Presenters Kerstin Keul Universitaet zu Köln

Theory and Practice in Teaching Immigrant Adults with Limited Education and Literacy
Presenters Kerstin Keul Universitaet zu Köln Joy Kreeft Peyton Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC Andreas Rohde Universität zu Köln Minna Suni University of Jyväskylä Taina Tammelin-Laine University of Jyväskylä Martha Young-Scholten Newcastle University With the rest of the EU-Speak team Nancy Faux Virginia Commonwealth University Susan Watson Virginia Commonwealth University Belma Haznedar Boğaziçi University, Istanbul Rola Naeb Northumbria University Laura Picornell Universidad de Granada Marcin Sosiński Universidad de Granada

2010-2018 EU-Speak Project, led by Newcastle University, UK
Teaching Adult Immigrants and Training their Teachers This presentation has been produced with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. The contents are the sole responsibility of the EU-Speak partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the NA and the Commission. Project ref: UK01-KA KA2

Session Plan 3. Questions and Discussion EU-Speak Project Oveview
Martha Young-Scholten and Joy Kreeft Peyton Insights Into Two Modules: Development & Delivery Language & Literacy in their Social Contexts Minna Suni and Taina Tammelin-Laine Vocabulary Acquisition Andreas Rohde and Kerstin Keul 3. Questions and Discussion

Part 1. Aims and Scope of the
EU-Speak Project : Partnership exchange involving multiple workshops to share ideas on and experiences with components of LESLLA provision: approaches; methods; materials; assessment; policy; teacher training and professional development : Focus on teacher training and professional development, with surveys and consultation on practitioners’ needs and access to training and professional development; draft curriculum; pilot module (vocabulary) : Six free, online modules designed and delivered twice, in English, Finnish, German, Spanish, and Turkish

EU-Speak 3: Starting Point
Learners’ potential #1: Regardless of age or education, immigrants can reach high levels of oral proficiency in a new language (Hawkins’ 2001 summary of decades of research), and adults can learn to read for the first time in a new language (e.g., Kurvers, Stockmann, & van de Craats; Young-Scholten & Naeb, 2010; Young-Scholten & Strom, 2006). The reality: Adults with limited or no home language literacy and education may struggle to go beyond low program levels (e.g., A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference) (Condelli et al., 2003; Kurvers et al., 2010; Schellekens, 2011; Tarone, Bigelow, & Hansen, 2009). Learners’ potential #2: Learners progress faster with well-qualified teachers (Condelli, Cronen, & Bos, 2010; Paget & Stevenson, 2014; Schellekens, 2011). The situation: Practitioners have limited access to training and professional development, especially if they are part-time or unpaid volunteers (EU-Speak 2 surveys and consultation). Feasibility: LESLLA practitioners’ situations are similar around the world. Therefore, training and continued professional development can be provided internationally and, where possible, in the languages that teachers teach.

Six free, self-contained, six-week modules are open to anyone working with
LESLLA learners Working with LESLLA Learners Virginia Commonwealth University; winter 2016, spring 2017 Bilingualism and Multilingualism Boğaziçi University; spring 2016, fall 2017 Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts University of Jyväskylä; fall 2016, spring 2017 Reading Development From a Psycholinguistic Perspective University of Granada; winter 2016, fall 2017 Vocabulary Acquisition University of Cologne; spring 2017, spring 2018 Acquisition and Assessment of Morphosyntax Newcastle University and Northumbria University; fall 2017, spring 2018

Countries of Participants Thus Far

Impact: Module Evaluation
Feedback Questionnaire Discussion Forum Analysis Mentor Evaluation

Current and future opportunities
It is still possible to participate in modules. Participants earn certificates of completion, which can count toward continued professional development. Modules can be delivered face-to-face. This can be arranged by contacting the project director, Martha Young-Scholten. Peyton & Young-Scholten are editing a volume, with chapters on each module, to be published by Multilingual Matters in An event will be held in Newcastle, early July 2018, to wrap up the project. There are some funds for delegates’ travel expenses. EU-Speak can be built on in various ways if practitioner (including volunteer) training and professional development becomes a major focus of LESLLA.

