This
curriculum resource is a result of the research conducted throughout the Cultural
Barriers to the Academic Success of Adult English Second Language
Learners: McLeod Adult Learning Centre
Research Project. For further information
on the results of the research please see www.resd.ca/.
This material
has been designed to serve as a resource for instructors. As all classes are different, you will
rarely be able to use these lesson plans exactly as they are presented
here. Instead, we encourage you to
adapt them to best suit your needs and your classes’ needs. You may find the table, which cross references
the Manitoba Department of Education, English Language Arts General Learning Outcomes
with the Outcomes for McLeod Adult Learning Centre ESL Learners with the
contents of this curriculum useful in helping you plan appropriately.
The purpose
of this resource is to provide some insight into the foundation skills to be
acquired and/or developed by adult students who approach the High School System
in Manitoba without having progressed through the education systems in
Manitoba. They may be clients for whom English is not their first language;
they may be clients who are only recently back in the school system after a
lengthy absence or clients who experienced limited success in the mainstream
education system.
Learning to Learn in Canada was designed to address the needs identified in the research conducted at McLeod Adult Learning Centre. The Guide to the Teachers outlines some of the information that will help teachers who are not overly familiar teaching ESL Learners. As well, the sections on Teaching Metacognition and Cross-Cultural Awareness are very useful for teachers/supervisors/managers to consult to improve their success working with people from different backgrounds.
The Guide to Learners outlines some of the issues identified in the MALC research project from the perspective of the learner. This is material that would be very useful as a first lesson to orient people to the teachers’/schools’ expectations as well as what the source of some difficulty may be.
The Writing Unit, Reading Unit, Meta-cognition and Communication - Social Skills Unit work together to address skill gaps identified. The Other Resources Section is a compilation of lessons, websites and suggestions.