ESL/CivicsLink Training Module

About ESL/CivicsLink

Purpose and Background | ESL/CivicsLink Users | Past User Comments

Purpose and Background

A brief summary of how and why ESL/CivicsLink came to be as well as some discussion on the development process may be of interest to the participants of the professional development workshop. This overview could include the following:

Background:

ESL/CivcsLink was a US Dept. of Education-funded project, designed to provide ESL teachers with access to quality training materials, electronic networking opportunities, and ESL and civics-related resources. ESL/Civics was a collaborative effort between the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) at the University of Pennsylvania, and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) in Kentucky. The development process involved conducting needs assessments of teachers in the field; writing content and adapting it to the web environment; designing the form and function of the site in conjunction with programmers; identifying and using teacher experts in the field; collecting resources; field testing and implementation phases with teachers in the field; and finally the tremendous amount of coordination involved in tying all these various strands together into one cohesive professional development tool.

Theoretical Background:

A project-based approach is at the core of the units within ESL/CivicsLink. Project-based professional development uses (a) teacher-initiated projects as a basis for their own development through discussion of theory and practice; (b) authentic instructional problem solving; (c) reflection on others' and one's own instructional practice; and (d) the creation of material for use with English language learners.

Why Online Professional Development?

Research indicates that teachers who learned to use technology in professional development settings report gains in self-confidence, expertise, and enthusiasm in using technology in the classroom. Teachers from the field tests with little previous exposure to technology were able to make inventive suggestions as to how it could be improved by the end of the testing.

Resources

ESL/CivicsLink contains a wealth of resources relating to all of the unit topics. The resources include many online links for teachers to explore topics further as well as interviews with teachers and experts in the field. Teachers in the field test and implementation phases consistently remarked on the relevance and usability of the resources as well as the great convenience of having them gathered in one site.

Possible Incentives for Using ESL/CivicsLink

ESL/CivicsLink was designed to meet the needs of real teachers in the field. Unit topics were developed based on needs assessments conducted with ESL professionals. The web format provides teachers everywhere with access to quality training materials, electronic networking opportunities, and ESL and civics-related resources.

Preliminary Data on its Use

During field testing, teachers generally had no difficulty navigating or working the prototype unit. Even those teachers who reported their computer skills as limited, navigated with ease through the activities. Some problems occurred with the more complex communication tools (Community Space discussion boards), but these problems were addressed in the revised Orientation unit. Teachers were observed to be highly interested in the content of the units.

Remember, try to keep this background introduction brief. You should get a feel from participants on how much or how little they would like to know about all of this.

ESL/CivicsLink Users

In the development phase of the project, (August 2000-July 2002) teachers at Jefferson County Public School and programs affiliated with PBS station KLRN in San Antonio used ESL/CivcisLink.

In the testing phase (September-November, 2002) a pilot implementation of the ESL/CivicsLink materials was conducted with teachers from Pennsylvania, California and New York. Participating teachers in Pennsylvania worked in either an independent or facilitated group as part of a state-wide professional development effort. Teachers in California participated in a study group led by their program director. Teachers in New York were recruited through the Literacy Assistance Center and used the ESL/CivicsLink materials as independent learners. Teachers varied significantly in background, teaching experience, and familiarity with technology. Teachers commented favorably on the content of the units and the project-based learning approach.

ESL/CivicsLink is now managed by Kentucky Education Television (KET), the largest PBS member network in America. ESL/CivicsLink units will be online summer 2003. For information about how to obtain a license from KET for use of ESL/CivicsLink, send an e-mail to adulted@ket.org or visit the following web site: www.pbs.org/literacy/esl .

Past User Comments

The following comments came from teachers who participated in the Pilot Phase of ESL/CivicsLink:

On professional development:

• "[It] made me think more about the connections between language and culture. It also encouraged me to look more deeply at my role as an educator."
• "It provided a subjective look at my classroom activities and how I approach planning and teaching."
• "I spent a lot of time learning about students' learning styles - now I'm more focused on my teaching style."

On assessment:

• "It has given me a broader range of ideas for using assessment to meet learners' needs, especially for learners who can't vocalize their needs."
• "It has made me more aware of the need to build in some time for "formal" assessment activities into my class time."
• "It helped me develop my own previously held ideas on needs assessment. It helped to further define the approach and method I can use."

On ESL/CivicsLink Resources:

• "Resources and links are very, very useful."
• "The resources provided me with information regarding the different possibilities for presenting the material to students."
• "The resources have been very helpful tools when I look for activities to employ in the classroom."

On content:

• "What I learned expanded my knowledge of ESL/Civics in general."
• "It has given me ideas. I am very interested in the personal stories of my ESL students regarding citizenship."
• "It helped raise awareness of how students view U.S. culture, how I present culture, and the importance of students' own cultures."