Computers can be a pain

        I sat down today to do some long-delayed computer work.  What I discovered is that computers are not always that helpful. I am still in Saudi Arabia.  I do not have conventional internet.  The Saudis limit access to the internet to some degree.  I generally connect through a hotspot on a phone that is controlled by Saudi Telecom.  I use a VPN, but their are still issues going to some sites and using the internet in general.  I was trying to make some changes to our website, lotuslearningcenter.org, when I was informed I needed to update the software I use to manage the site site.  I then found myself unable to access the proper site to update the software.  I am not sure what content could be there that would result in it being blocked, but it was and is most assuredly blocked.  The frustration comes from computers supposedly making things easier, when in fact, they seem to be increasingly more difficult, and usually for the simplest of reasons.  I guess it can wait until I return to the U.S. and try again then.

Cultural Understanding

        I have now been in Riyadh for about two full months.  I wanted to take the opportunity to speak to the issue of culture.  About a year ago, I was able to teach an undergraduate course on culture and diversity in the classroom.  It was an introduction to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students.  I used to say "dealing" with CLD students, but I realized that the word "dealing" kind of has a negative connotation.  It implies that they are a problem that has to be dealt with in the classroom.  Instead I want to think of them as bringing a positive influence to the classroom.  I believe that each student is unique and I truly feel that every student deserves a voice in the classroom.  I think it is important that each student develop a sense of ownership in their educational journey. 

        For this post, I want to speak more towards working in a CLD environment versus teaching in one.  I want to address the topic of working with international colleagues.  I am not sure if I addressed this in a prior post.  It does present a different aspect of teaching that I have been a bit remiss in discussing.  This is not the first occasion that I have had to work with international instructors, but generally they have been in the minority in an office.  In my present situation, the reverse is true.  If my numbers are correct there are 19 instructors at the institute and only two of us are heritage English speakers.  The remaining 17 fall into one of two categories; civilian Saudi instructors or Pakistani military instructors.  The Saudis have all been to school in the U.S. and have worked some length of time in an English teaching environment.  The Pakistanis are "trained" instructors and English is one of the official languages of their country. 

        The numbers do present a unique challenge.  Other than myself and my one American co-worker, the entire office is Muslim; as is the entire student population.  I have worked with and taught Muslims before, but again only in small numbers.  The new issue is that they are Muslims living in one of the strictest Islamic countries in the world.  Additionally, I am here at the behest of the Saudi government and I am paid by this same government.  The issues arise when Islam and Arabic culture conflict with my 50+ years of Americanism, or when their mission to validate Islam to me makes me uncomfortable to the point that I excuse myself and take a walk.  This is usually the behavior of the Saudis.  The Pakistanis seem less enthusiastic about said mission.  I realize that I am making light of this to some degree, but it is a real issue.  How do we discuss a night out at the local sports bar or rave about an new BBQ joint when pork and beer are off-limits.  And, when their speaking about Islam becomes a bit unbearable, unlike working in the U.S., my only true recourse is to quit.  There is no employee right to formally complain to a supervisor or to human resources.  The supervisor is just as likely to be on the same mission.  Overall this has not been a major issue and I am comfortable in the fact that I feel I could speak frankly to most of them and they would respect my feelings.  I just don't want to "cry wolf", so to speak.  Additionally, some of their behavior comes from a position of general concern and desire to learn and to interact with a heritage English speaker.  They just always seem to parse it around Islam.  Overall, I am happy to be here and I feel this will be a huge benefit to my knowledge as an educator.

        I say all of this to just point out that the notion of mutual respect is the single most important characteristic of an educator.  I respect my colleagues and I strive daily to earn their respect in turn.  I think the interchange, even at its most dogmatic, provides for learning.  As always, I am forever a student.

The Instructor Text

I provided some basic information about the American Language Course (ALC) instructor text in an earlier post. I had some time to take a couple pictures that illustrate some of what I was writing about.
Some of the pictures are a bit poor, but I hope they are clear enough to give an idea of their contents. I used the instructor text for book eight.  Each book is very similar and with regard to some of the content, is exactly the same.  This instructor-based material is contained in the preface of each book.
At the bottom of this post I will include a picture of an actual lesson page to show the differences.

