Donna Brian  and Lynda Terrill, Moderators of the Workplace Literacy  
Discussion List  and  English Language Learners Discussion List have  
announced a discussion on ELL in the workplace that will take place  
September 18 - 22.

The following is posted on their behalf.


Announcing a discussion on ELL in the workplace!

  One issue that has been of interest on the Workplace Literacy  
Discussion List has been serving the needs and goals of employers  
while at the same time serving the needs of adult immigrants on the  
job and in their lives. On the Adult English Language Discussion  
List, issues related to workplace and adult English language learners  
have been discussed for many years. Workplace ESOL classes are not  
new, but, as more workplaces throughout the country hire immigrants  
who may not be proficient in English, new teachers come on board and  
new needs (and funding sources) arise. New questions also arise.

We have home-grown expertise on both the Workplace and ELL Discussion  
Lists. Subscribers on both lists have been involved in managing state  
and federal workplace grants, developing curricula and materials,  
teaching or training other teachers in workplace contexts.  We could  
all learn a lot from sharing questions and experiences.    Lynda  
Terrill, moderator of the English Language Learner Discussion List  
and  Donna Brian, moderator of the Workplace Literacy Discussion  
List,  invite you to  access this combined expertise in a cross-list  
discussion: a focused, simultaneous, shared discussion on both lists  
on issues related to the workplace and adult immigrants.  We hope  
that you will  join us in sharing  philosophies, approaches, and  
techniques—lessons learned—with each other in a week long dialogue  
combining the two lists. We have set next week—September 18-22—as the  
time scheduled for this shared discussion to take place.

Discussion Questions
Some important questions we hope may be addressed in the discussion are:
What are effective ways of planning, implementing, and evaluating  
(adult ESL) workplace classes?
What types of workplace classes have proven most effective and why?
How can teachers and administrators develop curricula and materials  
that meet the needs and goals of the learners in class as well as the  
needs and expectations of employers?
What are effective and appropriate approaches for teaching issues  
related to culture, civil rights, and responsibilities on the job?
Background Reading and Resources
Below is a small sample of the best available materials we know of.  
We hope subscribers will suggest others that have been useful to them:

Issues in Improving Immigrant Workers' English Language Skills (Burt,  
M., 2003, Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics)
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/Workplaceissues.html.

ESOL in the Workplace: A Training Manual for ESOL Supervisors and  
Instructors. (Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development  
Office of Adult Education and University of Tennessee Center for  
Literacy Studies, 2003).
http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/esol_workplace/ 
Tenn_ESOL_in_the_Workplace.pdfGetting to Work: A Report on How  
Workers with Limited English Skills Can Prepare for New Jobs (Working  
for America Institute) http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/ 
GTW50704.pdf

Getting to Work: A Report on How Workers with Limited English Skills  
Can Prepare for New Jobs (Working for America Institute) http:// 
www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf

Steps to Employment in Ontario.
http://209.121.217.200/main.html

*************

  You may take part in the discussion by subscribing to either list :
Adult English Language list http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/ 
Englishlanguage
Workplace Literacy list: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/

We look forward to hearing your experiences, questions, and advice!


Donna Brian  and Lynda Terrill, Moderators
Workplace Literacy Discussion List  and  English Language Learners  
Discussion List




Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205

Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172


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