Benchmarks Research inWorkplace Communication

&How it Can Inform the College

CurriculumTESL Conference (November 2008)

Aga PalalasValerie Scovill

1OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

OSLP

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 2

What constituencies do you represent?

What would you like to take from this presentation?

What major questions would you like to have answered?

Participants

3OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Provide Internationally Trained Immigrant (ITI) graduates with communication skills that will lead to their success in the workplace

Develop occupation-specific language profiles

CLB-based

non-regulated occupations

Recommend curriculum enhancements

focus on occupation-specific communication skills

Project Goals

4OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Training from Vancouver Community College

CLPBT certification

Benchmarking, curriculum design, ESL teaching expertise

Initial research into programs and workplaces

Preparation for project

5OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Phase 1: Research

Phase 2: Recommendations for curricular modifications

Phase 3: Design and development of language supports

Phase 4: Pilot of language supports

Phase 5: Dissemination of findings

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 6

OSLP – Project Activities

OSLP Team Team

◦ two ESL specialists/benchmarkers◦ project lead/researcher◦ two CLBPT assessors◦ research assistant◦ curriculum writer◦ instructional designer◦ subject matter expert

Communication◦ wiki

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 7

Benchmark language requirements of final semester courses

Benchmark language requirements of entry-level jobs

Language skills of students in both programs assessed (CLBPT)

Phase 1: Research

8OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Prepare - tools

Arrange - faculty interviews and class visits

Arrange – student interviews

Collate results

Follow up

9OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Contact - workplaces

Arrange – interviews with employees and managers

Arrange - workplace observations

Collate results

Follow-up with employers

10OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

ITI students

Gather information – students

◦focus groups

◦surveys (zoomerang –

www.zoomerang.com)

◦language testing

11OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Findings: Accounting program

  Speak Listen Read Write

Course 1 6 7 8 6

Course 2 6 8 8 6

Course 3 7 9 10 7

Course 4 5 8 9 6

Course 5 7 8 9 6

Course 6 5 8 9 6

Course 7 7 7 7 6

Course 8 6 6 8 6

Course 9 7 7 9 9

CLB Range  5 - 7 *6 - 9 **8 - 10 ***6 - 9

CLB Level (AVG) 6.22 7.56 8.56 6.44

12OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Skill AreaCLB Range

CLB Benchmark

Speaking 5-7 6.22

Listening 6-9 7.56

Reading 8-10 8.56

Writing 6-9 6.44

Findings: Accounting Program

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 13

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 14

Workplace Language Requirements

Job Title Speak Listen Read Write

Company 1 Bookkeeper 8 8 7 7

Company 2 Accounts Payable Coordinator 9 9 8 8

Company 3 Assistant Manager, Accounting 8 8 7 7

Company 4 Assistant Manager, Accounting 8 8 7 8

Company 5Bookkeeper/Accounts Receivable/Payable 7 7 7 7

Company 6 Accounting Clerk 7 7 6 7

Company 7 Accounts Payable 8 7 8 7

Company 8 Fund Accounting 8 8 8 8

  7 - 9 7 - 9 6 - 8 7 - 8

CLB Level (AVG)

  7.88 7.75 7.25 7.29

Findings: Accounting Workplace

Skill Area CLB RangeAverage CLB

Benchmark

Speaking 4-8 6.00

Listening 4-8 6.16

Reading 5-8 6.60

Writing 5-7 5.33

Findings: Accounting Students

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 15

Accounting StudentsSpeaking: CLB 4-8

CLB 411%

CLB 511%

CLB 646%

CLB 716%

CLB 816%

Listening: CLB 4-8

CLB 411%

CLB 516%

CLB 642%

CLB 726%

CLB 85%

Reading: CLB 4-8

CLB 633%

CLB 753%

CLB 87%

CLB 57%

Writing: CLB 4-7

CLB 47%

CLB 559%

CLB 627%

CLB 77%

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 16

Identifying the gapComparison table

All in CLB levels  Speaking Listening Reading Writing

Workplace Language Requirements

7-97.88

7-97.75

6-87.25

7-87.29

Program LanguageRequirements

5-76.22

6-97.56

8-108.56

6-96.44

Student Preparedness4-86.00

4-86.16

5-86.60

5-75.33

Avg GAP between Workplace & Student

(workplace higher for all)1.88 1.59 0.65 1.96

Avg GAP between Workplace & Program

1.66(workplace

higher)

0.19(workplace

higher)

1.31(program

higher)

0.85(workplace

higher)

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario 17

Speak Listen Read Write

Course 1 6 8 - 9 7 7 - 8

Course 2 6 7 - 8 7 7

Course 3 6 - 7 8 9 - 10 8 - 9

Course 4 7 7 6 6

Course 5 6 8 8 8

Course 6 6 7 - 8 7 7

Course 7 7 8 7 7

Course 8 6 6 6 7

Course 9 7 7 8 8

CLB Range 6 - 7 *6 - 9 **6 - 10 *6 - 9

CLB Level (AVG) 6.5 7.8 7.8 7.5

Findings: Activation Program

18OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Findings: Activation Program

