How to select the best school
I have studied English in Canada for 10 months. During the 10 months, I have had lots of experiences. So, if you want to study English in Canada, I would suggest these tips.
Firstly, when you choose your new school, you should take trial lessons at least at 3 to 4 schools. Each school has different strengths and weaknesses. Through trial lessons you can recognize which school is going to be good for you. Even when your agent or friends recommend a good school, sometimes you can’t be satisfied with the school which means the choice totally depends on you.
Secondly, after you choose a new school, you should register for a short-term period. If you apply to a new school for a six-month or eight-month period you may get tired of your school. I mean, after paying the tuition fee, whether for good or for evil, you will be stuck in your school.
Many students apply for school for six-month or 1-one-year periods because they want to get a long period student visa. I think it doesn’t really matter because you can extend your visa again whenever you want. It is easier to change your visa than changing schools. Many schools will not refund tuition fees.
Thirdly, when you want to use agents, you should compare agents to each other. Some big agents give lots of activities and information likewise school, home stay, region information, and so on, but, instead of these you need to pay higher tuition fees than at small agents. Oppositely, small agents give lots of discounts, but they don’t give activities and enough information. Remember agents recommend schools that give lots of agent’s commissions.
My suggestion is when you look for a new school; you can get information on the Internet or from friends. You can make a reservation for trial lessons by yourself. After selecting your school then you go to a small agent to register for your new school and you can negotiate with the agent for a discounted tuition fee.
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My name is Sayaka a university student from Kobe, Japan. I came to Canada because I wanted a challenge an internship in the English world. I think Canada is a good country for students to have a work experience. People and companies have a lot of experience with foreigners and they are more open-minded to foreign students compared to other countries like UK or US.
After three months studying at ILSC, I started working with ESL in Canada. I was interested in tourism and education fields, so this workplace is perfect for me.
To get this job, I prepared my resume and cover letter, and practiced for my interview. Everything was new for me, but my coordinator helped me a lot so I could get this job. I think those were good experiences to know Canadian business culture.
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Hello My name is JaYoung. I’m a student from Korea and study Journalism at Chun-nam University.
I have been in Toronto for 10 months. When I came to Canada I couldn’t speak English well. I had lots of problems talking with native English speakers and foreigners.
I traveled to French Canada, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Kingston, New York and Niagara Falls. Toronto summer is especially fantastic. Everyday Toronto has festivals and you can have so much fun.
During my time in Toronto, I think Toronto is a multi-cultural city which offers many diverse experiences. I mean not only studying English but also learning about international cultures. If I want to get other country foods in Korea, its cost would be twice or more. However, I could get real traditional foods easily at a cheaper price in Toronto.
If you want to be the best, you should study hard before coming to Canada. It will make you confident and can save your time and money as well.
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Hello My name is Susann.
After finishing High School I was confronted with a lot of possibilities …shall I study, work, take a break or travel …Well, I decides to go to Canada, learn English and have some time for myself.
I chose Toronto through a selection process… I have been in England and South Africa so I didn’t wanted to go there again. Australia has to many strange animals which I don’t like and America has too many strange people I don’t want to meet. So Canada seemed perfect for me. Especially after I heard that Toronto is a multi-cultural city with a lot of foreign influences and international flavor, I couldn’t wait to go there. Besides, the USA is not that far away so I thought I could maybe visit New York, Washington D.C. or Boston someday.
As I arrived here in Toronto, I was a bit surprised because Canada is not that different from Germany. I felt immediately at home and it was not hard for me to find friends. Now, after 4 months in Toronto, everything became very familiar to me. Even speaking English became somehow easy and natural. I don’t have the feeling that I'm on vacation in a foreign country but I feel home and happy here.
I had the possibilities to try a lot of stuff and I also learned a lot about myself. The stay here in Toronto gave me the possibility to relax, to try new things and to meet new friends from all over the world.
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ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Monday, August 06, 2007
Using Training Evaluation Systems to Evaluate Language Education
Starting in 1959, Donald Kirkpatrick developed a four level systematic approach to training evaluations.
(1)Reaction: the feelings the students have about the program,
(2)Learning: the degree to which they learned the required material,
(3)Application: the ability to transfer training to the work place,
(4)Results: the impact of training on the organization's bottom line.
Over 75% of business HR departments surveyed use some form of the Kirkpatrick system to evaluate business training and development programs.
One way to keep language education programs current and viable is to use program evaluations and make necessary corrections to materials and teaching methods.
Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation system has become a standard for business and
industry because it provides comprehensive data to support training programs.
If adapted for use in Language Education programs, this system will provide data to ensure that students:
(1) like the language education program,
(2) are learning the language,
(3) are able to apply the language in everyday, school and work settings, and
(4) have the correct competencies to use the language for school, work or social situations.
In short, implementing the Kirkpatrick four-level evaluation system could go a
long way toward ensuring the success and reputation of language education programs.
Kirkpatrick's Levels of Evaluation Overview
Level 1 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the reaction of students to the training program. The purpose of measuring reaction is to ensure that students are motivated and interested in learning.
Implementation guidelines:
Determine what you want to find out.
Design a form that will quantify reactions.
Encourage written comments and suggestions.
Seek honest reactions.
Develop acceptable language standards.
Measure reactions against the language standards.
Level 2 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the knowledge acquired, skills improved, or attitudes changed as a result of the language training.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible. (two classes at the same level)
Evaluate knowledge, skills, or attitudes before and after training.
