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WHAT THIS COURSE IS

This course is designed for teachers of adults who want to learn English as their second language in the United States. It is an introduction, an overview, a discussion, a forum, a "place" to argue ideas and access some resources. It is an opportunity to practice skills and become inspired to go further.

There are many good books that can serve as texts for adults learning English. One such text is Crossroads, which addresses life skills in a four-part series that includes student and teacher's books, a student workbook, cassettes, and an activity package for each level. For more information on text and support materials, please contact one of the state literacy resource centers listed below for advice. You are encouraged to contribute your textbook suggestions to your colleagues in this course.

Objectives:

1. To apply principles and techniques that help adult students learn at all levels
2. To develop lesson plans and activities that create an active learning environment for adults
3. To apply strategies that involve students of different levels,  genders, and learning abilities in the classroom

WHAT THIS COURSE IS NOT

Don't take this course too seriously. It is designed to encourage discussion, not provide rules and regulations. It is designed to introduce you to ideas and techniques, not to offer you a template to follow. It is designed to offer resources and suggestions, not to turn you into a professional in six weeks. It is designed to offer suggestions about how to build language skills that are relevant to those required by the Colorado Certificates of Accomplishment (CA) program, not to train you to administer CA verifications or build portfolios. The practice items or applied examples we use will often relate to the topics of verification outlined in the Colorado Certificates of Accomplishment Guidelines. This is because the life skills organized in CA are likely to offer students a foundation for surviving in an English-speaking environment.

If you are preparing your students to acquire a CA or if you want additional resources for teaching ESL students (videos, printed materials, on-site training), please get in touch with one of the following State Literacy Resource Centers:

Northern Colorado Literacy Resource Center - Longmont St. Vrain Valley Adult Education 619 Bowen St. Longmont, CO 80501 Phone: 303-774-8372 Fax: 303-776-7426 =================== Debra Fawcett Colorado Dept. of Education Center for At-Risk Education State Literacy Resource Center 201 E. Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80203 fawcett_d@cde.state.co.us 303-866-6914

Southern Colorado Literacy Resource Center Adult Education Services Trinidad State Junior College 600 Prospect St., Box 108 Trinidad, CO 80182 Phone: 719-846-5527 LRC Phone/Fax: 719-846-5471

Hopefully, this course will introduce you to possibilities. You are invited to build on what you learn in this course by seeking the resources and training that most support the characteristics of your student population.

THE MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

This course is presently being taught in a teleclass format. You will download or access your materials from this site) 

In a teleclass, it is important that you come prepared and that you follow prescribed etiquette for participation. Teleclasses are highly active and you will be called upon to contribute as much as possible.

COURSE TOPICS

• Simple strategies for getting beginning ESL students to talk, read, write, and listen while focusing on a practical life skills
• Tips on teaching intermediate ESL students academic skills embedded in life skills (beginning of grammar, more writing, more independent learning)
• Pointers on how to advance ESL students life skills by embedding them in academic skills.
• Tips on dealing with special issues, to include teaching ESL students with learning disabilities, maximizing the learning in multi-level classrooms, handling multi-lingual classes, and dealing with gender issues.

ARGUABLE TERM CLARIFICATIONS

ESL - English as a Second Language - Instruction designed for students who do not speak English but who live in English speaking countries. These students often have an unpredictable vocabulary in English, depending on what they environment has taught them. Most know greetings, currency, and food items in different amounts. Typically, these students have gaps in their own native language development due to limited educational achievement. Some may even be illiterate in their own language.

ELL - Used in schools more recently instead of ESL - English Language Learner

ESOL - English to Speakers of Other Language - An umbrella term used for all sorts of programs but often substituting for ESL

EFL - English as a Foreign Language - Instruction designed for students who do not live in English speaking countries and who often want to learn English to get into educational programs or pass professional tests. Often, these students are very educated and have a strong grammatical hold on their own language.

ESP - English for Special Purposes (Content-Area ESL) - Designed for students who want to leaner English within the context of their interests and careers. Life-Skills ESL, as applied with the Colorado Certificates of Accomplishment program would fall broadly in this category.

TESOL - Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (National organization)

TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - "The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFLŪ) program provides English proficiency testing services for international students planning to study in the United States, Canada, or other countries where English is the primary language of instruction. The TOEFL test is made available worldwide to all persons, regardless of age,
gender, race, nationality, religion, or political views. Educational Testing Service (ETS) develops the test under the direction of the TOEFL Policy Council, a board comprised of professionals drawn from the higher education community."

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CA - Colorado Certificates of Accomplishments - The Colorado Certificate of Accomplishment represents a process through which adults master basic educational skills within a life skill context. It provides for demonstration of adult learner progress. Certificates recognize mastery of skills at three levels of Adult Basic Education (ABE), grades 3.9, 6.9 and 8.9 in reading, writing and mathematics. The English Language Learning (ELL) certificates are evidence of skill mastery of English language proficiency at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels.

The certificates are issued by the Colorado Department of Education and signed by the Commissioner of Education, members of the State Board of Education, the state director of Adult Education, and the local program director. All of the competencies the learner has mastered at the time of issuance are listed on the back of the certificate.

Because CA represents student mastery to employers and other interested agencies in Colorado, it is important for instructors to understand the process thoroughly and comply with the requirements for certification.The Longmont Literacy Resource Center provides training in the CA process.

All programs and literacy resource centers should have a copy of the materials that accompany the CA process. Instructors are encouraged to check out the materials and become thoroughly familiar with them.

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DUET READING - A highly effective method designed for native speakers who want to improve  their reading ability in a short time and with little effort. It consists of selecting material slightly above the reader's ability. The instructor/peer reads sentences at a normal (not fast) pace, running a finger under each line as the reading progresses. The student follows along, promising not to get in front or behind the instructor. It is essential that the student understand that she is to read with the instructor. The instructor occasionally pauses and lets the students continue alone for a second or two. If the students can't keep up, the passage is too difficult. With native speakers, the instructor is advised not to explain vocabulary or ask questions about the content of the passage. The exercise is designed to develop fluency and confidence, not to teach specific reading skills. However, I have found the method to be very helpful with ESL students, if one changes the rules a bit. Before reading, discuss the vocabulary. Read with the student as prescribed in the method. At the end, do ask questions about the content and have the student ask questions or comment as well.

Please feel free to add your own acronyms and definitions to the list!