This fall, faculty and staff from George Brown’s School of ESL hosted adult educators from Spain as part of an innovative Teacher Experience Program funded by the Galician Ministry of Education and channelled through Toronto-based Language Links.
The School of ESL developed a customized four-week professional development program for the Spanish teachers, centred on a rotation of in-person daily classroom observation. The program incorporated faculty-led structured reflection sessions, participation in professional development sessions (School of ESL and the college’s Teaching and Learning Exchange and Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services), and student success-related program immersion and cultural activities designed to deepen their understanding of English language teaching and learning within multicultural classroom and campus environments.
What resulted was an enriching intercultural professional development experience for all involved.
The Spanish teachers experienced the program as a time of professional growth and exchange, learning from the School of ELS’s student-centred ESL pedagogy and all the wraparound student programming and supports. They were impressed with the way George Brown’s ESL faculty truly listened to and engaged diverse immigrant and international students, drawing them into the classroom and making them feel valued and important. They admired the school’s commitment to authentic assessment and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and emphasized the ESL faculty’s remarkable ability to create accessible and engaging learning experiences, boosting newcomers’ confidence and skills in their transitions to Canada.
“The teachers whose classes I have attended are outstanding," said program participant María José Fernández. "I feel extremely fortunate to observe how they work and the engaging feedback they receive from the students. The experience is truly enriching. George Brown College is a flagship in the field of education.”
Great learning opportunity for School of ESL faculty
The ESL faculty members who generously opened their classrooms to the Spanish teachers expressed that the Teacher Experience Program was a wonderful learning and development opportunity for them as well. It was a chance to see their professional skills and achievements mirrored back. The opportunity to receive feedback from and dialogue with colleagues in the field was a gift, offering unique perspectives from which to view their own daily practices. The experience also generated meaningful intercultural dialogue and reflection on teaching and learning across countries and contexts – commonalities, differences, challenges, and successes. That opportunity was special, as Faculty Facilitator Valerie Scovill said, because “we learn best when we learn together.”
Exploring future opportunities
The Teacher Experience Program was such a resounding success that the sponsoring Ministry of Education in Galicia, Spain, sent representatives to meet with George Brown to discuss future collaboration opportunities. The School of ESL is celebrating this success and actively exploring opportunities for expanding intercultural dialogue and exchange for the benefit of the GBC community.
To learn more about the Teacher Experience Program, please contact Alison Burns at aburns@georgebrown.ca.
