New Report from the Pew Hispanic Centers
New Resources in the Field
Focus on Web Links: REEPworld
CAELA Resources
CAELA Resource Database
The CAELA Guide for Adult ESL Trainers
New on The CAELA Web site
Reading and Adult English Language Learners
Recent reports on immigrant populations in the United States, and the results of the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) as it relates to the literacy skills of adult immigrants, have increased interest in the reading abilities of adults learning English. CAELA has developed a resource collection on Reading and Adult English Language Learners, which provides background information and resources on the topic of adult immigrants learning to read in English.
Little research has been conducted with adult English language learners in ESL adult education contexts, because the complexities of the learner population and their learning contexts make research in reading somewhat challenging. While this collection does not provide a definitive list of research on reading for adult English language learners, it presents a good representation of what is available.
NOTE: To view resource collections on other topics, go to cal-org.wdi.net/caela/esl_resources/collections.html. CAELA does not endorse any particular set of materials, and we encourage users of this collection to give thoughtful consideration to all resources and materials included. We welcome comments and suggestions at caela@cal.org.
The next resource collection will focus on Working with Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners and will be available in September.
Who Are Literacy-Level Adult English Language Learners?
The latest Ask CAELA topic addresses the question, Who are literacy-level adult English language learners? cal-org.wdi.net/caela/ask_caela/index.html. Many teachers and programs in states with new and rapidly growing populations of immigrants have limited experience working with adults who had little or no opportunity to attend school in their native countries. As adult educators begin to talk about this learner population, some incorrectly describe them as “pre-literate” rather than “literacy-level,” “low-level,” or “beginning-level”. This Ask CAELA question and answer describes learners who are typical participants in literacy-level classes and offers resources for further study. To read other Ask CAELA questions and answers, go to cal-org.wdi.net/caela/ask_caela/archive.html
New Report From the Pew Hispanic Center
The Pew Hispanic Center has completed a survey of the nation, focusing on five metropolitan areas, to gauge attitudes toward immigration in the United States. A total of 6,000 interviews were conducted; 95% of the interviews were in English, 5% were in Spanish. The cities included in the survey were Chicago, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham, and Washington, DC.
The following key points in the report were highlighted at the briefing.
- The U.S. public is increasingly concerned about immigration.
- The country is divided in our views on the impact of immigration and on possible solutions to problems it may bring, but across the country few people think that immigration levels should be decreased.
- As a whole, the U.S. population is more positive about immigrants than we were in the 1990s.
- People who know immigrants have more favorable attitudes towards them than those who do not; in general, people in areas with more immigrants have more favorable attitudes toward immigration than people in areas with few immigrants.
- People with more education are less likely to see immigrants as a burden or a threat than those with less education.
- The foreign-born are generally more positive about immigration and immigrants than those born in the United States.
To read the report, go to the Pew Hispanic Center Web site http://pewhispanic.org/
New Resources in the Field
Problem-Posing at Work: English for Action (revised edition)
Elsa Auerbach & Nina Wallerstein. Grass Roots Press, Edmonton, Alberta, 2004 (780-413-6491; www.literacyservices.com)
Problem-Posing at Work is a revised edition of ESL for Action (published by Addison-Wesley, 1987), considered by some adult ESL educators to be a seminal learner-centered text for workplace English classes. The new edition includes two introductory units -- “Learning English” and “Working in a New Country.” Both units help learners and teachers use a problem-posing approach, which emphasizes thinking about and critiquing key topics as a classroom community. Seven other units deal with such topics as “Power at Work,” “Making Money,” “Health and Safety,” and “Moving Toward Equity.” The final unit, “The Big Picture,” includes a discussion of the global workplace and ways that learners (and workers) might think about the future. The text includes extensive, practical appendices (e.g., “A guide to problem-posing;” “Documenting workplace problems;” and a guide for teachers, which gives an overview of the intent and process of the book and information about each unit).
While the language level of the text itself might be difficult for beginning-level adult English language learners, the careful use of graphic organizers, accessible font type and size, and use of white space make the book useful for other learners at many proficiency levels. Novice instructors might find it somewhat challenging to use this text, because it does not involve the teaching of vocabulary and sample dialogues from a set curriculum, but the guide for teachers will be helpful.
Also available for teachers is Problem-Posing at Work: Popular Educator’s Guide (Wallerstein & Auerbach, Grass Roots Press, 2004), which explains the problem-posing approach, tools, and strategies in more depth.
