advice. Instead, instructors should be aware of community and organizational resources such as counselling, women’s shelters, or settlement organizations that learners can access. Learners can get the support they need, and instructors avoid taking on the “weight” of a learner’s disclosure. 

Furthermore, in the classroom, instructors can build in everyday practices as part of warmers or other activities that promote emotional regulation. This can be done with grounding activities, such as mindful breathing or observation. Likewise, instructors can use these activities when they are overwhelmed in the classroom or their daily lives. 

As well, having a routine or ritual that marks a distinction between work life and home life can have a protective effect on instructors. For example, a leaving-work ritual that helps you mentally end the day can help keep work and home life separate. This can be as simple as mindfully turning out the light or saying goodbye to work at the end of the day. 

Finally, organizations, institutions, and funders must prioritize and support well-being for instructors. This can be done through balanced workload, access to counselling or wellness programs, collaboration, and maintaining a system-wide environment of care throughout our systems. 

Where can I learn more?

Resources are becoming available to support language instructors. As part of a research project at the School of Global Access at Bow Valley College in Calgary, a toolkit about vicarious trauma and other empathy-based stress was developed for language instructors. Along with instructors from across Canada, a group of TESL Ontario members are piloting it this fall, and the toolkit will be more widely available in Spring 2023. More information can be found here.

You can also read more about this in a forthcoming book, Teacher Well-Being in English Language Teaching (Routledge). Amea and Katie each contributed chapters on this topic. We (Allyson, Jennifer, Amea, and Katie) want to understand more about trauma in the classroom. To share your own experiences and thoughts, look for a survey in the coming months.

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About the authors: This team of four researchers from three provinces and four post-secondary institutions brings a wide variety of experience (ESL teaching, settlement work, teacher training, adult education) to their research on the migrant experience, language learning, trauma and vicarious trauma. Allyson Eamer and Amea Wilbur are university professors; Katie Crossman is a researcher; and Jennifer Allore is an ESL instructor and (former) Chair of the TESL Ontario Board of Directors.