All

On behalf of Camilla Hawthorne, in regard to a thread under discussion a
short time ago:


My name is Camilla Hawthorne, and I teach a citizenship preparation
class at the Genesis Center in Providence. I am a senior at Brown
 University and have been volunteering at the Genesis Center for almost
two years.

I certainly agree that the most challenging part of the citizenship
exam for learners is the interview portion. I have heard a lot of
 tories from learners in my class about their experiences with the
 nterview. The interview is used to gauge English proficiency, not
just to collect information about the applicant. The problem is that
unlike the  the history/civics portion of the test, the interview is
not standardized. Interviewers have the power to ask whatever
questions they think are necessary to assess the interviewee's
English. One learner in my class, who had failed the test once, said
that her interviewer did not think that she understood the questions,
and so asked her to perform menial tasks over and over again in order
to prove that she could understand directions ("Sit down." "Stand up."
"Put your hands up." "Put your hands down"). Other people had similar
stories.

Because there is no system of oversight for this part of the test, as
far as I know, it's open to abuse of power on behalf of the
interviewer. For every interviewer who is understanding and helpful,
there are just as many who use tactics of intimidation. Learners in my
class constantly worry not about the civics questions, but about the
interview because they simply don't know what to expect. Even if they
are comfortable with English and have developed excellent conversation
skills, the combination of nervousness and a picky interviewer can
 have disastrous results.

 Right now, to help my learners prepare I have them practice the
interview during every class. The US Citizenship Podcast has great
study sheets for the interview. The site has Simple, Basic, and
Advanced interviews that allow learners to practice the vocabulary
that might pop up during the interview (legally incompetent,
noncombatant, title of nobility, etc). You can find the resources at
http://www.uscitizenpod.com/.

All the best,
Camilla


>>>>> ------ Forwarded Message

>>>>> From: Dottie <dottie at shattuck.net>

>>>>> Reply-To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List

>>>>> <englishlanguage at nifl.gov>

>>>>> Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:45:52 -0500



>>>>> Last year in NC, the state refugee director & the directors of several

>>>>> resettlement agencies met with the USCIS director here (at that time

>>>>> Charlotte was the only site for USCIS in NC).  One of the major questions

>>>>> addressed was "Why do applicants, especially senior citizens, fail the

>>>>> citizenship test?"



>>>>> As we expected, the answer was not the history/civics questions, but the

>>>>> Interview.  Applicants often didn't realize that the "small talk"

>>>>> (directions to the room, other chit chat) were actually part of the "test"

>>>>> -- did they understand simple English?  Also, can they answer questions

>>>>> about the application form (N400)?  It is vital that the applicant KEEP a

>>>>> copy of the completed application so that they can study the questions &

>>>>> their answers!

>>>>>

>>>>> If possible, ESL teachers & other staff should attend one of the all-day

>>>>> training sessions that USCIS has been conducting around the country.  I

>>>>> attended one last May & found it very through and helpful.

>>>>>

>>>>> If USCIS offices follow the new instructions, the test will be less random

>>>>> &  less at the discretion of the examiner.  The reading & writing portions

are now related to the history/civics questions (Example -- Read:  "Who was the
first president?"  Write this sentence:  "George Washington was the first
president.")  The applicant gets 3 chances to read a sentence & 3 to write.
Allowances are made for spelling & minor mistakes.

>>>>>

>>>>> Free boxed sets of study materials are again available from USCIS, but I'd

>>>>> wait a few weeks -- get a current kit with the new president &

governmental officials names/pictures.

>>>>>

>>>>> Dottie Shattuck

>>>>> ESL/Volunteer coordinator

>>>>> HIAS NC

>>>>> Charlotte, NC

>>>>>

>>>>> ----- Original Message -----



>>>>> From:  Lynne Weintraub <mailto:lynneweintraub at hotmail.com>

>>>>> To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov

>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:45  PM



>>>>> Subject: [EnglishLanguage 3692] Re:  Advice on preparing my students for

the newNaturalization test



>>>>> Correction: The new citizenship test does NOT ask for  specifics. No one

will be asked to "explain the meaning of the Constitution."  From what I
 can see, students are still memorizing facts just the same as they  used to
t's just a (somewhat) different set of facts.


>>>>> For the civics  test, examiners will ask ten of the questions on the

>>>>> official USCIS 100  questions list. They are not permitted to ask anything

>>>>> beyond that.

>>>>>

>>>>> Students with limited educational backgrounds are already intimidated

>>>>>  enough about this test. (How many times have you heard "The test is too

>>>>> hard  for people like me--only people with a lot of education can pass."?)

>>>>> I think  it's important to encourage and support ALL students by giving

them a realistic picture of what they'll face on the test--and make sure we
don't  scare them off unnecessarily.

>>>>>

>>>>> Lynne Weintraub

>>>>> Amherst  MA