ESL and illiteracy
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ESL and illiteracy
Hi. I am am ESL teacher who has usually worked with higher level learners. I am now going to be working with refugees to Canada, many of whom are illiterate in their native language, and with no grasp of english at all. ANy advice, book recommendations, info would be greatly appreciated. I just have no idea where to start without using books!!
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snowbird22
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 4:34 am
- Location: Canada
We do become very dependent on books- however, there are audio tapes; itis possible to use these, stop them part way, explain, have them write words from the songs/stories, discuss it etc.
There are also movies/video that are subtitled and, t.v shows with close-caption (subtitles) for the hard of hearing.
There are also picture books - don't be afraid to use these for adults either. When anyone is learning another language, picture books are infinitely useful.
Play games with picture cards - encourage students to repeat sentences based on picture cards; found in stationary stores, or teacher supply stores.
Best of luck!
There are also movies/video that are subtitled and, t.v shows with close-caption (subtitles) for the hard of hearing.
There are also picture books - don't be afraid to use these for adults either. When anyone is learning another language, picture books are infinitely useful.
Play games with picture cards - encourage students to repeat sentences based on picture cards; found in stationary stores, or teacher supply stores.
Best of luck!
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Norm Ryder
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2003 9:10 pm
- Location: Canberra, Australia
Introducing literacy
mehajaby
I guess the first things they must learn to read are the notices and signs they need for survival. Although international symbols are replacing many signs, you can probably identify many that still rely on words.
Do you still have signs in Canada that spell STOP, or TURN LEFT (sorry: RIGHT!) AT ANY TIME WITH CARE -- or simply, WALK etc. If so, you would probably find them in your driver training manual, in newspaper and magazine photographs etc. Yould probably begin by teaching them to recognise the whole sign; but you might also be able to introduce them to the symbols and sounds of the English alphabet. For some of them, this will mean introducing them to the novel idea that a squiggle can represent a sound, and that a word is made up of a combination of these sounds, and squiggles.
Of course, as snowbird implies, some of your students may not be interested in reading books or newspapers; but others may need them to survive. You will have to discover their needs as you go along, and by that time you'll probably have cruised most of the language bookshops in your neighbourhood (or at Amazon.com) anyway.
Good luck.
Norm
I guess the first things they must learn to read are the notices and signs they need for survival. Although international symbols are replacing many signs, you can probably identify many that still rely on words.
Do you still have signs in Canada that spell STOP, or TURN LEFT (sorry: RIGHT!) AT ANY TIME WITH CARE -- or simply, WALK etc. If so, you would probably find them in your driver training manual, in newspaper and magazine photographs etc. Yould probably begin by teaching them to recognise the whole sign; but you might also be able to introduce them to the symbols and sounds of the English alphabet. For some of them, this will mean introducing them to the novel idea that a squiggle can represent a sound, and that a word is made up of a combination of these sounds, and squiggles.
Of course, as snowbird implies, some of your students may not be interested in reading books or newspapers; but others may need them to survive. You will have to discover their needs as you go along, and by that time you'll probably have cruised most of the language bookshops in your neighbourhood (or at Amazon.com) anyway.
Good luck.
Norm
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Norm Ryder
- Posts: 118
- Joined: Wed Jan 29, 2003 9:10 pm
- Location: Canberra, Australia
Introducing literacy
mehajaby
It just occurred to me as I "hung up" that traffic authorities and health authorities, for instance, often have large posters for distribution to schools, illustrating the kinds of signs and notices that I've been talking about. That will give your lessons a bit more colour.
It just occurred to me as I "hung up" that traffic authorities and health authorities, for instance, often have large posters for distribution to schools, illustrating the kinds of signs and notices that I've been talking about. That will give your lessons a bit more colour.
literacy and ESL
I empathize, mehajaby. I currently have two students who have limited literacy in their own language. Not only does it make it harder to use written materials in class, but they also aren't accostomed to class in general. They don't fully grasp what happens in a classroom--when I try to do a speaking-only activity, they get confused. I think they think they're only learning if they're writing something down.
One activity that worked rather well was a family tree, because it required little writing (though some drawing) and lots of repitition of vocab words. It is difficult to find oral activities for students that are beginners with low-literacy levels as well as slow learners.
Any more suggestions in this thread would be appreciated!
One activity that worked rather well was a family tree, because it required little writing (though some drawing) and lots of repitition of vocab words. It is difficult to find oral activities for students that are beginners with low-literacy levels as well as slow learners.
Any more suggestions in this thread would be appreciated!
