From Discrete to Integrated: Teaching ELL Students League for Innovations March 2018 Gary Abbott, Chair, Department of ESL, Languages, and Cultures Dr. Iris Ramer, Professor, ESL Middlesex County College, Edison, NJ

Presentation Overview The new ESL Program at MCC Why the change? Early success data Next steps Interactive integrated lesson Questions Outcomes Explain the benefits and challenges of adopting an integrated ESL program Use a model integrated lesson

Demographics Middlesex County College located in Central New Jersey Main Campus and 2 Centers 11,400 students – 900 in ESL classes Ethnically diverse 31% Hispanic; 29% White; 15% Asian; 12% Black 46% of full-time students with an income less than $30K Average age: 23 53% Female; 47% male

The Problem Existing ESL curriculum was not meeting the needs of our students 67 credits ($9650) Separate courses in reading, writing, structure, and discussion 5 semesters at full-time to complete Pass rates below where we wanted them to be Students obligated to take the College Placement test upon completion of ESL coursework 70% required to additional developmental reading and/or writing classes

Revising the Curriculum Creating an ESL path to Credit Level Programs Aligning the ESL curriculum with Developmental English – different paths, one goal Eliminating the College Placement test Integrated Courses Combining Writing with Structure Combining Reading with Speaking Department Final testing Language Resource Center

The Old Program vs The New Program Level 1 17 credits Listening I (3 cr.) Phonology I (3 cr.) Discussion (3 cr.) Structure (4 cr.) Writing (4 cr.) Pre-Academic in Continuing Education 10 hrs/week (MTWTH) 14 weeks Level 2 Phonology II (3 cr.) Discussion/Cultural Orientation II (3 cr.) Reading/Vocabulary II (3 cr.) Reading and Speaking 1 (5 cr.) Level 1 Structure II (4 cr.) Writing II (4. cr.) Writing and Structure 1 (5 cr.) Level 3 14 credits Reading/Vocabulary III (3 cr.) Phonology/Discussion III (3 cr.) Reading and Speaking 2 (5 cr.) Structure III (4 cr.) Writing III (4 cr.) Writing and Structure 2 (5 cr.) Level 4 Advanced Phonology/Discussion IV (3 cr.) Advanced Reading/Vocabulary (4 cr.) Reading and Speaking 3 (5 cr.) Advanced Structure IV (3 cr.) Advanced Writing IV (4 cr.) Writing and Structure 3 (5 cr.) Level 5 4 credits ESL Reading/Writing (4 cr.) Reading and Speaking 4 (5 cr.) Writing and Structure 4 (5 cr.) Total 67 Credits/5 Semesters 40 Credits/4 Semesters

Pass Rates – Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 Total Enrollment by Level and Semester Fall 16 to Spring 17   Fall 2016 Spring 2017 Level 1 397 245 Level 2 407 Level 3 378 357 Level 4 390 374

Success Beyond the ESL Program Spring 2017 ESL Completers Fall 2017 ESL Completers

Challenges Pre-Academic students are under-prepared for the first Academic ESL level Scheduling 5 credit ESL classes Teaching truly integrated courses Building conversational fluency Discrepancies between pass rates for department finals and actual pass rates

Future Initiatives Accelerated Courses Learning Communities Hybrid courses Safety Net courses in Winter and Summer ESL Certificate of Achievement

Classroom Diversity Criteria Response Gender 13 women and 3 men Age Range:17 - 36 yrs. old Country of Origin East Asia (6); Latin America (5); South Asia (2); Middle East (2); Europe (1) Education 8 with high school; 5 with high school and higher education Time in the United States Range: 3 mons to 4 years Prior ESL Studies Range: 6 mons to 2 years Plans post MCC 7 to transfer to a 4 year institution Work goals All 16 plan to work Long term goals 1 student to return to native country MCC ESL 077 02 Level 2 Reading Speaking Class Spring 2018

Helpful Websites Dictionary and Thesaurus http://dictionary.com Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English   http://www.idoceonline.com Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary   http://m-w.com Grammar Practice www.perfect-english-grammar.com www.azargrammar.com

Contact Information For more information about our program, or if you have further questions, please reach out to either one of us: Gary Abbott: gabbott@middlesexcc.edu Iris Ramer: iramer@middlesexcc.edu Thank you for coming today.