Self-motivation – key factor in successful (adult) education

November 10, 2020 @ 4 pm Edmonton

Self-motivation along with knowing your strengths and weaknesses are key factors in our development, from the first years of life to adulthood and beyond. Changing the workplace, getting married or immigrating to another country shakes our self-trust to the point of denying our ability to function or perform successfully in the new environment.

How many times did we see that happen in our ESL learners? Every time a new type of task is introduced to the learners, or a new teacher greets them, learners relive the “starting over” process and doubt overwhelms them yet again.

Through examples from her teaching career on two continents, Maria will identify what makes our learners doubt themselves and what we, as teachers, instructors and facilitators can do, to help them trust themselves and welcome the new environment with fear of failure.

This is a 90 minute session consisting of a 30-minute presentation followed by a hands-on workshop. The regular fee is $30; special fees are available for previous attendees, as well as for booking multiple sessions. To register, send an email at: mdmillar@telus.net, specifying the name of the session in the subject line.

Teaching Business Communication and Workplace Culture in ELT Programs

November 17, 2020 @ 4 pm Edmonton

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Professionals who immigrate to Canada and that find work soon after their arrival, find it very hard to understand why “my boss gets upset when I call him ‘sir’” or “looking down when I am talked to, upsets my supervisor”. Cultural differences are the most important reason why people lose their jobs or are not able to keep the job for too long.

In all Business Communication for Professionals (BCP) programs Maria taught, she found that the lack of understanding of the cultural differences was the most important factor that prevented these newcomers fit in. In this 90 minute session, Maria will share with you her successes and failures and how she found the balance between using her personal experience and being the “boss” in the classroom as a teaching tool.

This is a 90 minute session consisting of a 30-minute presentation followed by a hands-on workshop. The regular fee is $30; special fees are available for previous attendees, as well as for booking multiple sessions. To register, send an email at: mdmillar@telus.net, specifying the name of the session in the subject line.

Using technology to teach English as a Second Language

December 1, 2020 @ 4 pm Edmonton

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When the COVID pandemic hit, the entire world moved “online”. Teachers, instructors and facilitators scrambled to find the most appropriate online resources to keep their learners engaged in the learning process, sometimes spending long hours online themselves looking for “stuff”. The list of “materials” continues to grow every day and the search for the appropriate materials become a more and more tedious job.

In this workshop, Maria will share a list of tested and sometimes very little known websites, that can be used in the teaching and learning process with (very) little adaptation. The session will focus on those sections of websites that have proved useful to her learners, as well as provide ideas and ready-to-use lessons that she has taught to her learners, before the pandemic.

This is a 90 minute session consisting of a 30-minute presentation followed by a hands-on workshop. The regular fee is $30; special fees are available for previous attendees, as well as for booking multiple sessions. To register, send an email at: mdmillar@telus.net, specifying the name of the session in the subject line.

Improving Learner Self-Confidence in the LINC/ESL Classroom

Self-confidence is something ESL/EAL learners lack when they start the language learning journey. No matter what level they are, self doubt makes them feel that learning English is an uphill battle.  In this webinar, Maria will share some ideas that can help them become more confident and consequently improve faster.  In the first part of the session, we will explore some of the reasons why our learners are struggling and self-doubting while the second part will provide ideas on how to help them overcome the fear of failure so they become self-confident and successful.

Special dates available upon request. Contact Maria for details at mdmillar@telus.net.


“Real World Tasks” in the time of COVID

The COVID pandemic has brought the ESL/EAL in-person learning to a standstill.  Tens of thousands of learners of different CLB levels had to quickly learn to use technology that was never meant for this purpose and thousands of ESL/EAL teachers added a new skill to their resumes: online teaching.  The introduction of the PBLA did not account for a crisis of this magnitude when it started basing teaching on “real world tasks”. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to dim out with the spikes in the number of cases, so online teaching will be the norm for some time to come.

So, how DO we still do the “real word tasks” in an online environment? Through examples and hands-on activities, Maria will help you figure out what the NEW “real world tasks” could look like and how to use them in the classroom, with little change or adaptation after the crisis is gone. This workshop consists of sessions that address a different CLB level and skill set. 

All sessions start at 3 pm MDT (Edmonton). The following dates are available:
Literacy: November 6
CLBs 1-2: November 13
CLBs 3-4: November 20
CLBs 6-7: November 27