From 3D broccoli to conversation games to online quizzes, Western students training to teach English as a second language (ESL) recently brought learning alive for local newcomers, thanks to a community-based learning project created by Douglas Severo.
Douglas Severo (Andrew Graham/Faculty of Education)
Severo, a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, created the project to provide his master of education students with practical experience by connecting them with local ESL instructors. It generated positive outcomes for students in Western’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program, and for teachers and learners in London, Ont.’s ESL community.
The students gained hands-on experience designing ESL learning activities for newcomers enrolled in Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) classes, offered through the Thames Valley District School Board’s G.A. Wheable Centre for Adult Education.
“My goal was to give my students experiential learning opportunities while contributing to our community. I believe it’s important for them to practise what they’re learning in the classroom, as it is applied in the world,” said Severo, who also took students on a class visit to Wheable.
“Students don’t always know what these programs look like, so I wanted them to meet the ESL teachers and learners to really understand the programs, needs, opportunities and challenges.”
The project followed theoretical lessons about the unique needs of ESL-LINC students, which go beyond language acquisition and vocabulary.
“We talk about the immigration population of refugees and permanent residents in Canada, covering why they come here, where they stay, what services are available to them and what their rights are,” he said.
“Theory is important, research is important – we can’t be practical without either. But, by going out into the world, we stop observing and start engaging, learning even more.” – Douglas Severo, MA’19, lecturer, Faculty of Education
Creating ESL activities to teach ‘speaking and listening’ to local newcomers
Severo’s TESOL course focuses on teaching speaking and listening, two of the four subject areas typically taught within ESL programs, along with reading and writing.
His students worked with Wheable ESL teachers to identify learning objectives for newcomers at different English proficiency levels and what types of activities would best support speaking and listening lessons for in-person, online and blended classes.
Severo originally expected teachers to ask for worksheets, but most were hoping for ideas that were more interactive.
The TESOL students responded, creating flashcards and designing games and scenarios in which ESL learners practiced everyday tasks and dialogues, such as returning an item to a store or having discussions with a landlord. One group created a video for online learners, which tested their knowledge as they progressed through the material. Another created 3D models of fruits and vegetables to ensure a lesson about portions of food was accessible to all learners, including a blind student.
“The creativity and level of engagement of the students was amazing,” said Severo, who was also impressed by the extra effort his pupils invested, revisiting classes and following up with the ESL teachers of their own volition.
Gantang Cheng presents the knowledge she gained from a community-engaged project where masters students in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages program worked with local ESL instructors, designing learning activities. (Christopher Kindratsky/Western Communications)
A win for Western students and Wheable ESL community
Students shared the knowledge they gained with their peers through class discussions and final presentations.
Course feedback was positive, with students reporting a better understanding of teaching goals and the unique needs of ESL learners based on their backgrounds. They also noted feeling better prepared to teach after visiting Wheable and working with teachers who they now see as potential future work colleagues.
TESOL student Gantang Cheng said the project was a “valuable and engaging experience.”
“Instead of simply designing activities for ‘imaginary’ students, I actively participated in a hands-on learning process. Learning in a practical, real-life scenario was a great way to apply the theory we learned about teaching listening and speaking skills and see firsthand how it translates into practice.” – Gantang Cheng, TESOL student
Wheable ESL teachers also benefitted from the collaboration, with one instructor observing, “not only did the TESOL students learn something from us, but we also learned from them.”
Jennifer Jones, the ESL-LINC coordinator at the Thames Valley District School Board, said it was “a privilege to take part in the project,” citing collaboration as a “crucial and fruitful aspect” of the ESL instruction.
“This project stands out in three ways,” Jones said. “The students could apply what they learned to the field of ESL with actual learners, our ESL instructors were given the opportunity to ‘give back’ to those just starting out in TESOL –their potential future colleagues – and ESL learners benefitted from having fresh material with which to practice their listening and speaking skills.”
Lived experience brings learning to life
Severo pursued his master’s in linguistics at Western in 2017, to gain a deeper understanding of language acquisition. He said his personal experience as an international student, like many of the students in his TESOL class, gives ESL educators unique and important insights.
“As an ESL person, you become a very good ESL teacher, because you understand what it feels like to learn the language. It changes how you see the world,” he said.
Severo’s also hopeful his students’ positive experience working with community-based ESL instructors will inspire them to incorporate experiential learning into their future teaching.
“I think because they were taught and learned this way, they’ll also teach that way,” he said.
