Promoting Active Learning in the ESL Classroom Thanks to Strategy Sheets – Interview with Ann-Emily Chénier

Are you looking for simple ways to make your English as a Second Language (ESL) classes more engaging and student-centered? Ann-Emily Chénier, an ESL teacher at Collège de Bois-de-Boulogne, has created a collection of strategy sheets designed specifically for this purpose. In addition to aligning with the new ESL devis ministériel, these hands-on tools support active learning, are accessible to everyone, and can be easily implemented in any classroom environment.

In the fall of 2025, I had the chance to sit down with Ann-Emily to learn more about her project and what inspired her.

The project: strategy sheets for ESL

Thanks to an Entente Canada-Québec (ECQ) grant in 2024-2025, Ann-Emily developed a set of 20 hands-on classroom strategy sheets designed to make ESL lessons more student-centered and aligned with active learning. Drawing inspiration from the Vignettes de pédagogie active [in French] at Polytechnique Montréal, she created something similar, specifically tailored for ESL classrooms.

Her goal was to design accessible, visually clear, practical tools that work well in low-tech settings. Many classrooms, including hers, don’t always have access to computers or advanced technology. Additionally, there is a growing trend toward returning to in-class activities rather than relying solely on technology. The strategy sheets were developed with this in mind: deep learning can happen without fancy materials, making activities adaptable to traditional classroom settings while still supporting active, engaging lessons.

Ann-Emily also wanted the sheets to be simple and user-friendly. She conducted extensive research on proven active learning strategies from books, articles, and university guides, then combined the best ideas into 20 practical, visually appealing strategy sheets.

These strategy sheets are designed to be flexible and adaptable for any level or material. Teachers can take their own texts or resources and turn them into active learning experiences.

These strategy sheets are really an ally … something that might take your lesson further or spark a new idea.

– Ann-Emily Chénier

Presentation of the strategy sheets

All 20 strategy sheets are accessible on the project website as downloadable one-page PDFs. Here are a few examples of the strategies included:

• Guided Discussion
• Peer Teaching
• Team Quiz
• Dictogloss
• In-Lecture Quizzes
• etc.

Each sheet follows the same clear structure, making it easy for teachers to understand the purpose of the activity and implement it quickly in class, whether in ALCs or regular classrooms. Each one includes the following sections:

• Activity Description (a brief overview of the activity, its objective, and the pedagogical approach it supports)
• Preparation (tasks for teachers and students to complete before the activity)
• Workflow (a detailed step-by-step guide for conducting the activity in class, with clear actions for teachers and students)
• Evaluation Options (recommendations for both formative and summative assessment)
• Tips (practical suggestions or variations for adapting the activity)

To make it easy to choose the right activity at a glance, teachers will also find at the top of every sheet:

• the duration
• recommended levels
• required material
• etc.

Strategy Sheet 1 titled “Guided Discussion”

A win-win

The activities include a mix of new and previously tried methods. Some have already been used in lessons by Ann-Emily and her colleagues, while others are being gradually integrated and tested in current courses.

Student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive: a survey on the implementation of active learning activities conducted in Fall 2025 shows increased student motivation, engagement, and interest in attending class.

Using more active teaching strategies really changes the classroom dynamic. Students simply love it! They feel they’re learning more effectively, have more fun, and actually look forward to coming to class.

– Ann-Emily Chénier

One of the strengths of Ann-Emily’s strategy sheets is that they genuinely benefit both students and teachers. For students, the strategy sheets encourage:

• greater engagement, motivation, and willingness to participate
• increased ownership of learning through self-evaluation
• strengthened skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and metacognitive skills

For teachers, they offer clear advantages:

• less time spent correcting work that doesn’t align with evaluation goals (such as marking writing when we’re actually assessing speaking)
• simple, flexible, and adaptable tools requiring no fancy materials
• a centralized bank of strategies that saves time that would otherwise be spent hunting for ideas online
• easy and effortless sharing of strategies with colleagues, encouraging collaboration

Overall, Ann-Emily’s strategy sheets promote accessibility, novelty, flexibility, and active learning, supporting students while helping teachers maintain practical, sustainable teaching practices.

Looking ahead

Ann-Emily was pleased to announce the 2^nd phase of her project, which is already funded by the ECQ and underway for 2025-2026, with the goal of creating evaluation tools that complement the existing activity sheets.

In this 2^nd phase, each strategy sheet will be paired with a student self-evaluation or evaluation tool, reflecting a desire to support the development of student self-evaluation skills. The goal is to echo the original project by offering easy-to-use, adaptable and accessible evaluation tools so teachers can tailor them to their own contexts.

Share your experience

Ready to bring one of these strategies into your classroom? The best way to get started is to begin with 1 strategy sheet and see how it sparks engagement and active learning. Then, share your experiences in the comments below. For any questions or guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to Ann-Emily Chénier. She’s happy to help you get started.