You can learn English for free with PEDAL, which stands for Practical English for Daily Living. The program offers free English classes for adult English language learners anywhere in the world. All you need is an internet connection and a smartphone, tablet, or computer.
Summer PEDAL begins on May 31, 2023!
Summer 2023 PEDAL
Level 2 • Level 3 • Level 4
May 31 – July 28, 2023
Wednesdays and Fridays
2:30-4:00 p.m. ET on Zoom
Registration opens on Wednesday, May 3, 2023.
Level 1 classes will return in September 2023!
PEDAL welcomes adult English language learners of all proficiency levels to join our twice-weekly Zoom classes, at no cost. Classes meet for 1.5 hours every Wednesday and Friday, and there are four different class levels to choose from:
- Level 1 – Beginner (A1-A2)
- Level 2 – Intermediate (B1-B2)
- Level 3 – Advanced (B2-C1)
- Level 4 – High Advanced (C2+)
Your PEDAL teachers are talented graduate students working on their master’s degrees in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at the Penn Graduate School of Education. You want to improve your English skills, and they want to improve their teaching skills — it’s a win-win.
About Us
Practical English for Daily Living — known as PEDAL — was established in August 2012 to foster community engagement through education and to provide our talented teachers-in-training with authentic contexts to develop their teaching skills.
Originally for friends and family members of Penn students, faculty, and staff, PEDAL expanded to the Free Library of Philadelphia in 2014 to allow any adult English language learners in Philadelphia to join and improve their English for free. Since March 2020, we have been able to expand even further and we now invite adult English language learners from all over the world to join our free virtual classes.
PEDAL lessons focus on the types of communication that English learners encounter when navigating daily life in and around Philadelphia and/or in online spaces with other English speakers.
Class Levels
The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for languages can be found here in 22 different languages.
Level 1 / Beginner — watch a lesson
Try Level 1 if you…
- Can talk about familiar topics (weather, family, friends, self) in English
- Use mostly basic words or short phrases to communicate in English
- Find it difficult to speak English with and be understood by English speakers
- Identify with the A1-A2 range of the CEFR
Level 2 — watch a lesson
Try Level 2 if you…
- Feel comfortable having short conversations in English about familiar topics
- Feel somewhat comfortable having short conversations in English about unfamiliar topics
- Use full sentences and ask questions to start and continue conversations in English
- Understand and use common vocabulary for general topics, like work, school, or daily life
- Sometimes find it difficult to speak English with and be understood by other English speakers
- Identify with the B1-B2 range of the CEFR.
Level 3 — watch a lesson
Try Level 3 if you…
- Feel comfortable having longer conversations on new and familiar concrete topics, like those related to your social life, education, work, and interests) with other proficient English speakers
- Understand and use a wide range of vocabulary for general and specialized topics
- Usually understand and are understood by other proficient English speakers without great effort
- Identify with the B2-C1 range of the CEFR.
Level 4 — watch a lesson
Try Level 4 if you…
- Feel very comfortable and confident communicating in English about a wide range of abstract and concrete topics
- Participate in spontaneous discussions and have strategies for negotiating meaning with others
- Understand and use a very broad range of vocabulary for general and specialized topics
- Understand and are understood by other proficient English speakers most of the time
- Identify with the C2 range of the CEFR.
Iryna Kozlova
Dr. Iryna Kozlova is a Lecturer of Educational Practice at Penn GSE in the Educational Linguistics Division and serves as the Faculty Advisor for PEDAL. You can read more about Dr. Kozlova’s research here.
Hannah Brenneman
Hannah Brenneman is the Associate Director of Fieldwork & Service Learning for the Penn GSE Educational Linguistics Division and is the PEDAL Program Coordinator. Brenneman is a 2015 alumna of the Penn GSE M.S. Ed. TESOL program. She began teaching for PEDAL in 2013. Brenneman helps manage all aspects of the PEDAL program, from marketing and student registration to teacher hiring and training.
Our Community Partners
Penn GSE Educational Linguistics Division
The Philadelphia Office of Children and Families
Interested in partnering with us? Sign up for our mailing list!
FAQS
What is PEDAL?
- An English language program developed for all adult English language learners to find community and improve their everyday English skills. See our About section for more information.
Who are these classes for?
- Any adult English language learner (17 years or older) who has access to Wi-Fi, a smartphone, tablet, or computer, and a Zoom account.
- Classes are designed for novice, intermediate, advanced, and high-advanced speakers of English. Visit the Class Levels page for more information about each level.
*Penn students, scholars, or faculty are not eligible to attend PEDAL and PEDAL does not provide visa sponsorship.
How much do these classes cost?
- All classes are offered for free.
How many classes can a student attend?
- Students can attend two classes per week for one level (one Wednesday, one Friday).
- Students who attend the 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. class section cannot also attend the 8:00 p.m. -9:30 p.m. class section.
- Students cannot attend different levels each week. For example, you cannot attend the Level 3 class on Wednesdays and the Level 4 class on Fridays.
Who are the teachers?
- PEDAL teachers are experienced instructors of English who are currently students in the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) M.S.Ed. program at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education. The program is supervised by a Penn GSE faculty member and the PEDAL Program Coordinator. Visit The PEDAL Team for more information about the PEDAL Team.
How do I register?
- Register online here: https://upenn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1ze0fKyXvGAxtUa
When are classes held?
- Summer 2023 PEDAL offers classes for Level 2 – Intermediate, Level 3 – Advanced, and Level 4 – High Advanced
- All summer PEDAL classes will be held on Zoom on Wednesdays and Fridays from 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET.
- Level 1 – Beginner classes will return in September 2023!
Where are classes held?
- All classes are held on Zoom until further notice
Contact Us
Hannah Brenneman
Associate Director of Fieldwork and Service Learning
Penn GSE Educational Linguistics Division
hbrenn@upenn.edu
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