I started a little research into thi subject too because I had students with low literacy levels or dyslexia. Two books I found helpful on the subject of teaching beginners how to read in English are
'Why OUr Children Can't Read' by Diane McGuiness
and another book called
'C-A-T Teach Your Child to Read with Phonics' (I think - haven't got the books in front of me)
They are, obviously, intended for teachers of children with learning difficulties but the McGuinness bok also contains a chapter on adult education. Obviously the ideal situation would be small groups of learners in English AND literacy but I know that's not always the case... In any case, teaching people to read with this method makes a lot of sense to me, promotes good reading skills. It doesn't, however, solve the problem of how to tackle the English language end of it...
'Why OUr Children Can't Read' by Diane McGuiness
and another book called
'C-A-T Teach Your Child to Read with Phonics' (I think - haven't got the books in front of me)
They are, obviously, intended for teachers of children with learning difficulties but the McGuinness bok also contains a chapter on adult education. Obviously the ideal situation would be small groups of learners in English AND literacy but I know that's not always the case... In any case, teaching people to read with this method makes a lot of sense to me, promotes good reading skills. It doesn't, however, solve the problem of how to tackle the English language end of it...
A student must learn to read, and before he can do that he must learn how to write; one step leads to the next.
Now if your students have literacy problems in their first tongue the question is: What's their first language, and what script is used to encode their language? Surely if your students hail from a background that relies on the Roman alphabet your problem is somewhat diminished. If they read and write in Arabic, or some Asian language with its own script your probnlems are a whole set different. Learning the ABC from scratch is more difficult for adults than it is for young learners. If their language uses Roman letters, however, their major problem is pronunciation, and drilling of sounds with the help of tapes can address this problem to some extent.
Surely immigrants anywhere in the world need to be able to help themselves in their new environment; knowing how to read is therefore of paramount importance. They must be able to look things up in reference books. Even as simple an act as finding the telephone number and address of someone in a telephone directory relies on this skill.
Now if your students have literacy problems in their first tongue the question is: What's their first language, and what script is used to encode their language? Surely if your students hail from a background that relies on the Roman alphabet your problem is somewhat diminished. If they read and write in Arabic, or some Asian language with its own script your probnlems are a whole set different. Learning the ABC from scratch is more difficult for adults than it is for young learners. If their language uses Roman letters, however, their major problem is pronunciation, and drilling of sounds with the help of tapes can address this problem to some extent.
Surely immigrants anywhere in the world need to be able to help themselves in their new environment; knowing how to read is therefore of paramount importance. They must be able to look things up in reference books. Even as simple an act as finding the telephone number and address of someone in a telephone directory relies on this skill.
I'm not so sure I agree with you Roger. I think there is a difference between word/letter recognition and writing. This thread originated with someone concerned with teaching new immigrants with little native-language literacy. I think it would be quite possible to teach them how to read without teaching them how to write. Note, I didn't say you wouldn't have to teach them the alphabet, or how you can sound out words. It's just that the fine motor coordination required for writing is often an additional burden.Roger wrote:A student must learn to read, and before he can do that he must learn how to write; one step leads to the next.
When I went to school, we first learnt how to write, then how to read (clusters of letters, later we learnt how to reproduce the same clusters or words and thus acquired grammatical language).
I still think students need to learn how to write first before they learn how to read. If educationists these days turn the pyramid upside down, well let's see what results this is producing.
When students write words, they become more intimately familiar with them as they have to pore over each letter they have to use. This is like some mnemotic device helping them to remember difficult words later.
The difference between knowing how to write and read, and knowing how read only is like the difference between a person who knows what the carburettor does in an engine, and the mechanic who can repair both the engine and the carburettor. There is a competency difference. I plead for as high a competency as possible. Competency decides whether a student can solve his or her linguistic riddles all by himself or whether he will always need a teacher-guide!
My Chinese students are of that latter kind - they always abuse teachers as walking encyclopedias and dictionaries. They simply have not learnt how to look things up in reference works!
Incidentally, they are taught English in much the way that you seem to favour - writing being demonised as "useless", "counterproductive" (sic!) or "tiring" (!).
I still think students need to learn how to write first before they learn how to read. If educationists these days turn the pyramid upside down, well let's see what results this is producing.
When students write words, they become more intimately familiar with them as they have to pore over each letter they have to use. This is like some mnemotic device helping them to remember difficult words later.
