Blog
Negative headlines and trendlines for ESL in California
Adverse effects of public education budget cuts
“Only the educated are free.”
The dollar continues to decline in value. The national budget, seldom balanced, has zoomed deep into mega-debt during the Bush II era with two expensive wars, a deepening recession, and record tax cuts for the wealthy. The California state budget runs at least a $14 billion dollar deficit. Cutbacks in public education, therefore, seem inevitable.
In California, the governor has pushed for a 10 percent across the board cut in government programs. Adult education, almost always a step-child to K-12 programs, has been hit exceptionally hard as school boards try to minimize the impact. Of course, many adult education students do not vote so elected officials find cuts easier to make. The growing anti-illegal immigrant sentiment has also helped made ESL programs a natural target for budget cutting. The acute need for far more effective, modern, and well-funded programs to restore some standards to public education gets overlooked – again.
SIGNS OF CUTBACKS
These abstract concerns about cutbacks took a very visible shape at the statewide California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages convention last week. Total attendance was officially down by more than 25 percent since school districts had few available funds to send administrators, let alone teachers, to the conference. Yet I suspect the real numbers are far, far more dramatic than the reduction from 1600 t0 1200 attendees. Here are some signs of pervasive cutbacks:
- only a single school district recruited teachers
- the exhibition hall seemed like a ghost town
- publishers and vendors were eager to talk about the freezing of public education spending in many districts
- vendors expressed hope that teachers would buy even more supplies from their personal pockets
- many workshops collected rather sparse crowds
- the few job board postings were for summertime Intensive English Programs that attract private, international students
- the mood, despite many fantastic new educational resources and software programs, seemed very downbeat
Perhaps it’s unfair to juxtapose a very hectic, chaotic international teachers’ convention in New York City with a far smaller state teachers’ convention in Sacramento. Yet this year the two ESL teachers’ conventions occurred on consecutive weekends. The contrast could not be clearer.
EXPANSION OF TEACHING ENGLISH
Teaching English, on a global level, continues to dramatically improve and expand. The development of new software for English language learners, better teaching techniques that respect students and encourage authentic communication, and the increase in international educational point to a better tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the news from California’s public education system, always troubled, seems to worsen almost daily – especially for immigrant students and ESL teachers. The draconian cutbacks will, again, disproportionately fall on English language programs. Instead of helping immigrants join the national family and learn English, lawmakers will maintain low taxes on the wealthy and eliminate vital educational programs for low-income children and adults. Perhaps improved educational technology and the exceptional efforts of ESL teachers will preserve the under-financed system, but the trends seem to be running in the wrong direction.
OVERALL IMPACT
Teaching at an elite private university, I could pretend these cutbacks don’t matter to me. Yet that’s a dangerous illusion. The collapse of public education, especially for immigrants, will have both immediate and long-term consequences. The expanding gap between the wealthy who can afford a truly wonderful 21st century education and the expanding number of under-educated, over-stressed poor indicates a worsening future for too many Californians.
As an American, a Californian, and an English teacher, I don’t like the trendlines and headlines for American public education. Do you?
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Unexpected events at TESOL Convention
Pleasant surprises at TESOL Convention
Somehow, I forgot the enticing nature of free teaching materials, friendly professional staff, and the vast collection of new software programs in the exhibit area. All three floors of the exhibiting area!
An impressive workshop for adult educators remains the “Online Applications, Psychometric Tests, and Adult ELLs” lead by Amber Gallup. This practical presentation focused on preparing immigrants for online job applications that use psychological testing for hourly positions. Several teachers shared their experiences, frustrations, and satisfactions with the standardized testing used by Home Depot, Sears, Target, Albertsons, CVS, and Toys R Us. Their current experiences echoed mine ten years ago teaching in Santa Monica-Malibu Adult Education Center and Santa Monica Community College.
More later on workshops for improving academic writing and speaking skills. I will also quickly review the pitches for various software programs and my initial impressions.
What TESOL presentations were your favorite? What new ideas are you bringing?
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
Center for Applied Linguistics Suggests Workshops at TESOL convention
CAL offers workshop suggestions
“The Center for Applied Linguistics is a private, nonprofit organization promoting access, equity and mutual understanding for linguistically and culturally diverse people around the world.”
How does one choose between the many tempting workshops at the TESOL convention?
Naturally, I chat with a friends and co-workers collecting tips. I check titles, times, and locations. I seek more information online!
The outstanding Center for Applied Linguistics website includes many resources for ESL teachers, program administrators, and university researchers. Their goal, which I share, is to bridge the huge gap between academic theory and classroom practice, finding effective ways to help adult English language learner gain fluency in our confusing tongue. Adult educators will find a plethora of valuable materials here. Yet ESL teachers working with children will also discover practical information such as an introduction to Student Oral Proficiency Assessment .
USING THE WEBSITE
First stop, therefore, is the the CAL website for a list of recommended workshops by CAL researchers. As ever, the Center for Applied Linguistics website provided some practical suggestions.
“World of TESOL, Worlds of Refugees”, “Strategies for Serving High Advanced Adult ESL Students”, and “Building Academic Language Through Scaffolded Instructional Conversations”, and “Analyzing Oral Proficiency to Guide Instruction” sound like sensible, smart choices. “Applying Teacher Input to Improve Assessment” also sounds like an excellent idea. Two other workshops that caught my eye, “Interested in Working as as ESOL Consultant” and “Connecting Culture and Language in ELL Instruction”, but I’m not going to any workshops that start at 7:30 AM or 7:30 PM while visiting New York City. Right?
Anyway, English teachers, teacher trainers, program administrators should consider bookmarking the site to stay current on research to help ESL, ELL, or EFL students. I learn something on each visit. You might too.
How do you decide between TESOL workshops?
Ask More. Know More. Share More.
Create Compelling Conversations.
Visit www.compellingconversations.com
Going Beyond the ESL classroom
Teaching English and Engaging the World
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
How can we encourage our students to speak to more strangers in English? Can we move class discussions beyond the predictable textbook lessons? Are shopping malls, museums, and movies places under-appreciated learning resources to help students develop a more practical vocabulary?
“The Outside World as an Extension of the EFL/ESL Classroom”, by Mark A. Pegrum, makes a compelling argument that ESL teachers should go way beyond dry textbooks to engage in the practical needs and broader cultural life. This exceptional article, written in proper academic style for elite educational audiences, clearly outlines the many reasons for engaging ESL students in the world around them. The article advocates field trips, conducting surveys, visiting museums, discussing movies, obtaining information from public offices, and summarizing television programs.
Numerous activities, along with the suggested level and focus, are provided in this article/collection of lesson ideas for multiple levels. While I can’t bring myself to write in this style with all the appropriate footnotes to make commonsense sound so respectable in academic journals, I’m very glad that Pegrum wrote this outstanding article for ESL professionals. Good job!
These lessons work better for adult education and intensive English programs than community college or university level ESL classes. Many college ESL teachers, however, will also find excellent suggestions for supplemental intermediate and advanced activities. Check it out for lesson ideas to create authentic language and deepen practical life skills for your curious ESL students.
How do you encourage your students to go beyond the classroom?
Ask more. Know more. Share more.
