Teaching and Honoring

I want to talk about two things today, and I will keep it brief because I am a busy busy girl!

First I want to talk about using games in ESOL tutoring.  For my third week, I decided to try a couple of games with the students.  To shake it up a bit.  I created a bingo game using pictures and words for grocery store vocabulary.  I used a great website that has a bingo card generator on it:

 

Here is an example of one of the cards:

I gave them pennies and buttons to use as their markers.

Observation 1: Normally when you play bingo you only have to get a whole row across, down, or diagonal to win; but when the cards only use 16 pictures, the game ends too soon.  I suggest using the rule that you have to fill the entire card to win.  We played about 5 games of bingo, in about 10 minutes, too fast!

Then I played a response game with them, to try and teach them the words under, over, beside, etc.  I gave each student a piece of paper with these two pictures on it:

Then I told them to put an X on the table, put a check under the table, put a circle in the box, and put a plus sign beside the box.  Then I showed them my sheet of paper and told them it should look the same:

 Most of them understood, and those who didn't would ask their neighbor to help them, so they all got them right.  I wanted to do this game because my partner N and I noticed that they were getting confused with the words on, in, and at.  N told me that in the Spanish language they say "on top of" as in "Put the X on top of the table."  English speakers say this also, but most people say the shortened version "put the X on the table" and I want my students to understand what that means.

This brings up a good point.  There are many idiosyncrasies in the English language that can not really be translated well to other languages.  Whenever possible it is good to try to explain and teach these to ESOL students, the more they use the "real" American language, the more they will feel at home.  In my opinion anyway.

So we did those two games, which took me about 4 hours to prepare, and in class they took about 20 minutes to finish.  That left 40 minutes of open non prepared time.  I sort of panicked and looked helplessly at N when I realized I had nothing to do for the next 40 minutes.  She suggested we go over some emergency words, so we talked about the different times you would call 911 or go to the ER versus calling a doctor.  Like I have said before, the students are all so easygoing and they never missed a beat.  This is why I love teaching this class!

"Hey ESL Teacher"

 Photo by Vanessa Jones

Yes!

That was the subject in a recent email sent to me.  The ESL teacher at my daughters school started a wonderful evening program at the school.  Family Learning Nights, you can learn English, Spanish, get help with preparing for your GED, get tutoring help for your child's homework.  D, the ESL teacher is also a master trainer for LVNJ and just a really cool person, and this idea he had is so fantastic.  When he sent the word out looking for help with tutoring I immediately signed up.

I haven't had a student to tutor for about 6 months, it has been a busy time in my personal life so I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with the tutoring.  It was so difficult for me to drive almost 30 minutes to get to the tutoring sessions before and it was so inconvenient, and then my student rarely showed up, or if she did she was always late.  It clouded my experience.

But the thought of being able to tutor a student at the school which is just around the corner from my house, in the evenings when my husband can take care of the children.  And to know I am working with parents of my kids friends.  People in my community.  This idea completely appealed to me.

The thing is I had only ever done basic literacy tutoring, and the training I had for ESL tutoring was a year ago.  I told D I would tutor a student, thinking I can handle one on one.  Then I got an email from D the day before the first FLN:

"Brenda,

Would you be interested in taking a small group of beginning ESL students?"

Umm, PANIC!  So the LVNJ training mainly focuses on one on one tutoring, but we did touch on the small group training.  But like I said that was a YEAR ago!  How could I possibly say no though?  The parents wanted to learn, and I repeated to myself that first empowering thought I learned in training "If you can speak English, you can teach someone to speak English."  So yeah!  Yes I will take that small group, and I will do the best I can, I am totally willing and able!

The day came, and I poured over my training manual, and a great manual my boss J suggested and I went online and came up with a very basic lesson plan.  I did not know the level these students were at in their English speaking skills so I had to go on the assumption that they were very beginner.

I decided to start with a grid, and use the Repetition Drills I had learned and practiced in training to have them practice saying: "Hi, my name is," "I have three children," "I have two girls and one boy."  And I would have them introduce themselves and then their neighbor using the grid to help them.

I also found pictures of different scenarios on google, Talking to your child's teacher, At the bank, At the grocery store, and At the doctor.  I would poll the students and say: "I need help speaking English when I am..." and then I would show them each picture while saying what it was and then ask them to each pick a scenario they wanted to work on.  Then we would work on things you might need to say in those scenarios, using the Repetition Drill and the Response Drill.

