teaching english in the US

April 18, 2007 7:17 PM

At work, our two part-time janitors don't speak any English. As the only Spanish (non-native, though) speaker in the office, I've decided to give them a hand...so I've started to spend my Sunday there, teaching them English. But I need some advice on how to do it better.

It's been going great so far, but I'm not sure how effective I've been - I was wondering if anyone had any good strategies on how to make the most of a few limited hours every week (a lot of the resources I've come across have been dedicated to people that do ESL full time, or go and teach abroad.)

In particular, I revert to mostly Spanish - which I know isn't good - but they barely speak any English as it is and we wouldnt be able to cover anything if i didn't speak in Spanish.

(Not super relevant, but this is in DC)

posted by jare2003 to education (26 comments total)

I dont know if these will help you, but they might give you ideas:

http://www.barcharts.com/default.asp?page=charts&pg=quickstudy&ca=language

http://www.english180.com/
posted by jmnugent at 7:37 PM on April 18, 2007

Since I'm tutoring Korean adults in English right now, I'll say what I have found to be helpful:

If you are working with texts, it's a good idea to find those with instructions in both English AND Spanish, that way they can see the two languages side-by-side and make mental jumps in translation. You're lucky because so much of Spanish and English are similar, so it's easy to defer the meaning of an English word if it looks close to a word they know in Spanish. That's not the case in my situation.

In addition, do this with everything you say too. First, speak to them in English. Then, say the exact same thing in Spanish. You might feel like you're talking a LOT but it will help them to compare sentence structure and similar words. Also, it may be a no-brainer, but when speaking English, speak slowly and accentuate key words or phrases. I use a lot of miming too to get my point across.

Lastly, I've found that looking for resources online is pretty hit or miss. If you find one site that has several lessons of an appropriate level that build on top of each other you'll be good, but those are hard to find. I would suggest this book. I use it with my adult students and love, love, love it. It might be too advanced for your students, but I would still recommend you find a workbook on their level and buy it as a gift for them (if you can afford it). The important thing is to find easy lessons that build off each other so they have a chance to coninue using the lessons they learn.

Good luck. You are doing an awesome thing.
posted by Brittanie at 7:54 PM on April 18, 2007

Wonderful of you. Contact Habla La Noche, a student-run organization that does the exact same thing for workers on the Stanford Campus:

Habla la Noche is a student-run organization whose mission is to increase English-language literacy among adult workers on campus. One-on-one tutoring sessions between students and workers are held at El Centro on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11:00 p.m. For more information, email Patricia Hernandez at [e-mail].
posted by gramcracker at 8:30 PM on April 18, 2007

I don't have much of anything to add but be sure to praise them for their accomplishments...and I commend you for this as well.
posted by mmascolino at 8:32 PM on April 18, 2007

A couple notes from HS Spanish class:
If my Spanish teacher thinks we don't understand a specific word, she'll repeat the sentence and use gestures to help us figure it out.

We had to memorize a song by the artist Juanes - didn't like the song, but it really helped pronunciation.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 8:34 PM on April 18, 2007

What mmascolino said. Nice to see there's still some civility in the world.
posted by notjustfoxybrown at 9:00 PM on April 18, 2007

not much to add here either - but thank you for doing this jare2003. You are getting a lot out of this, and so are they. What mmascolino said.
posted by seawallrunner at 9:03 PM on April 18, 2007

Context is important. They'll learn better if what they're learning is put in context -- not just memorizing stuff.

For example, textbooks have a "Go on a vacation" chapter. In it, you learn how to say "suitcase", "when is the next train", etc. You might find ways/themes that interest them and you and start from there (then work your way out).

In your short times together, maybe pick a SMALL topic and just work in that topic. Then reinforce it with a little repetition and role playing.

