Teaching 'E-Designated' High School Classes
Lacey, a recent graduate of the summer 2012 intensive ESL TCP, shares some of her teaching experience below:
What were you doing before TCP, and what led you to decide to enroll?
I am a graduate of the University of Winnipeg Bachelor of Education integrated program. I graduated from the university in the summer of 2011 and immediately began substituting and job hunting. I was fortunate enough to find a term position available at one of Winnipeg’s largest high schools teaching English as an Additional Language to its newly immigrated students. My first year of teaching in the public school system was an exhilarating whirlwind. I greatly enjoyed the experience of working with E.A.L. students but I knew that if I was going to continue doing so that I felt an obligation to my students to gain more professional development experiences in this particular field.
I remember first hearing about the ESL TCP when I attended one of the “Contact to Contract” lunch hour sessions offered by the Faculty of Education. I remember being very interested in it and knew that although it would be on the back burner for a time while I completed my courses the ESL TCP was something I would be sure to check off my ‘to do list’ shortly. At this early stage in my career, enrolling in the ESL TCP felt like the next logical step in my personal and professional growth.
What is your current teaching position?
My current teaching position is at one of Winnipeg’s largest high schools where I work with Gr. 9-12 E.A.L. students. The students have “E-designated courses” that they are enrolled in after completing an intake process upon entering the high school. All the classes that I teach are “E-designated” English courses of varying levels; everything from beginner to intermediate to advanced levels of English instruction. This includes teaching courses in English grammar and direct language instruction to courses which follow an adapted approach to the regular E.L.A. curriculum where we examine novel studies and poetry units etc.
Dis this certification help you in securing this job or in completing the responsibilities associated with this job? If so, how?
The largest way that the ESL TCP has helped me is in giving me the confidence I need when making choices that concern my students, teaching approaches and curriculum instruction. Before taking the ESL TCP I felt like I would make decisions based on what I had learned in my Bachelor of Education programming and hope that that was enough but I felt unsatisfied and as if I was selling myself and my students short by doing this – it was a temporary solution. Having taken the ESL TCP courses with my various instructors and colleagues I feel much more informed about the issues facing my students. I feel as if I am more familiar with how to choose specific strategies that will benefit my students learning experiences. Knowing that I am certified with the most current and up-to-date training in working with E.A.L. students in Canada assures me that I am fully qualified for the position that I fill.
I have made many positive connections with my peers and more specifically my instructors in the ESL TCP. Seeing them at Professional Development opportunities or knowing that I can email them to ask for assistance or their opinion is just one more way that I feel better equipped to do my job well. I know that having completed the ESL TCP I now have the experience and certificate which distinguishes me in the teaching profession.
Based on your experiences since graduation, what advice would you give to an ESL TCP graduate looking for employment in this field?
Keep an open mind. One of the things that I love about the E.A.L. field is that this was not something I specifically aimed to do and yet now that I am doing it, it feels like this is where I need to be. Working with students from other counties is always something that I have been interested in and I have had many opportunities to do so in my practicum teaching experiences. I would not have guessed that all of these things were happy coincidences which would lead me to the teaching position I have today. The very nature of the E.A.L. field demands that its teachers are flexible, open-minded and always, always willing to take on new challenges. The students that you interact with in the E.A.L. field come from so many various levels and backgrounds that as an instructor you cannot take a “one size fits all” approach. Your job is to constantly reinvent the wheel and approach things from different angles, you have to remember that you can always learn something new or think about something in a different way for this is exactly what we try to instill in our students. Working in the E.A.L. field is infact where I feel most comfortable and I am so thankful that there are professional development opportunities like the ESL TCP available to me that are easily accessible and so very worth while.
For more information on the Bachelor of Education, Integrated Program at the University of Winnipeg, select the link below:
What were you doing before TCP, and what led you to decide to enroll?
