tesl ww spring 2006 newsletter editted version 2 · pdf filecanadian language benchmarks),...

TESL WW Newsletter Spring 2006


Wow! Where did the year go? Despite the undeniable sense that this academic year is galloping to the finish line, there is still much good energy here at TESL WW. For instance, this newsletter. It is packed with a variety of articles to help you in your professional life, with insightful teacher interviews from six of the ten ESL panels in our region, our new “From Theory To Practice” feature, Kathryn Brillinger’s new column with tips on gesture and pronunciation, a glimpse of teaching ESL in Hong Kong, as well as all our other recent innovations, news, and reviews. We strive to provide something for your mind, for your heart, for your imagination, and for your class in the morning. Be sure to scroll down to access this entire newsletter. Then there’s the upcoming Annual General Meeting which provides an opportunity to browse the publishers’ displays, connect with other members over dinner, honour our award winners, cast your vote for three new executive members, and listen as Nina Spada presents her research. Right now, reach for your day planner and block in Thursday, May 11. Registration information below. Contents:

Letter from President: Kathryn Brillinger

Letter from Affiliate Director: Laura Stoutenburg

Membership Report: Lisa Mitchell

Pathways to Success Update: Kristen Roderick

Interviews Across Waterloo Wellington Region on ESL Education: Elly Campbell-Lawrence See link on to document.

Spotlight on... YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services: Christina Koenig

Scholarly Works: From Theory to Practice: Kathryn Brillinger

Learning from the Article: Kathryn Brillinger

The Role of Gestures and Facial Cues in Second Language Listening Comprehension

Hey! Look over There!: ESL Report People for Education Elly Campbell-Lawrence

Articles and Internet Sites to check out Elly Campbell-Lawrence

From Afar (Hong Kong) Jamie and Ken Gaudin

Off The Professional's Shelf various authors

A Good Read various authors

A Good View various authors

Found Poetry Elly Campbell-Lawrence

Upcoming Professional Development: AGM (May 11, 2006) Info and Registration Forms

Book Award Nomination Forms TESL WW Executive


Salutations from Our President!

Dear TESL WW Members:

This is my last message to you as President. I have very much enjoyed working with the TESL WW Executive and members over the past year.

Serving on an executive always adds extra work to an already busy life but the rewards are worthwhile. In this case, the rewards have been wonderful. As you may know, one of my main areas of interest is pronunciation and your TESL WW executive was able to arrange to have Judy Gilbert and Olle Kjellin speak last October. This was a chance for me to meet two of my idols and to see pronunciation teaching encouraged and developed in our region. And next, we have Nina Spada coming to speak at our AGM in May. Another interest of mine has always been how the Communicative Approach developed into a Method with strictures about grammar teaching. It will be fascinating to hear Nina’s research and thoughts on including a focus on form in the classroom. The President before me, Laura Stoutenburg, now serves as our Affiliate Director representing us at the provincial level. Next year, Julia Williams will lead TESL WW and we will be able to learn from the workshops and newsletters that the new executive puts together. I too will stay on the executive. Working together we will do our best to serve you well.

The President is only a small part of a hard-working executive and I would like to thank:

1) Elly Campbell-Lawrence (high school ESL teacher at Forest Heights S.S.) for her wonderful newsletters, late night emails and tireless dedication to what’s best for our students. Elly is moving on to continue her support of ESL students on other initiatives. We thank Elly for her dedication to our disadvantaged teenaged ESL population.

2) Lisa Mitchell (LINC teacher at Naylor-McLeod) for doing such an exceptional job in her first year on the executive keeping the membership lists up to date and registering members for the events.

3) Dara Lane (ESL/TOEFL teacher at Renison College) for the clear minutes, ever-present sense of humor and the goodies at meetings

4) Elizabeth Matthews (ESL teacher at Renison College) for contributing so much in her position as new member-at large and dashing off to get the cookies in the middle of the fall conference.

5) Julia Williams (TESL Professor at U of W) for her organization, excellent ideas and much welcome help in carting boxes when the publisher was late.

6) Karin Davidson -Taylor (LINC teacher) for sticking with and seeing through the web site when everything was so hard to manage – we’re online!

7) Lorraine Lasmanis (Manager, Adult ESL, St. Louis Adult Learning Centre) for her patience in continuing with the often difficult job of tracking our finances. Lorraine is the longest standing member of the TESL WW Executive and we owe her many thanks.

8) Laura Stoutenburg (TESL Professor, Conestoga College) for her kindness, her cautiousness and her willingness to pitch in and help with everything. Without Laura’s guidance and suggestions, I would not have known where to start as President and,

9) All past members of the TESL WW Executive – You have helped us to build a strong affiliate with 182 members. We don’t want to lose track of the history that brought us here. If past members have some stories of the old days, please send them in. We would love to include such memories in the newsletters.

I hope that you will consider running for one of the three positions that are open. It’s a great chance to work with ESL professionals from various sectors. I also hope that you will nominate a student or teacher or volunteer for a book award. Amazing things happen in our ESL classrooms. Let’s hear about them and feel good!

I hope to see you out at our AGM – browsing at books, admiring the publications of members, chatting with colleagues, networking, eating and listening to new information. Meanwhile, happy teaching! Kathryn Brillinger, TESL WW President, (TESL/ESL Professor, Conestoga College)


Greetings from Our Affiliate Director!

Hello, Everyone. TESL Ontario is a diverse organization, and each meeting brings information and discussion on issues spanning the areas of concern for ESL teachers and learners in Ontario. Here is some of what this cub affiliate director noticed at the last meeting. Connections: TESL Ontario is involved with the ESL community at a number of levels. Did you know that we have representation with several organizations? Included are ORLAC (Ontario Regional LINC Advisory Committee), OTF (Ontario Teachers Federation), CCLB (Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks), College of Teachers, ERGO (ESL-ESD Resource Group of Ontario), CESBA (Continuing Education School Board Administrators). If you have questions for or about any of these organizations, one of your avenues is through TESL Ontario. We meet five times a year, and the affiliate director will bring your questions and concerns to the table. Bits and Pieces on Membership: As of January 12, TESL Ontario membership stood at 3556, down a bit from October’s 3634. We attracted 734 registrants to the November conference. And 113 candidates were certified through TESL Ontario in the October 1 intake period. As we move through the first of wave of certification renewals, the certification committee of TESL Ontario is continuing to review the certification process in order to ensure fairness, transparency, and practicality. Resources to Look for: CCLB has announced new resources to look into. For example, a draft document of Companion Tables to the CLB 2000 has been posted on the web. According to its introduction, “The document presents many of the relevant competencies and indicators [across the Benchmarks] in a format that can be easily viewed across levels. The primary purpose of the tables is to provide an overview that can facilitate use of the CLB 2000 for task selection, task development, evaluation procedures, assessment development and test instrument alignment. “ The document is in PDF and can be downloaded from the website. Look also for the new print resource, Integrating CLB Assessment into the ESL Classroom. From ERGO, check out these excellent links www.inspirelearning.ca/english/equity/sharingSpace_Jan01.htm. www.curriculum.org/secretariat/december7.html From SWIS productions, look for the upcoming video Meet the Teacher. It takes parents through the process of the parent/teacher interview, so that they can know what to expect. Currently available through the settlement.org website are New Moves, available in 17 languages, and Your Library. Last note: I’d like to take a few lines to thank Elly Campbell-Lawrence for her amazing work on the TESL WW newsletter this year. You moved us into a new era, Elly. Elly is finishing her time on the TESL WW executive this spring. She is fearless and resolved in her advocacy for her students and in her desire for those of us in the teaching profession to work together for the good of our students. May the work you have started here continue Elly! Best wishes, Laura Stoutenburg


Membership Report:

The TESL Executive would like to thank all of our members for their dedication to and enthusiasm for the ESL profession. We now have a total of 182 members in the TESL Waterloo-Wellington affiliate. Members are from all fields including Adult LINC, University and College credit programs, Public, Separate and Private Secondary and Elementary schools, and various other ESL institutions. We send out e-mails to TESL WW members informing them of upcoming events, such as the upcoming TESL WW AGM, or inviting them to participate in the TESL WW community. Please, e-mail Lisa Mitchell at [email protected] if you or someone you know should be getting the e-mails and are not, or would like to be put on the TESL WW e-mail list. --- Lisa Mitchell

This, Just in!

