Weblog: ESOL
Students Can Create Comic Stips
Online Educational Comics Launched to Encourage Writing, Reading and Storytelling
An innovative, fun and free educational site for helping ESOL students practice writing, reading, and storytelling skills is available at Make Beliefs Comix.
This site can be used by educators to teach language, reading and writing skills, and also for students in English-as-a-Second-Language programs to facilitate self-expression and storytelling, as well as computer literacy. It is now being used in 160 countries by educators. Some educational therapists use it with deaf and autistic people to help them understand concepts and communicate. Parents and children can create stories together, print them to create comic books or email them to friends and family. Others will find the site a resource to be creative, calm down and have fun.
Try it out!
GED/ESOL Public Service Announcements on TV
The Henrico County Adult Education Center has just launched two public service announcements promoting adult education for GED and ESOL students. The videos have been uploaded to YouTube and can be accessed by search on the general site or the Virginia government channel of YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Virginiagovernment .
Henrico County Adult Education has done a great job in producing the segments which will run on NBC, Channel 12, in Central Virginia.
Check them out!
The Media Library of Teaching Skills
The Media Library of Teaching Skills (MLoTS) project, a free web-based library of short digital videos of adult education classrooms and tutorials. These videos are intended to applicable to all levels of ESOL, ABE, and GED instruction.
This article continues... »New Report from the Center of Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Effects of Instructional Hours and Intensity of Instruction NRS Level Gain in Listening and Speaking
This digest reports on a descriptive study examining two questions related to adult English language learners' educational level gains in the National Reporting System for Adult Education (NRS), as measured by the standardized oral proficiency assessment BEST Plus: (1) What is the relationship between instructional hours and educational level gain on BEST Plus? and (2) What is the relationship between intensity of instruction and educational level gain on BEST Plus?
Results showed that across NRS educational functioning levels, the greater the number of instructional hours, the higher the percentage of students who made level gain. There was also a general trend toward greater NRS level gain for students with high levels of instructional intensity than for those with low intensity.
To learn more you can access this report on the CAL web site by clicking here.
New ESL Study on Persistence
NEWS RELEASE (January 7, 2008 - NYC) -- The Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy today released PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES: TRACKING ESL STUDENT PERFORMANCE. It is a longitudinal study of adult ESL services at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), completing a trilogy by CAAL about adult ESL service in community colleges. Its primary aim is to help those who plan and design community college ESL programs assess and develop effective services. But it will also help those who offer adult ESL services in other institutional settings, and policymakers and funding organizations. The authors note that CCSF's ESL program has features in common with many other community college programs, and point to the model's importance because so many ESL professionals across the country consider it to be "exemplary." It is both "a typical case and a best case of adult education ESL in the United States."
Steven Spurling and Sharon Seymour of the City College of San Francisco, and CAAL's Forrest P. Chisman conducted the study. The report contains a wealth of highly detailed research information and analysis. It is groundbreaking in a number of respects. It may well be the most comprehensive, in-depth research ever conducted on any adult ESL program. It is based on College records tracking all students over a seven-year period who first enrolled in CCSF's credit and non-credit ESL programs in 1998, 1999, and 2000. More than 38,000 non-credit and some 6600 credit ESL students make up the "cohort" that was examined. The primary focus is on persistence, learning gains, and transition to credit studies, and on the success in credit courses of non-credit ESL students. Major attention is given to the various features of CCSF's ESL program that affected student outcomes and pathways -- such as terms and hours of attendance, and program design and policy. CCSF's substantial data on "stop-outs" is also presented and analyzed in depth.
As the authors explain, PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES can be used and navigated in many different ways. It is organized to serve the needs of various kinds of readers. For some, the short Executive Summary will suffice. For others, selected chapters will be sufficient. Others will want to read the entire document and may be motivated to conduct additional analyses on their own.