I am a graduate of the University of Winnipeg Bachelor of Education integrated program. I graduated from the university in the summer of 2011 and immediately began substituting and job hunting. I was fortunate enough to find a term position available at one of Winnipeg’s largest high schools teaching English as an Additional Language to its newly immigrated students. My first year of teaching in the public school system was an exhilarating whirlwind. I greatly enjoyed the experience of working with E.A.L. students but I knew that if I was going to continue doing so that I felt an obligation to my students to gain more professional development experiences in this particular field.
I remember first hearing about the ESL TCP when I attended one of the “Contact to Contract” lunch hour sessions offered by the Faculty of Education. I remember being very interested in it and knew that although it would be on the back burner for a time while I completed my courses the ESL TCP was something I would be sure to check off my ‘to do list’ shortly. At this early stage in my career, enrolling in the ESL TCP felt like the next logical step in my personal and professional growth.
What is your current teaching position?
My current teaching position is at one of Winnipeg’s largest high schools where I work with Gr. 9-12 E.A.L. students. The students have “E-designated courses” that they are enrolled in after completing an intake process upon entering the high school. All the classes that I teach are “E-designated” English courses of varying levels; everything from beginner to intermediate to advanced levels of English instruction. This includes teaching courses in English grammar and direct language instruction to courses which follow an adapted approach to the regular E.L.A. curriculum where we examine novel studies and poetry units etc.
Dis this certification help you in securing this job or in completing the responsibilities associated with this job? If so, how?
The largest way that the ESL TCP has helped me is in giving me the confidence I need when making choices that concern my students, teaching approaches and curriculum instruction. Before taking the ESL TCP I felt like I would make decisions based on what I had learned in my Bachelor of Education programming and hope that that was enough but I felt unsatisfied and as if I was selling myself and my students short by doing this – it was a temporary solution. Having taken the ESL TCP courses with my various instructors and colleagues I feel much more informed about the issues facing my students. I feel as if I am more familiar with how to choose specific strategies that will benefit my students learning experiences. Knowing that I am certified with the most current and up-to-date training in working with E.A.L. students in Canada assures me that I am fully qualified for the position that I fill.
I have made many positive connections with my peers and more specifically my instructors in the ESL TCP. Seeing them at Professional Development opportunities or knowing that I can email them to ask for assistance or their opinion is just one more way that I feel better equipped to do my job well. I know that having completed the ESL TCP I now have the experience and certificate which distinguishes me in the teaching profession.
Based on your experiences since graduation, what advice would you give to an ESL TCP graduate looking for employment in this field?
Keep an open mind. One of the things that I love about the E.A.L. field is that this was not something I specifically aimed to do and yet now that I am doing it, it feels like this is where I need to be. Working with students from other counties is always something that I have been interested in and I have had many opportunities to do so in my practicum teaching experiences. I would not have guessed that all of these things were happy coincidences which would lead me to the teaching position I have today. The very nature of the E.A.L. field demands that its teachers are flexible, open-minded and always, always willing to take on new challenges. The students that you interact with in the E.A.L. field come from so many various levels and backgrounds that as an instructor you cannot take a “one size fits all” approach. Your job is to constantly reinvent the wheel and approach things from different angles, you have to remember that you can always learn something new or think about something in a different way for this is exactly what we try to instill in our students. Working in the E.A.L. field is infact where I feel most comfortable and I am so thankful that there are professional development opportunities like the ESL TCP available to me that are easily accessible and so very worth while.
For more information on the Bachelor of Education, Integrated Program at the University of Winnipeg, select the link below:
Teaching High School EAL
Michelle is a public school teacher, who attended the ESL Teacher Certificate Program during our summer 2011 4-week intensive program. After a busy year of classes in a middle years and senior years school (grades 7-12), she devoted her summer to improving her ability to meet the needs of the increasing number of EAL students she was encountering in her classes.
