I have chosen to use a variety of online publications as my teaching resources for my practicum. These online resources include English Language Teaching (ELT) websites and reports issued by educational institutions, provincial TESL organizations, and international TEFL associations. I will choose these resources based on my needs as a new teacher and the context of my lessons each week. This will be my first post where I reflect on a teaching resource and, in particular, what I learn from it and how it applies to my teaching context. I will try to apply what I have learned into my lessons each week.

I used a publication from the Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL) called "Sequencing Tasks" as a resource to develop my first two lesson plans. The publication was part of a series called the "ATESL Adult ESL Curriculum Framework." I chose this resource because I thought it would be a helpful guide for structuring and planning the sequence of tasks in my lesson so that the students will have opportunities to develop reading strategies and to practice what they have learned.

The classes that I have been observing and will be teaching in are a part of an English language program. It is not quite an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program because not all of the students are intending to continue in academic studies with instruction in English. Instead, some students participate in the program to hone the skills that they have while immersing themselves in an environment where they are encouraged to speak English in their interactions with others. This provides them with more opportunities to practice using the language that they have learned compared to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) programs in their home countries where the language is less widely used.

The resource helped frame my understanding of the purposes of learning tasks that are used in my practicum setting. It explains that the tasks used in an EAP curriculum have tasks that are designed to prepare learners for success in academic settings. The connection between this purpose of tasks is obvious within the context of the reading and vocabulary class that I am attending as part of my practicum. Reading strategies and a developed vocabulary are necessary if students should decide to pursue further studies at a post-secondary level. However, this connection is less obvious regarding the cultural (conversational) class that I am also attending. Learning local culture helps students adjust to living in a new environment but it usually does not impact their skills in the classroom.. Instead, tasks for this class reflect more of a purpose of helping students become oriented to the Canadian way of life that is shared with tasks used in LINC classrooms.

The resource has also helped me to see the strengths and weaknesses of the content of the textbooks used in the two classes. It provides the following list of requirements that teaching resources and learning materials should have:
a) The materials should be stimulating, current, relevant, meaningful, and connected to the learners’ real-world needs, interests, and future goals.
b) The materials should address learners’ skills, backgrounds, and experiences.
c) The materials should reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints.
d) The materials should be at an appropriate language or benchmark level for the learners.
e) The materials should maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities.
f) The materials should expose learners to “rich, meaningful, and comprehensible input of language in use” and help learners focus on salient features of language.
g) The materials should represent a broad range of material types, including, for instance, a combination of authentic materials, created materials, and/or published materials (pg. 9)

One of the textbooks used in the reading and vocabulary class is called "Vocabulary Power 1." The cover of the book indicates that the purpose of the text is to practice essential words. The words and exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities), and f (the materials provide satisfactory input and help students notice and focus on the most important features of language). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under b (the materials are not particularly relevant to the students' backgrounds and experiences or individual learning styles), c (the materials do not particularly reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints), and g (the materials do not contain any authentic texts).

The other textbook used in the reading and vocabulary class is called "Select Readings." The cover of the book indicates that the book was designed for the pre-intermediate level. The class uses this textbook to teach students reading strategies and provide them with opportunities to use them. The exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), b (the materials address students' reading skills), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities), f (the materials provide satisfactory input and help students notice and focus on the most important features of language), and g (the materials contain authentic texts from sources like newspapers and blogs). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under criterion c (the materials do not particularly reflect multicultural perspectives and viewpoints).

The textbook used in the cultural (conversational) class is called "Culturally Speaking." The class uses this textbook to present culturally-relevant information about Canadian culture and provides students with opportunities to relate the information to their own culture and experiences.The exercises included in the textbook meet most of the objectives under criterion a (the materials are purposeful and connected to students' needs, interests, and future goals), b (the materials reflect learners’ backgrounds and experiences), c (the materials reflect and present opportunities to share multicultural perspectives and viewpoints), d (the materials are appropriate for the high-beginner and/or low-intermediate level), and e (the materials maximize learner involvement and language learning opportunities). However, as a resource, the textbook is somewhat weak at meeting the objectives under criterion f (the materials do not provide a wide range of material types).

