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According to reports, the number of English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students has significantly increased in recent years. (Canadian Bureau for International Education, 2010; U.S Department of Education, 2008). Migration from one country to another for the purpose of education or in search of jobs and opportunities has increased in recent years. Immigrant students are admitted to the school or college at different ages. They come from different circumstances. The students and job seekers are at a loss if they do not have knowledge of English. Communication is necessary for survival in a new country. Immigrants have various kinds of communication needs. It is wrong to group all Englsih language learners together because they differ in their needs. ( TheFreeLibrary.com, 2014). Language is not the only factor involved in communication. Immigrants become parts of different groups like the student community or the working community. These groups have their own values systems and beliefs. The immigrants carry with them the values and beliefs of their home countries. They find a vast difference in the systems and encounter a number of difficulties in adopting new systems of values and beliefs, new trends and merge with the existing groups and communities. Non-verbal aspects of communication are also different. The native communities may not be open initially and treat the newcomers as different. Bonding of the natives and immigrants is a crucial factor. Using the native language for communication is the first hurdle to be crossed. In order to prepare themselves for immigration, they join ESOL courses. Hence, designing the ESOL course, training teachers to implement the syllabus, understanding the needs of the learners and using appropriate teaching methods and materials is a task that needs careful planning. Students join the course with great hopes and expectations that completion of the course will enable them to gain proficiency in English and prepare them to get settled in a new country in every way. Baker (2002) points out that English language learners are required to learn multiple varieties of English simultaneously. For example, conversational or home English is different from English used for academic purposes. The formal and informal varieties are different. (Baker, in Delpit, p.51, 2002).
The first difficulty that immigrants face is the problem of culture. Language and culture are closely related, a factor that syllabus designers know very well, but fail to bear in mind while designing a course. Culture is an important part of language and plays a vital role in language acquisition. ( Chang, 2002; Liddicoat, 2009, cited in Medina Lopez). Communication is the use of a culturally based code in a culturally based context to develop and understand a culturally shaped meaning, (Liddicoat, 2009, cited in Medina Lopez). Culture implies a specific set of values and beliefs. In intracultural communication, they are shared. Research that was carried out on intercultural communication shows that each grammatical rule or word in a language has a cultural background. Most ESOL or ESL courses focus on grammar and phonology. Recently focus has shifted to communicative competence. Language competence includes the knowledge of speech acts and other pragmatic features. Many ESOL students do not have an idea about the pragamatic features of the language. They impose the socio-linguistic rules of their native language on English, which results in intercultural miscommunication. (McKay and Hornberger, 1999). Intercultural miscommunication takes place when speakers belonging to tow different cultures fail to understand each other. Intercultural miscommunication can lead to culture shock, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and depression. They feel embarrassed and develop a fear that the native speakers might laugh or make fun of them. This kills affects their confidence.
In order to avoid the drastic effects of intercultural miscommunication, teachers can develop cultural skills in the ESOL students. Along with language, students must get acquainted with the culture of the native place. The teacher can show films or audio-clips which depict typical cultural interactions. Just as ESOL students have to gain knowledge about the new culture, teachers must make it a point to get information about the students’ native culture. The teachers must encourage ESOL students to mix and interact with the native English students. In this way, the teachers can help the ESOL students to gain confidence and proficiency in English.
Culture influences our lives entirely. It affects the way we walk, talk, dress and work. People who work together come from different backgrounds. Every work setting has a set of shared beliefs, customs, meanings and traditions, which together form what is known as the organizational culture. ( Sathe, 1983). Hence, the ESOL students also find it necessary to accommodate the culture of the workplace. It is necessary for them to become a part of the culture by mixing with the new community. People do not merely come together for discussing work. They may meet in the canteen, have lunch together, attend parties and meet in informal situations. Thus along with cultural skills, ESOL students have to acquire work skills.
Recently, the issue of cultural diversity is under a lot of discussion. Multiculturalism has become the order of the day. As an aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the need for providing educational workshops in cultural diversity was felt, in order to diminish the tensions at the workplace. (Kingsley L. 2013).
