Would it work to ge the students a local library card? The English needed in a library is mimimal, but real. Usually common greetings will get them by. The students could check out: books to read to their children- basic vocabulary, books on tape- auditory practice, how-to books or cookbooks, or any other appropriate level material that is personally interesting.
 
My local library also has books with English on one page and Spanish on the next for side-by-side translation.
 
All this is easily available not to mention the movies (which could be played in English with Spanish subtitles), music CDs (with words in the jackets) and free internet.
 
Amy
(librarian wannabe)

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Julie Howard
Sent: Tue 6/24/2008 10:11 AM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2705] Re: Effective Needs Assessment Strategies



To echo what Mikal has said: Language must be presented to learners and practiced in some sort of context, so why not make it a context that is similar to what they may encounter in real life? Recent immigrants and refugees need life skills in addition to knowledge of the language. 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Steinbacher Mikal
Sent: Saturday, June 21, 2008 4:00 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: RE: [EnglishLanguage 2681] Re: Effective Needs Assessment Strategies

 

Steve, I disagree:   

 

I think we have to at least introduce students to day to day life situations in the US or any other English speaking country, and the language with which to to cope with them.

 

There are texts out there that are designed to teach reading, grammar, writing etc, in context with the real life situations that ESL students face on a day to day basis.  These life skills are critical to immigrant success in the US, and while we can't cover them all in the classroom, we can sure hit some of the most critical.  

 

We use the StandOut series starting in ESL level 2.  There are 4 levels to that series and each takes the students through the same topics at a higher, more complicated level as they progress through the ESL classes. 

 

I usually teach level 4 and up, and I also have guest speakers who share information on:

 


>A nurse:  how to get the most out of your doctor visits, and other health care related issues



>A bank officer: banking, how to get credit, and keep good credit, how to prevent credit theft, and get loan



>A fire fighter: CPR training



>A police officer: the role of the police in the US, and how to handle themselves when the police are involved.   Many ESL students come from coutries where the police are not there to help them.  


 

These activities supplement the text activities and students leave class better equipped to deal with life in the US.  

 

 

Mikal Steinbacher

Instructor, ABE/ESL/English

Lake Washington Technical College

 

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov on behalf of Steve Kaufmann
Sent: Thu 6/19/2008 1:45 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2681] Re: Effective Needs Assessment Strategies

I would take the position with learners that anyone who comes to an English speaking country will benefit from developing a well rounded capability in English. There are no shortcuts, no special scripts to learn. On the other hand perfection is neither expected not required. It is fine to make mistakes as part of the learning process. That is the nature of the language adventure and that is where the learner can look forward to gradual success, progress and achievement, as long as she or he keeps at it, trying to improve.

I doubt that a classroom can teach the specific needs of a work place or shopping or transportation situation, even though some learners may ask for that. Those skills are best learned while engaged in those tasks. The better the all round language ability, the greater will be the confidence of the speaker, the better she or he will do in the real world, and the better she or he will learn from a real world situation. To pretend otherwise is to mislead the learner, in my view.

Steve Kaufmann
www.lingq.com <http://www.lingq.com/> 
steve at lingq.com

On Thu, Jun 19, 2008 at 12:27 PM, Julie Howard <jhoward at thecenterweb.org> wrote:

Greetings. This is Julie Howard from the Adult Learning Resource Center in Arlington Heights, Illinois. I like the idea of providing students checklists of contexts in which they need English (work, shopping, healthcare, transportation, etc.), but learners, especially at the lower levels, may tend to check all categories because they perceive their language skills as deficient in all situations. If they check all the options, no practically useful information has been obtained. It's important to have them prioritize ("Check only 3", for example) so that the syllabus and lesson plans can be built around a reasonable number of objectives. 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Martin Senger
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 2:01 PM


To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List

Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2678] Re: Effective Needs Assessment Strategies

 

Pax et bonum all!

