Hi All,
I am passing on this message from Luri Owen to the list. (Maybe this is
the one that got lost in that weird glitch!) Sorry Luri!

Julie


Following this discussion has been both informative and fun!  Before
it's over, I'd like to invite comments on a proposal for a presentation
I will be making in April, which I hope will touch on many issues raised
in this discussion and for which I am thankful to NIFL for initiating
and to Robin for facilitating.  Here's the proposal:
 
"Adult ESOL students are capable of applying higher-order thinking
skills in the classroom but may hesitate to do so both because of how
they were conditioned to learn as young learners and at what
age/educational level they terminated schooling in their own countries. 
Teachers design activities requiring the use of higher-order thinking
skills, but students may not feel that they are ?working? or ?learning?
in class and may be unwilling to assume responsibility for their own
learning.  Teachers may perceive this hesitancy as differences in
individual personalities when, in fact, it may be learned ?school?
behavior.

            This presentation encourages teachers to explore and reflect
on their students? prior learning experiences, their expectations of
?school? and ?learning,? and the value their cultures place on education
and learning.  It will also open discussion on how these factors affect
the elementary and secondary children of adult ESOL students as they
experience American educational values and expectations. Participants
are encouraged to share their ideas and experiences for fostering
student ownership of the individual learning process, providing class
time and space for community-building in the classroom, and shifting
student perception of teacher-as-knower to teacher-as-guide.   This
presentation will incorporate research on teaching higher-order thinking
skills as well as the measurable and observable effects of
sociocognitive conflict in the classroom."
 
I was inspired to start thinking these issues by a student I had last
year who did well as long as she was attending class regularly, but
seemed to not be able to pick up and go forward from where we had
stopped if she was absent for a class.  Reading this discussion has
really made me aware that there could have been lots of things going on
in her situation that impacted her learning that I didn't consider at
the time.  
 
Thanks in advance to everybody!                      :)
 
Luri Owen
Bayfield/ESL Coordinator
The Adult Learning Center, Inc.
Phone 970-884-7765


Julie McKinney
Discussion List Moderator
World Education/NCSALL
jmckinney at worlded.org