Visit our Web Site:

www.tcdsb.org/adulted

Adult Education Program

Memorandum To: Adult Education Program Staff From: Hanna Cabaj (Coordinator) and Jaime Puentes (Admin Assistant) Continuing Education Department

Vol. 2017/2018 No.259 April 2018

In This Issue

Upcoming Events/Dates

Victoria Day Weekend 1

Annual LINC Survey 1

Volunteer Appreciation Week 1

PBLA 1

New/Important Information

Volunteer Appreciation 2

Outreach Report 3-4

Conferences and Webinars 5

Feature Resource of the Month 4-6

AE Nursery Program 7-8

Employee Related News

Memorial 8

Inserts included this month

April Substitute Lists

Nursery Program PD Day

LINC Learners Survey

2018 Gardening Workshop Series

Upcoming Events/Dates

Victoria Day Long Weekend: May 19-21, 2018

There will be no classes on those days and they resume on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.

Annual LINC Survey

Please find in attachments a summary of the annual LINC learners survey conducted in our programs between the months of November and February of this school year. We thank all staff and learners involved in meeting this contractual obligation.

Volunteer Appreciation Week April 15-21, 2018

As our Board celebrates Volunteer Appreciation Week with all Canadians, we want to take the opportunity to acknowledge the work of Adult Education Program volunteers who make a commitment of their time and effort to provide individual support to those of our adult learners who struggle with reentering the learning environment, face challenges of low education levels or low literacy skills as they deal with a multitude of issues related to their settlement into the new country and community. It is those most vulnerable clients who benefit from the generous contribution of our volunteers. We thank our volunteers for their selfless sharing of time, experience and expertise.

PBLA

PBLA training session 10 will be delivered at the end of April and beginning of May. Separate communication with details has been directed to all. Our PBLA leads are meeting to prepare the details of the training session and the follow up one-on-one supports to staff that will be provided before the summer.

New/Important Information

2018 Volunteer Appreciation Submitted by Justine Jun, Program Consultant

If you would like to request volunteers who can support you and your learners with your class needs and situations, please contact Justine Jun at junj@tcdsb.org. I would like to thank all volunteers who have contributed their valuable time to support our adult ESL/LINC programs. Their passion for helping others and sharing their expertise is truly remarkable. All of them deserve appreciation. Mansoureh Sadat Shahabi has been recognized by our instructors and staff at Mary Ward LINC & ESL Centre for her volunteer work from January 2017 to present in the ESL CLB 5 morning class and ESL CLB 4/5 afternoon class.

Dear Mansoureh, I would like to thank you for volunteering your time at Mary Ward LINC and ESL Centre. Thank you for your efforts and contribution for a job well done. Your willingness to use your time and abilities has made the class more enjoyable, and I always look forward to seeing you on Wednesdays. You showed a real enthusiasm towards teaching, and you also have been an example of care and compassion. With all your time, effort and hard work you have truly been a blessing to this class. With sincere gratitude, Milla Vago

Page 2

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

New/Important Information

Outreach Report for April 2018 Memo Submitted by Kay Ham, Program Consultant

Community Engagements: 1. Newcomer Fair: St. Andrew Catholic School held a Newcomer Night on March 7, 2018 for parents and children from

Kindergarten to Grade 5. TCDSB was represented by Mariana Matti, who was able to speak to many Arabic-speaking parents at the event. Thanks Mariana!!!

2. TCDSB was invited to an Education Fair, organized by Toronto West Local Immigration Partnership, at COSTI Corvetti

Education Centre on March 21, 2018. “ESL for Health Care Professionals” and FSL programs were promoted at this event.

3. Kay met with Community Engagement Coordinator of Next Stop Canada, which provides pre-arrival settlement

services online to youth (12 years of age and older) and adults. As a result of this meeting, our Coursefinder App flyer will be posted on their search platform as well as following each other on Facebook and Twitter. Also requested is a blog post on “Five tips to improve language learning.” It is well established that blogging is the forerunner in increasing presence in Social Media; hence, I would like to tap into your expertise for this task. Do you have any tips? Please send them to Kay Ham at kay.ham@tcdsb.org. Many thanks to you in advance.

