ESL in a public library - the story of Sergio

In 1992, I started classes in a library in Rosarito, Mexico, just south of Tijuana. I simply asked the director if I could start classes, and she gave me the key to a room located at the annex behind the library. I then put up flyers all over the area, in the library, stores, on lampposts…everywhere.

I wrote some texts and made audio-cassettes for the students.

Then I went to the first class and waited, until 5 people showed up. Sergio Hernandez was the first one there.

For about one year he came to every class even if it was raining.

Sergio was a construction worker and was about 35 years old at the time. He was a quiet man and always had a smile.

BUT he was a little shy about participating in class. Often he seemed to be confused about the lessons.

I worried about him, and hoped he was learning, but I was not sure. Actually some days I felt guilty and did not want to take his payment, which was $1 US per class.

Anyway, eventually I left Rosarito and said my Good-byes to everybody.

Then in 2002 I began to sell my books and audio-cassettes at swap meets (tianguis or pulgas) in Southern California. I drove to about 10 different swap meets every month.

One day in Los Angeles I was selling at a large swap meet, and whom do you think I saw?

That’s right! Sergio!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Hey, Sergio – I yelled – How are you? Do you remember me!?

- Profe Pablo!!!!!!!!! How are you? It is good to see you!!

And we talked – in English – for about 30 minutes. He told he came to LA to work and was painting houses.

I said – You speak English very well - did you take classes?

He said – I took some, but you taught me the most!

Oh, good, I said, I am very glad I could help you!

Then he had to leave, so we said Good Bye.

My texts and audios were converted to a free website called Pumarosa in 2004. I often chat with students from all over the world, and I tell everyone Sergio’s story, because they all start learning English with the same doubts and frustrations. Most people identify with Sergio and are encouraged, and I am too!

Paul 

Comments

Nonformal Education Colleagues,

Recently, on the AAACE-NLA discussion list, I wrote,  “What percent of adults in the U.S. who are in need of adult basic skills (including English language, adult basic literacy, adult basic and secondary education) are served through the publicly-funded system? If we assume that the recent PIAAC rounded estimate of 37,000,000 [U.S. adults in need of basic skills] is correct, and if we divide the number served [in publicly-funded adult basic skills programs] in 2013-2014, 1,535,130, by that PIAAC figure, rounded off it is 4 percent. Of course, that does not include adult basic skills programs that do not receive public funds, or the public and private institutions that have tuition-based adult basic skills classes such as some community colleges. Because we do not collect data on how many people are enrolled in programs that do not receive public funding, we do not know the actual number of adults receiving adult basic skills instruction."

Put simply, with present public resources, the Adult Education and Literacy System, the publicly-supported basic skills (including English language learning) system in the U.S. can only meet 4% of the estimated need.

This raises many questions for me:

1) What percent of the need are nonformal education programs meeting? (No one knows.)

2) What is the demand, and perhaps "latent demand," from those who -- if they knew the services were available -- would sign up for them? (No one knows.)

3) How, as Paul Rogers has suggested in other LINCS discussions, could nonformal basic level programs and services be good feeders into more advanced nonformal and formal education programs, including online programs?

4) What do we know about the effectiveness of blended learning nonformal education programs, including those that teach English? (Not much.)

It is time for a major study of the potential of nonformal adult basic skills programs (including English language learning), one that would raise the visibility of these programs -- and their needs -- to private sector foundations and individual donors. I would also hope that such a study might shed light on questions like those I have asked above.

David J. Rosen

djrosen123@gmail.com

 

 

 

Colleagues: David Rosen has raised some important points concerning issues in nonformal education in English language  programs which can serve as a basis for some future discussions.

1. I would like to begin with his last point first, the issue of “effectiveness” of nonformal education programs, particularly those that incorporate ‘blended learning”.

First, what are the measures of effectiveness?

One measure of effectiveness should be whether the adult participants themselves find the classes useful and …inviting. In other words, does the program attract students and do they like it? Perhaps we could call this measure “customer satisfaction”.

Second, what should the standard of effectiveness be in terms of pure academic achievement in English?

But here we find that many formal programs themselves do not meet certain standards to begin with, suffering from high drop-out rates and low results in the area of proficiency, for example.

We would need to use a Test that would satisfy the requirements of the formal programs. The Canadians have devised a model for such a test  which gives a “grade” in each specific area of knowledge: speaking, reading and writing. (reference: Dr. Sarah Eaton below). In other words, one student could get an A in speaking but a C in writing, which would indicate this student’s next class.

2. Another point David raises is: how could nonformal, basic level courses feed into the more advanced, formal courses? I think the answer to the question would revolve around establishing a system that would be similar to that in any college or university – namely, course requirements.

This approach can be compared to a conveyor belt, which, hopefully, would make life a lot easier for the students.

For example, in ESL, many “beginning” classes consist of students of varying levels of knowledge of English (“multi-level” classes). The result is that many students who know little or no English tend to drop-out due mainly to frustration. The remedy for this problem has been found in some cases with Pre-ESL classes, which are usually taught bilingually. Students can then “graduate” to the next step (see reference: PRE-ESL)

3. David also raises the question of how many students could be enrolled.

If steps were taken to increase cooperative efforts between formal and nonformal programs along the lines of the above scenarios, I believe that student interest and attendance would increase dramatically, especially with an appropriate use of technology in the classrooms. Blended and Distance Learning programs could be used in common.

The question then is – what can be done to accomplish a high degree of cooperation between the nonformal and formal adult education sectors?.

REFERENCES:

1. Dr. Sarah Eaton: http://www.infed.org/archives/e-texts/eaton_literacy_languages_and_types_of_learning.pdf , p.21

2. Pre-ESL: Using Technology to Teach Literacy - Literacy Texas

www.literacytexas.org/file.../7dd9e781-2060-4886-8048-d4d43a199246