Before she decided to enroll in this program, Michelle was teaching a variety of subjects in her school, including
general science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and French. At her school, she describes that there was a large EAL population that she'd had the opportunity to work with in her classes. She states that she secured her postition as an EAL teacher by enrolling in the ESL TCP program. "I wanted to learn the most current methods of teaching an additional language and build on my understanding of language acquisition."
After receiving this certification, she was offered the position of full EAL teacher in her school. In this position, she works with EAL students in a 'pull-out' classroom, supporting them with learning the content from other classes, as well as building their language skills and developing their sense of community within the school. While this position is very rewarding, it is also a challenge. She states that "the ESL TCP has helped me to complete the responsibilities associated with my job. I can use what I learned to ensure that I am using the best teaching practices for second language acquisition."
Michelle continues to develop her teaching strategies, attending professional development opportunities offered by the school division and province, most recently including the Special Area Group conference offered by TEAL (Teachers of EAL).
Before she decided to enroll in this program, Michelle was teaching a variety of subjects in her school, including
general science, mathematics, chemistry, physics, and French. At her school, she describes that there was a large EAL population that she'd had the opportunity to work with in her classes. She states that she secured her postition as an EAL teacher by enrolling in the ESL TCP program. "I wanted to learn the most current methods of teaching an additional language and build on my understanding of language acquisition."
After receiving this certification, she was offered the position of full EAL teacher in her school. In this position, she works with EAL students in a 'pull-out' classroom, supporting them with learning the content from other classes, as well as building their language skills and developing their sense of community within the school. While this position is very rewarding, it is also a challenge. She states that "the ESL TCP has helped me to complete the responsibilities associated with my job. I can use what I learned to ensure that I am using the best teaching practices for second language acquisition."
Michelle continues to develop her teaching strategies, attending professional development opportunities offered by the school division and province, most recently including the Special Area Group conference offered by TEAL (Teachers of EAL).
Substitute Teaching
Yoon Sun studied in the full time spring 2011 session of the ESL TCP. Although she is busy with a new job teaching in the evenings, and a substitute position in the days, she was able to take some time to share her experiences since graduating from the ESL TCP.
What were you doing before TCP, and what led you to decide to enroll?
Before enrolling in TCP, I was a full time substitute teacher in the public school (K-12) system. I decided to enroll in TCP because I felt as though I didn’t have enough experience and qualifications to work with EAL students. As a teacher, I have noticed an increase in EAL students entering our classrooms. However, in university, we may learn about differentiated instruction for special needs students, or through PD sessions at school, but we often don’t get resources on how to teach EAL students in the class. Therefore, I had hoped that through TCP, I would be able to gain the knowledge to use in the classroom.
What is your current teaching position?
Currently, I’m a substitute teacher in the public school (K-12) system, and an evening EAL instructor at WTC.
How did the ESL TCP help you in securing this job, or in completing the responsibilities associated with this job?
TCP has helped me to fulfill my responsibilities in my job at WTC and elsewhere because it gave me exposure to the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). With all the variety of assignments focused on the different levels of the CLB and the four components such as reading, writing, listening and speaking, students in the TCP program have endless amounts of practice that one can use in the classroom. Knowing and understanding how to use the CLB is important in the field that we work in, so to be able to learn about it intensively gives one the confidence to teach any CLB level.
Additionally, after graduating from the TCP, I appreciated being notified of job opportunities through an email from our program coordinator.
Based on your experiences since graduation, what advice would you give to an ESL TCP graduate looking for employment in this field?
To fellow graduates of the ESL TCP program, I would say that the EAL field in Winnipeg continues to grow. With the growth comes high demand for certified EAL teachers not only in our school divisions, but also at colleges, and agencies. I would recommend taking a closer look at the employment or volunteer opportunities sent via email from the program coordinator, newspapers, online and on school division websites.
