1. Back to/from the Future:
Reflections of Selected English Learners and Teachers in Canada
Joseph Ng and Hala Bastawros
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2. Random facts before the ramble begins:
Welcome to Canada,
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● Umbrella body: TESL Canada
● Largest conference: TESL Ontario
Conference, 1,500 of 4,600 members
● Pop. + immigration: 35 million +
250,000 p.a., by year 2025
approaching 40 million
● PRs born: China 12.8%,Philippines
12.7%, India 11.2%, Pakistan 3.9%,
USA 3.7%, France 3.2%, Iran 2.5%
● <20 immig: Am. Samoa, Marshall Is,
Tuvalu, Vanuatu, San Marino
● Internet users per 100: Canada 18th,
behind Iceland, Bermuda, Japan, etc.
3. The Future? Tell Us!
tinyurl.com/year2025
2025: What’s the Way
to the Future?
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4. Agenda
1. Dreaming the Future
1. What the Presenters Think Administrators, Teachers, TESL Trainees, and Learners
Might Think About the Future
2. What the Above Really Think
2. Digging the Past
1. Classical and Communicative towards the Integrative
2. CALL and MALL
3. Directing the Present
1. Classroom Management: Blogger--PC and Mobile; Skype
2. Lesson Delivery: Google Forms, Dictation Triptychs, Flipped Classrooms
3. Assessment: e-Portfolios, Task-based
4. Alumni Community: FB and LinkedIn
4. AUDIENCE INPUT
1. Survey Review
2. Rotten Tomatoes
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5. 1. Dreaming the Future
What we presenters dream for the
future of ESL:
● Physical classrooms with
adequate technology
● More secured jobs
● Better fundings
● Tighter discipline and policies in
the classroom
● Unionization for ESL teachers
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6. What they actually thought
A total of 41 respondents from
a variety of federally funded
LINC programs (SURVEY LINK)
● 1 administrator, 3 trainee
teachers, 10 classroom and
distance-learning teachers,
and 27 students on a
freezing February week
● Gracious assistance of UofT’
s Prof. Soo Min Toh
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9. What some Canadians think
Mostly teachers
and trainees
against paper
handouts,
learners the
opposite
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10. 6- Do you think that most teachers will be from different
international backgrounds? Why?
Yes, because it can
teach student better.
For beginner it is easy
to study,
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I don't believe that
background should have
anything to do with
whether or not someone is
hired as a language
teacher, as for any job. It
should be based on skills,
requirements of the job,
and organizational fit.
11. 7- Are teachers important or can they be substituted by
robots or computers? Why and why not?
Teachers have more
skills and they can
discuss with you
otherwise robots or
computers are only
machines they can't
reach to my learning
skills goals. 11
A teacher in person
will always be
important as part of
the class. …
Conversation must be
practiced in a group
of living beings, a real
social environment.
12. 8- How do you see technology advance 10 years from now
What do you think its impact is on classrooms?
Technology is a tool.It
can help people but
can not substituent
people.
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Technology ... would
make classrooms more
environmental
friendly (and cost
effective) and …
accessible after
school hours.
13. 9- Do we still need to offer ESL classes? Give 2 reasons for
your answer.
yes because, 1.- In
any time there are
many persons wanting
learn english ...
especially here in
Canadá 2. - ... the
most important
language in business 13
The need is driven by
immigration policy. If
we continue to
welcome 250,000+
newcomers a year,
then the need will be
there ...
14. 10- What do you see different in classrooms 10 years from
now? List 3 differences.
1.More teach active
through internet. 2.
Every student use
smartphone. 3.The
schedule of study can
change by student
request.
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1. International
teachers replaced by
Canada-born. 2.
Technology to play a
significant role in ESL
classroom. 3. ESL
classes minimized due
to funding cuts.
15. 11- What could make it easier for someone to learn
English as a second language in Canada in the coming 10
years?
Maybe a rule should
be made that a
teacher have to teach
a limit students. I
believe that less
students, more easer
for someone to ESL.
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More field trips or
communication with
native speakers of
English outside and
during the hours of
the classroom. Having
native speaker ''pen
pals'' ...
16. What some Canadians think
7 votes, all
learners
17 votes, mostly
teachers/trainees
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17. What some Canadians think
More
Jobs!
3x
Teacher
Benefits!
3x
ESL PR,
Recruitment
3x
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18. Any patterns?
Further analysis of
data (along lines of
residence in Canada,
sex, age, etc.)
hesitated at due to
paucity of samples, so
lack of statistical
significance 18
But two concerns
seem to have
emerged:
1. Technology
2. Pedagogy
19. Not overly earthshaking?
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Not entirely unexpected:
“Teachers’ IT use seems to be motivated
largely by utilitarian reasons, followed by
a variety of pedagogical benefits.” (Arnold
2007)
Nike Arnold. 2007. Technology-Mediated Learning 10 Years Later: Emphasizing Pedagogical or Utilitarian Applications? Foreign
Language Annals. VOL. 40, NO. 1 p. 161
20. 2. Digging the Past
Those who do not
remember the past
are condemned to
repeat it.