So I had a plan and I was scared but hopeful.

I got there and started drawing out my grid on the board and then waited.  Then the students started showing up.  And showing up.  And showing up.  I had a total of 11 students that night!  Yikes, I am sorry but that is a large group in my opinion!

 Photo by Vanessa Jones

But I never skipped a beat, and I went through my lesson plan and oh my gosh the students were so awesome!  They were eager, upbeat and totally accommodating.  LOVE teaching ESL!

As I was gathering my things at the end of the class, one of the ladies said, "Thank you teacher!"  Heart melting!

From A to Z: Weekly Treasures

Hmmm. I am really unsure how I feel about this first article I found on EducationNews.org. On the one hand I know from personal experience how difficult it really is to tell the level of a person's intelligence simply by testing. On the other hand it is really the only tool available to determine the levels across a broad range of people.

I do however agree that testing can be improved, but then that requires more funding and more manpower. Shouldn't those resources go to helping people instead of testing them. Read the article, Maliteracy Practice in the Assessment of Adult Literacy , and see what you think. I am interested in know your thoughts!

I am so impressed by anyone who holds these large conferences. Mainly because I know how much work goes into them.

I love to hear about a literacy program getting honored!

A very informative article from about the problem of health illiteracy specifically regarding consent forms.

More stories that illustrate how important health literacy is. I love the line at the very end: “I never ask, ‘Do you understand?’ ” she added, “because they say, ‘Uh-huh,’ and you don’t know what they understand. So instead I’ll say, ‘I know your daughter is going to want to know about this, so what are you going to tell her?’ ” From the journalgazette.net.

I did not know this! Obama Administration Announces Start of Student Exam Window for 2011 National Financial Capability Challenge.

Does anyone have a high school student who took this? I am really interested to find out the results!

April is National Financial Literacy Month. Check this unofficial website to learn about the 30 steps to financial wellness.

And finally this, it is powerful.

Literacy is NOT Defined as Reading

A common misconception among most people is that just because you can read you are literate. Not true. What if you don't understand what you are reading?






What do you think when you read the word "Hypertension"? Of course if you are a doctor or nurse, or actually suffer from this and have learned what it is you would know. But what if you have never heard this term before, you go to your doctor, and they say, "well you are suffering from hypertension so I want you to take this prescription and come back in a month." If you don't specifically ask what it means what would you think? I am too tense maybe?


A study done by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) back in 1996 showed that patients with low literacy thought the term "high tension" (what they used to call hypertension) meant "a disease of the nerves caused by stress, worry, or an anxious personality." The book Explaining Illness: research, theory, and strategies, written by Bryan B. Whaley, says that these patients "believed the way to treat "high pretension" was to rest and relax-to take it easy."


I looked up the word and it means, High Blood Pressure. I don't even know what that means. The medical websites say it is high tension in the arteries. Well what does that even mean? There are a lot of words that I did not understand when I tried to look it up. Systolic, Diastolic, oh and then there was pre-hypertension.


Basically after wading through all those terms I got to the heart of the matter, and basically if you have a "High Blood Pressure" (what is high anyway), you could die from it.


So if an adult, with only a 3rd or 4th grade reading level, or an immigrant who does not understand the language very well and is maybe somewhat intimidated by the whole health care system was told they have "hypertension" with no other explanation; would they know what it meant? Would they know where to go to find out? What is the likelihood that they will do what is required to take care of it?


Here is another example. You walk into a doctor's office and the receptionist hands you the "Privacy Statement" that you are required to sign. If you are like me you just sign it without really thinking about it, because let's face it I am there to see the doctor and whatever I need to do to get into that room faster and get out and on with my life I am going to do.


But I challenge you to actually read it the next time, and tell me honestly if you recognize all of the words and acronyms that are used throughout. Here is an excerpt taken from a local doctor's privacy statement:





Okay, because I am pretty well read and went to college and was forced at college to learn most of the words in this paragraph, I think I can easily figure out the gist of it. But what about an adult that only reads at a 3rd grade level. Do you think they would understand this paragraph? The word "Pursuant" for example. Or "Provision" or "Disclosure".


These privacy statements aren't life threatening, and they aren't meant to hurt us as patients, but they are confusing and somewhat intimidating in nature. Isn't that how most forms are at the doctor's office, or hospital, or clinic?


