ESL Literacy Network assists practitioners, learners - in expansion mode
Call it a resource centre. Call it a meeting place.
The ESL Literacy Network at Bow Valley College in Calgary goes the extra mile to address the professional development needs of ESL literacy practitioners in Alberta and beyond. It also responds to the diverse needs of learners with interrupted formal education.
NALD CEO Bill Stirling presents the 2011 NALD Innovative Technology Award to Isabel Gibbins, dean of ESL and Languages at Bow Valley College.
The winner of NALD’s Innovative Technology Award for 2011 (announced in June), the ESL Literacy Network offers a wide range of services and unique online resources in addition to adhering to the broader mandate for ESL instruction – breaking down barriers, opening doors and creating opportunities.
“This comprehensive website provides information and resources that support effective program development and classroom instruction,” said Jane Brenner, executive director of the Taber and District Community Adult Learning Association.
“Our association is located in a small rural Alberta community that has limited resources for the large ESL literacy population that we serve. This new website will provide many resources that will be at the fingertips of our rural instructors. It will enable them to access many learning tools to improve their ESL literacy instruction.”
The ESL Literacy Network is an innovative resource in an emerging field where instructional resources are limited, according to Deidre Lake, director of the Medical Communication Assessment Project in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Calgary. “The website provides access to credible materials that are reproducible, free of charge and appropriate for adult ESL learners with interrupted formal education,” she said.
What’s new?
- Continuing to evolve and expand, the ESL Literacy Network has a new Youth section that responds to the needs of immigrant youth, ages 18 to 25, with interrupted formal education. Visitors to the section can learn more about Bow Valley College’s Bridge program and download practical classroom resources.
- The Network features an online Community of Practice that gives ESL literacy practitioners the opportunity to ask questions, share resources and take part in meaningful dialogue among their peers.
- The website also includes: a Blog that allows visitors to keep current on what’s happening at the Network; a Showcase where practitioners can highlight their work; and a Learning Outcomes Database which is based on Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000: ESL for Literacy Learners.
Members of the ESL Literacy Network family gather as Isabel Gibbins accepts the NALD award on their behalf.
Bill Stirling, CEO of NALD, was in Calgary recently to present the NALD Innovative Technology Award to the ESL Literacy Network at Bow Valley College.
“NALD established the Innovative Technology Award to recognize outstanding achievement and bring greater visibility to an exemplary or innovative technology product that benefits the field of adult literacy and essential skills,” he said. “The ESL Literacy Network is a great example of the kind of resource we’d like to celebrate and we are pleased to reward the outstanding efforts made on its behalf.”
Funded by the Government of Alberta, the ESL Literacy Network is located at www.esl-literacy.com. Diane Hardy, project manager, can be contacted at 403-410-3409 or dhardy@bowvalleycollege.ca.
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NALD contact and writer:
Christy English
Editor and Stakeholder Liaison
Tel: 506-462-5034 or toll-free: 1-800-720-6253
Email: christy.english@nald.ca
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