M.Ed Practicum: Background Information
As a practicing ESL/TESOL instructor with 15 years of experience, I wanted to find a practicum placement that would enable me to try new skills and use new technologies with adult ESL learners. My former colleague at Collingwood Neighbourhood House (CNH), C., was willing to be my mentoring teacher, and I worked with her ELSA level 3 (CLB 3, approximately equivalent to 'Upper Beginner/Pre-Intermediate' level) learners during a 5-week period in the spring of 2011.
ELSA stands for English Language Services for Adults, and is British Columbia's equivalent to the government-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs which are offered in other Canadian provinces and territories. ELSA is offered from pre-beginner level, which is classified as literacy level, to level 5, which is classified as high-intermediate. There are 'regular' ELSA classes as well as 'ELSA for the Workplace Levels 4 and 5' which are designed to meet the needs of newcomers who are focused on developing workplace-focused English skills.
The ELSA program at Collingwood Neighbourhood House is a small but well-established program located in East Vancouver. There are only two ELSA classes at this location, and currently Level 2 and 3 classes are offered there. There is a childcare component to the CNH ELSA program, and as a result, many of the students are parents of young children. The learners that I worked with were mostly women, and came to Canada from China, Taiwan, the Phillipines, Vietnam, Tanzania, and El Salvador. The program runs throughout the year and the curriculum consists of 12 monthly theme-based units on topics such as education, Canadian law, housing, family life, and commercial services. One of the greatest strengths of the CNH ELSA program is the collaborative and holisitic approach of all the staff in supporting learners and their families. The teaching and childcare staff draw on other community supports and volunteers to help ensure that that the language and settlement needs of the learners are being met.
ELSA stands for English Language Services for Adults, and is British Columbia's equivalent to the government-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs which are offered in other Canadian provinces and territories. ELSA is offered from pre-beginner level, which is classified as literacy level, to level 5, which is classified as high-intermediate. There are 'regular' ELSA classes as well as 'ELSA for the Workplace Levels 4 and 5' which are designed to meet the needs of newcomers who are focused on developing workplace-focused English skills.
The ELSA program at Collingwood Neighbourhood House is a small but well-established program located in East Vancouver. There are only two ELSA classes at this location, and currently Level 2 and 3 classes are offered there. There is a childcare component to the CNH ELSA program, and as a result, many of the students are parents of young children. The learners that I worked with were mostly women, and came to Canada from China, Taiwan, the Phillipines, Vietnam, Tanzania, and El Salvador. The program runs throughout the year and the curriculum consists of 12 monthly theme-based units on topics such as education, Canadian law, housing, family life, and commercial services. One of the greatest strengths of the CNH ELSA program is the collaborative and holisitic approach of all the staff in supporting learners and their families. The teaching and childcare staff draw on other community supports and volunteers to help ensure that that the language and settlement needs of the learners are being met.
Project: Digital Storytelling
For my practice teaching requirement, I decided to pilot a digital storytelling project designed for adult ESL learners. A digital story is "a short, first person video-narrative created by combining recorded voice, still and moving images, and music or other sounds" (Centre for Digital Storytelling, n.d.). Digital storytelling in ESL contexts incorporates computer literacy skills with language learning and and can be a way for learners to explore personal and/or meaningful stories.
Generally, in ELSA settings, the language focus is more on listening and speaking rather than reading and writing. As I am interested in exploring issues of learner identity, I wanted to see what would happen if I introduced an expressivist process writing approach to encourage and support learners to write and share about issues of deep personal importance and meaning (Hairston, as cited in Fernsten, 2008). With the support of the ELSA instructors at CNH, I developed materials to introduce and guide students through the development and completion of individual digital stories. By the end of the project, 13 of the 16 students registered in the class had created their own digital stories.
Prior to and during the project, I was concerned that this project was too challenging for ELSA 3 learners. I created materials and found models that I felt were level-appropriate, but I wasn't sure if the major task of creating a story and making a digital story was going to be manageable. In the end, I was truly amazed by the work that the students produced, and the effort that they put in to their stories. To me, their work reflects the power of motivation and investment in language learning.
Please click on the 'lesson' links in the 'Practicum' section above to view a selection of 5 lessons that I developed as part of this project. The materials are also included below each lesson. There is also a 'final reflections' link that describes my overall thoughts about this exciting and rewarding pilot project. You can also view the website that I created and used with the learners at www.cnhelsadsp.weebly.com. The website contains lesson materials, digital story examples, and a couple of the students' digital stories (uploaded to the Internet at their request).
Not all of the materials that I designed for use with this project are included on this website. Please feel free to contact me for more information about the other lessons and materials I used to help stay on track with the project!
Generally, in ELSA settings, the language focus is more on listening and speaking rather than reading and writing. As I am interested in exploring issues of learner identity, I wanted to see what would happen if I introduced an expressivist process writing approach to encourage and support learners to write and share about issues of deep personal importance and meaning (Hairston, as cited in Fernsten, 2008). With the support of the ELSA instructors at CNH, I developed materials to introduce and guide students through the development and completion of individual digital stories. By the end of the project, 13 of the 16 students registered in the class had created their own digital stories.
Prior to and during the project, I was concerned that this project was too challenging for ELSA 3 learners. I created materials and found models that I felt were level-appropriate, but I wasn't sure if the major task of creating a story and making a digital story was going to be manageable. In the end, I was truly amazed by the work that the students produced, and the effort that they put in to their stories. To me, their work reflects the power of motivation and investment in language learning.
Please click on the 'lesson' links in the 'Practicum' section above to view a selection of 5 lessons that I developed as part of this project. The materials are also included below each lesson. There is also a 'final reflections' link that describes my overall thoughts about this exciting and rewarding pilot project. You can also view the website that I created and used with the learners at www.cnhelsadsp.weebly.com. The website contains lesson materials, digital story examples, and a couple of the students' digital stories (uploaded to the Internet at their request).
Not all of the materials that I designed for use with this project are included on this website. Please feel free to contact me for more information about the other lessons and materials I used to help stay on track with the project!
References
Center for Digital Storytelling (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.storycenter.org/index1.html
Fernsten, L. A. (2008). Writer identity and ESL learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 44-52. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.52.1.5.
Fernsten, L. A. (2008). Writer identity and ESL learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 52(1), 44-52. doi: 10.1598/JAAL.52.1.5.