[NIFL-WOMENLIT:2485]

From: Lynne Wilkins (lwilkins@mills.edu)
Date: Wed Feb 12 2003 - 13:07:59 EST


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Hello to all,

In response to Daphne's questions about women and the beginning of 
instruction with non English speakers, I have a few thoughts to share.

We don't accept students who are not literate in their own language or 
in English but we do accept students with very low levels of English 
(basically some knowledge of the alphabet) and with very low levels of 
previous education.

We teach them how to put papers into their notebooks, how to write HW 
assignments onto a daily HW log that lives in their notebook, how to 
ask the basic questions (Please speak slower, please repeat, what does 
___ mean, etc.) by having those posted in the classroom and having the 
teacher point to them and say them and have the students repeat before 
getting their question answered. We limit any L1 in the classroom 
unless the teacher asks another student to translate or explain. We 
work on getting the lowest level students to trust the instructors and 
to believe that the teachers will see the student non understand and 
will get the student to understand and to not go home frustrated. 

We have adapted an intensive English approach (22 1/2 hours a week, 
classes every day or evening) from a well educated international 
student body to an academically challenged immigrant student body. Our 
student make great gains and move through our 7 levels depending on the 
amount of their funding. Students stay from 44 to 60 to 76 weeks.

Hope this helps the discussion.
-- 
Lynne Wilkins, Academic Coordinator
English Center for International Women at Mills College
P.O. Box 9968, Oakland, CA 94613
(510)430-2285
lwilkins@mills.edu

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