PRE-ESL is a term that is used to describe ESL clases for those adult students who know little or no English and/or whose level of literacy in their Home Language (L1) is relatively low. In many ‘mixed-level’ classes, these students might have a tendency to feel “left behind”, especially in classes of more tan 10-15 students.
In order to help solve the problem, prevent drop-out, and actually increase interest in participation, Pre-ESL classes can be set up which would allow these students to “graduate” to the next level.
One consideration in a Pre-ESL class is the appropriate use of Home Language instruction, or a bilingual methodology. At the present time, with the aid of technology, this issue is more easily resolved.
I do not teach in a Formal adult education setting, but I do teach often in a Pre-ESL setting, and I am interested to know if a Pre-ESL concept is something that can be added to classes in your programs.
Paul
Comments
Hello Paul, I know there are many programs across the U.S. that are addressing the needs of adults with limited formal schooling. I'd like to share a story from my local community where we have been settling quite a few Bhutanese refugees. Among the Bhutanese elders there have been some who have had limited formal schooling in their primary language. These elders found their ESL class to be an important place to connect with others who shared their background.
The ESL class also included new arrivals who spoke many languages and who had a wide range of educational backgrounds, including immigrant professionals. Among the immigrant professionals was a teacher from Bhutan. He recognized the particular needs of the elders in his class, and he volunteered to teach the elders himself. The fact that he could provide the bilingual support that the elders needed was invaluable.
This anecdote illustrates just one way to address the needs of adults at what Paul is calling the pre ESL level.
It would be great to hear from other members about how they are approaching instruction with learners who have had limited formal schooling.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, AELL CoP
Finn, thank you very much for this anecdote. I wholeheartedly recommend dividing classes up in this fashion, and also please investigate how to use the internet and cell phones. I have a strong suspicion that it would increase interest and enrollment and at the same time decrease the 'drop-out' rate, or at least slow it down.
Paul
Hi Paul-- the idea you write about-- a class that precedes the normal ESL levels of classes for students whose English AND literacy are at zero-- is not a new concept at all. Many larger programs that can afford personnel to teach such classes do this. One example is the Carlos Rosario International Charter School in Washington, DC, which, last I knew, had several classes per day for such students. I am quite sure that there are programs in Minnesota that do this as well; one such class is the topic of a training video done by New American Horizons. (I hope that is the correct name...!). In November, I visited a program in Malden, MA that also has separate classes for those with no prior literacy and those with very limited literacy and I have worked with a program in Iowa that was trying hard to serve the non-literate by providing a separate class for them
This is a practice I HIGHLY recommend to programs whenever they can bring it off because the literature, particularly the qualitative literature, makes it painfully clear that such students are more than "lost" in a mixed level class; they feel invisible and hopelessly behind. And the problem is two-way-- the more educated students can come to feel that the non-literate are a real drag to the class. The issue is more acute when a teacher does not really "get" the distance in perception, processing and retaining information that exists between literate and non-literate students (a topic I wrote about in the handbook "Learning to Achieve" published by CAL/the govt in 2010.). Just last week I was visiting an old friend who is a literacy volunteer at a library. He is a typical un-trained, good-willed volunteer who really wants to help people learn English. He has a mixed class with several people who are non-literate and continually complains that they "do not seem to catch on". This is the nut of the problem. They do, of course, eventually catch on to something, but not at the rate and level of the sometimes VERY educated peers in the same class. When there is a very small group, it is difficult for the less-experienced teacher to separate these students from the others and keep ALL productively occupied.
It is good to have this problem aired regularly because most programs I go into are not aware of it or do not address it. That results in mixed level classes where the less literate are constantly held back and do not have their real needs realistically addressed. It is an issue that, in my long view of coaching and teaching must not be ignored.
Robin Lovrien
Hello Robin, Paul and all, Thank you for strongly advocating for English learners who are learning to read and write for the first time in English. These learners definitely need specialized instruction, and it is very difficult to effectively address those needs in a mixed-level class.
Fortunately, we now have a lot more helpful information for teachers who teach these learners. First, I would recommend the ELLU online course that is available through the LINCS Learning Portal for free. This course discusses the pertinent issues and offers many practical suggestions for instruction. Click on the Learning Portal and look under courses related to English Language Learners, and you will find the five ELLU online courses including "Teaching Emergent Readers."
Robin mentioned the wonderful New American Horizons video Building Literacy with Adult Emergent Readers, which features Minnesota adult ESL teacher Andrea Eichelberger's class. This 25-minute video is well worth watching.
