New York Public LibraryStaff Professional Development

Strategies for Encouraging Adult ELLs to Speak English Outside of Class

September 25, 2015

Alexandra Dylan LoweWestchester Community College

alowe44@verizon.nethttp://blog.tesol.org/author/alowe

Why are we here?

Do you recognize any of these students?

• A student who doesn’t answer the telephone when it rings at home.

• Or who always asks for a Spanish-speaking customer service representative.

• Or who shops only in stores where they can speak Cantonese.

Recognize any of these?

• Or who only go to doctors who speak Russian.

• Who won’t let their children have play dates with English-speaking children because they are afraid to speak to the playmates’ mothers.

• Or who uses an online book reading service to read a bedtime story to their children rather than read in English to them.

Rome wasn’t built in a day . . . . and neither is self-directed learning

Self-directed learning:5-step process

Step 1: Consciousness-raising on Day 1Step 2: Success Book Logs: Tracking authentic speaking and listening activitiesStep 3: Advice from fluent ELL’s: Discovering the secrets of successful ELLsStep 4: Confidence-building: Project-based out-of-class speaking activitiesStep 5: Making a Personal English Plan

Step 1: Consciousness Raising from Day 1

The Mixer:

“How do you practice Englishoutside of class?”

Debriefing . . . . What did you learn from your classmates?

Favorite TV shows in English? Movies?

What books have you read in English? Websites? Apps?

Who do you speak English with?

The English hours add up . . . .

Our Students Their Children

6 hours/week of ESL class

30 hours/week of school

2 hours/day of cartoons on TV = 14 hours/week

2 hours/day of video games = 14 hours/week

Play dates = 2 hours/weekTotal: 6 hrs/week Total: 60 hours/week

Step 2: Tracking Authentic Speaking and Listening Activities

Success Book LogLog for the week of ____________________, 2015

DATE WHAT I DID TIME SPENTJanuary 24, 2015

Watched a movie in English on TV. 2 hours

January 25, 2015

Asked the librarian at my local library to demonstrate how I can download free audiobooks (“talking books”) to my smartphone

30 minutes

January 26, 2015

Used my computer to practice grammar online.Watched TV in English with closed captions

1 hour 1 hour

January 27, 2015

Helped an elderly English-speaking neighbor go food shopping. Read the news online in English

1 hour 30 minutes

January 28, 2015

Listened to a podcast of the news in English on the bus going to and from work.

30 minutes

January 29, 2015

Watched a cooking show on the Food Channel 1 hour

January 30, 2015

Listened to a “talking book” on my smartphone.Spoke English with my co-workers.

30 minutes 1 hour

Weekly Total 9 hours

Ways to Speak More English

• Talk to old people• Talk to co-workers at break time• Talk to the security guard at work• Offer to do a favor for a neighbor• Take your children to “Story Hour” at the library• Volunteer (school, church, nursing home, animal shelter)• Sit next to someone on the bus and talk to them• Talk to telemarketers• Go to a Meetup.com get-together• Talk to yourself

Forewarned is forearmed!

Help prepare your students to speak English outside of class:

“ Excuse me. I’m learning English. Can you please speak more slowly.” [Smile]

“ Excuse me, please. I’m learning English. What does ___________ mean?”

“ Don’t laugh at me. Teach me something.”

Success Book World Record 45 hours in one week !!

Step 3: Advice from Fluent Non-native Speakers of English

Liliana: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LPRK3P3C6A

– No more TV in Spanish.– Keep the TV on in English when you are home.– You have to make a plan for yourself.– Find someone you work with and ask them to

how say this or that.– Read in English, preferably books with a lot of

dialogue– Talk to old people.

Step 3: Advice from Fluent Non-Native Speakers of English

Eugene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhOHDEH7rI8

– Seek out English speakers and imitate them.– Talk to yourself in English. Try to think in

English.– Play your favorite DVDs over and over again,

picking up new words each time.– Jot down new vocabulary words and idioms.

Use them right away.

Discovering the secrets of successful adult ELLs

Discovering the secrets of successful adult ELLs

Discovering the secrets of successful adult ELLs

• Run away from people who speak your language. Be in contact with as many English speakers as possible. Ask them to correct you.

