Transforming epistemological invisibility: (re)claiming intercultural learning within an ESOL teacher education programme

This paper analyses critiques, shared by first generation migrant ESOL(English for Speakers of Other Languages) teacher ‘trainees’, on officially validated dominant perceptions of professional competency and identity within an ESOL teacher education programme. Drawing on the work of Street and Lea (1999;2000) and Dahlstrom (2006) this paper seeks to address the following questions: • What type of issues related to voice, visibility and agency are involved in officially validated conceptualisations of ESOL teaching competency and professional identity? • How is the learning trajectory of first generation migrant ESOL teacher trainees impacted on by issues of power and representation? • How do they critique ESOL teaching/learning practice in terms of second language acquisition theory, teaching methodology and reflective practice? Through ethnographic vignettes I (re)present the multicultural practices and identities of first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ as forms of (un)validated knowledge. I examine how intersectionality in terms of ethnicity, class, age, religion and gender impacts on their learning and learning identities. I consider how a process of (re)claiming intercultural learning (see Collard and Wang 2005) may encourage a more active engagement with the (un)validated knowledge and socio-cultural realities of minority groups of ESOL teacher ‘trainees’. Based on a twelve month ethnographic style study on a pre-service ESOL teacher education programme, this paper strives to provide insights into ‘other’ realities which form a part of the subjective processes through which diverse polyvocal situated gendered first generation migrant ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ understand, use and create knowledge to write themselves into multilayered representations. Through the use of data collection methods such as: participation observation, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions my presentation provides an account of historical practices not possessing a ‘knowing’ of ESOL teacher ‘trainees’ but rather miming the route of how I could not ‘know’ without their voice (Spivak 1999)

What's New? Reaching Working Adults with English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Instruction, A Best Practices Report

In July 2001 the Center for Impact Research (CIR) completed a needs assessment, Barriers to English Language Learners in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, which detailed the needs of immigrant working adults for English instruction and determined the barriers they faced in learning English. CIR's 2001 report documented the fact that many of these employed immigrants take advantage of overtime, hold down two jobs, and are often subject to changing or rotating work schedules that make attendance at regularly scheduled classes difficult. Evening English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes that occur twice a week lasting between one-and-a-half to three hours also present difficulties, because they interfere with parenting and family duties; fatigue of the attendees after a long day's work also makes learning problematic. Some Friday evening and Saturday morning classes are available, but seldom are there any classes on Sundays. ESOL providers report that they are unable to schedule weekend classes because of the lack of trained and qualified teachers who are willing to work on Saturdays and Sundays. Volunteer tutors could assist ESOL learners, but they too are reluctant to make commitments for weekend hours. The metropolitan Chicago ESOL system faces an additional problem in that it cannot meet the needs of those immigrants who are interested in, and able to attend ESOL classes. CIR's analysis of demographic data finds an estimated total population of potential English Language Learners 18 years of age or older in the Chicago metropolitan area in 2000 at 277,700. According to the Illinois Community College Board, in Fiscal Year 2001 68,815 adults in the Chicago metropolitan area received some ESOL instruction through programs funded by the Board, meaning that only about one-quarter of the need was able to be met. Sixty-two percent of these learners were in beginning ESOL classes. Many area ESOL providers report long waiting lists for ESOL classes, and some say they are implementing lotteries for classroom places. How then, can ESOL learning be reorganized to enable adult learners who are employed to upgrade their English language skills? Can ESOL services be offered along a continuum, with systems providing various services, geared to immigrants with differing levels of commitment to learning English, as well as changing or rotating schedules and time limitations? How can effective learning opportunities be offered in the home, at the workplace, and in accessible community locations, such as shopping centers and churches

The text, dead or alive: Expanding textual repertoires in the adult ESOL classroom

The paper explores the manner in which written texts are selected and used in the adult ESOL classroom. Taking a sociocultural view of the reading process and of the nature of text, it argues that ESOL students have potentially rich textual resources which are typically not acknowledged in the classroom: in particular, the textual options embodied by the published textbook or the worksheet do not do justice to the rich and diverse textual worlds which adult ESOL learners inhabit. Drawing on Goffman’s notion of ‘authoring’, the paper argues that ESOL students can be encouraged to reposition themselves as expert interpreters of classroom texts rather than passive consumers. Reading can be seen as the creation of new texts, as the interpreters rearticulate orthodox textual meaning to their own ends, in shared talk around the text. By way of illustration, two Adult ESOL classrooms are focused on which demonstrate contrasting ways in which texts are selected and exploited in the ESOL classroom. In addition, some views of students themselves are also discussed The paper concludes by proposing that classroom texts be seen by teachers and students as opportunities for textual authoring, where what is brought to texts is as important as any specific linguistic or content knowledge derived from them

