8/8/2019 Florez and Burt, Beginning to Work http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/florez-and-burt-beginning-to-work 1/4 ERIC Q&A October 2001 Beginning to Work With Adult English Language. Learners: Some Considerations ~ a r y A n n Cunningham Florez and Miriam Burt, National Center fo r ESL Literacy Education I n many parts of th e United States, th e number of nonnative adult learners seeking English language instruction is growing. States such as North Carolina, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee, Nebraska, and Iowa, no t historically associated with immigrant influxes,have been experiencingincreasedgrowth rates with thesepopulations in the lastdecade (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). In 1998, 47 % of th e participants in federally fundedadulteducation programs were there to learnEnglish as a second language (ESL) (U .S. Department ofE4ucation, Office.oNocational and Adult Education, 1999). As immigrant populations seekEnglishlanguage instruction,the need for teachers to serve them is drawing people into the adultESLteaching field. Some of these teachers have training and experience workingwith adults leamingEnglish. However, many are workingwith these learners for th e first time. What do teachers wh o are beginning to work with adult English language learners need to know? This Q& A discusses recommendations in four areas: application of principles of adult learning in . E SL c on te xt s, s ec on d language acquisition, culture an d working with multicultural groups, and instructional approaches that support languagedevelopment· in adults.Itis no t intended to be comprehensive. Rather, it gives teachers an overview of important points, suggests basic strategies to use, and providesresources to consult for further infonnation. How do the principles of adult learning apply to adult English language learners? Malcolm Knowles' (1973) principles of andragogy, the art and scienceoffacilitatingadult learning,arestillseminal to many of today'stheories about learning and instruction for adults. Adults areself-directed in their learning. Adults have reservoirs of experience that serve as resources as they learn. A du lt s a re p ra ct ic al , problem-solving-oriented learners. Adults want t he ir l ea rn in g t o he immediately applicable to their lives. . Adults want to know wh y something needs to h·e learned. In general, this picture of th e practical, purposeful,self directed learner is representative of adults, whether they arenative or nonnative Englishspeakers.Alladultlearners need adult-appropriate content, materials, and activities that speak to their needs and interests and allow them to demonstrate their knowledge an d abilities. So what is different for English language learners? Obviously, they need help with th e language as they learn content. Teachers working with Englishlanguagelearners also need to think about how Knowles' adult learner characteristicsare filtered through culture,language, and experience. Fo r example, it is not uncommon to find nonnative learners who ma y be hesitant to take charge of their own learning. Their educationalexperiences in their countries may have taught them t ha t t he teacher is th e unquestioned expert. They may be resistant to a learner centered classroom where they are expected to develop goals and work in groups with other learners (Shank & Terrill, 1995). Nonnative learners also ma y resist the lifeskill-oriented instruction that is common in many adult ESL programs. Coming from cultures where learning is a high-status, academicendeavor, they mayexpect a more academically oriented environment (Hardman, 1999).Because of this, teachers should explain to learners wh y they are learning what theyare learning in this ne w way.Similarly, because many English language learners ma y have studiedEnglish grammar and arefamiliar wi th thetenns describinglanguage, components, instructors should be prepared, when appropriate, to answer learners' questions about sentence structure and vocabulary. What do instructors'need toknow about second· language acquisition (SLA)? Theories about ho w languages are learned c an be complex. However, having some understanding of ho w .people acquire and u se l an gu ag es c an be useful to th e .teachers of adultEnglishlanguage learners. Second languageacquisition theoriesaddresscognitive issues (howthe brain processes information in general an4 language in particular), affective issues (how emotions factor into secondlanguageprocessing and learning), and linguistic issues (how learners interact with an d internalize NCLE National Center fo r ESL Literacy Education 3 Center fo r Applied Linguistics • 4646 40th Street NW • Washington, DC 20016 • 202·362-0700
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chunks of the authentic material) to make this work.
S) Don't overload leame'$. Strikea balance in each a c t i v ~ity between elements that are familiar and mastered
and those that are new.Asking learners to useboth new
vo.cabulary and a new grammatical structure in a role
playing activity where they have to develop original
dialoguemay be toomuch for them to do successfully.
9) Baltlnce variet), and routine in yO"' activities. Patternsand routines provide f a m i l i ~ r i t y and security and support learners as they tackle new items. Bu t English
language learners, like all learners, have a variety of
preferences for processing and learning information.
They also canget bored. Give learners opportunitiesto
experience and demonstrate theirmastery oflanguage
in different ways. Challenge themwith activities that
speak to their lives, concerns, and goals as adults.
10) Celebrate s,,'cess. Progress for language learners can
be slow and incremental. Learners need to know that
they are moving .forward. Make sure expectations are
realistic; create opportunities for, success; set short
term as well as long-term goals; and help learners
recognize and acknowledge -their own progress.
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