Letter of Appreciation

from Brandon University and Brandon School Division

March 15, 2020

Dear Julia Amber Kreutzer,

This is a letter of recognition for your participation in the Brandon School

Division (BSD) and Brandon University (BU) EAL-Student Teaching
Collaborative Project as part of the 12:353 Teaching English as an Additional
Language (EAL) Course offered at Brandon University.
Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou, Ph.D.
Associate Professor/Chair
The intent of this partnership with a Brandon School Division EAL classroom
was to familiarize the teacher candidates with the diversity of characteristics
of EAL students. The teacher candidates had an opportunity to work with EAL
Department of students and their teacher. The purposes of this Initiative were for the teacher
Curriculum & Pedagogy candidates (1) to develop a knowledge-base about culturally and linguistically
appropriate teaching practices (2) to have the opportunity to work with EAL
Faculty of Education
students to gain an understanding about the diverse characteristics and
270-18th Street English Language proficiency levels of EAL students (3) to acquire an
Brandon, Manitoba
Canada R7A 6A9 understanding of a multitude of factors (cross-cultural, previous schooling
experiences, personal and family factors, learning environment factors etc.)
www.brandonu.ca/education that may impact EAL students’ academic progress and linguistic development.
In addition, teacher candidates submitted a critical reflection based on this
Phone: (204) 727-7329 experience. Through this school-based experience and critical reflection the
NtelioglouB@BrandonU.ca teacher candidates expanded their knowledge of theory and practice to
support EAL students in K-12 classrooms.

A central insight garnered from this course and partnership experience is the
importance of challenging the misconception that there is a universal way to
approach and teach every EAL student. In addition, through interaction with
the EAL students, teacher candidates came to understand that supporting EAL
students extends beyond simply teaching them about English language
acquisition.

We thank you for taking part in this elective EAL course and developing your
knowledge and expertise in the area of supporting English as an Additional
Language (EAL) students. This is a clear indication of your commitment to
servicing EAL students in this province and beyond.

Sincerely,

Dr. Burcu Yaman Ntelioglou, Associate Professor/Chair, Department of

Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, Brandon University, Manitoba

Joanna Ford, EAL Specialist, Brandon School Division, Manitoba