Basic Skills Forum

Summary

“Innovative Programs and Promising Practices in Adult ESL Literacy” ERIC Digest.

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Publication Date 1993

Adult ESL literacy is a relatively new field and reflects a shift to greater emphasis on communication which is meaningful and applies a greater use of the native language and culture.

This digest describes some of the promising practices found at 9 project sites implementing innovative ideas during a national study funded under the National English Literacy Demonstration Program for Adults of Limited English Proficiency.

The researchers were looking for programs serving nontraditional students in nontraditional ways, and linking the experiences of the learner to learning. The author states that at the time these programs were the exception. Many literacy programs taught literacy through a set of skills: letters, words, sentences. Innovative programs were to follow a different path and offer ESL students meaningful units that invited learners to tell stories about themselves and their own life experiences.

Some of the findings of the researchers are found under each category listed below:

Providing a Social Context for Literacy Education

A group of adult students at the El Barrio Popular Education Program in New York (Spanish-English) canvassed their area and noted the use of bilingual signs and interviewed store owners to find out the language used with customers. The students then developed charts to show their findings. They had to access, interpret, analyze and synthesize information but in a context that connected the community to school-based learning.

Learning through Hands-On Experience

At the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Virginia, students interviewed each other about their favorite foods, made a grid and shared this information with the class.

The author suggested a prior lesson that involved making a fruit salad, naming the fruits, writing the recipe or drawing illustrations to show the steps. He also suggested a later lesson that involved students in making instant puddings followed by taste testing, rating flavors and food preference charts.

Using Learner-Generated Materials

The UAW/Chrysler workplace program inYpsilanti, Michigan, successfully used a learner-centered approach in reading and writing where immigrants learned along side native speakers.

The Refugee Women’s Alliance in Seattle published stories written by women of their own experiences, with illustrations by them, and shared with the community.

Using the Native Language as a Bridge to English

Native language approaches were found to be successful in regions where non-literate learners have a common language. It is an appropriate approach for students who have had little education in their own language and are unsure about success in school. Centers visited were in Massachusetts where the Haitian Multi-Service Center teaches in Haitian Creole, Minnesota, the Lao Family Community uses Hmong, and California, where the City College of San Francisco uses Spanish.

In the beginner classes, The Lao Family Community of Minnesota used English and Hmong to link immigrant culture to the mainstream, to help parents understand the school system and strengthen their role as parents. An effort was made to provide knowledge of U.S. law and conventions that would be congruent with their own culture.

Linking Communicative Competence and Language Awareness

Most innovative programs were found to place the greater emphasis on communication and the secondary emphasis on accuracy.

At the International Institute of Rhode Island, learners work in small groups and develop stories based on pictures provided by the teacher. One of the group members takes notes on the group’s ideas, the story is composed on newsprint, one group member edits, and another member reads the story aloud and uses pictures to illustrate.

Using Technology

Video applications show great promise. At El Paso Community College a video provides learners with information about worker safety and the use of new technology (in Conjunction with Levi Strauss). Interviews with actual garment workers are included. After viewing, students discuss and write about their personal experiences.

Conclusion

Although innovative practices vary, they have found ways to help learners access literacy that is meaningful.