This study was made possible by CAAL discretionary funds; a considerable amount of pro bono CAAL staff time and resources; and staff time, data, and computer resources provided by City College of San Francisco. Forrest Chisman was responsible for overall project direction. Steven Spurling (Institutional Research Officer, Office of Research, Planning, and Grants, CCSF) conducted the data analysis and had primary responsibility for interpretation of that analysis. Sharon Seymour (former Chair, ESL Department, CCSF) was a key researcher in both of CAAL's prior ESL studies; she contributed to the study's design and interpretation of its findings. Her special insights into the College's ESL program helped shape findings about student performances and program features that influenced performance.
The report is available at no charge from the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org) as item ESL5 of the ESL section of the Publications page. It is optimized for printing and can be downloaded either as a single large document (212 pages) or in four smaller units. Bound copies of the publication can be purchased directly from CAAL (contact bheitner@caalusa.org for ordering instructions and price).
[The other two reports in this series are: "PASSING THE TORCH: Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL" and "TORCHLIGHTS IN ESL: Five Community College Profiles." They are available from the CAAL website as items ESL2 and ESL4. Funding for the earlier reports came from the Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, CAAL discretionary funds from The McGraw-Hill Companies, and the Dollar General Corporation.]
Free Resources for ELL or Family Literacy Programs
Announced by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education in Thursday Notes, December 13, 2007
Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook and the accompanying Toolkit for Working with Newcomer Parents designed for English language learning (ELL) can be downloaded free from Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BYRCS). The new handbook, using basic English texts and communicative illustrations, helps teach American norms and requirements for parental involvement in childrens' schools, meals and nutrition, street and car safety, disciplinary techniques, and other activities. The toolkit is designed for teachers, caseworkers and counselors helping refugee families learn English and adapt to American culture. It includes a wealth of Web links to additional resources. BYRCS is a joint project of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and is supported by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
EL/Civics Online: Integrating EL/Civics into Adult ESL Classes
EL/Civics Online is a unique professional development opportunity for ESL instructors and volunteers who wish to incorporate EL/Civics content into their adult ESL classrooms.
This series of online courses will assist teachers in creating interesting, effective ESL lessons in these areas: U.S History, U.S. Government, Civic Engagement, and The Naturalization Process
This free professional development opportunity for teachers and volunteers is now available at http://www.elcivicsonline.org. Participate in these EL/Civics online courses and learn to assist your students in all of these areas as you incorporate EL/Civics into your adult ESL classes. EL/Civics Online includes special tutorials on Lesson Planning and Adapting Materials and provides you with your own personal Information Center, which allows you to keep your lesson plans, reflections, links, and resources in one convenient place. [The development of EL/Civics Online is funded by the U.S. Department of Education/Office of Vocational and Adult Education and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/Office of Citizenship.]
Although not entirely finished, this excellent online course is well-worth your time and effort to explore and USE!
Revised Form I-9
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released a revised Form I-9, which is the form that all employers must complete for new hires to verify eligibility to work in the U.S. As of Nov. 7, 2007, the new form is the only version that is acceptable for use, although the USCIS says it will publish a notice granting employers a 30-day period to transition to using the new form. Employers should take note that the new I-9 Form has a revision date (in the lower right corner) of 06/05/07; previous versions are no longer valid. The agency has also updated its "Handbook for Employers, Instructions for Completing the Form I-9."
The key revision to the updated Form I-9 is the removal of five documents from List A, which previously could be presented by an employee to establish proof of both identity and employment eligibility. These documents were removed, says the USCIS, because they lack sufficient features to help deter counterfeiting, tampering, and fraud. The five documents that are no longer acceptable are:
Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, Form N-560 or N-570
Certificate of Naturalization, Form N-550 or N-570
Alien Registration Receipt Card, Form I-151
Unexpired Reentry Permit, Form I-327
Unexpired Refugee Travel Permit, Form I-571
In addition, the following document was added to List A of acceptable documents: Unexpired Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766.
