Download PDF Your blog post, Why We Need to Keep Our ESL Departments Open, struck a chord with many people. How has this situation affected you? What can people do? How has the closure affected me? Well, I’m sad because I love the school and I love teaching EAP. There are few jobs as gratifying as this one, where you get to work with students from all over the world and can genuinely see the difference you make to their lives. And I feel sick for my colleagues. Some permanent instructors su...| Contact
Download PDF For images, download the pdf. How do I stop my students from writing with generative artificial intelligence (AI) in a way that does not reflect their thinking and their voices? This is a question we have heard from many educators in workshops that we have shared on the use of AI in writing. Often this larger question comes wrapped in concerns about plagiarism. This new technology has highlighted the urgent need to reimagine academic integrity and assessment practices (Coffey, ...| Contact
Download PDF Teaching the foundation: Reflections from a LINC practicum experience During my three-week teaching practicum in Ottawa, I had the unique opportunity to work with LINC (Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada) Foundation 1 level students. The experience was both challenging and eye-opening, as it required adapting to the needs of learners who had little to no prior formal education. For many, this program marked their first experience with holding a pencil, recognizing numbe...| Contact
Download PDF One of the indispensable elements of education in general, and language teaching in particular, is building good rapport in the classroom. A classroom with strong rapport promotes a learning environment through friendly relationships, trust, respect, and mental engagement between the teacher and students, as well as among students. Senior (2006) stated that the rapport teachers develop in their classes seems to them as significant as the pedagogy itself. Harmer (2015) identifies ...| Contact
Download PDF Background of the project The delivery of instruction through an online platform is becoming more popular every year. While students are taking advantage of the convenience provided by online instruction, their teachers are grappling with how to engage students and approximate more closely the ambiance of a traditional classroom, which is still the most familiar environment for many. For many learners, online classes are places to learn at their own time and pace, where automat...| Contact
Download PDF Abstract Code-switching, a common phenomenon among bilinguals, serves as a strategic tool for effective communication rather than a reflection of linguistic inadequacy. This article examines code-switching among Persian-English bilingual children during storytelling, shedding light on its triggers, cultural implications, and relevance to language education. By leveraging findings from qualitative research, it offers practical strategies for integrating bilingual pedagogies into E...| Contact
Download PDF Fencing The linguistic competition is what I like to refer to as fencing. The first round of fencing commences, and you are speared by the sword of your competitor. That sword is the primary language and the secondary language. In this case, English represents your sword that failed to draw in time. Your opponent wins, and the primary language scores a point. Your secondary language stood no chance, and you had no time to make contact with your opponent. The question is, how do w...| Contact
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Download PDF Kurt, thank you for taking the time to tell us more about the multi-faceted work you do. But to start, who would you say Kurt Strachan is? Well first, I want to thank you again Nicola for reaching out and inviting me to join you in this discussion. I really appreciate this opportunity to share a bit of my journey and hope that its helpful to others. Who is Kurt Strachan? I’d say I’m someone who thinks of others, enjoys finding solutions or at least providing options that help...| Contact
Download PDF Introduction The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education is rapidly evolving, positioning itself as a transformative force with immense potential to shape teaching and learning practices. Just as calculators and computers revolutionized mathematics and science, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools are poised to become integral to writing and other aspects of education (Meakin, 2024). The rise of artificial intelligence The past few years have witnessed explo...| Contact