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
Virginia
•
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
Languages Spoken by ELL’s
(In order of importance)
•
•
•
•
•
•
Spanish
Vietnamese
Korean
Chinese
Arabic
Russian
Adult ESOL Programs (’03-’04)
Levels
# of students
Beginning Literacy
2,613
Beginning
2,904
Intermediate Low
2,053
Intermediate High
1,771
Advanced Low
1,832
Advanced High
895
Total
12,068
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.
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
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
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
Certificate for Teaching Adult
ESOL
• Prepares Virginia educators to
provide adult non-native
speakers of English with
competency-based, researchdriven English language
instruction.
Certificate:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Graduate level courses
22 credits
Cohort
Blended modality
1-2 face to face sessions
Rest facilitated online
Each course is 7-10
weeks
Certificate:
• Concentration on
teaching life skills and
using distinct
pedagogical techniques
to address the lack of
literacy in L1.
Courses:
• Orientation
• Second Language Acquisition
• English Linguistics for Adult
ESOL Instructors
• Cross-cultural Education
• Methodology in Adult ESOL
Courses (2)
• Adult Second Language
Instruction
• Teaching Reading to
Adult English Language
Learners
• Practicum
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.
Life skills based ESOL
Instruction
• Task/function based
• Language/communication
skills for everyday tasks
• Learners’ needs drive
course content
• Extra supports for lowliteracy learners
Life skills based ESOL Instruction
(2)
• Emphasizes fluency (i.e.,
ability to communicate)
• Materials represent reallife contexts (housing,
health, community)
• Learners work
cooperatively in pairs or
groups
Language Experience ApproachLEA
• 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
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.
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
Other Literacy Contexts to
Consider
• Family Literacy
• Financial Literacy
• Health Literacy
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.