The new form and instructions may be downloaded at this site, or type in the following URL: http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-9.pdf
ESOL Student Orientation Tools
Recently, Prince William County Public Schools Adult Education published some materials that you may find useful when trying to help your students better understand their ESOL program/class, what is expected of them as students and how they can be active learners.
These are:
Learning English: The Journey Begins with You An orientation video to help you understand the PWCS ESOL class registration process. Note: This video is generic, so it can be used for any adult ESOL program in Virginia.
The
You can access these tools online at http://www.pwcs.edu/curriculum/adulted/#2 (click on Programs in the left-hand corner and select ESOL); or contact Ms. Debra Cargill, Lead ESOL and Program Developer, at 703-791-8387 or at cargildh@pwcs.edu .
Learning Disabilities and English Language Learners
Colorin Colorado, in conjuntion with Reading Rockets, has made available a webcast about instructing English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities. While the webcast is geared to K-12 students, it has relevant information and application for the adult literacy educator and learner. To view the webcast, go to: http://www.readingrockets.org/webcasts/ondemand/2007. This webpage will also give you additional resources to explore on this topic.
Also of interest are two articles available at LDOnline. They are "Communication Strategies for All Classrooms: Focusing on English Language Learners and Students with Learning Disabilities" by Dale S. Brown and Karen Ford at: http://www.ldonline.org/article/19260 and "Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners" by Louise Spear-Swerling at: http://www.ldonline.org/spearswerling/8001.
Two New Resources
Refugees with Disabilities
The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI), Assisting Refugees with Disabilities Program, has produced a "Resource Guide for Serving Refugees with Disabilities" that is now available for download at http://www.refugees.org/article.aspx?id=1965&subm=113&ssm=135&area=Participate
The guide, written for refugee case managers and those serving refugees with disabilities, includes 139 pages of information about resources for serving adults and children with disabilities, housing for refugees with disabilities, assistive technology, medical resources, citizenship and disability, benefits for refugees with disabilities and more.
If you have any questions or technical assistance needs, please contact Xuan Nguyen, Director of USCRI Health and Human Services at mailto:dblankenship@uscridc.org xnguyen@uscridc.org or at 202-347-3507 ext 3056.
Workplace Instruction and Workforce Preparation for Adult Immigrants
If you are interested in learning more about instruction geared towards the workplace, then this resource will be very helpful. Written by Miriam Burt and Julie Mathews-Aydinli, this brief reviews the three venues in which federally funded instruction to help immigrants become successful at work is offered - at the workplace, in vocational classes, and in adult English as a second language (ESL) classes. This brief, published by the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) at the Center for Applied Linguistics, can be found at http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/work.html
Temporary Protected Status
A recent change in policy in the Commonwealth will affect a number of our foreign-born students who are interested in pursuing a college education. Please share this message with others so that we can reach as many potential college students as possible in time for the Fall 2007 semester: I want to notify you that effective immediately, alien students with a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are no longer barred from establishing Virginia domicile for tuition purposes. The change in guidance comes after consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and special immigration counsel. TPS students who can show by clear and convincing evidence that they meet the normal standards for Virginia domicile should be charged the in-state tuition rate beginning in Fall 2007 and can be considered for other educational benefits reserved for Virginia domiciles. TPS students who are currently classified as out-of-state students may request reclassification, but reclassifications, if granted, shall not be retroactive. Please note that this change in guidance will be reflected in the next revision of the Domicile Guidelines. The Commonwealth of Virginia's Domicile Guidelines can be found at http://www.schev.edu/Students/VAdomicileguidelines.asp. This is very important information to disseminate, as it will perhaps allow a good number of our students from TPS countries to attend college this fall!!! Thanks for your help in getting the word out.
