HELLO
LEARNERS!
This section has information to help
adult English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners find the right EAL
program. It also has information to
tell learners about the goals of adult EAL instruction in Manitoba and some of
the beliefs about good language teaching and learning practices.
In addition, this section has information about the Canadian Language
Benchmarks and information about the level of English that is suggested for some
trades, professions and courses. It
has information about language assessment practices in adult EAL classes.
It also has suggestions for practising English on your own
Self
Study Ideas (PDF 360kb).
GOALS
OF ADULT ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE (EAL) IN MANITOBA
The
goals of Adult EAL instruction in Manitoba are to assist learners to:
·
develop
communicative competence in EAL; and
·
acquire
necessary, appropriate and timely settlement information
to pursue their personal, academic, and employment goals and live lives
of dignity and purpose in Canada.
BELIEFS
ABOUT GOOD LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING
Newcomers come to Manitoba with
different educational and language learning experiences.
They also have different goals and needs.
·
Some learners know a lot of English when they
arrive in Canada; some learners do not know any English.
·
Some learners learned English in school in
another country; some learners learned English conversation in refugee camps.
·
Some learners have many years of formal
education; some learners were not able to go to school when they were children.
·
Some beginners need to learn English to help
them find a job; some advanced learners need to learn about Canadian English and
culture, or need to develop a more Canadian-like pronunciation of English.
·
Some learners are moms with pre-schoolers and
can only learn English part-time right now; others are seniors who want to learn
English with people their own age.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Adult EAL
teachers in Manitoba know that newcomers want to be able to use English in their
daily lives in the community, at school and at work.
Newcomers want to do many
things in English. For example, they
want to able to apply for jobs, read the newspaper, talk to neighbours, ask
questions, find information, discuss opinions, talk to the doctor, explain
things to customers or clients, read textbooks and pay utility bills.
Learning to use English to get things done is more important than
learning about the rules about English. Adult
EAL teachers believe good teaching and learning requires the following:
Teachers should
·
Find out the needs and goals of the learners
and plan lessons to meet those needs and goals;
·
Teach learners how to do different types of
language tasks and give them lots of opportunities to practice those tasks;
·
Use a variety of real materials, such as
application forms, bills, signs, flyers, memos, instruction manuals,
directories, schedules, labels, etc. in their teaching as well as other language
learning resources and textbooks;
·
Teach the grammar and vocabulary that is needed
for each language task because teaching grammar in tasks is more effective than
teaching grammar as a separate subject;
·
Assess how learners are doing everyday in
communicating in English because this is more important than how they do on a
test;
·
Help learners understand their language
learning strengths and problems and help learners become independent language
learners; and
·
Provide learners with an official progress
report of their language learning.
Learners should
·
Take responsibility for their own language
learning;
·
Learn about their language learning strengths
and problems;
·
Set language learning goals;
·
Attend language classes regularly, do homework
and practise English outside the class. Learners
who try to use English outside the classroom will learn English faster than
learners who only use English in class.
·
Organize and date language learning material in
a binder and review it often;
·
Listen to and watch English speakers outside of
class;
·
Try to copy Canadian pronunciation because good
grammar and vocabulary are not enough if people cannot understand your
pronunciation;
·
Learn about Canadian cultural practices and
expectations in the community, workplace or school;
·
Learn about the Canadian
Language Benchmarks; and
·
Monitor and assess their progress.
THE CANADIAN
LANGUAGE BENCHMARKS
The
Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB)
is the national standards document of English language proficiency.
It describes 12 levels of what people can do in English in four skill
areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In
Manitoba, the CLB is used as the basis
for adult EAL curriculum, teaching and assessment.
It is also used increasingly by employers, colleges and university, and
profession and trade organizations to describe recommended language skills and
levels. You can download a report
that summarizes the courses, programs, occupations and tests that have been
benchmarked in Manitob. See: Canadian
Language Benchmarks: A Summary of Courses, Programs, Occupations and Tests that
have been Benchmarked in Manitoba in September 2003 (pdf, 178KB).
For more
information about the CLB visit the
Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks web site at www.language.ca.
If you
want to begin to assess your language skills, you can use the information on the
CLB posters to help you decide what
your CLB level might be. Canadian
Language Benchmarks 2000 posters text version (Word document 108KB)
COLLABORATIVE LANGUAGE PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT
In Canada,
portfolios
are used in many schools, workplaces and professions to show what someone has
learned to do. Portfolios hold
samples of tasks that people can do.
Portfolios
are also used in adult EAL classes. Learners’
progress will be assessed using collaborative language portfolio assessment
based on the CLB.
In collaborative language portfolio assessment, the learner collects
samples of their language tasks and classroom test results throughout their
program. At times during the course,
the teacher and learner examine and discuss the portfolio collection.
They discuss the learner’s language strengths and problems.
The portfolio lets the learner and teacher see the improvement the
learner has made during the course. The
CLB levels that the learner receives
on their final report are based on the material in the learner’s portfolio.
The portfolios are the responsibility of
the learners. Teachers guide
learners in selecting samples of their language tasks for their portfolios. They
help learners to assess their own language regularly, to set goals and make
plans for ongoing language learning.
When a student leaves a Manitoba adult
EAL program, he/she will receive a progress report from the teacher indicating CLB
levels attained. If a student leaves the program before the end of the term,
he/she can ask for a progress report.
A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS
Manitoba
has a variety of programs, services and resources for adults who want to learn
English as an Additional Language or develop Canadian English language
communication skills. Learners are
referred to the program in their region that can best meet their needs and
goals. All the programs use the
Canadian Language Benchmarks to assess learners, develop lessons and report to
learners. You can get information
about specific programs on this web site. See
the quick links on the right-hand side of this page.
In
Winnipeg, newcomers first join the ENTRY Program.
The ENTRY program is a four-week program that provides some essential
settlement and employment information as well as some key language skills.
While learners are in the ENTRY program, an appointment is made for a
Canadian Language Benchmarks placement test with the English Language Assessment
Centre at 500 – 213 Notre Dame Avenue. For
more information see Winnipeg Programs (http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/immigrate/learningenglish/1_1.html#top)
WAIT LISTS
After the
learner’s placement test, the learner will be referred to an adult EAL
program. Some programs have
continuous intake and some programs have set start and finish dates for each
term. At this time, many of
the programs have wait lists. Learners
are placed on the wait list for their preferred program according to the
following priority:
·
Convention refugees (government and/or
privately-sponsored convention refugees within their first year of arrival;
·
Newcomers to the country (here less than 6
months)
·
Individuals at CLB
level 1 in listening and speaking
·
Learners not presently in a program
Learners
can be on more than one wait list. Wait times vary depending on available seats
at the location and level of the preferred program.
ATTENDANCE
Learners
are expected to attend EAL classes regularly.
Regular attendance is very important for language learning progress.
Also, because there are waitlists for many classes, it is important that
space in classes is not taken by absent learners.
Learners who do not attend regularly are asked to withdraw from the
program. They may reapply, but will
go on a wait list and re-entry will depend on various factors, such as length of
time in the program, commitment, etc.
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