Adult ESOL Learners and Special Needs

Challenges

Directions

First Challenge: It is an invisible population –except in numbers

English learners are just about 5o % of the adult ed enrollment* --many places they are 80 or 90 % of programs (does not include NNSE in ABE or GED) If we include CLD, the% is much higher % of special needs averages the same as in English speaking population

–maybe higher

ESOL is 5% (maybe?) of the conversation How many sessions on ESOL at COABE? AAACE? CEA? LDA? IDA? (

On adult ESOL, none) Bridges to Practice has not yet included ESOL in their training

Special needs are even more marginalized Virtually NO statistics on what % of NNSE have disabilities* National Family Literacy Act, Report to Congress 2004

0

Second Challenge: The ESOL Population is Extremely Varied

Language and culture backgrounds Literacy levels/educational backgrounds Health/ mental health Socio-economic status Reasons for coming to adult education Age Family situations Stability

Third Challenge: Cultural Differences Generally speaking, cultural differences towards

special learning needs are significant: Adult ESOL learners Will not expect or seek out accommodations for

any special need—and therefore frequently do not self-identify

Are not familiar with the concept of LD May not be comfortable with accommodation–

feel it is unfair, (high context cultures) or unnatural, or will taint family

May leave if focus on special need is uncomfortable—will not tell anyone

Fourth Challenge: Many, Varied Causes of Learning Difficulties

In Eng. Speaking population in adult ed., problems with vision, hearing, attention, scotopic sensitivity are more prevalent than LD– we don’t know in ESOL population– but no reason they are not high there, too.

Health problems may be more severe/prevalent even than that of native Eng. Adult education counterparts: Poor health care Different kinds of diseases More trauma in general

Varied Causes of Learning Difficulties, cont.

Barrier of Low or no literacy is significant, but frequently underestimated

First language influences may be strong If first language is different in sounds and

structure and learner is not very literate, learning English very difficult

If first language is not written, becoming literate can be extremely difficult

Varied Causes of Learning problems, continued

Cultural differences impact learning/educational/training situations Expectations of teachers/class Understanding of learning/study Classroom/training interactions Understanding/interpretation of materials Adults—especially those who are not very

educated and out of their country for the first time– have a hard time adjusting to new culture– Culture shock estimated to last up to 3 years– for some longer.

Varied Causes of Learning Problems, cont.

Normal language learning causes difficulties often mistaken for LD: Adult language learners have much harder time

hearing sounds of new language Oral language (referred to as BICS) and literacy

(referred to as CALPS) develop in different ways, different speeds– normal lag between two is poorly recognized in adult ESOL

Order in which language is learned dictates what learner can learn cognitively about new language

Fifth Challenge: Limited means of identification

Testing for LD/ Learning problems directly is impossible:

Learning problems stemming from LD cannot—SHOULD NOT—be directly identified as NO CURRENT testing tools—including screening tools– are fully valid and can be misleading and harmful, even in the extreme, because: Language difficulties– CALPS not sufficient for testing in

English—even those who have lived here and gone to school here must be tested with great caution and skill

Cultural differences—format, content, purpose of testing

Testing Problems, Cont.

Tests for other kinds of difficulties—e.g for degree to which a physically handicapped person is self –sufficient– are biased for similar reasons—cultural differences/language

Most tools for ESOL learners are NOT looking at key issues of learning difficulties in foreign language learning: phonological skills– Phonological awareness– awareness of the sound chunks

of a language and how they are manipulated– key to literacy in first or second language—weakness cause of phonological dyslexia

Phonological memory—how we remember new/unfamiliar sounds and process them– oral/aural skills

Testing Problems, cont.

Testing for LD in many states still requires a discrepancy score- Not possible to obtain a valid intelligence

score across cultures and languages Verbal portions of IQ are heavily

language biased Non-verbal portions are culturally loaded

Testing Problems, Cont.

Testing tools for ESOL do not differentiate problems Language? Phonological skills? Cultural barriers? Physical problems?

They just tell you there is a problem

Testing problems, Cont.

Who will test them?? Few diagnosticians are well versed in

evaluation of learning problems in adults Even fewer have any notion of

challenges of evaluating a person from another culture/language background

Sixth Challenge: Lack of Informed Teachers and Tutors

Teachers and Tutors Tend to assume learning problems are the same

as in the Eng. Spkg population– and refer ESOL learners for the same reasons

Are not well versed in normal language acquisition issues— Mistake them for LD Wait too long to do anything

Not versed in the needs of very low literate persons– learners can’t do what teachers are asking of them

Teachers and tutors, cont.

Not trained in language instruction– not aware of language challenges of

materials; do not know how to explain language issues; do not know grammar of English to explain it

to someone with little English Have little sense of impact of nature and

impact of cultural differences--

Teachers and tutors, cont.

Have few useful resources to help them ONE manual has appeared in US– Two in

Canada,--about adult ESOL learners with learning problems

No courses, textbooks 2ND Lang. acq. lit. still not addressing issues TESOL as a profession ignores special needs–

Bilingual Special Ed addresses them– at K-12 Special needs professions generally do not

address needs of ESOL learners K-12 models of special needs in ESOL do not

work well for adults as for ALL Adult ED

Directions for Professional Development

Where to Begin? We must FIRST

INCLUDE ESOL IN EVERY DISCUSSION OF SPECIAL LEARNING NEEDS IN ADULT EDUCATION

(remember those numbers????)

Directions for Professional Development:

Where to Begin? We must THEN

Reframe how we think about Special

Learning Needs in this population We cannot just apply paradigm we use for

native English speakers/persons from this culture

Directions for Professional Development:

FOUR areas to target:

ONE: Teachers/tutors need general orientation to ESOL populations—

Cultural differences Language challenges Values differences Culture shock

And specific orientation to cultural group(s) they are likely to be working with

1.

Areas to Target in Professional Development

TWO: Teachers need general awareness about identifying special needs in the ESOL population

Difficulties in identification Cultural attitudes towards special needs Guidance in looking at a large range of causes of

problems Implications of low/no literacy

Training in evaluating and targeting phonological skills

Areas to Target in Professional Development

THREE: Programs must require MINIMAL standards for training in ESOL and language teaching for teachers and tutors:

Rudiments of language structure Rudiments of language acquisition and

terminology Training in Multisensory Language

Instruction

Areas to Target in Professional Development

FOUR: Teachers/tutors programs need adequate materials Resources

Information Materials

Guidance on choosing/creating materials (E.G.– reading programs for Native English speakers Do NOT work for ESOL!!)

WHY PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT?

ALL ESOL learners will profit Efficacy of teachers—and therefore

satisfaction– will increase Programs will be more effective:

Completion rates will increase Speed of completion will increase Placement into employment can happen faster Learner goals will be met more effectively

The learners deserve it! ( and they are—or soon will be– the majority…)

A few resources to support this:

http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/mental.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/beginQA.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/pdQA.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/natlit2.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/reading.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/litQA.html http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/SLA.html