As background information, and as defined by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (www.uscis.gov):
Temporary Protective Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted to eligible nationals of designated countries (or parts thereof). During the period for which a country has been designated for TPS, TPS beneficiaries may remain in the United States and may obtain work authorization. However, TPS does not lead to permanent resident status. When the Secretary terminates a TPS designation, beneficiaries revert to the same immigration status they maintained before TPS (unless that status had since expired or been terminated) or to any other status they may have acquired while registered for TPS. Accordingly, if an alien had unlawful status prior to receiving TPS and did not obtain any status during the TPS designation, the alien reverts to unlawful status upon the termination of that TPS designation. Countries which are currently designated for TPS include Burundi, El Salvador, Honduras, Liberia, Nicaragua, Somalia and Sudan. Each country has a different designation time period for expiration of its TPS status. Additional information on TPS, including individual expiration dates for each designated country, can be found at the following sites: Us Department of Justice and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Maricel Quintana-Baker, Ph.D. Senior Associate for Academic Affairs State Council of Higher Education for Virginia 101 North 14th Street, 9th Floor Richmond, VA 23219 Phone: 804-225-2612 Fax: 804-225-2604 MaricelQuintanaBaker@schev.edu
Come to the VATESOL Fall Conference!
The Virginia Association of TESOL annual Fall Conference will be held Saturday, October 6, 2007, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. Conference highlights will include a share fair with poster presentations, keynote addresses on Advocacy and Technology and the ESL Learner , one-hour sessions on a variety of topics, and a panel discussion Education and Refugee & Immigration Services. The theme for the conference will be "Connections." For registration information and a complete presentation schedule, go to: www.vatesol.org
New Publication for ESOL and the Building Trades
We are happy to announce the publication of Building Basics: ESOL Toolkit for General Construction, Landscaping, Painting, and Plumbing.
Building Basics is a multi-level curriculum for teaching students that have expressed a need to learn English within the context of the construction trades. It is available for free downloading. It has been organized into four modules which should be downloaded separately due to their large size: General Construction, Curb Appeal (Landscaping), Painting, and Plumbing. Each module is further divided into five units/lessons. These lessons provide a facilitator guide with step-by-step instructions for implementation, facilitator materials, and learner handouts. The facilitator materials contain copies of all the worksheets, transparencies, drawings, cartoons, handouts, etc., that the teacher will need. Hundreds of original drawings that have been created expressly for this curriculum provide visual support to each lesson.
ESLPod.com
The definition of Podcast on the Literacy Tent Wiki is: "Pod casting" is making audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) available online in a way that allows software to automatically download the files for listening at the user's convenience. Podcasts can be used to connect directly to learning activities or you can create your own.
Note from Nancy Faux: The ESLPod is a great way to obtain recorded dialogues to use in your class. In order to exploit them for classroom use, however, you will need to create a lesson plan around them. This lesson plan should, of course, include all the essential elements of a good ESOL lesson: review/warm-up, introduction, presentation, practice, extension and on-going evaluation activities. Remember to make your classes as interactive as possible allowing your students to practice using the language.
ESLPod.com is run by a volunteer team of experienced English as a Second Language professors with over 30 years of high school, adult, and university ESL teaching experience. Dr. Lucy Tse writes scripts and story ideas for all of the podcasts, and records many of the dialogs and stories. The host for the podcast is Dr. Jeff McQuillan, who helps read the scripts and provides explanations for them.
A new 15-minute podcast is prepared every day. Topics include: "Seeing a Specialist," "How to Work in the United States," "Giving Opinions in a Meeting," "Getting a Driver's License," "Getting a Man's Haircut," "Shopping for Shoes," and "Giving Birth in a Hospital.
The podcasts are free. All podcasts come with an 8-10 page Learning Guide, with complete transcripts and more vocabulary, explanations, cultural information, and much more for members, who are asked to pay $10 per month for the Learning Guides.
Teachers Guides are free for the teacher, but students are asked to pay a discounted price, depending on the number of students in a class.
