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