Workplace English in Alberta

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The Purposes of this Module are to …

define content-based English as a second language (ESL) instruction, which is appropriate for English in the Workplace programs; and

provide information and links to resources related to workplace English.

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Content-based English as a Second Language (ESL) Instruction

Content-based ESL instruction integrates ESL instruction with subject matter instruction (Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 1989).

When learning about a specific subject, a focus on language objectives will assist in the development of the language of the subject matter content.

Therefore, a content-based ESL course must include a balanced emphasis on both content and language objectives.

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Reasons for Integrating Language and Content

Content-based instruction can be designed to meet the learners’ specific academic or employment needs and interests.

Instruction that is interesting and relevant to learner needs can be highly motivating and thus offer more meaningful pathways to language acquisition (Brinton, Snow, & Wesche, 1989; Crandall, 1995).

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Resources Internet

Workplace English

Essential Skills

Finding Employment/Occupations/

Getting foreign credentials recognized

Job Search/ Application

forms/ Resume writing/

InterviewsWorkers’ Rights/

Temporary foreign workers

A Healthy Workplace/Safety in the workplace/

Staying healthy /

Managing stress

Working in Canada/

Canadian work customs

Essential Skills Links(click on the underlined links to take you to the websites)

What are Essential Skills?This website provides information about the nine Essential Skills that are used in learning, daily life and the workplace. These skills are common to all workplaces, but may have differing levels of complexity.

Essential Skills and the CLBOn this website you will find information about how the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and the Essential Skills are linked.

Job-specific Essential Skills and sample lessonsThis website has information that is specific for internationally trained workers. It lists information about how to understand the language demands of particular jobs. It also contains links for job specific language and lesson plans based on the Essential Skills.

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Finding Employment7

Occupations in Canada

Career planningThis website lists links to relevant information about career planning, changing careers, looking for work, negotiating salaries, resigning and salary trends.

Interesting occupationsThis CBC website contains different jobs that are held by men named Joe. The paragraphs are fairly simple and refer to a variety of jobs available in Canada.

The Canadian workforceThree of the listening activities on this site are produced by the CBC and are related to work issues in Canada (e.g., work vs. the environment, women in the workforce).

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Occupations (cont’d.)

Listening activities and podcasts about employmentThe CBC Manitoba has a series of integrated listening activities and podcasts. Topics of interest related to employment include: volunteering, retirement, dream jobs, and types of bosses.

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Getting Foreign Credentials Recognized

History and description of IQASEmployment and Immigration Alberta provide this information about the International Qualifications Assessment Service (IQAS) which evaluates post-secondary education from outside of Canada. This page contains links regarding who uses IQAS and gives examples of qualification assessments.

Internationally educated teachersTeachers who have qualifications from overseas need to consult Alberta Education for the procedures necessary to gain Canadian teaching qualifications.

Internationally educated health care professionalsAlberta Employment and Immigration provides information about having international health care credentials recognized in Alberta.

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Job Searching

Job searching for those with low literacyThis eight-page booklet from English Express has information about looking for work in Alberta. It is a good resource for adults with low literacy levels.

Sample lessonsThere are four sample lessons available on the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks website related to employment and job searching.

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Job Searching (cont’d.)

Video clip on body language for job interviewsThis eight-minute video clip from the CBC’s morning show titled Steven & Chris. The meaning of crossed arms, foot position, hands in pockets, playing with hair, and leaning stances are some of the body language explained.

Video clip on handshakesThis is an eight-minute video clip from the CBC’s morning show titled Steven & Chris. The guest is an expert on body language and communication. This episode contains information on body language for the workplace. It gives detailed information on how to shake hands.

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Filling out Application Forms

Tips for filling out application formsSeveral points for correctly filling out application forms are provided.

Application form cloze passageThis site contains a short paragraph and some fill in the blank questions about how to fill in an application form.

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Résumés

Examples of résumésThis website by Alberta Learning and Information Services provides examples of résumé types and other relevant tips for creating a résumé for a specific type of employment.

How to write a résuméSettlement Ontario gives information on how to write a résumé. There are examples of chronological and functional résumés. Other web sources are provided in the links.

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Interviews

Sample lessonSample lessons are available on the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks website. One lesson is related to interview skills.

Video clip about asking questions at the end of an interviewThis is an interview with the Vice President of monster.ca. There is advice on searching for jobs, interview techniques, and résumé writing. The clip also includes questions to ask an employer at the end of an interview.

Video clip about interview questionsThis video clip gives five tips for answering interview questions: 1) Listen to the question, 2) Be honest, 3) Be positive, 4) Answer only the question asked, 5) Give a structured answer.

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Workers’ Rights16

Temporary Foreign Workers

Handbook for Temporary Foreign Workers in AlbertaThis is a handbook designed for temporary foreign workers that provides basic employment information. It includes information about agencies that help workers, and contact information.

Temporary Foreign Workers in AlbertaAlberta’s official immigration website has many links to relevant issues for temporary foreign workers, such as banking, childcare, housing, and ESL training.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s FAQ for Temporary Foreign workersThe information provided by Citizenship and Immigration Canada on this site is mostly intended for low skilled workers and live-in caregivers. However, this information applies to all workers with temporary foreign worker visas.

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Workers’ Rights

Workers’ Rights WorksheetsThese worksheets designed by English Express were created for teaching workers in Alberta about employment laws. They are designed for low reading levels.

Workers’ Compensation Board InformationThis website informs workers regarding procedures to follow in case of an injury at work. The information is available in English and 15 other languages.

Video clipThis YouTube video highlights workers’ rights in Alberta.

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Working in Canada19

Networking

Different forms of networkingThe Alberta Learning Information Service (ALIS) website has some information on how to network in Alberta. Suggestions are made about people to network with, professional associations, and networking websites.