Modules open for participation
Bilingualism and Multilingualism Boğaziçi University; September 8, 2017 Reading Development From a Psycholinguistic Perspective University of Granada; October 20, 2017 Vocabulary Learning University of Cologne; February, 2018 Acquisition and Assessment of Morphosyntax Newcastle University and Northumbria University; fall 2017, spring 2018

Development and Delivery of two online modules
Part 2 Development and Delivery of two online modules

Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts Minna Suni and Taina Tammelin-Laine University of Jyväskylä, Finland

Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts
Core contents of the module: Types of literacy History of literacy Lived experience of (il)literacy in a L1/L2 Research results in each country; e.g. PIAAC: Adult literacy and other basic skills; PISA 2012: Migrants vs. others Adult literacy curricula (if available) Example: Curriculum for adult literacy education in Finland Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Multiliteracies Digital literacies in tecnologically rich environments Critical literacy; empowerment Literacy for parenting and work Examples of best practices from Nordic countries: Learning together – Family learning; Yalla trappan Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Week 1 What do we need literacy for in our daily lives? Why is literacy important for us in principle and in practice? Where do our conceptualisations about literacy come from? “Literacy is not for me”, “I have coped well without it.” vs. “Literacy is a prerequisite for becoming a full, active member of a society.” “Literacy is needed to protect one’s rights and exercise one’s civic responsibilities.” Conceptions of literacy are socially and culturally mediated! Also literacy itself is socially and culturally mediated! Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Week 1 Think about what we need literacy for. Share on the discussion forum two examples of what you have read today, how you’ve read it and why. Try to match your examples with the categories mentioned in the video clip (Sabatini on PIAAC). What would you have missed today if you didn’t have literacy skills? Have you spent any time in an environment (as a tourist or in a restaurant or a shop) where the writing system was inaccessible to you? What did you miss? Share this on the discussion forum and relate your experience to those of your students and what they miss in their current environment due to their limited literacy skills. Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Participant Experiences and Responses
Week 1 The Kotisuomessa.fi portal is the most extensive second language learning materials portal developed for the needs of immigrants in Europe. The project was funded by the European Social Fund and coordinated by the Finnish National Board of Education from 2008 to 2013. a. Select English (the UK flag up in the right corner) and register. Then select ‘Reading and writing’ and play around for a while; you can start with the phonemes. The instructions and the materials are in Finnish, so try to figure out what to do and what the point is of each Activity. NOTE: kuuntele means ‘listen’. This activity should make you aware that learning to read and write in a new language brings a range of challenges and that the same (here online) teaching methods do not necessarily apply universally b. Share your experiences with the others on the discussion forum: How does Finnish sound and look to you? How did it feel to try the online activities on the kotisuomessa.fi portal without having any prior knowledge of Finnish? Why would it be helpful to know the basics of a language before plunging right into literacy? If there are corresponding online materials available in your language, share these links with other members. Participant Experiences and Responses

“I found the site very difficult to navigate in terms of figuring out where to go, because all of the labels and instructions were in Finnish. I could sort of sound out the words, due to Finnish sharing orthography with English, but I didn't know what any of the words meant. This was very enlightening for me in thinking about how my LESLLA learners must feel when confronted with a task in English! I got frustrated quite quickly, and I'm sure that's how my learners feel, too. More visuals on the Finnish site would be useful for guiding learners in how to do a task and what a task is for.” Participant Experiences and Responses

“I enjoyed playing around with this way of learning Finnish. At first I felt a bit lost when all the instructions were in Finnish, so I feel I was not instructed enough to know what I needed to do. But then I realized that a lot of our software also has instructions in Dutch or no instructions at all. I felt playing around in the portal without any prior knowledge of Finnish and learning some Finnish words on the way (banaani :-)) gave an idea of what my learners must feel when they use the software for learning Dutch! Very enlightening!” Participant Experiences and Responses

