Saddlebacks ESL Diversity: Meeting the Challenge Roni Lebauer, ESL

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Saddlebacks ESL Diversity Meeting the
ChallengeRoni Lebauer, ESL
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ESL students a heterogeneous group

• In what ways?
• Ethnicity, religion, language, current age,
  socioeconomic situation, current work
• But also...
• Age of arrival to U.S.
• Educational background in L1
• Attendance/graduation from U.S. high schools
• Degree of cultural assimilation
• Degree of interaction with non-standard Englishes

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ESL student variation

• Some
• Learned English outside of U.S. or
  English-speaking environments
• Learned English in a sequenced and managed manner
  (even in the U.S.), while surrounded by limited
  English input
• Developed L1 literacy before attempting L2
  literacy
• These students typically have the meta-language
  to talk about grammar and language skills. They
  fit in well in ESL classes at Saddleback and
  identify as ESL students.
• Some
• Learned English in U.S. or English-speaking
  environment
• Learned English primarily by ear and through
  experience through multiple means (interaction,
  classes including High School, media)
• Received lots of language input but less
  sequenced and managed
• These students may not have the meta-language
  to talk about grammar and language skills and may
  or may not identify as ESL students.

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Generational differences

• 1st generation Generation 1.5 2nd generation
• Adult immigrants Childhood
  immigrants Children of
  OR immigrants
• Foreign Born US born and
  raised in U.S. born
• 
  L1 enclave
• Foreign-educated Partially foreign educated U.S.
  educated
• or U.S. educated but
• 
  ESL identified
• L1 dominant L1 or
  English dominant English dominant
• 
  possible interrupted
• 
  literacy in both languages

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Gen. 1.5 Informal Language Acquisition and
Language Practices

• Gen 1.5 may have acquired English informally
  through aural and oral learning
• ?
• Well-developed communicative strategies but
• Non-salient grammatical structures are missing
  from linguistic repertoire and limits on
  academic, formal, or register code-switching
  ability
• Gen. 1.5 may have acquired English in communities
  where their primary or only interlocutors are
  urban dialect speakers or other ESL speakers.
• ?
• They may have influences from multiple
  ethnic/regional dialects with dialect features
  that look ESL-like
• They may have possible fossilization of
  learner-like errors

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Gen. 1.5 basic skills students differ from
foreign/EFL students because

• They dont see themselves as foreign
• They have native-sounding oral/aural skills (even
  if highly informal or non-standard)
• They have typically attended high school here
• They have not necessarily learned English in a
  progressive sequence or in managed segments, but
  rather have learned by ear
• They have little meta-language to talk about
  grammar
• Their writing mistakes are often those that can
  be attributed to ear versus language
  interference or typical language acquisition
  progression.

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An example of orally-acquired writing

• Whats the funniest thing youve seen or
  experienced in the U.S.?
• One of the funiest moment in my life happen when
  a was on the park. Just playing soccer with some
  friend when a another friend bring his American
  friends. I just haven a few months on California
  and a did speak English really well but I tried
  to have a conversation with her. Everything was
  OK. We are laught and haven fun.

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An example of Gen 1.5 high school grad Arrival
Age 9 Yrs in U.S. 9

• Imagine that you could have some special ability
  or quality that you do not now possess. What
  quality or ability would you choose to have?
  Explain and support your answer.
• We all have some kind ability inside us. Well,
  some of us could make our self rich, like with a
  good singing voice or something. And other
  people have different kinds a stuff they can do.
  But anyway, even thought were all create it
  equal but human is human, we are selfish, we
  always want more. Since I am just like any other
  human been, I wish I could wake up one morning
  and have the ability to turn into an insect no
  just kidding. I wish I have the ability to see
  through objects.

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So who are your ESL student?And why does
knowing their unique situation matter?