It is necessary to develop certain attitudes and skills in order to become successful in our own country or elsewhere in the world. These skills will enable us to interact both effectively in a group whose members belong to different cultural backgrounds. Depending on the type of interaction, ESOL learners need to develop a range of work skills like tolerance and respect for others’ cultures. Work skills also include learning and innovation skills. ESOL learners must have learning skills which will help them to learn new techniques and procedures. Basic literacy is essential for this purpose. Some degree of numerical literacy will make the ESOL learner well-informed and boost his confidence. Critical thinking and problem solving skills are additional assets. The ESOL learners must be capable of reasoning effectively, deductively and inductively. They must be able to analyze situations, make judgments and take appropriate decisions. Developing workplace skills goes beyond language learning. The ESOL students expect that completion of the course will make them ready for a job. They expect the syllabus to cover a range of skills besides language skills and serve the purpose of what can be called ‘a finishing school’, where they will learn everything, including foreign manners and etiquettes. Once the students have mastered these techniques, they will feel comfortable and they will be able to work productively, efficiently and successfully. Communication skills will enable them to work collaboratively with their colleagues. Smooth communication will allow interaction, sharing of thoughts and ideas and group work. Work will be result oriented with smooth communication. Whatever skills are learnt, it is important that the students apply the skills in the right place at the right time.
Having global awareness is necessary for any worker in this age. The students must be able to understand global issues. They must be able to work in cooperation and collaboration with individuals from different cultures and belonging to different religions. Just as they have their own ideologies, they must understand that people from other parts of the world have different ideologies, which they must respect.
Workplace skills can be extended to include financial, entrepreneurial and economic literacy. Students must understand the role of economy in society and make appropriate economic choices. Developing and enhancing entrepreneurial skills is important in a work setting. They must have necessary understanding of the situation so that they can choose their careers. Immigrants who settle in a foreign land must exhibit civic literacy. They must follow the rights and duties of the citizenship of the local state. They must also follow the government rules. Health literacy is equally important. Getting information about health policies and maintaining their health is a sign of literacy, education and responsibility. They should understand and implement preventive physical and mental health measures by taking care of proper diet, nutrition, exercise, risk avoidance, and stress reduction. One cannot avoid acquiring environmental literacy in the age of globalization. An educated person must have environmental awareness. He must have knowledge and understanding of the ecological system.
In the modern educational set up, it is essential to have knowledge of metacognitive skills. Metacognitive skills are essential for lifelong learning. Metacognitive skills help the instructors to modify content and methods of teaching, and incorporate activities that will help learners to understand how they learn. Learners must be able to identify their strengths and their needs, and to understand the learning process. Metacognition is the process of thinking about thinking. It is the way one understands oneself. It is an ability to self-assess. It is a reflection about one’s education and learning and experiences throughout life. Metacognition is a broad term. It includes all learning processes and behaviours that involve thinking, selection of study skills and strategies, and an understanding of the mental processes of learning and gaining new knowledge. Educationists in the recent decades have established that metacognition involves self-reflection, planning, monitoring and assessing one’s own learning, ( Paris & Paris, 2001).
Analysis of one’s own learning is not simple. The students have to train themselves for the purpose. They can rely on their knowledge, experience and education. Learners at the lower levels have higher-order thinking skills. However, they do not have the necessary communication skills to express them. They may not always be successful in expressing abstract ideas, complex terms, or talk about their strengths and weaknesses in a detached way. Describing one’s learning styles is also difficult; they need to develop the appropriate vocabulary and terminology. In such circumstances, the instructors can help and support the students by using visual strips, pictures of abstract concepts. Some of the concepts may be “foreign” and unfamiliar to learners in ESL/ESOL classes. For example, the concepts of goal setting and evaluating one’s class (i.e., “evaluating the teacher”) may be unfamiliar to learners, and they may actually be very uncomfortable criticizing their instructors and teachers. Teachers are highly respected in certain cultures like the Indian culture and the very idea of judging a teacher is difficult to digest. Learners may not like or feel comfortable to share “personal” thoughts. In some cultures people prefer to keep their thoughts to themselves and converse only on general topics of common interest. Therefore, teaching and incorporating metacognitive skill development is an ongoing process.
In order to activate the metacognitive skills of learners, the teachers can ask them the following type of questions:
- What did we learn today?
- Did you learn anything new, which was not known to you before?
- How will the new knowledge be useful to you outside the classroom?
- Do you prefer to learn in a group activity, or a lecture?
- Do you think you get enough exercises for practising?
- Do you think the practice will help you, or is it a waste of time?
- How do you feel when you are trying to do something new?
- What do you do when you are stuck up with a task?
- What are your short term goals? Doe the course help you to achieve the goals?
- What are your long term goals? Will this course help you to achieve them?
- Which activities do you enjoy most?
- What is it about this course that you find different and striking?
- Are you satisfies with the teaching and materials provided to you?
- Do you experience a need for additional guidance?