You might also consider downloading some language instruction podcasts and burning to CD for them to listen to while they're not at work (or while sweeping the floor). Or books on tape...
posted by powpow at 9:07 PM on April 18, 2007

+100 karma points to jare2003

I second the song recommendation. Find out what kind of American music they like and then pick a song for them to transcribe and then translate. When I was learning German our teacher had us do this for "99 Luftballons" (heh) and it was both more difficult and more rewarding than I expected.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:10 PM on April 18, 2007

Wow, lots of ESL podcasts. You can give these to them on a CD and see if it helps -- they can put in extra time on their own if they feel like it.
posted by powpow at 9:15 PM on April 18, 2007

A long time ago when I was a college student myself, I (Mrs.derMax) used to teach English to the Japanese sushi chefs at a (duh) sushi restaurant in NYC for some years. Here is what I found out -

- Start off with some phrases most relevant to their work and everyday life, that are immediately useful. I found this to be the most critical part. Granted, these guys had to learn because their employer mandated it, so they might not have been as motivated as voluntary learners, but just being able to immediately use what they had learned was a great positive reinforcer and motivator. As they progress, try to bring in more 'practical' situations. YOu can ask them about specific situations they have trouble with if you can't come up with ideas. Examples from my time teaching ranged from how to order coffee, how to tell the landlord the toilet overflowed, or even how to politely ask a girl out (well they were all single guys...)

- The amount of 'their' language you use should decrease over time. At the start it's inevitable you use a lot of Spanish but gradually try to use English more and more.

- Get some good textbooks that have accompanying workbooks. Homework does help! (but not too much) I can't remember the ones I used unfortunately, but I did get them at Barnes & Noble's textbook store in Manhattan. If you can find a good textbook / college bookstore in your area browse around and see what's best. Teaching verbal skills is one thing, but for teaching basic writing and reading textbooks are really really useful.

- I also used to give 'homework' for my students to watch TV. NOT scripted stuff which is full of slang and idioms which can be very confusing. News programs are good, if the newsreaders speak clearly, or on a more basic level things for children on PBS. This was just to get used to hearing English. (Much later on I used this on myself when thrown into a situation where I had to learn German.)

I have to disagree with the recommendations to get them to translate songs and stuff. Translation is not what you want to teach - it's practical English knowledge. Enforcing the idea that they need to translate stuff all the time to their native language is actually not that helpful. Besides, having full time jobs and perhaps families they probably don't have that much free time. Any homework they get should be more practical, like building up vocabulary and things.
posted by derMax at 12:20 AM on April 19, 2007

Don't speak Spanish to them. Speak to them 100% in English.

Get a textbook which breaks down beginners English into its functions, and then don't teach them words, teach them functions. For example, buying a hamburger (I'd like a...") offering (Do you want), giving directions (Go straight, turn left ie commands). But because they are total beginners you have to start with the extreme basics, introductions (introduce my family, ie learning pronouns 'This is' 'He is' etc) adjectives (you need pictures for this). Of course spend the last 15 minutes of the lesson roleplaying these with the students.

There are about 200 basic functions they need to master.
posted by dydecker at 1:06 AM on April 19, 2007

This is a good textbook for beginners - New Interchange Intro
posted by dydecker at 1:08 AM on April 19, 2007

A lot of teaching materials are aimed at students on a formal course who are used to formal bookwork and are learning a language that is not commonly spoken around them.

Your guys are quite different. They are probably not in a book-studying groove, and they have lots of access to real-life spoken English.

What you need to do will evolve, but I agree with starting with the instant win of useful everyday phrases. I would use your Spanish to ease them into learning phrases for common situations and set homework of doing those things in English for real.

Set it up so that you teach them the words that you need to use in class so that you do wind up speaking mostly English to them. If you can get them to play-act common situations that is a lot more fun than drill.


Well done for taking this on, and good luck!
posted by Idcoytco at 4:51 AM on April 19, 2007

Thanks for all the ideas, everyone. I really appreciate it.

One of the reasons I've avoided book stuff is that a) their reading skills aren't that great, and b) they aren't used to school like that, particularly the older janitor, who is about fifty.

They live in an neighborhood in NE DC that is primarily latino and black (but segregated in that aspect), so one reaosn that haven't learned much English is that there literally is no opportunity to (apartment building is all latino, and their work is all cleaning or construction - where anyone they run into speaks primarily Spanish as well).