The difference between knowing how to write and read, and knowing how read only is like the difference between a person who knows what the carburettor does in an engine, and the mechanic who can repair both the engine and the carburettor. There is a competency difference. I plead for as high a competency as possible. Competency decides whether a student can solve his or her linguistic riddles all by himself or whether he will always need a teacher-guide!
My Chinese students are of that latter kind - they always abuse teachers as walking encyclopedias and dictionaries. They simply have not learnt how to look things up in reference works!
Incidentally, they are taught English in much the way that you seem to favour - writing being demonised as "useless", "counterproductive" (sic!) or "tiring" (!).
I think we may be speaking about different circumstances, Roger, and you have entirely missed my point if you think that I demonize writing as "useless" or "counterproductive." I made a presumption based on Mehajaby's original post, in which she said she would be "working with refugees to Canada, many of whom are illiterate in their native language, and with no grasp of English at all." I thought she was talking about adults. Since there are adults in our school with similar problems, I responded to your points from that mindset.
Reading and writing are interconnected. My point was that with adults who are illiterate in their native language, there are often problems learning how to write due to small motor control problems. For these students, their speaking skills will advance most rapidly, and their reading skills may advance before their writing skills. They can be taught to recognize the letters faster than they can learn how to write them. I don't think I said anything about writing being useless. However, if you were to spend all your time trying to get non-literate adults to write before anything else, I don't think it would be successful. I'd prefer to have them work on writing as part of their studies, but not in a linear order.
Reading and writing are interconnected. My point was that with adults who are illiterate in their native language, there are often problems learning how to write due to small motor control problems. For these students, their speaking skills will advance most rapidly, and their reading skills may advance before their writing skills. They can be taught to recognize the letters faster than they can learn how to write them. I don't think I said anything about writing being useless. However, if you were to spend all your time trying to get non-literate adults to write before anything else, I don't think it would be successful. I'd prefer to have them work on writing as part of their studies, but not in a linear order.
Re: ESL and illiteracy
To mehajaby
Hi. I am a FLE (Français Langue Etrangère) teacher in France and I usually work with refugees, many of whom are illiterate in their native language.
Illiteracy is not analphabetism !
People illiterate in their own language will be illiterate in all other languages. You will have to make your own way to discover what happened in their life, that makes them forget what they have been learning before.
See : http://www.Lituraterre.org
We tried to create a new theory of illiteracy.
Hi. I am a FLE (Français Langue Etrangère) teacher in France and I usually work with refugees, many of whom are illiterate in their native language.
Illiteracy is not analphabetism !
People illiterate in their own language will be illiterate in all other languages. You will have to make your own way to discover what happened in their life, that makes them forget what they have been learning before.
See : http://www.Lituraterre.org
We tried to create a new theory of illiteracy.
Re: ESL and illiteracy
mehajaby
Hi. I am am FLE (French for Foreign Language) teacher in France and I usually work with refugees, many of whom are illiterate in their native language.
Illiteracy is not analphabetism !
People illiterate in their own language will be illiterate in all other language. You will have to make your own way to discover what happened in their life that makes them forget what they have been learning before.
See : http://www.Lituraterre.org
We try to create a theory of illteracy
Hi. I am am FLE (French for Foreign Language) teacher in France and I usually work with refugees, many of whom are illiterate in their native language.
Illiteracy is not analphabetism !
People illiterate in their own language will be illiterate in all other language. You will have to make your own way to discover what happened in their life that makes them forget what they have been learning before.
See : http://www.Lituraterre.org
We try to create a theory of illteracy
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Sally Olsen
- Posts: 1322
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next
We discussed this in an earlier forum:
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/v ... highlight=
I used to use a really good book called Canada Now I think it was. It is specially written for newcomers to Canada.
There are also books written for Somali's and those from Vietnam and so on that you can usually find out about from the Embassy or other students.
http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/teacher/v ... highlight=
I used to use a really good book called Canada Now I think it was. It is specially written for newcomers to Canada.
There are also books written for Somali's and those from Vietnam and so on that you can usually find out about from the Embassy or other students.
I had a student who could read and write in Farsi but didn't want to learn to do it in English. So I printed out sets of clipart pictures, 5 to 10 each session, and got her to memorize the names of the objects. She was pretty good at that. I labelled all the objects, in case she ever changed her mind about learning to read English. There was usually a theme, like family.
After we did a fast food theme, I taught her the words for ordering food. By then, she had memorized so many words for concrete objects that she was ready to try something more abstract.
After we did a fast food theme, I taught her the words for ordering food. By then, she had memorized so many words for concrete objects that she was ready to try something more abstract.