Igniting Passion in ESL Teaching: Strategies for Success
Roz Weitzman
?? Empowering Newcomers to Succeed in Canada ?? English Language Skills for Work & Daily Life ??
Are you looking for ways to improve the quality of our learner’s performance?
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As ESL teachers, we are always looking for ways to reach our students.
And being an ESL teacher, it was interesting for me to be a learner of Chinese myself -- and I found this accurate for what I experienced in my Chinese as a Second Language learning too.
"Common Ground" by Florencia Henshaw, a teacher educator and classroom teacher and Maris Hawkins, a classroom teacher, is like the cool friend that helps language teachers get the lowdown on all the juicy bits of second language acquisition (SLA).
Think of it as your trusty sidekick in the world of teaching languages!
Here's the scoop on some of the key concepts you will find inside:
It's basically the idea that we learn languages best when we're thrown into the deep end with just enough to keep our heads above water.
Dive in, the linguistic water's fine!
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This one's all about getting out there and making a linguistic mess.
Don't worry about making mistakes; it's all part of the process!
Only when I got out of my own imposter syndrome and decided to talk as much as I could did I start to make headway in my own Chinese language acquisition.
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Picture this: language learning is like a lively conversation at a bustling café.
The more you chat, negotiate, and connect, the more you learn.
I didn’t worry about what my Chinese friends thought of my speaking, I just spoke…as much as I could.
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It's like having a little grammar cop inside your brain, keeping an eye on your language use and giving you a nudge when you slip up.
Don't worry, they're friendly!
Some of my Chinese friends we kind and gentle and made an effort to ignore my bad grammar and pronunciation and listen for the big idea of what I was saying.
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Ah, the emotional rollercoaster of language learning.
Buckle up and get ready for a wild ride of anxiety, motivation, and everything in between.
Once I got over all of my reluctance to sound like a ‘fool’ did I really progress!
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Ever spotted a cool new word or phrase and thought, "Hey, that's neat"?
That's your brain's way of saying, "Hey, let's learn this!"
This happened to me. I really got into Chinese common phrases and sentences that sounded so cool to me and got a cool charge from my friends.
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It's like speaking a language that's a funky mix of your native tongue and the one you're learning.
Embrace the quirks and keep on linguistically adventuring!
So true. The charge was that I could be understood even though I was not perfect at Chinese.
If this catches your attention, you can read this blog post about it too. https://frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2022/02/book-review-common-ground-second.html?
So there you have it!
"Common Ground" is like the ultimate cheat sheet for language teachers, filled with quirky concepts and practical tips to spice up your teaching game. ??