Last week winter term ended at CIES and with it came our latest EST@CIES graduating class. Certificates were handed out, speeches were made and a celebration lunch was held with students and teachers in attendance. Of the day's events, one speech in particular, from recent immigrant Dorcas Awoyemi, stood out. It serves as a reminder of just what kind of difference we can make with those who come to us for assistance during a time in their lives filled with the many difficulties that come with cultural transition. Watch her uplifting speech below.
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Friday, March 27, 2015
CIES Field Trip - Oh, Canada! Art Exhibition
On Thursday, March 26, 2015, three part-time SE LINC classes visited the Oh, Canada art exhibition at two different galleries: Illingworth Kerr Gallery and Nickle Galleries. Oh, Canada, curated by Denise Markonish from MASS MoCA, is at present the largest survey of contemporary Canadian art ever produced outside this country. This exhibition runs from January 31 to April 26, 2015. Since we are nearing the end of the Winter 2015 semester and our students have recently completed their benchmark tests, I thought it would be a good idea for my students to unwind by having a feast for their senses while picking up some Canadian culture and history at the galleries.
My first field trip that day was with my CLB 4-6 PT pm SE class, and we went to the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD). The works of art there which stood out included Ruth Cuthand's Trading series. At first glance, I was attracted to the beautiful bead designs, but I was slightly repulsed when I realized that I was actually looking at images of microscopic viruses! Cuthand's work stems from her intent to portray colonization visually, wherein glass beads from Aboriginal people were traded for epidemics of disease from European traders. The work which was the biggest hit with my students and their kids, however, was Widow, Janice Wright Cheney's imposing rose-covered bear. Although this friendly-looking bear may inspire romantic sentiments, it is meant to represent loss, grief, and survival.
In the evening, both my CLB 4 PT eve SE and Erin Brann's CLB 5 PT eve SE classes visited the Nickle Galleries at the University of Calgary. Although there were not many works on display there, the ones offered were mostly very large and involved the creative use of video. One of my favourites was Garry Neill Kennedy's Spotted, an arrangement of photographs of airplanes. This work may appear mundane, but it contains indirect yet powerful political commentary. Spotted captures shots of planes used in the CIA's rendition program, wherein suspected terrorists are transferred to US controlled sites for torture by proxy. Most popular with the students, however, was David Hoffos's Scenes from the House Dream, which uses a combination of scale dioramas and pre-recorded videos. Both the students and their teachers found this work of art confusing and creepy yet strangely enjoyable! Unfortunately, the one child who came with us was too spooked and declined to enter the dark room housing this work!
In terms of pedagogical application, I can understand why many ESL teachers may cringe at the idea of incorporating modern art into their language lessons. I myself do not pretend to be an art expert. Another concern teachers may have is their immigrant students are likely to have little interest and would balk at learning about art. Such concerns are definitely valid. Earlier in the week, Erin and I discussed some of our students' poor response, and we started to second-guess our choice of this week's theme. However, when our students explored the galleries, it became clear that they began to see contemporary art in a much more positive light. Therefore, I firmly believe that a field trip to an art gallery is essential to a unit on art. For some ideas on activities you could use with students in conjunction with such a field trip, click here.
My first field trip that day was with my CLB 4-6 PT pm SE class, and we went to the Illingworth Kerr Gallery at Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD). The works of art there which stood out included Ruth Cuthand's Trading series. At first glance, I was attracted to the beautiful bead designs, but I was slightly repulsed when I realized that I was actually looking at images of microscopic viruses! Cuthand's work stems from her intent to portray colonization visually, wherein glass beads from Aboriginal people were traded for epidemics of disease from European traders. The work which was the biggest hit with my students and their kids, however, was Widow, Janice Wright Cheney's imposing rose-covered bear. Although this friendly-looking bear may inspire romantic sentiments, it is meant to represent loss, grief, and survival. In terms of pedagogical application, I can understand why many ESL teachers may cringe at the idea of incorporating modern art into their language lessons. I myself do not pretend to be an art expert. Another concern teachers may have is their immigrant students are likely to have little interest and would balk at learning about art. Such concerns are definitely valid. Earlier in the week, Erin and I discussed some of our students' poor response, and we started to second-guess our choice of this week's theme. However, when our students explored the galleries, it became clear that they began to see contemporary art in a much more positive light. Therefore, I firmly believe that a field trip to an art gallery is essential to a unit on art. For some ideas on activities you could use with students in conjunction with such a field trip, click here.
