Hello again all!

I am posting this announcement on behalf of Lynda Terrill concerning a matter that may be of great interest to those of us working with English Language Learners. Enjoy!

 

 

Dear colleagues,


I am happy to announce an upcoming panel discussion on the adult English language list on working with literacy-level adult English language learners.  The discussion will be the week of August 7-11, with further questions, comments, and information-sharing welcome after that. 

 

[to subscribe to the English language list, go to http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage> ]

 

Background Information  

Some teachers-especially those new to teaching adult English language learners-express concern about teaching learners who aren't literate in their native language or never went to school. In many ways, this concern is unwarranted. Having or not having had access to formal education does not correlate to cognitive functioning, interest, and energy. Most literacy-level learners will need explicit instruction in basic literacy skills (e.g., phonological  processing, vocabulary development, syntactical processing). However, these learners bring an array of lifeskills knowledge (often including some oral proficiency and knowledge of American culture) problem-solving skills, and enthusiasm to the process.   

 

Still, teachers and administrators sometimes feel challenged by questions such as:

 

*	Who are the literacy-level adult ESL learners? 
*	What skills do literacy-level learners need to develop? 
*	How can programs and administrators effectively support literacy-level adult English language learners and their teachers? 
*	What are effective instructional practices in the literacy class? 
*	What are effective needs assessment activities for literacy-level adult English language learners? 
*	What other approaches and activities are effective with literacy-level learners? 
*	What resource are helpful for teachers? 
*	What instructional materials are effective for literacy-level learners-to help them acquire skills they need to reach their personal goals? 

Process of the Discussion

To address these and other questions, nine adult ESL and refugee content experts have graciously accepted my invitation to answer questions and share ideas on the topic of literacy-level learners in adult ESL. Within this group are teachers, program administrators, cultural orientation specialists, curriculum designers, assessment experts, and authors of teacher resources and literacy-level materials for learners.  Members of the panel have worked extensively as volunteers, teachers, and administrators, in learning labs and online, in general ESL, workplace and work readiness programs, transition programs, family literacy, refugee programs, in the United States and overseas from Mongolia to (the then) Zaire.  I started adding up the panelists' years of  experience, but stopped when it topped 100 years. 

 

To organize this discussion with so many panelists, I will offer a short biography of each panelist, which includes their areas of particular expertise-although each panelist is knowledgeable in many areas related to adult ESL, refugees, and  immigration.  

 

In this way, you can direct a question or comment to a specific panelist (e.g., a question about literacy-level learners in family literacy would be directed to the family literacy expert).  However, all panelists, as well as the very many of you on the list who are also experts, please jump in at any time. 

 

I will post the nine biographies next week, a few days before the panel begins.

 

The panelists will be: 

 

Sanja Bebic, Director, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC http://www.culturalorientation.net/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.culturalorientation.net/> 

 

MaryAnn Cunningham Florez, Lead ESL Specialist, Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP), Arlington, Virginia http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/> 

 

Debbie Jones, EL/Civics Literacy Coordinator, Arlington Education and Employment Program, Arlington, Virginia  http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/> 

 

Sharon McKay, ESL Specialist, Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, Washington, DC http://ww.cal.org/caela <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://ww.cal.org/caela> 

 

Donna Moss, Family Literacy Coordinator, Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP), Arlington, Virginia http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/instruct/ctae/adult_ed/REEP/> 

 

Barb Sample, Director of Educational Services, Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning, Denver, Colorado http://www.spring-institute.org/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.spring-institute.org/> 

 

Kate Singleton, Healthcare Social Worker, Fairfax INOVA Hospital, Fairfax, Virginia

 

Sharyl Tanck, Program Coordinator, Cultural Orientation Resource Center, Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC http://www.culturalorientation.net/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.culturalorientation.net/> 

 

Betsy Lindeman Wong, Online facilitator, ESOL Basics, Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, Richmond, Virginia http://www.valrc.org/ <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.valrc.org/> 

 

 


Pre-Discussion Reading


If you are interested in reading more about literacy-level adult English language learners before August 7, here a few selected resources:

<https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279> 

"Beginning ESOL Learners' Advice to Their Teachers." <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.ncsall.net/?id=279>  

 

Mental Health and the Adult Refugee: The Role of the ESL Teacher <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/mental.html> 

 

What Non-readers or Beginning Readers Need to Know: Performance-based ESL Adult Literacy (Brod, 1999, ERIC No. ED 433 730 available from www.eric.ed.gov <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.eric.ed.gov/> )

 

Working With Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners <https://tmail.utk.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/litQA.html>  

 
Peggy McGuire, M.A., 
Senior Research Associate, National Consultant, and
NIFL-Program Leadership and Improvement List Moderator
Center for Literacy Studies
The University of Tennessee
111 5th Street, PO Box 16
Mount Gretna, PA  17064
717-964-1341 (landline/fax)
215-888-6507 (cell)
mmcguire at utk.edu
 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/programleadership/attachments/20060731/30bba42d/attachment.html