I interviewed 60 year old Elida Cammer, a native of Sao Paulo, Brazil, at her home Sunday afternoon. She is someone who attends the English Cafe regularly on Wednesday evenings at WR for the past months. She has lived in the U.S. with her second husband (an American who lived in Brazil for 30 years) for 10 years. She is well-known and outspoken in the class. Ernesto, another of my interview participant, spoke highly of her English speaking ability.
She has been employed as a full-time customer service representative for Coventry Health Insurance for three years. She took the job with the intent of learning more English and to get away from any more physical labor which was affecting her injured shoulder.
Elida impresses me as someone who is definitely a lifelong learner. She has attempted several higher ed. programs in the S FL area, and none have worked out yet due to her lack of adequate fluency in English. She tried a master's program in psychology for Spanish-speakers at Nova (since she is a former psychologist in her native country of Brazil), but had to drop out b/c the program dropped their ESL classes that they had promised her. She also could not complete a physical therapy assistant program she started at Broward College a few years back (She was motivated to start this program b/c of her own experiences in physical therapy over her shoulder injury).
What motivates her to attend our class?
The small class size; the opp. for feedback with her pronunciation and accent. The comaraderie of her fellow ELLs (she mentioned David, a 25 year old Brazilian ELL in her class, and I also observed her interaction with him in class) as well as her caring and supportive teachers, the latter which is unstated but implied.
What does she like about the E.C. class?
The two teachers she has give her and the class lots of practice with conversation and they provide plenty of pronunciation feedback and correction.
What supports her learning?
Checking out audio biographies on Paul Newman and music by Natalie Cole. She listened to Natalie Cole over and over and learned the lyrics to most of her songs. Then she attended her concert at the Bank Atlantic Center and thoroughly enjoyed it. Her teachers are very good and she likes how they faciliate discussions on the history of regional dialects in this country for example. She referred to her teacher at McFatter who was excellent at bringing in brief histories on, say, pizza, the American Indian tribes, and other American cultural & historical phenomena.
What barriers to learning does she experience?
She says that her job has gotten in the way before. Her boss will not allow her to leave early from work in the evenings to attend more classes, or to teach Portuguese classes at the community night school.
Her student loans from her unactualized master's degree from Nova are preventing her from enrolling anywhere else for the moment.
Her English proficiency is coming along better than she acknowledges, but she is still not quite there in terms of readiness to acquire an American Master's degree.
She explains her difficulty understanding other American co-workers who speak in African American English and Haitian Creole dialects.
What would she like to change about the E.C?
Offer more night classes at the library (except that the library has cut back their evening hours).
Offer more interesting articles to read, e.g., NOT depressing newspaper articles.
What are some additional reasons she has for attending the library's E.C.?
She likes that there are no attendance requirements, unlike McFatter which only allows two absences (at least this was true when she attended) before dropping them from class. I did call the coordinator there and found that, in fact, now students cannot miss more than six consecutive classes.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
A Comparison of Native and Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers Beliefs about Teaching English as a Second Language to Adult ELLs, by Rosemaria Maum (2003).
I located this dissertation in the Linguistic & Language Behavior Abstracts (FAU database). It should help me answer one of my teacher questions: What is the research on native-language and non-native language English language teachers?
Questions asked included a.) the role of the teacher's sociocultural and linguisitc background; and b.) the importance of including cross-cultural issues in ESL instruction. The NLS (number of languages spoken) was significantly correlated to the teachers' beliefs about teaching ESL to adult ELLs.
I could not find this dissertation in ProQuest for some reason.
I located this dissertation in the Linguistic & Language Behavior Abstracts (FAU database). It should help me answer one of my teacher questions: What is the research on native-language and non-native language English language teachers?
Questions asked included a.) the role of the teacher's sociocultural and linguisitc background; and b.) the importance of including cross-cultural issues in ESL instruction. The NLS (number of languages spoken) was significantly correlated to the teachers' beliefs about teaching ESL to adult ELLs.
I could not find this dissertation in ProQuest for some reason.
Sun. Oct. 24, 2010 Coding of Ernesto & Olga interview
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.
