New Brief Available on Working with Adult English Language Learners with Limited Literacy

A CAELA Network brief, Working with Adult English Language Learners with Limited Literacy: Research, Practice, and Professional Development, is now available online at  www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pd_resources/literacy.html. This brief was written by Miriam Burt, Joy Kreeft Peyton, and Kirsten Schaetzel and focuses primarily on the needs of preliterate, nonliterate, and semiliterate learners. However, learners whose native languages are written in nonalphabetic, non-Roman alphabetic, and Roman alphabetic scripts may also not be literate in those languages and may be enrolled in literacy level classes. Read the brief.

The CAELA Network in cooperation with the Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education is pleased to announce the completion of its Framework for Quality Professional  Development for Practitioners Working With Adult English Language Learners. This framework was created to guide the development of high quality professional development opportunities for practitioners working with adult English language learners. It can be used by practitioners across the United States to plan, implement, and evaluate professional development for practitioners working with adult English language learners at the state and program levels. To read the framework, click here.

Adult ESL Teacher Credentialing and Certification

This latest CAELA brief was written by JoAnn Crandall of the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Genesis Ingersoll and Jacqueline Lopez of the Center for Applied Linguistics. Ths brief describes efforts to professionalize the workforce of adult ESL educators, including efforts to certify and credential these teachers; discusses the qualification requirements for adult ESL teachers in the 50 states and the District of Columbia; and recommends steps for states to take to continue to professionalize the field. Read the brief.

For adult ESL resource links, click here.

Question of the Month: What is reflective teaching and what are benefits and challenges for adult ESL teaching practice?

Answer: For those working in adult English as a second language (ESL) settings, finding practical options for professional development is a concern. The field has a range of program types, a largely part-time workforce, limited financial resources for training, and varied policies and requirements for professional credentialing or certification (Burt & Keenan, 1998). Implementing approaches to professional development that accommodate these factors while providing opportunities for staff to expand their knowledge is a challenge. One practice that has gained popularity in recent years is reflective teaching. More

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