Getting the Research into the Classroom

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Getting the Research into the Classroom

• Preparing Teachers to Help Low-Literacy Adult
  ESOL Learners
• Tilburg University
• August 26, 2005
• Nancy Faux
• Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center
• Virginia Commonwealth University

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Virginia

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Some General Demographics

• Total adult population that speaks only English
  4,741,805
• ELL population 18 years 127,015
• Of these
• Less than 9th grade ed. - 44,565 (35 )
• Grad. or prof. degree 5,015 (4 )
• Management professional jobs 8,260 (11.5 )
• Service jobs 24,855 (35 )
• Linguistically isolated households 24,805 (65 )
• Data from U.S Department of Labor

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Languages Spoken by ELLs

• (In order of importance)
• Spanish
• Vietnamese
• Korean
• Chinese
• Arabic
• Russian

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Adult ESOL Programs (03-04)
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Challenges of Emerging Areas

• Until now, homogenous populations
• Rural locations
• Distant from resources
• Lower economic levels
• Newcomers are less educated, agricultural workers
• Most ESOL teachers do not have experience or
  training to work with low-literacy adult
  learners.

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Current Help to Teachers

• Regional workshops
• Online courses (ESOL Basics)
• Summer Institutes
• Publications (ESOL Starter Kit)
• Web site (http//www.aelweb.vcu.edu)
• Adult ESOL Content Standards

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ESOL Basics Online

• 8-week course (32 hours) on teaching ESOL using a
  learning management system, Blackboard
• Facilitated, asynchronous
• Threaded discussions
• Assignments
• Many resources websites

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ESOL Basics Content

• Focus on life-skills
• Teaching 4 skills
• Assessing Ls needs
• Multi-level classes
• Working with low-literacy learners learners with
  non-Roman alphabet L1

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Certificate for Teaching Adult ESOL

• Prepares Virginia educators to provide adult
  non-native speakers of English with
  competency-based, research-driven English
  language instruction.

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Certificate

• Graduate level courses
• 22 credits
• Cohort
• Blended modality
• 1-2 face to face sessions
• Rest facilitated online
• Each course is 7-10 weeks

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Certificate

• Concentration on teaching life skills and using
  distinct pedagogical techniques to address the
  lack of literacy in L1.

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Courses

• Orientation
• Second Language Acquisition
• English Linguistics for Adult ESOL Instructors
• Cross-cultural Education
• Methodology in Adult ESOL

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Courses (2)

• Adult Second Language Instruction
• Teaching Reading to Adult English Language
  Learners
• Practicum

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Traditional ESOL Instruction

• Focuses on grammar
• Presupposes literacy in L1
• Emphasizes accuracy
• Textbook-driven
• Activities are usually individual or full-group
• Teacher decides content and structure of course.

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Life skills based ESOL Instruction

• Task/function based
• Language/communication skills for everyday tasks
• Learners needs drive course content
• Extra supports for low-literacy learners

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Life skills based ESOL Instruction (2)

• Emphasizes fluency (i.e., ability to communicate)
• Materials represent real-life contexts (housing,
  health, community)
• Learners work cooperatively in pairs or groups

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Language Experience Approach- LEA

• Uses prompts or activities (e.g. pictures)
• Uses Ss own words, experiences to create story
• Ss decide on content
• Ss negotiate to come up with story
• Promotes integration of 4 skills

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LEA procedures

• T elicits details from each frame
• T writes on board as Ss retell story
• Class can practice reading it chorally or
  individually
• Ss copy it down
• Ext. activities lexical development, phonics
  exercises, dictation, etc.

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Correctional Education

• 31,000 inmates with language skills accessed
• 13,434 enrolled in DCE classes
• 90 has a functional literacy level below 8th
  grade
• 24 completion rate
• Plazas Comunitarias for Hispanics

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Other Literacy Contexts to Consider

• Family Literacy
• Financial Literacy
• Health Literacy

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What teachers need is

• Access to
• Scientifically-based research on second language
  acquisition in adults,
• Results of what works and explicit literacy
  impact studies,
• Special curriculum for low-literate learners.