Barriers to English Language Learners in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

Immigrants from all over the world are continuing to move to Illinois in large numbers. As they settle into an increasingly diverse range of communities within metropolitan Chicago, this expansion of ports of entry creates new challenges for the state and local communities in assessing and meeting their needs.In 2000-2001 the Center for Impact Research (CIR) conducted research to address the following questions:-- Where are immigrants in northeastern Illinois moving and how does the migration pattern today differ from previous trends?-- How many immigrants are in need of English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction? Where do these immigrants reside?-- What barriers can be identified that prevent or make it difficult for immigrants to learn English?-- What are the employment patterns of immigrants that might affect their ability to have time or access to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)?Methodology: CIR analyzed demographic data, primarily to establish the communities in northeastern Illinois that needed to be targeted for further investigation. Material consisted of Census data from 1990 and 2000, Current Population Surveys from 1994-1998, as well as information from academics, demographers, and community leaders who were able to provide more accurate and up-to-date information about immigration patterns and trends.To determine experiences with, and barriers to ESOL instruction, CIR conducted 76 interviews with immigrant service organizations and ESOL providers in the Chicago metropolitan area. In addition, CIR conducted 37 interviews with Mexican and Polish immigrants throughout the region and with Chinese immigrants in Chicago to confirm or validate information from social service providers and to further identify barriers and issues around ESOL instruction. Lastly, McHenry County College, at our request, administered a written survey in Spanish to 200 immigrants in ESOL classes at the college.This report presents the findings from this research. As ESOL providers work to meet the needs of their students while maintaining the integrity and professionalism of their instruction, the thoughts and opinions of ESOL students and other immigrants in the Chicago metropolitan area enrich the discussion of issues under consideration by policy makers, funders, and ESOL learning centers

Evaluation of the London City Strategy ESOL Pilot: final report (Research Report No 744)

A report of research carried out by Institute for Employment Studies on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions This report presents findings from research carried out by the Institute for Employment Studies as part of the evaluation of the London City Strategy Pathfinder English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Pilot. The research was commissioned by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The two-year ESOL Pilot was designed to demonstrate how work-focused ESOL training provision can support access to sustainable employment for people who speak English as an additional language: the main target group was parents with ESOL needs who were in receipt of benefits or tax credits. The ESOL Pilot was located within the London City Strategy Pathfinder (CSP) areas of East and Southeast London and West London, which face typical inner-city problems of social deprivation and worklessness. They are also areas with large, well-established Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities with disproportionately high rates of unemployment. One of the main aims of the ESOL Pilot was, therefore, to address some of the key barriers to employment faced by members of these communities. This study took a primarily qualitative approach, consisting of an inception phase, followed by two waves of qualitative interviews with participants, provider staff and other stakeholders. In total, there were 175 interviews conducted during the course of the research: 104 with participants, 61 with providers and their partners and ten with stakeholders

Interaction with text : a study of teachers' mediation of materials in mainstream and ESOL secondary school classrooms : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Second Language Teaching at Massey University

The increasingly multi-cultural nature of New Zealand society is accompanied by burgeoning school enrolments of students whose first language is not English (called ESOL students in this study). Immigration, refugee movements, and the recruitment of international students for largely economic purposes, all contribute to this. Whilst many of these students are competent English speakers when they enrol at our schools, large numbers are not. In secondary schools, regardless of English language competence, most ESOL students are placed in mainstream classes for the majority of their timetable, with the addition of a relatively small amount of specialist English language tuition. How do both these mainstream and ESOL teachers address the language learning needs of these students? Because texts remain central to classroom teaching and learning, this study considers how teachers mediate texts with students. It has a particular focus on how this mediation contributes to the language learning environment for ESOL students in both mainstream and ESOL classes, using classroom observation as its primary source of data. This study reveals both predictable and unexpected results. It is not surprising that it finds extensive use of questioning by teachers in their mediation of texts. However, the value of copious recall or display questions for senior secondary school students is challenged by this study, and the importance is asserted of referential questioning to develop critical thinking skills in relation to text. The preponderance of teacher-dominated classrooms and classroom language is a disappointing finding of this study, especially because the study reveals that students say very little in such an environment. More collaborative and interactive teaching methods would help ESOL students use, and therefore learn, English more effectively. Thus the study finds a lot of class time invested in the use of texts, but comparatively little effective mediation to help both native-speaking and ESOL students comprehend the language of the texts. The study reveals the need for teachers to acknowledge their role as teachers of language, and especially to mediate texts with students by teaching reading strategies