I went to an in-service on Tuesday at the Plainfield Public Library. It was titled: "What Adult Literacy Tutors can do to Increase Health Literacy." This workshop was taught by a well known expert in the field of Health Literacy. She is one of the founders of the Health Coalition of NJ and has given many workshops to tutors, students, and even health care professionals.

First question: What is Health Literacy? Well Health Literacy is defined many different ways actually, and has changed throughout the years. One definition put forth by The Centre for Literacy of Quebec states:

• Health literacy allows the public and personnel working in all health-related contexts to find, understand, evaluate, communicate and use information.
• Health literacy is the use of a wide range of skills that improve the ability of people to act on information in order to live healthier lives.
• These skills include reading, writing, listening, speaking, numeracy, and critical analysis, as well as communication and interaction skills.

All these skills are required to be able to understand health and wellness: Reading, Writing, Speaking, Numeracy, and Critical Analysis.

Honestly it never occurred to me how really cut off low literate people are from really understanding health care. I am thankful for this workshop, for opening my eyes to the facts.

I learned that according to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy that 88% of the country is below the proficient level in health literacy. To me that is way too high and it is so obvious that there is a clear disconnect between how the information is being given to us and how it is received.

So what can be done? The workshop presenter gave us tutors, tips and ideas, and resources to use to help introduce the topic into our tutoring. But she also mentioned that it is a two way street. She feels, and I agree, that the health care providers need to learn to make it simple. That doesn't mean dumb it down, it means make it easier for everyone to understand the important information that we as patients need to know. And maybe doctor's and even nurses could take a little extra time to make sure their patients really understand and not just assume that they do.

My mother is a nurse and I have an aunt who is a doctor, and I have many friends who are in medical professions. I love these people and have learned many important things from them, and because of them I do not feel intimidated to ask questions. But I know many people still are, and I challenge those who work in this profession to learn to look out for these patients. In the mean time I will do my best to help my student with whatever health literacy needs she has or wants.

If you would like more information about Health Literacy in NJ, please click here:

From A to Z: Weekly Treasures

In my ongoing quest to know as much as I can about the world of Adult Literacy, I have uncovered more thoughtful and insightful blogs and articles on the subject. Enjoy!

A. From Suite101.com, this blog written by Jacqui Taylor, a literacy tutor in the UK, is about one of my newfound biggest pet peeves. Finding good reading material for adult literacy students.

b.

From the Richmond Confidential website out of Richmond, CA, this article describes a great new program being started by LEAP. The Literacy for Every Adult Program received a grant to start an adult computer literacy program geared to helping adults learn about all that the WWW has to offer.

C. Watch this very cool video clip from the blog of Eva Gilliam, a videojournalist in Africa. This short documentary describes how adolescents in Mozambique are helping to combat adult illiteracy.

d. From a blog spot on the ReadingHorizons at home website, find out about some great new resources for using technology in tutoring adults.

e. Amazing article about a man who learned to read and write at the age of 98. “And he got out his pen and started writing his name. He had never written his name before.” From the Ann Arbor Chronicle website.

A must read!

F. From the American Observer a piece about the state of adult illiteracy in Washington DC. The numbers are staggering, especially the contrast between white and black residents.

G. We have all heard about the tragic events that took place in Tucson, AZ, but did you know that Congresswoman Gabby Giffords (D-AZ) is a supporter of Adult Literacy and is actually a member of the House Adult Literacy Caucus. I learned this from the sympathy statement posted on the ProLiteracy website.

In this Associated Press photo, mourners and supporters gather near a memorial in front of the University Medical Center in Tucson.

h. We all know adult illiteracy is a very serious problem especially since funding is being cut everywhere we look. Crying won't help, so we might as well laugh. From the Canadian show This Hour Has 22 Minutes here is a funny clip to help us all keep our sense of humor.

Tutoring Is Not For The Weak at Heart

Yes I know it’s been a while since I have posted anything. Frankly I have been just too busy to do anything but the absolute necessary; sorry to say the blog was not absolutely necessary especially during the holidays.

I did get matched with a student, about a week after my last post. I was really excited when I found out, I mean I had been waiting for a while, but I was also really nervous. Let me introduce you to D: She is a young woman, 26, she was born and raised in the states and graduated high school with a special degree. So she is a basic literacy student which is what I requested after training. I really like her, she is sweet and energetic, and seems motivated.