4. CLARS City Wide Outreach Campaigns: YMCA of GTA Language Assessment Referral Centre (CLARS) began two

campaigns starting March 26, 2018 (as a result of CLARS Coordinated Outreach Committee meeting reported in December, 2017 Memo):

TTC Outreach Campaign - Advertisements on various TTC media outlets, which include: 100 Transit Shelter

advertisements, 68 TTC station posters, 414 Transit Interior Door Cards and 958 TTC Horizontal Posters on subways, buses and streetcars. The campaign will run between March 26 and May 6, 2018. However, TTC may keep artworks for a longer time if spaces are available. For this campaign, we have created different forms of artwork designs. The focus of all ads will be on learning and improving English and French with some ads including more information on available programs/classes.

Canada Post Neighbourhood Mail Targeted Direct Mail Services Campaign- This campaign ran from March

26 to March 30, 2018. Via Canada Post Service, we will distribute “Improve English, Improve French” brochures to 22,000 households located in 21 postal codes, in the city of Toronto (during the November-2017 Campaign we distributed Learn English, Learn French brochures).

To ensure the effectiveness of this outreach campaign, we have targeted houses and apartments located within 21 postal codes in the City of Toronto (82% apartments and 18% houses). To reach out to the targeted population, we have worked with Canada Post’s Neighbourhood Mail, Targeted Direct Mail Service and conducted extensive research on various available sources which includes but is not limited to the following:

• Canada Post Precision Targeter • City of Toronto (Neighbourhood Profiles and Social Atlas 2016 Maps) • CLARS Centre Density Maps • Statistics Canada

Page 3

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

New/Important Information

Outreach Report for April 2018 Memo

Social Media:

I would like to ask for your continuous support by sending photos and/or videos of classroom activities or events. Please refer to the Social Media insert in the November, 2017 Memo and encourage your learners to follow us as well as post pictures or tweets individually.

Our Social Media handles are: Facebook: @TorontoAdultEducation Instagram: @TorontoAdultEducation Twitter: @AdultEdTCDSB REQUEST: In order to strengthen our presence in the social media platforms, more videos and pictures are needed. Please send them to kay.ham@tcdsb.org. Please ensure that everyone in the photo(s) has signed a photo release consent form BEFORE sending the photo(s) to facilitate speedier posting.

Upcoming Events:

1. Itinerant Services at Chesswood Employment and Social Services Office is scheduled to start on April 24, 2018 at its new location, Yorkgate Mall (1 York Gate Boulevard). This location is much closer to our Northwest Cluster (Norfinch, John Booth, Driftwood, St. Jane Frances).

Tips for Classroom Instructors

Featured Resources of the Month Submitted by Justine Jun, Program Consultant

CLB Levels: Literacy / CLB 0 / CLB 1 This is the continuation of featured resources for lower level learners (Literacy – CLB 1).

Newer Resources:

1. Ventures Basic Literacy Workbook (CD) (Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, July 2013) ISBN – 978-1107668591 Ventures series is widely used by ESL/LINC instructors. The Literacy Workbook particularly suits literacy level learners.

2. Foundations (Pearson Education ESL, 2nd Edition, 2006) ISBN – 978-0131731448

Foundations Activity Workbook (CD) (Pearson Education ESL, 2nd Edition, 2007) ISBN – 978-0132275552 This resource has been recommended by Paul Han at Goldhawk Library. It has a thematic sequence that facilitates the contexts of the target language to teach, with essential life skill vocabulary appropriate for low beginning English level learners. This vocabulary is repeatedly used and practiced in simple dialogues and integrated skills activities throughout the book. Its colorful photos and illustrations are an added enticing feature. Grammar lessons are subtly embedded in a variety of activities. This textbook is highly recommended.

Page 4

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

Tips for Classroom Instructors 3. Phonics Pathways; Clear Steps to Easy Reading and Perfect Spelling (Jossey-Bass A Wiley Imprint,

www.josseybass.com, 10th Edition, 2011) ISBN – 978-1-118-02243-6 (Paper), ISBN – 978-1-118-03721-8 (ebook) This resource is designed for all age learners, including those with learning disabilities, such as dyslexia and short attention spans. It is organized by sound and spelling patterns. Each letter is introduced with multiple pictures of words beginning with each sound. Every sound and letter are built into words, syllables, phrases and sentences. Plenty of example words, word lists, and practice reading materials are offered. A multisensory method is used to address all learning styles. If you’re looking for a little more educational and sophisticated phonics book, this is a great source.