ICT and adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL

Mellar, H., Kambouri, M., Sanderson, M., and Pavlou, V. (2004) ICT and adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL. London: NRDC. Available at: http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_258.pdfResearch report for NRDCThis project set out to obtain a picture of present teaching practice in the use of ICT in adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL within formal provision. (http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_258.pdf

Teacher Perceptions of Strategies for Improving ESOL Students’ Academic English Skills: A K-12 Perspective

This study investigates five North American K-12 classroom teachers’ perceptions of ESOL students’ challenges in academic English skills and strategies for improving ESOL students’ academic English skills. Seven distinct areas of interest emerged from the five interviews: 1) ranking of importance of academic listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills; 2) challenges that ESOL students face in the classroom; 3) strategies to help ESOL students in academic listening; 4) strategies to help ESOL students in academic speaking; 5) strategies to help ESOL students in academic reading; 6) strategies to help ESOL students in academic writing; and 7) strategies to assist ESOL students in overcoming challenges in academic English skills. This paper focuses on the implementation of coping strategies for K-12 ESOL students in academic English skills, as perceived by their classroom teachers. Cette étude enquête sur les perceptions de cinq enseignants nord-américains de classes préscolaires à la 12e, des défis de leurs élèves ESOL face aux compétences en Anglais académique et des stratégies pouvant améliorer les compétences en Anglais académique de ces élèves ESOL. Sept domaines d’intérêt distincts ont émergés de ces cinq entretiens:1) degré d’importance académique des compétences en écoute, parler, lecture et écriture; 2) défis auxquels font face les élèves ESOL dans leurs salles de classe; 3) stratégies visant à aider les élèves ESOL avec leur écoute académique; 4) stratégies visant à aider les élèves ESOL avec leur parler académique; 5) stratégies visant à aider les élèves ESOL avec leur lecture académique; 6) stratégies visant à aider les élèves ESOL avec leur écriture académique; et 7) stratégies visant à assister les élèves ESOL à surmonter les défis liés aux compétences en Anglais académique. Cet article porte l’accent sur l’implémentation de stratégies d’adaptation pour les élèves de la maternelle à la 12e concernant les compétences en Anglais académique, telle que perçue par leurs enseignants

The Impact of School Reform Design, English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Instruction and Socioeconomic Status on ESOL Students\u27 Reading Achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine how school reform design, English speakers of other languages (ESOL) instruction, and socioeconomic status (SES) impact the academic achievement of ESOL students in Grade 2. Gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory were used to measure one aspect of academic achievement, namely, general reading ability. The primary research question was: To what extent can gains in lexile scores on the Scholastic Reading Inventory be explained by the independent variable set of school reform design (America\u27s Choice/Direct Instruction), ESOL instruction (ESOL instruction/no ESOL instruction), and SES (free and reduced lunch/no free lunch). Participants were 204 ESOL students enrolled in Grade 2 in Duval County Public Schools during the 2003-2004 academic year, including 53 in Direct Instruction and 151 in America\u27s Choice school reform designs; 151 receiving free and reduced lunch and 53 paying full fee for lunch; 139 receiving ESOL instruction and 65 receiving no ESOL instruction. Findings indicated that students in the Direct Instruction school reform design had greater gains in lexile scores on the SRI than students in the America\u27s Choice design. SES and ESOL instruction were not statistically significant predictors of academic achievement. Further, there were no statistically significant interactions among any of the predictor variables (between school reform design and ESOL instruction; between school reform design and SES; between SES and ESOL instruction; or among school reform design, SES, and ESOL instruction)

Developing a draft learning progression framework for ESOL in New Zealand schools

Early in 2003 we were commissioned to produce a draft Learning Progression Framework (LPF) for ESOL in the New Zealand curriculum. The draft Framework was completed in June 2003 and entered the consultation round. In producing the draft Framework, we had to address a range of issues. Some these related to user expectations. Others concerned the relationship between the draft Framework and documents such as English in the New Zealand Curriculum, existing curriculum documents relating to other languages, and ESOL frameworks available in other countries. These issues proved to be critical. This paper explores some of these issues and introduces the draft Framework