Developing “Pathways to Success” for Immigrant Youth at School Kristen Roderick, Project Coordinator of Pathways to Success

The challenges faced by ESL students and other newcomer youth in completing high school are of growing concern to teachers, schools and the entire community. The following article describes how a community-based research project and a public community forum are attempting to address this issue in Waterloo Region. In just one generation the cultural face of Canadian youth has changed dramatically. Urban communities across Canada have become home to youth arriving from diverse world regions. This influx in the numbers and diversity of immigrant youth has created challenges for Canada’s educators, for school boards and in the classroom. Canadian studies on immigrant youth show that disturbingly high numbers do not complete high school (up to 74%). These high rates of drop-outs raise serious concerns among teachers, schools, service providers and the whole community when the current resources available cannot meet the need. With these concerns in mind, a steering committee made up of community and university researchers, community organizations, and school board representatives came together to conduct a research project called “Pathways to Success: Immigrant Youth at School” The

project uses Waterloo Region as a case study in exploring how secondary educational institutions can maximize positive outcomes (both social and academic) for immigrant youth. Data gathering for this project began in October and incorporates a variety perspectives, including immigrant youth, parents, community leaders, and school board staff. The project foregrounds the experiences of newcomer youth, and explores how different sectors of the community can better respond to the challenges faced by immigrant youth in high school. Preliminary research findings identify a number of factors that either help or hinder the success of immigrant youth in high school. Some of the factors that prevent success include: bullying and racism at school, home-school culture conflict, inadequate or limited ESL programs, and low family socio-economic status. Some of the factors that contribute to the success of


immigrant youth at school include: parental support, patience and understanding from teachers, the presence of role models and community advocates, and the ability of youth to gain and maintain friendships. Preliminary findings also suggest that in order to improve the chances of success for immigrant youth, changes and strategies are required at several, inter-connected levels of impact, including: youth, parents and families, schools, school boards, government, and community. To learn about these findings in more depth, come to the community forum planned for Wednesday June 7, 2006 at Kitchener City Hall. We’re expecting participation at the forum from a cross-section of the community, including research study participants, high school youth from across the region, local government, policy makers, local educational system staff and representatives, the media, and other interested community members. This forum will bring public attention to the issues faced by immigrant youth in high school, and provide an opportunity for different segments of our community to come together and identify practical action strategies for improving the success of immigrant youth in high school. This event will also provide an opportunity to celebrate the

diversity of the community, foreground youth and youth culture, and emphasize the commitment to building an education system that meets the needs of immigrant youth. For more information about Pathways to Success or the community forum, please contact Kristen Roderick, project coordinator, at 741-1318, ext 225. Pathways to Success is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Lead investigators are Joanna Ochocka and Rich Janzen of the Centre for Research and Education in Human Services, and Anne Westhues of Wilfrid Laurier University. The Project Steering Committee includes representatives from the YMCA Cross-Cultural Cultural and Community Services (Kitchener), the YMCA Immigrant Services (Cambridge), representatives from both the Public and Catholic School Boards, an ESL teacher and an immigrant youth.


Spotlight on...

whereby we request an overview from an agency affiliated with our ESL learners

YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services I first learned about the YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services from my mother, an E.S.L. teacher. I walked in because traveling and learning in University had drawn me to the field of teaching English as a Second Language. I was uncertain about pursuing teaching as a career and was looking for volunteer experience that would allow me to learn more about working with newcomers to Canada. I volunteered in English Conversation Circles once a week and was matched in the Host Program with a newcomer from Russia. I enjoyed my volunteer work very much, and now as I look back on my experiences at the Cross Cultural Services, first volunteering and then working with the Newcomer Youth Program and now working as the Host Program Coordinator, I realize that I have learned so much from the newcomers I meet everyday. I have also gained valuable friendships. People often overlook the fact that there are many more opportunities for the average Canadian than for newcomers to Canada. If I think of my own life I am fortunate to be surrounded by my family and many long-time friends, and to have a chance to pursue a career that I enjoy. Language has not been a barrier, and I have never experienced the ethnic discrimination that newcomers are often confronted with. By comparison I know newcomers who are faced with the challenge of making their way in Canada alone. Many adults and even younger people had no choice but to leave their family. Some no longer have family. Regarding careers many of my newcomer friends were employed in their own countries as accountants, teachers and lawyers, and now struggle to find employment in Canada. Language barriers and discrimination have made some feel powerless and hesitant to share their opinions and advocate for their rights. As Canadians we don’t often see these challenges or the effort that goes into building a new life here in Canada.

Along with my colleagues at the YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services I like to think we can help newcomers in this effort. All our services, which are funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, HRDC, the United Way and the YMCA, are free to Newcomers who arrived recently and are Permanent Residents or Convention Refugees. Some programs are broader in scope including refugee claimants, citizens, newcomers on work permit and student visa among clients served. In our programs we have tried to address newcomers concerns and needs. Within our Immigrant Settlement & Adaptation Program people who speak several languages provide services such as information and orientation, referrals, interpretation and translation, documentation and advocacy among others. Workshops on topics such as parenting, and income tax are held along with immunization clinics and a community orientation program. This allows students in English as a Second Language schools to learn about agencies in the community from various guest speakers. At our Newcomer Employment Centre clients can access job-counseling services polishing their resume and developing an action plan to finding meaningful employment. Counselors also make referrals and provide ongoing support, which includes the use of job search resources, library tours and inspiring success stories told by immigrants who have found a job in their field of work. In the use of Canadian Language Benchmarks tools, assessors in the Language Assessment Centre have an effective means of determining the English language skills and needs of newcomers to Canada. When a determination has been made newcomers can be referred to schools in the community providing language training programs. Transportation and childcare needs are also considered. Recently the Language Assessment Centre in partnership with the Host Program has provided weekly sessions assisting newcomers to develop basic literacy and numeracy skills.


Settlement & Education Partnership in Waterloo Region was developed to assist families and children as they make the transition into a Canadian school system. Those who work in this program provide information and orientation on various topics, services to youth including assistance in the search for summer jobs and homework clubs, workshops pertaining to the education system and the community, advocacy, referral and interpretation. Places in which these services are provided include a number of schools, libraries, community centers and youth drop in programs. The Newcomer Youth Program is a recreational program for youth who are between the ages of 13 and 19 and have been in Canada for less then 3 years. Here youth meet with friends, partake in a number of arts and sports activities including dance, soccer, basketball, and swimming. Programming often includes discussions led by guests from the community about volunteering, employment and other issues of importance in the lives of youth. Socials are planned each month as well. My most memorable personal experiences working within this program include skating with the newcomer youth, rock climbing, helping with various charity events, and helping the youth to organize the celebration of cultural holidays such as Eid and Divali. The YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services also has a Host Program in which adult newcomers are paired with volunteers in this community, often times with similar interests, professions and family situations. Together on a weekly basis newcomers and volunteers explore Kitchener-Waterloo, newcomers can learn about the Canadian culture, and in sharing their own experiences and culture practice English. They also gain a friend to lean on for support should there be other concerns such as grocery shopping, or building a resume. Often times a friendship is formed which lasts beyond the 4-6 months newcomers and volunteers are matched, which is a great success. I am myself a volunteer in this program and appreciate every new experience I have had. I really enjoy Salsa Dancing and the opportunity to cook with friends from Columbia,