This is the basic information page for each book.  It provides the basic topics that are covered within each ALC unit (each book in the ALC provides for a complete unit of instruction).  All units in the first 30 books of the ALC are based around this five lesson outline; obviously the material covered varies from book to book.  One can see the intent and scope of each unit.  As an instructor, this page provides enough information to begin preparation for the class.  Each unit is complete "as is", but this information allows one to prepare supplemental material and prompts for discussion.

There is a multitude of instructor information provided by the text.  Above is a sample of this material.  These pages talk about managing the classroom to include how best to arrange the seating for specific exercises. 

The pages in the student text are mirrored in the instructor text to include matching page numbers.  The two photos above show the student text as well providing some explanation of the marginal text which is used to guide the instruction.  These two pages are still part of the preface of the instruct text 

This is typical lesson page shows the marginal material but without the explanatory notes.  Once one becomes familiar with the use of the marginal material it becomes very useful.

I hope this provides a good overview of what I am working with.  I will try to include more pictures in a later post.

My Workplace

        I was able to get a couple pictures of my workplace and wanted to share them.  I am working at the Saudi Arabian Military Language Institute in Riyadh.  Currently there are classes in Hebrew, Farsi, Arabic, French, and English.  The facility is fine overall.  I would compare it to a typical language facility; classrooms, and labs for listening.  The biggest shock was the lack of internet and supporting technology.  I am told the internet is coming soon and I have seen a state of the art lab facility, yet it sits empty waiting to be connected to the web.  I am looking forward to the near future when the lab will be operational.

A weird angle of the front of our school building.  Yes, that is a gun turret to the right of the picture.

The new lab that unfortunately is not fully operational.

A couple pictures of the main lab we currently use.

Finally, our school mosque. 

My Colleagues - (short)

        I have been in Riyadh about a month now.  I have already been asked to extend my stay.  I am not sure what to think about the idea.  I am certainly willing to give it some consideration though.  So far, I have enjoyed the students and staff tremendously.  We teach with several instructors from Pakistan, and I have found them to be very engaging and interested in the “American” version of English.  I made a comment to one of them that they had a very different style of speaking in English, apart from accent.  Obviously, they use a more British version of the language.  What struck me most was that they made some syntax errors which I found strange.  The one that comes to mind most is that the gentleman said he “belonged” the city of Karachi.  I was a bit puzzled.  I figured out that he meant he was from Karachi.  I don’t think it affected the conversation much.  However, it was noticeable.  I asked him about it and he said that it was a common way to express the sentence.  I am sure I will continue to learn from the Pakistani teachers as well as from my Arab colleagues

Testing Saudi Style

       I am going to call this one “Testing Saudi Style”.  Today we were to give a test known as the English Comprehension Level (ECL).  This a standardized assessment to determine the eligibility of Saudi military personnel to attend follow-on training in America.  Where they will go and the type of training determines their necessary ECL score.  In broad strokes, training that requires more communication; medical, flight, liaison, etc. requires a higher score than other types.  The score is simply a raw score of number of correct answers out of 100.  The test has a 66 question listening section and a 34 question reading section.  Obviously, higher scores are better. 

        When we arrived at the testing center we had a list of 35 students to test.  The answer sheets are pre-filled and we are only allowed to bring a few extras to cover for mistakes.  We were greeted with over 60 students.  Immediately fingers began to be pointed, and as one may guess they were pointed at my colleague and me.  We told the first few students who asked, that if they were not on the list we could not test them.  This led to us being asked if we had the correct list or did we make a mistake.  Then someone with slightly higher rank asked the same questions again.  This pattern continued for about another four or five individuals until we came to the highest ranking student, a major.  He finally got the head of the institute involved and as “negotiations” began the language used went from English to Arabic.  Anyone who has taught internationally knows that this is the normal tactic to use when we, the poor American instructors, are to be talked about and/or blamed.  I mean, it is the reality and one learns to just roll with it and wait until they are done. 

        We finally got somewhat organized and into our lab rooms.  However, for the next 10 to 15 minutes there was a steady stream of students entering and feigning ignorance of the fact they were not on the list.  This is why the answer sheets are pre-filled.  We finally began our 0900 exam at around 0929.  And, we are now going to accommodate all of the other students with a specially organized testing session tomorrow.  

