Greetings, Workplace Literacy Discussion List Subscribers, from Austin,
Texas!  

 

I look forward to our discussion next week.  The longer I am involved in
workforce literacy initiatives, the more grateful I am that every now and
then, individuals - myself included - paused long enough to write down
effective practices for venturing into delivering workplace-related
instruction. Over the years, many have shared their experience and
expertise, and so we continue to add to the wealth of knowledge. 

 

One very good lesson I learned not too, too many years ago has to do with
the importance of selecting appropriate instructors to deliver
workforce-related instruction.  "Maxine" was this wonderful ESL instructor,
who, like many adult educators, taught part time in several programs.  The
one thing her various assignments had in common was a somewhat traditional,
academic focus.  Then along came workplace literacy.  While "Maxine" had a
stellar reputation as an effective ESL instructor, she struggled with
adapting instruction to the workplace.  Her determination to teach the
employees "everything they needed to know about English" during the cycle
and duration of instruction agreed upon was her undoing and could have cost
us a longstanding contract with the employer. Fortunately, the training
director knew us well enough to pick up the phone, explain that "Maxine" had
become "high maintenance", and request that she be replaced.  

 

As the director described being pursued through the corridors, with "Maxine"
insisting that the course had to be extended so that she could cover every
unit in the text she had chosen, I realized I had missed a red flag or two
during the assignment process. The situation was quickly remedied, but
second chances are never guaranteed.  I quickly learned three lessons:

1.	making certain that instructors understand who the customers are in
workplace literacy is critical;  
2.	workplace literacy is rarely delivered according to a college's
academic semester schedule;
3.	shorter cycles of instruction are usually a better "fit" in the
workplace but often lead to repeat business, second cycles, etc. 

 

I'm sure many of you have similar stories to share.  Just what are the
criteria for selecting instructors, and what is required of the program
administrator making the selections?

 

Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani

 

 

  _____  

From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Brian, Dr Donna J G
Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 10:37 AM
To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Workplace 1494] Bios of "Talk Back" authors

 

Good Day, Workplace Literacy Discussion List Subscribers,

 

Next week will be a good opportunity to think about and discuss how to go
about designing a workplace literacy program, present the plan to a
workplace community, and monitor and evaluate the program.  The authors of
the resource Tennessee ESOL in the Workplace will be on call to discuss
these and other related issues that you may be thinking about. You can
access the resource online at
http://www.cls.utk.edu/pdf/esol_workplace/Tenn_ESOL_in_the_Workplace.pdf.

 

 I thought you should know a little more about these authors, so their
biographies are below.  They will both introduce themselves to the list a
little later today.  You can be thinking about the issues and questions you
want to raise for list discussion and either submit them starting Monday, or
go ahead and submit them over the weekend.  Pat and Barbara won't start
responding to them until Monday, however.

 

Here are the bios.

 

Barbara Tondre-El Zorkani holds a Master's degree in Teaching English to
Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Texas in San Antonio.
She is also a developmental education specialist (Kellogg Institute,
Appalachian State University).  She got her start in workforce-related ESL
while teaching for the U.S. Department of Defense English Language Institute
in San Antonio, Texas and Amman, Jordan.  Later, her teaching assignments at
American University in Cairo involved preparing Egyptian professionals for
work with Americans and study abroad. Barbara has lived and worked on four
continents.

 

Barbara ventured into adult basic education and job training upon her
family's return to the states. Her role in welfare reform initiatives
included preparing adult educators to serve individuals whose basic skill
and language deficiencies presented barriers to employment and
self-sufficiency.  At the community college level, Barbara became involved
in developing customized solutions for businesses looking for services for
their employees with basic skills and English language needs.  She was
instrumental in establishing McDonald's first workplace ESL pilot intiatives
in New York, New Jersey, Kansas, Illinois, and Tennessee.  Her work has
included preparing educators to teach in the workplace.  It was this work
that brought Barbara to partner with the Center for Literacy Studies at the
University of Tennessee in Knoxville.  Her experience and writing skills
complemented the work already begun by Patricia Sawyer, then director of ESL
programs for Tennessee's Department of Labor and Workforce Development,
Adult Education Division.  

 

Since co-authoring Tennessee's ESOL in the Workplace, Barbara has gone on to
author similar publications for Texas.  Charting a Course:  Responding to
the Industry-Related Adult Basic Education Needs of the Texas Workforce,
includes research on adult education's response to state legislation
requiring the development of industry-related curricula for the limited
English proficient*, plus two handbooks for program planners and instructors
venturing into the delivery of workforce related instructional services and
solutions.   

 

As a contractor and consultant, Barbara continues to pursue her research and
interests in workforce literacy, ESL, and student transition for Texas
LEARNS, the state office of adult education.  Barbara also authors SHOP
TALK, a series that highlights promising practices as well as issues,
concerns, and questions related to meeting the adult education needs of
Texas' emerging, incumbent, and displaced workers.  In April 2008, she was
instrumental in planning the first annual Workforce Literacy Summit:
Workforce Literacy Models for a 21st Century Economy hosted by the Alamo
Community College District in San Antonio.  Barbara lives in Austin, Texas.


 

*Texas is distributing three copyrighted curricula to adult education
programs this summer.  The curricula address the industry-related language
and employability needs of those seeking employment in healthcare, sales and
service, and manufacturing.   

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Pat Sawyer holds a Master's Degree in Education from the University of
Illinois.  She has worked in the field of adult education since 1978 in the
states of Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Illinois.

 

Her role as an educator has included Professional Development Trainer for
Tennessee ESOL teachers and supervisors, publication coordinator for ESOL
curriculum, and the writing of training manuals for Tennessee state
programs.  Pat has also presented at several TESOL and COABE conferences and
has worked with teachers who are preparing to teach in the workplace.

 

Since retiring from The Center for Literacy Studies at the University of
Tennessee, Pat has worked for the University of Illinois, Springfield campus
as a teacher and trainer for Japanese students who are preparing for work as
electrical engineers in the U.S., assisted in the development of Illinois
ABE/ASE Standards, and is presently teaching ESL at Parkland Community
College, Champaign, Illinois.  

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

I'm excited about this opportunity, and I hope we will all both enjoy and
benefit from it.  If this format of having authors participate in a Talk
Back works well, I hope to feature other resources and their authors in
future months.  Please jump right in without hesitation!

 

Donna

 

 

Donna Brian

Moderator, LINCS Workplace Literacy Discussion List

Off-list contact djgbrian at utk.edu

 

To post a message:

 <mailto:workplace at nifl.gov> workplace at nifl.gov

 

To subscribe/unsubscribe/change options/access archives:

 <http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/workplace>
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/workplace

 

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