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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 472 800 FL 801 572 AUTHOR Burt, Miriam, Ed. NCLENotes, 2002-2003. TITLE National Center for ESL Literacy Education, Washington, DC. INSTITUTION 2003-00-00 PUB DATE 22p.; Published twice per year. For the 2001-2002 (Volume 10) NOTE issues, see ED 462 021. AVAILABLE FROM National Center for ESL Literacy Education, Center for Applied Linguistics, 4646 40th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20016-1859. Web site: http://www.cal.org/ncle. Collected Works PUB TYPE Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT NCLENotes; vii n1-2 Sum 2002-Win 2002/2003 EDRS PRICE EDRS Price MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Education; *English (Second Language); Health Services; Immigrants; Language Proficiency; *Literacy Education; Second Language Learning; Workplace Literacy ABSTRACT These two volumes of a newsletter on English as A Second Language (ESL) literacy education provide articles on: "Health Literacy: Recognizing its Importance in ESL Instruction" (Kate Singleton) and "English That Works" (Brigitte Marshall). Both volumes offer interviews (one with an ESL teacher and one with an author who write about ESL issues). They also include news notes on such topics as English Literacy/Civics Education projects, 60 countries attending the 19th World Congress on Reading, and the soaring U.S. Hispanic Population. A resources update section describes new books, booklets, and Web sites related to ESL instruction. Each journal offers a book review. The two books are "In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd" (Ana Menendez) and "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America" (Barbara Ehenreich). (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. NCLE note4( Volume 11 Number 1 Summer 2002 Volume 11 Number 2 Winter 2002-2003 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND t Educational Research and Improvement Off DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION E BEEN GRAIOTED BY CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES Points of view or opinions stated in this INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 1 AVAILABLE EST COPY 2 Vol. 11, No. 1 Summer 2002 www.cal.org/ncle NATIONAL CENTER FOR ESL LITERACY EDUCATION Health Literacy: Recognizing Its Importance in ESL Instruction News Notes 2 4 Resource Updates Understanding Obstacles defined by is literacy wealth The Book Shelf 6 Harvard health literacy special- Adult English language learners (ELLs) 7 NCLE Publications ist Rima Rudd as the ability to often lack access to basic healthcare ser- use English to solve health-related prob- vices due to language barriers, lack of Her NCLE's Worth lems at a proficiency level that enables insurance, lack of information on avail- one to achieve one's health goals and to able low-cost services, or fear of jeopar- develop health knowledge and potential. dizing their immigration status by Rudd's definition addresses the signifi- utilizing such services. cant linguistic and cultural obstacles that Because of their lack of English lan- nonnative English speakers often en- guage skills, ELLs may be unable to counter when seeking healthcare in the formulate appropriate questions in a United States. medical setting or comprehend basic Needs and Responses instructions without an interpreter. Many immigrants use their children Patients today must be proactive and as interpreters. This creates problems self-advocating. Technological and phar- for the adults who fear losing status NCLE macological advances in the medical field talks with Kate Singleton, ESL with their children, for the healthcare create multiple treatment options, and teacher for Fairfax County (Virginia) Adult professionals who must deal with a patients must make complicated deci- Education and author of this issue's feature child rather than an adult, and for the sions about their medical care. article on health literacy. children who are put in situations Health professionals are responding Miriam Burt: Kate, how did you get where they are expected to function in several ways to improve access to interested in health literacy instruction as adults and to convey intimate health healthcare services for nonnative English for adult English language learners? information about their parents. speakers. Some are assessing patients' lit- Some ELLs may lack an educational Kate Singleton: It started with my per- eracy levels, rewriting educational ma- background in basic human physiol- sonal experience with the healthcare sys- terials in plain language, and providing ogy, which precludes comprehension tem. I had to work really hard to get patients with oral and video instructions of treatment information even with an appropriate care. At the same time, I saw cRin addition to written materials. Writ- interpreter's help. that my studentsparticularly