• Do they identify themselves as ESL?
• Are they willing to take ESL classes?
• EASY ANSWER The ESL program offers 25 courses
  from beginning to advanced in all skills. Send
  students to any of our ESL faculty (C. Bander, K.
  Smith, R. Lebauer, C. Lam) or a counselor for ESL
  advice.
• If not, why not? Is it lack of time, money,
  willingness to accept the need, social
  identification.? Would they take language
  classes that werent identified as ESL but
  included grammar, reading, and writing skills?
• If they wont, how might they be willing to face
  and deal with their academic language problems?

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What are some options besides ESL classes for
students to do?

• LAP (general language help or teacher-directed
  activities for content courses)
• On-line independent grammar activities (see LAP
  website)
• Supplemental instruction for content courses
  (e.g. linked Psych 1 and ESL class)
• ENG 310 lab
• Reading Labs ENG 332
• Grammar workshops offered for all.

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What can content teachers do to make classes more
accessible for ESL students?

• Give a short reading and writing content-based
  evaluation early in the semester and direct
  students for help early.
• For traditional ESL students (with limited oral
  skills), in particular
• Be organized in your own presentation. Consider
  a pre-lecture overview of what to expect.
• Consider using Powerpoint or other organizers to
  guide students to listening.
• Speak clearly, not necessarily more slowly. Be
  aware of idiomatic usage.
• Give assignments well in advance for those highly
  motivated ESL students who would start early,
  knowing their limitations
• Use CATs (short classroom assessment techniques)
  that give you immediate feedback about students
  learning.
• Help Gen 1.5 recognize that there is a difference
  between oral informal language and the language
  they will hear, read, and produce in academic
  environments. Discuss with them the importance
  of developing that academic language, while
  recognizing their aural/oral skills.

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What can English composition teachers do to help
Gen 1.5?

• Scaffold the pre-writing, writing process, and
  revision process.
• Build on students strong oral communication
  skills.
• Help students make the transition from purely
  oral composing to more analytical composing and
  revising.
• Analyze and compare informal, conversational
  samples of writing to revisions for academic
  style and grammatical correctness.
• Give students academic language structures that
  they can use in their writing (e.g. In order to
  understand why people have supported ____ in the
  past, we have to look at. Evidence clearly
  indicates that)
• Recognize that simply reading over a paper will
  just confirm oral language. Teach proofreading
  strategies as a system (e.g. find each verb
  consider whether the tense is right and why
  then see if the subject agrees.)
• In discussions of texts, note and discuss tenses
  and reasons for tense use.
• Keep grammar information succinct and accessible.

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What can English comp. teachers do to help all
ESL students?

• Teach and model proofreading strategies
• Teach and Target 1-3 grammar proofreading areas
  at a time (e.g. subject-verb agreement, tense,
  and correct reference.)
• Teach grammar points in concrete ways rather than
  as abstract concepts. (e.g. Circle the subject
  and underline the verb. )
• Prioritize error correction. Focus on some
  errors, not all. Consider how global the error
  is and whether it interferes with meaning or not.
  Consider what is reasonable to expect (e.g.
  prepositions and article mistakes are common even
  with the most advanced students).
• Have students create their own reference
  materials such as grammar cards with proofreading
  rules in their own words, vocabulary cards with
  sentences copied from context, an editing/
  proofreading/ grammar log.

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More ideas

• Focus on content, organization, and development
  first. Work on grammar editing at the final
  stage of the writing process.
• Teach students to do language-related annotations
  in texts they read.
• Maximize input and output through intensive and
  extensive reading and writing with multiple
  genres, registers, roles, audiences, and tasks.
• Establish dialogues with ESL colleagues to
  discuss ESL and English composition writing
  levels and expectations, different correction
  strategies, and ways to explain common grammar
  errors simply.

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AND on a positive note

• Despite language limitations, ESL students can
  bring something to your class a more global
  perspective, a wider perspective. They may have
  something to add to everyones learning.
• Those who have finished higher education in their
  native countries also can MODEL educational
  success strategies for many native speakers.

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References

• Mark Roberge, Working with Generation 1.5
  Immigrant ESL students, Presentation at CATESOL
  2007