ESL and adults with low-education and low literacy in their first language

English learners are a diverse group entering our schools with a wide range of backgrounds and needs. Many readily develop the necessary language skills and content knowledge, and progress satisfactorily. ​ But others struggle and school presents major challenges. ​ In this invited article, I describe the Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (MALP®), a culturally responsive approach that builds bridges to formal education for these struggling learners. What do you first see when you look at this image? Some people say " a candlestick. " Others see the silhouettes of two heads. Is there a " wrong " or " right " answer; is there only one answer? No to both questions. This image is an optical illusion, that is, a drawing presenting an image that can be perceived in different ways. ​ What you initially perceived as " the image " is just one possibility. I begin my discussion with this optical illusion to illustrate that there is not just​ ​ a single way to understand the world around us, only one " reality. " As with this optical illusion, educators and their students may each see the world in very different ways, based on their significantly different prior learning experiences. This is especially true for struggling English Learners​ (​ ELs) who for whatever reason have not fully participated in formal education and have developed ways of thinking and understanding that are anchored in real­world experiences. We, as

Apart from voice services, data made its foray in cellular networks with 2.5G networks. Today, with 3G network already in place, the data requirements of mobile subscribers is very high. With the increasing demand for mobile internet and rich data services such as streaming media for audio and video, this data requirement is expected to multifold in near future.  Correspondingly the network operators have started looking for alternative means of satisfying these data needs. Among many alternatives, mobile data offloading (MDO) is the most promising one. This paper presents the extensive need,  benefits, and technological solutions for MDO. Qualitatively, it is also shown that Wi-Fi, or 802.11 network is the most
promising technology for MDO. Also, to further popularize Wi-Fi as a candidate network for MDO, IEEE published the enhancements to the base IEEE 802.11-2007 standard in the form of its ninth amendment (i.e. IEEE 802.11u). Restricting the scope to beacon frame only, we show how this amendment supports interworking of 802.11 network with external networks. We also show the benefit of 802.11u compatible
Wi-Fi, as a candidate network for MDO, by modelling the problem of taking user's choice for assisting any vertical handover decision algorithm.

In this session, participants will learn how to use a culturally responsive teaching model (MALP®) to accommodate the expectations and experiences of struggling, low-literacy learners from collectivist cultures. The results of implementing this model in an ESL class for Latino day laborers in a community-based organization will be shared.

Low-literacy adult  learners can struggle with language acquisition when they are unfamiliar with formal education. Culturally Responsive Teaching provides alternatives that involve teachers mutually accommodating students' experiences with education in their home countries and using students' "funds of knowledge" to create a curriculum that is learner-centered. In community centers, resettlement agencies and college ESL programs, the Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm provides a framework for reaching immigrants, refugees and asylee seekers with limited or interrupted formal education and low-literacy adults.

A five day scaffolded lesson plan to cater to the specific needs of English language learners (ELL students).  The lesson plan developed helps build academic English, and strengthen reading comprehension while establishing a collaborative learning environment.

As was the case with many newly independent African nations, Somalia was beset by a language problem whose complexity had begun well before independence and the unification of British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland in 1960. With three languages (English, Arabic, and Italian) used as media of communication in government offices and in schools, various Somali administrations struggled to contain the impasse but found no tangible solution. Barely three years after Mohamed Siad Barre seized power in October 1969, he had his military regime introduce the Somali orthography in the Latin alphabet. Based on this milestone, Siad Barre's military rule is highly commended for taking a remarkable step forward in what came to be known as the Somalization project. However, officials of the government and Somali scholarship failed to

This article considers how developing an understanding of the beliefs, values, norms, and ways of thinking and learning of students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) is central to effective instruction for this population. Because these students are different from other English language learners (ELLs), teachers must develop the ability to suspend judgment by building deep cultural knowledge of SLIFE. This can then inform curriculum and pedagogical practices that best support SLIFE in their transition and adaption to formal education. Following a review of culturally responsive teaching as outlined by Gay (2000; 2002; 2010), I continue with an examination of the Intercultural Communication Framework (DeCapua and Marshall, 2011; Marshall, 1994) intended to develop teachers' understanding of cultural factors inf luencing students' ways of thinking and learning. The article concludes with an exploration of a culturally responsive instructional model, the Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (DeCapua and Marshall 2011; 2013), designed to better serve SLIFE.

This paper reports the findings of a study that used school system data and student surveys to examine risk and resilience in the educational outcomes of English learner (EL) students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) in U.S. high schools. The outcomes included scores on standardized tests of academic achievement and gains in English proficiency over a year. Indicators of limited or interrupted formal education included gaps in grade-relative schooling, low first- language literacy, and low English proficiency on arrival. It found that SLIFE were common among the high school ELs and also that SLIFE were at higher risk of academic failure, but were surprisingly resilient to challenges and fared well if provided with enough support to learn the English they needed for English-only schooling.

