Some of you may already know that Sheila Moult has taken over the morning classes, beginning this week. Christianne will remain teaching the afternoon classes. Sheila, an experienced ESL instructor, has been doing a great job at VIRCS with our Young Adults ESL classes since September 2009. Now, our two great teachers are working together to re-design the daytime ESL classes.
In order to assess what is working and what could use improvement in the classes, Sheila and Christianne will be teaching class-as-usual until Monday, March 29th. On March 30th we will be closing the classes to volunteers, while Christianne, Sheila, and I try some new things with the students, and create a workshop to let you know about the new class.
Then, on Tuesday, April 6th, we will hold two workshops for all ESL volunteers. Both workshops will take place during regular class time in our HR Solutions room, at #207, 2504 Government Street. Anyone can sign up for either the morning (9:30am-11:30am) or afternoon (1:00pm-3:00pm) workshop. This will give each of you a chance to hear about the new class, learn about Sheila and Christianne's teaching styles, and decide if the new ESL classes are a good fit for you.
After the training, we'll give each of you a chance to talk to us individually, ask questions, and set a start day with you for when class resumes.
Please let me know which workshop time you plan to attend, and I will make sure to have enough coffee, tea, and snacks on hand :)
Timeline
- March 29: last day of classes with volunteers.
- March 30 to April 6: Sheila and Christianne try new teaching models.
- April 6: new teaching model revealed at Volunteer Workshops, 9:30am and 1pm.
- April 7 to April 17: Individual volunteer meetings to assess changes and set start dates.
All volunteers are welcome to attend these sessions, but priority will be given to ESL class volunteers. If you would like to attend, please let me know which session (morning or afternoon) works best for you.