China, Iran, and Ethiopia the opportunity to try panella, dumplings, lotus root, dolma and injera. I value their friendships very much. Within the Host Program we also provide a service in the schools called a School Host Club. This occurs during breaks in the school day and is a chance for children, who are attending school as newcomers to spend time with other children engaged in activities and games, which promote diversity and multiculturalism. The School Host Coordinator may also create activities to discuss issues that are important for children such as bullying, and can provide workshops in the community about anti-racism and diversity. To help diminish the language barrier the Host Program also provides Conversation Circles within our office and in partnership with other community agencies currently the Kitchener Public Library. The Conversation Circle provides newcomers with an easy-going atmosphere in which to practice English with volunteers and socialize with other newcomers. There are more structured Conversation Circles through the month of August in our office and at the Reception House on David Street. Discussion topics include places to go in Kitchener-Waterloo, and Canadian Idioms and Holidays among others. I am proud to work as part of a team providing all of these services to newcomers. Every day I see the difference knowledge about resources such as these can make, and I smile when I think that we are helping to make newcomers feel welcome in Canada, and optimistic in the face of all their challenges --Christina Koenig Host Program Coordinator YMCA Cross Cultural and Community Services Phone: 579-9622 Ext. 243 Email: [email protected]

Graphic thanks to www.kwymca.org

8 TESL WW Newsletter Spring 2006

Scholarly Works

From Theory to Practice #1: Current Research and Implications for Intermediate Reading Materials “L2 users are speakers in their own rights, not imitation native speakers.” (Cook 1998) Vocabulary size is crucial to success in reading. Liu & Nation (1985) and Laufer (1997) indicate that a reader needs to know nearly 95% of the words in a text in order to be able to “read” it and guess at unfamiliar words from context. Unlike native speakers who are familiar with frequently used word families (Nation 1990), intermediate L2 learners often face texts in which more than 50% of the words are unknown.

The use of authentic texts in the classroom does not address the L2 learner’s special needs at the beginner and intermediate stages. Many studies (including Nation 1990) suggest that ESL students need to encounter a word at least 5 times to learn it. It is my teaching experience that at the intermediate level this 5 initial encounters need to be followed by 5 additional encounters within two weeks.

A teaching unit that provide 5-8 encounters with key words from the proposed reading prior to the reading and a post-reading “refresher” providing an additional 5-8 encounters would be ideal.

Perhaps, we should also be more cautious of using reading research based on L1 reading processes. In an indictment of ESL teaching’s incorporation of reading theories based on L1 reading such as Goodman’s 1967 guessing game theory (which claimed that L2 reading could also proceed from a minimal knowledge base and guessing from context), Cobb (1999) illustrates clearly how L2 readers need a strong vocabulary base before being left to read. His research in “Carrying Learners Across the Lexical Threshold” (1999) concludes that more emphasis on vocabulary building must occur. Cobb found that even students with several years of current ESL training, entered university preparation classes with very low levels of vocabulary.

It seems clear that the belief in ESL teaching over the past two decades that students could learn from guessing at the intermediate level needs to be approached with caution. A number of research papers concur.

“To guess the meaning of unknown words and continue reading --- is both insufficient and inappropriate – bottom-up processing skills like attention to vocabulary can not be ignored. --- lack of vocabulary knowledge short-circuits reading comprehension --- While extensive reading may be appealing, it may not be applicable to beginning students.” (Laufer 1997)

Within each unit the materials should provide for success in reading. Reading, at the Intermediate level, does not necessarily need to include long tracts of text which students at this level find discouraging. The students can learn to read in the L2 using shorter, more satisfying text processing situations. The material sample attached does not introduce the reading of the text until all unfamiliar words have been taught for mastery.

“Students reading narrative texts need to know at least 98% of the vocabulary they encounter in order to read with comprehension without using a dictionary Pre-teaching of unknown vocabulary seems indicated for most learners with most texts.” (Hsueh-chao 2000.)

The goal of L2 materials should be to encourage successful transmission and reception of messages, not to judge students against the knowledge, production and learning strategies of L1 speakers. A good reading lesson should try to take this into account at all times.

--Kathryn Brillinger

8 TESL WW Newsletter Spring 2006

Learning from the Article “The Role of Gestures and Facial Cues in Second Language Listening Comprehension” Column by Kathryn Brillinger In an article in the journal Language Learning (December 2005, Vol. 55:4, pp661-699, Sueyoshi and Hardison discuss research on the role that observing gestures and facial cues plays in how well a learner of English comprehends aurally. The importance of non verbal communication in functioning in a second language has been of much interest over the past two decades. A number of studies have indicated that successful L2 users use more gestures in their L2 than in their L1. It is hypothesized that “non verbal cues may play an important role in interactions that promote interlanguage development for L2 learners by facilitating negotiation and comprehension as well as output. (p. 688). In this study, a group of advanced learners was compared to a group of low-intermediate learners. Information about ceramics was given in three conditions: audio only, audio plus face and audio plus face plus gestures. For the higher level the audio plus face was the most successful

situation but for the lower level, the audio plus face plus gesture was by far the most successful. What can we as ESL teachers learn such research? We can keep in mind that as our learners develop their interlanguage they will rely heavily on both observing and using gesture. We can position ourselves so that all students have a good view of the teacher and each other and encourage students to turn towards each other whenever someone speaks in class. We can assign homework that involves observing the differences in gestures between parents and children, store clerks and customers, students and students and students and teachers etc. Consciously observing gesture opens up a new window on communication. We need to learn more about gestures ourselves in order to be able to teach it. Please see the first of five “Gesture Columns” to be included in our newsletters.

Gesture Column #1 by Kathryn Brillinger The following is the first of five excerpts from my unpublished paper “The Importance Of Gesture To The Acquisition Of Language And The Use Of A Gestural Focus In L2 Learning: An Introduction For ESL Teachers.” In order to teach and interpret gesture, it is important to understand the primary categories of gesture. Each of these tip columns will cover one type.

Deictic Gestures (also referred to as “pointing” or “indicator” gestures)

Deictic gestures are seen frequently in the beginner L2 classroom. They may be essential to the development of an interlanguage. A deictic gesture indicates (normally by the pointing of one finger or movement of one hand) “a specific instance of an object or event and/or a static location” (Nicoladis 2002, p. 244). Very often ESL teachers will ask beginning students to use deictic gestures. A

common activity is to ask students to indicate the location of a specific object out of an array of items. Some examples include, “Show me the ceiling.” or “Point to the door.” or “Which one is the red pen?” Parents will remember the excitement of asking similar questions to babies of approximately 9 months of age.

Deictic gestures precede word use in children but demonstrate both comprehension and the promise of speech. Masur, as cited in


Nicoladis (2002), describes deictic gestures as “a crucial precursor of later verbal communication” (p. 244).

Roth (2002) hypothesizes that “the

emergence of language and discourse is brought about and tied to embodied experience ---- Deictic gestures (pointing) may be an important aspect of embodied communication.” (p. 535) and that “gestures allow the speaker to re-experience private schemata through kinesthetic experiences (Roth & Lawless 2002, p. 335). If an ESL speaker needs to re-activate ideas of “this” or “that” or “these” or “those” before being able to listen to or use the new words comfortably, then deictic gestures are key. Interestingly, in one of the few L2 studies available, intermediate and advanced L2 learners were found to “use more deictics in their second language than in their first (Nikoladis 2002, p. 246).

Total Physical Response (TPR) may have

been so successful with beginner L2 students because it focused on having students respond physically to requests from the teacher and this motoric form of response precedes speech in the L1 and may need to do so in the L2 to some degree as “during transitional periods gestures express complex meanings that individuals do not (can not) yet express in words” (Roth & Lawless 2002, p. 336). In a study comparing children who received a lesson accompanied by deictic gestures and those who did not, Valenzo, Alibali & Klatzky (2003) concluded that deictic gestures “may serve to capture students’ attention precisely because they link speech to the physical environment” (p. 201) and that the redundancy of the gesture and speech “effectively guide students’ attention to key aspects of the environment” (p. 201). Deictic gestures seem not

only to use the physical world but to reinforce its presence when students are processing abstract concepts. Valenzo et al suggest that these deictic gestures “play a potentially important role in facilitating comprehension, and this may be especially true when challenging new concepts and complex language are introduced --- we suggest that teachers would be well advised to utilize such gestures when they teach” (p. 202).