New Era, New Logo? Part II
First off, thanks to all those who offered feedback on the logos so far introduced. Some organizations take months and put forth dozens of designs before settling on a logo and its always feedback that drives new versions, alterations and inclusions, and thus arriving at a brand best suited to a new era.Taken from our last round of feedback, several felt it was best to include the full name of the society in the logo. It has been our thought, that wherever the logo appears (reports, proposals, our blog and websites etc.) the full name of the organization will appear right next to it and therefore perhaps not entirely necessary in the logo itself. That being said, taking your thoughts into account, the full name has been placed below the CIES logo in a secondary, rather than a primary capacity. In designing this latest potential logo, I also took into account the great suggestion that we essentially have a single design that can work for both our SE and NE locations,
Consensus is as we are a settlement agency a maple leaf / flag should be included, as it represents a visual cue newcomers will automatically be drawn towards. Red and white, although not settled upon as colours, is what I will base logo designs on as an extension of Canada, our flag and a carry over from our initial logo. As before, please do offer your feedback, as what you see below was based on your suggestions.
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Sing Out Loud @ CIES
It's great to use songs in the class, if only to do something a little different. But beyond using them solely to give your students some 'light relief', there are many other ways songs can be used in ESL classrooms to consolidate what students have already learnt.
CLB 3 LINC instructor Rob Macinnis from our NE location in Whitehorn submitted a list of songs he likes to use as teaching tools in his classroom and asked me to share them all. Simply click the song titles below to hear the songs. Further still, if anyone would like to add a song or even a category of songs to this post, simply send it on over and I will make the addition. Happy singing!
CANADIAN COMMUNITY
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
A New Era, A New Logo?
With many significant changes coming over the last few months, new initiatives, new ideas, new projects and new leadership have opened the doors to a new and exciting era at the Calgary Immigrant Educational Society. At yesterday's CIES Board of Director's meeting, the idea of a possibly considering a new logo was discussed. As of right now this may or may not happen, but the green light has been given to come up with a few possibilities. The thought here is to share and get feedback from all concerned, so below is one such possibility. Let us know what you think!
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
TERVITA Visits CIES
Sarah has been donating her time to CIES as a quest speaker, once a term with our EST classes for more than 2 years. She spends up to three hours with our EST students, lecturing on job readiness and expectations from a Calgary employer's perspective. Another vital part of her time with our clients is the end-of-term mock interview sessions, where Sarah takes the time to interview each and every student individually and provides immediate feedback on their performance.
Sarah immigrated to Canada with her family from El Salvador at just five years old and recalls the services Canada provided to her mother upon arrival. The help her mother received has now come full circle, as Sarah now provides newcomers to Canada with guidance and coaching on how to best adapt to the Canadian workplace. It is people like Sarah that make CIES possible. We salute her long term service and Tervita for providing us with her expert knowledge. See you next term Sarah!
Monday, March 23, 2015
Happy Nowruz from CIES
The Persian New Year marks the first day of spring and also is the Baha'i New Year, but the holiday is celebrated by Iranians of all religions. The celebration's origins can be traced back to the Zoroastrian tradition. The word Nowruz is a compound word, combining "now" which means "new," and "roz" which means "day."As the holiday coincides with the vernal equinox, its date changes every year.
The Persian Golf Club held a big celebration to mark the onset of the New Year at the University of Calgary's MacEwan Hall and posted an album on their Facebook page. The University of Calgary is also currently hosting the Iranian Photo Exhibit "Burnt Generation" at the Founders Gallery through April 12th. The exhibit's title refers to the generation that grew up with Iran's 1979 Revolution and through the Iran-Iraq war's end in 1988. The Canadian Art Foundation listed the exhibit at number four in the 15 Photos exhibits not to miss this year. For a more detailed look of this time in Iranian history, the academy award winning animated film Persepolis (trailer below) is also worth checking out.
All of us at CIES send you best wishes in the New Year!
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