I finished transcribing and coding the Garcia interview on Fri. and Sat. Some of the things brought out in Ernesto and Olga's interview are:
--There is a need for more Spanish-speaking library staff, even if they are not fully fluent. This was apparent when Ernesto described his experience of asking for directions to the English Cafe class while he was on the First Floor of the library.
--There are many valuable services in the library to new English speakers, but many of these services are lost. EXPLORE FURTHER [There is still not enough outreach to and partnership with the Latin and Haitian community service agencies (NOR, SWR and perhaps Weston are exceptions b/c they partner with Hispanic Unity).]
--There is a real need for the library's conversationally-based English Cafe classes b/c the community school ESOL classes are much larger as a rule and there is not the emphasis on everyday spoken English.
--Many Americans are very impatient with new adult ELLs, and they do not want to take the time to communicate with them in English and to try and understand them. This is especially so with teenagers, i.e., the Garcia's experience with their own son was "terrible"...(See Nancy and Myra). EXPLORE
--Immediate feedback with pronunciation is a real asset to the E.C.
--A support for learning that Ernesto mentioned is having the right mentality (or mental attitude).
--A support for Olga is the teacher herself/himself. EXPLORE
--Barriers to learning English (for Ernesto, age 64) include his memory, and the stress and distraction of everyday living.
--Olga said a barrier for her is time.
No comments:
Post a Comment