82 Context Working with newcomers to Canada who speak little English and are illiterate or semi-literate in their own language places language instruction in a very different context from mainstream LINC training based on the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLBs). Consequently, ECSD LINC’s program has developed two streams – literacy and CLB – and several sub-streams that tailor instruction to learner needs. While CLB students may have only a few words of English when they enter the program, literacy in their own language gives them the concepts and skills related to reading and writing that allow them to acquire English more readily than students who have no such foundation. The key to student placement in the right stream and sub-stream is an effective assessment tool. What Diana and Lauren have been finding is that fine-tuning the tool is an elusive goal. “We’re finding that, although students go to an assessment center to place them in one of the streams, we get mixed results,” Diana said. “After accepting a student into one of the streams, we sometimes find they aren’t a good fit. Lauren and I are currently trying to come up with a new approach to discerning students who should be placed in literacy or CLB classes and what sub-streams are required for literacy learners.” Figuring it out is an exciting challenge for Diana, Lauren, and their colleagues that has huge implications for learner success. In Diana’s and Lauren’s Own Words Diana: Why Only One Day of Online Learning? One of the reasons for preferring only one day of online learning for literacy students is daycare. Monday to Thursday, children are in daycare. On Friday, when the mother is at home to learn online, the children are typically at home, too. This can make it hard to carve out time to do online learning. The technology is also an issue. Many of our students don’t own laptops or tablets, so they have to work with cell phones. From a literacy learning perspective, it’s very hard to see text, graphics, and navigation controls on a tiny screen. Lauren first encountered English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction when volunteering overseas as a high school graduate. When people realized that she spoke English, they would occasionally ask if she would be willing to teach English. As Lauren explains, “In some informal overseas contexts, just speaking English is enough of a credential to teach. Although I didn’t feel fully equipped to do so, I welcomed the challenge, enjoyed the experience, and returned to Canada looking forward to further training in TESL.” When Lauren returned to Canada, she completed a degree in Linguistics at the University of Alberta, followed by a stint as a language researcher. She developed a real love for learning, especially regarding how people learn to speak a language. How do children and infants learn to speak their first language? How do adults learn to speak a second language? That led her to take a Master’s degree in TESL at the University of Alberta, which she completed in 2017. Almost immediately, Lauren was hired by ECSD LINC where she has been working primarily as a literacy instructor ever since. Lauren took on the role of Portfolio Based Language Assessment (PBLA) Lead in 2020. CC-BY-NC-SA 2025 New Language Solutions Avenue Instructor Standards for Technology-Enhanced Language Learning, version 1.2
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