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The program facilities, equipment, and resources provide a learning environment that is accessible, safe, appropriate, and equipped to support learning.

Click on a best practice for indicators that clarify how to meet the best practice.
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Statements of Best Practice

  • Program location is accessible by public transportation that is in operation during class times.
  • Facilities accommodate the special needs of staff and students. These include, for example:
    • Barrier-free access to the facilities (accessible parking, ramps)
    • Larger, dedicated classrooms for EAL literacy
    • Other
  • The program is located near a selection of the following services if those services are not provided by the institution:
    • Food outlets/cafeteria
    • Library
    • Childcare
    • Settlement/counselling services
    • Health and wellness services and supports, including but not limited to stress reduction, mental health, health and wellness promotion, and prevention education
    • Other
  • EAL learners have access to facilities that enhance life. These might include the following:
    • A common area or lunch room that is adequately equipped, including, for instance:
      • Tables and chairs
      • Access to water/sink
      • Microwave oven, electric kettles, coffee station
      • Other
    • Information displays/bulletin boards with announcements and content relevant to learners’ lives
    • Internet access
    • Multi-faith rooms
    • Social isolation reduction initiatives, such as conversation circles, peer mentorship, and peer-to-peer connections
    • Other

  • Facilities meet all relevant fire and safety regulations.
  • Emergency exits and instructions are clearly posted.
  • The program orients staff and learners to safety procedures:
    • Fire drills and muster points
    • Location of fire extinguishers, first aid kits
    • Health and Occupational Safety signage
  • First aid kits are accessible.
  • Cleaning/sanitizing supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) are available as needed (e.g., cleaning wipes, hand sanitizer, gloves, masks, face shields).
  • Washrooms, drinking water, and garbage cans are convenient and accessible.
  • The program ensures suitable temperature control, noise control, lighting, and ventilation/air circulation.
  • The program schedules regular cleaning and maintenance of facilities.
  • Rooms (classrooms, staff rooms, offices) are of an appropriate size for the number of occupants when at maximum capacity.

*See NEAS Australia (2008), Criteria B2; NEAS Australia (July 2006), Criteria A2 & 3.

  • The program provides adequate and sufficient furniture for learning:
    • Minimum of one adult-appropriate chair and desk (or table space) per learner using the classroom at any given time
    • One teacher chair and desk per classroom
    • Storage space in or near the classroom
    • Whiteboard/interactive whiteboard
    • Place for posting visuals and posters (e.g., a bulletin board)
    • Other
  • The program provides current, reliable, working equipment for learning, either in the classroom or readily accessible, which may include the following:
    • Desktop or laptop with appropriate software and Internet access
    • Projector/screen/speakers; possibly an interactive whiteboard, document projector
    • Camera/microphone/headphones for online/remote learning
    • Technology carts (iPads, laptops)
    • Computer lab
    • Other equipment as needed for work-related programs (See Best Practice #74 in Skills and Language for Work)
  • Other equipment/supplies are available in the classroom as necessary, along with necessary storage. For instance:
    • Pencil sharpener
    • Flipchart paper
    • Hole punch
    • Stapler, tape, etc.
    • Whiteboard markers, erasers, etc.
    • Tissues, paper towels, hand sanitizer, etc.
    • Other
  • The program provides adequate technical support, along with clear procedures for the repair/maintenance of equipment.

*See NEAS Australia (2006, July), Criteria A4.

  • The program supplies, or learners purchase, learning materials. These materials are as follows:
    • Appropriate for adults
    • Meaningful to the learners
    • Current
    • Available in sufficient quantity at the start of the course
    • Supportive of the curriculum
    • Accessible and equitable (i.e., provide multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression) (See UDL Guidelines; see Best Practice #90 in Supporting Learners with Diverse Learning Needs)
    • Reflective of Canadian and local content (as far as possible)
    • Inclusive (i.e., reflect the student body; include a broad variety of perspectives; are free from biases, stereotypical portrayals, racism) (See Best Practices for 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion, Anti-Racism, and Indigenization)
    • In compliance with Canadian copyright laws
  • If necessary, to ensure that adult EAL learners have materials that support learning both inside and outside of class, the program seeks funding to ensure learners are supplied with their own workbooks, handouts, binders, supply packages, flashcards, textbooks (etc.). These meet the following criteria:
  • Learning resources that learners have access to may include any of the following:
    • Laptops, iPads, relevant software
    • A password-protected online learning environment (See Best Practices for Technology and Online Learning)
    • Links to learning resources
    • Learner/picture dictionaries (online or class sets)
    • Class sets of textbooks
    • Textbooks and workbooks that learners purchase or borrow
    • Online textbooks
    • LINC materials
    • CLB-referenced materials
    • Other (e.g., manipulatives, board games, puzzles, therapeutic colouring books, stress balls, flashcards, etc.)
  • If relevant, Skills for Success/Essential Skills resources are available and in use, allowing learners to access meaningful information of use in class and in the workplace. (See Skills and Language for Work References and PD Resources and Resources for the Classroom)