--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.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Re: SCREENING INSTRUMENT
The Adult Screening instrument allowed me a way to enter into the world of the more reticient (lower English-speaking ability level). For learning abou Celina, I used it as a springboard into asking her more abouther early educational experiences and her early family life. I feel that I gained a lot more understanding of her and her context. I took liberties with the instrument and asked many more follow-up and probing questions. Something told me to probe these early experiences b/c somehow they would help me understand her story more. With adult learners who have very little formal education, there is always so much that has preceded them, in terms of really understanding their current situation.
With the higher level students (particularly those with more education like the Garcia's), I did not spend as much time with it.
With the higher level students (particularly those with more education like the Garcia's), I did not spend as much time with it.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Friday, 10/15/10, WR interviews w/Ernesto & Olga
Sociocultural Benefits of Volunteer Work:
Graciela and Olga both have spoken about the benefits of volunteer work. For Graciela, the direct benefit has been improving and practicing her English conservsation skills (get quote). She was able to feel comfortable in Anglo culture b/e she had a sales ability and a love for people. She also was able to hold employment in the retail field in South Florida prior to the progression of her retinitus pigmentosa. Volunteering for Lighthouse Point for the Blind has offered her support as well as a way to cope with her disease. Her English communication skills are improved because of her volunteer work as well.
Olga, by comparison, only volunteers in service of Latino, Spanish-speaking people and speaks in Spanish rather than English with them. This helps her to address her social needs but not her linguistic isolation. Therefore, her English conversation skills have not improved significantly in seven years.
Graciela and Olga both have spoken about the benefits of volunteer work. For Graciela, the direct benefit has been improving and practicing her English conservsation skills (get quote). She was able to feel comfortable in Anglo culture b/e she had a sales ability and a love for people. She also was able to hold employment in the retail field in South Florida prior to the progression of her retinitus pigmentosa. Volunteering for Lighthouse Point for the Blind has offered her support as well as a way to cope with her disease. Her English communication skills are improved because of her volunteer work as well.
Olga, by comparison, only volunteers in service of Latino, Spanish-speaking people and speaks in Spanish rather than English with them. This helps her to address her social needs but not her linguistic isolation. Therefore, her English conversation skills have not improved significantly in seven years.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Wed. 10/13/10, HO English Cafe
I observed Sally who arrived to her class after having visited her sister (age 74) in PA. I knew that Carol Russo, the Literacy Contact, would not have a chance to tell Sally that I was coming, but b/c I could not make it to the class for another 2-3 weeks, I decided to make the visit today anyway. At any rate, the class today that I observed was well-attended and really very good. The energy was good and the rapport that the teacher had with the students was every good. It could be called a "model class" for anyone wanting to see a good example of how to work with older learners. There were eventually 11 learners in all, housed in an attractive but small classroom with windows on one side, looking out into the library.
Sally herself is a retired English college professor. She is not fluent in any other languages but she did have a great high school Spanish teacher in the 1950s.
Most all the learners were over 40, with the exception of one woman, age 24. The next youngest was female 44. The youngest male learner was 58. The oldest learner was 73, a very sharp Colombian man. However, one female, Meyda, did not put her age down. Six were Colombian, one Guatemalan, one Peruvian, and one Venezuelan (Meyda did not put her country down or her age). C0ny was age 65, and was pretty talkative and could have made a good participant. But I need to follow my sampling criteria...Rene from Guatemala, age 58, could have participated, but he did volunteer. He was there when I described the study. I actually didn't have the attendance sheet for about 45 minutes of the class, so I did not know anyone's age until the last few minutes. I missed identifying Rene because of that and also a couple of women students came up to me while I was also trying to speak with Sally before she too left the class.
It shows how it is better to arrange and announce my visit before I come to the class, in order to properly explain its purpose.
First, this is the first class where there was coffee made by one of the students, Meyda. Students got up on their own to get it (no scheduled break in the class) once it was made, and returned for more if desired (SUPPORT). Meyda even gave a cup to the teacher, which was a nice gesture and sign of a warm and positive rapport between these students and the teacher. Getting up and down to help themselves once the coffee was ready resulted in some tight maneuvering, but all in all, everyone seemed to manage. There are positives to be said about meeting in a smaller room such as this for older learners, such as it creates close proximity between the learners and their teacher (SUPPORTS).