It is important to note that deictic gestures

always match the verbal message and this could be one of the reasons that they enhance learning when coming from a teacher and are the first to occur in infancy. In addition, since the gestural sequence precedes the verbal sequence, Kravitz & Hopkins (2004) suggest that listeners “may have been using gesture to interpret lip movements of speech production milliseconds before the speech was ever heard” (p. 259).

Although observations indicate that L2

teachers already use, encourage and observe deictic gestures in the ESL classroom, no empirical studies have examined whether or not L2 language learning improves with the conscious or increased use of such gestures. Such studies have occurred in L1 classrooms and indicate that math and physics teachers who use large numbers of gestures promote better learning and retention. Let’s all conduct some research in our classrooms with using more deictic gestures and see what happens! Please email me at [email protected] if you have comments or results to share in the next gesture column. Thanks and happy teaching!


Hey! Look Over Here!

ESL Report on People For Education (This ground-breaking release of a study by People For Education is shown in its entirety here) The majority of new immigrants to Canada settle in Ontario, and three quarters of them come from non-English-speaking countries. Immigrants come to Canada looking for better futures for their children, but in many cases their children are being set up to fail because they are not getting the support they need in school. Ontario has a higher proportion of English as a Second Language (ESL) students in its public education system than any other province, and nearly three-quarters of those students attend school in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). People for Education has been keeping track of the effects of policy and funding changes on Ontario schools for the last nine years. And data from the 2005/06 Elementary Report shows that ESL funding is not reaching the students who need it most. Numerous reports in the last two years, including one from Ontario’s Auditor General, have called for changes to ESL funding but, as yet, little has changed. ESL programs decline across the province Early numbers from the 2005/06 Elementary Tracking Report show that province-wide:

• 56% of schools have ESL students, compared to 48% in 1999/00; • 36% of schools have ESL programs, down from 58% in 1997/98; • 27% of schools have ESL teachers, a steady decline from 41% in 1998/99; and in schools with ESL students, 51% reported they had no ESL teachers, compared to33% in 1999/00.

ESL: students shortchanged From an article retrieved from www.peopleforeducation.com/releases/2006/march8_06.html

“...while the Ministry provides school boards with approximately $225 million a year of [ESL grants] it had no information about whether students whose first language is not English were achieving appropriate proficiency in English…[and] no information on how much school boards were actually spending on ESL programs.” Auditor General of Ontario, December 2005

ESL programs in the Greater Toronto Area Most ESL students attend GTA schools, and in the GTA the losses are even more concentrated than in the province as a whole. • 71% of all Ontario’s ESL students are in the GTA. • Only 51% of GTA schools have ESL teachers, a decline from 55% last year, and 68% in 1999/00. • The percentage of GTA schools with ESL students but no ESL teachers has more than doubled over the last five years—from 16% in 1999/00 to 42% in 2005/06. • Despite recent increases in funding for ESL, the number of GTA schools reporting ESL students but no ESL teacher increased from 32% in 2004/05 to 42% in 2005/06.

ESL programs in Toronto schools show greatest decline

Toronto school boards have acknowledged that a substantial portion of their ESL funding is used to cover other costs. For example, financial reports published by the Toronto District School Board show that the board uses less than half of the funding it receives for ESL on actual ESL programs. As a result, the decline in ESL is even more dramatic in Toronto schools.* • In 2005/06, 89% of Toronto elementary

schools report they have ESL students. • Only 43% of Toronto elementary schools

report they have ESL teachers this year, a decline from 52% last year and 69% in 1999/00.

• The percentage of Toronto elementary schools that report they have ESL students but no ESL teacher has increased every year, from 18% in 1999/00 to 51% in 2005/06.

ESL funding not reaching ESL students

Since 2003, funding for ESL has increased by $64 million, but that funding is not getting to the students who need it. People for Education data shows that despite additional funding and increasing demands, programs and staff for ESL students are declining. Because this funding is not tied to the delivery


ESL Report People for Education I had a dream that when I came to Canada things would be better for my children, but sometimes now I wonder if we have made a mistake. They only get about one hour of ESL at school, and that is not enough. There should be a special program for children when they first arrive until they are strong enough to go to a regular class. My children’s morale is very low. I am especially concerned about my son. His stress is increasing every day and I'm worried that he will give up and go with people who will encourage him to do something wrong.

Sirad Nur, Arrived from Somalia in 2004-5

of specific programs, many boards use ESL money for other purposes. School boards report that there is at least a 10% gap between funding set in the funding formula for salaries and the actual salaries paid by boards. The Toronto District School Board, for example, will receive over $80 million from the province for ESL programs in 2005/06. But financial reports posted on the board’s website show that the board will only spend approximately $35 million of that on ESL. The remainder will be used to cover the costs of salaries for teachers, secretaries, and other employees and to cover the $26.4 million gap between what the province provides in funding for utilities and what utilities actually cost. The Minister of Education has acknowledged that boards move money from one funding envelope to another to cover costs, and he has recently stated that he wants to ensure that every dollar earmarked for ESL actually goes to a student needing ESL support. However, until school boards receive adequate funding for their payroll and utilities, they say they will continue to make cuts to staffing and programs. Restricting the use of ESL funds, will solve some of the problems for ESL students. It will, on the other hand, create new cuts in other areas.

ESL students at risk

ESL students tend to lag behind native language speakers in their learning of curriculum, because they are forced to put that learning on hold while they acquire the language skills to deal with the curriculum. Results from the EQAO standardised tests of students in Grades 3 and 6, show that ESL students achieve standards well below their non-ESL counterparts. And last year, only 50% of ESL students passed the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, compared to 82% of the general population. In the higher grades the pressure on students is even greater. They require even more sophisticated language skills to cope with more complex concepts and texts. For many newcomer students, success at school is an academic longshot. This puts ESL students at greater risk of dropping out of school. Recent research shows that ESL students are less likely to graduate than English-speaking students. A Calgary study reports an overall dropout rate of 74% for ESL students, 2½ times that of the general student population.

High needs refugee students need even more support

Most ESL students enter Ontario schools with little or no previous knowledge of English but they have received schooling in their home countries. These students are likely to have age-appropriate literacy skills in their first language. But for some newcomer students, learning English is not the only challenge. Because of instability in their home countries, or because they are refugees who have been displaced, English Language Development (ELD) students may never have attended school. They not only have little knowledge of English, they also come to Ontario schools with significant gaps in their education because they have had only limited access to schooling in their home countries. They do not have literacy skills in their first language and are unfamiliar with the way schools work. Some of these students need extensive remedial and often psychological support. The Auditor General, in his report on Ontario’s ESL programs found that Ontario receives at least 2,500 school-aged refugees per year. He said these students fall into two categories. Some have missed two or three years of schooling but have some literacy in their first language and are familiar with the concept of school, but others have had little or no formal education. These students come from very high-needs families, which the federal government recently started accepting on humanitarian grounds. The auditor found that despite the fact that


ESL Report People for Education I have a daughter in Grade 5 and a son in Grade 2 and another daughter in Senior Kindergarten. It is very important to me that my children learn to speak English. It is very difficult for my daughter, who is ten years old, because she is getting no help yet at all. Her teacher is trying to help her learn simple phrases for things like having to go to the bathroom, but the teacher does not speak Spanish. My daughter is already getting homework, but she doesn't understand it, and we can't help her. It is very hard to wait for the help. Alcides Gutierrez –his children arrived from Columbia one month ago

ESL Report People for Education One concern is that although we have 41 ESL students we have only a half-time ESL teacher. Some of our students have been in Canada for several years, and some were born here but speak only their native language at home. Despite poor English skills, they aren’t entitled to ESL funding and must receive help under the Special Education umbrella, even though they have no Special Education designation. Principal of an elementary school in Peel

refugee students require more services than students who only need to learn English, the funding formula does not differentiate between the two kinds of students. He recommended that the Ministry of Education explore funding high-needs ESL students differently from the general ESL population.