La ricerca sull’acquisizione della lettoscrittura negli adulti ha individuato cinque tipologie di apprendenti: “prealfabeti”, “analfabeti primari/totali”, “debolmente alfabetizzati”, “alfabetizzati con basso livello di scolarizzazione” e  “alfabetizzati con media o alta scolarizzazione” (Borri et al. 2014: 16-21, van de Craats et al. 2005: 8). “Debolmente alfabetizzati” ed “alfabetizzati” nella L1 hanno in comune con le altre categorie una scarsa o nulla consapevolezza metafonologica nella L2 (Minuz et al. 2016: 121). Tale consapevolezza consente all’apprendente di creare una rappresentazione mentale del valore astratto e convenzionale della parola (De Beni et al. 2001: 18-19), svolgendo pertanto un ruolo fondamentale nella costruzione del nuovo sistema linguistico (Borri et al. 2014: 69).
Dal punto di vista psicolinguistico, chi impara a leggere in L2 non ha ancora formato un Lessico ortografico di Input e di Output della L2, due magazzini che consentono la lettura globale delle parole (van de Craats & Peeters 2012: 112; Privitera 2017: 144-5). Ma non solo è in via di formazione la rappresentazione grafico-visuale del lessico. Anche l’abbinamento fonema-grafema e la rappresentazione fonologica delle parole non sono stati ancora automatizzati (van de Craats & Peeters 2012: 112). La lettura implica pertanto una serie di operazioni la cui complessità non deriva soltanto dalla “difficoltà” delle strutture della L2 ma anche dal modo in cui la mente processa il linguaggio.
Note sono poi le difficoltà, presso tutti gli apprendenti, nel percepire la prosodia della L2 (Costamagna 2014: 69), segmentare la catena fonica in elementi portatori di significato (Rast 2015: 111, Costamagna 2014: 65), sviluppare la nozione stessa di parola (Minuz et al. 2016: 121), individuarla nel flusso orale (gli analfabeti dichiarano di sentire un unico suono) (De Beni et al. 2001: 19), distinguere tra “lessico” e “strutture morfosintattiche” (registrate prima sotto forma di chunks), estrarre le proprietà astratte degli items (Rastelli 2014: 6-8 e 20-22) e adattare i movimenti oculari ai pattern della L2 (Minuz et. al. 2016: 108).
A mio avviso tali fenomeni potrebbero essere addebitati a dei processi cognitivi automatici, legati non alla L1 bensì alle modalità di processazione del linguaggio.
Nella letteratura scientifica, a seconda del paradigma teorico, si parla di processi cognitivi considerati dal punto di vista della processazione del linguaggio o da quello delle rappresentazioni linguistiche (Hulstijn 2007: 2), di euristiche – indipendenti dalle rappresentazioni grammaticali della L2 che comunque influenzano la processazione (Rastelli 2013:73) –, di conoscenze esplicita e implicita, di memoria dichiarativa e procedurale, di processi automatici e controllati.
Nella pratica didattica, quindi, le regole morfosintattiche andrebbero pensate come regole da processare, nella consapevolezza di dover considerare il linguaggio come quella abilità di “processare la lingua”. Si tratta, pertanto, di lavorare su abilità cognitive strumentali e sui processi che si innescano on line ogniqualvolta l’apprendente legge, comprende o produce la lingua. Vengono così dati esempi di esercizi per lavorare sui processi linguistici automatici che condizionano micro-abilità specifiche quali consapevolezza fonologica, velocità di articolazione dei fonemi, rapidità di lettura, scansione oculare del rigo, comprensione delle restrizioni fonotattiche della L2, grafemica, ampliamento del lessico, morfologia, pianificazione discorsiva e velocità di eloquio.


Bibliografia 

BORRI A., MINUZ F., ROCCA L., SOLA C. (2014), Italiano L2 in contesti migratori, Torino, Loescher Editore.

COSTAMAGNA, L. (2014), Fonetica e Ortografia. In: Borri A., Minuz F., Rocca L., Sola C., Italiano L2 in contesti migratori (pp. 65-69), Torino, Loescher Editore.

DE BENI R., CISOTTO L., CARRETTI B. (2001), Psicologia della lettura e della scrittura, Trento, Erickson.

HULSTIJN J. H. (2007), Psycholinguistics perspectives on language and its acquisition. In: J. Cummins & C. Davison (Eds.), The international handbook on English language teaching (pp. 701-713), Norwell, Springer.