        After the test, I was slowly walking around the room collecting answer sheets, when I noticed a group of three students who had moved away from the desks and were openly reviewing their answers together.  I freaked out a bit, but held my composure.  When I asked them about it, they responded that it was normal and that they saw nothing wrong in what they were doing.  

        Welcome to the Kingdom!

The American Language Course

        Before I take off on some long rant about the American Language Course (ALC), I have to honestly say that I have never used this course material before.  I have used many products from the Defense Language Institute (DLI), just not this specific one.  Over the next couple weeks, as I prepare to teach, I will get a chance to go through all the materials and will write a bit more as I become more familiar. 

        I am including a link to a web site/pdf that will explain the ALC in greater detail than I will here.  I hope to sort of talk through some of the specific items that I like or dislike about the material versus writing some exhaustive monologue on the ALC in general. 

http://www.dlielc.edu/prod/Catalog.pdf - The ALC is mainly described in pages 1 -23.  The other part of the site discusses other materials and courses provided by DLI.  Also, one will find a decided emphasis on military vocabulary and familiarization in some of the additional, specific-purpose modules as this course is designed to teach military personnel.  They are primarily supplemental materials, and overall the basic ALC is more generic in its presentation.

        The general structure of the course consists of six levels.  Levels One through Five each have six course books; level Six has four.  The books are designed to correspond to an assessment range which is derived from a student’s placement score.  Fittingly, the assessment tool is the American Language Course Placement Test (ALCPT).  The test scores students in listening and reading skills using a raw score of X correct out of 100 questions.  I will discuss the ALCPT a bit more in another post.  Basically the score is compared to a simple chart which indicates a range for placement into each of the six levels.  For example, a score between 50 and 60 would indicate a student should be placed into Level Three.  The levels are also given titles reflecting their relative degree of skill; Level Three being “Intermediate”.  Obviously there are debates about what the titles mean, but DLI tries to follow the Interagency Language Roundtable (ILR) definitions and level descriptors.  Below is a link to their web site.

http://govtilr.org/

        Again, this is a government entity and one may or may not agree with their products

Regardless, each level of the ALC is backed up with materials in abundance.  The books in Levels One to Five introduce four new lessons each and have numerous activities, a review lesson and even pre-made flash cards in Levels One and Two.  The instructor materials include ideas for class management, recommendations for teaching practices, and tips and strategies to aid in your instruction.  Level Six becomes more thematic and the books in this level have eight new lessons instead of the four.  There are also two review lessons in each text at this level.  The instructor text becomes more comprehensive as well and includes areas discussing assessment specific to the lessons.  All the levels are supported by audio materials which serve to amplify and reinforce the classroom instruction.  Of course, there are homework activities and several quizzes throughout to aid in ongoing formal or informal assessment as students progress through the course. 

        I encourage everyone to take a look at the DLI catalog web site/pdf for more information.  In the meantime, I will delve a bit more into the specific texts and report back.

Driving in Riyadh

        I had to write a short post about my newest adventure.  Today, I got the opportunity to drive in Riyadh.  Let me take a moment to set the picture.  Saudi Arabia is by any reasonable view a male-dominated society.  Furthermore, many of the the drivers are reasonably wealthy and have an air of privilege.  Now, take the attitude that you might imagine these male drivers to have and apply it to the belief that they have the right-of-way to do almost anything behind the wheel.  Finally, add to this picture the fact that safety rules seem to not apply anywhere on the road, lanes are only sort of apparent, and distracted driving is the norm rather than the exception. 

        It was into this madness that I ventured for the first time this afternoon.  I was asked to accompany a co-worker to the airport.  He has been here a bit longer and, in truth, did the majority of the driving.  On our way we approached a slow bit of traffic.  One of the cars in front of us cut in front, moving from right to left across a lane or two of traffic.  At some point he realized he was approaching what now was stopped traffic, so he slammed on brakes.  He ended up hitting the barrier at the median.  This made his car veer radically to the right where he over-corrected and the back of his car then hit the median as well; almost turning his car around 180 degrees.  He eventually recovered and continued to drive on as if nothing had happened.  I did not get a chance to see the damage as he moved too far ahead of us for me to look. 