We have met 4 times so far, first time we met in a coffee shop, I told her about my family and I asked her about her life and what her dreams in life are. She really wants to become independent and have a good job, and help to take care of her family. She signed up for an online course to become a masseuse, she has to finish by June 2011 or she will miss the deadline. Here is the reality, she can’t read the workbook. This workbook they sent is written on a college level and she is reading at a 3rd grade level. Also, the course she signed up for is to learn massage techniques, she won’t be a certified masseuse at the end of this course. I tried to explain this to her, but she is determined to finish the course and then look for a job after. I am still getting to know her so I don’t want to be too pushy. I am taking it week by week.

I decided to start simple; I pulled a book from the library called The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, by Christopher Paul Curtis. It is a bit above her level, written on a 6th grade level. But it is a good starting point because the story is interesting for her. I had her read the first few pages at our last session. She did so much better than when she was trying to read that workbook. And she laughed at the story; I was so excited when I heard her laugh. Success, I picked a book she likes. I say that because the week before I had picked a book of Haitian folk tales for her to read (her family is from Haiti) and she was NOT impressed.

I have had her working on building her sight word base. I have a strong feeling that she might be dyslexic, and the best thing for her at this point is to just learn as many sight words as possible. It may not help with her writing, but at least she will be able to read more fluently. Words like Possibly, Discuss, Distribute, Explain, Diagnose, Describe, Negative are among the flashcards I created for her. We go over them every week, and I have her practice writing them as well. I am trying to follow the tutor training as much as I can but basically I am playing it by ear. I stressed about our meetings so much in the first few weeks. I read tons of manuals and researched ideas on websites, it is so much information to decipher and I usually have very little time to go over it all. So the best thing is to try what I have learned, if it doesn't work then I will try something else.

Some lessons I have learned so far:

1. Make sure you have a well defined lesson plan, but be prepared to change it, especially in the beginning. Some things you will just not be prepared for, like a grumpy student, in which case I found it is best not to expect too much from her. Or a late student which means not enough time to get everything done.

2. You can’t feel responsible for everything involved with your student. D suffers from sickle cell and has a hard time with the cold weather. She has asked me a number of times (sometimes actually whining) if I can give her rides to and from the library for our sessions. It is totally against the rules of tutoring the trainers gave to us; basically it is an insurance liability for them. I understand this and even agree with it on a cerebral level, but on the level of feelings which is where I operate most times it feels wrong. But I am, if nothing else, a rules follower and so I stuck to my guns. Having kids definitely prepared me for saying no.

3. Your student may disappear sometimes. Last week after a two week break for the holidays my student was nowhere to be found. Her cell phone had been cut off, the person who answered at her home phone said she was not there and she was not returning any of the emails I had sent to her. Then she just didn’t show up at our regular scheduled session. I feared the worst. I didn’t want to but I started thinking maybe she was giving up on the whole thing. But I kept emailing her and finally today she emailed me back and is going to be at our session today. It’s weird but I am sure she has a reason; I am just going to keep working with her regardless. We are all human anyway right?

4. Just because I like to read does not mean my student does, or ever will for that matter. I mean she had a hard time reading all through school, she has made it this far in life with only a basic knowledge of the English language, what makes ME think I am going to turn her into some avid novel reader. Still there is a small desire in me that she will one day want to read just for pleasure. I am a dreamer.

5. Like I learned in tutor training, when you are teaching the rules of grammar and spelling and pronunciation to a student, the best thing to say about the rules is: this rule applies until it doesn’t. These lessons apply until they don’t, that is what I am repeating in my head every week. Which can be exciting, because I am learning something new all the time and that is one thing I truly LOVE?

6. I am not perfect and neither is D. So perfection is not even a word in my vocabulary right now. This sets the bar low for me, so I can set it low for D, which is where it needs to be set right now. Baby steps are okay, and they will probably be tiny steps for a long time.
I am determined to do a better job with my blogging from here on out. I owe to myself and to D and it is honestly therapeutic which is definitely something I need right now.

PLEASE feel free to leave comments, I love them!

17%

You are standing in line at the bank, the older gentleman in front of you looks like any other citizen. Clean cut, dressed well, he even smiles at you kindly. He gets to the teller and holding his bank book and a check he tells the person, “I forgot my glasses again, could you please fill out this deposit slip for me.” The bank teller knowingly smiles and kindly agrees. What are the possibilities that this man didn’t forget his glasses, but in fact cannot read or write the English language and so has developed coping skills to get through life. The statistics show that 17%* of adult residents in NJ (out of a total population of 8,707,739) are without adequate literacy skills, so it is pretty likely. To me this is staggering.

