For my LLT307 class at MSU, I am able to experience volunteer in an Adult ESOL Class through the Refugee Development Center. Being a center for both lower and higher level English classes, I was placed with the higher. I am excited for this opportunity to work with adult ELLs in an academic setting, as my main focus and past experience mostly are with children at the elementary K-5 level. I believe that reflection is essential in getting the most out of an experience; it's one thing to "do" something, but another to really learn and grow from that experience. This blog will mark each weekly session I volunteer at, including a summary of each weekly volunteer session as well as my own reflection.
As having just attending the volunteering orientation held by the Refugee Development Center, below are some recommended strategies that were shared and things to keep in mind when volunteering in adult ESOL classes through the RDC.
Refugee Development Center
East Lansing, Michigan
www.refugeedevelopmentcenter.org
As having just attending the volunteering orientation held by the Refugee Development Center, below are some recommended strategies that were shared and things to keep in mind when volunteering in adult ESOL classes through the RDC.
- Give sufficient "wait time" (For students studying in their first language, this wait time is typically 3-5 seconds. For ELLs, this number may double)
- Use gestures, facial expressions, as well as voice inflections
- Check for understanding
- Repeat and rephrase
- Provide scaffolding
- Provide visuals, technology may come in handy here
- Aim for using simple phrases and words
- Maintain a low Affective Filter
- English involves: speaking, listening, reading, and writing
- Vocabulary and definitions matter (it's possible to answer worksheet/test questions without actually comprehending the meaning)
- Example
- "The student joisked"
- What did the student do? "He joisked"
- "The student joisked"
- Example
Refugee Development Center
East Lansing, Michigan
www.refugeedevelopmentcenter.org