        We reached the airport with  a few more minor, close calls.  I was asked to wait in the driver's seat while my co-worker went into the airport.  As one might guess, the parking control vehicle approached and I was forced to drive off and circle back to the terminal twice.  It was perhaps only 20 minutes of driving, but I was hyper aware of the cars around me.  I managed to navigate the traffic, being cut off only one time.  I was more than happy to relinquish the driving back to my co-worker once he returned. 

        I thought at that moment that I might stay on the compound the entire time .... but, alas I was told that I will be routinely driving to another location to actually instruct the course!!!

A Short Side-Thought

        By way of a bit of a detour, I wanted to just briefly mention the proponent organization for the work I will be doing.  The military maintains a language institution for the instruction of service members who require language as part of their training.  Many of you may have heard of a part of this organization; the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, California.  I have had the pleasure of attending one of the many schools here on two separate occasions.  I believe that it is one of the finest language training institutions in the world.  Plus, the location is unbelievable.  The facility sits on a site that overlooks Monterey Bay and every day service members are greeted to this fantastic view as they move to class to begin their studies.  But, I digress.  What most people do not know is that DLIFLC has a sister institution whose sole function is to teach English; the Defense Language Institution English Language Center (DLIELC) located in San Antonio, Texas.  It is here that service members who are not functionally fluent in English receive their training before being sent out to serve in the line units of their respective military branches.  However, DLIELC has a second, and perhaps more vital, mission to train foreign military members who are hoping to work with the American military, attend American military schools, or fly military aircraft, (English is the international language for aviation). The main tool to accomplish this task is the American Language Course (ALC).  The ALC is what I will be working with for this upcoming class.  I will provide some thoughts about the ALC in my next post.

        I have included some links here for anyone interested in either part of the Defense Language Institute or its products.

DLIELC  - http://www.dlielc.edu/index.php Check under products to see some of the items/instruction they offer.

DLIFLC - http://www.dliflc.edu/ They have a tab for journals & publications.

Preparing the Class

        As with all new endeavors, I feel that one should take a moment to look around the environment before charging into the fray.  It is the same manner that one might approach entering a new classroom full of eager ELL students.  In the case of my new position both ideas are applicable.  I am about to enter into a new classroom full of students, while at the same time, I will be teaching an entirely new course.  It seems I often find myself in these new places.  I have become sort of a jack-of-all-trades.  In the world of ESOL education one has to be inherently flexible when seeking out job opportunities.  I always believe that I can teach any course, given a bit of preparation.  In this case, I will have a couple weeks to prepare to teach.  This seems like a tremendous amount of time considering other experiences I have had.  I was once asked on a Thursday if I was free to teach a class with a start date of the following Monday.  That was an adventure.

       I wanted to just address how I prepare.  Maybe there is someone out there who might pick up on a useful concept to apply to their own preparation.  I almost always go to the internet and try to do some research on the area where I will be working.  I find that just being able to talk, in general terms, about a place or environment often helps as an icebreaker.  I also like to see what the internet might say about any texts or instructional materials I might be using.  I especially enjoy reading reviews of texts.  In many cases it can help one sort of pre-identify any issues that others may have had with the materials and help to mitigate them as well.  I definitely spend a bit of time testing out my classroom tech and any online sources that I might be planning to use.  URLs, web addresses, and content often change and there is nothing more embarrassing that clicking a link to nowhere.  Also, it is a good idea to do a dry run on the tech support that is in your specific classroom.  Lately, however, I have gotten into the habit of bringing my own.  I found a very nice small, portable projector that I can pair with similarly small speakers which I carry with me everywhere I teach.  I have looked into actually teaching from my tablet as well.  I am certain this will be a next step for me at some point in the future.   Finally I try to time myself while rehearsing a typical lecture I have planned.  This accomplishes two things.  First, it enables me to see where I might need to add or subtract from the material I have prepped and make changes to future lesson plans accordingly.  Second, it gives me a chance to see if I pass the “smell test”, so to speak.  It can validate or invalidate that what I am saying makes sense to me personally.  If I confuse myself, then obviously the students will be lost as well. 

