Bilingualize Your Workforce and Yourself! How We Can Help All Adults in the U.S. Learn English
Posted by By Ajarn at 10 June, at 04 : 02 AM Print
Seems everywhere I go people are talking more and more about how to actually bridge language barriers – and not just complaining about people not speaking English… finally! I know we have a long way to go, but the anecdotal signs are encouraging.
Fact is, as much as they want to and we wish they would, the many millions of nonnative English speakers here in the U.S. are not going to instantly learn English. It will take a committed effort to improve the affordability, accessibility, and especially the effectiveness of ESL programs to accomplish that goal. Following are observations and ideas to achieve the goal of English proficiency for all adults in the U.S.
While most, if not nearly all, school districts currently have an ESL – English as a Second Language or ELL – English Language Learner program, viable options for their parents and other working adults are slim indeed. Most government-offered or subsidized ESL programs are simply not focused enough to be effective enough.
Working adults and parents want and need to learn/improve their English quickly – not over several years of classes. Many government-run ESL programs are open-ended, meaning students can come to class when they want or are able to, and the lessons are not truly part of a progressive program. While this type of course structure allows the administrators to offer the training to more students, the effectiveness and sense of ongoing accomplishment for the students is often less than optimum, as one can imagine.
When given effective curriculum, instruction, and a structured course, it is remarkable to see the rapid progress for English Language Learner adults. It is the classic example of teaching to the top and expecting great results vs. teaching to the average or below.
See, of course it is fundamental to teach kids to speak English here in the U.S. – that is a no-brainer. But it is even more crucial to help adults learn English – and soon! English Language Learners – not just Hispanics, but other cultures as well – are by far the fastest-growing groups in the country. And they are a significant number of those who are looking for work or working in low-skill jobs as well. We need them to be, if not completely fluent, then at the very least proficient and business-functional in English to significantly contribute to our growth as a nation.
Courses must be intensive, English-only, incorporate workplace-relevant terminology, and – maybe most important – must include skits, role plays and other means to require the students to stand up and speak English every class. Because learning another language is as much about self-confidence as it is the language itself. Once we accept these high expectations and demand they be built into all adult ESL courses, the results will speak for themselves in a positive way.
