Hi everyone.
Those of you providing leadership in programs that address work-readiness and workplace education with English Language Learners may be especially interested in this upcoming discussion. Enjoy! 
 
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
 

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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 <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.pdf <http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/esol_workplace/Tenn_ESOL_in_the_Workplace.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 <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 <http://www.workingforamerica.org/documents/PDF/GTW50704.pdf> 

 

Steps to Employment in Ontario. 

http://209.121.217.200/main.html <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 <http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Englishlanguage> 

Workplace Literacy list: http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/Workplace/ <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

<mailto:djgbrian at utk.edu>  

 

 

 

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