The thread here about student projects and about going out into the
community can be linked to the development a meaningful connection to
literacy.  For example, in our project with Hmong in Green Bay, the
students decided to create a newcomer booklet for new arrivals and we
went all around town taking photos, taking tours of buildings that they
selected, etc. and together they produced a booklet of their
experiences.  Such projects making them the author of text, even though
the text was minimal - name and address of place, hours, brief
indication of the purpose (hospital, motor vehicles bureau, etc.) - it
got them to the place where they saw the elements of audience, topic and
purpose for text.  Text became meaningful as a vehicle for learning
something new and they themselves had created it.  The value here is
that they were writing about content they were familiar with because
they had been through this already and the new element for them was
making the booklet and seeking the English words and expressions they
needed to express what they wanted to say to the newcomers.  It was a
bilingual booklet, btw.

 

Helaine W. Marshall, Ph.D. 

Long Island University 

 

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Amy Stotts
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 12:58 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3684] Re: Working withlearners
withlimitedliteracy - posted for Martha Bigelow

 

One of the activities we developed for a program with very beginning
level pre-literate adults was to arrange basic, short tours at
workplaces that hire entry level employees such as hotels, our Goodwill
stores, and a local nursery. In classes before the tour, we introduced
vocabulary that the participants were likely to encounter on the tour
and assigned one question about schedules, salary, job tasks to each
participant to ask on the tour. The program participants practiced their
questions and they were encouraged to use their questions with their
children and neighbors, too. At the tour, they were given a worksheet
with pictures of various things they might see on the tour and they were
asked to circle the items. They asked their questions and tried to
remember the answers. At the following class, we talked about the
experience using an LEA approach where a story was written and photos
were attached to the written word. 

 

It was a very elegant plan, but as is so often the case in beginning
level ESL it worked great for some and was somewhat frustrating for
others. Due to attendance issues such as tours being arranged with no
participants showing up, we really were unable to see the program
through to determine if this led to increased work readiness or
attainment of work for the participants.

 

In our regular ESL classes, we address work in most linguistic contexts.
For example, if we are working on talking about time in a basic class,
we also do activities that include reading/talking about schedules and
identifying if someone is late or early. If we are doing activities that
include description, we may talk about evaluation of action. We always
use work skills when discussing abilities. 

 

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of
Abel-Stavropoulos, Jackie
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:48 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3651] Re: Working withlearners with
limitedliteracy - posted for Martha Bigelow

 

Does any one have experience with helping LEP students find jobs?  How
do you introduce American workplace culture?  I feel contextualized
learning plays a huge role in this especially if working with learners
with limited literacy. How can we, as educators, increase employability
of these students (as quickly as possible)?

 

Jackie Abel-Stavropoulos, Program Manager

Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania

 Education & Training Department

2600 East Carson Street, 6th flr, Pittsburgh (Southside) 15203

412-390-2308

******************************

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: All material contained in this document, and in
its attachments, is considered proprietary and confidential, and is
protected by law. Any reproduction, distribution, copy, republication,
or transmission in whole or part is prohibited without the expressed
prior written permission of Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania
(c)2009.

Our Mission: We help people improve their quality of life through work
and related services.                           www.goodwillswpa.org
<file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\STAVROPOULOS\Application%20Data\M
icrosoft\Signatures\www.goodwillswpa.org> .  

 

________________________________

From: Steve Kaufmann [mailto:steve at thelinguist.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 3:49 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3636] Re: Working withlearners with limited
literacy - posted for Martha Bigelow

 

In my experience learners with formal schooling experience do better in
a formal classroom, and are better at answering the kind of questions
they get in class.. Literate learners can learn better, and can acquire
much larger vocabularies, more easily. When it comes to practical
communication skills I have not observed any advantage for the highly
educated. As I said, foreign professional athletes do better than
college professors. What matters most is the interest level of the
learner and the willingness to overcome any shyness or inhibitions, and
spend time with another culture.

Steve Kaufmann
www.lingq.com

On Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 9:25 AM, Katherine Wood <kwood at gplc.org> wrote:

Hello,

Like Sarah and Meghan, I have found that formal education makes a big
difference in terms of learning English as an adult or as an adolescent.
Over about eight years of teaching ESL to people of all ages, mainly
adults, I have also noticed that those who have a school background
usually have a distinct advantage.  Part of it is because a solid
educational background in your first language assists education in your
second language, which is why bilingual education and native language
literacy programs can make such a big difference, when it's possible to
develop them.  I believe part of it is also, as Sarah put it, because
students with more formal education know HOW to learn.  They have
experience with being a student and they use that.  I believe that
having
a school background also increases their confidence and self-esteem when
they start learning English.

