Reflection+of+ESL+class+in+Toronto

Reflection on ESL class in Toronto I observed an ESL C reading class in my host school here. My host teacher gave his class some handouts about elements of literature and asked each student to pick a book from the library. Students were required to give a presentation on the plot summary and analysis of literary elements. My host teacher gave each presenter prompt feedback and encouragement after the presentation. Classes here are much more interactive and challenging compared to that of Hong Kong. We do have extensive reading scheme(ERS) in Hong Kong secondary schools. However, students only need to answer some true/false and multiple choice questions related to the story or write one paragraph of the plot summary. They are not required to analyse the text critically and are not given the chance to share their thoughts with teacher nor their peers. Hong Kong teachers rarely give students feedback. The usual practice is to collect students’ ERS books once or twice a month and put down the word ‘seen’. Students who do not enjoy reading /do not like English may lack incentive. They may just copy the summary from the back cover of the book. I find the approach adopted by my host teacher particularly useful to deal with the issue. Book presentation provides opportunities for students to practice critical thinking and oral English. Plus, teachers’ feedback and encouragement can be a source of motivation for learners to read. In Hong Kong, English dictation usually consists of 2 parts – seen and unseen. Teachers generally read out a seen reading passage from the textbook for junior form students while senior form students have to recite the passage on their own. For the unseen part, teachers would read it once first so students can get a general idea of the passage. Then, teachers will read it once slowly. English dictation in Hong Kong focuses on spelling and punctuation. I observed that my host teacher in Canada had dictation with his class in a different way. Prior to dictation, he highlighted key vocabulary items with students and went through their meaning. During dictation, he first read the vocabulary items and students had to write down the correct spelling. Then, students were asked to write down the meaning of the vocabulary items in their own words. Finally, students had to use each vocabulary item to form a sentence. I think that English dictation in Toronto is more purposeful. It can test whether or not students understand how to use the word to create meaning. I will incorporate this practice into my teaching.