Supporting families

Although ESL training is the most obvious support needed for newcomer students, their families require many other supports. ESL students need translation services for parents, bilingual tutors, cultural liaison workers and appropriate classroom materials. Some school boards and some federally funded settlement agencies provide these supports, but because these services are not specifically funded under the funding formula, there have been cuts to a number of school board settlement programs. The Toronto District School Board, for example, cut the school community advisors who provided support to newcomer families and often acted as school to parent liaisons.

Auditor General’s report calls for change

In December 2005, the Auditor General of Ontario issued a report on Ontario’s ESL programs. He raised concerns about funding for ESL, the government’s lack of oversight of ESL dollars, the lack of standards for ESL achievement, the lack of information for parents of ESL students and the inconsistency in boards’ approaches to the delivery of ESL programs. He recommended that every ESL student continue to receive support until he or she has achieved a standard level of English proficiency. He found that the current practice is to cut off support when funding runs out. According to the Auditor General: “The Ministry provides school boards with specific funding for ESL/ELD services but does not require them to actually spend the grants on

delivering ESL/ELD services." We found that while the Ministry provides school boards with approximately $225 million a year of [ESL and ESD grants] it had no information about whether students whose first language is not English were achieving appropriate proficiency in English.”...one board provided us with financial information that indicated that less than half of its grant was spent on ESL/ELD programs.” • “…in fact, the Ministry advised us that it is aware that a portion of these grants is often reallocated to other programs.” • “The Ministry had not assessed the impact of such reallocations on the adequacy of services provided to ESL/ELD students.” • “The Ministry of Education has not acted on the recommendations in the report.” [referring to a previous auditor’s report on ESL].

Other Voices The Auditor General of Ontario is not alone. Over the last two years, other voices have called for changes to ESL funding and policy including Ontario Public School Boards’ Association: Position Paper on Second Language Learning in Ontario.


ESL Report People for Education Many of our students (up to half) have ESL needs that don’t necessarily qualify under official rules. Not only do ESL dollars go to pay many other costs, but many of our students fail to generate the resources they need because they were born in Canada. With a 75% Asian population in our school, this continues to be an issue that colours every student’s learning experience. An elementary school principal, York Region DSB

Recommendations • RECOMMENDATION: Because the amounts

set in the provincial education funding formula do not match the actual amounts boards pay for salaries and other operating costs, we recommend the province immediately release funding to correct this gap, as recommended by Dr. Mordechai Rozanski in the 2002 Report from the Education Equality Task Force report.

• RECOMMENDATION: Currently the federal

government provides funding for settlement and language support for adults and very young children, but no funding to support children and youth in school. We recommend the federal and provincial governments co-ordinate funding and policy for settlement services so that newcomer parents and children receive all the supports they need to successfully settle in their new communities. We also recommend that the provincial government amend the funding formula for English as a Second Language to support ESL students for as long as it takes them to acquire the language, to include a built-in accountability process mandating that school boards report annually on the programs and services funded by the grant and on their effectiveness, and modify the Secondary School Grade 10 Literacy Test to address the needs of ESL students.

• RECOMMENDATION: New teachers receive

little or no training in teaching ESL. We recommend that the province include in the requisite education of teachers, the teaching of English as a Second Language and Special Education, as well as pedagogical skills to deal with the real needs of students in inner city settings.

Conclusion The present government has increased education funding in a number of areas affecting urban schools such as special education, building renewal, ESL, class size, and the Learning Opportunities Grant. However, People for Education’s tracking data show that students in

urban schools are still experiencing serious deficits in ESL programs, large class sizes in elementary and high school, and inadequate

application of the ESL and Learning Opportunities money. We must recognize that every time the province adds a new program or allocates funding for new teachers, it gives boards as much as $6000 less per teacher than the boards actually pay. The result is that each new program pushes boards further in the hole. As long as school boards continue to experience funding shortfalls, they will continue to use funding for students at risk to bridge the funding gap. In the last two years, many groups have called for a new deal for cities. They have enumerated many areas of concern for Ontario’s cities in general, and for urban children and youth in particular. Groups such as the Toronto Mayor’s Roundtable on Children and Youth and Education, the City Summit Alliance, Campaign 2000 and the United Way have all urged governments to do more to address the needs of children and cities. If we are to give our urban students and especially our newcomer students an equal chance to succeed, we must act on the recommendations in this and other reports. We must ensure that every student has access to the supports and programs that will give him or her a chance to thrive in school, graduate successfully, and enter society ready and able to participate fully. ESL Report People for Education www.peopleforeducation.com/reports/programs/esl2006.pdf


Other Media articles, Reports, Proceedings, Conferences and more

1. New funding for small, northern and rural colleges. The McGuinty government, in recognition of the special challenges that face small, northern and rural colleges, will be providing new funding to these institutions. To see more about this increased investment, go to: ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2006/02/17/c3863.html?lmatch= ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2006/02/17/c3863.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html> &lang=_e.html22

2. Forum on Prior Learning Assessment and Qualification Recognition. The Canadian Association of Prior Learning and Assessment (CAPLA) will be presenting the 2006 Recognizing Learning Conference: Sixth International Forum of Prior Learning Assessment and Qualification Recognition in Fredericton, New Brunswick this October. Call for presenters will be on March 3, 2006. For more information go to www.capla.ca/News.php

3. Rapid growth creates major challenges for municipalities, straining both physical and human services infrastructures. Large immigrant communities and an aging population have increased demands on growth management. By introducing the Human Services Planning Coalition and a region-wide human services strategy, York Region has found a way to tackle these problems www.networkedgovernment.ca/HumanServicesSimpson

4. U.S. insecure about Canadian border By Beth Gorham The Globe and Mail (Canada), February 2, 2006 www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060202.wterrorists0202/BNStory/International

5. Immigration Fee Review Should Result in Scrapping Cornwallis Contract and $100,000. The

Halifax Live (Canada), February 3, 2006 www.halifaxlive.com/content/view/492/2/

6. Rural Canada gaining more immigrants WorkPermit.com, February 6, 2006 www.workpermit.com/news/2006_02_06/canada/rural_areas_gain_immigrants

7. Island relaxes rules to attract immigrants

The CBC News, February 9, 2006 www.cbc.ca/nb/story/nb_immigrantrules20060208.html

8. Police board considers 'don't ask' policy for immigration status

CBC News, February 15, 2006 www.cbc.ca/toronto/story/to_police20060215.html

9. Ottawa looks at changing immigrant mix

By Bruce Cheadle The Canadian Press, February 15, 2006 www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060215.IMMI15/TPStory/?qu ery=


Past Due Date, but Worth Knowing about Nevertheless 10. TRIEC's Immigrant Success (IS) Awards: These IS Awards are issuing an open invitation to

employers to submit their case for being recognized as a "best employer" of immigrants. These include organizations which excel at recruiting, retaining and promoting skilled immigrants, have brought immigrants on board, and have developed practices and strategies that are award-winning? Deadline for nominations - March 17, 2006. www.hireimmigrants.ca/IS

11. An Anti Oppression Framework for Addressing Black Youth and Violence March 21, 2006 Location: Ryerson University, Jorgenson Hall, Toronto (Central) aa.metastrategies.com/actew/settlement/eventdetails.shtml?x=50528

12. Immigration and Canada's Place in a changing world , 8th National Metropolis Conference, March 23 - 26, 2006, Vancouver, British Columbia www.metropolis2006.net/metropolis

Contacts Especially for Elementary or Secondary ESL Teachers and ESL Parents 1. See the Newcomers' Guides to Elementary & Secondary School, www.settlement.org/edguide 2. New Moves A video for newcomer secondary school students!

www.settlement.org/site/ed/guide/videos Get your free copy at www.newmoves.ca 3. Your Library - a video about library services for newcomers

www.settlement.org/site/ed/guide/videos 4. Meeting the Teacher - a video on Parent Teacher Interviews COMING SOON 5. Also, a new intake/assessment form coming soon! 6. Two websites from Robin Pearson that look excellent:

www.rif.org/educators/books/100_best_multicultural.mspx www.nea.org/readacross/resources/50multibooks.html

Graphics thanks to Microsoft Office ClipArt


From Afar

(Mail from an ESL teacher working in a unique setting)

Greetings from Hong Kong!When we accepted a job with the Native Speaking English Teacher (NET) scheme in Hong Kong, we knew it was going to be a big change in lifestyle. We had lived in Brunei for seven years and had become very used to the relaxed, laid back way of living. I (Jamie) took a position in September of 2005 while my husband and daughters joined me in Hong Kong in December upon completion of my husband’s work obligations in Brunei. We have never lived in such a densely populated city where we could not even read the main language, let alone, speak it. We were pleasantly surprised to discover how easily adaptable we were in settling into such a big city.