those at ten materials are being translated into Unaware of the U.S. healthcare cul- the very beginning level who had little Zother languages, and medical profession- ture, adult ELLs often do not know education and even less Englishwere als are receiving cultural sensitivity train- what is expected of them as patients finding it impossible to access the care ing. Some healthcare facilities are also (preventive behaviors, treatment com- they needed. using certified medical interpreters. Continued on page 5 Continued on page 3 NCLE CAL in Washington, DC is an adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse at the Center for Applied Linguistics 3 /11M 11, Al II_ English Literacy/Civics Education OVAE Holds Public Meetings Projects Share and Plan The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Vocational and Adult Educa- The English Literacy and Civics Edu- In January 2002, the projects' staff tion will hold public meetings this sum- cation Program was announced in No- members, selected state adult education mer to hear comments on the reautho- vember 1999 by the U.S. Department representatives, and OVAE staff met to rization of the Adult Education and share information and updates on the of Education's Office of Vocational and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). This is Adult Education (OVAE). State and lo- projects. The 2-day conference provided Title II of the Workforce Investment cal organizations that were seeking to an opportunity for all stakeholders in- Act, the legislation that provides fund- expand adult English literacy and civics volved in the program to share informa- ing for adult education programs. For instructional services could apply for 2- tion, challenges, and insights and to plan meeting dates and places visit the OVAE their next steps. OVAE staff and state year grants. After a competitive review Web site at www.ed.gov/offices/OVAE. representatives presented news and in- process, 12 organizations throughout the DAEL Greets New Director formation from their areas, heard con- country were awarded grants, which are running from Spring 2000 through cerns and issues from the field, and In June, the U.S. Dept tment of Edu- Summer 2002. gathered information on the projects for cation's Division of Adult Education and Some of the grant projects integrated further dissemination. Project staff out- Literacy greeted Cheryl Keenan as its English language learning and civics for lined their projects, described successes new director. Ms. Keenan was formerly unique populations, such as elderly im- and challenges, and presented products director of the Bureau of Adult Basic and migrants, ex-offenders, and migrant that have been developed. Literacy Education at the Pennsylvania workers. Working from a different per- To read the complete meeting sum- Depat intent of Education and has been spective, other projects developed cur- mary and for information on the indi- integral in shaping and implementing riculums and teacher trainings that vidual projects, visit www.ed.gov/offices/ the new requirements in Title II of the integrated English language and civics OVAE/AdultED/ELCivics. Workforce Investment Act of 1998. In instruction. her new role, Ms. Keenan oversees the office that funds almost $600 million in Don't Hide Your Light Under a Bushel! state and local grant programs for adult literacy and high school completion. Have you produced a plan, presentation, paper, conference lesson curriculum, research report, or program description/evaluation in language English Literacy Learners and literacy education for adults learning English? By contributing to one of the most on the Rise visible and accessible sources of education informationthe ERIC database our work English literacy learners accounted for is made available to colleagues throughout the world. 42% of all adult education participants NCLE collects and evaluates materials for the ERIC database. To submit your work, in 2001, up 4% from the previous year. contact Lynda Terrill ([email protected]) or send a copy of the document and a com- In 2002, an even greater increase is ex- pleted ERIC Reproduction Release Form (downloadable at http: / /ericfac.piccard.csc.com/ pected as a result of additional foreign submitting.html#errp) to Lynda Terrill residents learning English in order to NCLE/CAL apply for citizenship. The Immigration 4646 40th Street NW and Naturalization Service says applica- Washington, DC 20016 tions for citizenship more than doubled For more information about ERIC, visit www.eric.ed.gov/ immediately following September 11. page 2 NCLE plated Health LiteracyContinued from page 1 NCLE eighth- to tenth-grade reading level. pliance, proactive questioning, provi- Joy Kreeft Peyton Many adultsboth native and non- sion of medical history, and payment Director native English speakersread signifi- procedures) nor what they should ex- Miriam Burt candy below these levels