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Canadian Work Customs

Information on discriminationThis issue of English Express provides information on Human Rights in Alberta. The publication deals with discrimination.

Canadian customs from the Centre for Immigration and CitizenshipThis on-line booklet contains information about some Canadian customs. Although it is not strictly work-related, there is some information about Canadian etiquette.

Workplace Integration of Newcomers workbookA web book designed by the Manitoba government for ESL learners in the workplace.

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Pragmatics

Information on speech actsA speech act is an utterance expressed for a particular purpose or effect. For example, "There's the telephone" may function as a request for someone to answer it. This site provides information on apologizing, complaints, compliments, refusals, requests, and thanking, along with teaching tips.

Article on the importance of teaching speech actsThis article begins with information for the ESL instructor about speech acts. At the end of the document, it identifies teaching activities and lesson plans.

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Pragmatics (cont’d.)

Small talkTo establish positive relationships with their peers, learners need to be able to establish and maintain relationships with their co-workers. Small talk is one means of doing this. This site provides links to other topics, such as workplace humour, miscommunication, and gender differences in communication.

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Cross Cultural Communication

Articles on diversity in the workplaceMany of the articles on this site address topics of interest for employees unfamiliar with the North American workplace. Some topics include what not to say to a female boss, how to dress appropriately for work, and how to deal with workplace bullying.

Multiple choice quizzesThis website designed for adult ESL learners contains a wide variety of multiple choice quizzes on topics related to cross- cultural communication.

Discussion questions on cultureThis website contains information for classroom teachers about students’ cultural behaviours. It also contains conversation starters for ESL classes.

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A Healthy Workplace25

Safety in the Workplace

Worksheets about safety equipmentThese worksheets provided by English Express are designed to teach learners to identify hazards at work. They are written at a low reading level and contain information about safety equipment.

Worksheets about injury preventionEnglish Express provides worksheets to address issues of workplace injury. They include contact information for the Workers’ Compensation Board.

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Safety in the Workplace (cont’d.)

Workplace safety worksheetsThis American website has a variety of worksheets for safety and workplace-related issues. ESL instructors will need to screen the worksheets before class to make sure that the information is relevant to the Canadian context.

Video clips about accident preventionAlthough these small, graphic vignettes about safety in the workplace were designed for young workers, they could also be used in some ESL classes. Each skit lists ways to prevent different types of accidents. Preview before showing to determine appropriateness for learners.

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Lifting/Ergonomics

E-learning module about liftingThis is an e-learning module designed for English speakers which addresses lifting safety. It can be used in whole or in part to demonstrate how to properly lift heavy items.

Interactive quiz about liftingThis interactive quiz designed for English speakers asks questions about back/lifting safety.

Pictures of lifting techniquesThis site from the NASG database has two diagrams, one of an improper lifting technique and another of a proper lifting technique. There are also some multiple-choice questions about lifting at the bottom of the page.

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Lifting/Ergonomics (cont’d.)

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Drywall lifting techniquesThis is an American website that has information about how to properly lift drywall. There are also photographs of the techniques.

Lone Workers

Legal definitionsThis website contains definitions for instructors about lone workers and workers’ rights. These pages may need to be adapted for ESL learners.

Interactive quiz about lone workersThis quiz is designed for those who work alone and addresses safety concerns for these people. At the end of the quiz are on-line documents about health and safety information for those who work alone. These may need to be adapted for your ESL learners.

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Blood Safety

Definition of universal precautionsThe Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety defines universal precautions and lists ways that workers might protect themselves against exposure to blood-borne illnesses.

Albertan information about Universal Precautions at the worksiteThis document from Work Safe Alberta provides information about universal precautions on the jobsite. It offers specific information about how to avoid exposure to body fluids, as well as information on how to clean up after spills.

Worksheets about HIV/AIDSThe following are worksheets that have some information about HIV/AIDS. They are written at multiple levels for ESL learners.

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Shift-work and Fatigue

The sleep/wake cycle and shift-workThis is a series of five vignettes that explains shift-work, its consequences, and the sleep-wake cycle, and provides tips for the shift-worker. Some of the information might be difficult for beginning ESL learners; however, it can be adapted by the teacher to meet the learners’ needs.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle for shift workersThis website produced by the Alberta Government provides information for shift workers on getting enough sleep and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are interesting links on page 5.

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Staying Healthy and Managing Stress

Video clip about the importance of relaxationThis is a four-minute video clip from Canada AM that focus on the importance of rest and relaxation.

Worksheets about signs and symptoms of stressThis website provides information for learners about how to identify stress and deal with it in a healthy fashion. It describes the importance of relaxation, changing perspectives, and time management.

Suggestions for making the workplace healthierSome of the topics that promote workplace health on this Alberta government website include the afternoon slump, back pain, healthy eating, and work/life balance.

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Picture-Based Activities for Learning English 34

This workbook provides examples of activities that can be taken from magazines. These language activities can easily be adapted for workplace English.

Recommended Websites and Readings

Alberta Employment and Immigration Canadian Immigration and CitizenshipCenter for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) -

Information about Adult Employment InstructionCentre for the Canadian Language BenchmarksContent Based InstructionEnglish ExpressLaroche, L., & Rutherford, D. (2007). Recruiting, retaining, and

promoting culturally different employees. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.

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References36

Brinton, D. M., Snow, M. A., & Wesche, M. B. (1989). Content-based second language instruction. New York, NY: Newbury.

Crandall, J. (1995). ESL through content-area instruction. McHenry, IL: Delta Systems.

Acknowledgements

Carolyn Dieleman, Alberta Employment and ImmigrationGertrude AberdeenLaura MonerrisDr. Marilyn AbbottDr. Marian Rossiter

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