For more information on the 'CLB' documents, please select the link below:
Educational Assistants in EAL classes
Tracy, a graduate of the summer 2011 session of the ESL TCP shares her learning and employment experiences below:
"Before I enrolled in the TCP I had been a stay at home Mom for 5 years. During this time I had volunteered at various pre-school programs in my school division. Through volunteering I happened upon a job working in a childcare program for kids who had parents attending English language classes. As I became familiar with the program and got to know some of the families I decided teaching EAL was something I could do. The people in this program were mostly women with high language needs and seeing how EAL classes so profoundly impacted their lives inspired me to enroll in the TCP.
Currently I am the EAL Support Worker at a school in River East Transcona School Division. The students in our schools are integrated into the regular classrooms. Nearly all of our students have a decent grasp of the English language. The main support I give is with their academic writing. I both attend classes with students as well as work one on one. I also give support during tests and exams in the form of scribing and clarifying instructions.
Having completed the TCP was a requirement for my current position. Because I am supporting students rather than teaching I don't use the full range of skills I learned in the TCP, however I could not do my job effectively without understanding the challenges of English language learners. The discussions and learnings from the program have given me the foundation for working with these students and being effective in the support I give. Advice I would give..... completing the assignments and class work in the TCP gives you the tools to teach at the same time ensure you involve yourself in all the discussions that take place. The experience of the other students in my group was incredibly varied and hearing different stories and situations people had been in enhanced my time in the program exponentially. "
For more information on the roles educational assistants play in Manitoba school, please see the link below:
"Before I enrolled in the TCP I had been a stay at home Mom for 5 years. During this time I had volunteered at various pre-school programs in my school division. Through volunteering I happened upon a job working in a childcare program for kids who had parents attending English language classes. As I became familiar with the program and got to know some of the families I decided teaching EAL was something I could do. The people in this program were mostly women with high language needs and seeing how EAL classes so profoundly impacted their lives inspired me to enroll in the TCP.
Currently I am the EAL Support Worker at a school in River East Transcona School Division. The students in our schools are integrated into the regular classrooms. Nearly all of our students have a decent grasp of the English language. The main support I give is with their academic writing. I both attend classes with students as well as work one on one. I also give support during tests and exams in the form of scribing and clarifying instructions.
Having completed the TCP was a requirement for my current position. Because I am supporting students rather than teaching I don't use the full range of skills I learned in the TCP, however I could not do my job effectively without understanding the challenges of English language learners. The discussions and learnings from the program have given me the foundation for working with these students and being effective in the support I give. Advice I would give..... completing the assignments and class work in the TCP gives you the tools to teach at the same time ensure you involve yourself in all the discussions that take place. The experience of the other students in my group was incredibly varied and hearing different stories and situations people had been in enhanced my time in the program exponentially. "
For more information on the roles educational assistants play in Manitoba school, please see the link below:
Manitoba Affiliated International Schools
Many graduates from Bachelor of Education programs in Manitoba, including The University of Winnipeg, The University of Manitoba, and Brandon University, go on to teach internationally to gain valuable teaching experience at a Manitoba affiliated K-12 school overseas. As the Manitoba Education website indicates, "There are agreements in place between the government of Manitoba and individual schools in other countries that allow the overseas schools to teach portions of the Manitoba school curriculum. Each school offers a somewhat different program but most employ teachers who hold a Manitoba teacher certificate" (http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/iep/aff_schools.html). Currently, there are Manitoba K-12 affiliated schools overseas in Egypt, Thailand, Ghana, Japan, China, and South Korea.
Kirstie, a graduate of the spring 2011 session of the ESL TCP, shares that before she joined the ESL TCP, she was teaching in one of these schools:
Before I enrolled in the ESL TCP, I was alternating between substituting and teaching terms in Manitoba public schools (K-12) up north and here in Winnipeg. In between those assignments, I took a year off to teach English in Bangkok, Thailand at one of the Manitoba Affiliated Schools Overseas. My experience in Thailand ignited a love for teaching EAL and a desire for a career change. When I came back to Winnipeg, I went back to substituting and terms, and decided to start taking the necessary steps toward obtaining an EAL teaching position. I started volunteering and substituting for EAL programs to gain more experience, and when I had enough time and money to take the ESL TCP, I enrolled.
