Getting the Research into the Classroom

Preparing Teachers to Help Low-Literacy Adult ESOL Learners

Tilburg UniversityAugust 26, 2005

Nancy FauxVirginia 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, research-driven 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 low-literacy learners

Life skills based ESOL Instruction (2)

• Emphasizes fluency (i.e., ability to communicate)

• Materials represent real-life contexts (housing, health, community)

• Learners work cooperatively in pairs or groups

Language Experience Approach- LEA

• 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.