Digital Promise Signature Workspace
Supporting Adult English Language Learners
Adult English-language learners' (ELLs) diversity and varying levels of English proficiency and education/literacy in their primary language requires diverse approaches to supporting their learning.
Transcript
hello my name is todd windish and i have
been an esl
educator since 2013 working in credit
and non-credit post-secondary programs
all across california
i'm currently a full-time professor at
college of san mateo
and i also work part-time at saddleback
college in mission viejo
i'm here to introduce my workspace that
i've created
using digital promises adult learner
model and their learner variability
navigator
i hope that the factors and strategies
that i've collected here can help you in
your interactions with adult language
learner
learners in any learning environment so
let's go ahead and get started
you're probably looking at this page
right now at the top of the overview
page
you can see a brief overview and
description of the adult language
learner population
so we can see how diverse and vast it is
but below that overview
you will see that i have selected some
of the most significant factors
affecting adult language learners such
as
background knowledge their skills
and their foundational reading skills
i've grouped these factors into larger
categories
so you can see here that taking learners
knowledge and skills into account is
important
especially for adult language learners
that have a rich history rich cultural
history
and experiences to build upon in the
classroom you can see a brief
overview or brief description of the
factor here but i want to call your
attention to these little note icons in
the top right corner
if you click on that you can see how
this factor intersects
with a learner's primary language so we
can see how this factor
has a special effect or a significant
effect on adult language learners
so for example let's look at composition
here
adult english language learners may have
limited formal schooling and literacy
skills in their first language
affecting the development of their
composition skills in english
that's one thing i love about the
learner variability navigator is that we
can see how these different factors
connect with each other
and affect each other now below the
factors
you can see here that i've also selected
some strategies that you can use
in the classroom or in your own learning
environment to help support adult
language learners and these factors that
affect them
if you click on these strategies you can
get more information about them
including an overview and below that you
can find some resources such as
examples about how to use these
strategies professional development
links and videos to watch
and the research that supports the use
of these strategies
so back to our workspace here let's go
over these categories very quickly
the first one is learn learners
knowledge and skills
the second one is building upon and
growing learners metacognitive skills
adult language learners are advanced
language learners
they have metacognitive skills that help
them analyze language and learning at a
level that
is often higher than their monolingual
peers so using peer feedback in the
classroom
or giving them assignments where they
can explain their thinking and reflect
on their learning
are really great opportunities also
addressing learners foundational skills
and resources is important
adult language learners might have a
lower social socioeconomic status
and they might have a lower level of
digital literacy so including direct
instruction on computer basics or
internet searches
are important to support those learners
and finally addressing learners social
emotional needs is also important for
adult language learners of course this
is true for any adult learner but
especially adult language learners they
might be facing stereotype threat in
their communities
or they might be facing inhibition when
they're trying to speak in a
language that's not their native
language so i hope you enjoy
exploring this workspace and using some
of these strategies in your learning
environments
thank you so much
Adult English-language learners (ELLs) are a diverse group with widely varying levels of English proficiency and education/literacy in their primary language. Their diversity spurs different approaches to learn and teach the English language and other content.
They may be immigrant-origin adults, who make up about 28 percent of the working-age population in the U.S. Or, they may be international college students, comprising about 5.5 percent of the national college student body.
It’s essential to note that ELLs have numerous strengths to build upon in their learning, including unique cultural and life experiences that lead to passionate discussion and engaging course content. Multilingualism builds metacognitive skills that allow ELLs to reflect on their own learning at levels higher than their monolingual peers. Yet, ELLs often face stereotype threat and discrimination outside the classroom, which lead to emotional challenges and inhibition. Immigrant-origin ELLs in particular may have a lower socioeconomic status, which can affect computer access and overall literacy environment.
Below you can find strategies to use in your classrooms and programs that address all of these factors influencing ELLs.