I will leave this post here and prepare a bit to talk about meeting new students in my next effort.

An Adventure Awaits

Greetings!

        I am just back from vacation and have already hit the road for a new adventure.  I recently accepted a position working for the government where I will be teaching English to some Saudi nationals.  I have just started getting set up to teach, but I will hopefully have some exciting and interesting anecdotes to share. I have dealt with students of all types, yet many of you know there are some special issues in dealing with students from the Middle East, especially male students.  Hopefully, I can rely a bit on experience to mitigate any detractors before they develop.  I will be teaching what is known as the American Language Course (ALC).  It has been developed by the Defense Language Institute (DLI).  I have had the pleasure of attending DLI twice and I am always impressed with their curriculum.  I think this will be a great experience and perhaps I can share some tidbits with everyone out there.

The Long Road Back

I cannot believe how long it has been since I have been able to write.  I will say it was due to being too busy, but in reality, it was a combination of many things.  Obviously other commitments did slow me down.  However, I do have to acknowledge being lazy and just not really motivated.  As I tell my students, the motivation to learn and produce writing is a key factor in advancing one's fluency.  I am sure that I have mentioned this before.  In my experience adult immigrant students make the best students.  They are so truly motivated to succeed.  I always feel extra pressure to ensure I deliver quality instruction to meet their levels of excitement, passion, and motivation.

I have promised myself to be a more frequent write.  However, I am off on a week-long vacation and then I have some other adventures to embark upon.  I will try to keep everyone posted.

White and Black Time

        I introduced these terms to my EDU students this past week and they were a little perplexed. Obviously, some had not completed their reading assignment.  I just wanted to make a few remarks regarding these terms and their application in education.

        The terms come from the study of "chronemics" which was first introduced in the late 1970s by Thomas Bruneau of Radford University.  Essentially it is the study of human tempo, or in very simple terms how we schedule "time" in our lives.  From a more educational point of view the concept as researched by Edward Hall applies to culture and issues teaching ELL and CLD students.  Most traditional US schools fall into the white time (monochronic) category.  This speaks to the linear and scheduled nature of our school systems.  US schools are run on a clock with distinct periods of time allotted for each phase of study.  There is even more at play than simple scheduling though.  We arrange our curriculum in a very linear manner and many school buildings and classrooms are designed and arranged in monochonic patterns.  One "expert", the teacher is there to present knowledge in a preordained manner; their is little group participation.

        When dealing with ELL and CLD students, teachers, myself included, are forced to understand that their lives, culture, learning style, etc., may be more in tune with black time (polychronic).  This puts them in opposition to all your hard work and lesson planning in the realm of monochronic time. My issues with the apparent laxness of my new students, mentioned in my last blog, is an example of this. These students do value education and are desirous of learning, but they just don't always place the structural emphasis on their schooling as one would want coming from a monochronic background.  Try going to your department chair and telling them you are essentially going to just "wing it" with regard to a syllabus and that maybe your class will end after 20 minutes or it might carry past your allotted 50 minutes.  Who cares if you cause the class following yours to not have a room to meet in as you are still using the room.  One can begin to see the issues that might ensue. And, this is only touching the issues with a schedule.  How does one turn in grades by a due date if the students are not finished with their assignments.

        I like to think that perhaps there is a middle ground ... maybe call it "grey time".  Obviously some compromises have to be made, but the structure has to remain in place due to the bureaucracy of the college campus.  However, maybe a teacher can work a little of the dark into the syllabus and class management style they employ.

Up and Running ... Grammar Class

I got asked to teach a grammar class this semester. I will be the first to admit that grammar is not my strongest skill.  I do well when I look at text written by others, but not so much with my own.  And, if asked to come up with the official term for some grammar points I will probably have to think a bit before giving the answer.  I may know the concept but not the term.  Of course, I am teaching from a syllabus with an associated text and all of the official bits are in the lessons.  Overall I think I will be fine.  I have taught grammar before and I am confident the students will be enriched.

I always learn new things when I meet my ELL students for the first time in a class.  They all have such unique stories. I am sure they think my life is fascinating as well ... err, I hope they do at least. I think the newness or strangeness is what provides the stimulation and interest.  I have seven students from six different countries.  I am looking forward to the semester and learning from them as much as I hope they learn from me.