The list can be increased to suit the purpose of the teacher. The aim is to make the students think in a detached way about their course and actions. They must develop a habit of evaluating teachers, materials and courses from time to time. Metacognitive learning skills include personality and motivational factors. They also include social skills. Metacognitive skills mirror the perception of students on various issues. It makes up their total personality. Understanding the attitudes of students enables teachers to help them in selecting courses and careers. The depth of knowledge and mastery level of students in different subjects is a guide to their capacities. But we also need to know much more about how students develop and utilize study skills and how their perception of self as learners affect their ability to understand and retain content knowledge. This helps us to identify and target the weak areas and modify teaching methods to suit learners. Many students possess the cognitive ability and intellectual capacity to internalize study skills and apply them, but are held back because they do not possess the essential learning strategies and the appropriate mindset.
Another important part of an ESOL course is the unit plans and lesson plans. The ESOL course as we have seen includes numerous aspects. Each topic is different and requires different materials for teaching. The entire syllabus with all the sub-parts must be divided into smaller units and the teaching of units must be distributed across the duration of the course, leaving time slots for assessments and tests. Implementation of the syllabus has to be planned carefully, so that teachers do not have to omit or hurry with any of the topics. There must be enough time for practice, revision and all kinds of activities. While the entire syllabus represents the goal to be achieved by the end of the course, units represent short term goals or isolated sub-points which can be covered in a short duration every unit may require a different number of sessions. The difficult units will have to be given more time. The simple units can be covered quickly, sometimes, two to three in a single session. The teachers have to take into account the difficulty level of units while preparing the unit plan. Unit plans must be flexible, in case it is necessary to make changes on account of unexpected circumstances. A marginal period must be left free. If the units are covered as per the plan, the extra sessions can be devoted to extra revision. When the planning is 100% the success may be 70% to 80%. Hence the teachers should make a plan of 200% for 100% success. Ideally, the teachers must conduct a test after completion of every unit, based on that single unit.
A unit plan provides a quick view of the teaching map. The teacher can keep the necessary materials for each unit ready in advance. It saves time and keeps the teacher on the track. It helps to avoid diversions and manage the entire syllabus systematically. Units can be theme based or project based. Unit plans help the teacher to decide what teaching methods and strategies can be suitable for a particular theme or topic. The teacher must be prepared to adjust the unit plan from time to time.
Each unit consists of several lessons. If the teacher enters the classroom unprepared, he/she will be at a loss and will be unable to decide what should be done in the classroom. The lesson for each day, the daily delivery of teaching has to be planned beforehand. This is done in lesson planning. A lesson plan is a blueprint of everything that the teacher will say, and do in the classroom on a given day at a given time.
Lesson plans should be prepared on sheets or on the computer, using excel sheets. Every lesson plan consists of a certain number of columns with headings that indicate the title of the lesson (name of the story or poem), the method to be used, the teaching aids (pictures or charts), the activities that the teacher will carry out and the actions to be performed by students. It consists of definite steps. The teacher must mention how the topic is going to be introduced on the basis of students’ previous knowledge. The teacher should then state clearly the aim of the lesson. This will be followed by presentation of the topic with the help of teaching aids and examples. After completing the lesson, the teacher must summarize it and end by asking a few questions based on the lesson. Nowadays, readymade templates of lesson plans are available on the internet. Pathak ( 2001) has rightly pointed out that in the coming future, computer-based classes are likely to become the common trend and will also affect English classes. Teachers have also started depending on commercially available software and internet resources.
Lessons can consist of showing films and video clips and can also include TV shows. Davis ( 2003) has noted that the listening exercises included in text books are well-structured and not realistic. They are different from the language variety we encounter in everyday speech. The grammar and sentence structure is formal, as we do not find in real life situations. Outside the classrooms, the language used is vastly different. If there is place for this kind of language in the ESL course, there has to be a place for authentic language which consists of ungrammatical, incomplete utterances, mumbling, faltering and idioms.
An ESOL/ESL course is expected to be a comprehensive course that covers several domains. It is not confined to language learning. It covers study skills, cultural skills, workplace skills, technology skills, verbal and non-verbal communication skills and metacognitive skills. The course must cater to diverse needs of students. It has to be carefully divided into units and fitted into the time span. The teacher must be very clear about the goals and be prepared with lesson plans for every session to be conducted during the year. When all this care is taken, the ESOL students will gain from the course. They will find it useful in preparing them to settle in a new country and culture. It will increase their confidence and performance at the work place. The ESOL classes will be like finishing schools and cater to every aspect of life skills.
References
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Kingsley, L. (2013). Language choice in multilingual encounters in transnational workplaces. Journal Of Multilingual And Multicultural Development, 34(6), 533-548. doi:10.1080/01434632.2013.807271
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