Self-esteem and confidence, I have found, also play a role in language
learning, although how much this matters probably varies according to
the
student.  People with little school experience are not just unfamiliar
with how to be students; they are also frequently intimidated by the
very
concept of school.  It's a completely foreign space and culture to them
and it operates by rules and standards they don't understand.  Where I
teach, I am able to be much less formal than those who work with
preliterate and nonliterate students in public schools, but even in a
much
more relaxed setting, these students struggle with learning how things
work in a classroom setting, and it can be scary and frustrating.

I teach refugee adults, many of them preliterate or nonliterate, and for
them to even step into my classroom requires a lot of courage.  It can
take months of invitations and encouragement to even get them to come.
At
least initially, they tend to believe they are not capable.  They need
to
be able to achieve a lot small successes, with assistance, just to learn
that if they work hard at something in the classroom, they are capable
of
getting it right... just as they are in other areas of their lives where
they have all kinds of real-world skills and experience.  Success comes
in
little steps... learning to write their own names, or learning the
English
words for colors.  You start with that and build as you can.

Preliterate and nonliterate adult and adolescent students need a lot of
encouragement, reassurance, and, as Steve has said, interesting and
engaging content to keep them coming back.  They need a lot of
assistance
and support to help them build appropriate student habits that will help
them learn, and they seem to need just as much assistance and support to
learn to believe that coming to school can actually help them.  They do
not lack motivation; they do, however, often need a lot more support
than
other students to sustain that motivation.  This is where good
relationships with the teacher, volunteers, and other students often
makes
a world of difference.  Amazing things can happen when preliterate and
nonliterate older students find a supportive community, and they realize
that they have a place in it and are valued.

However, there are constraints in the process that are extremely
frustrating.  Preliterate and nonliterate adults do not have the
advantage
of time or of silence - as Karen said, they really need to know all of
this stuff right now.  Getting around in the English-speaking world,
being
able to say survival phrases and fill out forms and read signs and ask
for
things, etc., is not a temporary band-aid solution.  It's vital,
important
knowledge that can make a huge difference in their lives - food stamps,
school services, and other things that I see my students struggle with
all
the time as they attempt to work, take care of a household, and raise
children.  Creativity is crucial; so is repetition and visual
assistance.
And I think most teachers would agree that the same approach and methods
aren't going to work equally well with all students.  Getting to know
your
students and figuring out how they think and respond, and what works for
them, is very very hard to do with students who aren't literate and
can't
say much of anything to you.  But it isn't impossible, and it's the best
way I've found of teaching preliterate and nonliterate beginners.

Katie Wood, MATESOL
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council




> I teach ESL classes to Hispanic adults, and my experience has been

similar

> to that of Meghan Kasun--my educated students (high school diploma or

> higher, mostly from the cities) learn dramatically faster than the

> uneducated students (some of whom left school after first grade).

Part of

> this is certainly motivation, but there are other factors as well:

>  

> The educated students simply know HOW to learn.  Given any learning

task,

> no matter what the subject or teaching method, they learn faster and

> better than the others.  Some of this ability comes from their

experience

> as students in their own countries, and it seems likely that the

people

> who chose to pursue higher education were the ones who were studious

to

> begin with.   

>  

> The educated students are literate in their own language, which makes

> everything easier.

>  

> The educated students tend to spend more time among native English

> speakers, so they have more opportunity to practice their English.

The

> uneducated students generally have factory jobs working among other

> Spanish speakers.  They say they can't practice at work because no one

> else there speaks English.

>  

> I'm not sure self-esteem is a huge factor, but it does seem to have

some

> influence.  The uneducated students are inclined to say, "Oh, I can

never

> learn!  I left school in second grade, I'm too old to learn now," and

> they stop trying when something seems too hard.  The educated students

> keep going.



>

> --- On Mon, 1/26/09, Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com> wrote:

>

> From: Steve Kaufmann <steve at thelinguist.com>



> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3570] Re: Working withlearners with limited



> literacy - posted for Martha Bigelow



> To: "The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List"



> <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>

> Date: Monday, January 26, 2009, 3:19 PM



>

>

> It has not been my experience that the length of formal education is

an

> important indicator of language learning success. Foreign professional

> athletes in North America generally learn to communicate in English

better

> than college professors of the same origin. The college educated

person

> may understand abstract grammar explanations, but that does not

> necessarily translate into a better ability to communicate. I also

doubt

> if self-esteem has much to do with it.