I do have a few issues with my ELL students that always seem to appear with the new semester as well.  The main issue seems to be the notion of time as fluid.  I always have to take time to really hammer home the point that due dates for assignments are not fluid.  And, it always takes a couple classes before they realize that there is a definite beginning and ending time to the class.  I get the feeling that many ELL students, new to the US, have had to "hustle", so to speak, to get by and that this concept carries over naturally in all aspect of their lives, including school.  Also, it always takes a few class period to work out the tech piece of any class.  Many immigrant/refugee/migrant students may not have had the access to tech that their peers in a college class have had, so it takes some practice before they are comfortable with online school software.

I think as a new instructor, one really has to sort of plan to cover all bases and hope for the best.  I know that even after many years teaching there is always some new issue to overcome, regardless of the students' backgrounds.  Any colleague that I speak with always gets my warning to be prepared to be shocked and amazed by their wonderful ELL students.

Sorry again for the tech issues with my blog and our web page.  Everything seems to be working now.  I hope that you, my few loyal readers, will still visit and read what I write so poorly at times.

Technicalities of life ...

Evidently the server that runs our webpage or stores it, whatever technical term applies, is located in the Houston area.  I have been unable to work the page or anything I linked through there until just today.  I will hopefully be back to blogging again soon.

Communicating with Strangers

While puttering around the last couple weeks on my extended vacation, I had a chance to read through a couple texts that had caught my eye.  I wanted to sort of ease myself back into writing by talking about one of these texts; Communicating with Strangers: An Approach to Intercultural Communication.The book is written by William B. Gudykynst and Young Yun Kim.  The second edition is dated 1992, so it is an older text.  I didn't have a chance to extensively look for a newer version but I did find a fourth edition from 2002.  Some of the material may be a bit dated. Regardless, I found it fascinating and I plan to read it through again while making more thorough notations.  If I can find a newer version, I would love to include this as a class text for any ESL "train the trainers" type classes.  

 

Although the text was written for a communications course, it serves well for anyone who communicates with people of different cultures; especially in group settings.  The book is divided into four parts.  Part One lays out some conceptual background towards communication in general.  The authors lay out their plan for the text and they discuss the "big picture" of what communication is all about.  They do a really good job of providing a defining structure for communication by laying out eight assumptions of communication.  They briefly discuss uncertainty and anxiety in communication, and they provide an overview of what the term culture means with regard to their plan for the book.  They also break down the concept of "the stranger". And,at the end of Part One they identify their model for the study of communicating with strangers.  This serves as a guide for the remainder of the book.

For sake of brevity, I won't try to over analyze the remainder of the book.  However, the authors take a very systematic to their study.  They begin Part Two by identifying and discussing influences that affect the overall process of communication with a stranger.  Part Three includes a chapter on nonverbal communication.  I found this to be very interesting as it discusses cues and emotion which are always confusing.  Part Three discusses the concepts of encoding and decoding as well, and includes a chapter on language usage.  Part Four speaks to interaction with strangers and details concepts of adapting communication, managing conflict, and dealing with romantic relationships.  I found the latter very interesting as my wife is a non-native English speaker and comes from an Asian cultural background.

The drawback to the book is that it is too old to accurately address communication via cellphone or through other digital means.  I do think many of the concepts transfer though.

In short, I think this is a great book for anyone looking to wards dealing with ESL students or perhaps evening contemplating a stint teach overseas. 

ISBN-13: 978-0071195379

ISBN-10: 0071195378

Apologies Abound!

        I had a chance to take some extra vacation time, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity.  I apologize for my absence and I hope no one will hold it against me; or at least not for long!

        I participated in another interview for an additional teaching position for the upcoming semester.  I love to talk about teaching and I find that sometimes I ramble.... Yes!  It is a fact!.  I hope I was able to convey my passion and experience without turning anyone off of me personally.  I am hoping to have three classes if possible.  Before I returned to Maine, I was teaching three classes for credit and an additional non-credit TOEFL Prep class.  I managed to put them all on a Tue/Thur schedule, so it was a busy two days.  However, I could not argue against four-day weekends every week.  I don't think I will be so lucky this time around.

