Forwarded at the request of Barbara Garner, Focus on Basics editor.  Read on!

Please Post to Your Lists...Thanks!
Barb Garner

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The newest issue of "Focus on Basics" is now on NCSALL's web site, 
http://www.ncsall.net. It's on ESOL and features research from NCSALL's 
ESOL Lab School.

Steve Reder, director of the ESOL Lab School, a partnership of Portland 
State University and Portland Community College, describes the research and 
how it is conducted.

Kathryn Harris reports on one aspect of her study of pair work in the ESOL 
classroom. Learners she studied individualized their pair work, adapting 
the activities to their language learning needs.

Pair activities are provided by Donna Moss of Arlington, VA. Sustained 
silent reading has been found to encourage many students to read: does it 
do the same with beginning-level ESOL learners? It is a viable practice 
with this group, explain Sandra Banke and Reuel Kurzet, who participated in 
this Lab School study.

To improve their students' speaking and listening skills, teachers often 
set up conversation groups. What if the conversation leaders were 
university students who studied immigration and cultural adaptation as well 
as strategies for initiating and keeping conversations going? Betsy Kraft 
chronicles her classes' experiences leading conversations with Lab School 
students.

Anyone who has taught an ESOL class with students from a variety of 
language backgrounds has noticed the chatter that goes on, in English, 
during breaks. Dominique Brillanceau was curious about whether this casual 
conversation occurs in class as well, and, if it does, what role it plays 
in learning.

Starting conversations can be hard for anyone; it's even harder in a new 
language. John Hellermann explored the nuance of initiating and turn-taking 
in conversations in Lab School classes.

Some ESOL learners get stuck, and teachers struggle to find out why. Robin 
Schwarz, now of Ohio, shares case studies from her years of work with ESOL 
learners and teachers and provides tips on how to find out what might be 
the problem.

And the development of NCSALL's Health Literacy Study Circle+ guide is 
chronicles by Winston Lawrence, NY, and Lisa Soricone, NCSALL.

Happy Reading! Barb Garner Editor
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