The most amazing thing about Hong Kong is its activity. As you travel from one place to another the names and places begin to blur into sameness which makes finding your way around initially very challenging but also quite exciting. The shopping malls seem to go on for miles and everything is for sale. Which is great for myself, and my daughters, but does sometimes frustrate my husband who would rather not shop in the shopping capital of the world? Hong Kong is a unique place and you are constantly reminded by the sheer volume of people how big and crowded the city really is. This is especially the case if you are used to a small town or country environment as we have been for our entire teaching careers.

I have only been working in Hong Kong for five months, so everything is relatively new to me and I am still learning a lot about the city, the culture and the people. Getting around the city is fairly easy, once you become familiar with the public transport system. I teach in a Government Primary School in west Kowloon and chose to live in the New Territories, so there is a bus that takes about 35 minutes to a bus stop that is 10 minutes walking distance from my school. My husband, Ken, also commutes with me and gets off one stop after mine. His walk to his secondary school is of similar duration. Some teachers take over an hour to get to work in the morning, so we consider our location quite convenient.

As for teaching English in Hong Kong, while getting a handle on the school’s expectations and the curriculum took a few months, once the

teaching started I began to feel better about what was expected of me and then the ideas of how to best help my school started to flow. I believe my husband is experiencing a similar situation, in that, now that he is beginning to settle in he is becoming quite comfortable with the staff and students, as well as the nuances of teaching in a secondary school.

The first and most striking thing about teaching in Hong Kong is the size of the classrooms and the number of students that are fit into each class. Classrooms of over forty students are the norm and they would probably put more in if they could find a way to stack students on top of each other. Many of the teachers use microphones in the classrooms to save their voices as there seems to be a constant dull roar from the outside traffic and the students inside the classroom. Additionally, staffrooms are also very cramped and there is very little privacy. The simple fact is that space is at a premium.

The students on the whole are quite nice and pleasant to work with. There are, of course, communication problems unless you can speak Cantonese. Many students have difficulty in expressing themselves in English aside from some stock phases which they translate word for word from Cantonese and the results are often very interesting. In the secondary program the English medium schools are much better than the Cantonese medium schools. At both the Primary and Secondary levels you really need to check your prospective schools out carefully as the working conditions vary from school to school. Some schools require teachers to work on weekends, return early from holidays and attend evening staff meetings or set other special work conditions which may make working in Hong Kong an unhappy experience. If you are hired under the NET Program you are an employee of the school, if it is an aided school or a private school, and they determine the specific terms and conditions of your work. A number of teachers have quit or transferred schools (sometimes permitted) because of their working situation.

In the primary, there are different possible working situations, but my school happens to be an all day school in the PLP-R (Primary Literacy


Program—Reading) pilot project. This program appears to have had some positive results over the last two years. It basically focuses on reading with the primary (P1 to P3) English classes. The students have a General English class three or four times in the week with the local English teacher (LET) and one double period for the reading program with me. I have a reading room that students come to with the LET. I have a Teacher Assistant that helps within the classroom and in the preparation of materials. This program was developed to help train LETs to teach reading using different strategies and particular focuses. We have been provided with a fair amount of training and materials, but the goal is to get to the point where LETs and NETs can plan and produce their own reading units. Co-planning meetings and co-operative teaching practices are encouraged and expected as part of this program. Most local teachers are very receptive, but are not always confident with their English ability.

On top of the regular teaching duties, the school expects me to help provide different experiences in English for the students (at all levels). I have an ECA drama class with some P2 and P3 students. I run Monday activities during lunch hour recess, I help plan English week or other seasonal activities and I help to produce Friday announcements. A LET is always made available to help and assist with these activities. The teachers also benefit from my training and knowledge, as I am responsible to help provide some professional development in teaching English.

Living accommodations are small by Canadian

standards but generally good. We are fortunate to live in Hong Kong Gold Coast where it is much more laid back than living in other parts of the city. If you like a lot of action living either in Kowloon or Hong Kong Island is great and you can get almost anywhere with ease via public transport. You have to be careful when signing a lease or rental agreement that all the terms and conditions are well laid out. It is virtually impossible to alter terms and conditions after the agreement has been signed.

So why go to Hong Kong? The answers are numerous and depend upon the individual. But basically it is a real fun place to live. There are great restaurants, cultural activities and virtually any type of recreational activity you can think of is available. The city never sleeps and if you want to find something to do any day and any time you can. Additionally the opportunities for travel throughout Asia, especially China, are fantastic. Hong Kong is a travel hub and flights can be very inexpensive. A special price return ticket to Toronto from HK can be bought for just over $400 CAD. Finally, even in spite of the recent currency shifts the salaries are very good and the taxes much lower than in Canada. There is also no GST/PST to suck up the little salary you have left.

So if you like to travel, be paid well and experience an ever changing, fast paced city, Hong Kong is a great place to live and teach.

Best Wishes, Jamie and Ken Gaudin

www.teyl.com/testimonials.htm


Off The Professional's Shelf

Closing the Achievement Gap: How to Reach Limited-Formal-Schooling and Long-Term English Learners by Yvonne S. Freeman & David E. Freeman with Sandra Mercuri Heinemann 2002 ISBN 0-325-00273-8 This excellent teacher resource lays out the research behind the theory and also provides insights for effectively assisting language learners who have gaps in their education or who are stalled due to social/cultural factors. In the Waterloo-Wellington region, in both elementary and secondary, we have both a

large number of such students and a dismal track record as educators in meeting their needs. This text could be a piece of the comprehensive intervention so urgently needed here. --Elly Campbell-Lawrence

Coming To Canada: Building a Life in a New Land by Susan Hughes A Wow Canada Book! Maple Tree Press 2005 ISBN 1897066-46-5 $19.95 Coming to Canada is an excellent teacher resource for units on immigration. It begins with Canada’s first immigrants, native people, and continues to the modern era. The information about the various groups of immigrants will be especially useful to history teachers doing units on First Nations, European Explorers, New France, British North America, Opening the Western Canada, Canada in the 1900’s and Modern Canada.

There are many colour illustrations making Coming to Canada appealing and easy to read. The four major sections have two-page spreads for each of the sub-topics. This makes it digestible for students doing research. Coming to Canada is a useful supplement for teachers, or for group work on units about immigrants coming to Canada. --John Markvart


Spud Sweetgrass by Brian Doyle Beloved by teens at an intermediate ESL level, Spud’s passage through adolescence is

complicated by grief, isolation and discovering an environmental crime. Set in Ottawa.

The Curses of Third Uncle by Paul Yee Set in Chinatown, Vancouver, 1909, Lillian’s desperately poor family is struggling to survive when her father goes away on a mysterious trip and doesn’t return. Her cruel uncle takes advantage of the family’s increased vulnerability and it’s up to 14-year-

old Lillian to hold things together. Best used as guided reading with teens at an intermediate ESL level, this novel casts light on Canada’s Head Tax and China’s revolution.

Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman When a nine-year old Vietnamese girl pushes aside some trash on a miserable vacant lot and plants four bean seeds, she inadvertently brings hope and renewal to 12 of her neighbors as her tiny and personal initiative blossoms into a community garden. This 70-

page novel set in Cincinnati brings together 13 very distinct voices from different ethnicities, ages and perspectives. Best for a strong intermediate reader, teen or older. --Elly Campbell-Lawrence

A Good Read

A Sunday at the Pool in Kigali by Gil Courtemanche, translated by Patricia Claxton The story is Gil Courtemanche’s, a journalist for the Quebec paper Le Devoir, re-telling of his personal eye witness experience

of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. He creatively and skillfully weaves fiction into fact as he re-creates the lives of the people he met during his time in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. The book is an angry admonishment of the Western powers’ inactivity in the East African nation and the internal racism,

promoted by colonial political interests, which led to the horrific genocide in Rwanda. Courtemanche’s sharpest criticisms are heard through the lives of the Rwandan people he met, stories he tells with touching tenderness and poetic sensitivity. His passion for the Rwandan people he knew raises this horrific story into a testimony of the strength, and ultimately, the resilience, of human love. --Lisa Mitchell

Further suggested reading/viewing: Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by General Romeo Dellaire (book) Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dellaire (documentary)


The Great War For Civilisation - The Conquest of the Middle East - 4th Estate Review taken from the New Internationalist (ISBN 1 84511 007 X) by Robert Fisk Those who have read Pity the Nation, Robert Fisk's epic chronicle of Lebanon's wars and invasions, will know that he does not favour the exquisite miniature or the understated aside. Hard facts are his stock in trade and it is to his eternal credit that, in his journalism, he consistently goes the extra mile to uncover information that those in power world rather keep hidden. It is no surprise that his new book is as ambitious as it is exhaustive.

Fisk's thesis is that the chaos in the Middle East stems from the aftermath of the First World War - the Great War for Civilisation - and the accommodations and arbitrary borders that resulted from the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire. As a war reporter for three decades, Fisk has spent his working life watching the people within these borders suffer and die, and he has poured all his research and experience into this massive tome.

This is no arid history of the region; it is a sustained and meticulous - and rightly angry - polemic against those leaders who, repeatedly, give us lies and blood and claim to have delivered victory and democracy. Fisk combines a personal memoir of life on the front line with vivid portraits of the protagonists - he interviewed Osama bin Laden three times - and devastating accounts of the suffering of those at the receiving end of a total war that stretches from Iraq to Algeria, Afghanistan to Israel.

Because of its subject matter and sheer length, The Great War for Civilisation is in no sense an easy read. It may make you weep - with rage, frustration and foreboding for the future - but it provides chapter and verse on the mendacity and bad faith that have lead us to our present dark times.

A Good View

The Constant Gardener Directed by Fernando Meirelles The Constant Gardener is a gorgeous film about a harrowing topic. British Diplomat Justin Quayle (Ralph Feinnes) and his passionate wife, Tesse (Rachel Weisz), go to Africa where Tesse discovers the terrible secret workings of a Multinational Drug Company in Eastern Africa. The story is a critical look at the economic colonialism which continues to plague African countries. But

most of all, it is a moving and personal love story between Justin and Tesse and between Tesse and the African people whose lives are compromised by the drug company. In the end, the movie is a touching celebration of the value of human life.

Suggested further reading: The Constant Gardener, a novel by John Le Carre --Lisa Mitchell


Central Station

Central Station, in Portuguese with English subtitles, is directed by Walter Salles and was nominated for best foreign film in 1999. It is artfully photographed and beautifully told. The realism of the streets of Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian countryside are brought together in this narrative fiction. It’s the story of an orphan boy Josue who tenderizes the heart of a cynical woman named Dora, a lonely, retired school teacher who supplements her meager income by writing letters for the many illiterate individuals who pass through Central Station. In the bustling heart of Rio de Janeiro, the young boy witnesses the accidental death of his mother, one of Dora’s customers who was dictating

letters for the absentee father of her 9 year old son Josue.

Dora’s first instinct is to sell him to an adoption broker. She changes her mind when she learns of the sinister activities and instead she decides to find the father and deliver both the letter, dictated just before the accident, and the boy in person. They begin a journey across the countryside on which they learn valuable lessons about each other and the human spirit. It is a marvelous character study and poignant story of loss, suffering and redemption.

--Lorraine Lasmanis

Water (2005): See the Winter 2006 newsletter for a review of this film written and directed by Deepa Mehta Further recommended viewing: Earth (1998), Deepa Mehta Fire (1996), Deepa Mehta In This World Scooping the top honours at the Berlin Film Festival as well as rave reviews on its release, this digital feature styled as a ‘fictional doc’ tells the timely story of two

Afghan boys escaping a Pakistani refugee camp in desperate flight to freedom in the UK. Intimate, intelligent, and engrossing.

Dir. Michael Winterbottom, Scr. Tony Grisoni Starring Jamal Udin Torabi, Enayatullah UK 2003, 88 mins, subtitles Here are some interesting movie links:

www.imdb.com/title/tt0310154/ www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/02/21/in_this_world_2003_review.shtml www.milestonefilms.com/movie.php/itw/ www.britfilms.com/britishfilms/catalogue/browse/?id=D5FD9B420eeaf2E8F6tKrKCEECA6


Found Poetry

Appreciative of the crafts materials I provided for my reception class, one of my young Kurdish boys wrote in his journal, “Ms. Campbell-Lawrence she’s taking her celery (sic) and after taxes she’s giving one half for she and one half for we.” Once, in my primary class in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, where all education is ESL, Miali, who didn’t know the English word “always” exploded with poetic fury-- “Elly! Joopee to me teasing every day, every day, same, same, same!” Another primary student was outraged that last night’s babysitter mistakenly insisted that she go to bed an hour early. She expressed her outrage by writing in her journal, “I was mad and mad I was. I was so mad I just got madder and madder.” --Elly Campbell-Lawrence

Upcoming Professional Development

TESL WW Annual General Meeting

held at Renison College

Thursday, May 11th, 2006

Renison College Kitchener, Ontario

4:30-5:30 Reception and Book Display

5:30-6 Reports, Election and Book Awards (please see forms)

6-7 Dinner

7-8:30 Guest Speaker: Nina Spada

No on-site registration will be available. Register ASAP to avoid disappointment. Last day for registration is May 1st, 2006.


Dinner is included and parking is free. Publishers will be displaying books for the first hour. In addition, we would like to highlight the achievements of our local teachers. Any area ESL teachers who wish to display books and materials they have authored can bring them and we will have a table available.

How and When Can we Best Provide L2 Learners with Form-Focused Instruction?

Nina Spada - OISE/University of Toronto “Should I teach the present perfect in a stand alone lesson?” Classroom research and teaching experience have led to a growing consensus that second language instruction is most effective when it includes attention to both form and meaning. The focus of this presentation is on when it is most effective to draw learners’ attention to language form. Specifically, I will address the question of whether it is better to draw learners’ attention to language form in lessons that are isolated from communicative or content-based interaction or in activities where form focus is integrated within communicative practice. I will report on the first phase of a research project that has investigated teacher and learner preferences for isolated and integrated instruction in two different adult ESL programs. Data were collected via questionnaires from 40 teachers and 250 adult learners as well as from feedback gathered from a smaller number of teachers and learners after they had experienced two versions of an instructional unit – one in an integrated format and the other in an isolated format. The results are discussed in relation to differences in programs, learner proficiency levels, first language background and other teacher and learner factors. Dr. Nina Spada is Professor in the Modern Language Centre at OISE/University of Toronto where she teaches graduate and pre-service courses in second language (L2) learning and teaching. Dr. Spada’s research examines relationships between teaching practices and learning outcomes. She is particularly interested in the effects of form-focused instruction and corrective feedback on L2 learning. Dr. Spada is co-author of an award-winning textbook How Languages are Learned published by Oxford University Press. Nina’s interest and hard work are clear in her list of publications, which can be found at www.oise.utoronto.ca/MLC/spada.htm


Tear-Off Registration Form

Name: ____________________________________________

Phone Number: ____________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________

Affiliate: ____________________________________________

Mail to: Lorraine Lasmanis: 144 Briarcliffe Cres. Waterloo ON N2L 5T8

Email: [email protected]

Cost: TESL Ontario members $20, Non-Members $25.

