Job Discussion Forums

[VikingElvis]

I just got a CELTA and was initially looking to go overseas, but applied to a community college on a whim and got offered a job - so I decided to stay in the 'States for a while and gain some experience. I am working with a fabulous class of native Spanish speakers who are extremely varied in skill levels.

While I am massively happy with the CELTA training, I never really learned about addressing potential problems with basic literacy for learners. Some of my students have a pretty solid intermediate speaking knowledge of English, but are barely literate in their native language (let alone in English). Others are absolute beginners and aren't really literate in either language.

Can I get some advice on how to get these folks a little more up to speed? I am going to try to 'play to the middle' in terms of my lesson planning, but I'm concerned that if I don't give them a little extra attention, they'll get left in the dust...

[spiral78]

I dunno how helpful this idea may be, but you might consider letting them put themselves into reading 'teams.' The teams could represent different levels of reading literacy without being terribly explicit about it.

I might start such an endeavor by having the students use whatever language they want to make reading 'plans.' You could tell them that reading teams should have three or four members, and justify the different teams by pointing out that students have different needs and preferences for reading materials. So, each team would need to agree on type of materials for the next, say, month, and would also be responsible for finding some of the materials, though you as teacher should probably have the final word on what's used and be ready to supplement authentic materials with appropriately graded stuff.

The teams can then function sort of like book clubs, where they do reviews and language analysis of the materials they're working with. Teacher can float from team to team giving appropriate support for each.
Ultimately, each reading team can report in some manner to the whole class - perhaps by explaining or telling about the content of their reading mats, and also by teaching or explaining what they learned about language.

I think this might address different skill levels tactfully and effectively....

[Glenski]

Get some phonics books and low level graded readers. Post a wall chart of various things (alphabet if necessary, phonics sounds) as a constant reminder. You can buy these from commercial sources. Get a classroom picture dictionary. Flashcards.

If you have access, use http://storybird.com/ to have students make their own book creations, even simple ones.

[spiral78]

I'm assuming these students are at least young adults. I wouldn't recommend children's materials, as it's likely to embarass and negatively impact motivation.

[Ariadne]

Choosing reading materials is difficult when some of the students can't read at all... the OP said some weren't even literate in their native language. Some things that are aimed at kids are also perfectly acceptable to older students.

.

[killthebuddha]

Hi Viking Elvis,

Check out Ogden's Basic English, here:

http://ogden.basic-english.org/

Although old, it's still viable enough to be employed by whole countries (Ghana most recently?) to teach English to their pre-literate youth. (Update the word list, replacing �carriage� with �computer,� etc.) But you'll want to modify the program. It relies heavily upon "operators" (16 basic verbs) and "operations" (100 prepositions, conjunctions, etc. used in tandem with the "operators") to do the work of verbs.

Orwell railed against such "operators or verbal false limbs," especially where they produced verbose and pretentious diction. For example, at the B E site they counsel, "And 60 other verb forms are, strictly speaking, used only as nouns: instead of 'I attempted to come,' say, 'I made an attempt to come.'" See Orwell's critical essay here:

http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm

But this is where you modify the program. The operators are available for the most rudimentary English, but they�re best as a jumping-off point to better, easier English. Basic English claims to do the work of 25,000 words with only 850. Of the 600 �nouns,� fully half have verb roots or, as in the example above (�attempt�), work better as verbs. Cull these from the noun list by italicizing either the verb root (�compar[e]�-ison, �manage�-r, etc.) or the entire word (�attempt,� �increase,� etc). Here�s the B E word-list:

http://ogden.basic-english.org/words.html

For me, this is the real value of Basic English; this short and manageable list of the most commonly used English words is replete with verbs. B E would have you say, �Give the girl a kiss on the hand.� The first modification would be to eliminate the operator �give� to naturally recruit the verb from the noun-list: �Kiss the girl on the hand.� Next, introduce the possessive and drop the prepositional phrasing B E relies upon: �Kiss the girl�s hand.� The ultimate aim is to convey the original content with the fewest words possible, and introduction of the possessive personal pronoun brings us home: �Kiss her hand.� (Your class will begin to sound like a David Mamet film.) The methodology can be used with the B E vocabulary alone (basic and advanced) or in conjunction with an assigned text, a movie, a Google search, world news, etc., etc. It's especially amenable to business and technical English where such "noun-isms" proliferate, and where the noun-verb distinction is increasingly challenged. ("Indeed, modern English in popular usage seems to be moving more and more in the direction of blurring the line between nouns and verbs; I saw a bumper sticker a while ago reading 'Stop Noun Verbification: Don't Verb Your Nouns.'" ) It's also an easy way to bring play into the classroom, and to guard against being a language Nazi teaching from an Atlas Complex. Fortunately, poetry, music, and surf / skateboard / snowboard / travel writing are among the many places where language is still alive. (I worked with one teacher who objected to Hopkins' "Spring and Fall" because he thought the poet took indecent liberties with the word "unleaving." I see Spell Check doesn't like it either. )

I always have �who,� �what,� �where,� when,� why� and �how� on one side of the board. On the other side I have the (roughly) corresponding parts of speech. The students have all been assigned a number. To mix things up without dividing the class I�ll draw two numbers to start things off; the first student will ask the second student any question regarding the text / statement / assignment, etc. I�ll draw another number / student for the second student to address, etc. The aim, whether in the classroom setting or for groups, is to cycle through the applicable elements on the board, and through the language, to come up with the most concise rendition of the original subject�s / statement�s content. Along the way the students encounter many idioms, prepositional phrases and affixes for easier learning and identification, and by reduction they get a (grammatical) feel for how English operates. This isn�t the only material / methodology I use, but I insist that the students have the B E word-list with the verbs / verb-roots (in the �noun-list�) italicized.

--ktb