The site currently offers 275 podcasts. More questions? Email: ESLpod@eslpod.com
Teaching Reading to Adult English Language Learners
This is a 7-hour workshop that is currently been offered around the state in various locations (listed below). It is the first of 3 that will be offered around the state over approximately one year's time. The other two are: Teaching Writing and Teaching Speaking and Listening to Adult English Language Learners. Each of the training sessions has been designed to help ESOL teachers develop their lesson plans based on current research in the language skills and in second language acquisition. These workshops, originally created for the CAELA Guide for Adult ESL Trainers, have been adjusted to include activities that help practitioners implement the Virginia Content Standards in their instruction.
In order to register for one of these workshops, please contact Marianne Baker at 800-237-0178 or register online. (All workshops are from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
Workshops and Locations
- March 3 - Roanoke
- March 10 - Fairfax, ACE Learning Lab in Herndon
- March 16 - Spotsylvania
- March 17 - Virginia Beach, Virginia Beach Adult Learning Center
- April 28 - Charlottesville, Center for the Humanities
- To be announced - Prince William Co. Adult Ed
The Literacy Institute Hosts LESLLA, an International English Language Forum for Researchers and Policy Makers
For Immediate Release October 30, 2006 News Release
The Literacy Institute will host the international LESLLA 2006 forum for over 80 international, national, and statewide researchers, practitioners, and policy makers on November 2-3 at Virginia Commonwealth University.
LESLLA, which stands for Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition, is an international forum focusing on the development of second language skills by adult immigrants with little or no schooling prior to moving to the country of entry. "It's hard for individuals to learn to speak and read in English when they cannot read in their own language," says Nancy Faux, ESOL specialist at the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center and the conference's organizer.
Researchers from as far the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and East Timor, and from across our nation will study and discuss education policy development in countries where immigrants settle and most need educational support. The conference features more than twenty presentations and discussion groups, opening with an address on "A National Citizenship Implementation Plan" and including the U.S. premiere of the European Quality Label Prize-winning film, "Newcomers to Morocco," which documents what happens when Dutch literacy teachers become the students in an Arabic class in Morocco.
Toward the conference's conclusion, working groups of experts from The Center for Applies Linguistics; Brown University; University of Minnesota; American Institutes of Research; Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.; Literacy Work International; Newcastle University, UK; Tilburg University, NL; and Radboud University, NL; Virginia Commonwealth University; and the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center, among many others, will develop research and action recommendations for international implementation.
The Literacy Institute is a partnership between the Virginia Literacy Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education and Center for Public Policy.
To find out more about the conference and participants, please visit the LESLLA website at www.leslla.org or see our Media Advisory at www.valrc.org. The conference, held on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University, is open to registered participants only.
Contact: Hillary Major Phone: 800-237-0178 Fax: 804-828-7539 Email: hmajor@vcu.edu
###
Media Advisory: The Literacy Institute Hosts International Forum
The Literacy Institute at Virginia Commonwealth University will host the second annual international LESLLA Conference on November 2-3, 2006, at VCU.
LESLLA was founded in 2005 to address the needs of immigrants who have little or no schooling in their native language and are trying to learn a new language. LESLLA 2006 brings together a group of international experts to explore how ground-breaking research can be applied in the classroom and in policy making.
The conference features more than twenty presentations and discussion groups, opening with an address on "A National Citizenship Implementation Plan" and including the U.S. premiere of the European Quality Label Prize-winning film, "Newcomers to Morocco," which documents what happens when Dutch literacy teachers become the students in an Arabic class in Morocco. Working groups of experts will develop research and action recommendation for international implementation. The Literacy Institute, a partnership between the Virginia Literacy Foundation and Virginia Commonwealth University's School of Education and Center for Public Policy, is proud to host this event.