4. Literacy Leaders; 10-minute lessons for Phonological Awareness (Educators Publishing Service, Cambridge and

Toronto, 2008) ISBN – 978-0-8388-2699-7

This resource is based on long term research studies: the ability to read and spell is directly related to a learner’s “phonological awareness,” or understanding that words are made up of sounds and an ability to manipulate the sounds. This book follows a systematic order based on their research. Images are not included, so this resource may look dull. However, rather than a textbook, it is recommended to use this text as a reference. Each chapter includes (1) Rhyme Providing; (2) Rhyme categorization; (3) Sound Providing; (4) Sound Categorization (including syllables, initial sounds, vowel sounds, final sounds); (5) Blending (including compound words, syllables, onset and rime); (6) Segmentation (including sentences, syllables, phonemes); (7) Deletion (including compound words, syllables, phonemes); (8) Substitution (including compound words, syllables, initial sounds, vowel sounds, final sounds); (9) Mixed Practice. It is a good book to refer to in order to plan a series of pronunciation and spelling lessons. The best thing about this book is that it provides ample sound and spelling samples.

Still Useful Resources:

1. From Sound to Sentence; Basic Literacy and Spelling, Phonics and Sight Words (2 CDs) (Prolingua Associates, 2007) ISBN – 0-86647-251-7

The sounds of English and their various spellings are introduced in groups throughout the 14 units. Sounds of English letters, spellings, words, numbers and words in sentences, stress, rhythms are introduced in context. Students can practice plenty of listening, reading, and writing activities by words, phrases, sentences, and dialogues. Dictations are provided as well.

2. Sounds Easy! Phonics, Spelling, and Pronunciation; Photocopiable Exercises for Grades Five to Adult (Alta Book Center Publishers, 2002) ISBN – 978-1-882483-86-0

This resource was created for English learners with minimal academic backgrounds. Although there are no charts, explanations, or diagrams, there are plenty of pictures and keywords throughout the text. The English alphabet and its sound system are taught concurrently with building active vocabulary, listening, and oral communication skills.

Page 5

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

Tips for Classroom Instructors

3. Literacy Plus A; Language, Lifeskills, Civics (Longman, 2003) ISBN – 0-13-099610-6

This is a textbook for absolute beginners and literacy level learners. It offers a lot of pictures and basic handwriting skill practice in letters, numbers and words.

4. LINC Literacy Employment Resource; A Support Document for the LINC Literacy Component (TCDSB, 2000)

Tutela.ca; Resources; LINC Literacy Employment Resource, 2000 – A Support Document for the LINC Literacy Component

This reproducible resource is for ESL Literacy learners with little to no formal education in their first language and are about a CLB 1. The materials are fully ready for ESL/LINC instructors to use in class. The resource is available for free download. Check it out. It can help literacy learners develop, practice, and reinforce literacy skills and strategies, with a focus on employment related vocabulary.

Conferences/Webinars Upcoming Conference

Saturday May 26: TESL Ontario Spring Conference (TOSCON18), at Victoria University, University of Toronto. Registration opens in April. Visit https://toscon18.wordpress.com for more details.

Upcoming Webinars (free)

Visit Tutela to register for the webinars below. Webinars with a star are for TESL Ontario members, who also join the TESL Ontario group on Tutela.