About this workspace's curator: Todd Windisch has been an ESL educator since 2013 and is currently an assistant professor at College of San Mateo in San Mateo, CA and a part-time, online professor at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA with previous experience teaching at credit and noncredit post-secondary programs throughout Southern California, including Mt. San Antonio College and California State University, Fullerton.
Digital Promise’s Learner Variability Navigator brings the science of learning to you. Explore more factors and strategies in the Adult Learner Model and check out this free webinar.
Taking learners' knowledge and skills into account
Primary Language refers to the language(s) a person has been exposed to from birth.
With increased life experiences, social interactions, and participation in education, adult learners bring a plethora of Background Knowledge to learning.
Composition is the ability to express ideas and information through writing.
Foundational Reading Skills, including phonics and Decoding, refer to skills needed for effective reading comprehension.
Adult learner
Understanding adults' lived experiences and cultural backgrounds and connecting them to instructional practices helps all learners feel like valued members of the community.
Adult learner
Understanding that different individuals may experience and view the same event differently is a higher level cognitive skill that develops in adolescence and throughout adulthood.
Adult learner
Formative assessment is “assessment for learning” rather than “assessment of learning”.
Adult learner
Visual reading aids, such as handouts and online guides, help learners to maintain Attention and serve to support the learning process.
Adult learner
Seeing and using new words repeatedly and across contexts is critical for vocabulary acquisition.
Math Mindset includes learners' self-concept and self-efficacy beliefs as well as their mindset toward failure, all of which shape their willingness to get involved with mathematics.
Math PK-2
CRA is a sequential instructional approach during which students move from working with concrete materials to creating representational drawings to using abstract symbols.
Adult learner
In an increasingly digital world, adults who struggle with using technology can benefit from direct instruction for an array of digital tools.
Building upon and Growing learners' metacognitive skills
Metacognition is the ability to think about our internal cognitive processes, or to “think about thinking”.
Adult learner
When learners provide constructive feedback on each other's work, they reflect on their own understanding, learn to give relevant suggestions, receive specific ways to improve, and engage in Metacognition.
Adult learner
Analyzing errors is especially beneficial in helping learners develop a Learner Mindset and critical thinking skills, which are a component of Problem Solving.
Adult learner
Giving learners the opportunity to explain their thinking process aloud helps them to solidify their comprehension, and move knowledge into their Long-term Memory.
Adult learner
When annotating, learners engage deeply with a text and make their thinking visible while reading, which supports Foundational Reading Skills.
addressing learners' foundational skills and resources
Socioeconomic Status (SES) refers to an individual or family's social standing as compared to other families.
An adult's Literacy Environment reflects the many different contexts in which they might learn.
Digital Literacy skills help adults access and navigate digital resources in both their personal and professional lives and can impact career and job trajectories.
Adult learner
Adult learners benefit from knowing there is an instructor available to provide support as needed, especially during asynchronous learning.
Adult learner
Teaching learners how to effectively search the internet is critical for helping them learn how to find accurate and relevant information and aids in developing information literacy.
Adult learner
In an increasingly digital world, adults who struggle with using technology can benefit from direct instruction for an array of digital tools.
Adult learner
Research shows that, along with traditional reading comprehension strategies, learners use unique strategies to read the non-linear, hyperlinked structure of online texts.
Addressing learners' Social-Emotional Needs
Many stereotypes exist about the academic performance of learners based on categories such as their race, gender, or age.
Emotions are complex psychological states stemming from a person's experiences.
Inhibition, a component of executive functioning, is the ability to suppress Attention to irrelevant input and to focus on pertinent stimuli or information.
Adult learner
Networking and supporting adult learners in expanding their social networks provide access to additional resources and Social Supports, which can impact their trajectory and Motivation.
Adult learner
Positive self-talk can support self-efficacy, optimism, Self-regulation, and a Learner Mindset.
Adult learner
Giving learners the opportunity to share their knowledge, skills, and understanding with their peers strengthens learning and increases Motivation while also building Social Supports.