MINUZ F., BORRI A., ROCCA L. (2016): Progettare percorsi di L2 per adulti stranieri – Dall’alfabetizzazione all’A1, Torino, Loescher Editore.

PRIVITERA, A. C. (2017), Processi di lettura e formazione del Lessico Mentale in apprendenti sinofoni e non sinofoni di italiano L2. In: Bagna C., Chiapedi C., Salvati L., Scibetta A., Visigalli M. (a cura di), La lingua italiana per studenti internazionali: aspetti linguistici e didattici (pp. 139-145), Perugia, OL3.

RAST R. (2015), Primi passi in un nuovo sistema linguistico. In: M. E. Favilla & E. Nuzzo (a cura di), Grammatica applicata: apprendimento, patologie, insegnamento, Milano, studi AItLA 2.

RASTELLI S. (2014): Discontinuity in Second Language Acquisition, Bristol, Multilingual Matters.

RASTELLI S. (2013): Il processing nella seconda lingua – teorie, dati sperimentali, didattica, Roma, Carocci.

VAN DE CRAATS I., KURVERS J., YOUNG-SCHOLTEN M. (2005), Research on Low-Educated Second Language and Literacy Acquisition. In: Low-Educated Adult Second Language and Literacy Acquisition. Proceedings of the Inaugural Symposium, Utrecht, LOT.

VAN DE CRAATS I., PEETERS M. (2012), The importance of speed in adult L2 reading. In: Tammelin-Laine T., Nieminen L., Marin M. (Eds.), Low-educated Adult Second Language and Literacy Acquisition, Proceedings of the 8th Symposium (LESLLA VIII) (pp. 109-126), Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä Studies in Humanities.

ELT in modern times has become a very diverse field with respect to pedagogical
experimentation as well as mode of handling the challenges lying therein. One such challenge is
the increasing role of technology with a very intense impact on the performance of the learners.
This is positing a challenge among the teachers who continuously work to frame new pedagogy
to make ELT easy and successful. This paper presents a pilot study of ten schools highlighting
the increased use of technology among the students. A new experimental pedagogical technique
called ‘E- description’ has been suggested in the paper which can turn this challenge into a
resource.
Key words: ELT, Pedagogy, E- description, technological framework for ELT, ELT is schools

U.S. schools face increasing pressure to ensure that all students succeed, yet the dropout rate for English learners is alarmingly high, especially for those with limited or interrupted formal schooling (SLIFE). Serving SLIFE can be challenging because they not only need to master language and content but also need to develop literacy skills and learn to operate in formal classroom settings. We describe a culturally responsive instructional model that prepares SLIFE to access curriculum and instruction, and succeed on standardized testing.

This paper proposes that teacher correction often has very little transfer effect on a student's later language behaviour. It examines reasons for this, and the motivational paradigm within which students operate. The paper argues that student self-correction is more likely to have a measurable long term effect. A mechanism to motivate directed self-correction is therefore proposed. This mechanism involves subtracting marks from assessed essays, and indicating line locations where there is a problem, without however explaining the problem. The procedure gives students the option to recover the lost marks through re-editing and re-submission within a time frame. The system has been tested empirically and found to yield promising results. The method of error evaluation also results in a lower burden of pointless correction for teachers.

This paper questions the role of grammar in language teaching and learning. Firstly it identifies the constituencies in academic language teaching, and their often conflicting notions of language programs. Several kinds of learners are discussed, with particular attention to the large group who are uncomfortable with any technical analysis, including formal grammars. Some conventional ideas about what a natural language grammar actually is are challenged. The consequences of a connectionist view of language processing are briefly explored. The power of collocation sets is identified as a key to language acquisition. Language is set in the broader cognitive context of memory processes and patterns of generalization. Pedagogical grammars are viewed as forced external generalizations with little organic presence in memory, but some suggestions are made about how to make use of them. Actual student language memory, as well as teacher self-insight into L1 are both contrasted with the idealized patterns assumed by academic language programs. Finally, the stubborn problem of average teacher behaviour is set against the real ways in which people appear to use grammars and learn languages.

