English Language Learning
ELL supports all U of T undergraduates enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Science whose first language is not English (ESL or multilingual students), as well as native speakers seeking to improve their English language skills.
- ELL010H1 - Intensive Academic English
- Communication Cafe
- Reading eWriting
- ELL Student Association
- Resources for Students
Peer Mentors Program
ELL supports all U of T undergraduates enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Science whose first language is not English (ESL or multilingual students), as well as native speakers seeking to improve their English language skills. Whether you are
- a new international student
- a student who has lived and studied in Canada for a number of years
- a student whose environment outside of school is not primarily in English
- or a native-speaker student who finds formal, academic English challenging
--ELL can help you! Take an 8-day non-credit summer course, ELL010H1, Intensive Academic English, open to students in all colleges. Participate each term in a 5-week series of communication workshops (Communication Café) and an ongoing writing activity online (Reading eWriting).
ELL takes a holistic approach, encouraging students to immerse themselves in English to improve reading, writing, speaking, critical thinking, and listening skills. All of these skills are interconnected, so improving all of them together can lead to faster progress in learning. Our course and workshops give students strategies for improving their language skills now and in the years to come.
ELL has a friendly atmosphere and welcomes students of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of English.
Read the A&S news article about the ELL program.
ELL010H1F Intensive Academic English, May 1-10, 2013
Open to students in all colleges. No credit and no grades are given in ELL010H1F.
Priority given to students in Year 1 and Year 2.
Note that on Monday, April 15, priority controls will be removed on ROSI and students in all years will be able to register for any remaining spaces in ELL010H1F. This includes graduating Year 4 students. If you find that the course is full, please put your name on the wait list, as spaces may become available.
Register on ROSI along with your Summer 2013 courses. The academic fee of $200 will be waived if you complete the course.
This course is designed for undergraduates in the Faculty of Arts and Science whose first language is not English (ESL or multilingual students), as well as native speakers seeking to improve their English language skills. This course provides 24 hours of classroom instruction and group activities, 3 hours each day, plus an individual conference at the end of the course to discuss your writing. Our instructors know the university curriculum and the ways to improve your performance in it.
You will also meet other students and learn about the language support services available to you at U of T. Course details here.
ELL010H1F will also be offered August 21-30, 2013. Priority in August 2013 will be given to incoming Year 1 students in all colleges, with some spaces for Year 2 and Year 3 students. Watch this website for details or contact the ELL coordinator at ell.newcollege@utoronto.ca.
Focusing on your language skills can lead to improvements in your course work!
ELL offers a series of 1.5 hour workshops in the first 5 weeks of each term as well as a 3-week writing activity online. Students can improve their skills in reading, writing, critical thinking, and group discussion. There is no registration and no fee. You do not have to attend all sessions, or participate in both on-site and online work. However, you will gain maximum benefit by coming to a weekly on-site Cafe (offered at 4 different times and at 4 colleges for convenience) for 5 weeks and doing the writing activity online. Our approach is holistic, immersing students in a stimulating interactive learning environment in which many language skills are exercised simultaneously.
Meet with others to develop language skills!
- The Communication Cafe will meet from January 8, 2013 - February 8, 2013. We offer cafes at University College, St. Michael's, Woodsworth, and New College. Please click here for the full schedule.
Our activities focus on helping students whose first language is not English to feel confident expressing their ideas orally. Vocabulary expansion and development of critical thinking are emphasized. Past topics include:
- world painting and photography
- Canadian literature, history and politics
- persuasive presentations and interviews
- science and business ethics
- vocabulary games and dramatic role-play
Cafe workshops provide practice in pronunciation, arguing a point, and participating in group discussions. Our cross-cultural atmosphere is very welcoming, and all student experiences are valued. Native speakers of English may also participate, and many students returning to university after an absence find our activities helpful. New members are welcomed at each meeting. Come to one cafe, or come to all!
Attend regularly and earn a Certificate of Participation.
More information about the Communication Cafe and to see sample activities:
"Meet" with the ELL instructor online to work on your writing skills!
Reading eWriting can help you with reading, understanding, and writing responses to course material. This effective method uses email as a means of communication with the instructor. Students can benefit from reading outside their course material and also from responding critically to course texts. In your writing practice, you may ask the instructor to focus on the areas where you need most help, such as critical thinking, analysis, development of ideas, grammar, sentence structure, and word choice. Reading eWriting is currently being offered as a free, 3-week program, with Session #1 starting on January 9, 2013, and Session #2 starting on January 30, 2013.
Join the ELL Distribution list
To get current information on ELL programming and events, subscribe to our distribution list. To subscribe to the list, send an e-mail message to listserv@listserv.utoronto.ca. In the BODY of the message type a command of the form: subscribe ELL-L firstname lastname (You can use either upper or lower case.) You will receive a reply asking for confirmation.
Instructor
Leora Freedman has been the Coordinator of the ELL Project since 2008. She has worked intensively with U of T students in many disciplines and programs as an instructor in the New College, University College, and Health Sciences Writing Centres. She presently facilitates workshops for U of T faculty and teaching assistants to enable them to address the needs of multilingual students more effectively. For many years she lived in Israel and taught in the Department of English as a Foreign Language at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Leora Freedman holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in fiction writing from the University of Arizona and has taught many college and university courses in English, professional communication, and academic writing.
You can contact the ELL coordinator, Leora Freedman, at ell.newcollege@utoronto.ca.
Acknowledgements
The English Language Learning Program is funded by Curriculum Renewal Initiative Grants from the Faculty of Arts and Science. Begun at New College in 2008, the program has expanded to support students across the Faculty of Arts and Science. The FAS Coordinator of Writing Support, Woodsworth College, and St. Michael's College have been key collaborators with New College in the development and expansion of the program.
We gratefully acknowledge the help of Dr. Elaine Khoo of the English Language Development (ELD) program at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, on whose innovative programming this pilot project is based. The ELD website contains many useful resources for language learning.