(Please make cheques payable to TESL WW).

Last day for registration is May 1.

Please contact [email protected] for additional information.

Directions

University of Waterloo’s Renison College, 240 Westmount Road North, Waterloo

Written Instructions: From Highway 401(coming from Toronto), take exit 278 (Highway 8 Exit west) towards Kitchener. Follow 8 West to Highway 7 East (also called the Conestoga Parkway). Follow 7 East as it turns into Highway 86 North (still the Conestoga Parkway). Exit at University Avenue West. Continue West on University Avenue to Westmount Road North (you will have passed Wilfrid Laurier University on the left and the University of Waterloo on the right). Turn right onto Westmount Road North. Take the second driveway on the right to Renison College.


Nominations for TESL WW Executive Positions AGM 2006 –2007/2008

Past President 2006-2007 Kathryn Brillinger (currently President)

President 2006-2007 Julia Williams (currently President-Elect)

Affiliate Director 2006 -2008 Laura Stoutenburg

Treasurer 2000-2007 Lorraine Lasmanis

Recording Secretary 2005-2007 Dara Lane

Membership Secretary 2005-2007 Lisa Mitchell

Member at Large 2005-2007 Elizabeth Matthews

Web Master 2005-2007 Karin Davidson-Taylor (a non-Executive position)

*All nominees must be members of TESL WW Open Positions:

1. President-Elect 1 The president-elect is a Non-Affiliate Director and member of the Core Executive and is

expected to attend meetings as called. 2 In the absence of the President, the President-Elect will formally call, chair and conduct

TESL WW business. If the President is unavailable, the President-Elect will also exercise the duties of the President as required between meetings.

3 The President-Elect shall be available for consultation with other committees or groups as requested by the President.

4 The President-Elect shall automatically assume the office of President when the one year term ends and the existing President becomes Past President.

Generic Skills: problem-solving, decision-making, planning, organizing, team building, conflict resolution, meeting facilitation, time management, delegating. Personality Traits: achievement-oriented, focused, organized, confident, persuasive, responsible, trustworthy.

2. Newsletter Editors (2 people) 1 Edit, produce and distribute the TESL WW Newsletter. 2 Share ideas for the newsletter at TESL WW Executive meetings. Generic Skills: Desktop publishing, graphic design, written and oral communication, networking. Personality Skills: Creative, expressive, persuasive, eager to share ideas and information. 3. Member at Large 3 Attend TESL WW meetings. 4 Share ideas and offer support of initiatives. Please consider standing for one of these positions. You can nominate yourself or another TESL WW member. Please email nominations to our affiliate director Laura Stoutenburg at [email protected]


Waterloo Wellington Nominations for “Awards of Excellence” Book Awards

Each year at the AGM, TESL WW recognizes members’ students for their special efforts. This year we will also recognize one paid and one volunteer teacher. Student Awards TESL WW will offer “Awards of Excellence” as in the past to one person from those who are nominated in the following categories:

1. A Primary School ESL Student ($50 book certificate) 2. A Secondary School ESL Student ($75 book certificate) 3. An Adult ESL Student ($100 book certificate)

Please consider nominating a student. Teacher and Volunteer Awards We are fortunate to have some exceptionally fine teachers and volunteers in our area. As a result of their abilities, their commitment, and their ongoing efforts our ESL students go on to be successful in the community. Our teachers impact not only their students, but also the community beyond our walls and eventually Canadian society. The influence that these outstanding teachers have comes not only from their teaching skills, but from their high standards of performance, from their willingness to share with their colleagues and their students, and from their active commitment to their profession and their community. We are fortunate, not only in the high caliber people we have teaching ESL in Waterloo-Wellington, but in how many we have! And each year TESL WW wishes to provide an opportunity to honour two of these people.

1. An ESL Volunteer ($100 book certificate) 2. An ESL Teacher ($100 book certificate)

Please consider nominating a fellow teacher. Send the forms by email to both

[email protected] and [email protected]


Book Award Nomination Form for ESL Students

Waterloo Wellington

Nomination Guidelines

1. The nominee must have at least one year of ESL support or ESL classes within the past two years. This can be full or part time study.

2. The nominee must have an excellent attendance record.

3. The nominee must have greatly improved in their use of English.

4. The nominee must have served as a role model for other students (offering peers help, ESL buddy, showing tolerance and community building etc.)

5. The nominee must have displayed a sense of community involvement (supporting school activities, fund-raising, volunteering, helping others etc.)

6. The nominee must be able to clearly articulate how advancing English will help them with their future goals.

Nominee Information

Nominee Name: _________________________________________

Category (circle one): A Primary School ESL Student A Secondary School ESL Student An Adult ESL Student

Nominating Teacher’s Information

Nominating Teacher’s Name: _______________________________________

Teacher’s Workplace: _______________________________________

E-mail address: ___________________________

Why is this student deserving of a book award? (Please write a short explanation.)


. Book Award Nomination Form for ESL Teacher/Volunteer

Waterloo Wellington

Nomination Guidelines

1. The nominee must have at least five years of ESL teaching or ESL volunteering within the past seven years. This can be full or part time work.

2. The nominee must have served as a role model for other teachers (mentoring, offering peers help, showing community building etc.)

3. The nominee must have displayed a sense of community involvement (supporting school activities, fund-raising, volunteering, helping others etc.).

Nominee Information

Nominee Name: _________________________________________

Category (circle one):

An ESL Teacher AN ESL Volunteer

Nominating Teacher’s Information

Nominating Teacher’s Name: _______________________________________

Teacher’s Workplace: ____________________________________________

E-mail address: __________________________________________________

Why is this teacher/volunteer deserving of a book award? (Please write a short explanation.)


Know an ESL teacher who might like to be a TESL WW member? Please help us to find the new grads, occasional teachers, or established co-workers who just haven’t thought about our professional organization by mentioning what you derive from being a member and leading them to our website. To join, go to www.teslontario.org Be sure to click on Waterloo-Wellington as your affiliate in order to be on the mailing list and for our region to receive our share of your fees. We use this portion of your TESL WW fee to subsidize the conferences we provide for you.

Your Waterloo-Wellington Executive

President: Kathryn Brillinger [email protected] President-Elect: Julia Williams Affiliate Director: Laura Stoutenburg Membership Secretary: Lisa Mitchell [email protected] Treasurer: Lorraine Lasmanis Recording Secretary: Dara Lane Newsletter Editor: Elinor (Elly) Campbell-Lawrence [email protected] Member At Large: Elizabeth Matthews

Talk to us! We’re good, but we’re not clairvoyant. If we’re going to be effective in providing our members with authentic professional community, stimulation and development, some guidance would be welcome. Seriously. Seven of the eight executive members teach adults. We truly want more feedback from all members but you can see that we particularly need it from Elementary and Secondary teachers. We're also always on the lookout for news, reviews, interviews, and tips on excellent resources, speakers, courses, and websites. We're in the communication business, so please do. Keep in mind that we post three newsletters during the academic year -- Fall, Winter and Spring -- and we update our website monthly. So go ahead! Draw our attention to time-sensitive events and speakers when you come across them. Keep us on your mind right next to your favourite tune.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the contributors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of TESL Ontario or TESL Canada.

Note: Unless otherwise stated, graphics are from Microsoft Office ClipArt or Amazon.com

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