and thus pect of care providers (right to an in- Associate Director have difficulty utilizing healthcare terpreter, to have questions answered safely and effectively. If written infor- and information clarified, and to a MaryAnn Florez mation appropriate for students' read- second opinion). Assistant Director & Web Site ing levels is unavailable, the teacher Coordinator Culturally biased health materials can can present information orally. be another obstacle for ELLs. The Carol Van Duzer Cartoons and illustrations from bro- 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey Adult ESL Program Services chures and textbooks, especially those (NALS) results showed the majority Coordinator of isolated body parts, may be unclear of marginally literate adults to be Lynda Terrill or offensive to English language learn- white and native born. Many health Acquisitions Coordinator ers, especially to students with limited education materials are culturally and Dora Johnson literacy in their native language. idiomatically directed to this popula- Research & Program Associate Teachers need to be aware of these is- tion, making the content less acces- sues and prepared to use other, more Lynn Fischer sible to those from other backgrounds. appropriate resources. Publications Assistant Meeting Challenges Conclusion Dawn Flanagan Instructors may find the personal na- Program Secretary Adult English language learners face ture of health discussions uncomfort- significant social, linguistic, and cultural able in their classes and may need to NCLEnotes is published twice obstacles to healthcare self-efficacy. En- broaden their knowledge of the avail- yearly by the National Center for suring that learners have the literacy ability of health resources in their ESL Literacy Education (NCLE) and is skills and cultural information necessary community. They can access informa- distributed free to individuals and to access the proper care means specific tion in the community by forming organizations on NCLE's mailing list. training and lesson preparation for in- partnerships with health profession- NCLEnotes is also published on structors, collaboration with healthcare als. Information on insurance and NCLE's Web site at providers, and recognition of the impor- www.cal.org /ncle. other healthcare culture issues can tance of health literacy by program ad- also be found on the Internet. Please address comments, ministrators and funders. 11 Teachers may be unfamiliar with their suggestions, or materials for students' cultural beliefs on health is- consideration to This article is excerpted from the NCLE Qd9A, sues. In the classroom, students should Health Literacy and Adult English Lan- Miriam Burt, Editor be given the choice whether or not to guage Learners, written by K Singleton (Feb- [email protected]; ruary 2002). The complete Q&A is available share personal stories and beliefs such Lynn Fischer, Assistant Editor on NCLE's Web site (www.cal.org/ncle/digests/ as traditional health practices from [email protected]; or healthlitQA.htm) or in print (202-362-0700 their native culture. NCLEnotes x200; ncle @cal.org). The Q&A provides an ex- Instructors of students with minimal tensive list of resources on the subject. Addition- Center for Applied Linguistics English literacy must select health ally, Picture Stories for Adult ESL Health 4646 40th Street, NW materials carefully. Health education Literacy, created by the author, is available at Washington, DC 20016-1859 www.cal.orencle/health. materials usually target adults with an 5 NCLE ttoted page 3 The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is a Recent legislation, including welfare reform nonprofit organization that establishes pharmaceu- initiatives and the Workforce tical standards for medications. It also strives to edu- Investment Act, underscore cate individual consumers and patients. One way it the demands being placed does this is through the USP Pictograms, graphic on education by the employ- images that illustrate how to take and store medica- ment market. How can in- tions and how to interpret precautions and important structors working with adult information about specific medications. The USP Picto- English language learners re- grams can be used to reinforce printed or oral instruc- spond to these demands and tions and are useful in literacy and English language integrate employment participation skills into instruc- learning settings. The entire pic- 1997 USPC tion? How can instruction be informed by initiatives togram library (81 images) can such as the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Nec- be downloaded from essary Skills (SCANS) and Equipped For the Future www.usp.org/information/pro- (EFF)? Preparing for Success: A Guide for grams/pgrams/index.htm. Teaching Adult English Language Learners by 0 1997 USPC Brigitte Marshall addresses these issues. The book is designed for teachers of adult English