ESOL in Literacy Programs

Teaching ESOL in Literacy Programs

by VICTOIRE GERKENS SANBORN

Is it effective to combine ESOL their frustration and anxiety are reduced, 3. Fluencyand ABE curricula into one tutor-train- students can focus more on “meaning- Fluency is of questionable value ing workshop? How are ESOL students making.” in the adult ESOL classroom. Tutors unique in the world of adult education? 3. ESOL students respond to a bal- should: This article examines two recent pub- ance of routine and variety. To hold their • limit choral readings to select shortlications and the implications of their interest, they need to practice new learn- segments that emphasize Englishfindings for literacy programs that serve ing tasks, as well as experience a variety of stress and intonation and ESOL students. instructional materials and techniques. • have a native-speaker model read-In A Conversation With Focus On 4. For an ESOL student to make ing the passage before involvingBasics...What Works with Adult ESOL progress, frequent and regular attendance an ESOL learner in oral or choral Students, part of the NCSALL website is more important than total hours of in- reading.found online at www.ncsall.net/?id=189, struction. Heide Spruck Wrigley discusses the The second article, “How Should 4. Comprehensionteaching strategies tutors should use with Adult ESL Reading Instruction Dif- Certain reading passages may be dif-ESOL literacy students. Adults who did fer from ABE Reading Instruction?” by ficult for ESOL students because of culnot complete schooling in their native Miriam Burt, Joy Kreeft Peyton, and tural differences. Tutors need to: countries generally experience trouble in Carol Van Duzer, (www.cal.org/caela/ • find out what students know, need multi-level classes, where basic literacy esl_resources/briefs/readingdif.html) offers to know, and want to know; is rarely taught, and where the more ad- suggestions for instruction in the four • build on ideas and concepts fromvanced students often drive the pace of components of reading instruction. learners’ cultures and experiencesinstruction. whenever possible and select read-This observational study, involving 1. Vocabulary ings on topics they are most familiarabout 500 students, found the following Because of ESOL students’ lack of with; and important results: familiarity with English, vocabulary in- • pre-teach vocabulary and preview1. ESOL students learn more when struction must be carefully planned and unfamiliar ideas, actions, vocabututors make the connection between the deliberate. Tutors should: lary, and settings as well as titles,textbook and the student’s life outside of • pre-teach the vocabulary before pictures, graphics, text structure,instruction. Tutoring strategies should introducing a reading passage; and discourse markers (e.g., wordsinclude the use of objects (real foods, • select reading passages that are only such as “first” or “next”). household items), environmental print slightly above the learner’s indepen- In conclusion, both articles make a (flyers, labels, signs), mail (including dent reading level; persuasive case for literacy programs to notes from schools), and trips to neigh- • teach high-frequency words first; and offer separate and distinct tutor-training borhood spots where literacy is needed. • provide multiple exposures to spe- workshops, no matter how tempting it Other important tutoring strategies in- cific words in multiple contexts. might be to combine ABE and ESOL clude language experience stories, per- curricula into one hybrid. .: sonal writings, and songs. 2. Alphabetics and Word2. ESOL students make higher gains Analysis Victoire Gerkens Sanborn is the Director of when several students in a class share the Native students possess a larger vo- the Literacy Support Center.language and the tutor is bilingual. If the cabulary base than ESOL students. Tu-tutor is able to explain an assignment toring strategies should include:in a student’s native language, then the • using actual English words that fol-student can concentrate on the learning low patterns, not nonsense words;task instead of the instructions. If a tutor • teaching word analysis skills, includis not bilingual, then she must demon- ing prefix and suffix meanings; and strate or model tasks in order to make • identifying parts of speech and theirthe instructions simple and clear. When roles.