  • Learners have access to a study area.
  • Learners have access to a resource/reading room or library that includes a selection of the following:
    • Reading material that is meaningful, inclusive, appealing to adult learners, and at an appropriate reading level (graded readers, accessible novels, etc.) (See Best Practices for 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion, Anti-Racism, Indigenization, and Instruction)
    • Dictionaries
    • Current community information
    • Photocopying facilities
    • Printers
    • Tutorial support services
    • Other
  • Learners have access to online language learning opportunities. They have the following:
    • Internet access on-site
    • Access to equipment and devices needed to access online learning (e.g., personal smartphones, computer stations/labs, and/or loans of laptops/iPads, headphones, microphones, etc.)
    • Access to a password-protected online learning environment
    • Curated links to relevant online learning activities, tools, podcasts, videos, and websites that they can access independently at any time
    • Access to technical support
      (See Best Practices for Technology and Online Learning, Tools and Apps, and Resources for the Classroom)

  • The program provides a defined office space for instructors, of sufficient size to include the following:
    • Enough furniture (chair/desk/work space) to accommodate all instructional staff working in the office at the same time (furniture may be shared by instructors working at different times)
    • Storage space for each instructor
  • The program provides a common area/meeting room for staff, supporting collaboration and meetings.
  • The program ensures instructors have access to equipment and tools for preparation, such as:
    • Computer/laptop with Internet access, relevant software, microphone, headphones, and camera
    • Relevant software and tools needed for designing materials, teaching and learning (e.g., Google suite, Microsoft Office, Quizlet, H5P, etc.) (See Tools and Apps for Technology and Online Learning)
    • Printer
    • Photocopier/printing services
    • Paper cutter, hole punch, staplers, scissors, etc.
  • The program ensures instructors have access to supplies for preparation and instruction, such as:
    • Whiteboard pens
    • Pencils, pens, markers
    • Staples, paper clips, tape, sticky notes
    • Paper (of different sizes and colours, lined and blank)
    • Flipchart paper
    • Notebooks, note pads, envelopes, files, and folders
    • Other

*See NEAS Australia (2008), Criteria B5; NEAS Australia (2006, July), Criteria 4.

  • Instructors are aware of and can access reference materials that are up-to-date and consistent with contemporary understandings of TESL theory and practice, including key journals, key TESL/TEAL texts, key teaching grammar/pronunciation texts, Canadian Language Benchmark resources, webinars, etc. (See PD References and Resources for all of the Best Practices)
  • Instructors are aware of and have access to a curriculum document that guides teaching and learning. (See Best Practices for Curriculum)
  • Teaching/learning/assessment resources are up-to-date and of sufficient quantity and quality to support the curriculum. These include a selection of the following:
    • Program-supported LMS with technology and tools for sharing content, creating learning objects, creating assessments, etc. (Google Classroom, Moodle, etc.)
    • Recommendations for CLB-referenced materials and assessments that support the curriculum
    • Access to online collections of resources relevant to the curriculum and learners (audio/visual materials, suggested learning links, online learning objects that can be imported into the LMS, etc.)
    • In-house shared collections of instructor-created learning materials (online or paper-based)
    • Student texts
    • Class sets of textbooks
    • Instructor manuals
    • Realia
    • Other
  • If relevant, a selection of resources for Skills for Success/Essential Skills is available and in use. (See Skills and Language for Work: Resources for the Classroom)
  • Teaching/learning/assessment resources have content and visuals that appeal to and are appropriate for adult learners.
  • A significant proportion of the materials (teacher-generated materials, textbooks, videos, podcasts, handouts, websites, realia) represent Canadian content, and/or local, community, or situated content (especially for literacy learners).
  • Instructors are aware of the resources that are relevant to their classes and have convenient access to the recommended resources.
  • One or more identified people have responsibility for organizing, maintaining, and updating recommended resources for particular classes.
  • The program secures funding for the ongoing acquisition of current reference materials, and the acquisition or development of teaching/learning/assessment resources and professional development resources.
References and PD Resources
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