Giving Directions

Last Tuesday night, the Neighborhood House intermediate ESL class I teach worked on giving directions. We did a variety of activities, including a map information gap, role plays giving directions to a partner and writing about the various places in and around learners' hometowns. It was interesting to note what landmarks and surrounding cities they chose to feature in their paragraphs.

My favorite thing we tried was this puzzle activity from MLC's Reading for Life - it's on pages 10 - 11; sorry about the huge document! I enjoyed this creative way to get learners thinking about directions (north, south, east and west) while employing critical / analytical skills. All sixteen learners were absorbed in solving the puzzle. It was a good reminder that adults enjoy brainteasers as much as children.

Show, don’t tell

One concept drilled into me during my TEFL class was the need to explain grammatical points and abstract definitions through concrete examples comprehensible to learners. In other words, instead of providing a word’s definition when a learner asks, it can be more illustrative to model the word in a context to which the learner can relate.

Today the teacher in my class accomplished this beautifully. We were working on questions starting with, “Have you ever?”

I wrote the first question on the board:

Have you ever taken a trip on an airplane?

One learner asked the meaning of “ever.” My teacher pulled down the maps at the front of the room. She asked me, “Have you ever been to Texas?” To which I answered, “Yes, I have been to Texas." She proceeded to ask me about multiple locations in the United States, pointing to the map and using the "Have you ever?" questions as I answered. Through modeling the correct usage with a visual learners understood, she successfully conveyed both the meaning and usage of the word "ever." I find it challenging to think of such illuminating examples on the spot, but it probably gets easier with more teaching experience.

Testing

“Would you mind proctoring a test today?” After recent staff cuts, the learning center was a hive of activity. Learners in all three classes had been tested yesterday, but those who were absent still needed testing, so I pulled them from their respective classes. These CASAS tests are administered periodically; they determine if a learner can advance to the next level, and the collective results greatly impact programmatic funding.

Things went really well, though while I was explaining the directions and administering the sample questions, one learner was completely flabbergasted. I tried to explain how to fill in his answer sheet, but he stared at me blankly. Luckily, there were two women sitting in the near vicinity that spoke his native language, so they were able to quickly relay how to pencil in the bubbles as I supervised. Normally, learners are strongly discouraged from using their native language in class, but in this instance, it was helpful to expedite the process as the rest of the students were waiting for me to begin the test.

After the quick tutorial from his peers, the learner appeared to be at ease for the rest of the testing period, but it was a good reminder to exhibit sensitivity for the variety of educational backgrounds in the classroom. Whereas a multiple choice bubble answer sheet seems like second nature to me, many adults are unfamiliar with testing procedures.

Multi-level Classrooms

Spring has brought change to the learning center. Due to tight budgets, a few teachers were relocated to different schools. Typically the learning center has four levels of morning classes, but now the classes have been condensed to three.

It was surprising to walk into the room and see a mixture of faces from what used to be both the level two and level three classes. Nearly every table and chair was filled, forcing me to squeeze through tiny aisles to correct papers. At first, I presumed that the learners would quickly become frustrated, as I thought they were at varying levels based on my previous work in both classrooms. However, as the class progressed, it was interesting to note how the multi-level dynamic played out.

Students were quick to explain things to each other, patiently assisting their partner. As I listened to students relay instructions to one another, I realized what good practice it was for them to utilize English in this manner. Additionally, when asked to do a different type of assignment than they were used to doing, some students surprised me with their ability or inability to complete the task. A few students that were strong in grammar for example, struggled to complete a vocabulary exercise.

It was illuminating to assess students' skills in this new environment. I was reminded of the common disparity between the skills of a learner, speaking and writing for example, depending on the strengths and experiences of that person.

While I am not advocating in favor of staff cuts nor diminishing the challenges of conducting multi-level classrooms, it was fascinating to watch how learners handled the situation. I was reminded of the resiliency and enduring positive attitude of adult immigrant and refugee students.