George Santayana
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21. The Typical 3 Phases
History of ESL Pedagogy/Androgogy
1. Grammar Translation Method
2. Direct Method
3. Communicative Language Teaching (CLT)
Multiple accounts of history
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22. Technology as Driver
History of CALL
1. Mainframes, Univ of Illinois’ PLATO: Drills
1960s - 1980s
2. PCs, CD-ROMs: Games 1980s - ???
3. Web 2.0, MALL: Tasks, role plays 2000s???
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23. Technology as Driver
History of MALL (Mobile-Assisted LL)
1. Ohio State profs’ teacher hotline 1980s
2. BYU’s Hawaii - Tonga on tel/comp 1990s
3. “First mobile phone language-learning
service” (http://www.language2yourphone.com/) (Wiki) already
defunct?
4. Yet “Transforming Your Classroom With
Mobile Learning” by Susan Blanco - next!
“MALL remains marginal … [but] the necessary technological base and
pedagogical expertise are in place” 23
24. The Canadian Experience
1. Must surely include the controversial
residential schools, late 1800s - 1900s
2. Succeeding waves of immigrants and students
3. Language Instruction for Newcomers to
Canada (LINC) program since 1992
4. CLB2012 - Benchmarked,task-based language
instruction
5. PBLA2014 - Portfolio-Based Language
Assessment 24
25. 3. Directing the Present
Some attempts in the
hood to follow the
compass, both
technologically and
pedagogically
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26. Within and Beyond the 4 Walls
1. Classroom Management: Blogger--PC and Mobile; Skype
Using Blogger.com for Classroom Management:
● Teacher creates a Class Blog, assigns daily tasks to the students on it, and then teaches the
students to create their own blogs to be linked to the class blog for teacher/peer editing and
evaluation.
● Students in multiple campuses can check it asynchronously from their phones using the free
Blogger app.
● Distance-learning students Ontario- and Canada-wide already learn in the convenience of their
homes through screen sharing with their teachers via Skype.
● Can leverage “the reciprocal relationship between technology and TBLT” (Lai and Li 2011:512)
http://425window.blogspot.ca/
http://welinc.blogspot.ca/
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27. Language and Work-
Related Resources
Students’
Blogs/ E-
portolios
Task-based,
Benchmarked
Assessment for
Student E-portfolio
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28. Ski outing
Remembrance Day shot by a student
Class policies,
language-learning
resources, alumni
network, etc.
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32. Google Forms:
As assessment in the classroom is divided into
formative (ongoing throughout the term) and
summative (end of term), a great tool for the latter
offering cloud-based storage convenience, cost
savings, easy modification, and efficiency is Google
forms, Once captured on spreadsheet by Google
Forms, the data is graded for achievement level and
exported for institutional archival purposes on an
Excel worksheet and secured. 32
35. Dictation Triptychs:
Beyond mere jigsaw activities of yesteryear, how’
bout round triptych it for ya? To manage the
classroom in a more innovative manner and teach
vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar using an
interesting and creative method, here’s our very own
Canadian dictation triptych, combining something old
(e.g. dictation, spelling) with something “new”
(highly CLT). 35
37. Flipped Classrooms:
Students are given tasks and time to ''teach
themselves'' new skills/info/tasks in the morning
before going back to class for interactive T-guided
practice, production, and role plays of what they have
learned.
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38. It Takes a Global Village
Alumni Community: FB and Linked
Beyond Tasks
❖ Field trip management
❖ Alumni association
❖ Resource centre for after-hours self-help
❖ Class policies
❖ Beyond Blogs: in-class bonding, LinkedIn,
❖ Facebook!
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41. So What Are Some Lessons?
1. Applying Santayana’s dictum to TESOL and
other disciplines:
Kelly’s history led back to the earliest known records of language teaching to
a time when it was viewed as integral with the study of science, philosophy,
art and literature. I take this inspiration from the past and hope I have
illustrated that innovation in English language teaching will come when it
reconnects with its history and with other fields of knowledge. (Riches 82)
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42. So What Are Some Lessons?
2. Based on the results of our tiny poll, Canadian
teachers themselves, “after you,” have a
limited role in pointing out the future.
a. Technophobia? Teachers don’t seem to have too much
knowledge and imagination, esp. in tech areas;
students far less.
b. Here’s a SHOUT OUT: Universities (or their famous
dropouts) and angels/VCs may be better placed to take
the lead, nurture, or partner. 42
43. So What Are Some Lessons?
3. What will it be like in 2025?
a. Funded by Blackberry-Back-to-Life, eh?
b. Holographic “exolingual” (Zheng et al. 2009) class
attendance, role plays, etc.?
c. TESOL wearables? “Help, honey! I’m hearing things!”
d. Blended, customized semi-robotic teachers?
Composite profile built from intake assessment--e.g.
a Russian accent-reducing, non-Canadian-raising,
homemaker/ECE-content-able, MALL-ready, 15,000- 43
44. Audience Feedback
1. So, join us, eh? How did the live vote go?
a. Clicked to submit yet?
b. View Analytics
c. Original SURVEY LINK (Analytics)
2. Q&A / H2
S Time!
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