>

> I have met many people of limited education in foreign countries who

have

> learned English and other languages in order to interact with

tourists. In

> my experience, it is the level of interest in the language, that

matters

> the most. That is why providing content of interest to listen to and

read,

> rather than grammar drills, tends to produce results.

>



> Steve Kaufmann

> www.lingq.com

>

>



> On Mon, Jan 26, 2009 at 9:44 AM, Kasun, Meghan

<meghank at forbesroad.com>

> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> "What are some main differences you've noticed among your students

with

> limited formal schooling?  How do you explain these differences and

what

> do you do to accommodate the differences you've noted?"

>  

> I've taught English as a Second Language for about two and a half

years. 

> For the first two years, I was teaching at a young women's vocational

> school in a small village in Indonesia. I taught two different levels

of

> English classes, which were beginner and intermediate.  The difference

was

> evident between those who had access to quality formal education and

those

> who didn't.  Those who finished high school were able to quickly grasp

the

> new concepts that I was presenting. They already had somewhat of a



> background in English.  They were able to recite the ABC's, numbers,

and


> introductory phrases.  They were more willing to engage in English

> conversation with me and had a greater interest in learning English. 

> These students tended to come from the city, where the schools were of

> better quality.

> The other group of students were from an isolated village in the

mountains

> and most had not graduated from high school.  Although these ladies

had

> English instruction at some point in their lives, they had to start

all

> over at square one again.  We had to study intensively the most basic

> phrases that the other group knew like the back of their hand.  After

> working on a concept for over a week, I would have to continue to

drill

> them just so they could remember it.  I noticed that there were often

> mistakes in the spelling and grammar of their own language, which made

it

> much more difficult to learn English. 

> However, I truly believe that it was not only the lack of formal

education

> that hindered their progress, but it was also the lack of self esteem

in

> regards to education.  Somewhere along the way, something happened

that

> put their education to a halt.  From that point on, education became a

> privilege that they could no longer enjoy.  Some of them felt that

they

> were stupid or unable to learn.  There was also a stereotype

associated

> with those who weren't able to finish high school.  Too often, it was

the

> poor who weren't able to finish high school because you had to pay. 

> Elementary school and junior high school were free, so the dropout

rate

> increased dramatically in high school.  Thus, these students really

> struggled learning English due to their lack of formal education and

the

> stereotypes that went with it.

> I came back to the United States in August.  Since then, I have been

> teaching an ESL class of eight beginner level students.  I have

noticed

> similar trends in my class here.   There were two students who started

at

> the same time and around the same level.  They could barely speak

> anything.  One has a Masters degree in agricultural engineering, and

the

> other graduated high school.  Although they both have a high school

> diploma, I can see a great difference in the way that the students

learn. 

> For the one with the Masters, I am able to give her exercises in

grammar,

> sentence structure, and vocabulary.  She completes them with a great

> amount of success.  However, I noticed that the one who graduated high

> school needs a lot more reinforcement.  Working on exercises using the

> "formulas" to create an English sentence doesn't work for her.  She

needs


> a little less formal approach to learning with a focus on speaking. 



> Although this could be merely

>  a difference in learning styles, I found that this was an interesting

> trend.  It would make sense that the Masters degree student would

> gravitate to formal grammar exercises based on her experiences in

> university.  Whereas, it is reasonable to assume that the student who

> graduated high school would feel better about working under less

formal

> circumstances.

>>From my experiences, I agree that there is a great difference in the

way

>> that students learn based on their previous educational

opportunities.

>

>

> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Miriam Burt



> Sent: Monday, January 26, 2009 11:17 AM



>

> To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List



> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3562] Working withlearners with limited

literacy

> - posted for Martha Bigelow

>

>  

> I'm posting the following on behalf of Martha Bigelow, guest

facilitator

> for this week's discussion on working with adult English language

learners

> with limited literacy.

>  

> Best, Miriam

> Miriam Burt, moderator

> Adult English Language Learners discussionlist

> mburt at cal.org

> *****************************************

>  

> Hello, everyone, and welcome to the discussion on teaching English to

> adults with limited formal school and low levels of print literacy.

>  

> I'm passionate about learning how to teach English to adolescents and

> adults with limited formal schooling and low levels of print literacy.



> I've been deeply involved in the Somali community in Minnesota and

have

> done research on issues related literacy and language learning as well

as

> research on the social dimensions of the education of newcomers with

> limited formal schooling.  I'm looking forward to a lively discussion

and

> sharing of ideas!

> Choose any question below to begin the discussion, or just pose your

own

> comment or question!

