A Series of Workshops: Language Development and Academic Skills

Absolutely Free!

Location: North Campus, GH202

Please visit the Writing Centre (GH202) – North Campus to register for any or all of these workshops.

For more information, contact Irene Kosmas, PC, Remedial (Comm 100) and Developmental (ESL) Courses
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Phone: 416.675. 6622 ext. 4394

ESL Workshop Descriptions

Presenting in front of a Group
Worried about a class presentation? Need some practice before making a presentation?  Come to this workshop to learn and practice the following: planning the presentation, using language appropriately, understanding bodylanguage/delivery skills, and using visual aids. Cultural differences in presentation skills will be addressed.

Research Skills & Academic Honesty
Having trouble starting that big research paper? Unsure what your teachers mean when they talk about academic honesty and plagiarism? Researching and documenting your sources are essential academic skills that you must learn at college. Come learn and talk about how researching and writing a paper might be different here in Canada as compared to your home country. In this workshop, learn about the research process, paraphrasing and using quotations and citing your sources appropriately.

Building an Academic Argument (Critical Thinking)
When writing essays or reports, or taking part in seminars and debates, professors expect that students can build arguments and think critically. What is an academic argument? What does critical thinking mean? You might be surprised at the differences in academic culture in Canada compared to your home country in regards to these concepts. In this workshop, learn simple language conventions for being more persuasive in writing or speaking. Persuasive essays and debates will be discussed.

Effective Dictionary Skills
If you think dictionaries are just overly bulky books to help you with spelling, this workshop is for you. You’ll learn how to use your dictionary in a great variety of ways to help you with, word forms, collocations (what words often appear with other words, phrasal verbs, pronunciation and much more. You’ll develop a new appreciation for your dictionary, and improved performance on all of your writing assignments.

Effective Note-Taking Skills
Having a hard time taking notes or keeping up with your instructor while he or she is lecturing?  Come to this workshop and determine how to most effectively utilize your time, note-taking  skills, and notebook! Learn how to decipher which parts of a lecture are the most crucial, how to best retain the information that you’ve written down, and tips and tricks to make notetaking quick, painless, and easy.