language learn- Take at bedtime ers at all levels and includes classroom activities and instructional resources. Published by the Center for Applied Linguistics and Take I hour before meals Delta Systems Co., Inc., Preparing for Success can be ordered online at the CALStore (www.cal.org/store) or through Delta Systems (800-323-8270; www.delta-systems.com). a Leche League International and the Acad- L emy for Educational Development offer a series of The Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the six booklets on prenatal care and breastfeeding. Avail- University of Hawaii is offering over 2,000 photo- able in English or Spanish, the booklets are targeted to graphs of Southeast Asia on its Web site women with limited literacy in either language. They (www.hawaii.edu/cseas/outreach/picarchive.html). are written in a cartoon format with information por- During the summer of 2000, the outreach coordinator trayed through conversation and pictures. In each epi- and a master's student in the Southeast Asian Studies sode of the series, the main character, Kathy, moves program traveled to 10 Southeast Asian countries through her pregnancy, learning about prenatal care where they photo- and breastfeeding. graphed scenes of The booklets can be ordered through ERIC (800 -443- daily life. Teachers 3742; [email protected]; http://orders.edrs.com/ and students are Webstore/Express.cfm). Refer to ERIC Document Re- encouraged to production No. ED450008, ED450009, ED450010, download the im- ED450011, ED450012, and ED450013. For more in- ages to use for formation on La Leche League, visit educational pur- www.lalecheleague.org. poses. NCLE tied page 4 ge F Her CLE's WorghCongiunsed groUn p Cpl MB: Did students know that this was a need they had? KS: Absolutely. In the needs assessment I do at the begin- "We all need to be housed. And ning of each instructional cycle, getting a job and health are beyond that we all aim to have a safe and always the top two topics students want to explore. loving place that reflects the best of who we are." MB: What are you teaching now? True to its mission of preparing adults for home own- KS: I'm teaching ESL workplace classes and designing a cur- ership, the Fannie Mae Foundation, in collabora- riculum for Fairfax County adult English learners. tion with the Adult Literacy Resource Institute of Boston, MB: Do healthcare issues come up in the ESL workplace Money Man- Massachusetts, has recently published classes? agement and Home-Buying Readiness: KS: Yes, students come to me all the time with tricky prob- Sourcebook for Teachers of ESOL and ARE. lems and questions about healthcare. As their ESL teacher, The Sourcebook is designed for adult-basic-education I am one of their few points of contact for healthcare infor- and English-as-a-second language teachers and pro- mation. gram coordinators and administrators who are inter- MB: Dealing with health literacy necessarily means coming ested in implementing a home-buying readiness project in contact with sensitive issues about students' lives. How into their curriculum. The book has four sections: do you set the boundaries between teaching English and 1. Getting Started: Planning, Implementing, and Evalu- dealing with these kinds of issues? ating a Home-Buying Readiness Project KS: Teachers tread a fine line here. The way I see it, we 2. Supporting a Home-Buying Readiness Project: help our students by providing access to information and by Fundraising and Resource Development (for pro- letting them know there are options. For example, some- gram administrators) one may not know that free clinics exist and that they live 3. Expanding Your Resources: Tools for Teachers right by one. Maybe they don't understand that they can get help for mental issues and that there is probably less of a 4. Appendices: Glossary; Free Resources; Literature With Themes of Home stigma about mental healthcare here than in their own countries. Also, many students have ruined their credit through To receive a free copy of the Sourcebook, call the nonpayment of medical bills, because they didn't know they Fannie Mae Foundation at 800-665-0012. could ask for a payment plan. VVV MB: So, you feel there are issues in healthcare literacy specific to English language learners? They have different in- NCLE offers online resources structional needs than native English speakers? KS: Yes, although there are commonalities, the problems in on healthcare are compounded for adult English language learn- Adult ESL Statistics ers. Besides the reading problems, beginning-level English learners will not have the oral language to speak to or un- Civics & English Literacy derstand the healthcare provider. Then there are the cul- Health Literacy & Adult ESL Instruction tural issues: Immigrant learners may not know what is expected of them regarding healthcare. They may not know CHECK US OUT! that they are responsible for providing their health history