The Literacy Institute: Mark Emblidge, President of the Virginia State Board of Education and Executive Director of The Literacy Institute at VCU; Barbara Gibson, Associate Director of the Literacy Institute and Manager of the Virginia Adult Learning Resource Center
LESLLA Founders: Martha Young-Scholten (Newcastle University, UK); Jeanne Kurvers (Tilburg University, Netherlands); Ineke van de Craats (Radboud University, Netherlands)
Plenary Session Speakers: Jeff Chenoweth, Division Director of National Operations and Support for Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC); Heidi Spruck Wrigley, Senior Researcher, LiteracyWork International; Joy Kreeft Peyton, Director of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) and Vice President of the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Nancy Faux, ESOL Specialist at VALRC Larry Condelli, Managing Director of the American Institutes of Research
In addition:Local, national and international ESOL teachers and researchers
For press information, contact: Hillary Major, Phone: 804-828-7535, Email: hmajor@vcu.edu; for secondary contact, Victoire Gerkens Sanborn, Phone: 827-2638, Email: vjsanbor@vcu.edu
Registration for Online Courses Is Now Open
The Resource Center is excited to offer all of our online courses this fall. These courses are free to adult educators in Virginia, and you may complete them on your own schedule in the convenience of your home or office.
Courses offered are Adults as Learners: An Orientation, ESOL Basics, and Using Technology to Enhance GED Instruction. The registration deadline for all courses is Friday, October 13; courses begin Monday, October 16. Register now to reserve your spot in one of our innovative online courses! More information and registration for each course is available below:
If you have any questions regarding these courses, please contact Lauren Ellington at leellington@vcu.edu or 800-237-0178.
International Forum on Low-literacy Learners
An international forum, Research, Practice, and Policy for Low-educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition - for Adults (LESLLA), sponsored by the Literacy Institute will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, November 2-3, 2006.
If you are an ESOL practitioner in Virginia and have worked extensively with low-literacy learners, we would encourage you to attend the sessions that will be held on Thursday, November 2. On that day, internationally-recognized experts in ESOL and immigration issues will be offering special presentations in the morning, and concurrent sessions on a variety of interests in research, practice, and public policy pertaining to the low-educated adult second language/literacy learner in the afternoon. There will be a formal reception in the evening at The Valentine Richmond History Center. On Friday, select national and international participants will form working groups focusing on special topics. These proceedings will be published and disseminated to an international audience.
Space is limited so we encourage you to submit your registration soon.
Please read further for more information about LESLLA.
This article continues... »Current ESOL Projects
Adult ESOL Content Standards
Presently in draft form, these content standards are in the process of review, revision, editing and compilation for initial implementation in early 2007.
ESL Toolkit for Construction and Landscape Workers
Available in the fall of 2006, this curriculum provides lesson plans, instructional materials, storyboards and hundreds of drawings for construction and landscape workers at lower proficiency levels of ESL.
Financial Literacy
An online multi-level curriculum for teaching financial literacy to ESL students will be the final product of an EL/Civics three year project. The curriculum includes a model for conducting student needs assessment, lesson plans with handouts, storyboards, and links to other resources. It will be piloted in two local programs beginning in the winter of 2007.
LESLLA
An international forum, Research, Practice, and Policy for Low-educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition - for Adults (LESLLA), will be held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, November 2-3, 2006.
Low Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition (LESLLA) for Adults is an international forum of researchers who share an interest in research into the development of second language skills by adult immigrants with little or no schooling prior to emigrating to their new country of residence.
CAELA
We have begun a second year in a collaborative project with the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition to launch and implement Virginia's Adult ESOL Content Standards in local programs.
Spring 2006 ESOL-Focused Progress
The spring 2006 issue of Progress is devoted in a large part to the teaching of ESOL in our adult education programs. We have included articles to help teachers, tutors, and program managers as they seek to improve existing ESOL programs or to develop new ones. With the increased number of low-literacy students in ESOL programs, Larry Condelli's article "What Works: A Preview of AIR's Two-Year Study of ESL Literacy Students",is of great interest to practitioners and very relevant to their instructional practices. Other articles focus on instructing low-level learners, changes made in the educational functioning levels of the NRS, web and print resources for teachers and students including REEPWorld.org, an interactive online program for learning English developed here in Virginia. There is a lot to read and learn about, so check it out!
Note: at the same time take a look at our other publications related to teaching ESOL.