So I'm going to start building a notebook of ideas of things they need to learn and go from there. (I also bought them a book - Ingles Para Latinos - the Spanish for Gringos counterpart was decent as a quick and easy basic textbook)

Also, since it's like 8 people and me (the janitors have had some friends and family come as well - at least the first time), I was a bit of a loss at how to help out a larger group.
posted by jare2003 at 5:15 AM on April 19, 2007

One of the things I did when helping our friend learn English was to ask him to tell me what he did all day in the best English possible. It's a good exercise in correcting common mistakes as well as practicing tense and speaking out loud.

We also read children's books again to practice speaking and to make the English sound more fluid.

Good luck!
posted by heartquake at 5:26 AM on April 19, 2007

You really need a textbook, if not for the students, then for you. Don't even open it in the lesson. It's just for your own reference, so you can avoid the common mistake of teaching all kinds of difficult stuff right from the word go. Best to sit down, go through a textbook and learn the order of what functions are the best to teach first, so that when they master them they can build on what they know. For example, first people need to learn greetings, then pronouns and how to use "to be".
posted by dydecker at 5:27 AM on April 19, 2007

before they learn, for example, past tense like heartquake says.
posted by dydecker at 5:28 AM on April 19, 2007

The way to teach eight people is to structure each function that you want to teach into a block of time. First model it with the best student a couple of times. Then get everyone to practise it all together (ie drills), then get them to pair off and practice in pairs. At the end, think of a different situation which uses the same function and do roleplays. So it goes 1) modelling, 2) practice, 3) performance.

Don't correct student's errors except in the drills stage.
posted by dydecker at 5:41 AM on April 19, 2007

This might be a resource

Their "Tips" section didn't look like it would be super helpful for you, but if you get in touch with them I bet they would spend some time talking with you and if they can't help you with some materials/strategies, I bet they can point you in the right direction.
posted by KAS at 6:18 AM on April 19, 2007

I teach a student English once a week, so far I've been doing it for two years. If you only buy them one book, I'd get the oxford english picture dictionary in both english/spanish (it's the version with a black cover).

I've worked with students ranging from those who knew almost no english to those that had english in grade school. The tricks we're taught are to mix it up. Some time should be spent just talking with them. Some time should be spent working on reading (even it's just trying to teach them signs or forms). Some time should be spent writing (if they want to learn writing).

The advantage to a good book is that they tend to be structured in a reasonable fashion (alphabet first, than numbers, etc.)

For absolute beginners, Survival English is really good. It really focuses on things you need to know (food names, measurements, etc.). Also popular is The Side by Side series. For just reading, I like the True Stories in the News series... There's also a ton of books available on learning specific skills (filling out forms, language at work, etc.). With my current student, he needs English most for work, as such, I'm really trying to focus on an English for work book. There's a title for one, but I'll have to post it when I tutor next.

Try to gauge what your students goals are, and focus towards that (do they want better jobs? an easier time at work? to really learn english?)
posted by drezdn at 6:50 AM on April 19, 2007

Also, since you have several students, many of the books (like the true stories ones I mentioned) have good sections for group learning. I don't really get to use these much, but I think they'd be really helpful for you.
posted by drezdn at 6:51 AM on April 19, 2007

The way I was taught to structure ESL classes is:

(1) Anticipation: Show them something engaging that will draw them into the lesson. They shouldn't have to produce English at this stage.
(2) Reception: Let them hear English of the kind the lesson addresses. It should be just a little bit above their level of mastery.
(3) Controlled production: Have them start to produce the language that they've been hearing, or hearing about, but in a very targeted way-- filing in blanks, repeating jazz chants, etc.
(4) Free Production: Have them make sentences, have conversations, etc.
(5) Extension: Give homework that sends them out into the world to interact with English speakers in shops, on the internet, on the phone, etc.
(6) Evaluation: Let them know how they're doing.

