Activity B

Walking a mile in someone’s shoes: Developing empathy

Here’s a simple introduction to English as a Second Language. It sets the mood for the rest of the unit.

Use of handout, discussion

Materials and equipment

Handout 11.3: One Saying

Preparation

Copy handout.

STEP-BY-STEP PROCESS

  1. Introduce the concept of walking a mile in someone’s shoes.
  2. Hand out a copy of One Saying to each tutor.
  3. Ask tutors who do not know any other language but English to guess what the saying is.
  4. If these tutors cannot guess the answer, then ask tutors who know other languages to guess.
  5. Confirm or give the answer: “Before you judge someone, walk a mile in his shoes.”

Activity C

Meeting ESL learners

Adaptation tip

If you are not able to interview a learner, adapt the questions so that they work for a tutor who is talking about learning another language and living in another country. For example, change the language and country names. Make other changes as appropriate.

This should be the highlight of the unit. It provides realism and, more than any other activity, should help tutors who are unsure about working with ESL learners feel more comfortable.

No matter which process you choose, whether you are able to interview an actual ESL learner or whether you need to watch a video, here are some sample interview questions for getting to know ESL learners. Use them as the activities below suggest.

Sample interview questions for getting to know ESL learners

You may want to ask the learner to talk about

  1. their English learning experience.
  2. what it is like to be an immigrant. (Only if the learner is an immigrant.)

If you want or need to ask more, a few suggestions for follow-up questions are listed below:

  1. What is the most important thing to learn in English?
  2. What is the hardest thing about English?
  3. What makes learning English easier?
  4. Did you know some English before coming to this English program (use your program’s name)?
  5. If so, how did you learn it? (As appropriate, ask the learner if she studied English before coming to Canada, in what type of classes and so on.)
  6. What was the hardest thing to get used to in Canada?
  7. What is the most important thing that a tutor can do in a lesson?