Webinars 2024

Description:

Learning Outcomes: By the end of the workshop, the participants will be able to

• Identify the unique needs of beginner adult ESL learners.
• Share their own classroom management strategies and learn more effective teaching approaches that will help learners develop learning strategies and language skills.
• Explore available ESL resources that will help reduce prep time.

About the Presenter: Nataliya Lykhosherstova is a LINC Literacy Instructor at The Immigrant Education Society (TIES) in Calgary. She started her teaching career in Ukraine where she received her PhD in Linguistics and worked at the Teachers’ Training University—first as a sessional instructor and then as a lecturing professor.

Since 1995, Nataliya has taught methodology and languages, working as a language instructor, tutor and interpreter in Ukraine and Russia and now in Canada. For the last 10 years she has fallen in love with teaching adult literacy ESL students. Nataliya helps these newcomers, who have little or no formal education, adjust to life in Canada as well as develop learning strategies and literacy skills in English. She currently teaches a split Hybrid Literacy Foundation/CLB 1 class at TIES.

Recognized by TESL Ontario for PD hours.

Description: Do you wish you could be better prepared to have deeper conversations with others? Perhaps some have confided some of their stories to you – perhaps you sense that they may even be open to having you connect them with God. The Weavers’ way of engaging others in conversation may be what you’ve been looking for. Practical. Scripture Engagement. Oral learner-friendly. Storyweaving. Conversational. Based on an easy-to-learn, and reproducible framework that you can adapt for everyday conversations with the people who are important to you – and for spontaneous encounters. Come for a taste of what Weavers is like. 

About the Presenter: Elenore Beach and her husband, Ed, founded Storyweavers Global to encourage the spread of practical, locally sustainable Scripture engagement “storyweaving.” Before this, they completed the Maya-Tektitek New Testament translation project in Guatemala. They noticed that many Scripture translations were not getting used as well as they should, and people needed help in knowing what to do with their translations. Since then, her focus has been in teaching and developing an international team to facilitate training in “Weavers” for personal evangelism and discipleship, “Speechless Moments” and “Thrive!” for difficult moments in life, and “From the Inside Out” for healthy spirituality. All-together, training for these approaches to Scripture engagement has taken place in 33 countries, in multiple languages. 

Ramón Padilla is a local practitioner of Storyweaving in Toronto and has trained under Elenore and Ed to pass on this framework of engaging in meaningful conversations. He loves turning everyday conversations into opportunities to listen, engage, and share with others. He does this as a member of the diaspora team at Outreach Canada, where he is involved in collaboration and Scripture Engagement. He wants to serve those at the forefront of ministry to refugees and immigrants in Canada, seeking bridges for them to be able to find deep connection with God and each other. In addition, he collaborates in the promotion of other tools such as digital access to multi-language audio/video Scriptures, oral minority language connections towards Bible Translation, and is a trained facilitator for the Caring for Wounded Hearts Story-Based curriculum, provided by the Trauma Healing Institute. Ramón and his wife, Deb, previously served in Mexico on a Bible translation team, alongside indigenous translators, before transitioning (back) to Toronto.

Description: In the wake of COVID-19, natural disasters, the terrors of war, violence, and myriad other conditions coupled with international migration, it is not uncommon to witness the effects of trauma in ESL classrooms. Trauma is often defined as a wound to body, mind, or spirit, or some combination of the three. An understanding of the effects of trauma can enhance our awareness of how it shows up in our language classrooms and facilitate our ability to respond helpfully and compassionately, creating conditions and boundaries that promote wellness for learners and program providers. This session is designed to contribute to an understanding of trauma and its effects and offer guiding principles for a trauma-informed approach to church-based ESL for the purpose of strengthening our capacity to welcome, support, and demonstrate Christ’s love to language learners. 

About the Presenter: Carolyn Kristjánsson was born in Canada and raised in Brazil, the daughter of missionaries. She married a pastor from Iceland and lived there for 11 years. While in Iceland, she participated in various forms of ministry and taught English at a small Bible college and a junior college. When she returned to Canada with her family in 1994, she began teaching at TWU in Langley, BC. Carolyn has degrees in theology and language education and has walked alongside teachers and students impacted by trauma. She has also conducted research on church-based ESL programs in BC and heard firsthand from students about the difference they make.

Recognized by TESL Ontario for PD hours.

Description: This seminar will focus on creative ideas that 70+ Canadian churches have used in order to serve and connect with immigrants. Participants will find one or two ideas they can use in their own context, using the resources they have in their church to meet and serve their new Canadian neighbours.

About the Presenter: Rick & Patti Love have a passion to help new Canadians learn about the Lord Jesus. Rick (Ph.D.) taught at seminaries in the Philippines and Canada for 19 years. He is now the Pastor of Intercultural Ministries at Foothills Alliance Church in Calgary, a ministry Patti (M.A. TESL) led for 16 years. In 2014 they started “Love New Canadians” to help churches develop pathways to Jesus for immigrants in their neighbourhood.  They have worked with 570+ churches and ministries in 9 provinces of Canada and 17 countries around the world, equipping for ministry with newcomers through seminars, coaching, and curriculum.

Description: ESL ministries is often understood as included in the Great Commission (GC), a task given to us by our Lord: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  As you are going, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  As is well known, the only command given in the GC is to “make disciples”.  How is “making disciples” a part (or not) of our ESL programs?  What is a disciple?  We will learn together, sharing what is being done, and what further we might consider doing.

About the Presenter: Tom McCormick helped begin SOCEM, has taught ESL since the early 2000s, has helped to establish various ESL programs, and has written some of the ESL curriculum available at the SOCEM site (“The Virtues”).  He has served as a missionary in Peru, PNG, Cameroon, India, the UK, and China; taught at Tyndale Seminary & University College (including courses on Mission & Evangelism); and works with ElderCare Ministries.  He has an MA in Bible from Westminster Seminary, a Phd in Humanities (Linguistics & Philosophy) from the U of Texas, and a Phd in Philosophy from the Institute for Christian Studies…but he doesn’t mention that often; though occasionally it is useful, just as Paul’s Roman citizenship proved useful on occasion.