Taking English learning beyond the classroom

Success is no longer predicted by IQ or test scores, but by mastery of non-cognitive skills. Industrial education isn’t designed to foster soft skill development. Facilitated education is.

Thompson Language Center offers Facilitation Training, Keynote Speaking, ESL Resources and Literacy Programs to support instructors and learners with skills for life.

Growth mindset in education includes learning new things and supporting new ideas.

EXPLORE NEW LEARNING SOLUTIONS

WEBINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Learn what to do differently on Monday morning. Webinars and workshops that transform leaders’ and learners’ conversation and/or literacy skills instantly.

DIGITAL FACILITATED LEARNING

Facilitate literally means to make easier. Teachers casually claim to facilitate learning and bosses to facilitate career paths… In the digital age, facilitation has taken on a more professional meaning. As a conductor directs the performance of an orchestra, so a trained facilitator unites the contributions of each individual in the group, to produce specific learning outcomes for the whole.

The process of Facilitation begins with deep listening followed by validating contributions and interaction which could include questions, clarification, discussion, reassurance… The practice concludes with contextualization that considers the conversation’s relative significance to a bigger picture.

Facilitation is collaborative and communal. Digital Facilitated Learning is an interactive, life-skills based, customized process that is emotionally, physically, and technically different from traditional educating methods.   

All TLC education courses are digital and facilitated.

ESL

Grammar study has long been the method of choice for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Studies now show grammar focus is marginally effective in teaching students to write English and impedes learners’ ability speak it. To that end, TLC’s concentration has been on teaching speaking. A novel look at Spoken English as a stand-alone organism, with its own set of rules and conventions produced a simple, palatable set of six patterns that are always true.

Simplifying and prioritizing conversation structures has helped millions of learners in over 60 countries. The six rules of spoken English are presented in full, with exercises, in the popular ESL classroom guide English is Crazy.

The Backpacker’s Guide to Teaching English and a variety of other support books and materials are also available from the page.

LITERACY

Reading literacy has a special place in my heart. My sweet, brilliant husband Derrick Thompson struggled to read. The bullying and shame he endured from teachers and the education system shattered his self-esteem and compromised his entire life. Why is it that 54% of adults in America read poorly or not at all? Why is acceptable to invalidate students in order to cover up our inability to teach effectively? The answers to these questions and what each of us can do about it is laid out in ABC Facilitated Reading. More than a reading system that can be taught at home, it is a guide to facilitating and compassionate educating that works for all subjects.

Reading-support materials are also available from the page.

---

---

TESTIMONIALS

---

MEET OUR FOUNDER

Follow Judy on LinkedIn

Judy Thompson is an award-winning speaker, author, language facilitator and a fearless warrior for education

Dissatisfied with industrial teaching methods that too often left ESL learners unable to speak English and native English speakers unable to read it, Judy created her own courses. Her progressive approach to teaching based on unique insights about how humans learn, has been instrumental in assisting millions world-wide.

Ms. Thompson is student of French, German and Korean, a university graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English, a Teacher of English as a Second Language (TESL) certification and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Assessor accreditation.

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) Literacy was her first Adult ESL teaching contract before teaching all levels and all skills (LSRW) for the Peel Board of Education. In 2001, Judy was chosen to participate in a joint education venture between Canada and South Korea. For Sheridan College in 2006, Judy created Speaking Canadian English, a course for foreign-trained professionals. By incorporating coaching aspects of assessment, customization, action, accountability and autonomy, her students’ real-world ability transformed.

Social media had a timely impact on her career. Through her LinkedIn profile, Oxford University Press NYC hired Judy to write the pronunciation component of Speak Now Book 4. Similarly, Trend Business School in Sao Paulo contracted her as a Language Coach to train teachers, and banking and mining executives throughout Brazil. Human Resources discovered Ms. Thompson and everything changed again. Corporate financial compensation for Language Coaching is on par with other professional consultants, approximately 10x the rate of a classroom teacher.

She serves on the Board of Directors and enjoys a strong professional affiliation with the International Language Coaching Association (ILCA). Ms. Thompson partnered with the online education platform WizTango in 2020 and has most recently turned her energy, attention, and influence to improving reading literacy in Canada and around the world. ABC Facilitated Reading became available online in December 2022 and is making an impact.

Enjoy Judy Thompson Teaching Speaking YouTube 18 videos Playlist.

---

If you represent a progressive organization looking for a Keynote Speaker to light a fire under your stakeholders and compel change, look no further. We’ve got this.

Contact

Thompson Language Center