 

I have developed a Second Language Acquisition (SLA) History form that I fill out when I get a new student.  I question when and for how long they have studied not only English (L2), but also their native language(s) (L1), since this will give me an idea of their understanding how languages work in general (the toughest language to learn is your first second language).

 

I then ask them about their learning and usage of English informally through culture: language TV watched in, books/internet/newspapers, music, school/work/home. This gives me an idea of where they are going to practice their English.

 

For the piece de resistance, I ask them to grade themselves (0-10) on each of their language skills (I explain in some detail what each skill involves), and areas of specific difficulty or interest for each skill. This gives me an idea of their mind-set regarding their own language learning and a nice road map for my work with them.

 

I have mostly higher-level students, who can understand these questions when asked. Also, I would welcome anyone who would like to critique this form, sine I am but a lowly teacher and not a researcher!

 

Ciao!

 

Martin E. Senger

Adult ESL Teacher

GECAC / The R. Benjamin Wiley Learning Center

Erie, Pa

814-490-8510

 

-----Original Message-----
From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Betsy Wong
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 8:24 AM
To: 'The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List'
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2676] Re: Effective Needs Assessment Strategies

 

One of the strategies that has proven helpful in assessing learners' language needs has been a full-group discussion/brainstorming session, with each one of these questions discussed at a time:

 

Where do you speak English?

Where do you hear English?

Where do you read English?

Where do you write English?

 

Although this is simplistic, it really gets learners thinking about the situations in which they need to use English (and I usually follow up the question with, Are there any other times when you want to speak/hear/read/write English more easily?) 

 

At the lower levels, it's helpful to use visuals as well (e.g., a picture of a hospital or a children's school - "Do you need to speak English here?") 

 

I like to note answers on the board (this also lends itself to a "mind-mapping" diagram) and copy them for myself. I refer to it throughout the class term.

 

Sometimes I follow the needs assessment discussion with individual goal-setting, having learners write sentences about what they want to practice in English.

 

I find that it's really helpful, though, to do a full-class discussion first to generate ideas from which learners can pick and choose.

 

What are some other simple ways to do a needs assessment?

 

----------------------------------

Betsy Lindeman Wong

Lead ESL Teacher

Alexandria Adult and Community Education

 

________________________________

From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Lynda Terrill
Sent: Wednesday, June 18, 2008 2:43 PM
To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 2674] Moving on--Effective Needs AssessmentStrategies?

 

Dear subscribers,

 

Thanks to the many of you who responded with thoughtful insights and advice to the issue of the "problem tutor"; it seems to have hit a chord with many.  

 

There have been several requests now for the community to move to a different topic.  While the subscribers on this list don't ever seem to be at a loss for topics, I thought I would throw out a possible new topic, and I hope others will do the same.  

 

I realized awhile ago that almost every workshop I present starts with needs assessment--needs analysis of workshop participants and activities and information related to needs assessment for adult English language learners.  

 

This is not a new topic, but I wonder if some of you could describe practical needs assessment strategies and activities you have used with adult English language learners?   

 

For background reading, you could access The REEP ESL Curriculum for Adults at http://www.apsva.us/15401081182015517/lib/15401081182015517/reepcurriculum/index.html, then click on needs assessment in the Instructional Planning section.  The needs assessment page includes links to needs assessment activities.  Another resource is  Needs Assessment and Learner Self-Evaluation from the Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners http://www.cal.org/caela/tools/program_development/elltoolkit/Part2-5NeedsAssessment&LearnerSelf-Evaluation.pdf 

 

Needs assessment and learner goal-setting are of continual interest to me, but please consider bringing up other topics of interest and concern-including adding new insights to the tutor discussion. Please change the subject line to reflect the topics.

 

Thanks,

 

Lynda Terrill

list moderator

lterrill at cal.org


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-- 
Steve Kaufmann
www.lingq.com <http://www.lingq.com/> 
1-604-922-8514 

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