www.cal.orgincle Continued on page 8 page 5 na. 74e Foo4 In In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd by Ana Menendez 'Cuba NS 1Was a 2001, Grove Press, ISBN 0-8021-3887-X German Shepherd Reviewed by Miriam Burt Ana Menendez In 1959, Fidel Castro led a suc- his "row house of long shiny windows, cessful revolt against the Cuban the piano, the mahogany furniture" in them. As this story's narrator, she speaks directly to Hortencia, telling her that she dictator, Juan Baptista. In the 40 2 or 3 years' time. The Dominicans call him Professor and laugh at his jokes, herself is responsible for her unfulfilled, plus years since then, hundreds of thou- gray life: "You could have joined the but Maximo knows they don't under- sands of Cubans have left their island church choir. When you got to Miami, country, some with permission, many stand all the "layers of hurt in the Cu- Mirta asked you to join and you said without. Many of the exiles have got- ban jokes." How can the Dominicans no. And what of the theater on 8th understand the specific pain Cuban ten no farther away than the 90 miles exiles have faced every day for 40 Street? [You could have been one of] that took them to Miami, Florida, where years knowing that Castro is the young kids full of dreams they still they number about 700,000. still in wore like golden armbands." Cuba while they are still in Miami Ana Menendez is the daughter of . . . the pain of knowing that no matter In the final story, "Her Mother's Cuban exiles in Miami. Her book, In where the exiles are or who they be- House," a second-generation Cuban Cuba I Was a German Shepherd, con- come in the United States, they are not exile journalist (perhaps representative tains 11 stories that share some of the who they were in Cuba? Even Juanito, same characters and are related the- of the author) looks for her mother's old a "little insignificant mutt" in one of plantation home during a visit to Ha- matically: They all explore the sadness Maximo's jokes, maintains that in Cuba vana and discovers how large the gap and pain of exile. he was a German Shepherd. can be between memory and reality. The title story is about Maximo, a The constant ache of knowing that This story ties together the themes of the retired restaurant owner who is part of book, including the inevitable separa- one is no longer what one was surfaces a "generation of former professors tion of second- and third-generation over and over in the stories. In "The [who] served rice and beans to the nos- Story of a Parrot," a 60-year-old exiles from the life of their parents and talgic" on 8th Street in Little Havana, their Cuban roots and the disparity be- woman named Hortencia is reminded Miami. His wife dead and his daugh- tween what one remembers and what of her dreams of being an actress and ters moved away, he plays dominoes really was. singer. A vibrantly colored bird flies into in the park with fellow Cuban exile Raul her house one day, perches on lamps In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd and two Dominicans. Tourists come by and china, and drinks from the kitchen has been translated into eight lan- and take pictures of them. Domino Park tap. The intruder flaps its wings violently, guages. This is not surprising. Maximo's is, in fact, a stop on trolley tours where dropping yellow and green feathers in the microphone-amplified voice of the feelings aside, loss and longing are not its wake. Finally Hortencia and her hus- tour guide draws the attention of all unique to Cuban Americans. The book band shoo the bird out of the house. speaksor, given the beauty of the within the park to the domino players, Initially, this disruption of her calm, or- prose, actually singsto all who have booming out that the Cuban exiles are dered life upsets Hortencia greatly. A left their homes to start again in another a "slice of the past." Maximo hates this, few days later, however, she regrets the country. In fact, one does not need to feeling like an animal in the zoo. parrot's leaving as she regrets her lost be an immigrant or interested in immi- Maximo tells jokes to his domino stage career, cut short in Havana be- grants to appreciate this book. The sto- partners. His jokes have a bite that ac- fore she came to the United States. ries will resonate with anyone who has knowledges the pain of never being Although sympathetic to her charac- thought about lost dreams and the pas- really at home in the country he fled to ters, the author does not romanticize sage of time. 11 in 1961, thinking he would return to 8 NCLE 'Weed page 6 Adeeeatioad eNder jrmuu New ERIC Digests From NCLE Beginning to Work With Adult English Language Learners: Using Music in the Adult ESL Health Literacy and Adult Some Considerations Classroom English Language Learners by MaryAnn Cunningham Florez and by Kristen ferns by Kate Singleton Music can be used to build listening, This Q&A defines and discusses health