Week 3 Example: Core curriculum for basic education (2014), Finland (grades 1-2, pupils are 7-8 years old): Multiliterate pupils can interpret, produce and evaluate different age-specific texts. Texts mean any information expressed by using verbal, visual, auditory, numeric and kinesthetic symbol systems or their combinations. All senses and holistic and phenomenon-centered pedagogical approaches are in use. Pupils are encouraged to use and produce different texts, enjoy them and express themselves through them. Fluency in basic literacy and everyday numeracy skills develops. The development of visual literacy is supported: Pupils are guided to use visual means of self-expression and observe the visual means of influencing their environment. Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Week 3 Similar descriptions are useful when introducing a multiliteracy perspective in adult literacy education: The textual and visual world must be approached from different angles and provide space for emotions, self- expression and critical thinking from early on. This has not always been clear in adult literacy. Activity Collect with learners a collection of symbols/logos/other signs that play an important role in their everyday lives. Report (the end of the week) on the discussion forum to other participants what kind of visual material you have found and how you are planning to use it in your teaching. Language and Literacy in Their Social Contexts

Week 3 Go to Familiarize yourself with the ideas presented. Then watch the video on the Dare to Talk App at How could you apply this idea in your own classes? Try it out and then share your experiences! Participant Experiences and Responses

“It is interesting to me to consider that the learning opportunities for a language learner in Europe might be very different due to the fact that more of the general public speaks multiple languages and would switch to another language, preventing authentic language learning opportunities for the learner. It is a bit different here in the US, as most of my refugee students wouldn't have many situations in their day-to-day community interactions where English would not be used.” Participant Experiences and Responses

“These projects showed on the site are very inspiring. I find the gap between what goes on in the classroom and what the learners experience 'in the wild' also too wide. I see that some of the learners grow increasingly frustrated with what they learn in the classroom and how they need other things outside of the classroom. On this site I did find some useful tips (like mapping the problem areas and this Dare to Talk app) but I could use some more tips on what things the learners could do on their own, without a teacher's intervention or with little intervention. I do want them to learn 'in the wild,' but I am not sure how to go about it!!” Participant Experiences and Responses

Vocabulary Learning Andreas Rohde and Kerstin Keul Universität zu Köln, Germany

Piloted in EU-Speak 2, winter Delivered again in spring 2017 and will be delivered again in February, 2018 The Vocabulary Learning module provides linguistic and practical/pedagogical insights for dealing with words. It discusses some basic issues, such as the content of a word, the links that hold among words, and the human word store.

We also looked at our ability to learn words and how we systematically make sense of the world around us by naming objects. We studied ways of teaching words and strategies for retaining words permanently, by low- educated adult learners who have a poor mastery of reading and writing skills. Vocabulary Learning

The module was divided into six topics, running over a span of six weeks.
What’s in a word? Word meaning and the mental lexicon Fast mapping Lexical principles Word learning strategies Teaching vocabulary Academic language and reading Vocabulary Learning

The content of the module was put together according to five assumptions supported by word learning research. Vocabulary Learning

Vocabulary Learning Assumption 1:
The more a person knows about a word, the more complex the network around that word. A complex network means more paths that lead toward the word and that ease the retrieval process. Vocabulary Learning

What‘s in a word? What does it mean to know the word “bird“?
Animals Amphibia Mammals Sauropsida Birds Eagle Sparrow Blackbird Encyclopaedic knowledge A bird is an animal. It has two wings and can fly. Most birds can sing. They lay eggs… Taxonomic knowledge Common collocations Killing two birds with one stone. Birds of a feather flock together. Bird Morphological knowledge Bird birds birdy Syntactic knowledge I see a bird. ✔ The shape of this painting looks bird. ✖ Personal experience I still remember once being attacked by a dove near the cathedral. Therefore I am afraid of birds. Pronunication/spelling [bɜ:d] <bird> . . .

