Real-World Task Guidelines:
Stage II
CLB 8
Canadian Workplace Culture
Possible Topics
This theme may include these topic areas:
And so on
Planning Context
Learners may require the following:
- Use of a unilingual dictionary to confirm or clarify meaning
- Some support understanding faster conversations or abstract, idiomatic and colloquial language
- Some support understanding appropriate levels of formality and tone, especially in relation to hierarchy and relationships in the workplace
- Some explicit language instruction to convey respect, appreciation and inclusivity
- Information on resources, supports, services and programs related to the theme
Instructors may need to:
- Explain some abstract, idiomatic or colloquial language and/ or cultural references
- Include teaching of pragmatics, strategic competence and sociolinguistic knowledge (cultural references, non-verbal communication, sociolinguistic norms and attitudes, speech styles and registers)
- Include collaborative group and pair work to apply the learned skills and promote the development of communication skills and teamwork, including simulations that allow learners take on different roles and understand different perspectives
- Adapt online resources for accessibility/ use in the classroom and explain that certain tasks are authentically completed online
- Incorporate learning of background information related to the theme
Interacting With Others
Understand moderately complex social exchanges.
- Identifies speakers’ purpose and intent.
- Identifies emotional state, mood and attitude from tone and intonation.
Interacting With Others
Participate in less routine social conversations for most everyday purposes.
- Asks follow-up questions to keep conversations going.
- Introduces guests or speakers appropriately.
Comprehending Instructions
Understand extended multistep directions or instructions for technical or non-technical tasks.
- Follows sequence markers, cohesive devices (connecting words, reference, parallel structure, substitution) or other linguistic clues to infer order of steps.
- Responds with actions to directions and instructions.
Interacting With Others
Participate in less routine social conversations for most everyday purposes.
- Responds to minor conflicts or complaints, or comforts others in distress.
- Asks follow-up questions to keep conversations going.
Giving Instructions
Give instructions and directions for a broad range of technical and non-technical tasks, procedures and processes.
- Uses correct sequence of steps.
- Uses clear references and provides necessary details.
Getting Things Done
- Describes problems and clarifies details.
- Indicates possible solutions, recommends the best ones, and gives reasons.
Getting Things Done
Get information from moderately complex business/service texts containing proposals, recommendations and statements of rules, regulations or policies.
- Identifies main ideas, key details and implied meanings.
- Scans text and makes inferences to select the relevant information.
Getting Things Done
Write business or service correspondence for an expanding range of purposes.
- Conveys a clear message to the reader.
- Conveys a sense of audience in language and format.
Comprehending Information
Understand moderately complex extended descriptions, feature articles, reports and narrations.
- Locates and integrates relevant information across paragraphs/sections of the text.
- Evaluates ideas in text, draws conclusions, compares with own opinion.
Getting Things Done
Write business or service correspondence for an expanding range of purposes.
- Conveys a sense of audience in language and format.
- Conveys a clear message to the reader.
Getting Things Done
Write business or service correspondence for an expanding range of purposes.
- Conveys a clear message to the reader.
- Conveys a sense of audience in language and format.
Sharing Information
Write 3 or 4 connected paragraphs to relate a historical event, provide a detailed description of a phenomenon, explain a procedure, or express and analyze opinions on a familiar abstract topic.
- Addresses the purpose of the task.
- Provides accurate and detailed descriptions, explanations and accounts of events in a clear sequence.
Additional Sample Real-World Tasks and Competency Areas
Listen to a supervisor discuss their resignation and infer their attitude from their tone. (Interacting With Others)
Explain to a supervisor why you wish to take on a new project and give detailed information about how you will be successful. (Sharing Information)
Read a detailed customer complaint with a service or process and determine how to resolve the problem. (Interacting With Others)
Write an email to a supervisor explaining the need for a change to a workplace policy. (Getting Things Done)
Additional Resources
- Avenue
- CCLB
- CCLB Language for Success: Language for Success–Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks
- Norquest College. LINC Works CLB 5. Tutela.ca | Resource
- Norquest College. Critical Incidents for Intercultural Communication in the Workplace – NorQuest College – Edmonton, Alberta
- TCDSB. Make Requests and Suggestions in Daily Life CLB 5-7.
- TCDSB. Interacting with Others CLB 5-7. Chapter 3: Interacting with Others (settlementatwork.org)
- Tutela Collections – Employment/Work: Tutela.ca | Collections
- VPL Skilled Immigrant Centre. Workplace Culture: A guide for newcomers to British Columbia
Digital Literacy Strategies
Successful completion of some tasks may require some baseline digital knowledge and skills.
Learners may need to:
- Have keyboarding and typing skills.
- Have an email address and be able to navigate email proficiently.
- Send and receive text messages.
- Understand and use email and meeting etiquette.
- Navigate and use online tools for collaboration such as Trello or Google Docs.
- Identify safe and reliable sources of information and news.
Instructors can:
- Support learners in finding, navigating and using websites.
- Teach reading strategies such as skimming and scanning to find information on websites.
- Introduce websites that are relevant to the task(s).
- Refer learners to programs to improve their digital skills.
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Strategies
Instructors Can:
- Use diverse representations of people in all your learning resources and images, including people who are 2SLGBTQIA+, Indigenous, Francophone and of other cultures, and people who have disabilities or who are neurodivergent.
- Recognize that learners with disabilities and learners who are neurodivergent may need accommodations in the workplace; when possible, help learners of all abilities understand their rights in the workplace.
Trauma-Informed Strategies
Triggers:
- Learners who have experienced trauma can be triggered by people in positions of authority; make sure learners understand their rights in the workplace and give strategies for making polite requests.
- Questioning can be triggering for learners who have experienced trauma; be careful with the tone of questions in any kind of performance review situation and make sure learners understand the purpose of the activities.
- Learners who have experienced trauma may feel wary of initiating any kind of perceived conflict, such as making a complaint to a coworker. Reassure learners that this is a necessary part of workplace culture in Canada.
Strategies:
- Give learners advance warning of discussions of this topic.
- Giving learners the knowledge, skills and language to access resources can be empowering.
Sample Real World Tasks
This information is aligned with the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) and is designed to help guide you in the planning process. You can use these sample real-world tasks to guide and inform your selection or creation of skill-building activities, skill-using tasks and assessment tasks.
These sample real-world tasks include the following: skill, real-world task, competency area, one competency statement and two sample indicators of ability. This is not an exhaustive list: there are more indicators of ability and information about this CLB level in Canadian Language Benchmarks English as a Second Language for Adults. Consult this resource for more information and to select your own competencies or indicators of ability. Remember, you can use more learner-friendly language in your materials and assessments.
This is NOT a lesson plan, module plan or curriculum.
