Dear subscribers,
 
 I want to welcome Sarah Young of the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) and the Center for Applied Linguistics and thank her for facilitating this week's discussion on adolescents in adult ESL/ESOL classes.  
 
Please read Sarah's introductory comments below and share your own experiences, questions, and advice.
 
Thanks,
 
Lynda Terrill
English language list moderator
lterrill at cal.org
 
**********************
 
One focus on this discussion list in the next few days will be the characteristics and needs of adolescent ELLs and how we can serve them better in our adult ESL programs. The following questions are introduced in my brief "Adolescent learners in adult ESL classes" (www.cal.org/caela) and will be addressed and expanded on throughout the course of our discussion. Please share your own answers, experiences, questions, and ideas on this topic as well.

Who are adolescents in adult ESL classes?
- Some adolescent immigrants arrive in the United States with limited or interrupted schooling in their native countries. Research shows that even students with considerable schooling in their own countries still need four to seven years of instruction in the U.S. in order to become academically and socially proficient in English.
- Other adolescent ELLs are born and/or raised in the U.S., but for a variety of reasons never managed to gain the academic and literacy skills and content knowledge needed to succeed in high school or to reach English proficiency (these students are sometimes referred to as Generation 1.5, because they share characteristics of both first-generation and native born English speakers).
- In 2003-2004, 14% of all enrollees in adult education programs (ESL, ABE, ASE) were students aged 16 to 18.

Why are adolescent ELLs in adult ESL classes?
Many factors contribute to adolescent ELLs' inability or unwillingness to begin or continue a course of study in a traditional secondary school. Consider:
-  Nineteen states currently require exit exams for high school graduation, and seven others are planning to implement an exit exam by 2012.
- One study found that in K-12 districts with a 9% or higher population of ELLs, the overall high school graduation rate was only 60%.
- 56 percent of ELLs in grades 6-12 are second or third generation citizens (i.e., born and raised in the U.S.).

How might adolescent ELLs differ from adult ELLs?
-  Developmental characteristics such as insecurity, self-consciousness, over-sensitivity, poor decision-making and communication skills, impatience, lack of foresight
- Varied cultural interests, technological savvy, and limited or different life experiences
- Academic, linguistic, and literacy skills may not be completely developed in their native languages
- Need may be stronger for mentoring and guidance in transitioning to other educational levels and in making choices about their personal lives and career paths

What training do adult ESL teachers working with adolescents need? How can classroom instruction and assessment support adolescent ELLs? What other educational opportunities are available and necessary for adolescent ELLs?

Please join us in discussing these questions and more!


Sarah Young

Center for Applied Linguistics

4646 40th St. NW

Washington, DC 20016

 

Phone: (202) 362-0700 ext. 529

Fax: (202) 362-3740

Web: www.cal.org 

Email: sarah at cal.org <mailto:sarah at cal.org> 

CAL: "Improving communication through better understanding of language and culture"



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