Voices of English as a Second

Language: A Resource Review

By: Rosa Di Giovanni, Kayla Mulroy, and Jonathan Lambert
(OISE/UT, June 2014)

Presentation Outline
O Most appropriate audience and context of the
resource
O Overview of content
O A video excerpt from the resource
O Approach to language teacher education
reflected in the resource
O Description and outcomes of one activity
O Commentary on quality of the resource



Most appropriate audience and
context of the resource
Audience:
O Pre-service teachers and ESL teachers becoming
familiar with pedagogy
O Especially in-service teachers infusing ESL pedagogy
in their classrooms and schools
O Primary, middle, and senior school teachers

Context:
O Teacher education and teacher training programs
O School libraries in order to be used as a resource by
teachers working with culturally and linguistically
diverse students


Overview of content
O Consists of 4 videos and 4 companion guides
O 3 videos and their companion guides correspond
with school levels (i.e., primary, middle, senior)
and 1 video and its guide is a compilation
O Each video has themes (e.g., immigrant and refugee
experiences) and activities that accompany
these themes
O Activities are flexible and meet a range of
professional development needs
Overview of content
O The aim of the guide is to raise awareness and
improve teachers daily practice with students
learning English
O Each guide is divided into questions, such as How do
ESL students shape their identities?
O Each guide has a list of resources, e.g., titles of books,
journal articles and videos, websites, and discussions
questions
Overview of content
O The resources activities are organized into three types:
- individual and group activities (e.g., textbook analysis to
look at content from an ESL perspective)
- in-class activities (e.g., a questionnaire activity that
assists in creating a collaborative network among
students)
- personal reflection activities (e.g., a timeline activity on
a teachers language history and experience, an I Am
Poem)
Overview of content
O Each guide has different activities, with overlap
O Videos consist of interviews with students and
teachers
O Can be used on its own as an info resource
O Can be used as a workshop tool

Video Excerpt
(Approx. 3 min.)
This video is also online at
http://eslinfusion.oise.utoronto.ca/UserFiles/Image/Streamed_Vid_
Resource/ESL%20Infusions%

Approach to language teacher
education reflected in the
resource
Wallaces (1995) three models of teacher education
Wallaces (1995) approaches to language teacher
education and Voices of English
Description and outcomes of
an activity




By Rosa (June 2014)
By Jon (June 2014)




By Kayla (June 2014)
Commenting on the quality of
the resource
Cummins (2009) criteria for quality:

Commenting on the quality of
the resource
Adequacy
The guides claims and categories are consistent with
the empirical data generated via research
e.g., descriptions include introduction to Cummins
(1979) BICS and CALP
e.g., activities build from Dei and Callistes (2000)
distinction between Multicultural Education and Anti-
racist Education

The videos showcase the testimonies of K-12 students
and the practioner knowledge of K-12 teachers



Commenting on the quality of
the resource
Usefulness
The resource includes a range of creative, practical activities that
teachers can use in diverse ways.

While promoting teacher learning, the videos model teacher-
student interaction and dialogue which pre-service teachers can
learn from.

The guides and videos are audience specific, e.g., primary teachers
can target materials specific for primary school classrooms.

The resource can be used flexibly as teachers pick and choose
according to their needs and the needs of their students.

The resource is online, easy to access, and easy to follow.

Commenting on the quality of
the resource
The adequacy and usefulness of Voices of English (2003)
Commenting on the quality of
the resource
In addition to meeting Cummins (2009) criteria of
adequacy and usefulness, the website hosting the
resource could include more student artefacts
created via the use of the Voices of English
resource.

For example, the website could host multimodal
I Am Poem compositions created by primary
school students.
Thank you for your interest in our presentation.



Work cited
Barduhn, S. & Johnson, J. (2009). Certification and professional qualifications. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards
(Eds.) The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education. New York: CUP. 59-65.

Cummins, J. (1979). Cognitive/academic language proficiency, linguistic interdependence, the optimal age
question and some other matters. Working Papers on Bilingualism. 19, 197-205.

Cummins, J. (2009). Transformative multiliteracies pedagogy: School-based strategies for closing the
achievement gap. Multiple Voices for Ethnically Diverse Exceptional Learners, 11(2), 119.

Dei, G. J. S. & Calliste, A. (2000). Mapping the terrain: Power, knowledge and anti-racism education. In
G.J.S. Dei & A. Calliste (Eds.), Power, knowledge and anti-racism education: A critical reader. Halifax:
Fernwood Publishing. 11-22.

Gagn, A. (2003). Voices of English as a second language. Grades 1-12: students and their teachers
(compilation video and handbook). ESL Infusion Initiative, OISE/UT.
http://eslinfusion.oise.utoronto.ca/Home/ESL_Video_Resources/ESL_Infusion_Series/Primary_School_L
evel.html

Graves, K. (2009). The curriculum of second language teacher education. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards
(Eds.) The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education. New York: CUP. 115-124.

Wallace, M. (1995). Training foreign language teachers: A reflective approach. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.