Dictionaries may give the impression that each word of your first language neatly corresponds to one word in any further language. This, however, is (of course) not the case. Each culture does not carve up the world in the same way in each individual language. Vocabulary Learning

Fast mapping is the ability we need to quickly link a word to a meaning or part of a meaning. A meaning is mapped onto a linguistic form, a “word”. It is important for the learner to remember new words and retain their meanings for a period of time. In order for this to happen, the learner needs to be exposed to new words again and again. This strengthens the learner’s memory and allows her/him to specify and extend word meanings. Vocabulary Learning

Fast mapping does not appear to be different in L1 and L2 acquisition
Fast mapping does not appear to be different in L1 and L2 acquisition. In addition, there is no difference between child L2 learners and low-educated adult L2 learners. For word learning, no critical period (as for pronunciation and morpho-syntax) is assumed. This is supported by neurological research (Shytrov, 2011). HOWEVER… Vocabulary Learning

The problem appears to be the size of a native language lexicon
The problem appears to be the size of a native language lexicon. According to Long (2007), the sheer number of words (and their networks) that an L1 adult speaker knows is virtually impossible for an L2 learner to learn if the onset of vocabulary learning is later than age six. This finding calls for a very systematic approach to vocabulary teaching and learning in adults. Vocabulary Learning

Teaching vocabulary should not consist only of teaching specific words but also aim at equipping learners with strategies necessary to expand their vocabulary knowledge (Zahedi, 2012). Vocabulary Learning

Assumption 5: How many words a second language learner needs to know depends heavily on the situations in which she/he has to use the second language. A learner taking a specific job might need technical and domain-specific vocabulary. Vocabulary Learning

One general suggestion considering this question is to equip the learner with a core vocabulary that includes the words that are used frequently in daily conversations of a native speaker. English native speakers, for example, make frequent use of about 2,000 words in daily conversations (Thornbury, 2002). Vocabulary Learning

Participant Overview Language Group English 21 Finnish 3 German
Spanish 19 Turkish TOTAL 43 Participant Overview

Employment Status Employment Status English Finnish Spanish Waged FT 5
3 7 Waged PT 6 Volunteer FT 1 Volunteer PT 4 Unwaged Training Other Not declared Employment Status

Country of Work Country of Work India 1 Canada 3 Belgium Ireland USA 9
Spain 19 Nigeria Finland 38 Country of Work

Countries of Work of Each Language Group
English language group Spanish Finnish Not declared Canada (3x) India Finland (3x) USA Belgium (1x) Spain (18x) Country of work unknown (4x) Ireland (2x) USA (8x) Spain Nigeria Not declared (5x) Countries of Work of Each Language Group

Week 2: In small groups of 3 or 4, ask your learners for their knowledge on birds, vehicles, plants, etc. Check if they have taxonomic knowledge (“Can you name other birds, vehicles, plants etc.?). Do they know expressions such as “Free as a bird” or “killing two birds with one stone”? What do they think these expressions mean? Do they know other word forms of e.g. “plant”? Do they know “plants”? “implant”? “planting”, “plantation”? Ask the learners for their connotations (“What do you think of when you hear ‘bird’, ‘plant’, ‘car’ etc.). Participant Experiences and Responses

“We have been studying families and homes. I decided to use photo cards of household furniture. I asked the students to tell me the name of the object in the picture. For the first picture the answer to me was clearly table and for the second picture, bed. However, these are the answers I received: 1. table, low table, dining room, kitchen, coffee 2. pillow, blanket, bed, bedroom, sleep It was interesting to me that although I was expecting an object to be named, I received answers that referred to not only the names but also the locations where you could find them as well as how they can be used. This activity reinforced how a word or a picture can generate different thoughts, connections and knowledge.“ Participant Experiences and Responses

