english for caregivers

Question:
Does anyone know if any online links to "English for Caregivers" materials? I have a lot of students that are involved in this field.

Answer:
In case your learners might benefit, (not sure of their level) here is a link to Project Care mostly geared to high-intermediate ESL students. It provides some case studies, multimedia (vocabulary and authentic listening practice) and projects on such topics as Depression, Alzheimer's Disease, Death and Dying. See projectcare.worlded.org.

Project Care is a World Education project.

World Education is dedicated to improving the lives of the poor through education, and economic and social development programs.

hotel worker curriculum

Hi there. I got this message today and thought some people might be interested in this site. I have not checked it out at all so have no review of these materials -- I'll leave that to you.

Here is a link for an ESL curriculum for hotel housekeepers. It's on the OTAN website--www.otan.us You have to register, but it's fast and free. It's an excellent resource.

The materials are in the VESL Clearinghouse Catalog Library Section -- here's the link: http://www.otan.us/browse/index.cfm?fuseaction=view&catid=2957
Scroll down to VESL for Hotel/Housekeeping Modules. There are 7 modules.

Cheers, Tracey

Workplace: Pay and Hours

Here is an activity for students interested in finding out about their rights in the workplace.

This week we will look at the WorkRights.ca website.

We will look for information about Pay and Hours of Work. You will see the topics in the bar on the left side.

There are 5 things to do:

1. Go to Getting Paid and click on Ont at the top of the page. (The short forms for each province are in the row of teeny, tiny white writing that is almost impossible to read.)

What is the general minimum wage in Ontario 2009?
What will it be next year?
Look at another province. Is the minimum wage the same or different?

2. Go to Work Time. Click on Weekly Hours and Overtime and click on Ont at the top of the page.

How many hours in standard work week?
Are you entitled to a break?
What about days off?
What can you do if you still have questions about the rules?

3. Look along the left sidebar of the WorkRights.ca website.
What other information can you find on this site?

4. Click on the comments link below and tell us what you think about this website. Is it easy to use? Is the information useful?

5. Here are some questions to think about. We will discuss these questions in class.

What do you think about Fair pay? Have you ever worked for minimum wage? Is it enough money? How much should people get paid? How can workers get fair wages

What do you think about Hours of work? How many hours should people work? Should it be the same for everybody? How can workers get fair hours?

Workplace: Health and Safety

Health and Safety 101 is an e-course developed by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in Ontario, for workers 24 years old and younger.

The course also prepares you for the Passport to Safety test and online program. The Passport program is for people who want to get nationally recognized certificate, or Passport, to show employers they have a basic level of health and safety knowledge.

Go to Health and Safety 101.

Choose high speed if you are using a cable or DSL internet connection or low speed if you are using a dial up connection. If you use high speed, you can see videos and some of the information will be read out loud. If you use low speed, you will have to read all of the information so if you need help with the reading make sure a tutor is with you.

Look at the menu bar along the top.

Click on Safety Roles.

A menu will pop down.


Click on Your Rights - You will be looking at pages 12-21 of the Safety Roles lesson.

You can watch more, but that is the part we are talking about today.

Find out:
* What are our 3 health and safety rights?
* What are the 4 steps we can take if we are not safe at work

If you want to learn more about the Right to Refuse,
click here to listen to a story from the Learning Edge.

If you want to learn more about safety in different workplaces,
click here to see how well you can Fix the Hazard.

2. When you have looked at the websites, click on the comments link and tell us what you saw. Here are some questions to think about:

What websites did you look at?
What information was new to you?
What information surprised you the most?
What questions do you still have about health and safety in the workplace?
Where do you think you could find the answers?

Workplace: Health and Safety - Fix the Hazard

These virtual games from Australia help us learn to identify and solve safety hazards.

This was a way to get a certificate. You cannot get a certificate any more but you can still play the games.

You will need a high speed connection and the Macromedia Flash 6 Player to be installed on your computer. If you do not have the Flash Player installed, you can download the player by visiting Macromedia's Flash Download Centre and following their installation instructions.

To play the games, move your mouse over the pictures.
When the arrow turns into a hand, you have found a hazard.
Click on it.
A multiple choice quiz will pop up.
Read the options and click on the one you think is the best solution.

Choose the workplace you work in most and see how well you do.

Play the Safe Office Game

Play the Safe Kitchen Game

Play the Safe Hotel Game

Play the Safe Supermarket Game

Workplace: Change

Part 1

Go to the Learning Edge, Issue 5. Then click on the box called “The changing face of work.”

What do you think about what these people are saying about the changing face of work?

How did you feel about going back to school?

What were your reasons for going back to school?

How has the world of work changed for you?

Did your job change?

Part 2

At Job Futures we can learn where the government says jobs are now and where they will be in the future.

We can learn about whether we have the education we need for a certain job and if we will like the job.

To learn more about how to use this site, go to the Learning Edge, Issue 5.
Then click on the box called “Using the internet to find jobs.”

Listen to the recording and then click on the Job Futures button.
Listen to the information about the website and then go to the Job Futures website.

Look up a job that you are interested in. If you know what job you would like, look the job up by clicking on alphabet and finding the job in the list. Remember, they may use another word for your job. For example, sports is called Athletics.

If you do not know what job you would like, click on Interest and choose whether you would like to work with things, people or information and choose a job from the list.

If you do not care what job you do just so long as there are lots of jobs in that field and the pay is good, click on Work Prospects and find a job to research there.

One you have found a job to research, find out:

- the average pay

- what the outlook is (will there be many jobs in this field and how many people with these skills are employed)

- what you will do on this job

- what education you need

and important facts (like how many women work in this field)
Click on comments and tell us what you found out.

And tell us what you think about this website. Is it helpful? What is easy about using it? What is difficult? Did you learn anything new about work?

Workplace: Finding Work

We can use the Learning Edge to look at ways to find jobs.

Here are some questions to think about:
- What are the four traditional methods of looking for jobs?
- Are they successful? Why or why not?
- What is the difference between active and passive ways of looking for work?
- What are two ways of looking for work?

You can find the answers in the Learning Edge.
Go to the Learning Edge, Issue 5.
Then click on the box called “Networking.”
Listen to the recording for scene 1.
Then choose a way of looking for work that you would like to practice.

1. Networking

2. Cold calling

3. Using the Job Bank

If you choose Networking:
Listen to the recording for scenes 2 and 3.
What do you think of this method?
Does it seem good to you?
Does it seem easy or difficult?
--------------------
Make a networking plan.
How will you start?
How will you find new people to network with?
What will you say?
What will you do after?

If you choose Cold calling:
What do you think of this method?
Does it seem good to you?
Does it seem easy or difficult?
--------------------
Make a cold calling plan.
How will you decide where to call?
What will you say about your experience?
What will you say if they do not have any openings right now? What will you do after?

If you choose Using the Job Bank:
Listen to the information about the website and then go to the Job Bank website and try to find a job.

What do you think of this method?
Does it seem good to you?
Does it seem easy or difficult?
-------------------
Reply to this message. Tell us what you found out.
Are there any jobs for you in your region? What will you do next?
And tell us what you think about this website. Is it helpful? What is easy about using it? What is difficult? Would you use the “resume builder?”