I also want to share a link to an important article on this topic that Robin co-authored with Martha Bigelow:
Bigelow, M. & Schwarz, R. L. (2010). Adult English language learners with limited literacy. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Patsy Vinogradov has also authored and co-authored several useful articles that are available online.
Check out: Vinogradov, P. & Bigelow, M. (2010). Using oral language skills to build on the emerging literacy of adult English learners. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
In addition, you can read a review and find the link to Patsy Vinogradov's article, "Mastra! The Letters Speak," in the LINCS resource collection. This article highlights a number of practical strategies for teaching bottom up skills, i.e., phonics, in meaningful ways.
Members, please share additional resources you are aware of related to teaching adult English learners who have limited, interrupted, or no prior formal schooling.
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, AELL CoP
Dr. Robin and Susan, your posts were very informative concerning a problem in adult ESL. The issue of Pre-ESL, involving ‘low-level’ and/or ‘low-literate” students, is very important and, in my opinion, speaks to the larger issue of how to stabilize - and increase - attendance in adult education EFL classes.
I agree that current teachers would benefit greatly from courses in techniques and ‘how to’s”. But at the same time, I feel that we can also put together instructional manuals for teachers and tutors for immediate use.
There are many resources available online and elsewhere, and we could glean from them to present to educators.
I understand the practical problems that many adult education agencies face in terms of providing classes for Pre-ESL students, but at the same time I think it is important to promote them as a pre-requisite for successful ESL programs in general. In this case, working with community based adult education centers would be an important factor.
For more than 25 years I have been teaching Spanish speaking adults. Many of them were “drop-outs” from English Only classes for a number of reasons, not the least of which was an inability to “keep up”.
I believe that one way to take immediate steps to remedy the situation is to provide bilingual instruction. texts, CDs and DVDs, as well as incorporating bilingual lessons provided on the internet.
The model of Dual Immersion classes for elementary school children can be adapted for adults, for example. Usually these classes consist of 50% English speaking students and 50% Spanish, Chinese, etc., speaking students and continue from the first grade to the fifth grade, at least. There is also 90-10 model.
In any case, incorporating bilingual instruction for “Pre-ESL” students is something that can be put into practice relatively simply. These classes can be seen as a Transition model that leads eventually to full participation in English Only classes.
We also could provide classes ala “workshops” for students to “catch up”. Some students can read and write but cannot speak very well, and the opposite is true for others. Once a week workshops on pronunciation, verb tenses, and perhaps special lessons pertaining to job skills could be arranged.
Along these lines we should be able to provide first language literacy classes to all the students. Many of these lessons are online or available through agencies that can provide training and materials. These classes can be supplemental and run by volunteers from the diverse communities.
In short, there is a great need to “solve” the problem of adult students who find difficulty in participating in regular ESL classes. Fortunately the resources to solve this problem are available via technology.
Paul
Hello everyone,
I'm an ESL instructor as well as the supervisor of a program that trains ESL teachers at Wake Tech Community College in Raleigh, NC. This is a great discussion. Thanks for the resource list provided here. I do know of one more very useful resource that I would like to mention. My colleague, Shelley Lee is publishing a curriculum this year entitled At the River and Other Stories for Adult Emergent Readers.
At the River addresses the literacy needs of students who are non-literate or semi-literate in their L1: the alphabetic principle, letter formation, print concepts, and phonics (short vowels and single consonant sounds). It's used in our program primarily with students who speak non Roman alphabet languages, but it is also very helpful for speakers of Roman alphabet languages who have gaps in their basic literacy skills. This resource will be available soon through Wayzgoose Press.
Shelley will be presenting at the upcoming TESOL in Baltimore on Thursday at 1:00.
Cheers!
Susan
Thank you, Susan, for alerting us to this new resource. It sounds wonderful. I am sure some of our members who are attending TESOL in Baltimore next month will be interested in attending this session.
Another useful resource that I can recommend is the ESL Literacy Readers collection developed by our colleagues in Canada. These readers are designed to be read by individuals who have limited print literacy in their primary language, but who have some ability to read. The stories feature topics of interest to adult immigrants and refugees. There are three levels of readers available, and the lowest level readers have only four or five words in each sentence illustrated with lovely color photos and lots of white space on the page.
Teachers can preview the stories online and also print them to make into small books for students to keep.
I have used these stories often in my own practice, and I have encouraged students to take the booklets home to read, too.
We welcome more suggestions for resources!
Cheers, Susan Finn Miller
Moderator, AELL CoP