I noticed that every student in the class had a notebook. I would have loved to ask Sally (had she granted me an interview) if this is one of her requirements and if she has taught them how to take notes. Two had electronic spellers and two had paperback Spanish-English dictionaries.
The teacher brought in her own portable whiteboard. Name tents were used in class,much like WR.
Overall, this class had a high level of oral language practice and teacher-student dialogue. She was also good at reviewing key vocabulary and grammar points after she had just introduced them--a very good technique for older learners. The teacher's rate of speech was also adequately modulated for ELLs. She used humor and teasing to help students loosen up and to create laughter and fun in the learning process. Mid-way through the class, she introduced each learner by name and she highlighted one aspect about them, e.g., Rafael likes museums and culture and Isabel has two young sons. This showed a focus on the learners and their own experience (Knowles).
The teacher began by sharing a story about her trip to PA to honor her sister on her 75th birthday. As she told them the story, she wrote down key vocabulary. Next, she reviewed the words; meanings. I thought that this was a well-supported way to teach language; however, at several points, she also gave them synonyms. This seemed to be too much for one lesson. I know how easy it is to do this b/c I have done so myself, but "targeting" only several key teaching objectives is better than trying to do too much in one lesson.
The second part of her lesson was having the learners share orally with the class what they did in the twoo weeks that there was no class. Rafael spoke up and talked about three movies he had watched o his computer, as well as a dominoes game he enjoyed with his pals (his words although he mispronounced 'pals' and didn't use the correct tense for 'enjoy'). The teacher corrected his verb usage and then offered synonyms for 'pals' on the board.
As part of the same LEA lesson, she had them orally practice the new vocabulary, each taking a turn, using the vocabulary she had introduced in sentences of their own. My suggestion to her would be to tighten up the lesson by only focusing on two skills per class. At least two students were getting overwhelmed and saying, "English is too difficult" (Cony & Carolina). I realize that not all students attend every week, and that a lesson almost has to be 'just for the day' or 'for the students of the moment.' Or, perhaps the teachers in this program can work on six key things (grammar and pronunciation-related)which they review in class each time, and then the rest is 'open conversation' about current events and health care topics.
The teacher did have a sense, from working with them over time, that they need help with certain things (See Ann). For example, with helping verbs; with the pronunciation of /i/ which is not /e/ and /s/ which is not /es/; with the present continuous verb tense; overuse of the verb /to do or make/--hacer in Spanish.
"Negative Part":
I'm not sure what this really was about, but Sally did not want to come back for any interview with me. I asked her if she was willing to stay for an hour right after class and she agreed to it (but a bit disgruntingly). M first question to her was what support did she need from the library if anything? And she replied that this was the most disorganized and basically kooky library she'd beeb affiliated with. Perhaps she was responding to the fact that she was not told about my visit (which is really my fault). Or perhaps, this is just one instance of many other failed attempts to coordinate her schedule and/or communicate her needs to the library. She said that she had taught in the English Cafe at this branch for three years. She said she enjoyed the students and the teaching very much, but that she wanted nothing to do with completing any paperwork. She had afterall had her share of it as a working career woman teaching at the college level. She reflected Myra's comments about why she enjoys teaching in this class so much. And it is also less encumbering than teaching in the adult community school setting.
So all in all, I am glad I did not pursue interviewing her any further there in the library. She would not have completed the take-home portion of the interview, I am sure.
She did accompany me out to the car. On our way out, she veered over to check on Rafael who was shopping for videos at the library's gift shop. We talked to Rafael about any good movies we could recommend from the cart. Then she and I walked out together while she shared about a few of her students and some of their issues.
We started with Abraham, a 67 year old Venezuelan dentist whom sally said is hard for her to deal with. Heis a know-it-all and sometimes gives the wrong answers to students in class. Heis also very macho and speaks much more than the others.