Week 4: Reflect: Which learning strategies do your students use (especially with regard to vocabulary learning)? How could you help your students become aware of their learning strategies? Which other strategies would you consider helpful for them? Activity: Ask learners to write a portfolio in which they are to reflect on their learning processes, strategies and results (with regard to a specific task; e.g. before they start to read a text, they answer questions such as: What would I like to learn? What do I expect? What am I most interested in? What are words that I already know? At the end of the session they answer questions such as: Which words have I learned? How? What is missing so far? Which aspects would I like to know more about?). Participant Experiences and Responses

“The two strategies that I notice most are asking questions and taking notes. Learning from the module, I would try to repeat material in different sessions, maybe approaching the material from a different angle. I would also recommend that learners, sometime after a session, would try to recall what they had learned before consulting their notebooks. At present, I can only try out the suggested interactions with learners with a conversation group. The suggested questions would impose a too rigid structure which would inhibit the free flowing atmosphere which I try to encourage.“ Participant Experiences and Responses

Week 5: Task: Observe different communicative situations in your classroom. Are you able to detect negotiation of meaning between your learners or in communications between yourself and your learners? What kinds of tasks could you use that engage your learners in communication? How could you promote negotiation of meaning among learners? Participant Experiences and Responses

“a) When you actually take the time to observe and listen to people in communicative situations in class and outside of the classroom, you notice many forms of negotiation of meaning are taking place. In an English learning class it should be ongoing. Learners should feel comfortable to ask, request, confirm, etc., with the teacher and other students. b) Engage students in tasks such as surveys, dialogues, conversation topics, games (board, guessing, card, etc.), debates, presentations, questionnaires, giving/following directions, pair-work. Promote negotiation of meaning between learners by: gap activities jigsaw reading/listening story building spot the differences communication crosswords“ Participant Experiences and Responses

Contact us Info.eu-speak@ncl.ac.uk Visit www.eu-speak.com
Part 3: Questions/Discussion

References Condelli, L., Cronen, S., & Bos, J. (2010). The impact of a reading intervention for low-literate adult ESL learners. National Center for Education, Evaluation, and Regional Assistance. Institute of Education Sciences. Alexandria, VA: US Department of Education. Condelli, L., Wrigley, H. S., Yoo, K., Seburn, M., & Cronen, S. (2003). What works study for adult ESL literacy students. Final Report. American Institutes for Reserch and Aguirre International. Washington, DC: US Department of Education.

References Kurvers, J., Stockmann, W., & van de Craats. (2010). Predictors of success in adult L2 literacy acquisition. In T. Wall & M. Leong (Eds.), Low educated second language and literacy acquisition (pp ). Calgary: Bow Valley College. Paget, A., & Stevenson, N. (2014). Making ESOL policy work better for migrants and wider society: On speaking terms. London: Demos. Rohde, A., & Tiefenthal, C. (2000). Fast mapping in early L2 lexical acquisition. Studia Linguistica, 54, Schellekens, P. (2011). Teaching and testing the language skills of first and second language speakers. Cambridge: Cambridge ESOL.

References Tarone, E., Bigelow, M., & Hansen, K. (2009). Literacy and second language oracy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Young-Scholten, M., & Naeb, R. (2010). Non-literate L2 adults’ small steps in mastering the constellation of skills required for reading. In T. Wall & M. Leong (Eds.), Low-educated adult second language and literacy acquisition (pp ). Calgary: Bow Valley College. Young-Scholten, M., & Strom, N. (2006). First-time L2 readers: Is there a critical period? In J. Kurvers, I van de Craats, & M. Young-Scholten (Eds.), Low-educated adult second language and literacy acquisition: Proceedings of the inaugural conference (pp ). Utrecht: LOT.

Presenters Kerstin Keul Universitaet zu Köln

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