Senior pastors:  You're invited to an interdenominational luncheon on February 2nd from 12- 1:30pm  hosted by the C&MA Immigrant Ministry Network. 

This facilitated discussion will address the foundational theological, missional and moral issues concerning the inclusion of all cultures in our churches.  This event will be held in the Harvest Room at First Alliance Church.  Cost is $8. RSVP by January 26th. 

For more info contact Harvey Matchullis: coming2canada@gmail.com.

Edmonton ESL Cooperative Offers Training Workshop

The newly-formed Edmonton ESL Cooperative will be offering a 12 hour Conversational ESL training workshop on April 20-21, 2012 in Edmonton. The location and other details are still being finalized. The 12 hour workshop is a condensed program based on the curriculum developed and used by CESLM Calgary. Participants will receive the complete manual and CD of resources. For more info contact ruth@ruth-moore.com.

Lilies of the Field

Imagine being a doctor supporting a family on minimum wage?  In Calgary, many internationally trained doctors' talents are idling because they lack English skills. Lilies of the Field reaches out to these doctors by offering English courses to International Medical Graduates and resident graduate students at U of C. Most of the students are Muslim women, quite curious about Christianity.

Volunteers are needed to be conversation partners, provide child care during the classes and to pray. For more information, contact Laura Swart at 403-289-0005 or
swartfamily@shaw.ca.

Save the date!  The 2012 Networking Event is scheduled for 9-11 am on February 25th at Marlborough Park Community Centre. 

This inspiring morning of sharing and connecting always includes the latest community resources and fresh ideas for your ministry.  Visit eslcooperative.ca for upcoming details.

Balancing Life and the Checkbook

After Christmas many of us embark on a search for a new sense of balance. This often includes balancing our checkbooks and ensuring our financial health.  The Financial ESL Literacy Toolbox will give your immigrants friends the gift of financial health while teaching them English in 2012.

The Financial ESL Literacy Toolbox is a resource to help introduce ESL students to financial ideas.  The best part is you don't have to be a math teacher to introduce your students to ideas about money, household expenditures, grocery and other shopping, budgeting, banking, goal setting, savings, fraud, credit, debt, and loans.

Created by ESL Instructors at Bow Valley College in partnership with the Government of Alberta, the website is: www.esl-literacy.com/flt/.

Being funny and making a joke is nothing to be taken lightly. 

It’s often rated as the number 1 quality that women are looking for in a prospective mate.  In a classroom, students are struggling to use a strange new language and their meanings do not come out quite right sometimes.  Similarly, comedians regularly get boo’d off the stage, when things don’t come out right, by their listeners. 

I have found that given a very supportive environment, some students will be brave enough to risk saying something funny in class.  The rush a student receives when they are understood and even bring smiles to their teacher and classmates can also be encouraged more directly: 
 

Ways to Encourage Student Humour

1. Use comics in class – put them on the overhead or project it a screen.  Erase what’s in the bubbles and have students fill in their ideas of what was said. 

2. Show a funny video – “Mr. Bean”, for example, and stop each segment and a different student has to summarize what happened.  The “Rick Mercer Report” is funny and also encourages learning about Canada.  “Just for Laughs – Gags” is a wonderful way everyone can enjoy a laugh (contains no language though).

3. Study funny stories – Lots of ESL stories are funny.  The “True Stories” series has many amusing stories.  “Punch lines” are not so easy to catch for a language-learner so keep it simple. 

4. Ask if anyone knows any jokes - Warning: make sure they are appropriate by asking the students to write their jokes down and hand in to you for a quick check. 

5. Smile yourself – laugh at funny things and be humorous in your own teaching style.  Of course, the classroom is not a forum for you or your jokes, but everyone enjoys a teacher who is quirky or finds humour in a lot of different situations.

6. Lastly, enjoy the personalities of your students – Some countries’ people just have a neat sense of humour.  My funniest students have been from Kazakhstan, Libya, Tunisia, and Congo.  How about you, where are your funniest students from? 

James Edel is an English teacher.  You are welcome to contact him with the answer to his questions above or to share a story about your funniest students at jedel78@gmail.com