Best Practices for ESL Instruction at the Workplace

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Best Practices for ESL Instruction at the
Workplace

• Department of Labor Workforce Innovations 2003
• Washington, DC
• July 8, 2003
• Miriam Burt
• National Center for ESL Literacy Education
• miriam_at_cal.org

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• 1. Arrange the following in order of importance
  in worker performance as indicated in a survey of
  business leaders conducted in 1996.
• communication skills
• employer recommendations
• attitude
• employee recommendations

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2. Concerning assessing the instructional needs
of the workers a. The needs of the worker
him/herself should be assessed. b. Only the
companys needs should be assessed. c. The
teacher shouldnt waste time asking students what
they want to learn the teacher knows best. d.
This is workplace instruction, there is no need
to assess the learners needs.
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3. Research on language learners shows that it
takes the following amount of time for an adult
to become proficient in English a. 3-5
years. b. 5-8 years. c. 1-3 years. d. It
is difficult to predict for adults because of
many factors.
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• With respect to language skills needed at the
  workplace--
• a. All workers, including non-native English
  speakers, need to be able to indicate lack of
  comprehension and ask for help.
• b. There are no commonalities among jobs.
• c. All workers need to be able to ask for, give,
  and follow directions.
• d. both b c

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5. The What Works study for beginning-level adult
English language learners (funded by the U.S.
Department of Education) has found a. nothing
yet no results have been reported. b. Teachers
need to bring the outside in that is, use
authentic materials in class, and make tasks as
authentic as possible. c. The most common
activity in low literacy classes is reading. d.
both b c.
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• When writing or re-writing materials for second
  language workers, it is important to
• a. use all BLOCK CAPITALS.
• b. use both upper and lower case letters
  appropriately, but make sure the font chosen is
  sans serif.
• c. use both upper and lower case letters
  appropriately, but make sure the font chosen is
  serif.
• d. bold everything.

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General Suggestions for Workplace ESL
Instruction

•  Find out what the worker needs and wants to
  learn, as well what the company wants.
• There are commonalities -- across jobs and
  industries-- of the language and cultural skills
  workers need. Teach these.
• Because it takes so long learn English, focus on
  small, discrete goals in workplace instruction.
  For example, in a 30- 40 hour class, workers may
  learn to greet co-workers, ask for directions,
  ask for clarification, ask for permission,
  express lack of understanding, call in sick or
  late, give and respond to warnings, describe
  ones job, and work in diverse groups.
• Use authentic materials in the classroom In
  other words, use the workplace artifacts.
• Simplify the language of written materials used
  on the job.
• Miriam Burt
• Workforce Innovations 2003
• Washington, DC
• July 2003
• miriam_at_cal.org