This document makes the case for assessing prior learning and offers practical advice on how to do it within British English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and adult basic education (ABE) programs. Following an introduction, it is explained that a person's prior learning is obtained through prior study or life experiences. The next section…

Difficulties in teaching students whose general knowledge is limited are discussed by a teacher at the Nofe-Golan Regional High School. Suggestions are offered regarding obtaining information about each student, preparing first lessons, student and teacher ground rules, readying students for tests, and special activities. (LB)

The starting point for curriculum planning for second language instruction is the learner, and a curriculum can claim to be learner-centered only if key factors about the learner are made the basis for curriculum design at all stages in the planning and development of learning activities and materials and in the sequencing of learning experiences.…

An ethnographic study conducted in Hong Kong investigated commonalities in Chinese and English that might be used to elicit prior learning in the first language to enhance learning in English as a Second Language (ESL), for both language and content area instruction. Specifically, it: (1) examined Hong Kong students' exposure to and interaction…

Notes that appropriate materials are hard to find for refugees of marginal reading ability in English as a second language programs and describes teacher-made exercises that use the students' prior knowledge and experience. (HOD)

The guide consists of a series of sample lesson plans designed for teachers and supervisors delivering instructional services to students with limited English proficiency and native language literacy in Haitian bilingual programs. The guides contain 14 sample lesson plans; five native language instruction sample lesson plans and nine content area…

Discussion of the authenticity of materials contained in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) textbooks for elementary/secondary school use focuses on content designed to accelerate academic language development and highlights the experiences of one teacher with one textbook. The approach taken is that integrating language and content, while taking…

A study investigated the hypothesis that topic familiarity and assessed difficulty of a second language text correlated positively with performance on reading comprehension tests in languages for special purposes (LSP). Subjects were 177 advanced students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) at Ben Gurion University (Israel). Faculty from the…

This document focuses on the education of secondary level English language learners within mainstream social studies classes. It provides teachers and teacher educators with an understanding of how mainstream social studies instruction can be designed and implemented to enhance academic achievement for these students. Research for this report…

These instructional materials are designed for presenting home ownership information to learners of English as a Second Language (ESL). Eleven lessons are organized into four units addressing the process of ownership, including: deciding to buy a home (determining that current living quarters are too small, getting money to buy a home, credit…

Twenty-six specific classroom activities or procedures are suggested for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) to individual adults or small groups. These activities include notes on use of visual aids, games and other group activities, out-of-class activities, oral and written language exercises, integration of language skills (listening,…