Return-Path: <nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id eAGDas911964; Thu, 16 Nov 2000 08:36:54 -0500 (EST) Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 08:36:54 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <sa139b6a.089@cbwl.org> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "John Antonellis" <jantonellis@cbwl.org> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-workplace@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-WORKPLACE:3885] Re: syllabus search X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise 5.2 Status: O Content-Length: 4186 Lines: 38 Hi Carol, There are a lot of things I'd consider before I decide on a syllabus or curriculum. Maybe you've already considered the following but these are some of the questions I'd ask: - What are the levels of the learners? - How many learners/classes? (Is it one multi-level group or are folks more or less at the same level? - What are the goals of the program? Is it general English fluency or is it more focussed on day to day needs of folks at work? Is reading/writing a priority? (My assumption would be that warehouse workers don't have a great deal of day to day needs for English and that it may be focussed on understanding directions, interacting with supervisors/coworkers, reading and/or filling out work orders, etc.) - Is the class run on work time, personal time or a split? (the assumption I made was that the employer was paying for the class and that workers were attending on work time - often the last thing workers want to do is talk about their jobs after work, and so if it's on their personal time my syllabus would focus heavily on the learners goals) -Is their any kind of career ladder in place? (Will learners be able to access higher positions after the progra?) - Do the learners have a lot of education in their primary language, or are their possibly first language literacy needs? - Is their some sort of Planning & Evaluation Team made up of key people from the workplace, i.e. learner rep, supervisory rep, HR, union, etc. (Is their support for the program from the top down and bottom up?) If that's in place, they would be really useful in making sure what's covered in the class is relevant to all the folks effected - Have you done some sort of needs assessment that look at both the skills the workers bring and the on-the-job needs of the workers? I've had a fair amount of workplace teaching experience, most recently at Malden Mills Industries in Lawrence MA. The workforce was predominantly Latino, many with limited years of education in their primary language. The company was recovering from a fire, and had purchased a lot of new equipment and was also transitioning from a more oral based cutlure with an informal way of conducting training to becoming more standardized and relying a lot more on printed texts to develop standard operating procedures. The ESOL instructors used a lot of workplace materials and worked closely with technical trainers in the classes. We had a digital camera which allowed us to develop a lot of customized picture based material. We also spent a lot of time on the production floor. We put a large focus on 'learning to learn' strategies, and used a concept we called 'transferable skills' to relate day to day experiences from learners lives to the workplace (i.e. following a recipe/following a set of work instructions; starting a car/running a machine, etc.) Our syllabus was used as a general guide to planning, but often changed based on the needs we encountered from our learners. The curriculum was developed over time. A great workplace guide to curriculum development is Debora Brandt's Toolkit for Teachers which I think is published by New Reader's Press. Another great publication put out by the Massachusetts Workplace Literacy Consortium is the 1999 Workplace Education Guide. I believe copies are still available for $10 from World Education in Boston (617) 482-9485. (It's a great resource!) Hope some of this has been helpful! Muy buenas suertes! John Antonellis Corporation for Business, Work, & Learning 529 Main Street Boston, MA 02129 (617) 727-8158, x1223 jantonellis@cbwl.org >>> "carol judith" <caroljb@hotmail.com> 11/15 5:24 PM >>> Hola! I'm going to start teaching a workplace ESL class and need to create a syllabus. The participants are multi level adults native Spanish speakers. The workplace is a warehouse. The class is four hours a week and lasts for three months with a review and possible extension at the end of the three months. Any help is very appreciated!! Carol _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com
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