The story changes only slightly if they are an ESOL adult. Maybe at their job and at home they can speak their native language, but out in the community the majority of the time they need help communicating their needs. These adults are not numbers; they are the people we meet every day, parents or grandparents of friends, neighbors, the young man who delivers your lunch every day, maybe even family members.

It is easy to be angry and say why? Why has no one helped them? If they are understandably too ashamed or afraid to get help, what will happen to them? When I first read the statistics I was overwhelmed and felt somewhat in despair for our state. But when I became a volunteer with LV of Union County, the numbers ceased to matter. I learned that the adults who come to these programs are looking for help and they have a name and a history, and that matters. If you are their tutor, it becomes all about them, making sure their voice is heard above all the noise fear and shame has created. Maybe the illiteracy numbers don’t go down because you helped one person learn to fill out their own bank deposit slip, but that person’s life has become easier, and maybe they have pride and determination to go further.

I finished my tutor training two weeks ago and it was one of the best trainings I have ever been to; well thought out, and full of great examples. I don’t mean to gush, but all of the trainers were so understanding and caring and honest. I learned so much, not just about how to teach an adult, but what it takes personally. I have developed a greater respect overall for tutors and trainers and anyone in this field who is trying to make adult literacy a priority.

I haven’t been matched with a student yet, but I know I will get one. With 1 in 6 adults in NJ needing help, there is bound to be someone who needs me sooner or later. Of course this brings on a whole new set of fears and questions. What will I say to them when I meet them for the first time? Will they be as scared and unsure as I will be? How can I make them feel comfortable and let them know I don’t feel sorry for them, I am proud of them already for coming forward and being a part of the solution? I am eager to find out the answers to these questions and to share them with everyone I know. Stay tuned!

*Estimates of low literacy developed by the National Center for Education Statistics for the U.S Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences. Their website: http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/Index.aspx

Power In Words

Last week I went to a special event hosted by LV of Union county. This is the LVNJ affiliate program whose tutor training I am going through. All of the trainees in my class were invited by our trainer who organized the event. It was a celebration for tutors and students, and a launching of the second annual student writing and art magazine called "Connections."

I had to work that day and I went right to the event from work. I was tired and a little unsure of whether I should even go. But I had said I would go and I wanted to keep my word, plus I was really curious to hear the students stories and to see the artwork done by one of their students.

When I got there I was really happy to see they were serving coffee : ). Also I saw some of my fellow tutor training classmates. I always feel more comfortable in unfamiliar places if I know at least one person. We all sat together in the audience and talked about our days and how we thought training was going, it was a good bonding experience.

Then the program started. There were the usual thanks and congratulations to the people who had made the program possible. But then the students started their readings. The first student was actually a student of our trainer S and she got up and introduced him. He was an older gentleman, a basic literacy student and he had written a short letter about what it meant to him to know how to read. He was understandably nervous, and stumbled some, but it didn't matter, the entire audience was captivated and you could almost feel the power of their support holding him up wanting him to achieve this goal. I was in awe.

Each student that came up was introduced by their tutor before they spoke. I loved this part just as much as the students' readings because you could see the pride in their faces. A few of the stories made me cry, like the woman who wrote about overcoming a fear so she could work and provide for her family. There was one story written by an older ESOL gentleman whose command of the language was very impressive. He wrote about his experience coming to America and finding the LV program to help him learn to read and write English. He ended his essay with a statement about how important it is for everyone who comes to America to learn to appreciate and understand the American culture. I was so proud to be an American at that moment and the camaraderie among the English speakers, new and experienced, was so poignant.

Public speaking is a very difficult thing for most people. I know even myself after having taken classes on how to be better at public speaking and knowing how to read and write very fluently, still get so nervous when standing before a large crowd of people whose eyes and ears are all tuned to me. For an adult, who has not fully mastered the ability to read and write English, to have the courage and determination to get up and read something they wrote, and to do so clearly and with certainty is a most commendable feat.

I was so encouraged after attending this program. When I am touched personally by something it never leaves me, and I know I will never forget this first lesson in the power of volunteer tutoring.