Skill Area CLB Range

CLB Benchmark

Speaking 6-7 6.50

Listening 6-9 7.80

Reading 6-10 7.80

Writing 6-9 7.50

19

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario

  Job Title Speak Listen Read Write

Company 1 Activation Assistant 7 7 6 7

Company 2 Activationist 8 7 - 8 6 8

Company 3 Recreationist 8 7 - 8 7 7

Company 4 Life Enhancement Assistant 8 7 6 6 - 7

Company 5 Activation Supervisor 8 7 - 8 7 8

Company 6 Activation Supervisor 8 7 7 7

Company 7 Activation Coordinator 8 7 - 8 7 8

Company 8 Activation Coordinator 7 - 8 7 6 6 - 7

CLB Level (AVG) 7.8 7.25 6.5 7.25

20OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded

by the Government of Ontario

Findings: Activation workplace

Activation Workplace

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario

21

Skill AreaCLB Range

CLB Benchmark

Speaking 7-8 7.80

Listening 7-8 7.25

Reading 6-7 6.50

Writing 6-8 7.25

Findings: Activation Students

22

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario

Skill Area CLB RangeAverage CLB

Benchmark

Speaking 5-8 5.80

Listening 5-7 6.00

Reading 8 8.00

Writing 7-8 7.20

ProgramSpeaking

workplace

Speaking

classroom

Listening

workplace

Listening

classroom

Activation 7.8

7 – 8

6.5

6 – 7

7.25

7 – 8

7.8

6 – 9*

Bookkeeping 7.88

7 – 9*

6.2

5 – 7**

7.38

7 – 9*

7.6

6 – 9

23OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Comparison

ProgramReading

workplace

Reading

classroom

Writing

workplace

Writing

classroom

Activation 6.5

6 – 7

7.8

6 – 10*

7.25

6 – 7

7.8

6 – 9 **

Bookkeeping 7.38

6 – 8***

8.88

8 – 10 ****

7.25

7 – 8

6.4

6 – 9..

24

OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles Funded by the Government of Ontario

Comparison

Listening/speaking is most important skill

Speaking and listening are key to success

Mostly interact orally with both clients and co-workers

Decisions are collaborative – work as a team

Contact is usually by telephone

Reports are also written but often generated from an accounting program

Bookkeeping : Workplace Observations

25OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Work/duties are self-directed, very little supervision

More than 80% of interaction with co-workers is in person

Most interaction with people outside the workplace, making arrangements for events and activities, is by phone or in person, email is used for follow-up

Non-verbal communication is important – touch, eye contact, smile

Activation: Workplace Observations

26OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Determine any misalignment between findings

Research best practices, both internal and external projects

Present findings to faculty

Decide on final directions and solutions based on dialogue

Phase 2: Recommendations for curricular modifications

27OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Adjunct – language support course for accounting

in-class online mobile

Activity toolbox with online discussion forum

Mini-lessons PD consultation Workshops

Phase 3: Design and development of language

supports

28OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Accounting language adjunct

Incremental language support One semester (pilot) Course-specific with some generic content Modular Scalable and sustainable Language training, socio-cultural skills and

Canadian workplace Hours: 14 weeks x (2+2+1) Developed with help of accounting faculty

29OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Adjunct curriculum

Target Exit: Reading CLB 8/9, Writing CLB 7, Listening 7/8, Speaking 7/8

Focus on speaking and listening Critical reading and writing competencies Business terms and colloquial language Pronunciation Supported by online (with moderator) and

mobile components

30OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Online component Flexible delivery Moderated by an ESL teacher WebCT

◦ language activities◦ assessment◦ interactivity◦ communication◦ audio and video (in-house and open source)

Eportfolios, blogs, podcasts Reinforcing classroom instruction & practice Vocabulary practice

31OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Mobile component Listening modules iPods / MP3 players In-house and open source Key terms and definitions (Accounting

textbook) Excerpts from textbooks Pronunciation Telephone scripts Listening quizzes Follow-up activities on-line

32OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

PD support Activity Toolbox

◦ teaching strategies fostering communication practice and discussion, interaction, collaboration

Course-specific booklets◦ mini-lessons ◦ vocabulary sheets

Faculty workshops Newsletter Consultation Online companion (resources, discussions)

33OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Pilot adjunct, PD, online and mobile components

Make recommendations for future curriculum delivery

Test students (CLBPT) before and after curricular enhancements

Track graduates for employment status 12 months after graduation

Phase 4: Pilot of language supports

34OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Tracking graduates for success in the workplace

Evaluation of pilot language activities

Recommendations for next steps

Final report presenting all deliverables

Phase 5: Dissemination of findings

35OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario

Q&A

36OSLP Occupation-Specific Language Profiles

Funded by the Government of Ontario