OT - Has Anyone Taught English As a Second Language

[annette]

Since retiring I thought about doing some volunteer work so signed up with my county for a program called "Adult New Readers". I assumed it would be helping adults improve their reading skills. Apparently there is more of a need for tutors to teach English so I am working with a lady from Vietnam who only knows a handful of English words. She is 64 and I can't imagine trying to learn a new language at that age but good for her!

The guide the county provided is basically useless as it is way too advanced even though it's supposed to be for beginners. I've been using flashcards and some children's books from the library but am looking for a "how to" and some already prepared lesson plans. There are a lot of books on Amazon and am thinking about getting a "For Dummies" book but thought I would check here first and see if anyone has experience and/or recommendations.

Thanks!

[Gams]

I’ll ask my sister - she taught ESL for years.

[Gams]

My sister is looking through her stuff, but she said to google ESL or ELL picture dictionary and they should have some for the “novice”
level. She said to also google ESL All-Star books - the red book is the beginner level. I’ll post again if I get more info from her.

[bzar]

in college, i taught conversational English to visiting Japanese students during the summer. I was already a student employee and the payroll dept already had my profile. IIRC, it was covered by a grant so we were paid minimum wage. it was so long ago! i recall one instance when we were trying to define the word "irony" and "ironic". it was really hard describing conceptual words. the director usually had the students read a short article from the newspaper and we would take them walking around the campus and discuss the article.

DH taught an evening course called "Adult Basic Ed" and it was geared toward ESL adults. it was offered through the state and it was a paid position, and students paid a nominal fee to take the course. they met 2 or 3 nights a week for a 16 week period. they used materials geared toward typical scenarios about getting normal tasks done around town, like reading the bus schedule, the phone book, maps, and basic words/sentences, civics, math. it could lead to students to go on to their GED or even citizenship (separate courses). they had a little potluck at the end and people got to try different foods.

Edited to add:
see if your public library has the books you find on Amazon. i'm pretty sure the library carries a lot.

[KarenJo]

Camember, who lives in Spain and has not been able to get approved to post on VF, posted this on VF Roost and asked tbat it be copied here.
<<I strongly recommend these books: Inside Out series and English File series. Both have books for all levels. Inside Out has a very beginner book that I used to teach a bit of English to my elder sister. If you are looking for children's books, the books I used when I was a child were Stepping Stones. I keep them as I enjoyed them so much that I will never get rid of them. Really nice books that are still available sometimes in Ebay and other online stores.>*

I taught ESL to first graders back in 1982. Aside from being so long ago, the school district provided the materials and training sessions. Main thing I remember is that kids learn additional languages faster than adults do because they are less afraid to make mistakes and will just go ahead and try to communicate. Using a language is the main way to learn it.

[annette]

Thanks all for your replies. Very helpful!