General tips:
(1) The best way for them to learn is for them to produce lots and lots of language, both inside and outside the classroom. In the best lessons, the students spend far more time talking than the teacher does.
(2) The goal at this stage is to make them able to understand and be understood in English. Don't try to get them to say things perfectly. If you correct them too much, they'll be cowed, and won't want to use their English outside the classroom.
posted by palmcorder_yajna at 10:19 AM on April 19, 2007 [2 favorites]

You might contact some ESL programs in town. A lot of CBO (Community Based Organization) literacy programs rely on volunteer teachers; maybe you can get in on their training sessions. If you were in Chicago I'd be able to point you towards an umbrella organization that does trains volunteers for several programs. CAELA is based in Washington, maybe they can help. Looks like they have a lot of nice resources anyway.

Thinking long-term, you might be able to develop a partnership or join with a literacy program and get more volunteers, or even some grants. (Of course, resources are limited and grants require management, paperwork, testing, etc.--more than another job in itself.)

If you haven't done it already, I would suggest sitting down with you students and ask what they want out of class. Why do they want to learn English? Is it for work? Do they want to be able to shop, eat at a restaurant, go to the bank, talk to the police, or see a doctor? Your students should, in effect, determine the content of the course. They'll learn faster when it's meaningful to their lives. Very likely the goal isn't perfect English but basic communication (although a few students might say otherwise), and every lesson plans ought to have meaningful communication as its goal.

As for teaching, be firm that class time will be in English. (One bilingual teacher I knew used to mime flipping a switch from Spanish to English when class started.) Your students need to develop confidence that they can communicate in English, no matter how poor their skills are. There will be some resistance, but you can do it--imagine if you had a class full of students from all over the place.

I taught students who were a lot like yours. Some had been to high school, and some were barely literate in Spanish. The hardest thing was to get past how I'd like to learn a language (study rules of grammar and apply them) to what would work for them. Most books and worksheets wouldn't work--even a basic worksheet uses conventions some wouldn't be familiar with, like filling in one word only for each blank line. What did work was to get them involved, get them talking and moving. Here's a page with a lot of ideas. Total Physical Responce worked really well. Bingo was a favorite, and can be adapted to a number of vocabulary uses (i.e. you say an irregular verb, they have to find the past tense.) Adult learners sometimes balk at playing games, so maybe start with roleplay (boss/employee, customer/waitor, etc.) and branch out from there. They usually come around when they see that it works.

Some other tips:
--Never ask "Do you understand?" because the answer is always "yes." Ask comprehension questions like "Is he going to the store now?" "Was the car working when he bought it?" and so on.
--Introduce vocabulary orally. Because spelling can be confusing, establish meaning and practice pronunciation before you write it on the board, and then a few times afterwards. Use pictures as much as possible--doodle, cut pictures out of magazines, etc.
--Pre-teach vocabulary before you introduce text. I liked getting a bunch of words up on the board and then have the students guess what we were going to do next.
--Be aware of cultural differences. My Mexican students were unfailingly polite, to the point that they would only voice their concerns to a Mexican coworker who taught in a different program.
--Wear a tie.
posted by hydrophonic at 11:28 AM on April 19, 2007

ProLiteracy Worldwide has agencies in the area that may be able to (a) train you and (b) offer you resources for free. Check with them.

Also nthing the idea to speak mostly in English. Speak in Spanish only to avoid them feeling overly frustrated. There's a great website that has Spanish pronunciation for English words (even the alphabet, which they will use all the time if they have to spell their name or their child's name). You can find it at www.pumarosa.com

Finally, I would refer to some set of guidelines for where your expectations should be for the students, based on their current knowledge. This type of "reality check" was really helpful for me to scale back lessons to the students' level. Arizona uses these guidelines -- maybe it will be helpful to you in lesson planning, too?
posted by parilous at 11:41 AM on April 19, 2007

I asked a friend of mine who runs a literacy agency here in Chicago if she had anyone to recommend in Washington where you could get some training. She suggested you contact the Washington Literacy Council. It looks like their students are mainly native English speakers, but they might be able to point you in the right direction.
posted by hydrophonic at 5:18 PM on April 23, 2007