*Sunday April 22, 8-9 pm: Teaching Intercultural Awareness and Communication (Yecid Ortega)

Monday April 23, 7-8 pm: Using Google Forms to Administrate Various Assessment Tasks (Nasren Elsageyer)

*Sunday April 29, 7-8 pm: Google's Blogspot for e-Porfolios and Classroom e-cosystem (Joseph Ng)

Monday April 30, 3-4 pm: Workforce Participation - Resources that combine essential, skills, language and culture (Sue Oguchi, Cindy Messaros)

Thursday May 17, 8-9 pm: Colossal Failures and Amazing Successes: Mobile Devices it eh ESL Classroom (Cindi Jones)

*Sunday May 27, 7-8 pm: Simplifying Literacy Assessment Tasks (Adrienne Horvath Cortes, Alison Wilson, Serena Reis)

Page 6

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

AE Nursery Program

Things to stop saying to your child and what to say instead Submitted by Dallia Aziz, Nursery Instructor at Mary Ward LINC & ESL Centre

Current research shows that some of the most commonly used and seemingly positive phrases we use with children have adverse impacts. Despite our good intentions, these statements teach children to stop trusting their internal guidance system. Here are a few examples of things to eliminate from your vocabulary. We have also included alternatives to replace these habitual statements with phrases that will actually encourage intrinsic motivation/emotional connection.

1 "Good job!" The biggest problem with this statement is that it is often said repeatedly and for things a child has not really put any effort into. Instead try, “You really tried hard on that!”. That way they learn that the effort is more important than the results. Children will be more persistent when they undertake a difficult task and see failure as just another step toward success. 2 "You are so smart!" When we tell children they are smart, we think we are helping to boost their self- confidence and self-esteem. Giving this kind of character praise can actually do the opposite. By telling children they are smart, we unintentionally send the message that they are only so when they get the grade, accomplish the goal, or produce the ideal result and that is a lot of pressure for a young person to live up to.

Studies have shown that by telling children they are smart after they have completed a puzzle, they are less likely to attempt a more difficult puzzle after. Instead, try telling children that you appreciate their effort, rather than the result and let them know what really counts. Those same studies showed that when we focus on the effort by saying for example “Wow you really tried hard on that!”, children are far more likely to attempt a challenging puzzle the next time.

3 “Good boy (or girl)!” This statement, while said with good intentions, actually has the opposite effect you are hoping for. Most parents say this as a way to encourage or improve a child’s self-esteem. Unfortunately, it has quite a different effect. When children hear “good boy/girl!” after performing a task you have asked them for, they assume that they are only “good” because they did what you asked. That sets up a scenario in which children can become afraid of losing their status as a “good kid” and their motivation to cooperate becomes all about receiving the positive feedback they are hoping for.

Instead, try “I appreciate it so much when you cooperate!” This gives children real information about what you are wanting and how their behaviour impacts your experience. You can even say something like, “I saw you share your toy with your friend.” This allows children to decide for themselves whether sharing is “good” and lets them choose to repeat the action from their internal motivation, rather than doing it just to please you.

4 “If you _____ then I’ll give you _____”

Bribing children is equally destructive as it discourages them from cooperating simply for the sake of ease and harmony. This kind of exchange can become a slippery slope if used frequently. “No! I won’t clean my room unless you buy me Legos!”. Instead try, “Thank you so much for helping me clean up!”. When we offer our genuine gratitude, children are motivated to continue to help. And if your child has not been very helpful lately, remind him of a time when he was. “Remember a few months ago when you helped me take out the trash? That was such a big help. Thanks!”. Then allow your child to come to the conclusion that helping is fun and rewarding. Acknowledgement: https://lifehacker.com/

Page 7

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

AE Nursery Program

A car parking numbers game Submitted by Naomi Paramanantham, Nursery Program Consultant.

To make learning numbers fun

Use a shallow box for the parking lot base, cutting a ramp into one edge so that the cars could “drive” in. Then take number stickers to label the cars and draw the same number of parking spaces onto the base of the box. Call out each number for your child to pick up a car and help him if he can’t find where to park it. This is such an easy activity to set up and to get a lot of use out of it.

Acknowledgement: B-InspiredMama on Pinterest and Craftulate.com

Employee Related News

Memorial

Let us remember in our prayers the soul of: Panagiotis "Peter" Stathopoulos, who passed away on March 24, 2018.

He was the father of Cristina Stathopoulos, Nursery Program Consultant & Substitute Instructor for the ESL Program.

Page 8

To: Adult Education Program Staff

From: Hanna Cabaj, Continuing Education Department

Submission to:

Jaime Puentes

Adult Education Program

80 Sheppard Avenue E.

416-222-8282 Ext. 2513

Fax: 416-512-4992

Email:

puentej@tcdsb.org