>  

>

>   What are some main differences you've noticed among your students

with

> limited formal schooling?  How do you explain these differences and

what

> do you do to accommodate the differences you've noted?

> What are some of the policies or programs at school or in your state

that

> need to be changed to better educate adolescent and adult learners

with

> limited formal schooling?  I welcome any stories about

> how  policies/programs have been be changed to benefit students with

> limited formal schooling.

>

>

>  What do teachers need to know and be able to do in order to be

effective

> in teaching adolescents or adults with limited formal schooling?  What

do

> you wish you had learned as a pre-service teacher?

>

>



> What resources can you share that have been helpful in teaching basic



> literacy skills to adolescents or adult?

>

>

>   What ways have you connected your classroom activities to the needs

your

> students have outside the classroom?  Do you have any special ways for

> finding out what your students' goals are or why they wish to become

> literate in English?

>

>

>   What other issues you would like to discuss related to this topic?. 

>

>

>  Looking forward to hearing from you, 

> Best,

>  

> Martha Bigelow

> Associate Professor, University of Minnesota  

> mbigelow at umn.edu

>

>

>

> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov

> [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Miriam Burt

> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2009 10:55 AM



> To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List



> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3557] Discussion next week on working



> withlearners with limited literacy



> Hello, everyone.

>  

> I'm happy to announce that next week, January26-30, this electronic

> discussion list for those who work with adult English language

learners

> will have a focused discussion on the topic of

>

> working with adult English language learners who have limited literacy

and

> preferences for learning through the oral mode. This topic was

selected

> because of suggestions made by list participants this past fall.

>  

> The guest facilitator is Martha Bigelow.  Dr Bigelow teaches in the

Second

> Languages and Cultures Program in the Department of Curriculum and



> Instruction at the University of Minnesota. She has studied how

English


> language learners (ages 16-28) with low print literacy make use of

oral

> feedback, and has examined the strengths and challenges that older

> students with limited formal schooling and low literacy bring to oral

> language development in English. She has also studied the Somali and

> English literacy skills of young Somali women (ages 17-21) who are

> newcomers to the United States and have had limited formal schooling. 

>  

> In preparation:

> If you would like to do a little pre-reading before the discussion,

you

> can read a brief article on Dr. Bigelow's work with Somali women; it's

on

> a Web page of the University of Minnesota at  

>  

>  http://cehd.umn.edu/Pubs/Research/Bigelow/default.html. 

>  

>  

> You can also read a brief synthesis of recent research and promising

> practices for working with adult English language learners; it's on

from

> the CAELA Network at

>  

>  http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pd_resources/literacy.html

>  

>  

>

> For more information, including a bio of Dr. Bigelow, see the full

> announcement at

> http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage//09programs.html

<http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/discussions/englishlanguage/09programs.html> 

>

>  

>

> To sign up

>

> If you have colleagues who may be interested in joining the list for

this

> discussion, please forward this to them and invite them to join!

Here's

> the link to join the discussion list:



>  http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage 

>  

>  



> Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you during this discussions

-

> and throughout 2009, of course!

>  

> Miriam

> ***********

> Miriam Burt,

> Facilitator, electronic discussion list for those working with adult

> English language learners

> mburt at cal.org

>  

> ----------------------------------------------------



> National Institute for Literacy

> Adult English Language Learners mailing list

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

> http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/englishlanguage



> Email delivered to steve at thelinguist.com



>

> ----------------------------------------------------

> National Institute for Literacy

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> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov

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> Email delivered to sarah.houston at yahoo.com



>

>

>       ----------------------------------------------------

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> Adult English Language Learners mailing list

> EnglishLanguage at nifl.gov

> To unsubscribe or change your subscription settings, please go to

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> Email delivered to kwood at gplc.org



Katie Wood, MA TESOL
Teacher and Project Manager
Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council
Greentree Families for Learning Center
1836 Brett Street, Apartment 1
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
412-921-8114

Be sure to visit GPLC's new and improved website at www.gplc.org.  It
contains news and events, lesson plans for instructors and volunteers to
use, video of GPLC students, and many other features.  It's a great way
for your friends to learn about GPLC, so spread the word!

Don't miss GPLC's 2nd Annual Trivia Bowl on March 29, 2009!  Come test
your trivia knowledge, cheer on your favorite business or school, bid on
a
special raffle prize, or dine on a family style meal.  Contact Anita at
(412) 661-7323 x119 or at  <mailto:acohen at gplc.org> acohen at gplc.org for
more details.  Hope to see you there!

----------------------------------------------------
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Email delivered to steve at thelinguist.com

 

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