Use a paper and pencil test to measure knowledge and skills.
Use a performance test to measure attitudes.
Use the results of the evaluation to design program improvements action.
Level 3 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the transfer of training. Are students applying the new language, skills, or attitudes with their language abilities.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible.
Allow enough time for a change in behavior to take place.
Survey or interview students and peers, who observe students behavior.
Choose 10 students or an appropriate sampling.
Repeat the evaluation at appropriate times.
Level 4 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the result of training as it relates to factors such as language test results and language performance.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible.
Allow enough time for results to be achieved.
Measure both before and after training, if feasible.
Repeat the measurement at appropriate times.
As a summary
Do the best job of summarizing the data that your interviews and test results allow as in education or training contexts paper tests can lack reliability and interviews can be manipulated.
The new design changes to the language programs should be tested before wholesale changes.
Experts advise against using just one evaluation strategy and advise collecting
data from multiple sources using multiple evaluation methods.
***********
ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
(1)Reaction: the feelings the students have about the program,
(2)Learning: the degree to which they learned the required material,
(3)Application: the ability to transfer training to the work place,
(4)Results: the impact of training on the organization's bottom line.
Over 75% of business HR departments surveyed use some form of the Kirkpatrick system to evaluate business training and development programs.
One way to keep language education programs current and viable is to use program evaluations and make necessary corrections to materials and teaching methods.
Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation system has become a standard for business and
industry because it provides comprehensive data to support training programs.
If adapted for use in Language Education programs, this system will provide data to ensure that students:
(1) like the language education program,
(2) are learning the language,
(3) are able to apply the language in everyday, school and work settings, and
(4) have the correct competencies to use the language for school, work or social situations.
In short, implementing the Kirkpatrick four-level evaluation system could go a
long way toward ensuring the success and reputation of language education programs.
Kirkpatrick's Levels of Evaluation Overview
Level 1 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the reaction of students to the training program. The purpose of measuring reaction is to ensure that students are motivated and interested in learning.
Implementation guidelines:
Determine what you want to find out.
Design a form that will quantify reactions.
Encourage written comments and suggestions.
Seek honest reactions.
Develop acceptable language standards.
Measure reactions against the language standards.
Level 2 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the knowledge acquired, skills improved, or attitudes changed as a result of the language training.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible. (two classes at the same level)
Evaluate knowledge, skills, or attitudes before and after training.
Use a paper and pencil test to measure knowledge and skills.
Use a performance test to measure attitudes.
Use the results of the evaluation to design program improvements action.
Level 3 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the transfer of training. Are students applying the new language, skills, or attitudes with their language abilities.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible.
Allow enough time for a change in behavior to take place.
Survey or interview students and peers, who observe students behavior.
Choose 10 students or an appropriate sampling.
Repeat the evaluation at appropriate times.
Level 4 of Kirkpatrick's four-level model measures the result of training as it relates to factors such as language test results and language performance.
Implementation guidelines:
Use a control group, if feasible.
Allow enough time for results to be achieved.
Measure both before and after training, if feasible.
Repeat the measurement at appropriate times.
As a summary
Do the best job of summarizing the data that your interviews and test results allow as in education or training contexts paper tests can lack reliability and interviews can be manipulated.
The new design changes to the language programs should be tested before wholesale changes.
Experts advise against using just one evaluation strategy and advise collecting
data from multiple sources using multiple evaluation methods.
***********
ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Canada Summer Day School Survey
We had had many requests for a Toronto Day school during August 2007
Would you be interested in any of the following programs and dates?
Day school only 9 to 4 PM
Beginner English ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate English ages 8 to 15 --
Beginner French ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate French ages 8 to 15 --
Beginner Mandarin ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate Mandarin 8 to 15 --
History for students ages 8 to 15 --
Geography for students ages 8 to 15 --
Social Studies for students ages 8 to 15 --
Mathematics for students ages 8 to 15 --
Science for students ages 8 to 15 --
Dates July 30 to August 24 (4 weeks)
Please write in dates if you want 2 or 3 week programs -----------
Weekend and Day trips on Saturday or Sunday:
Toronto zoo __
Niagara Falls __
Algonquin Park __
Alora Gorge __
1000 Islands __
Toronto Center Island __
Wonderland __
Royal Ontario Museum __
Ontario Science Center __
Ontario Place __
CNE __
Please use registration form and email eslincanada@gmail.com
Have a good summer
ESL in Canada
***********
ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
Would you be interested in any of the following programs and dates?
Day school only 9 to 4 PM
Beginner English ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate English ages 8 to 15 --
Beginner French ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate French ages 8 to 15 --
Beginner Mandarin ages 8 to 15 --
Intermediate Mandarin 8 to 15 --
History for students ages 8 to 15 --
Geography for students ages 8 to 15 --
Social Studies for students ages 8 to 15 --
Mathematics for students ages 8 to 15 --
Science for students ages 8 to 15 --
Dates July 30 to August 24 (4 weeks)
Please write in dates if you want 2 or 3 week programs -----------
Weekend and Day trips on Saturday or Sunday:
Toronto zoo __
Niagara Falls __
Algonquin Park __
Alora Gorge __
1000 Islands __
Toronto Center Island __
Wonderland __
Royal Ontario Museum __
Ontario Science Center __
Ontario Place __
CNE __
Please use registration form and email eslincanada@gmail.com
Have a good summer
ESL in Canada
***********
ESL in Canada Blog URL
http://eslincanada.blogspot.com/
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