Adult Emergent Literacy (LESLLA) Teaching Toolkit

When preparing for a celebration, learners can contribute according to their talents, interests, or abilities.  Teachers may do this activity near the end of the course. A celebration of their hard work and achievement enhances LESLLA learners' confidence in learning. Procedure: The whole class think about the following questions: * Who are we going to invite? * What are we going to eat? * What are we going to do? * What are we going to bring? You may find page 84 of the blue Collaborations book (Huisenga & Weistein-Shr, 1996) useful. In small groups, learners think about what they are going to do. They may show, teach, cook, or do something. Have learners fill in a chart. Each group reports to the class what they are going to do. (Teaching points: Grammar "going to" & pronunciation gonna ) Learners make a list of all the people in the class (including the teacher). Write down what each person is going to do. (Huisenga & Weistein-Shr, 1996, pp.84-8...

At the end of the lesson, the teacher tells the class what their goodbye task is (saying something or answering a question) and prepares learners for the task. When learners leave the classroom, the teacher (and the teaching assistants) can stand by the doors and have learners carry out the task. Examples: Chunks (to develop automaticity) / Social language e.g., See you tomorrow. Have a good weekend!   Teacher asks, "How old are you?" Learners answer, "I am ___ years old." or "I'd rather not tell." Photo by  susannp4 on pixabay My mentor teacher carried out this goodbye routine every lesson. I noticed that this simple activity developed learners' confidence. After they interacted with the teacher or me in English, they looked so happy.

Board games allow learners to check their learning progress in a relaxing way. Teachers can draw their own Candyland-like board or use a template (e.g., Microsoft Word Games & Game Templates , Board Game Makers and Templates ). Draw pictures, use magazine pictures, or write words or letters on the board squares. Have learners play in groups. Provide each group with a game board, a die or a spinner, and a game piece for each learner. Learners take turn to throw the die. When they land on a square, they should read the word or say what the picture is. They can stay there if they are correct but have to go back to where they come from if they are not. Photo by  Skitterphoto on pixabay Reference: Croydon, A. (2005). Making it real: Teaching pre-literate adult refugee students. Literacy Network of Washington.

Providing opportunities to talk or read about news in the classroom is an act of empowerment; learners need to know more about the world around them. Moreover, many adult learners are interested in the news. Using news in adult literacy classrooms builds up their confidence and develops their identity as English users. Picture by  OpenClipart-Vectors on Pixabay Techniques: * Bring in pictures from newspapers or magazines showing current events. Have learners talk about the events and teach important vocabulary (e.g., earthquake , election , war ). * Write about a news story with language that is suitable for the learners (see "Resources on writing for LESLLA learners" below). Resources on writing for LESLLA learners:  Simply Stories. (n.d.).  Simply Stories Guide . Retrieved from  http://simplystories.org/simply-stories-guide/ ----- This is a brief description of the language used in different levels of the Simply Stories. WorldSight Media. ...

Self-access boxes contain activities or materials of different skills and levels and allow learners to supplement their learning with activities/materials of their own choice. The teacher organizes the materials (e.g., color coding for level and skill) and teaches learners how to use the boxes. Self-access boxes offer flexibility; learners can go to the boxes for more learning anytime. They can get more exercises when they finish classwork early, or redo an exercise if they feel they need more practice. They can also look for activities that suit their level when they find a class activity too challenging. This is helpful especially for big classes, where the teacher may not be able to address every learner's needs in each lesson. Self-access boxes also promote learner autonomy, helping learners become independent learners, who are confident that they are capable of taking care of their own learning. Photo by  moreharmony on pixabay What can be put in a self-access...

Learners can make their own booklets to prepare themselves for real-life conversations or speaking tests. Teachers can provide learners with a booklet template and a conversation with blanks for learners to fill in according to their situation. The booklet is easy to carry and allows learners to practice speaking at home. Not only is this a great review tool for them, but it also alleviates their anxiety when they speak. With the language support given by the booklet, learners will also feel confident about dealing with that particular situation or even with similar tasks in real life. Even if they are preparing the booklet for a speaking test, this assignment benefits them as they are learning how to review and taking responsibility for their learning, training them to see themselves confidently as legitimate learners.  ("Making a booklet," 2008) Reference: Making a booklet: Calling in sick at school. (2008). Retrieved from https://www.fremont.k12.ca.us/page/1596...

At the end of each lesson or unit, teachers may ask learners to reflect on their learning. This helps learners become more proactive as they focus on what they can do (versus waiting passively for the teacher to do something for them). It also "gives learners a voice in their education and in shaping the curriculum" (Parrish, 2004, p.267), empowering them to be confident. Lesson self-assessment can be in various forms. Teachers may give out a form for learns to fill out (see the image below), or they can simply ask them the same questions and have them write their answers on post-its and vote for their favorite activity. (Source: Parrish, 2004, p.268) References: Parrish, B. (2004). Teaching adult ESL: A practical introduction. New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Huisenga, J., & Weistein-Shr, G. (1996). Collaborations: English in our lives (Beginning 1 student book). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers.

Assessment: Short dictations provide opportunities for learners to succeed and see their own progress. Phonics: Have LESLLA learners write only the first sound or the final sound first. When they are ready, have them write out the whole word. This practice helps learners connect oral language with the written form. For phonics practice, accept inventive spelling. Learner Autonomy : Asking learners to prepare for short dictations allow them to see and work for an achievable goal. All these enhance learners' confidence, making them believe they can succeed. Patsy Vinogradov's LESLLA 2009 presentation slides "Balancing Top and Bottom: Learner-Generated Texts for Teaching Phonics" Reference: Liden, A., Poulos, A., & Vinogradov, P. (2008). Handout from TESOL conference presentation: Phonics and student-generated texts for emergent readers . New York City, NY.