lit- Miriam Burt speaking, reading, and writing skills; in- eracy in light of special needs and con- Written for practitioners who want an crease vocabulary; and expand cultural cerns for adult English language learners, overview of what adult ESL teachers need knowledge. This digest offers strategies instructors, and programs. Health literacy to know, this Q&A discusses issues in adult for incorporating music into the adult activities for the classroom are described. learning, second language acquisition, ESL classroom. teaching multicultural groups, and effec- Issues in Accountability and tive instructional approaches. Assessment for Adult ESL Instruction ERIC Digests (Free) by Carol Van Duzer Health Literacy and Adult English Language Learners This Q&A presents the legislative background of current accountability require- Issues in Accountability and Assessment for Adult ESL ments for ESL programs, issues in testing Instruction level gain, and critical questions whose answers can lead the field forward. C.) Reflective Teaching Practice in Adult ESL Settings Fact Sheets Using Music in the Adult ESL Classroom These concise fact sheets provide an overview of four current issues in the field of Beginning to Work With Adult English Language Learners: adult ESL and discuss their trends and Some Considerations best practices. Additional resources are suggested. Library Literacy Programs for English Language Learners lAssessment With Adult English Language Learners Dialogue Journals: Interactive Writing to Develop Language 2 Family Literacy and Adult English and Literacy Language Learners Civics Education for Adult English Language Learners 3 Professional Development and Adult English Language Instruction 4 2 3 Fact Sheets: 4Uses of Technology in Adult ESL 1 Instruction NCLE/CAL, 4646 40th Street NW, Washington, DC 20016-1859 Send this form to Product Orders, Name Organization Street City/State/Zip Country To make address corrections, check box and enclose mailing label with changes marked. NCLE Oared page 7 Nonprofit Org NCLEwww.cal.org/ncle U.S. POSTAGE National Center for ESL Literacy Education PAID Center for Applied Linguistics Permit #1400 4646 40th Street NW Silver Spring, MD Washington DC 20016-1859 Forwarding Service Requested 0,qThis publication is printed on 70% b post-consumer recycled paper. Continued from page 5 to the service provider and that they healthcare, (2) the need for preventative MB: How do you plan to integrate clini- need to ask questions and be proactive. healthcare, and (3) the health and social cal social work with your adult ESL The printed materials they get may have services available in the local community, teaching? examples or pictures that they can't un- especially for people of low income. KS: I live with chronic health conditions derstand or relate to. myself and want to counsel people who MB: Speaking of drawings, you have have chronic illnesses. I also want to con- "Getting a job and developed some picture-story activities tinue to develop materials that promote for health literacy [available on NCLE's discussion about mental health issues for health are the top two Web site at http://www.cal.orgincle/ teachers working with immigrant learn- health]. Can you recommend other ma- ers. I want to help teachers to show their topics students want to terials or offer tips to teachers of adult students that they do have choices in English language learners? healthcare and that help is available. explore." KS: My concern is for the learners with MB: These are definitely areas of im- the least education and the least amount portance in health literacy and the ESL MB: What about projects? Do you rec- of English. They are the least likely to teaching field. Thank you, Kate, for talk- ommend doing them with English lan- have insurance or any knowledge of ing with NCLE and sharing your in- guage learners? healthcare in the United States. Conse- sights. 11 quently, they are more likely to have se- KS: Projects are wonderful. However, rious health problems. Health units in beginning-level learners need to learn Help Us Save Paper! ESL texts usually only scratch the sur- basic healthcare information before they face. I encourage teachers to look up in- can design a project on a topic of im- If duplicate or unwanted copies of formation on the Web, to check out portance in healthcare. NCLEnotes are sent to your address, materials written in plain English, and MB: I understand that you have a please notify us so that we can then to develop their own materials, project of your own that you're work- correct our mailing list. You can such as my picture-story activities. Three ing on these days. send us e-mail at [email protected] or primary topics to cover are (1) the ex- KS: Yes, I'm working on a master's de- return the mailing label on this issue pectation of personal responsibility in gree in clinical social work. with corrections marked. Thanks! 1 0 NCLE page 8