       I received a second offer to return to Korea and teach again.  I have always wanted to teach at the Korean Military Academy and I sent my resume to them about a year ago.  Circumstances did not allow me take the job when it was first offered, but They have offered again and I am sort of torn.  I would love to return, but the situation is a little imposing.

        Anyway, I wanted to apologize again and I will return tomorrow to actually post some more relevant stuff.  I promise I will finish my thoughts about curriculum as well.

        Thanks for sticking with me.

Curriculum Part 3

        I had a few ideas for changing the class description.  It is always a great idea to review and revise anything you are working on for a class.  I definitely need to add some kind of sentence or two covering the types of class materials; texts, readings, Youtube, etc.  I haven't quite worked out what yet, but expect a change in the statement next time I write.

        Okay, we are at one of the more difficult parts of building a curriculum; determining objectives and deciding on how to assess them.  I won't talk too much on formatting your objectives.  SWBAT works just fine or some other statement of the same format.  Objectives need to be clear.  Have some people read what you come up with and try to tell you what the objectives mean in their own words. If you get a match, you probably have a good objective.  Also, I never want for vocabulary to be an objective on its own, otherwise you get an objective that is not so productive.  For example,, it might sound something like this; "students will be able to memorize fifteen vocabulary words ...." Instead, it is more productive to include vocabulary within in your objective.  Personally, I like to include some vocabulary in every lesson.  I believe it is a natural part of learning another language and your students will always have questions about words they do not readily understand.  Objectives need to be able to be assessed easily.  You may not always be the one presenting your lesson and other instructors will need to understand them in order to assess results.  Finally, objectives need to be attainable.  it is frustrating to not be able to achieve an objective; especially for ELL students.  It is important to also understand that you as an instructor will certainly have some parts of your objective that are implied within your lessons.

        Let's take a look at a simple objective on our topic of employment.  "Students will be able to identify key parts of a standard job application."  So, some questions; "what are the key parts of a standard job application?" And, "what is a standard job application?"  These are the parts of your objective that will be implied from your lesson plans.  So, the answer to the two questions are essentially up to you the instructor, but most adult Americans will have a good idea of what both mean.  You have to convey this generality to ELL students who may have never seen or filled in a job application.

        To ensure the students can achieve this objective, you as the instructor would build a lesson plan that explained what a standard job application looks like and what the key parts are that it contains.  I don't want to get to far down into the minutia of it, but looking over a few sample applications will help you to define these concepts.  As mentioned, vocabulary would included in the lesson and would be assessed as part of the overall objective.  I would try to limit the new vocabulary presented to 5-7 words or terms.  Students will definitely add a handful of additional words/terms as you present your lesson and as they ask questions on what is presented.  The end goal is to have introduced no more that around 15 new words.terms; anymore will be difficult to retain.  In my opinion less is more here. Thoroughly learning 10 words is better than sort of learning 20.

        I think from there you could include a second lesson covering applications, ensuring that you build in some time for review.  Thus, by the end of your block of lessons, you will have introduced somewhere around 20 new words/terms over your two lessons and will have reviewed the other important points of your objective.  All that is left is to then include this objective in some form of assessment.  We will get to that in a few posts.

Curriculum Part 2

        At this point we have had a chance to mull over our gathered information.  I would, at this stage, start to think about any "special" issues I may have in mind for my curriculum to be.  By this I mean things like searching out and inviting guest speakers, any media issues, text and reading selections, and whatever else may come to mind.

Guest speakers could be any employment related speakers.  For example, it might be great to invite someone who does job interviews or who writes employment/job descriptions.  This would be a chance to have the students ask questions. This fits into both listening and speaking skills.  Media can be almost anything, but specifically would include videos you might want to show.  The internet is loaded with practice interviews and presentations about jobs and employment issues in general. These types of things are always works in process, so visit the web frequently. A good rule of thumb is to always pre-check your links at the beginning of any semester and always before each class. Technology is changing and links often disappear and change with little or no warning.  Texts are a hard issue.  I have not been fortunate to find many texts relating to specific ELL topics like employment and especially when the students are primarily adults.  I doubt a search for an ELL-focused text solely on employment will 100% fruitful.  However, there may be parts of texts that do address this topic and certainly there are some articles out there somewhere.  Again, this takes a ton of prep time, but the payoff is certainly worth it in the end.  The students will appreciate your hard work.  As an aside, I have found that Adult ELL students are generally some of the most appreciative students I have ever found.  Other items that may come to mind are things like gathering some real-world job applications (these are fun and informative to practice filling out), collect some links to a few job advertisement web sites (Monster.com being an obvious one), and perhaps collect a few resume templates.

