Grace Church is offering free ESL classes! Stay tuned for more information.
Basic Information:
Grace Church is offering free ESL (English as second language) classes to anyone who wants to improve their English. The classes will be held on Monday nights, starting when restrictions lift at the Grace Canadian Reformed Church building located at 10301 Creditview Rd, Brampton, ON. This is in the Mt. Pleasant neighbourhood of Brampton, near the Mt. Pleasant GO Station and library.
Classes will be offered at the advanced, intermediate, and basic levels. Coffee and food will be offered (Depending on COVID restrictions).
Registration:
If you are interested in attending ESL Classes and lessons, or have questions, please email ericonderwater@gmail.com or call 905-459-4511. You are also welcome to come to the church on Monday nights at 7:30 PM, and you can register at the front desk.
Frequently asked questions:
Why is Grace Church offering ESL classes?
Over the last few years, the pastors and members of Grace Church have come into contact with many people in our neighbourhood here in Mt. Pleasant. Through all of that contact, we’ve learned that many of our neighbours are looking for ways to improve their English. As a result, we put some time and energy looking into how we could help our neighbours with their English. After some research, we discovered that it was possible for churches to offer a formal ESL program, with teachers for different skill levels.
What kind of ESL is being offered here?
While there are a variety of ESL teaching styles and programs, the program at Grace Church is mostly a conversational program. Teachers will be working in smaller groups of 4-8 people, where every person will have a chance to practice their English verbally. Lesson plans will be used to prompt questions and conversation.
Who are your teachers and are they trained?
Our teachers do not have any official certification, but they do receive five weeks of intensive training from an ESL teaching professional. Our teachers are volunteers from our congregation, and always have access to ESL teaching professionals if they need help.
Is this a ‘Christian’ program?
The ESL program here at Grace is open to any person, from any background or religious affiliation. It is first an ESL program – it’s meant to help participants learn English. As a church, we want to help our neighbours adjust to our country and feel at home here. We want to help our neighbours succeed in the workforce and be able to grow in this country. This ministry is part of our Canadian hospitality to our neighbours. That said, the ESL program here at Grace is staffed by Christians and many Christian concepts and ideas are embedded in the teaching outlines. Our faith is a big part of who we are and why we want to show hospitality, so participants shouldn’t be surprised if faith is part of the conversation at times in ESL classes.
Do I have to pay?
No, the program is offered free of charge.
Why do this program and not a different program, such as one of the federally funded LINC programs?
The major advantage of our ESL program is the smaller group sizes and the opportunity to practice verbal skills. Many ESL classes are quite large, and therefore tend to be traditional in style. In these programs, the teacher teaches grammar, phonics or vocabulary from the front, but there’s little opportunity to practice what is learned and be corrected by someone who knows the language. Also, our teachers are volunteers, and they are invested in helping our neighbours learn. They have a passion for teaching and the small group sizes also enable our teachers to help students with things beyond English – such as cultural habits and customs. We realize that most ESL students need help with more than English – it’s really difficult to adjust to a brand new country and culture! We are here to help in those ways too.