She spoke about Dilia, a 70 year Colombian woman, whose sister-in-laws whom she lives with, does not want her taking the bus to come to the English Cafe. It seems, according to Sally, that the sister-in-law is very fearful and doesn't think the world is a very safe place for a 70 year old woman who travels independently on public transportation. SEE CELINA.
Sally herself is a retired English college professor. She is not fluent in any other languages but she did have a great high school Spanish teacher in the 1950s.
Most all the learners were over 40, with the exception of one woman, age 24. The next youngest was female 44. The youngest male learner was 58. The oldest learner was 73, a very sharp Colombian man. However, one female, Meyda, did not put her age down. Six were Colombian, one Guatemalan, one Peruvian, and one Venezuelan (Meyda did not put her country down or her age). C0ny was age 65, and was pretty talkative and could have made a good participant. But I need to follow my sampling criteria...Rene from Guatemala, age 58, could have participated, but he did volunteer. He was there when I described the study. I actually didn't have the attendance sheet for about 45 minutes of the class, so I did not know anyone's age until the last few minutes. I missed identifying Rene because of that and also a couple of women students came up to me while I was also trying to speak with Sally before she too left the class.
It shows how it is better to arrange and announce my visit before I come to the class, in order to properly explain its purpose.
First, this is the first class where there was coffee made by one of the students, Meyda. Students got up on their own to get it (no scheduled break in the class) once it was made, and returned for more if desired (SUPPORT). Meyda even gave a cup to the teacher, which was a nice gesture and sign of a warm and positive rapport between these students and the teacher. Getting up and down to help themselves once the coffee was ready resulted in some tight maneuvering, but all in all, everyone seemed to manage. There are positives to be said about meeting in a smaller room such as this for older learners, such as it creates close proximity between the learners and their teacher (SUPPORTS).
I noticed that every student in the class had a notebook. I would have loved to ask Sally (had she granted me an interview) if this is one of her requirements and if she has taught them how to take notes. Two had electronic spellers and two had paperback Spanish-English dictionaries.
The teacher brought in her own portable whiteboard. Name tents were used in class,much like WR.
Overall, this class had a high level of oral language practice and teacher-student dialogue. She was also good at reviewing key vocabulary and grammar points after she had just introduced them--a very good technique for older learners. The teacher's rate of speech was also adequately modulated for ELLs. She used humor and teasing to help students loosen up and to create laughter and fun in the learning process. Mid-way through the class, she introduced each learner by name and she highlighted one aspect about them, e.g., Rafael likes museums and culture and Isabel has two young sons. This showed a focus on the learners and their own experience (Knowles).
The teacher began by sharing a story about her trip to PA to honor her sister on her 75th birthday. As she told them the story, she wrote down key vocabulary. Next, she reviewed the words; meanings. I thought that this was a well-supported way to teach language; however, at several points, she also gave them synonyms. This seemed to be too much for one lesson. I know how easy it is to do this b/c I have done so myself, but "targeting" only several key teaching objectives is better than trying to do too much in one lesson.
The second part of her lesson was having the learners share orally with the class what they did in the twoo weeks that there was no class. Rafael spoke up and talked about three movies he had watched o his computer, as well as a dominoes game he enjoyed with his pals (his words although he mispronounced 'pals' and didn't use the correct tense for 'enjoy'). The teacher corrected his verb usage and then offered synonyms for 'pals' on the board.
As part of the same LEA lesson, she had them orally practice the new vocabulary, each taking a turn, using the vocabulary she had introduced in sentences of their own. My suggestion to her would be to tighten up the lesson by only focusing on two skills per class. At least two students were getting overwhelmed and saying, "English is too difficult" (Cony & Carolina). I realize that not all students attend every week, and that a lesson almost has to be 'just for the day' or 'for the students of the moment.' Or, perhaps the teachers in this program can work on six key things (grammar and pronunciation-related)which they review in class each time, and then the rest is 'open conversation' about current events and health care topics.
The teacher did have a sense, from working with them over time, that they need help with certain things (See Ann). For example, with helping verbs; with the pronunciation of /i/ which is not /e/ and /s/ which is not /es/; with the present continuous verb tense; overuse of the verb /to do or make/--hacer in Spanish.