Agradecimentos à CAPES pela bolsa de estudos. RESUMO Esse artigo se dedica a entender o consumo de serviços bancários automatizados em caixas eletrônicos, por adultos com baixos níveis de instrução. O trabalho parte de considerações realizadas por Jae e Viswanathan (2012) e Adkins e Ozanne (2005) de que o mercado, mesmo que de maneira não intencional, acaba não se comunicando adequadamente com os consumidores que possuem pouco estudo, uma vez que limitações de leitura e escrita prejudicam o entendimento desses quanto às comunicações desenvolvidas pelas organizações. A pesquisa aqui desenvolvida é qualitativa, sendo os dados colhidos em duas agências bancárias da cidade de Quatiguá, interior do Paraná. Através da análise de conteúdo, 55 entrevistas (51 consumidores e 4 funcionários) foram analisadas, além das observações realizadas ao longo das 40 horas em campo. Os resultados encontrados indicam que existe certa carteira de serviços, representando opções de transações que tal público realiza no ambiente bancário, também indicando as formas como usam os terminais de autoatendimento, sendo usual a presença de um intermediário para realização do procedimento (como um funcionário, um parente, ou mesmo um conhecido), o que sinaliza para uma descaracterização da tecnologia enquanto autoatendimento. A pesquisa também aponta ressalvas na literatura: (1) potencial viés encontrado em pesquisas que indicam maior preferência pelo autoatendimento; e (2) embora exista o apontamento de que a presença de auxílio seja tida como positiva, a dependência desse auxílio causa um efeito negativo nos consumidores. Ao fim, apresentam-se sugestões a serem desenvolvidas pela indústria bancária, baseadas nos resultados encontrados. Palavras-chave: Consumo. Serviços automatizados. Bancos. Pessoas com baixos níveis de instrução.

Üniversitelerin özellikle son zamanlarda inovasyon ve teknoloji alanlarında yaptıkları yatırımların öneminin artması ile birlikte, satın inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırımlarda ve satın alımlarda daha stratejik bir yaklaşım içinde olmaları gerekmektedir. Üniversite bütçelerindeki daralmalar ve azalmalar ise bu durumu kaçınılmaz kılmaktadır. Bu nedenle, üniversite yönetimleri büyük veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetimi genel ihtiyaçların karşılandığı satın alımların kontrolünü sağlarken uzun vadeli getir getirecek stratejik inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırımların yapılmasını da mümkün kılabileceklerdir. Bu nedenle bu araştırmada, özellikle Türkiye'de yer alan yüksek öğretim kurumlarında inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırımlarda ve satın alımlarda büyük veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetiminin yapılabilmesini incelemektedir. Bunun için üniversite yönetiminde yer alan önemli kişilerin bu konudaki algılarını, tecrübelerini, karşılaştıkları sorunları ve önerileri ele alınmıştır. Üniversite yönetiminde yer alan yöneticiler (12) özellikle iki devlet üniversitesinden seçilmiştir. Kendileri ile inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırımlar ve satın alımlar konusunda mülakatlar yapıldı. Fenomenolojik araştırma yöntemi ile açık uçlu on iki soru sorulmuştur. Elde edilen veri, gruplandırılıp NVivo 10 kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Üniversitelerde sürdürülebilir büyüme, başarı ve kalite güvencesi için tüm katılımcılar, veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetiminin öneminden bahsederken nasıl etkin kullanılabileceği konusunda endişelerini belirtmişlerdir. Katılımcıların çoğu veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetimi konusunda derin bir bilgi ve deneyimlerinin olmadığını bahsederken, geri kalanları ise veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetimi konusunda yurtdışı üniversitelerindeki iyi uygulama ve sonuçlardan haberdar olduklarını belirtmişlerdir. Özellikle katılımcıların bahsettiği üzere inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı satın alımlarda sorunlar olduğundan bahsedilmiştir. Bu nedenle katılımcılar tarafından daha etkin büyük veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetimi yapılarak takip ve kontrol sistemi sağlanabileceği belirtilmiştir. Katılımcıların bahsettiği bir diğer husus ise inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırımlarda ortak bir envanterin veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetimi ile daha etkin kullanılmasıdır. Sonuç olarak veri madenciliği, analizi ve yönetiminin en kısa zamanda üniversite yönetimlerinde inovasyon ve teknoloji odaklı yatırım ve satın alımlarda vakit kaybedilmeden uygulamaya alınmasıdır.

This article shares how a Vygotskian concept-based model of professional development helped to promote the development of pedagogically sound, agentive, and adaptive language teaching practices among volunteers in a community-based adult ESL context. The article documents how this model re-oriented the focus of volunteer training and shares feedback from volunteers

t the end of last month, the Government outlined their plans for adult further education.

Excluding funding for apprenticeships, the budget for 2015/16 will be cut by 24 per cent. That’s 24 per cent of the funding for adults who want to gain a better education later in life. Further education was deeply scarred as it was, with a third of its budget already severed since the 2010 election.

The teaching of basic skills such as numeracy and literacy is a key aspect of further adult education, and it’s not as if the UK ranks highly on this front and we don’t need to worry. According to the OECD, it’s quite the opposite and the government is fully aware of the problem.