Heide Spruck Wrigley, Ph.D. Workforce Summit, Austin TX 2008 What works in workplace literacy?
Post on 25-Dec-2015
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What Works: Lessons Learned
Components Actions
Policy
Funding
LEP and Adult Ed
Job Training
Instruction
Start with demand positions; get employers on your side – link adult education to pre-employment and incumbent worker training
Be brave - show how little difference you are currently able to make and lobby for new models that will get people jobs that can sustain a family
Rethink the sequential system and offer a multi-track system that creates a community ESL and family literacy track that is separate from basic ESL for work and training
Work with adult ed to create models that combine basic skills education and occupational skills training – combine funds from ED and DOL
Teach in portable chunks and provide enough time on task for the most important “take aways” for students.
What Works
Get to know the perspective of the workers (Toyota)
Include both social language – and (sub)-technical language
Focus discussion of behaviours on cross-cultural differences – allow students’ different perspectivs to emerge (Hmong)
Invite students to demonstrate to you and to themselves (what can you do now, that you couldn’t do before?)
Use Can-Do Lists
Find out what matters to supervisors (“What’s the one thing that drives you crazy?”
Ask employees (“if you can only learn one thing in this class that will help you at work, what will it be?”)
Start with what people are expert in (their own lives and their work) –
Invite students to tell their story – (Your First Job) in multiple ways (sketches; story boards; digital pictures; posters)
Involve supervisors and staff – ask workers to conduct simple surveys and interviews and present their findings
Teach Listening Comprehension
Present mini-lectures on interesting topics (cool news; technology; famous companies)
Present a scenario or critical incident
Use PowerPoints or pictures to illustrate
Focus on
Global listening (“what’s going on here?”)
Listening for details
Instructions and sequencing
Take advantage of YouTube video clips
Tales of Mere Existence Using YouTube for Listening Comprehension
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdYEkZL9KPM
Curriculum Resources Work-related ESL
A few that I’ve been involved with:
LaGuardia Community College Curriculum
Hotel T.E.A.C.H
Texas Learns: Industry-specific ESL
May I Help You? (e-mail Heide for free electronic copy the scenarios might give you some idea)
Communicating in the Real World (Wiley and Wrigley, Prentice Hall)
Keep in Mind
Consider the demand of the workplace and get lots of examples and samples of the most critical needs in terms of
Functional literacy
Communication skills (social and technical)
Phone skills
Customer interactions
Peer interactions
Socio-cultural issues
Work-related vocabulary
Problem solving and decision making
Team work
Working with Tools and Artifacts
Students bring in tool that’s been in their family for a generation or more
Show others and discuss the relationship of the tool to their family history
Answer questions about the tool, such as
What is it?
Who used it?
What does it do?
What do you want your children to know about it?
Students create an in-class show case where they demonstrate the tool and ask each other questions
Teacher creates unit on tools that links traditional tools to new jobs and tools (e.g., lasers)
Literacywork International
TEACHING WITH SCENARIOS
An Integrated Strategy-based Approach to Teaching Work-based ESL
Tips for Teaching
Lesson Flow
PreviewPreview
Interactive Teacher
Presentation
Interactive Teacher
Presentation
Think-Pair-Share
Comprehen-sion Check
Think-Pair-Share
Comprehen-sion Check
Story Map DiscussionStory Map Discussion
Shared Reading
Shared Reading
Create Dialogue and
Role Play
Create Dialogue and
Role Play
Language and
Vocabulary Practice
Language and
Vocabulary Practice
Culture NotesCulture Notes
RetellingRetelling
Discussing Options
Discussing Options
LESSON FLOWLITERACYWORK INTERNATIONAL
Community Projects Focused on Work
Displaced workers from Socorro, TX decide to fix up a broken down school in
El Faro, Chihuahua, Mexico
Problem What We
Need to Do
Materials and Tools
Holes in the wall Fix the wall Wall board; paint; putty; saw; putty
knife; paint brush
Integrate Language Development
Link Vocabulary, critical thinking and project ideas
Put the Technology in the Hands of the Learners
Have students take pictures of their work stations, put them on overheads and invite students to explain what they do; help students to create “personal dictionaries” for the words that are particular to their job
Invite students to create How To segments, using story board, digital pictures of video
Involve students in projects and have them present results to supervisors (What was our First Job?), using PowerPoint
Have students act out silly scenarios – video-tape them and put them on YouTube (get releases!)
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