Testimonials and Awards

Awards and Recognition

2020 Laurent Isabelle Teaching Award – Dmitri Priven

2016 IELA International e-Learning Award (Honourable Mention) For “Blended Synchronous Delivery of ESL Teacher Training Programs”

2013 IELA International e-Learning Award (Honourable Mention For Teaching in 3D Multi-User Virtual Environments

2013 Capital Educator Award Dmitri Priven, Program Coordinator (Finalist)

Testimonials from Graduates

I was a student in the TESFL program in 2019-2020. We always had Zoom as an option for attending classes. It was very helpful when I had an appointment and would not be able to make it for the whole class. It was great to be able to attend some of it on Zoom. It was also invaluable to be able to watch recordings of lectures to be sure that I really understood a concept. Just reading the professors slides and my notes was not as effective as reviewing the lectures. If any student on Zoom had a question, it was easy to pose it during the lecture. Their voice would come into the classroom like a voice from above and the teacher would hear it loud and clear. Some of our classmates were always on Zoom because they could not make it to class. Seeing them regularly and listening to their questions regularly enabled them to still be part of our community.

When the Pandemic shutdown began, we had to finish our classes entirely on Zoom. It was great to still see everyone every day and the professors were quite capable using the features of Zoom.

After graduating, as with most other people, I have become very familiar with Zoom. I use it to get in touch with friends and family. I have attended 50 birthday parties, games nights, youth groups and book clubs on Zoom. Somehow seeing the faces of people and talking to them still gives you the feeling of spending time with them.

As a volunteer teaching ESL, I have found my experience taking classes on Zoom very helpful. I find the whiteboard feature very effective for demonstrating teaching points. When I want the students to produce language, I can have them write it in the chat. I then copy and paste it to the white board and I can have them find where they need to make their corrections. I also find the screen sharing feature very useful. If a student is having trouble understanding, I can easily share an image of the vocabulary. I have also had students tell me about the country that they are from and some of its features by sharing a map and photos with me. I think a teacher that I volunteered with found the breakout rooms quite useful. When he had a large number of students on Zoom, he could split the group into 2 breakout rooms and we each could teach a smaller group. My experience is that you can create a fun learning experience with great connections between students and teachers using Zoom.

Audrey Wanner, Class of 2020

Algonquin College is my Alma Mater. It was my first choice among many schools when I decided to study overseas. I believe Algonquin gave me a great education and a most impressive Canadian experience.

I came to Canada from China in 2010 to continue my studies in the Canadian higher education system. I graduated from Algonquin College in 2011 with my TESFL (Teaching English as a Second/Foreign Language) certificate. In June 2013, I got my Masters of Education with a specialty in Second Language Teaching from the University of Ottawa.

While at Algonquin, I was able not only to get a great education but also to gain practical experience in teaching and related areas. I worked as an information assistant at the Student Counseling Office, and was responsible for answering questions about school services and for providing service and support to international students. At the same time, being a peer tutor at Algonquin’s Peer Tutoring Centre gave me a great chance not only to help other international students with their English but also to understand their culture. I also was a sales representative at a Canadian Tire Financial Office, which helped me in dealing with culturally diverse populations. I gained excellent communication skills there. Upon graduation from the TESFL program, I became a volunteer in the LINC program at Ottawa Carleton District School Board, where I came to know people from different countries and studied their culture and learned Canada’s immigration policies as well as student services. In October 2013, after obtaining my 3-year work permit, I was hired as an ESL Instructor at Algonquin College Language Institute. All in all, I have benefited a lot from Algonquin, so I would recommend the TESFL program to all international students.

Minyi Zhang, ESL Teacher, Algonquin College Language Institute

I am a proud graduate of the Algonquin College TESL/FL program. Following a career in the business and non-profit sectors, this program gave me the skills needed to begin a new and exciting career. The program provided me with a strong understanding of the fundamentals of language learning and strategies for effective language teaching. The program also recognizes the continuing changes that are occurring in the adult language teaching environment. As students, we were given opportunities to learn about and practice using traditional and new online teaching resources.

In terms of technology, I have used many of the tools I was introduced to, in the TESL/FL program, with my students. Students need to be able to use technological tools like computers and cell phones in English and the introduction of activities that use these devices helps to directly link language learning to real world experiences. I have used online dictionaries, English Google, Kahoot, Flipgrid, Brightspace, Moodle, Skype, email and Zoom with my students. Aside from the practice skills students are learning with these tools, they are also working directly on their listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Overall, technology often provides the opportunity for more individualized participation and support than is available in a face-to-face classroom setting.

The practical knowledge and experience I gained in the TESL/FL program have enabled me to work in my chosen field in both face-to-face and online settings. The program’s commitment to ensure their courses are relevant and accessible provided me with the tools I needed to succeed in a rapidly changing workplace. In particular, the use of the videoconferencing tool Zoom for the blended synchronous presentation of the course provided me with valuable experience that I am now using in my teaching career. The combination of improved technological access and tools and the realities of teaching adults who have many other personal and work commitments has resulted in more flexible teaching programs, including not only face-to-face but also blended and online courses. I was well prepared by Algonquin College to meet the challenges of the modern teaching environment.

Jennifer Fieldhouse, EAP Professor, Algonquin College Language Institute

Testimonials from Stakeholders

The adult non-credit ESL/LINC program of the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board has collaborated with the TESL/FL Program at Algonquin College through the Applied Research program to engage the students of the Curriculum Development course in a live project. We have had several curricula developed under this collaborative model. We are able to establish and standardize our curriculum for unique courses that we offer and the Algonquin students engage in a live project that is connected to the community, enhances our programming and provides them with hands on experience in developing a curriculum while learning. This is definitely a win-win situation.

Most recently, the TESL/FL students have developed an ESL for Active Living Curriculum which is for a course for immigrant senior citizens that engages them in improving their language skills in areas that are important and meaningful to their integration and well-being in Canada. Units include topics related to healthy eating, active living, services for seniors, and volunteerism. The curriculum incorporated the elements of Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) that we as language providers are using. This was our fifth curriculum developed by this team.

We strongly urge other language providers to engage in this project as a means of establishing curricula for specific language courses which in turn helps you to build your program capacity. The quality of the work is excellent and I commend Dmitri Priven, Program Coordinator of the TESL/FL program at Algonquin College for taking the initiative in creating this course and this wonderful opportunity for the future ESL instructors and also for the benefit of our ESL/LINC programs in Ottawa.

Shirley Graham
Education Officer, ESL/LINC/LBS
Continuing Education, Ottawa Carleton District School Board

GEOS Ottawa loves to hire graduates of the TES/FL program at Algonquin College. We’re always happy to have students here as part of their program practicum, and then to receive applications when they are ready to teach. We have found the graduates of this program to be knowledgeable, flexible, and enthusiastic about the diverse needs of the ESL field here in Ottawa. The graduates are friendly and professional; in other words, exactly who we want to have on our team!

We’ve interviewed many Algonquin graduates and have noticed that they always pay attention to warm-up/activate schema, appropriate timing of activities, and using an appropriate level of language for the level – which is exactly what we need to hear! Sometimes we’re surprised when we interview other candidates, some of whom have years of teaching experience overseas, but who don’t reach the standards presented by Algonquin graduates. An additional bonus for GEOS is the graduates who have been able to enrich their resume with the experience of an overseas internship.

We’re so pleased that GEOS Ottawa and the TES/FL program x AC are able to work together. We wish all of our locations could have such a great relationship with a quality teacher training program as we do.

Jill Landry
Program Coordinator, GEOS Ottawa
Assistant Regional Academic Manager
Pathways Director