Detailed Sample Task:
EAL Literacy

Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline knowledge and digital skills.

Learners may need to:

• Have keyboarding and typing skills.
• Locate, navigate and use websites.
• Read information from a screen.
• Navigate camera and microphone
• Adjust volume on device 

Instructors can:

• Dedicate time to improve digital literacy for learners
• Make and/ or adapt digital materials.
• Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
• Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
• Show learners how to enlarge pictures on a screen.

• Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQ+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent. . Consider this diversity as you choose names for characters in stories you create as well.
• Recognize and teach learners that Canada is a diverse place and has people from many different cultures. Canadian culture includes the cultures of all people in Canada.
• Teach learners that there are holidays from many cultures celebrated in Canada.
• Teach learners that Thanksgiving is a secular holiday (a non-religious holiday or a holiday for all faiths) in Canada. 

Possible Trauma Triggers:

• Discussions of cultural events may be triggering for learners who have experienced discrimination.
• When teaching about Canada, you may teach about things that are triggering to learners who have experienced trauma. We can’t know what the triggers might be and what seems commonplace to us may have a triggering component for learners. Be aware of this and be prepared to support learners as needed. 

Strategies:

• Refugee learners may not have had a choice in leaving their countries and coming to Canada; recognize that some learners may have mixed feelings about being in Canada. Allow learners to have their own opinions and feelings about Canada. 
• Learners who experience food insecurity may not have the resources for a special meal for Thanksgiving and may have mixed feelings about seeing images of Thanksgiving feasts. Make sure you teach that Thanksgiving is also about spending time with family or friends. This is also a good opportunity to make sure learners are aware of local food banks or food programs. 
• Give learners advance warning of this topic and be aware that there may be learners who require support.
• Learners who have experienced trauma often benefit from having routine. Create a safe and supportive classroom environment by establishing familiar routines, repeated activities, and model friendly and non-evaluative interactions.
• Learners will benefit from positive relationships established in the classroom with the instructor and peers.
• Learners who have experienced trauma benefit from having choices.
  • Allow learners choice:
    • the choice to work on a different topic
    • the choice to share or not share their own experiences
    • the choice to work alone or to work with others
    • the choice to take care of themselves
    • the choice to step out of the learning environment
• When learners have shared personal distressing or traumatic experiences, make space for learners to feel safe and recover from the experience of sharing their experiences. Follow the activities which may make learners feel vulnerable with routine, predictable and comforting activities.
• Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.