Erica, a graduate of the spring program the previous year, took the ESL TCP before leaving for her teaching experience at a Manitoba affiliated school overseas. Although she had already secured a job with a Manitoba-affiliated international school in Beijing, China before enrolling into the ESL TCP, she enrolled because she “wanted to learn more about teaching additional-language learners to help my new students to the best of my abilities. Through my practicum experiences, I had become interested in working with EAL students, and I felt that enrolling in the ESL TCP would be my first step towards this direction in my profession.”
Immediately after completing her practicum placement through the ESL TCP, Erica left Winnipeg for her teaching position at the Yang Guang Qing International School of Beijing for two years. During that time, Erica explained that she “worked primarily as an EAL instructor for Grade 11 students. I also taught Canadian History, and I enjoyed integrating language learning skills into my content area teaching.” After two years of working with this Manitoba curriculum international school, she decided she wanted a change:
Although Erica had already been hired for her teaching position at the Yang Guang Qing International School of Beijing before enrolling in the ESL TCP, she states that “I wouldn't have been nearly as prepared for this job if I hadn't participated in the program. For example, as a Grade 11 ESL instructor, one of the largest components of my curriculum was grammar instruction. Through the TCP, I learned not only a basis of important grammar skills for language learners, but also interesting and helpful ways to teach them, and the importance of integrating grammar skills within a meaningful context.”
For more information on Manitoba K-12 affiliated schools overseas, please visit the link below:
Kirstie, a graduate of the spring 2011 session of the ESL TCP, shares that before she joined the ESL TCP, she was teaching in one of these schools:
Before I enrolled in the ESL TCP, I was alternating between substituting and teaching terms in Manitoba public schools (K-12) up north and here in Winnipeg. In between those assignments, I took a year off to teach English in Bangkok, Thailand at one of the Manitoba Affiliated Schools Overseas. My experience in Thailand ignited a love for teaching EAL and a desire for a career change. When I came back to Winnipeg, I went back to substituting and terms, and decided to start taking the necessary steps toward obtaining an EAL teaching position. I started volunteering and substituting for EAL programs to gain more experience, and when I had enough time and money to take the ESL TCP, I enrolled.
Erica, a graduate of the spring program the previous year, took the ESL TCP before leaving for her teaching experience at a Manitoba affiliated school overseas. Although she had already secured a job with a Manitoba-affiliated international school in Beijing, China before enrolling into the ESL TCP, she enrolled because she “wanted to learn more about teaching additional-language learners to help my new students to the best of my abilities. Through my practicum experiences, I had become interested in working with EAL students, and I felt that enrolling in the ESL TCP would be my first step towards this direction in my profession.”
Immediately after completing her practicum placement through the ESL TCP, Erica left Winnipeg for her teaching position at the Yang Guang Qing International School of Beijing for two years. During that time, Erica explained that she “worked primarily as an EAL instructor for Grade 11 students. I also taught Canadian History, and I enjoyed integrating language learning skills into my content area teaching.” After two years of working with this Manitoba curriculum international school, she decided she wanted a change:
Although Erica had already been hired for her teaching position at the Yang Guang Qing International School of Beijing before enrolling in the ESL TCP, she states that “I wouldn't have been nearly as prepared for this job if I hadn't participated in the program. For example, as a Grade 11 ESL instructor, one of the largest components of my curriculum was grammar instruction. Through the TCP, I learned not only a basis of important grammar skills for language learners, but also interesting and helpful ways to teach them, and the importance of integrating grammar skills within a meaningful context.”
For more information on Manitoba K-12 affiliated schools overseas, please visit the link below: