Garlow Yields Reins as CATESOL Historian · rising prices all around us, there is a ... Both...

VOLUME 40 NUMBER 1 SUMMER 2008

The proposal submissions deadline for the 2009 CATESOL State Conference in Pasadena is November 17, 2008. See p. 7 for more

conference information or visit the Web site at www.catesol2009.org

Mobilizing Word Consciousness in English Language LearnersBy Angelica Duran

English language learners, like the learners of any second language, only capture a few of the words they need to know while they are in the

classroom. Therefore, ESL teachers should work to develop a passion in their students for “word consciouness,” for learning when they are on their own, according Dr. Cheryl Zimmerman, an associate professor of modern languages and literatures at California State University, Fullerton. Zimmerman gave the Sunday plenary address at CATESOL’s State Conference in April.

That consciousness consists of enjoying, being aware of, and playing with words, as well as being satisfied with one’s ability for using words well.

Zimmerman demonstrated word consciousness to her audience with a pair of sentences having similar meanings, but stated very differently:

“The procession of resources was hampered by the treacherous terrain.”“They couldn’t get the rigs up the road.”The language in the first sentence sounds academic. The language in the

second illustrates what is happening using everyday language. (continued on page 4)

A New Model for Professional Development in Adult EducationBy G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi

High quality professional development is a high priority in

adult education today, perhaps more than ever in its history. As a result of a recent new study, we have gained some insight into the factors that influence change in teacher practice. (continued on page 6)

By Timothy LangeCATESOL News Editor

Katheryn Garlow has been a member of CATESOL for half

the organization’s 40-year life, and for the past dozen years she served as the organization’s historian, the go-to person when anyone needed an old document or to know the tenor of board debate around an old issue that had re-emerged. In June, she handed the job over to Kara Rosenberg.

Before Garlow took over, the historian’s job was the bailiwick of Alice Addison, president of CATESOL

in 1987-88. Garlow herself served as president in 1992-93. And Rosenberg was president in 1996-97. Garlow has held several other posts at CATESOL as well. She initiated the community college level chair in 1989, served as treasurer, professional development coordinator and three years as president-elect, president and past-president before taking over as historian in 1995.

She got that job, she said, because Addison “recruited me by fudging about how many boxes I would be the

Former CATESOL historian Katheryn Garlow stands outside the trailer that served for years as the

organization’s archive.

Garlow Yields Reins as CATESOL Historian

(continued on page 17)

I’m happy to be serving as your CATESOL president for this year.

In a time when we are looking at budget cuts from Sacramento and rising prices all around us, there is a need for action, especially in two areas.

The first is a boost in new memberships. The CATESOL Board has been talking about a new membership drive. Look for more information about this in future issues of the CATESOL News.

The second area is for CATESOL to be more active in pushing for better working conditions for the many teachers who have adjunct or part-time status. Let me focus this time on the issues that adjuncts face at the community-college level because that is the area that I am most familiar with.

In a typical community-college district in California, an adjunct instructor teaching in a credit ESL division is often limited to just nine hours a semester because of the 60 percent rule. That is, if full-time faculty members teach 15 hours per week in that district, adjuncts can only teach for nine hours. This may mean nine hours on one campus or splitting those hours between two sites. And the typical adjunct needs to work for at least one additional college (or two) to pay the bills.

Look at what it costs to work at multiple colleges. First, there is transportation: additional gasoline, car maintenance and related costs. Some districts provide free parking as a perk, but some charge for the privilege. Most community colleges also require that the adjunct be a member of the union. Does this mean that an adjunct who teaches in three districts may need to pay for three separate union memberships?

What can be done to improve working conditions? Earlier this year, there were two pieces of legislation that would have raised the 60 percent rule to 67 percent, adding an hour to the teaching load of an adjunct at a typical campus. Both Assembly Bill 1916 (Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena) and Assembly Bill 591 (Mervyn Dymally, D-Los Angeles) aimed at allowing adjunct faculty to teach up to 67 percent of a full-time faculty member’s teaching load. Neither bill made the cut this year, but will probably be brought forward again. They deserve another look.

What could the 67 percent rule do to benefit adjunct faculty? Imagine that you teach ESL or a foreign language (or both). Many of the first-year courses are five hours. Most districts would block an adjunct teacher from teaching two such courses in one semester. However, with the passing of the 67 percent rule, adjuncts could be offered these extra units, meaning a chance to earn more pay and to stay on one campus more hours per week. The passing of this legislation would benefit adjuncts (in terms of more pay and possibly less driving), would assist administrators who might need an adjunct to teach an additional class, and would benefit students who could see their teachers on campus for office hours or after-class meetings.Tell CATESOL what you think. Would you benefit from a 67 percent

rule? Are there any drawbacks? Is this rule or something like it applied at the University of California and California State University campuses? Tell CATESOL how you feel about this. Go to the CATESOL Web site (www.catesol.org)

and log-in to the section labeled Adjunct Issues.

In unity,

President’s Message

Kathy Flynn

2 CATESOL News Summer 2008

CATESOL NEWS(USPS- 010-177 issn 1070-387X) is a publication of CATESOL, a professional association for those concerned with the teaching of English as a second language or dialect and with bilingual education.

All rights revert to the author upon publication as long as CATESOL News is credited when the work is published in the future, in print, on-line, on CDs or DVDs, or other electronic means.

CATESOL NEWS is available through membership only. CATESOL NEWS is published four times annually, in Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter, for $6 a year by the California Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, lo-cated at 21C Orinda Way, #362, Orinda, CA 94563.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Orinda, Calif., and at addtional mailing office.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: CATESOL NEWS, 21C Orinda Way #362, Orinda, CA 94563

DEADLINE FOR WINTER ISSUE: November 1, 2008

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[email protected] Latrobe Street

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INQUIRIES ABOUT MEMBERSHIP OR PROBLEMS SHOULD BE

ADDRESSED TO LINDA PATTENCATESOL Membership Services

(925) 253-8683 [email protected]

By John Liang College/University Level Chair

In today’s college and university ESL classrooms, the diverse population of students – Generation 1.5, international,

and recent immigrants – has generated increasing challenges to our ESL instructors. The diverse educational backgrounds and the varying levels of linguistic readiness of these students, in particular, have produced tremendous frustration as well. In response to a growing interest in the effect of student diversity on learning effectiveness, at the 2008 CATESOL State Conference in Sacramento, the College/University Level invited a panel of college ESL instructors to share the various approaches their ESL programs are using to prepare their ESL populations for “mainstreaming.”

I described the motivation problems of a particular group of international ESL students in my university’s ESL programs. I suggested that when students fail to see the relevance of their academic language preparation to their future career, they are less likely to take the initiative to improve their language skills. I emphasized that helping students change their learning beliefs is crucial to their language success.

Mary Smith from UC Merced focused her discussion on the under-preparedness of the Hispanic ESL students in her ESL programs. She described how an early assessment of student needs, ranging from basic academic reading and writing skills to computer literacy and study skills, as well as focused summer bridge programs can be effective in increasing students’ preparedness for their college work.

Sarah Nielsen from California State University, East Bay, also focused on discussing how to better prepare Generation 1.5 students for college studies, but she addressed a different area, basic academic writing skills. She described how her university created a one-year developmental writing program linked to general education learning communities aimed at improving the students’ critical thinking and writing skills.

Elena Solomon, the in-coming Nevada Representative, also an ESL instructor from University of Nevada, Las Vegas, focused on a different group of ESL students, transfer students from community colleges who are found to be under-prepared for academic rigors in formal university studies. Elena discussed how the tutoring service offered at the writing center has been effective in helping these students improve their composition skills.

To forge a stronger connection with the Secondary Level, we also invited Scott Forrest, the in-coming Secondary Chair, to address issues concerning English language

learners in high school. In his presentation, Scott outlined an instructional model that focuses on the explicit teaching of select vocabulary, grammar structures, and rhetorical skills as a means to boost English language learners’ writing skills and critical thinking skills. He then further contended for a strong partnership between high school and university ESL teachers to better prepare high school ESL students for their college academic studies.

Ellen Lange, the outgoing College/University Level Chair from the University of California, Davis, concluded the panel discussion with a brief presentation on the need for a closer examination of high school multilingual students’ academic records as well as the need for high school teachers to be more rigorous in training immigrant students for their future academic studies.

Overall, the workshop was well received. Many attendees approached the panelists after the session was over for further discussion in private. As the new College/University Level Chair, I am hoping to continue the articulation of the needs of our diverse ESL student populations in college and university. One goal I hope to achieve this year is to forge a strong partnership with the Secondary Level in reaching out to high school ESL teachers as we make endeavors to enhance Generation 1.5 students’ academic readiness for college studies. In next year’s level workshop, we hope to put together a panel of high school and college/university ESL composition instructors to explore effective instructional models and pedagogies to better prepare our ESL students for “mainstreaming.”

John Liang is an associate professor of Applied Linguistics and TESOL at Biola University in La Mirada, California.

CATESOL News Summer 2008 3

College/University LevelOur Diverse Populations: How Can We Help?

John Liang

Write for the CATESOL News CATESOL members are encouraged to submit articles (and ideas for articles) to the CATESOL News. Articles of 600-800 words are preferred. Have something in mind? Contact the editor, Timothy Lange, at [email protected] or 323-224-0329.

Likewise in another pair, with academic language expressed in the first sentence, and an attitude expressed in the second:

“Mandatory evacuation was enforced.”

“They told us we had to get out and they were p----d.”

These two discourses serve different functions, Zimmerman said. In our everyday lives, we don’t usually speak “academically” because this would alienate a large portion of the population from us. Moreover, academic speech is not a very rich language in which to talk about our daily experiences. At the same time, we wouldn’t use quotidian language to articulate complex theories and concepts. As writers and speakers, we must consider our audience.

Zimmerman offered other examples:

“People are resigned to the worst possible scenario.” (This is an interpretation of an event.)

“It is what it is!” (This is an emotive response to the event.)

Both are valid forms of communication, she said, but they serve very different functions. Just as do:

“I dunno ...”“I don’t think I’d introduce many

new ones, but I would abolish quite a few.”

If these discourse pairs are all valid, where then do we begin teaching academic vocabulary? Zimmerman said it all starts with word consciousness, which requires an awareness of word usage and the development of a mindset and habits for independent word learning. Students need to understand what it means to know a word, including its meaning, collocations, grammatical behavior, derivations, and register.

Word consciousness starts with us, Zimmerman said. Before a word

becomes fully internalized, it must be used 10 times. Word knowledge requires meaning. Zimmerman demonstrated with three student-constructed sentences, each with its own problems:

1. She was in a comma, but she retrieved.

2. They told me not to be expressive toward the communist party because I could get in trouble.

3. I don’t have any children. They are all grown up now.

From these we can clearly see that an understanding of vocabulary-in-context is important, but a full understanding of meaning in the target language cannot be ignored. Zimmerman pointed out that in Spanish, niños refers to children during their childhood, but in English children refers to offspring, even when they become adults. Meaning depends heavily on context.

Zimmerman elaborated on the four areas of what truly knowing a word is about: meaning(s), collocations, grammatical features, and word parts.

Meaning(s) Zimmerman referred us to Jim

Burke’s English Teacher’s Companion, which suggests the use of a word association scale – a line is drawn and various synonyms are listed by degree. For example, take the word large. She displayed a scale on which words were placed as follows: enormous, huge, large, average, small, and tiny. She noted how not all the words have the same strength and that the placement is not always neat and clean. Seeing words in this way, students not only begin to understand degree

in meaning, but also the subtleties of degree.

Next, Zimmerman suggested that sentences be contextualized using simple vocabulary, after which students are asked to restate the sentences using the provided academic words. For example, using the word pairs live/

survive and pinned/trapped,, have students restate the following sentences:

“In order to live, he amputated his own arm.”

“In order to survive, he amputated his arm.”

“While hiking alone in Utah, Aaron Ralston was hit by a falling boulder, which pinned his right arm and trapped him.”

Notice the differences between the words live and survive, and pinned and trapped.

CollocationsZimmerman explained collocation.

I found this particularly interesting because I always have a difficult time explaining word placement to students. Simply referring to the seven English sentence patterns is not enough because students can follow the patterns assiduously yet create sentences that do not make sense. Some words always appear with other words, and no principle explains that phenomenon. Look at these examples, Zimmerman said:

“The difficulty of the exercise is not too big.”

“He committed a serious accomplishment.”

“If you’re Roman, do what they do.”

“That comes without speaking.”Indeed, language can be formulaic,

but target forms often go beyond word



State Conference, Sacramento...zimmerman(continued from page 1)

Cheryl B. Zimmerman

boundaries. To expand an understanding of collocation lines, Zimmerman recommended visiting the www.lextutor.ca and David Corson’s Lexical Bar.

Grammatical Features For the parts of speech, Zimmeran suggested creating a

table such as the one below to show how word forms change based on grammatical function.

Nouns Verbs Adjectives Adverbsendurance endure enduring xxx

Morpheme changes are various and illogical, so it’s

important for students to learn to recognize word forms.At www.lexutor.ca, students can click on the list of the

1000 most commonly used English words. They can further increase their vocabulary by learning the second 1000 words, as well as the Academic Word List (AWL) and University

Word List (UWL).Zimmerman recommended the following activities.

Raising Awareness of Word Meaning Word Association Scale: Identify an academic word from

a discussion or reading (e.g., enormous). The teacher brainstorms with the class to identify a word that is either opposite in meaning or related but different (e.g., tiny). Pairs then work together to create a continuum of words that range in meaning, indicating which words are synonymous (e.g., tiny, small, average/regular, large, huge, enormous). Finally, the class compares answers and clarified the meanings with the teacher’s guidance (Adapted from Burke, 2003).

Raising Awareness of Collocation1. Metaphorical Ups and Downs: Explain that in English

things that are positive often collocate with words that express the idea of UP (for instance: “Things are looking up.”). The negative often collocates with words that express the idea of DOWN (for instance: “Things are at an all-time low.”). Have the students brainstorm examples. It might help to prompt them with categories, such as status, morality, motions, etc. First, lead a class discussion about the examples. Then, have pairs or small groups work together to compile a longer list, looking for further examples in both printed material (newspapers, magazines, online sources) and

conversation (personal interactions, movies, TV dialogue).2. Concordance Lines: (See Cobb, 2006 and Haywood,

2003).

Raising Awareness of Grammatical Features1. A Picture Tells a Story: Write a four-column chart on

the board and label the columns with the parts of speech. Select a picture from a book, a magazine, or the Internet that could inspire an interesting story. Select three to five words that could be used to describe or ask questions about the picture. Then, as a class, write each word in the appropriate column of the chart, according to its part of speech. Mark an X in each column that has no word form that fits. Pairs use the target words in questions or descriptions of the picture. (Zimmerman, in press)

2. Cloze Activities: See Cobb, 2006 and Haywood, 2003.

Raising Awareness of Word PartsFocused Paraphrases: Restate the sentences below:1. My son is very talented when it comes to working with

machines.2. The mechanism inside a piano is very simple.3. Kevin ate popcorn like a machine while he watched a

movie about space aliens.

General Vocabulary Assessment and PracticeVocab-Profiler: See Compleat Lexical Tutor: http://www.

lextutor.ca References Burgmeier, A. (2009). Inside Reading: The Academic Word List in ContextBurgmeier, A., Eldred, G. & Zimmerman, C.B. (1991). Lexis: Academic Vocabulary StudyBurke, J. (2003). The English Teacher’s CompanionCobb, T. (2006). The Compleat Lexical Tutor http://www.lextutor.caCorson, D. (1985). The Lexical BarCoxhead, A. (2000). “A New Academic Word List.” TESOL Quarterly 34, 213-238Haywood, S. (2003). University of Nottingham Web site for academic vocabulary study: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/~alzsh3/acvocab/ (accessed October 2007)Laufer, B. (1991). “The Development of L2 Lexis in the Expression of the Advanced Learner.” The Modern Language Journal, 75(iv), 440-448Nation, I.S.P. (2001). Learning Vocabulary in Another LanguageSchmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in Language TeachingSchmitt, N. & Zimmerman, C.B. (2002). “Derivative Word Forms: What do Learners Know?” TESOL Quarterly, 36(2), 145-171Scott, J.A., and Nagy, W.E. (2004). Developing Word Consciousness. In Vocabulary Instruction: Research to Practice, ed. by James F. Baumann and Edward J. Kame’enui, 201-217Xue Guoyi & Nation, ISP (1984). “A University Word List.” Language Learning and Communications, 3, 215-219Zimmerman, C.B. (In Press). Word Knowledge: The Vocabulary Teacher’s Handbook


...zimmerman(continued from page 4)

Learning vocabulary is problematic because of multiple meanings, subtleties of meanings, and uncertain boundary meanings of words. How do instructors teach these?

In a research brief published by The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) in November 2003, results of this study are presented and point to important implications for teachers, program policymakers and managers, as well as professional developers.

In the study, 106 teachers of adult basic literacy in Maine, Massachusetts, and Connecticut participated in various forms of professional development over a period of months. The teachers joined in three forms of activities: mentor teacher groups, research groups and a multi-session workshop. Change in teacher practice (defined as differences in thinking or acting, either on a topic or action, to address instructional issues in the classroom, program, or field in general) and the type of change effected were compared immediately afterward and one year later. The results showed that 90 percent of the sample and 95 percent of those who completed the trainings reported knowledge gains. Few reported no change at all. The majority of teachers took some action, but many indicated that change in classroom practices was minimal or unsustainable.

The findings indicated that many factors influence change in teacher practice as a result of professional

development. Some of the factors that seemed to influence change in participants who appeared to gain the most were as follows:

• a strong motivation to learn about the topic and to practically integrate what was learned

• having started teaching in adult education, having fewer years of experience in the field and not having a post-graduate degree

• frequent participation in professional development for more hours and a perception that the professional development was of a high-quality

• working in programs where teachers had input in program decision making

• not being required to use a specific curriculum• having paid professional development release time• participation in professional development with

colleagues in the same program areas• having opportunities to share ideas during and after

participation in the professional development

While these findings are only a few resulting from the study, the implications for adult education professional development are clear. Strong motivation and a desire to integrate new knowledge, ideas and/or strategies in the classroom, working in

programs that encourage program input, freedom to adapt curriculum and materials, paid professional development and paid time to share and collaborate with colleagues, in tandem with having access to high-quality professional development, are key factors influencing change in the classroom practice of teachers.

For programs to support adult educators and adult education, it is incumbent upon program policymakers,

administrators and program managers to ensure that sufficient opportunities for high-quality professional development are offered on a continuing basis and accessible to all teachers. In support of this, CALPRO (the California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project of the California Department of Education), is working consistently to provide the field of adult education in California with innovative models of professional development. One of these models is the research-based study circle. The study circle model is not new, but only recently has there been a concerted effort by professional developers to expand the use of this model in the adult education field.

Thanks to CALPRO, program administrators, managers and professional developers have now had the opportunity to learn how to establish study circles and see what the unique benefits of this type of professional development are.

The first study circles established throughout California in 2005 were on the subject of learner persistence. In 2006, a new study circle on adult reading instruction

was instituted. These two CALPRO study circles have helped adult

education programs experience firsthand the value of high-quality, research-based, ongoing professional development. Over a period of weeks, participants form a distinctive community of learners who share in exploring research on a given subject as well as the implications of this research on their classroom practice. Because of the time allocated to the study circle format, per session and over several weeks, the participants form a strong learning community and are afforded an opportunity to delve deeply into the subject matter. All discussions start with current research on the subject and end with the practical implications. Employing strategies that encourage self-reflection on classroom practice(s) and that provide for generating “next steps” is an important characteristic of the study circle and critical to helping sustain and support the learning community that has been created.

...new model(continued from page 1)

Professional Development



G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi


By Barbara LutherCATESOL 2009 State Conference Chair

The 2009 State Conference Committee is gearing up for a

successful conference in Pasadena

next April 16-19. Members of the committee generated considerable excitement at their exhibit at the

Sacramento State Conference with an array of promotional items bearing the conference theme, “Whole Learner, Whole Teacher,” in turquoise and orange, inspired by the mosaic tiles of historic Pasadena. Lured by the artistic banner above the table, conference-goers in need of a pick-me-up snacked on M&Ms imprinted with the theme and then attended presentations and browsed exhibits equipped with brightly colored tools of the trade: a unique clip pin attached to a lanyard, rendering searching for a pen a thing of the past, and post-it notes and bookmarks to highlight must-see presentations and new teaching materials.

Couldn’t go to Sacramento? Be sure to attend upcoming regional conferences and local chapter events to join in the excitement and get your share of the goodies. Want to know

more about the 2009 conference? Visit www.catesol2009.org often to get the latest information. The committee comprises 20-plus professionals dedicated to making the upcoming state conference a productive and memorable experience for all. However, your help is needed. It takes a multitude of volunteers to operate a successful conference.

To volunteer, contact me at [email protected] or click the volunteers link on the conference Web site. Find out how to utilize your particular talents or take the opportunity to develop organizational experience. Network with like-minded professionals and have a great time!

Barbara Luther is an adjunct instructor at Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education, Saddleback College, and Fullerton College.

2009 State ConferencePasadena, Here We Come!

To effect change in professional practice, we know that many hours of professional development may

be required before change is evidenced in the classroom. Programs must invest in high-quality, ongoing professional development by dedicating resources to help develop and sustain a well thought-out plan. Access to professional development activities through varied scheduling and paid release time is vital to ensuring an effective long-term professional development plan. The study-circle model incorporates many of these research-based best practices of professional development. Over the past two years, adult education study circles have been formed at the agency level throughout California. These new learning communities have become actively engaged in research-based learning supporting both individual and collective professional development.

As the concept of the study circle expands across California and across adult education program areas, the expectation is that there will be new interest in the role of research in professional development. It is hoped that research-based study circles will become a commonly practiced form of delivery of teacher professional development. It is further hoped that adult education programs will continuously improve as a result of changes that take place in classroom practices because of improved professional development programs available to all adult education teachers, irrespective of content areas or years of experience.

For more information on study circles, contact CALPRO at: [email protected]. You can also visit CALPRO at www.calpro-online.org.

G. Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi is Coordinator of the ESL-Citizenship Program at Mt. Diablo Adult Education in Concord, California.

(continued from page 6)

...professional development

‘Whole Learner, Whole Teacher’ Team at Work Preparing for Pasadena EventBy Cheryl AlcornPublicity Coordinator 2009 State Conference

In keeping with the 2009 CATESOL State Conference theme, “Whole

Learner, Whole Teacher,” the planning committee is developing a program to bring together elements that help members continue to grow as educators with opportunities to see what’s new in classroom instruction to aid in nurturing all facets of learner growth. In addition, there will be an entire realm of supplementary activities to provide an integrated conference experience. The initial flyer announcing the conference, to be held April 16-19, 2009, in Pasadena, California, states:

In the current climate of accountability, both learners and teachers are too often viewed by agencies, administrators, and the public at large as one-dimensional acquirers and purveyors of knowledge. However, the reality is that both learners and teachers are multifaceted individuals who embody the sum of their prior experiences and the demands of

their current lives and future aspirations, both within and outside the classroom. ...What resources, then, do teachers need beyond their TESOL training to prepare them for bringing up whole learners? Similarly, what resources do students need as they strive for holistic development?Join us to find answers to these questions as well as others.

Under the leadership of Barbara Luther, Conference Chair ([email protected]), Chris Mefford and Nina Ito, Program Co-Chairs ([email protected]), the committee is working to solicit presentations

addressing the complexity and range of the whole-person teaching and learning experience. Add to your experiences and take a break from the demands of your daily routine by attending the 2009 State Conference. Plan to join your CATESOL colleagues in Pasadena for a chance to use your learning skills to expand, refine, and share your teaching knowledge to the ultimate benefit of yourself, your colleagues, and your students. You will have an opportunity to hear from some of the best in the field.

One special event that you will not want to miss is the President’s Luncheon on Friday, April 17. While enjoying a sumptuous three-course lunch, you will hear from President Kathy Flynn and other esteemed colleagues. You will witness the announcement of the winners of the contest awards for those wonderful essays you heard read aloud if you attended the 2008 State Conference in Sacramento. This is always a popular event, but seating capacity is limited, so there is an additional charge.

Saturday’s featured plenary speaker is H. Douglas Brown, who is professor emeritus at San Francisco State University, as well as former director of the American Language Institute. He has published numerous books and articles and given presentations and workshops in his specialty areas of teacher training, teaching methodology, second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, classroom language assessment, and strategies-based instruction. Professor Brown was TESOL President in 1980-81 and is a former editor of Language Learning. Additional featured speakers of equal stature will be announced as details become available. Watch your CATESOL News and see more details for these events at the conference Web site at http://www.catsol2009.org/ as they are entered and updated between


2009 State Conference


Welcome to our new look!

• Low-Residency MA in Teaching (ESOL) Earn a degree without leaving your job!

• Master’s degrees in 7 dynamic fields

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now and the conference dates. For those of you attending your first CATESOL State

Conference, a Newcomers Orientation will guide you through the abundance of offerings to help you make the most of your time. Pre-Conference Institutes are scheduled on Thursday, April 16, for those who wish to get an early start. There will be an additional fee to attend the Pre-Conference Institutes and space may be limited, so you will want to peruse those offerings as soon as they are made available. Sunday’s workshops will be conducted by well-known speakers and the cost will be included in the conference registration fee. Newcomers and veteran attendees alike will discover new innovations at the Electronic Village and the latest textbooks, references, and teacher aides at the Publishers’ Exhibits.

Site Co-Chairs Merari Weber ([email protected]) and Pat Boquiren ([email protected]), are putting

together a meeting site that will be practical and accessible. The newly renovated Pasadena Convention Center will serve as the central locale for meetings. The conveniently located Pasadena Hilton hotel will host the Thursday night opening reception and the President’s luncheon on Friday, along with many other events. The Sheraton Pasadena hotel is also within walking distance, even for the non-athletic. The convention center is only two blocks from Old Town Pasadena, a lively renovated area of shops, restaurants and

movie theaters.Located in the heart of sunny Southern California,

Pasadena offers convenience and variety. The educational and social activities offered at the conference, along with the historic sites, museums, gardens, restaurants and other attractions of the area, include something for everyone. To find out more about the conference location and see some enticing photographs of Pasadena and its surrounding areas, you may access http://www.pasadena.com/attractions and http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/pasadena.asp From these sites, you may link to Convention and Visitors Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, Pasadena Community Calendar, and other sites of interest, such as The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens; The Norton Simon Museum; the Gamble House; Pasadena City College; and the California Institute of Technology. To find new restaurants to try or locate your favorites, access http://www.thecityofpasadena.com. There are choices for every taste and all budgets.

Whether you are a student, a recent graduate, a novice teacher, or an experienced educator, you will find the conference a unique opportunity to network and socialize with a group of wonderful people who share many of your ideas and your passion for providing instruction in the English language to non-native speakers. Come join us – you’ll be glad you did.

Cheryl Alcorn is an Adjunct ESL Instructor at Pasadena City College.

...whole learner(continued from page 8)

By Linda Patten

Who doesn’t love a great deal, right? Particularly when it comes to travel! If this describes you, you’ll love what

just happened.CATESOL has a new membership service that

actually puts the “fun” in fundraising, and it won’t cost you a penny. We know you’ve heard this one before, but this time it is true! CATESOL now has its own travel Web site at www.catesoltravel.org. This new service is like having our own Expedia® just for CATESOL members and friends. Everything you need is right here. You get access to the same airlines, hotels and rental car companies, cruises and vacation packages you find on all the other major travel Web sites, and, best of all you get some of the lowest travel prices on the Internet.

Getting great travel prices for you is fantastic, right? But, how is this going to help raise funds for CATESOL?

Here’s How It Works: If you don’t know, every time you use a travel Web site like Expedia®, the travel companies pay BIG commissions for your reservation. Now when you

book travel on CATESOL’s travel Web site, we will get a whopping 40 percent of those commissions! Any way you look at it, this is a win-win situation. You get great travel rates and you help funnel dollars from the travel companies into CATESOL to fund benefits such as free conference registrations. With your help and other CATESOL members like you…

We can raise THOUSANDS of dollars for CATESOL to support additional member and conference benefits.

Perhaps you are in the middle of planning your holiday vacation or looking for a gift for your favorite wedding couple. Maybe your own wedding anniversary is coming up. Why not take the travel Web site for a “test drive” right now?

Please bookmark our new Web site. That way you’ll be able to use it anytime you need to travel. Just remember that Southwest Airlines does not subscribe to any of the online travel services.

If you have any questions about the service, please call our membership service at 925-253-8683.

Special ServicesCATESOL Now Has Its Own Fund-Raising Travel Site

Battle of Puebla Re-enactment and Dodge Ball (for Cinco de Mayo)By Tamara Collins-ParkElementary Level Chair

Objective: Students will be able to describe the battle of Puebla (including the cause, the sides and who won) as

well as identify it with Cinco de Mayo. Advanced students will be able to compare and contrast two or more points of view from among the French, Mexicans (royalists,. independents, and/or Zacapoaxtla) and the United States.

Modality: Primarily kinesthetic.Setting: Could be used with any level. I did this activity

with a combined class of 40 kindergarteners and the adults on the kinder playground. Some were Spanish monolingual, some English monolingual, some bilingual.

Materials and Groups: Students will be divided in three

groups of 13. Each group will re-enact the battle of Puebla. The teachers give commands to all groups simultaneously (or use one teacher, volunteer or aide per group). Depending on attendance, students may need to be regrouped or assigned additional roles.

Grocery bag vests can be used to identify Mexican soldiers, French soldiers, etc. Vests can be made by splitting a grocery bag up the front, coloring it, then cutting neck and arm holes.

Each group will need:1 crown for Emperor Napoleon III (available at Burger

King)6 sets of red & blue grocery bag vests for French soldiers

(they numbered 6,000)4 unmarked grocery bag vests for Mexican soldiers (they

numbered 4,000); 1 of the 4 can be specially decorated to represent General Zaragoza

Note: the Mexican government had no money for uniforms or supplies, so the Mexican soldiers, most of whom were volunteers, can wear regular clothes.

1 poster for the Mexican royalist in Puebla (a picture of a crown and “¡Viva el Rey!”)

1 empty purse for teacher as President Benito Juárez (or can show empty pockets)

Paper to wad up into balls (3 for each French soldier, 1 for each Mexican soldier)

Chalk to draw circle, label city 3 cups of water to sprinkle on the French (the storm that

ends the battle)Also nice: Mexican and French flags.Maps of the world and of Mexico to show French

invasion over Atlantic Ocean to Vera Cruz and Puebla with Mexico city as the goal.

Pictures of President Benito Juárez and General Zaragoza (and anyone else)

Timeline showing major events, for example:1810 El Grito de Dolores - Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (Sept. 16th – war for independence)1821 Gained independence from Spain (became a republic after coup in 1823)1836 Texas Rebellion against Mexico (U.S. backed)1846 Mexican American war (ended in 1848 with forced sale of California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma)1862 French invasion (Mexican Army has amazing triumph at Battle of Puebla on May 5, Cinco de Mayo)1863 French impose Emperor Maximillian on Mexico1868 French driven out, President Juárez returns to power


Elementary Level



Teachers will want to familiarize themselves with the history before starting this unit. Your library is a good

source of info. The Internet also has many accessible sites, for example: http://www.42explore2.com

Key vocabularyVerbs: to owe, to send, to fight, to fire (weapons), to

cheerNouns: president, emperor, crown, general, soldiers,

volunteer soldiers (Advanced vocabulary: royalist)Phrases: “Attack!” “Retreat!” “He hit you, you’re out.”Into: Tie-in with prior knowledge: Ask if students have

heard of or celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Share what they know. Point out that we celebrate it because it is a special day. We are going to be learning more about what made it special.

Ask what can happen if you don’t have money to pay people (draw on experiences and popular culture stories – be sensitive if personal stories are used). Then explain the parallels with Mexico’s debt payments. Tell how the French (who were a superpower at the time) were going to come and take over Mexico because Mexico had not paid its debts. “We are going to fight their first battle ...”

Students prepare costumes, props. Assign roles. Teacher discusses purpose of each role.

Read books about Cinco de Mayo. Put together and discuss timeline.

Through: Teacher positions actors and explains sequence of events below in English and/or Spanish. To check comprehension and reinforce sequence, ask students to retell in English and in Spanish (“Who can tell me in English? Who can tell me in Spanish?”) Do this in short chunks – the sequence is too long to cover all at once.

PositionsNapoleon III wears crown and stays in France (write

France with chalk).The 6 French soldiers (wearing red and blue) start in

France.The royalists and the Zacapoaxtla Indian brigade stay in

Puebla (write with chalk)President Juárez (the teacher or extra student) stays in

Mexico City (mark with star).General Zaragoza and 3 other Mexican soldiers start in

Mexico City.Sequence of Events

President Juárez shows Napoleon III that he doesn’t have money to pay the debt.

Napoleon III gets mad, greedily rubs his hands.

Royalists smile at Napoleon III and invite him over to Mexico.

Napoleon III sends 6,000 French soldiers over with 3 paper balls each.

French soldiers sail from France to Vera Cruz and then march to Puebla.

Royalists cheer!President Juárez sends General Zaragoza with 4,000

volunteers and soldiers to Puebla to slow down the French army with 1 paper ball each.Mexican Army, Zacapoaxtla Indian brigade and royalists are in Puebla.

The French army is outside.French army attacks (throws paper balls): Attack and retreat three times

(Students who are hit with paper balls are “wounded” and must go sit out in hospital.)

Rain and hail storm ends battle (Teacher sprinkles water).French go away. Mexican patriots cheer. Royalists ask them to come back.

Beyond: Discuss what happened, and reflect upon its significance.

Beginning Students: Ask students to retell the battle.

Compare it to the actual battle. Intermediate students: Use a graphic organizer to

compare and contrast the different points of view. Have students describe the experience from the point of view of their assigned group in the re-enactment (in a panel format).

Advanced students: Follow these activities up by writing a compare/contrast essay.

Re-enactments may lead to “teachable moments.” In my group, the royalist in Puebla – who was supposedly supporting the French – got caught up in the fight and threw paper balls (fireballs) against the French.

The students playing French soldiers also tried to return to the fight after the storm (being sprinkled with water) – which is a good entry to the fact that historically the French did come back and took over for about five years.

Tamara Collins-Park teaches credential and masters level courses Department of Policy Studies in Language and Cross Cultural

l

Education at San Diego State University.

...dodgeball puebla(continued from page 10)

Tamara Collins-Park


Lesson PlansIEP Oral Communications: Getting Students to Lead the Group

By Shannon Woodworth

Planning for an intensive English program oral communications course can be somewhat challenging. Some teachers may say, “Oral

skills? Great! Conversations and pronunciation galore!” Others may feel a bit more anxiety knowing that IEP students are often riddled with apprehensions about their oral abilities. Despite this reality, there are many ways to get even the most timid EFL learners involved in using the language.

The facilitation of small groups can be highly productive in engaging students in a communicative environment they will likely meet in their academic or professional future. One particular activity has become a staple of my advanced-level oral communications course because it involves students in using all language skills in a learner-centered, intimate, and cooperative way.

This activity is called “Your Turn to Lead!” It involves choosing a debatable current-event news story to teach a small group. For homework on the previous day of class, I ask students to find a newspaper article they find interesting and write a short summary. In addition, they will create a list of comprehension questions to help their classmates understand the content, as well as a list of reaction questions they think will spark a good discussion about the topic of the article.

For a lower-level class, you could include time in class for students to peer review their summaries and questions. For higher levels, you could skip this step and spend more time on the discussion. Students then choose a leader for their group, listen to the summary and begin asking and answering questions about the content and topic. I have adapted this activity into a long-term project, so each day two-three students lead small groups during the first hour of class. This allows each student the opportunity to

be both a leader and a group member. Over time I have found that this activity is a lively and meaningful

addition to my class. IEP students excel in small groups because it gives them a more intimate, learner-centered setting to work through the language and practice their skills. Students develop a sense of ownership

for their work because they have chosen and created the content. Each quarter students put great effort into choosing debatable topics, creating meaningful summaries and questions, using conversational skills, contributing to discussions, and sharing with the class. It can be an excellent opportunity for IEP students to get involved in trying out the communication strategies that will most certainly be needed in their academic or professional futures.

Activity: Your Turn to Lead!

Level: High-Intermediate to AdvancedTime: 60 MinutesMaterials: Newspaper articles, summaries, and questions (previously assigned as homework)Objectives:• Students will be able to lead a small group in a discussion about a debatable topic• Students will be able to contribute to a discussion in a small group and larger class.• Students will be able to practice using communication strategies such as offering rejoinders, asking clarification questions, offering opinions, and answering with details.

Warm-up: 15 minutes In pairs, students share summaries, comprehension and reaction questions about their chosen newspaper article. • Students peer review each other’s work: – Making sure the comprehension questions include who, what, when, where, why and how. – Making sure the reaction questions ask opinion or reaction to the topic. • Teacher circulates and offers guidance as needed.

Discussion Groups: 30 minutes Teacher divides class into larger groups of about five or six (two or three large groups). • Each group chooses a student leader. • The leader reads the summary to their group while group members interrupt to ask clarification questions or offer comments.

• • The leader then asks the group comprehension questions to check understanding of the article. • When finished, the leader opens the discussion by eliciting students’ reactions and opinions• Teacher circulates, observing student discussion strategies and offering guidance.

Closure: 15 minutes As a class, each group member shares one interesting aspect of their discussion. • The leader contributes if needed. • Remaining groups ask questions or share opinions about their classmates’ discussions. Shannon Woodworth is an instructor in the American Language Program at California State University, East Bay.Adapted from Discussion Strategies (Kehe, 1998)

IEP Oral Communications: Getting Students to Lead the GroupBy Shannon Woodworth

Planning for an intensive English program oral communications course can be somewhat challenging. Some teachers may say, “Oral

skills? Great! Conversations and pronunciation galore!” Others may feel a bit more anxiety knowing that IEP students are often riddled with apprehensions about their oral abilities. Despite this reality, there are many ways to get even the most timid EFL learners involved in using the language.

The facilitation of small groups can be highly productive in engaging students in a communicative environment they will likely meet in their academic or professional future. One particular activity has become a staple of my advanced-level oral communications course because it involves students in using all language skills in a learner-centered, intimate, and cooperative way.

This activity is called “Your Turn to Lead!” It involves choosing a debatable current-event news story to teach a small group. For homework on the previous day of class, I ask students to find a newspaper article they find interesting and write a short summary. In addition, they will create a list of comprehension questions to help their classmates understand the content, as well as a list of reaction questions they think will spark a good discussion about the topic of the article.

For a lower-level class, you could include time in class for students to peer review their summaries and questions. For higher levels, you could skip this step and spend more time on the discussion. Students then choose a leader for their group, listen to the summary and begin asking and answering questions about the content and topic. I have adapted this activity into a long-term project, so each day two-three students lead small groups during the first hour of class. This allows each student the opportunity to

be both a leader and a group member. Over time I have found that this activity is a lively and meaningful

addition to my class. IEP students excel in small groups because it gives them a more intimate, learner-centered setting to work through the language and practice their skills. Students develop a sense of ownership

for their work because they have chosen and created the content. Each quarter students put great effort into choosing debatable topics, creating meaningful summaries and questions, using conversational skills, contributing to discussions, and sharing with the class. It can be an excellent opportunity for IEP students to get involved in trying out the communication strategies that will most certainly be needed in their academic or professional futures.

Activity: Your Turn to Lead!

Level: High-Intermediate to AdvancedTime: 60 MinutesMaterials: Newspaper articles, summaries, and questions (previously assigned as homework)Objectives:• Students will be able to lead a small group in a discussion about a debatable topic• Students will be able to contribute to a discussion in a small group and larger class.• Students will be able to practice using communication strategies such as offering rejoinders, asking clarification questions, offering opinions, and answering with details.

Warm-up: 15 minutes In pairs, students share summaries, comprehension and reaction questions about their chosen newspaper article. • Students peer review each other’s work: – Making sure the comprehension questions include who, what, when, where, why and how. – Making sure the reaction questions ask opinion or reaction to the topic. • Teacher circulates and offers guidance as needed.

Discussion Groups: 30 minutes Teacher divides class into larger groups of about five or six (two or three large groups). • Each group chooses a student leader. • The leader reads the summary to their group while group members interrupt to ask clarification questions or offer comments.

• • The leader then asks the group comprehension questions to check understanding of the article. • When finished, the leader opens the discussion by eliciting students’ reactions and opinions• Teacher circulates, observing student discussion strategies and offering guidance.

Closure: 15 minutes As a class, each group member shares one interesting aspect of their discussion. • The leader contributes if needed. • Remaining groups ask questions or share opinions about their classmates’ discussions. Shannon Woodworth is an instructor in the American Language Program at California State University, East Bay.Adapted from Discussion Strategies (Kehe, 1998)


At the far left, Brett Thomas, 2008 CATESOL Conference Chair, receives a check from Don Sillings, treasurer of the newly established CATESOL Education Foundation to help fund the Sunday workshops at the State Conference. Other Foundation directors are Karen Dennis, President of the Foundation, Kathy Flynn, CATESOL Liaison to the Foundation, and Dan Fichnter, Director at Large. The non-profit organization seeks to provide educational opportunities to teachers of English learners. Seed money for the organization was provided in a bequest of $5000 ESL pioneer Sumako Kimizuka, who was an associate professor of Asian languages at the University of California and author of “Teaching English to Japanese.”


By Victoria Workman

The second annual CATESOL Orange County Graduate Student Scholarship was awarded to California State

University, Fullerton, TESOL graduate student, HoJin (Erica) Yoon. Erica received a check for $500 at the Orange County board meeting on March 1, 2008. She was further honored at the Orange County Awards Night and Dinner May 10, 2008, in Newport Beach.

TESOL students from various universities in Orange County applied for the scholarship, but Erica’s credentials are superior. She is a straight “A” student in the Master of Science TESOL program at Cal State Fullerton, already having completed such rigorous courses as Teaching Abroad, Listening and Speaking Methods, Technology in Second Language Teaching, Curriculum and Syllabus Design, and Pedagogical Grammar. She is currently completing Advanced Methods of Teaching ESL Reading and Writing and will soon be seeking employment at the adult or community-college level.

Erica is a highly proficient non-native speaker of English who brings her personal understanding of language learning and love of diversity to the profession. She speaks Spanish, Japanese, English, and Korean. She enjoys traveling to many countries and uses her language abilities as both a tourist

and teacher. She is currently teaching English to children, college students, and adults. In addition she is an officer on the TESOL Club and Phi Theta Kappa. What a busy woman who balances it all and does a spectacular job. We truly picked a winner! Congratulations, Erica!

We Picked a Winner!Orange County Awards 2nd Annual GradStudent Scholarship to Erica Yoon

Erica Yoon, Orange County Graduate Student Scholarship Award recipient, and Victoria

Workman, OC Chapter Coordinator.

In the Chapters


By Carol BanderPublicity Co-chair, OC Chapter

Orange County CATESOL and the TESOL Club welcomed

Dorothy E. Zemach to California State University January 26 for a morning workshop on “The Process of Learning and Teaching Writing.” Zemach took the 89 attendees on a journey through process, journal writing, assessment and grading, and games and activities for writers. In the afternoon session, she focused on “Whose Work Is It Anyway? Teaching Writers Why and How to Avoid Plagiarism.”

After a continental breakfast and time to look at the publishers’ exhibits, participants settled down to the workshop. Quoting from Shopaholic Takes Manhattan, whose main character is a would-be-writer facing “empty page syndrome,” Zemach pointed out that this would-be writer had wanted to start at phase three of the five-step writing process.

Step One: Brainstorming. To illustrate this step, the prolific author, teacher and presenter passed out a long white sock to each table and asked participants to invent imaginative uses for it. I remembered that my mom had brewed coffee in a sock. One table came up with 43 ideas in seven minutes, some of which are too risqué to reproduce here. This fun warm-up taught us, the model students, how to be freer in our thinking and writing, which led into a discussion of brainstorming that included: free writing, mapping or clustering, listing, and discussing.

Step Two: Organizing. This step, Zemach said, is the one students need to spend the most time on: crossing out ideas, picking the best and putting them

in order, with the aim of eventually arriving at an outline delineating major and minor ideas. To demonstrate, Demach handed out a list of foods which we were to organize into three groups. What was amazing was the various ways groups organized their list: by food groups, by ease of preparation, foods to be eaten “as is” or prepared, frozen and not frozen.

Step Three – Drafting – was quickly followed by Step Four: Editing and Revising. Included in this was a discussion of reviewing, by peers, oneself, and the teacher. Zemach provided us with very simple, non-judgmental, peer review type questions: Did the writer answer the question? Does the reviewer have a question for the writer? Zemach suggested that the instructor grade the peer reviewers, not the writer. Other features reviewers should comment on are topic sentence, sentence connectors, examples, comprehensibility, interesting vocabulary, adjectives, and conclusion. Writing reviewer comments on Post-Its, Zemach said, is an effective way to be culturally sensitive to groups who may have an aversion to writing on someone else’s paper.

Step Five: Rewriting, polishing, formatting, and sharing.

The afternoon session dealt with the definition, cultural implications, causes, and consequences of plagiarism. The Oxford English Dictionary defines plagiarism as taking another’s words, works and ideas as one’s own. However, this is not universally considered to be negative. In France, for example, one is

expected to copy copiously because it shows that the writer has done research.

The causes for this kind of copying can be deliberate or accidental: the student is pressured, insecure, or unsure of his or her ability to complete the assignment, feels he or she won’t be caught, or accidental; for example, the student has lost source information or may not know what or how to cite. To check for plagiarism, one can plug in five- to seven-word strings in quotes in a search engine such as Google.

To help students avoid plagiarism, Zemach recommended devoting classroom time to discussing plagiarism and giving examples. She also advocated teaching students how to paraphrase. Effective paraphrasing shows that

students actually understand the material and keeps the writer’s own voice.

As always, the OC CATESOL workshop was held in a beautiful room with good food (thanks, Tim Chavez), good company, and beautiful Mardi Gras-themed centerpieces that some lucky person at each table took home (thanks, Sandee Felix). There were excellent book exhibits and very generous publisher donations of books for door prizes.

Mark your calendars now for our next events: November 1, 2008 and March 14, 2009!

A former CATESOL president (1999-2000), Carol Bander is a professor of ESL and German at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California.

Zemach Gives OC Attendees Advice on Teaching Students to Avoid Plagiarism

In the Chapters

Too many people skip the first two steps in the writing process - brainstorming and organizing and leap right into the third:

writing the first draft.

“I’m not a teacher: only a fellow-traveler of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead – ahead of myself as well as you.”

– George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950)

By Scott ForrestSecondary Level Chair

The best teachers are also the best learners. As teachers, we are more than sources of information and givers of

knowledge. We are guides through the unique and dynamic worlds of mathematics, science, languages, social studies, physical education, cultures … the list goes on. Our classes are new worlds in the universe of learning. We are the leaders and the guides. Our students are in the situation of exploring and learning new worlds.

We teachers are in the same situation as our students. Sure, we may be in familiar territory, but the territory is always changing and there is always something new to learn. This concept of being a life-long learner was very clear at CATESOL’s State Conference in Sacramento. My world was

expanded as knowledge was shared among colleagues from all levels of education. The sharing of information, skills, frustrations, and successes enhanced the life-long learner in this teacher.

The theme of the upcoming State Conference in Pasadena in April 2009 is, “Whole Learner, Whole Teacher.” This begs the answer to two questions: How can we help our students wholly develop as learners? How do we fully develop our potential as teachers? I don’t claim to have the answers. However, I would like to share two goals set forth for the 2008-2009 CATESOL Secondary Level. It is my hope that these goals ignite our passion for teaching and learning, a passion that will motivate and inspire our students to success.

Goal 1: Increase collaboration and articulation with the College/University Level.

I was passionate about preparing English learners for post-secondary education when I ran for the position of Assistant Secondary Level Chair. This endeavor is just as important as it was a year ago. So, our goals as fellow secondary educators should focus on forging meaningful links with post-secondary educators. Then, we can share best practices and resources with which to close the gap between high school preparation and the rigorous demands of college.

This relationship has already begun. John Liang, the College/University Chair, and I have led joint rap sessions and workshops at CATESOL conferences. At the State Conference I was also given the opportunity and privilege of sharing my perspective as a high school teacher on a panel with university-level educators. These interactions across the levels have sparked meaningful conversations and mutual understanding of the challenges we face as teachers and the challenges all of our students face as they strive to meet their post-secondary goals. Let us join forces with our post-secondary colleagues to increase the success rates of our students.

Goal 2: Increase the participation of secondary-level teachers at chapter, regional, and

state-level conferences.Over the past few years, I have come to realize a

common issue among secondary and college/university teachers. We have the daunting challenge of preparing


Secondary LevelWe are Teachers and Learners: Guiding Our Students to Success, Together


Scott Forrest

Do you feel listened to? Are your rights protected? Is your job secure?

If your answer is “no” to any of the above, you and your colleagues need to be effectively organized for collective bargaining and to speak with one voice with your administration.

Contact the California Federation of Teachers to see how our expertise can help. The CFT is forming new locals in K-12 districts and

community colleges. How can we work together?

Call (510) 523-5238 for information.

Got a Voice?

CFT Adult Education CommissionCalifornia Federation of TeachersAFT, AFL-CIO

English learners for the rigors of college. There is so much to be learned from each other that will ultimately help our students achieve their post-secondary goals. One of the most effective ways for each of us to learn effective strategies and approaches is to be both a learner and a teacher. Be a learner by attending conferences, a teacher by presenting at conferences. Please consider presenting at one of CATESOL’s conferences. We, your fellow teachers and learners, will greatly benefit from your insights and skills. Never think you have nothing to share. Remember, you are a teacher and a life-long learner – of course you have something important to share! When I first stepped out to present at regional conferences, I was fortunate to have experienced CATESOL members willing to help me write a proposal and give me tips. So, ask other CATESOL members to help you take the first steps. Barbara Ishida, Assistant Secondary Level Chair, and I will be more than happy to help you through the process. Look for us at regional conferences. If you would like to contact me before a regional or chapter conference you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You may also access conference information from the CATESOL Web site, www.CATESOL.org. There is a link at the top of the page to easily access all the information about statewide, regional, and chapter conferences. Remember, we are fellow travelers through this world called life-long education. We are fellow teachers and learners. Our students are counting on us to guide them to the next levels of their journeys. I look forward to learning,

collaborating, and celebrating with you throughout this year. See you at the conferences!

Scott Forrest teaches English language development classes and is the Exit Exam Specialist in the Escondido High School District.


...life-long learning(continued from page 16)

steward of.” Twenty-eight, as it turned out, and for quite a while they were stuffed into her garage, much to Garlow’s husband’s dismay, until they renovated a small trailer that she turned into the CATESOL archive. Besides back issues of the CATESOL News and the CATESOL Journal , the archive, which dates back to the organization’s founding in 1969, contains mostly meeting minutes and agendas, copies of official documents, some pictures, election results, some conference programs, and some presidential records.

None of them is insured. Said Garlow, “It never occurred to me to find out if insurance is an option. If records were lost, there would be no retrieval of them and they don’t have monetary value. The trailer isn’t worth anything.”

No leaks or rats or other potential destroyers visited the archive while

it was under Garlow’s care. “Two or three years ago a fire ravaged Valley Center [near Escondido in San Diego County] and came to the bottom of our driveway. We have 1.5 acres, so the trailer wasn’t threatened. The fire department was right there. We evacuated the property, leading horses through dense smoke and with flames at the edge of the road. Friends drove away with our dogs, cat, computers.”

All the important records in this huge stack of paper have since been scanned into PDF files and burned onto CDs, including all the minutes and records contained in the secretaries’ binders.

What has made Garlow so

(continued from page 1)...garlow

CATESOLers on the Go


Katheryn Garlow took the job of CATESOL historian when Alice Addison, the previous person in the post, “recruited me by fudging about how many boxes I would be the

steward of.”

By Laura WalshCommunity College Level Chair, 2007-2008

Community college ESL programs have many external and internal

sources of pressure to verify and standardize levels of student language proficiency and achievement. According to the Basic Skills Initiative handbook, developmental education course entry/exit standards should be regularly reviewed and revised as needed.

Accrediting agencies such as Western Association of Schools and Colleges have been encouraging colleges to develop measurable student learning outcomes (SLOs) at the course and program level for several

years. Within their colleges, ESL programs often receive feedback from, and ideally collaborate with, other departments and programs that depend on the completion of ESL courses and programs as prerequisites for entry. And perhaps of most immediate concern to individual instructors in multi-level sequential programs is the common level of skill proficiency in a classroom in which students have been placed or promoted according to uniform standards. Instructors find teaching more complicated and difficult when students have been promoted without possessing the skills to succeed in the next level of an ESL program.

Common assessments, in which all the sections of a course are tested and graded using the same instruments, are becoming a popular response to these pressures for uniform promotion.

Although Title 5 prohibits the use of exit tests alone to determine promotion, common final exams can be used as the final (or other) exam grade for a course. The process can have several ultimate goals: performance on the exam will influence students’ grades; the mutual establishment of grading criteria will standardize expectations in multiple sections of courses; skills that are assessed will be conscientiously practiced during the semester, thus improving the curriculum. When ESL programs adopt common assessments, it is important that they periodically conduct evaluation of the effectiveness of the assessment programs in meeting these goals.

Various models of assessment have been developed to fit the structures and needs of the state’s many ESL programs. Many colleges have developed timed writing exams that respond to a common topic and are holistically scored by faculty according to rubrics that have been developed to

assess the writing skills in the course outlines. At Sierra College, this kind of test is combined with a portfolio assessment for a more complete picture

of student achievement. Many colleges do common assessments only for the final course of the ESL sequence, or for some, but not all, levels of the program. At Santa Monica College, the common assessment is not a final exam, but a “common essay exam” written by all ESL and English students one and two levels below English I during the 11th or 12th week of the semester. This collaborative project between the ESL and English departments enables the two departments to “norm” their standards together.

At City College of San Francisco, we have six levels of integrated skills ESL courses, with common exams in each course in reading, grammar, and writing. The reading and grammar tests were developed by instructors from each level to meet the learning objectives in the course outlines. Tests are scored electronically and monitored each semester for item quality and reliability. The writing tests are scored holistically using level-specific rubrics.

CATESOL Mission Statement

CATESOL’s mission is to promote excellence in education for English language learners and a high quality professional environment for their teachers.

CATESOL represents teachers of English language learners throughout California and Nevada, at all levels and in all learning environments.

CATESOL strives to:

• improve teacher preparation and provide opportunities which further professional expertise

• promote sound, research-based educational policies and practices

• increase awareness of the strengths and needs of English language learners

• promote appreciation of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds

(CATESOL’s Mission Statement was adopted January 1, 1998.)


Community College Level


Laura Walsh

Common Assessment ESL Programs

Together, the three tests provide a more complete picture of language proficiency and constitute the final exam grade for the course, which is a recommended 25 percent of the student’s final grade.

At some colleges, participation in the final exam process is optional for instructors. Some may choose not to do so for a variety of reasons, including the extra time that might be required to score exams or a lack of faith in the validity and reliability of the assessment tools. Because many of the important goals of an assessment program can only

be met if the participation is universal, the crucial first step is getting faculty “buy-in” of the process. In practice, instructors, students, and other constituencies interested in student learning outcomes of ESL programs will all have more confidence in an assessment process that fully employs the expertise of faculty. Assessment instruments should be developed by groups of instructors with reference to specific learning objectives, faculty should be trained in procedures such as holistic scoring, and the results of assessments should be analyzed by research and assessment specialists.

Laura Walsh is the credit ESL assessment coordinator for City College of San Francisco.

Adult Level


...common assessment(continued from page 18)

Adult Level CATESOL Conference Highlights By Jan ForstromAdult Level Chair

The CATESOL State Conference is always an energizing, informative

experience for adult level ESL instructors, and this April’s conference in Sacramento was no exception. From featured presentations to legislative updates to informal networking at the Adult Level Rap Session, the conference was “a winner.” Here are some highlights.

LegislationJeff Frost, our CATESOL lobbyist,

had no “winning” news about the state budget, but he did shed some insight on possible scenarios for how the current budget crisis will play out. Whatever the final scenario, it is likely that the budget crisis will continue to plague ESL programs in the 2008-09 school year. Jeff commended the efforts of Vittoria Abbate-Maghsoudi and the CBET Bay Area Consortium on their activism to defend CBET in face of threatened budget cuts and stressed that letters from the field (teachers, students) are clearly the most effective way to influence legislators.

Awards

The Adult Level essay winner, Viet Ton, read his winning essay, “What Freedom Means to Me” at the President’s Luncheon, after which he was presented with a $500 check from John Dickers of Greenfield Learning. Viet’s winning essay chronicled his life without freedom in South Vietnam and his new life of freedom in the United States. An advanced level student at Freemont Adult School, Viet was accompanied to the luncheon by his

wife and by his teacher, Barbara Gasdick.

Bethany Rich of Old Marshall Adult School in Sacramento received the Norma Shapiro Award, an

annual award designated

for a teacher with five or fewer years of experience who has demonstrated exceptional promise as an educator, teacher-trainer, and/or materials writer. Bethany’s nomination, put forward by Penny Pearson, lauded her accomplishments as teacher (Intermediate ESL class and a CBET class), OTAN Technology Integration Mentor, curriculum developer, study-

circle facilitator, teacher-leader and presenter. The honor is awarded in memory of Norma Shapiro, teacher-trainer, mentor and co-author of The Oxford Picture Dictionary, and includes books from Norma’s personal collection as well as professional development texts from a variety of publishers.

Adult Level Rap Session Highlights

Participants gathered in seven interest groups to discuss challenges and innovative practices in specialty areas of adult level ESL. These specialties will be addressed more in depth in future CATESOL News.

Technology Integration: (facilitators: Beth Boggage, Jim Brice, Donna Price, Cindy Wislofsky)

Challenge: How are agencies dealing with the additional time required for instructors to add technology into their lessons?

Strategies: Emphasize teacher collaboration, lesson exchange, student text that incorporates technology in the lessons, short periods (20 minutes) of release time for technology training.

Transitioning Students into higher education (facilitator: Paige Endo)

Challenge: How can we more effectively transition our ESL students into adult basic education?

Strategies: Adapt methods of teaching in ESL (whole class

Jan Forstrom


More Edutainment, Please!By Anthony Halderman

Whose video camera is that?” I asked one of my ESL students.

“It’s mine!” he replied. “Wow, that’s a nice camera,” I thought. “I like making videos,” he continued. Such was the impetus for creating teacher-student DVDs

with grammatical structures reflecting my class curriculum.Sure, class DVDs are fun and entertaining, but, of

course, the most significant reason to incorporate them in the curriculum lies beyond “fun.” As is the case at several other community colleges in California, Cuesta College’s ESL program ranks low in success and retention. For example, Santa Monica College reported in spring 2005: “ESL/Basic Skills Course Completion: Success Rates for ’92=62.4%, ’97=56.5%, ’02=55.7%.

In [a] ten year period overall success rates have

decreased by 6.7%.” As a result of trying to counter this low ranking, I’ve increasingly adopted games, various multimedia, songs, skits, role-plays, videos, and now DVDs into my daily lessons. All these activities contribute to “edutainment,” what many experts would include in the eclectic approach to ESL instruction.

Years ago, I made the mistake of approaching immigrant ESL students with the same curriculum as international students studying English. I quickly learned the difference.

In general, international English-language learners have, at least, completed a high-school education in their native language. In many cases, they have some form of financial sponsorship while in the United States. Class attendance and homework completion usually isn’t much of a problem. They sometimes study for TOEFL exams and aspire to complete a two-year associate or four-year university degree.

ESL students, on the other hand, often have a limited education in their native language and modest, if any, financial support. Attendance and class completion are sometimes difficult. They frequently have two or three jobs, and many have dependent children. Most often they study English to get a better manual labor or service-industry

job. Typically, therefore, adult ESL students require a more edutainment-oriented approach in the classroom, rather than rigorous academics.

Bette Brickman and Richard Nuzzo address these issues in their 1999 report “International versus Immigrant ESL Students: Designing Curriculum and Programs To Meet the Needs of Both” (http://tinyurl.com/ywhf4g). Ian Hewitt, author of Edutainment: How to Teach Language with Fun and Games (1996), describes edutainment as simply using the fun factor to make language learning engaging and lasting. Although Hewitt primarily focuses on games, I have defined edutainment for my classes to include a variety of multimedia presentations and activities.

The merits of edutainment are many. As any good teacher soon discovers, students learn in different ways. They can learn as thoroughly with “fun and play” as they can with “work.” The risk of monotony and boredom lies in mechanical drills, blind parroting, and routine exercises. A foreign language must be brought to life by situations, gestures, handling, or touching things, actions and incidents, pictures, dramatization, interesting stories spoken or in print, and by contests and games (Kranz). Games, songs, puzzles, et cetera, offer effective ways to teach in an entertaining yet still educational manner.

Multimedia approaches tend to concentrate on computer-based learning, but there is far more to it than that. “Blending of visual, textual and auditory information enhances the environment for the learner and aids in the understanding of information” (Bettles and Tousignant). The benefits of employing multimedia methods in the classroom include the provision of engaging and motivating material, opportunities to try new things, heightened project-based learning, enhanced audio/visual learning, and the showcasing of student-generated work.

Quite often, an ESL instructor finishes his or her master’s degree and enters the field with the idea of teaching his or her students with a rigorous academic approach. After all, this is what many ESL instructors experienced as graduate students themselves. Teaching international English-language students this way may often be effective. But immigrant ESL students usually benefit from the edutainment approach.

After both filming and showing my class DVD, the students expressed great enthusiasm. Obviously, my DVDs lack Hollywood gloss. The production quality is modest. The actors, the students themselves, possess limited English proficiency. However, these DVDs offer students benefits that other DVDs simply cannot. I’m becoming increasingly convinced that edutainment is exactly what our ESL students need.

Anthony Halderman is an instructor at Cuesta College, and, together with his wife, Maureen Halderman, sponsors the annual Halderman Award for two ESL students.


Lesson Plans

Anthony Halderman

instruction) and ABE (independent study) to more closely resemble each other in instructional format; have a three-week introductory class that orients ESL students to ABE instructional format and materials; include more academic writing in ESL classes or offer a separate academic writing class for ESL students who plan to transition into ABE/GED.

