Rosemary,

 

We use the same techniques, most of our ESOL courses have a variation of
languages depending on the region; for example in NYC we can have 10
languages (beginners-intermediate) in the same room, while here in
Albany we are currently offering an ESOL to SUNY custodial workers (low
intermediate) that are Albanian, Polish, Chinese and Spanish.

 

 

Ms. Gary Bartolina, Program Manager
Adult Education Basics
NYS & CSEA  Partnership for Education & Training
Corporate Plaza East - Suite 502
240 Washington Avenue Extension
Albany, NY 12203
Phone: 518-473-4990
Fax: 518-473-9457
bartolinag at nyscseapartnership.org
<mailto:bartolinag at nyscseapartnership.org> 
www.nyscseapartnership.org <http://www.nyscseapartnership.org/> 
"A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak."
(Michael Garrett Marino) 
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From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov
[mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of Paul Rogers
Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 2009 3:49 PM
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 5049] L1s and multi-lingual classes

 

Rosemary and all

I would like to give an example of how I have used L1 in a multi-lingual
classroom.

I once had a class of 15 Spanish speakers and 5 Hindi speakers, all of
whom knew little or no English.

All of the Spanish speakers use my bilingual texts plus my website.

So, I bought a bilingual dictionary, Hindi-English, and gave it to the
Hindi student who knew a little English and who also was the
"coordinator" of the group.

While the Spanish speakers were on my website, I spent time in another
classroom with the Hindi students, building vocabulary and practicing
pronunciation. We also used Barron's picture dictionary.

The Hindi students thought that the website was useful, so after an hour
I switched the two groups.

It all worked out quite well. I also learned a little Hindi.

So - my point is, "speaking" L1 in the class is only one aspect of
"using L1" in a class.

All of the articles and references I have mentioned talk about the
significant benefits of L1 in the class. 

Actually we should be talking about "mulitple L1s", I guess.

The students' L1 is a resource, like a dictionary or a textbook.

One problem that may occur is that it is almost impossible to please
every student, no matter how the class is conducted. I try to use the
principle of majority rule.

Paul Rogers



Paul Rogers
805-258-3310
pumarosa21 at yahoo.com
PUMAROSA.COM

 

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