TESOL International Association has defined a core set of principles for the exemplary teaching and learning of English as a new language. This exciting new book applies these principles to adults learning English in adult education and workforce development settings. The 6 Principles and their recommended practices are targets of teaching…

Teachers are cultural informants. The resources teachers use and their interactions with students convey meanings that are both linguistic and cultural. It is important for ESOL teachers to guide students toward integrated intercultural/language learning that will carry them through diverse life experiences. This book goes beyond theoretical…

While research into intercultural teaching has grown exponentially during the past two decades, the research has primarily resorted to the use of quantitative data collection instruments and the interpretation of scores calculated through them. As such, studies in the field can seem somewhat decontextualized, ignoring in some cases…

Standardized tests have been selected as a key assessment factor in expanding the academic achievement of the national student population. However, these tests position immigrant students at the risk of academic failure, leading education experts to search for new strategies and teaching models. The "Handbook of Research on Assessment…

This article examines teachers' relationships with foreign students during eras marked by large waves of immigration to the United States and by policies that shifted from cultural assimilation (1900-1920) to present-day accountability. We compare teachers' understandings of and instructional practices regarding foreign-born English language…

This paper helps mainstream teachers and administrators demystify English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) education, providing techniques to help immigrant students make sense of English and their new culture. Ten chapters examine the following: (1) "We're Moving to Where?" (how it feels to move to a totally alien environment); (2) "The Essence and…

This book is the story of four nonnative children's acculturation into an American elementary school, as seen by the author, the teachers, the parents, and the children themselves. The book states that some of the challenges stem from linguistic barriers, but that others are cultural issues so endemic that neither the teacher nor the student is…

The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore how families negotiate their perspectives with US teachers regarding school. The cases of three Korean and two Chinese preschoolers were examined through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with parents and teachers. Observations of the families at home and the children and teachers at school…

A review of literature shows that culture shock is a complex phenomenon characterized by discomfort and anxiety resulting from difficulty in interacting in an unfamiliar social and communicative context. Difficulty arises not from unfamiliar "rules" of behavior but from the intangibility of differences in cultural values, expectations, and roles.…

This case study of an international teaching assistant's experience with college teaching focuses on the process of becoming an effective instructor in the undergraduate classroom. A developmental model that emphasizes clarifying the student's individual linguistic, cultural, social, and professional goals is suggested, and implications for…

Some research has been done on culture shock, and some lesser-known research has looked at the phenomenon in older elementary school age children. Studies have examined the stages of culture shock, its effects on the already largely formed personality, immigrant experiences in America and its public schools, language use in the home, second…

For second-language learners, the narration of highly personal experiences that entail strong affective relations relies on the conceptual processes underlying language. Relating personal narratives in a second language may be a highly successful communicative use of language even though extensive linguistic information for that language is…

The report, based on a study of journal entries written by English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in San Diego Community Colleges (California), examines the value of journal writing for ESL learning and acculturation and offers classroom techniques for its use. An introductory section describes the study and its outcomes. Chapter 1 looks at…

This revised edition includes an expanded discussion of student-directed language learning, workbook activities for volunteer teachers enrolled in courses or studying the book individually, and a full array of culture-based discussion topics for use as supplementary activities or core material for an English course. The book includes 16 chapters.…

The guide is designed to familiarize adult basic education (ABE) English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers with the obstacles faced by adult students from other culture in the adult education classroom. An overview of these challenges and an outline of suggested teaching strategies and cultural activities are presented as a basis for developing…