Due to constantly changing workplace demands, language instructors are often expected to include content related to employment in their lessons, even if it is outside of the scope of what is typically covered in an ESL classroom.
To support language instructors and their students’ skills development, we’re developing and piloting a new professional development course for ESL instructors. The course will be the first of its kind in Canada and will introduce a new approach to language learning that integrates Skills for Success (SFS) and contextualizes instruction to the needs of newcomers seeking employment. Twenty instructors will complete the pilot and learn to integrate Skills for Success methodology into curriculum development and language instruction and how to contextualize content to workplace tasks and learners’ employment goals. They will also develop strategies for using authentic workplace documents and scenarios in lessons with minimal preparation time, which will better equip them to teach concepts that may fall outside the regular scope of language instruction, such as navigating complex workplace situations or topics on diversity and inclusion.
Through this pilot, we hope to determine whether this approach to language learning will help instructors contextualize content to learner’s employment needs and increase the transfer of learning in students so that learners develop the skills they need for success in the workplace.