• Expose yourself to America and to American culture. Avoid stores and other locations in the U.S. where they speak your language.

• Watch movies and TV without Spanish subtitles. Use English closed captions.

• Just try to speak – if necessary, use gestures. • Try to think in English.• Keep a pencil and a notebook with you to write down

new words and expressions.

And still more “secrets”

• Talk to somebody with modern tools, such as Skype, Facebook, YouTube, QQ.

• Watch TV.• Don’t hang out with Arabians.• Carry a notebook around and write down new

vocabulary words• Don’t to [sic] make Japanese friends• Read newspapers• Listen to music and try to find out the lyrics.• Don’t be affraid [sic] of asking when you don’t

know the meaning.

Step 4: Building Confidence: Learning the Ropes Project

Step 4: Smartphone Addicts: A Project-Based Confidence-Building Activity

Step 5: Make a Personal English Plan

MY PERSONAL ENGLISH PLAN April 2015

Here are 3 ways I plan to spend more time speaking English this month:1.2.3.I plan to spend _______ minutes/hours speaking English every day.

Here are 3 ways I plan to spend more time listening to English this month:1.2.3.I plan to spend _______ minutes/hours listening to English every day. 

Edgar’s Plan

“In my job, at least one small word or a short phrase I’ll add to every people I receive, not only with the “Hello, how are you?”  This method will be the beginning to a possible conversation.  20 people a day I say hello, 3 of them answer me back, I’ll have talked at least 3 persons every day.  And it’s only the beginning.”

Cesar’s PlanHere are 3 ways I plan to spend more time speaking English in 2014

• Practice with security officer in my company (45 minutes per day)• In my lunch time, speaking only English (30 minutes)• In my company, a told my boss I wants answer all calls come in.

Here are 3 ways I plan to spend more time reading and listening to English in 2014

• Watch the news in TV every day for 30 minutes or watch any program.

• Go to the library. I take the audiobook one per week.• I listening the radio for 45 minutes 

Some of the changes students start to make:

• They start answering the phone at home.

• One student started scheduling weekly play dates for her son with an American boy his age, and then would spend 2 hours talking with the boys’ mother.

• A Mexican waiter started sitting with the American waiters at the communal meal after work, rather than sitting with the Mexican busboys.

And still more changes . . . .

• Seeking out English-speaking co-workers• Talking to their cable company’s customer

service rep in English• Talking to strangers in public settings• Helping their children with their homework

and reading to their children in English• Ramping up their own reading –

downloading audiobooks from the library (Dreams of My Father, Fifty Shades of Gray, Harry Potter, Goosebumps)

Resources“Smartphone Addicts: A Project-based Learning Activity,” http://blog.tesol.org/smartphone-addicts-a-project-based-learning-activity/ (November 5, 2014)

“Learning the Ropes: A Project-based Speaking Activity,” http://blog.tesol.org/learning-the-ropes-a-project-based-speaking-activity/ (June 20, 2014)

“Speaking English Outside of Class: When Students Need More Help”, http://blog.tesol.org/speaking-english-outside-of-class-when-students-need-more-help/ (January 3, 2014)

Getting Ahead in English Outside of Class: Next Steps, http://blog.tesol.org/getting-ahead-in-english-outside-of-class-next-steps/ (November 8, 2013)

Getting Ahead in English Outside of Class, Day 1, http://blog.tesol.org/getting-ahead-in-english-outside-of-class-day-1/ (September 13, 2013)

Lowe, Alexandra Dylan, “Self-Directed Learning: Personal Speaking Plans for Adult ELLs”(TESOL Connections, December 2012), http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolc/issues/2012-12-01/3.html

Lowe, Alexandra Dylan, “Self-Directed Learning Strategies for Adult ELLs” (TESOL Connections, March 2012), http://newsmanager.commpartners.com/tesolc/issues/2012-03-01/2.html

Thank you for joining me today!

Alexandra Lowe(914) 329-0166

alowe44@verizon.nethttp://blog.tesol.org/author/alowe