Dr. Jean DeVard-Kemp
Assistant Commissioner
Office of Adult Literacy

IN THIS ISSUE

Victoria Coulter, the ELP Teacher for Middle Georgia Technical Institute's Adult Literacy Program, does not have problems recruiting students. She has seen her class size double in two months. Students are spreading the word and bringing their friends and family members to share in the learning experience.

One activity that has helped to draw students is a monthly dance day which began in September 1999, when a student from Puerto Rico and her husband demonstrated how to dance the Merengue. Their demonstration and explanation of the dance gave the students a unique experience while they learned English. As the rest of the class attempted to learn the dance steps, more complex instructions were given to them in English. Using this language experience approach, the class then discussed the experience while their teacher wrote the sentences on the blackboard. Coulter then used these sentences for reading practice and grammatical analysis. Afterwards, students wrote in their journals with the structure set out for them based on their English proficiency levels.

Vicky Coulter leads the ELP Class in dancing to learn English.

In October, another student taught the class how to perform the Philippine Glass Dance. When a few of the students from the nearby ABE Level I class observed part of this demonstration, they became captivated and were permitted to join the class. Soon thereafter, four students shared their cultures' dances with the Level I students.

Dance day is just one component of Coulter's classroom, where students represent a diversity of backgrounds and abilities. To meet students' academic needs, Coulter employs a teaching method similar to a workshop to present lessons. Another method is teaching a lesson through the use of a book, video, or audiotape. Still another method is encouraging independent study, using many other available resources.

Coulter has found several useful resources effective for new English speakers, including a set of audiotapes called Speaking for Survival and a videotape and activity set called The Crossroads Café. These activities provide practical life skills that can be easily adapted for workshop use. Using these approaches, Coulter has found that she has time to assist the different group levels by using peer-led discussions and independent practice. The students have enjoyed the flexible grouping that keeps morale high as the quality of their work steadily improves.

Coulter believes in using selected themes to provide a sense of continuity in the classroom. Her first unit was called "The Body", which focused on the human body and led to practical life lessons, such as filling out forms in a doctor's office. She introduces a new idiom in each class that pertains to the unit they are studying and offers a famous quotation from the book, Wisdom from Around the World. Other successful units have focused on money and food. Studying these subjects has proven to be motivating for students. From lessons on dance, food, and personal finance, students have discovered that learning English is both practical and fun.

Barbara Fatkin
Part-Time Literacy Teacher
Middle Georgia Technical Institute
Warner Robins, Georgia
SDA #32