Courses

A study of Indigenous culture and worldview, the history of Indigenous education in Canada, current social, economic, political, and ethical issues affecting Indigenous education, and the current structure and status of Indigenous education in British Columbia, with an emphasis on indigenous language preservation and education. Understanding and integrating Indigenous learning, epistemologies and pedagogical approaches, literature and learning resources is the key focus of inquiry, supporting the consideration of teaching and learning in diverse classrooms that include Indigenous students, as well as, teaching and learning in Indigenous schools.

This course is designed to equip participants with an understanding of foundational aspects of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), including key areas of linguistics, second language acquisition, and learner differences, as well as a consideration of worldview assumptions implied by various theoretical frameworks. Attention is also given to bilingualism and multilingualism as well as contexts of learning such as English as a Second or Additional Language (ESL/EAL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and English for purposes of International Communication (EPIC) to develop an awareness of TESOL as a holistic and contextually embedded endeavour.

This course explores key elements of effective teaching in TESOL contexts. Topics include lesson planning, classroom interaction, task design, and strategic use of texts along with types of feedback and error correction. The course also includes attention to external standards such as the Common European Framework (CEFR) and Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). Students will interact with varied teaching and learning materials, develop classroom management skills, and consider the implication of worldview perspectives for classroom practices. The course aims to equip future TESOL educators with practical knowledge and skills for creating effective and engaging classroom experiences.

This course focuses on building cross-cultural awareness, strategies, and skills to relate to others and work effectively in culturally diverse situations. As part of this process, participants complete the research-based Cultural Intelligence (CQ) assessment and engage in debriefing. Class interaction includes applications of CQ insights to professionalism in a variety of TESOL contexts such as unilingual and multilingual classes, K-12 settings, tutoring, international schools, universities, and classes in business and corporate environments. Consideration is also given to the role of personal strengths and faith/spiritual values in navigating cultural differences. This course is designed to facilitate effective cross-cultural communication and professionalism.

This course prepares students to evaluate and critique statistics and research methods in Education and Counselling Psychology, including learning about the use and misuse of basic quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques in research and in program evaluation. The course also introduces ethical issues in research and conducting critical reviews of the literature.

This course explores grammar as a foundation for meaning and examines its role in achieving broader communication goals. It provides guidance on instructional strategies, effective pedagogy, and assessment techniques to help language teachers meet diverse learner needs. Participants will engage in micro-teaching sessions across various proficiency levels to apply their knowledge in practical ways and develop skills to teach grammar effectively in diverse classroom environments.

This course focuses on effective strategies for selecting and presenting vocabulary as well as developing reading and writing skills. It provides an overview of beginner, fluent, and extensive reading practices, along with an overview of practices to support beginner writing, fluent writing and process writing. Students will engage in micro-teaching sessions across various proficiency levels. The course aims to equip participants with the tools and techniques necessary to develop learners' literacy skills in diverse educational settings.

This course focuses on developing essential skills in listening comprehension, speaking, and pronunciation. It covers listening activities using various texts and tasks, addresses speaking goals and challenges, and explores basic features of effective speaking activities. It also addresses fundamental elements of pronunciation and effective instructional techniques. Participants will engage in microteaching sessions across various proficiency levels and first language backgrounds to apply their knowledge. The course aims to equip participants with the tools and strategies needed to develop learners' oral communication skills in diverse classroom settings.

This course provides an overview of foundational and contemporary language teaching methodologies. Along with early methods, it explores frameworks such as communicative language teaching (CLT), content-based instruction (CBI), the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), and task-based language instruction, comparing them across a set of guiding questions and principles. The course equips participants with awareness and understanding of choices available to support language learning in different ways for different purposes while also inviting participants to consider (mis)alignments with their thinking to facilitate awareness of their own beliefs about teaching and learning.