Goal Setting (facilitator: Liz Stull)Challenge: How do you help students stay motivated

toward their goals?Strategies: Have students write goals on index cards and

refer to them periodically; conduct discussions that connect goals with specific work that precedes achievement; post pictures around room depicting various goals, and have students use Post-Its with their names on them to identify their goals; use “four-corner” or other activities to help students connect with classmates who have similar goals; have students copy the daily classroom agenda into their notebooks and check off activities as they complete them.

Beginning Literacy Issues (facilitator: Gretchen Bitterlin)

Challenge: How do you integrate literacy students into level one ESL classes?

Strategies: Offer native language reading and writing classes, and then transition the students into ESL classes as ready; offer intensive (six hours a day) managed enrollment class for low-level literacy students; give reduced spelling lists, et cetera, to literacy students; offer flashcard activities to

literacy students when regular activities are too difficult.EL Civics (facilitator: Arlene Simmons)Challenge: What are some ways we can put new energy

into EL Civics?Strategies: Create new objectives for specific geographical

regions (boating/water safety in Sacramento area, et cetera); adjust objectives as student interests change; create classes that focus solely on EL Civics objectives and include project-based curriculum.

CBET-(facilitator: Paulette Lagana, EdD)Challenge: How are agencies building tutoring skills

among CBET students?Strategies: Enlarge and laminate a tutoring

documentation chart to use for classroom practice; include tutoring documentation and tutoring skills in the CBET curriculum.

Adult Level WorkshopPanelists Barbara Ponsgrikul, Ed.D, CBET coordinator at

San Diego Continuing Education, Mary Eleseleh, instructor at Charles A. Jones Skills and Business Education Center, and Jeannie Lundbom, instructor at Mt. Diablo Adult Education, presented successful strategies and model practices to help adult students transition from the ESL classroom into the workforce, higher education programs and community volunteer activities. More attention will be given to this important topic in an upcoming Adult Level report.

Adult Level ListTo keep up to date on what’s happening in the Adult

Level of CATESOL, please join our e-mail list. To subscribe, send a blank message to [email protected].

Jan Forstrom coordinates the San Diego Community College District’s EL Civics grant.

CATESOLers on the Go


...highlights(continued from page 19)

dedicated to CATESOL? The organization’s leaders, she said, “are passionate about equity and adequate education and resources for our students.”

Nurturing leadership is one of CATESOL’s essential attributes, she said. “Lynne Nicodemus, Sara Fields, and Kara Rosenberg are school principals. I am a dean. Gary Browning is a vice president for instruction. Julia Jolly is an associate vice president of instruction. These are just some examples. Of course, we have renowned authors and presenters

– Donna Brinton, Mary Anne Celce-Murcia, and Lydia Stack are a few that come to mind.”

The passion and dedication not only to being good leaders but also to urging and helping others become leaders gave Garlow the opportunity to serve in a meaningful way, establish long-standing “camaraderie with wonderful friends and the opportunity to make an impact.”

She has definitely made quite an impact herself. She is currently dean of the Languages and Literature Division at Palomar College in San Marcos, where she took her associate of arts degree in 1968, going on to get a bachelor’s at Whittier College, a master’s at San Diego State University,

and a doctorate at San Diego State and Claremont Graduate University. Last year, at the community college’s 60th annual commencement, she received the alumnus of the year award from Palomar.

At the awards ceremony, she told students they should never rest on their laurels. While she may not be prepared yet to rest on her own laurels, passing on the historian’s task to Rosenberg will give her a chance to spend more time with her favorite pastimes of hiking, horseback riding, reading, and weight lifting. Her goal is to bench-press 100 pounds. Hard to imagine she won’t succeed. At CATESOL, she’s always been a heavy-lifter.

(continued from page 17)

...garlow

unstamped passport away indefinitely, I remembered a conversation I had had with a particularly brilliant Shakespeare professor. I told him I wanted to try out teaching to see if it fit, and he mentioned that he had done the same

by taking a CELTA course. He said it stood for Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults, and in his college classroom, he still used some of the teaching methodology he had learned from it. Professor Brilliant said CELTA was the most widely recognized teaching certificate in the world, and the world was exactly what I wanted to see. “Hmmm … methinks I have a plan,” methought.

I enrolled in a CELTA course and felt immediately at ease under the experienced instruction of my trainers. They used the same teaching methodology that we ourselves would put into practice. We began with “warmer” activities and then did matching, gap fills, quiz games, and role plays. We also did a lot of discussion in pairs or small groups, which enabled us to feel more confident about our answers when called upon in front of the whole class. We observed experienced teachers and learned how to plan and teach student-centered lessons that appealed to visual, aural, and kinesthetic learners. The lesson shapes we were experiencing and teaching included the

Test Teach Test and Present Practice Produce methods. The most valuable aspect of the course for me was the

teaching practice. I tried teaching on and it suited me far better than the popcorn vest and bow-tie. I especially loved learning methods of encouraging timid students by calling on them to do things I knew they could do well, such as read aloud or answer a comprehension question. It was enjoyable to challenge talkative students by giving them leading roles in activities. In mere weeks, students gained confidence as their English improved.

Professor Brilliant had also told me his teaching credo, which came straight from The Bard himself: “No profit grows where is no pleasure ta’en. In brief, sir, study what you most affect.” In essence, study what you love and, if you teach, make learning fun for your students. Students often do a lot of the work for you. One such enthusiastic classroom-brightening student was in my practice teaching session. I attempted to elicit the word dishonest: “If your boss lies to you, how would you describe him or her?” I inquired. Ernesto, a delightful Latin American student shouted: “Son of a beech!” The class erupted in laughter. When we composed ourselves, I told him he was right, though there was the issue of appropriateness to consider.

I have since met many delightful students like Ernesto and I have traveled around the world. The CELTA course was a major turning point in my life. It enabled me to teach English as a Foreign Language in Nagoya, Japan, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and American Culture and Communications in Bangalore, India. I have seen the wonders of Mt Fuji, or Fuji-san as the Japanese respectfully call it, the forever-under-construction Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and finally, the Taj Mahal, which was so mesmerizing I walked backwards as I left the great tomb. The CELTA course led me to the summit of Mount Debt and the view was awe inspiring.

Nicole McFadden teaches English as a foreign language at St. Giles International in San Francisco.


...reaching new heights(continued from page 24)

Nicole McFadden

San Diego October Regional to Focus on ‘Literacy for Life’“Literacy for Life” is the theme of the upcoming San Diego Regional Conference on October 18, 2008 at San Diego State University. The conference will be co-hosted by the College of Extended Studies/American Language Institute. Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, a CATESOL past president, will chair the conference. Included as the keynote will be a panel of three experts in the field defining literacy challenges in school, in the workplace, and in college and university settings. The call for proposals is online at www.catesol.org . Submissions deadline is September 8. For more information contact Betty Samraj at [email protected] or call 619-594-5882.

– Gretchen Bitterlin

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By Nicole McFaddenAfter I graduated from college, I desperately wanted to travel. I grew up in Half Moon Bay, California – a beautiful, sleepy beach town on Highway 1 that many people drive through, only pausing if they have an affinity for fog, the biggest waves in the world, or pumpkin farms. I left the rolling hills and waves for the University of Oregon in Eugene and enjoyed its lush green foliage. Not only was it beautiful, but it was also new to me. I wanted more. I wanted Mt. Fuji and the Taj Mahal, but the small mountain of debt I had amassed could not be overlooked. I had no miraculous plan, but I refused to spend my early adulthood wallowing among pumpkins. Neither my dreams nor my school loans would be deferred

– at least not for long. My bachelor’s in English literature was at least a shovel

I could use to chip away at Mount Debt, but my résumé was hardly impressive. I had waited tables at a trendy restaurant called Pasta Moon and worked at a video store clad in an embarrassing bow-tie and vest decorated with popcorn and movie ticket stubs. I had, however, graded papers for a Shakespeare course and tutored international students. Learning about the cultures of the students I tutored bolstered my desire to travel all the more, but my pockets were empty – what could I do? As I pondered the horrifying possibility of putting my

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October 9-11: Steinbeck Chapter SymposiumOctober 11: Los Padres Chapter ConferenceOctober 18: San Diego Regional Conference: “Literacy for Life” at San Diego State

University October 18: Yosemite Chapter ConferenceOctober 25: Capital Area Chapter WorkshopOctober 25: Los Angeles Regional Conference: “What Works and Why,” with Dr. Dana

Ferris and Dr. Ivannia Soto-Hinman at Biola University in La MiradaNovember 1: Orange County Chapter Workshop: “Schmooze, Peruse, and Cruise:

Networking, Benefits, and Publishers’ Fair” at California State University, FullertonNovember 8: Northern Regional Conference: “Opening Doors: Empowering Students”

with Andrew Lam, the award-winning author ofPerfume Dreams, at San Jose State University

December 6: Bay Area Chapter Mini-ConferenceFebruary 7: Yosemite Chapter ConferenceApril 16-19: 2009 State Conference: “Whole Learner, Whole Teacher” at the

Pasadena Convention Center

UPCOMING EVENTS

Reaching New Heights with CELTATeach English, See the World


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