Study Circles

What does classroom-based research say about the kinds of interactions, corrective feedback techniques, and instructional activities that are effective in helping adults learn to communicate orally in English? Participants in this study circle will read and discuss recent research in these areas while working together to consider practical applications in their own classes. Study circle activities will encourage teachers to examine the quantity and quality of student talk in their classrooms. This reflective process will help teachers understand how simple adjustments to patterns of classroom interaction can result in significant improvements in students’ oral proficiency.

The study group will begin with a discussion of the diversity of reading strengths and needs among intermediate (GLE 3-9) ELLs (including those placed in ESL classes and those in ABE classes) and the rationale behind components-based reading assessments and reading profiles (Strucker & Davidson, 2003; Strucker, 1997). A brief and practical approach to individual assessment will be presented that is based on the “simple view of reading;” i.e., vocabulary + word recognition = up to 80% of comprehension (Gough & Tunmer, 1986; Sabatini, et al., 2010). In addition, part of Session I will be devoted to familiarizing participants with the features and resources of ELL-U and the LINCS ASRP website. Following Sessions I and II participants will be asked to assess an intermediate ELL from their program using assessments available free on the LINCS ASRP website, beginning with the background questionnaire and the Davidson-Bruce Word Meaning Test after Session I and concluding with the QARI Word Reading Test and Sylvia Greene’s Informal Word Analysis Inventory (Davidson, Strucker, et al., 2009). In Sessions II and III participants will have ample opportunities to present their test results and receive feedback from the study group leader and other members. Session III will also give participants the opportunity to discuss what implications flow from their assessments, including implications for placement, appropriate instructional approaches, and materials.

After you have taken the online course on second language acquisition (OC01), you can bring your enthusiasm, questions, and teaching applications to this study circle. We will debrief the course, read articles, and brainstorm ways to bring key ideas into the classroom and potentially an action research project.

What does the latest research say about teaching vocabulary? Participants in this study circle will read and discuss key research findings about effective approaches to teaching vocabulary to adult ELLs. Teachers will share their own experiences and have the opportunity to try out new teaching ideas in their own classrooms.

This study circle is a follow-up to ELL-U’s TE09 Learner-centered Practice in Adult ESL, which focused on learner centered principles and practices in adult ESL. Building on Weinstein’s (2004) learner-centered principles, participants will identify an area to explore in their classrooms over the course of three months. Through this study circle, participants will deepen their understanding of effective learner-centered approaches and learn how to use teacher inquiry to test promising learner-centered strategies that actively engage learners. Through Allwright and Hanks’ (2009) exploratory practice lens, participants will also consider the role of adult ELLs as practitioners of learning in classroom-based inquiry.

This study circle is a ‘next step’ for those who have completed the ELL-U online course OC02 Teaching ELLs Who Are Emergent Readers. This study circle brings together teachers of low-literate adult ESL students, those whose learners have little or no first-language literacy. With a special focus on reading development, participants will review relevant research and consider implications for the classroom. Through readings, discussion, and reflective tasks, we’ll explore promising practices in teaching adult ESL students who are learning to read for the first time.

This study circle is the follow-up to a workshop that ends with practitioners self-assessing their program persistence practices. Building from this, participants will identify 1-2 promising persistence strategies to explore over the course of 3 months. They will be guided in drafting a plan, observing changes, analyzing the contributing factors, and drawing conclusions about the strategies and their next steps. In addition, participants will read and discuss articles relevant to ESL persistence.