The "Sequencing Tasks" publication has also helped me to determine the types of tasks and activities that should be included in lessons and they ways that they can be linked together. It lists three ways that tasks can be sequenced: 1) linked by skill area, learning strategy, or function; 2) combining skill-building and skill-using activities; and 3) practicing skills and developing language proficiency (pg. 13). These ways of sequencing tasks will be examined in the paragraphs below within the context of the two classes.

The tasks and activities in my first lesson plan were connected by skill area (i.e. vocabulary and reading skills), learning strategies (i.e. reading strategies); and by function (i.e. to develop a systematic reading style to improve decoding and comprehension abilities.) Likewise, the tasks and activities in my second lesson plan were also connected by skill area (i.e. speaking and pragmatics), learning strategies (i.e. determining social context), and function (i.e. to help students notice and participate in opportunities for social interaction in Canadian culture.)

The tasks and activities in my first lesson plan were sequenced by combining skill-building (i.e. introducing the concept of the author's purpose and types of texts and practicing analyzing texts as a class) and skill-using activities (i.e. practicing using reading strategies to analyze texts individually and with a partner) and the focus of the lesson was on practicing skills and developing language proficiency in ways that are meaningful for learners (i.e. developing a systematic reading style to improve decoding and comprehension abilities). Likewise, the tasks and activities in my second lesson plan were also sequenced by combining skill-building (i.e. discussing problems and possible solutions and practicing conversations for these situations as a class and with a partner) and skill-using activities (i.e. constructing dialogues and practicing conversations for these situations with a partner) and the focus of the lesson was on practicing skills and developing language proficiency in ways that are meaningful for learners (i.e. to prepare students for real-life situations they may encounter in Canada that are culturally and contextually-appropriate).

The "Sequencing Tasks" publication also explains phases for sequencing tasks and activities. These phases are awareness raising, appropriation, and autonomy. Awareness raising involves introducing a task or activity by first raising students’ awareness of what they need to learn before they can accomplish that task or activity. This may involve introducing students to language skills, forms, functions, vocabulary, and concepts to provide a supporting framework for learners to build their receptive skills (i.e. listening and reading). Appropriation involves using tasks that provide learners with opportunities to build productive skills (i.e. speaking and writing) through practiced control, which requires the support of the teacher and sometimes their peers. Autonomy involves moving students from practice with the target language forms, functions and discrete skills to free practice. In this phase, students use the skills introduced in the lesson independently, without supports from the teacher (pg. 12).

The first lesson plan uses awareness raising in the introduction, presentation, and focused practice stages when the concept of the author's purpose is taught. Students are introduced to features that can help them identify and determine what the author's purpose is. The lesson plan uses appropriation in the focused practice and semi-focused practice stages when students practice identifying the features introduced in the previous stage in texts. Students receive support from the teacher and their peers as they work as a class or with a partner to determine the author's purpose. The lesson plan uses autonomy in the free practice/application stage when students practice identifying and determining the author's purpose individually and provide supporting evidence for their choice without help from their teacher or other students.

The second lesson plan uses awareness raising in the in introduction, presentation, and focused practice stages when the students are introduced to problems that can happen while shopping or after buying something, possible solutions to these problems, and how conversations within this social context are constructed. Students are taught how to discern what information is missing in dialogues and how to include it. The lesson plan uses appropriation in the semi-focused practice stage when students practice identifying the information and features introduced in the previous stages and constructing their own dialogues from fill-in-the-blank templates with a partner. The lesson plan uses autonomy in the free practice/application stage when students practice constructing their own dialogues without the fill-in-the-blank templates as a base.

Overall, this resource has helped me understand the process of adapting materials to suit the needs and abilities of students. I was better able to break the activities apart and build upon them after I read the publication. I feel like I am prepared for my teaching hours now since I understand better how the stages are linked together.


References

Alberta Teachers of English as a Second Language (ATESL). (2011). Sequencing Tasks. ATESL Adult ESL Curriculum Framework. Retrieved from https://www.atesl.ca/resources/atesl-adult-esl-curriculum-framework/

Keith at LSU. Lecture Recording [Online image]. (2011) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lecture_Recording.png