Hi all,

Recently, as part of my ‘ESOL for Work’ research, I have been looking into a programme in Washington State known as I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training). I-BEST is basically an integrated vocational-ESL programme where English language learners are taught a particular vocation alongside their ESL instruction. See link:

http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/e_studentsuccess.aspx

After speaking with a practitioner from Walla Walla College I decided to share the contents of our discussion on the list. 

She told me all about how the whole thing is delivered (vocational-ESL instruction) and the assessment certainly is not integrated; but the delivery is. The students sit a general English exam (the CASAS test in order to ensure funding), and the same vocational test that native speakers undertake (comparable to NVQ in the UK). But, as stated, the delivery is integrated; that is, the ESL teacher is in the class with the content teacher and delivers alongside. The content teacher has a lesson plan and the ESL teacher has a lesson plan drawn from it, providing language (ESL) input from the relevant content. We talked about the obvious problems regarding this approach and how native speakers might ‘switch off’ when the ESL instructor begins her part of the lesson. The ESL learners also have reinforcement lessons after the vocational session.

In any case, she said learners were more motivated as they had a vocational objective. Also, it’s a fast-track method of achieving it, and students mix with native speakers.

Attached are some further details she sent. I hope they are useful for ESOL practitioners in the UK who are involved in developing ESOL + (a job) programmes in view of recent developments.

Best wishes,

Ibrar Butt