Learning

ELL Bible Study the Simple Way — Dale Fisher

2018-05-16T09:21:16+00:00May 16th, 2018|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

This year, we were pleased when a family from our Monday night ESL class decided to join our church. They were from a Catholic background but seemed comfortable at our Anglican church. The children quickly fit into Sunday School, and the family said they enjoyed the service. After a few months, I asked them if […]

An Open Door — Allan Pole

2018-04-17T22:10:49+00:00April 17th, 2018|Allan Pole|

When a guest was received in Palestine 2,000 years ago the host performed certain courtesies.  There was the kiss of welcome.  Water was provided to wash the dust from his feet, and oil to anoint his head.  The guests would recline at the meal and there was free access for the passer-by to stop and […]

Kindness Bridges the Gap — Allan Pole

2024-02-06T18:06:27+00:00January 14th, 2018|Allan Pole, General Interest|

When I was a boy I suffered from asthma and hay fever.  Being allergic to hay and growing up on a farm was a tough combination during the summer months.  When the air was thick with dust and pollen I would suffer through some sleepless nights coughing and sneezing.  I vividly remember my mom enduring […]

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Conversation Starters—Dale Fisher

2017-02-26T16:19:55+00:00February 26th, 2017|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

About this time of year, we often feel that we could use some new ideas for our conversation classes. Here are four of them. The first, is a great idea I learned from my teaching partner, Cindy Hubert. Adjective + Occupation Activity Cindy handed out a set of cards with occupation titles such as: policeman, photographer, […]

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Seasonal, Secular, Sacred Christmas — Mary Cummins

2023-12-07T06:23:05+00:00December 20th, 2016|Christmas, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

  What is Christmas? In many places in the world, Christmas is the most popular holiday in the year, especially for Christians. It is very nostalgic for many people—the sights, the sounds, the smells—and time spent with family and friends. Since Canada is in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas comes in the winter season. Thus, we associate Christmas […]

A Fond Farewell to Bev Chambers — Dale Fisher

2016-12-05T20:03:09+00:00December 5th, 2016|Dale Fisher, General Interest, Intercultural Communication|

A FOND FAREWELL TO BEV CHAMBERS We were all sad to hear last spring that Bev Chamber’s husband, Norm, had suffered a stroke, and that Bev had to resign from her position of Administrative Coordinator to care for him. How do we say thank you to Bev Chambers for all she has contributed to CESLM? […]

Dialogue Journals to Improve ESL Writing Fluency—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2016-11-28T22:23:49+00:00November 28th, 2016|Dr. Roswita Dressler, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

Sometimes we tell our students not to worry so much about how accurate their writing is, but to just take risks and write. Then we fall into the trip of correcting their grammar or spelling and we wonder, are we sending the wrong message. While many of our students care about writing correctly, it can […]

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Welcome One Another and Be a ‘Helper’ — Amber Wylie-Moerman

2016-09-05T09:48:18+00:00September 5th, 2016|Amber Wylie-Moerman, General Interest, Intercultural Communication|

I saw a quote recently, posted on Facebook that read, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping’ (Fred Rogers).” We see a lot of scary things in the news lately […]

Blessed in ESL by Earl Stevick—James Edel

2016-06-10T08:58:17+00:00June 10th, 2016|ESL Classroom, ESL Tips, General Interest, James Edel|

Sometimes I think the Professional Development (PD) Day means, for me as a teacher, a day to relax and text a bit, while people talk incessantly about the latest teaching fads, or what the government is currently doing, or which way the pendulum is swinging in our field.  But I was recently rebuked for my disinterest in […]

The Value of Comics for ESL Learners—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2016-05-12T09:30:03+00:00May 12th, 2016|Dr. Roswita Dressler, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

I attended an interesting conference recently on Comics and Contemporary Literacy http://werklund.ucalgary.ca/ldlp/schedule . The speakers were all people who write and draw comic books or graphic novels and the purpose of the conference was to raise awareness as to the strengths of comics as a type of literature that has its own unique characteristics.

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Helping Prepare Adult English Learners for Employment—Dale Fisher

2016-04-29T08:45:36+00:00April 29th, 2016|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

When we meet with adult English learners, questions around employment are always near the surface. Those who do not have a job, know they need to get one. Those who have jobs, want to move beyond their “survival” job, to one that better uses their qualifications and experience.

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With a Song in Your Heart—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2016-02-17T12:47:38+00:00February 17th, 2016|Dr. Roswita Dressler, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

“L-is for the way you look at me”. I heard Michael Bublé serenading our adult beginner ESL class the other night and I thought to myself “what is up?” When I went in, I discovered that our creative and adventuresome teacher had decided to work with a Valentine’s theme and bring in songs for students […]

How to Help Refugees with their English—Dale Fisher

2016-01-19T10:23:49+00:00January 19th, 2016|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips, Intercultural Communication|

Many groups are responding generously to the call to sponsor Syrian refugees. This is wonderful because these people will need this support, guidance and friendship for many years. CESLM can help with this process because we have a wealth of experience and resources to offer. All refugees will be eligible for free LINC classes, unless […]

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Syrian Refugees: How Can We Help

2015-12-01T09:17:14+00:00December 1st, 2015|General Interest, Intercultural Communication|

 The Syrian refugee crisis has been prevalent in the media lately, along with Canada’s response. Our new Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has committed to providing shelter for 25,000 refugees who will arrive in Canada in the coming months. Of these, approximately 2,300 will make Calgary their new home*. Last week, sixteen refugees arrived, reuniting with family they […]

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Spoken Grammar – Dr. Roswita Dressler

2015-11-16T08:01:25+00:00November 16th, 2015|Dr. Roswita Dressler, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips, Intercultural Communication|

“Full sentences, please.” Have you ever been in a language class where the teacher reminded students to speak in full sentences? Have you ever thought about how odd that request actually is? I recently went to a workshop for English as a Second Language teachers where the presenter, Jane Willis, reminded us that spontaneous speech […]

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Be Not Overwhelmed – Dale Fisher

2015-10-19T12:06:33+00:00October 19th, 2015|Dale Fisher, ESL Classroom, ESL Tips|

Two weeks ago, I was listening to several excellent speakers at our Reaching Out With English course. I was inspired by the content and the well thought out presentations. But I also sensed that some of the participants were overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and the realization of how much in involved in […]

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The Golden Road to Being a Canadian Citizen – Adeline Tataille-Knisely

2015-09-10T12:20:01+00:00September 10th, 2015|Adeline Tataille-Knisley, General Interest, Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer|

I’m very humble and feeling blessed to be granted as a Canadian citizen. It wasn’t something that I even hoped for, but in everything God always has a plan for those who believe. Before I met my Canadian husband, I met a Canadian pastor who was willing to invest in me and supported me to […]

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Child of an Immigrant; Mother of an Immigrant—Dr. Roswita Dressler

2015-07-20T10:14:11+00:00July 20th, 2015|Dr. Roswita Dressler, Immigration Stories, Through the Eyes of a Newcomer|

I grew up as a first generation Canadian. My parents came from Germany, met in Canada, got married and had children. Growing up, I had experiences similar to some of my ESL students’ children. I heard two languages, but was English dominant by the time I went to school. I ate different foods at home […]

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