How should ESOL programs use learners first language to build their acquisition of the second?
by Kay Taggart and Sara Martinez Over the past 10 years, in programs involving more than a dozen companies in El Paso, Texas, workplace literacy classes have focused on rudimentary English language skills that employers perceived that workers needed while working in their current jobs. However, in homogeneous bilingual communities, individuals in entry-level jobs often do not need much English to do a job well. We found that employees attended instruction either because their employer asked them to attend and they felt obligated or because they hoped to acquire English skills they could use at home with their children who were learning English in school. When curricula and instruction focused on workplace themes (which workers had said they did not feel they needed), students consistently dropped out. It was not uncommon to lose more than half of the class enrollment before the end of the course. How could we change this? In 2001, Johns Hopkins University conducted observations, interv
Related Questions
- Does No Child Left Behind support programs to help children build language and pre-reading skills before they start kindergarten?
- How should ESOL programs use learners first language to build their acquisition of the second?
- Does RWU offer programs in English Language Learners (ELL) or Bilingual Education?