"Negative Part":
I'm not sure what this really was about, but Sally did not want to come back for any interview with me. I asked her if she was willing to stay for an hour right after class and she agreed to it (but a bit disgruntingly). M first question to her was what support did she need from the library if anything? And she replied that this was the most disorganized and basically kooky library she'd beeb affiliated with. Perhaps she was responding to the fact that she was not told about my visit (which is really my fault). Or perhaps, this is just one instance of many other failed attempts to coordinate her schedule and/or communicate her needs to the library. She said that she had taught in the English Cafe at this branch for three years. She said she enjoyed the students and the teaching very much, but that she wanted nothing to do with completing any paperwork. She had afterall had her share of it as a working career woman teaching at the college level. She reflected Myra's comments about why she enjoys teaching in this class so much. And it is also less encumbering than teaching in the adult community school setting.
So all in all, I am glad I did not pursue interviewing her any further there in the library. She would not have completed the take-home portion of the interview, I am sure.
She did accompany me out to the car. On our way out, she veered over to check on Rafael who was shopping for videos at the library's gift shop. We talked to Rafael about any good movies we could recommend from the cart. Then she and I walked out together while she shared about a few of her students and some of their issues.
We started with Abraham, a 67 year old Venezuelan dentist whom sally said is hard for her to deal with. Heis a know-it-all and sometimes gives the wrong answers to students in class. Heis also very macho and speaks much more than the others.
She spoke about Dilia, a 70 year Colombian woman, whose sister-in-laws whom she lives with, does not want her taking the bus to come to the English Cafe. It seems, according to Sally, that the sister-in-law is very fearful and doesn't think the world is a very safe place for a 70 year old woman who travels independently on public transportation. SEE CELINA.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Mon. 10/11/10 Addition of Learner Strategy Code (Mimose)
I have two new codes since reviewing & coding Mimose's transcript: LEARNER STRATEGY & IMPROVEMENTS/PUBLICITY. The following describes Mimose's own learner strategies developed as a result of her prior teaching career in Haiti.
In transcribing Mimose's interview, I see that she is the exception to the rule in her class. Being a former teacher herself for many years, she is familiar with the learning process and faces her tasks as a learner both confidently and in a self-disciplined and self-directed manner. Others in the class seem to be much more passive and seem to also believe that the teacher is the expert and they are there simply to absorb the knowledge. Perhaps this is cultural or the norm for this age cohort.
Mimose has devised some of her own unique learning strategies. As a former career teacher from Haiti, she knows what it takes to learn: review and repetition (lines 72 & 390); coming to class with her own questions to ask (lines 52; 168-169); taking notes (lines 215-216); has the teacher model correct pronunciation for her (lines 142-143); sitting in close proximity to the teacher (line 64); seekng individual feedback from teacher (line 103); has a tactile learning styles as evidenced by the realia she brings in from home for the teacher to identify (lines 186-189); is self-directed as evidenced by her study habits in the library before class (210-211; 217; 261-263).
NEED TO ADD DOC ANALYSIS BACK:
Get syllabus of "Healthy Living Online" computer class offered at WE.
In transcribing Mimose's interview, I see that she is the exception to the rule in her class. Being a former teacher herself for many years, she is familiar with the learning process and faces her tasks as a learner both confidently and in a self-disciplined and self-directed manner. Others in the class seem to be much more passive and seem to also believe that the teacher is the expert and they are there simply to absorb the knowledge. Perhaps this is cultural or the norm for this age cohort.
Mimose has devised some of her own unique learning strategies. As a former career teacher from Haiti, she knows what it takes to learn: review and repetition (lines 72 & 390); coming to class with her own questions to ask (lines 52; 168-169); taking notes (lines 215-216); has the teacher model correct pronunciation for her (lines 142-143); sitting in close proximity to the teacher (line 64); seekng individual feedback from teacher (line 103); has a tactile learning styles as evidenced by the realia she brings in from home for the teacher to identify (lines 186-189); is self-directed as evidenced by her study habits in the library before class (210-211; 217; 261-263).
NEED TO ADD DOC ANALYSIS BACK:
Get syllabus of "Healthy Living Online" computer class offered at WE.
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