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ESL Special Project2001-2002

Basic Skills DepartmentCaldwell Community College and

Technical Institute

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ESL Special Project Description

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Reasons for the project

• We must teach skills that allow ESL students to be contributing members of the community, sharing the responsibilities of citizenship while benefiting from the largesse of the community.

• Intentional instruction in the area of civics must occur.

• Instructors lack civics education training and planning time.

• There is currently no well-developed curriculum.

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What is civics education?

• Government• Citizenship• Consumer

Education• Community

Resources• Money

Management• Legal System

• Personal Information

• American Culture• Parenting• Employment• Forms• Other

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Objectives of the Project

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Objective #1

Identify the specific skills required for ESL students to be able to fully participate as citizens of the community and the United States.

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Objective #2

Develop an adjunct ESL/Civics curriculum.

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Objective #3

Implement beginning ESL/Civics curriculum in at least two (2) pilot sites during year one.

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Objective #4

Disseminate the curriculum throughout ESL Programs located in North Carolina’s community colleges.

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The Process

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Working with current ESL staff, community agencies, and ESL students, we will solicit input as to the competencies whose mastery is necessary for increased civic awareness and participation.

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Using this information, a cross-section of ESL students will be asked to rate the competencies in order of importance to them.

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Competencies will then be identified from this aggregated information.

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• Concurrently, “best practices” in ESL instruction will be explored.

• The most current and effective instructional materials will be researched and critiqued.

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Pilot sites will be identified based on…

• The number of beginning/intermediate ESL students being served.

• The willingness of the instructional staff to be active participants in field-testing.

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• With this information in hand, work will begin on the development of the ESL/civics curriculum.

• Each competency will be examined and each skills necessary for mastery will be identified.

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• Staff will develop lesson plans based on each of the specific skills identified.

• Instructional resources necessary to support the lesson will be assembled.

• Lesson plans and materials will be collected into instructional packets which will be filed under the competency addressed.

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• As the instructional packets are completed, they will be field tested at the pilot sites.

• They will be evaluated.• Appropriateness for the audience• Facility of use by the instructors• Overall educational effectiveness

• Changes and adaptations will be made as indicated.

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Instructor Participation and Training

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Instructors at the pilot locations will be trained in the implementation of the ESL/civics curriculum by the project director.

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• Each lesson will last approximately 1-2 hours although some may be shorter or longer.

• Out of class planning on the part of the instructor will not be required.• All plans and resources will be in the

instructional packet and ready for use.

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Once the ESL/civics curriculum is in place, the trained instructors from the pilot sites will conduct staff development activities with the entire ESL staff on curriculum implementation.

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• The process will be repeated in part to address intermediate levels of ESL.

• At the end of the second year, a fully developed, comprehensive ESL/civics curriculum for beginning and intermediate ESL instruction will be available for implementation in any ESL class.

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Evaluation

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Evaluation and revision will be concurrent with the development and implementation of the curriculum.

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Evaluation methods

• Instructor feedback• Student feedback• Instructor designed assessments• Self-reporting

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Monitoring

• Will be ongoing and under the direct supervision of the Dean of Basic Skills.

• Technical assistance will be provided by the ESL Coordinator.

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The 4 Steps of Dissemination

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1. We will facilitate the duplication of the curriculum development process.

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2. We will share the methodology, curriculum competencies, lesson plans, and resource material inventories with other ESL providers through the NCCCS Office.

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3. We will conduct presentations of the methods, procedures, and results of the project at regional and state training opportunities.

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Personnel

• Dean of Basic Skills, Martha Hollar• ESL Coordinator, Kim Hinton• ESL Special Project Director, Melinda

Hefner• Curriculum Developer, Mandy Williams• Clerical Assistant, Susan Proietti• Instructors—Rose Bolick, Jodie

Icenhour, Joan Richard, and Thom Uhl

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For information

• Contact Melinda Hefner• 726-2245• Mhefner@caldwell.cc.nc.us

OR• Contact Mandy Williams• 726-2274• Mwilliams@caldwell.cc.nc.us