1. Incorporating ESL into your Library Part 1: An introduction
By: Natalie Dunaway, CE Coordinator, MLC

2. WHAT IS ESL? English as a Second Language
May also see EFL= English as a Foreign Language
ELL- English Language Learner
TEFL/TESL/TESOL= Teaching English as a Foreign Language/Teaching English as a Second Language/Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages
Teaching English to people whose native language is not English

3. WHAT IS ESL? ESL and Education: Mississippi:
The number of ESL students in Mississippi is steadily growing
According to Mississippi Today, between 2013 and 2016, the number of ESL students in Mississippi public schools has grown by 47%, from 7,739 to and estimated 11,404.
While most of these students are native Spanish speakers, there are many other languages represented across the state.

4. What does Mississippi Speak?
67,259
Spanish
3,676 Native North American
3,269
German
As of 2016, the total household population age five and over for MS was 2,796,802
Out of this number, 109,238 reported as speaking another language besides English at home.
Of that, approximately 41,942 people reported speaking English less than “very well”, or less than proficient.
For the sake of scale, that equals out to over 750 people per library system.
3,884
Chinese
3,889
French
6,981
Vietnamese

5. Assisting English language Learners
Keep in mind that your ELL patrons will come to with different experiences
Keep in mind non-verbal cues
Signage- Is it clear and easy to understand?
Demonstrate vs. explaining
Keep in mind the use of jargon (Collection; Stacks; Branch; Fine; etc).
hip/Citizenship%20Resource%20Center%20Site/Publications/PDFs/Assistin g_ELLs.pdf

6. Kenton Library, Portland Oregon

7. Libraries: The community ambassador
How to incorporate ESL into your library:
Cultural exchange hour
Citizenship corner
Book club
Tutor time
Traditional, classroom style class
Online language learning resources
Collection development

8. Shoreline Community College, Washington

9. LIBRARIES: THE COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR
So, how do we get people through the door?
Word of mouth
Utilize businesses
Translate flyers, if possible
Look at other library programs
Overall, be sure to create an ELL friendly environment
Creating an ESL space:
Understanding your resources
Making the most of what you have
You can always build more later
Creating an ESL space is not JUST about helping patrons understand English, but how to navigate an English-speaking environment

12. Libraries: The community ambassador
These are a few testimonials from libraries who offer ESL services.
King County Library System- Talk time and citizenship classes
Squamish Public Library- ESL story time for preschoolers
San Jose Public Library- ESL Conversation Club
Watauga Public Library- ESL programs
Things to keep in mind:
Content is adjustable – Do what you can
Mimic!
Switch it up!

13. Libraries: The community ambassador
learners

14. Why does this matter? Keeping up to date with materials
Keeps our communities up to date
Develops our communities
Goal: Personal Agency
Why does this matter?

15. A little bit of theory Language Acquisition:
What is language acquisition? Basically, how we acquire and develop language
Learning a second language poses different developmental stages than the ones we experience when learning our native language
Age, beliefs, experiences, personality, etc. all determine how a second language is absorbed and utilized by the learner or student

16. A LITTLE BIT OF THEORY Styles of Language Teaching
Cooperative Language Learning/Teaching:
An approach to teaching that maximizes the use of cooperative activities. Think pair work and group activities, where learners can develop their language skills by working (or cooperating) with one another.
Cooperative Language learning fosters cooperation instead of competition and provides social scaffolding to learners’ interactions.
A byproduct of cooperative language learning is that, as learners become more comfortable conversing with one another in the second language, more specific and contextual questions interactions result.

17. A LITTLE BIT OF THEORY Styles of Language Teaching
Content Based Learning/Teaching
When language is learned through teaching/learning other content. For example, when someone learns language through reading a news article, or watching a TV program, or reading their history textbook.
Content Based Learning is popular in immersion classes, as well as language classes aimed at achieving native fluency, as it forces learners to understand the terminology, grammar, and overall message of the content they are trying to understand.

18. A LITTLE BIT OF THEORY Styles of Language Learning
Task Based Language Learning/Teaching
When language is learned through completing a task or series of tasks.
Provides a meaningful context to the language learners, as you can have them complete tasks relevant to their goals.
Consider tasks appropriate to the learners’ experience, knowledge, language level, etc. Examples of tasks can include but certainly are not limited to: how to make a phone call; how to order food at a restaurant; how to fill out a job application; how to change language settings on a computer; how to buy a phone, etc.
Host a small cooking class
Job application sessions/Mock Interviews

19. Let’s recap
Start by thinking how your library accommodates patrons who are non-native English speakers
Signage
Displays
Bringing ESL into your library does not necessarily mean incorporating an ESL class into programming, but it certainly can.
Develop collection materials
Develop display materials
Cooking classes
Craft classes
Book clubs

20. Contact Information:
Natalie Dunaway
Continuing Education Coordinator, MLC
Credits:
Google Images
Lightbown, Patsy M., & Nina Spada. How Languages are Learned. Fourth Ed. Oxford University Press, 2013.
Richards, Jack C., and Theodore S. Rodgers. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Second Ed. Cambridge University Press, 2001.