The next step is perhaps one of the most difficult ones in this process; develop a class overview statement.  In this statement you needs to address the end state of your course.  Again, this can be a work in progress.  However, this statement is what people will base their interest in your course upon. It is also a statement of what tools a typical student should leave your class with.  Another word of caution; avoid using numbers in your statement.  Numbers imply specific expectations, and if those exist, then it is imperative that you deliver exactly the numbers you promote.  A better course of action is to try to make a specific, but all encompassing statement of purpose.  An example for this course here might be something like my example below.  As always, this is a fluid statement that will be revised as we go through the process.

        Employment for ELLs can be a matter of the utmost importance.  ELL105 will provide students         with an overview of employment in the United States.  Vocabulary will be focused on                           employment/job-related terms.  Students will be exposed to many aspects of employment such           as; resumes, job interviews, job descriptions, the application process, employment reviews, and           job/salary negotiations.  The course will include practical exercises to aid in the job search and           the application process.  Students completing the course will be better able to successfully seek           out employment as well as understand the process as a whole.

So, now we have a course ready for its next step.  Let's think a bit on what that step is and I will be back in a few days to give you my thoughts.

Curriculum Part 1

        I wanted to write something a little more substantial than my last few posts.  Summer has made me lazy.

        So, I wanted to talk about curriculum.  I had the opportunity to help rewrite a course while I served in the military.  Basically it was an older course designed with language acquisition in mind. The decision was made that the material and goals of the course were outdated and my office of three and then two was asked to rewrite and update the course for presentation at the next language manager's conference.  I want to take the time over my next few post and write a bit about how we got there and, perhaps, what we might have done differently.

        We decided to start with a questioning period.  We sent out requests to all our consumers, so to speak, and as we waited we, as a small group, began to deconstruct the course as it existed.  In sending out requests we essentially were searching for feedback from those actually using the knowledge from the course.  We asked them to tell us what worked and what didn't.  We made it clear that no issue was sacred and we were willing to change any and everything.  As I stated, this was to be a complete rewrite if necessary.  Of course, being able to use some of the existing material would have made the job easier, but we didn't want to arbitrarily limit ourselves.  

        As an instructor, I would not want to try and rewrite a course.  However, perhaps you are wanting to pitch the idea of a new course to your school or to some organization.  This type of approach would be an excellent starting point.  Get out there and ask questions.  Find out where the need is and try to build around that.  From a practical standpoint I would look at several sources for my initial information.  In most cases my first step would be to go to a mentor or someone whose experience I trusted and get their ideas.  Remember to take notes as it is easy to forget details.  If you work in a larger place you can talk to other instructors, even those teaching different subjects.  There could be some gem of creativity out there being used by a Biology teacher which you could adapt to language study.  It never hurts to ask for information.  I would also check back at my course feedback.  Sometimes students write something that makes sense ... joke intended!  Furthermore, I would perhaps just ask some former students or even current students.  Find out what they expected and if you met their expectations.  Lastly, I would search the internet and just take a peek at what others are doing around the world.  There are just too many resources on the internet to not take its content into account.

        Once the information is gathered, the next step is to put into some form of usable content.  From there we can start working with it as we build a new curriculum.  Personally, I like sticky notes all over a wall mounted board, but go with whatever works.  With sticky notes you can easily group and color-code information that you have gathered.  Be sure to take into account the amount of time you have available for the course overall and that it is broken into blocks that include not just periods for instruction, but also for review and assessment.

        As an example I want to use a pretty common topic that my adult ELLs always ask about; employment.  So, let us say we are working with a class that meets three hours a week for 15 weeks which is a typical college semester.  For example's sake the course will be ELL105 Employment in the U.S.  Let that work in your mind a bit and I will follow up with part two of this blog.