1. Including Community Action in ESL/Civics
Andy Nash, World Education

2. Our current adult education system focuses on . . .
Individual growth and advancement
Preparation for work
Citizenship
But not . . .
Social change
Good jobs
Civic engagement
Here is the definition from the Center for Applied Linguistics.
I highlighted in red two of these concepts that I’d like to look at more deeply at this point. And the third – US history – will also be featured in the workshop.

3. What is civic engagement?
Collect people’s definition on newprint.

4. Civic participation is the process that draws newcomers into collective problem solving to improve conditions in matters affecting their lives.
Craig McGarvey, Pursuing Democracy's Promise: Newcomer Civic Participation in America, 2004

5. Thomas Ehrlich, Civic Responsibility and Higher Education
A morally and civically responsible individual recognizes himself or herself as a member of a larger social fabric and therefore considers social problems to be at least partly his or her own; such an individual is willing to see the moral and civic dimensions of issues, and to take action when appropriate.
Thomas Ehrlich, Civic Responsibility and Higher Education

6. Three Types of “Citizen”
Personally responsible citizen
Participatory citizen
Justice-oriented citizen
Joel Westheimer and Joseph Kahne,
“What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy,” 2004

7. If we want to support empowerment and community action, we need to . . .

8. 1. Build community
Strengthen the class community by sharing stories and doing joint activities and projects: food or clothing drive, fieldtrips
Bring immigrant and receiving communities together to meet the “other”: community dialogues and meals, crafts sharing, community clean-up, guest speakers, ESL/ABE cross-class projects

9. 2. Build civic skills and knowledge
Develop the skills to:
Build community
Develop and express informed opinions
Hold decision-makers accountable
Work with others to make change
And draw upon:
Knowledge of systems and history
Understanding of democracy and current events

10. 3. Provide opportunities to practice civics
Practice democracy in the classroom - opportunities to take part in decision-making and to build an expectation of inclusion
Civic inquiry - opportunities to learn about how things work and how they can change
Take part in an on-going civic efforts or community activism, watch and “practice” with others

11. Who among us. can’t. relate to that title: “At First I was Scared…”
Who among us *can’t* relate to that title: “At First I was Scared…”? There are a lot of ways this could resonate in the classroom. Might not necessarily inspire everyone to become a community activist, but it might remind people that “being scared” isn’t the end point necessarily.

12. 4. Connect personal priorities to civics
1. Identify interests and concerns
- Respond to prompts
- Describe experiences
- Examine commonalities and the social
factors that affect personal experiences
2. Build knowledge
- Elicit what students already know
- Add new information or perspectives
- Do research
3. Reflect and form opinions
4. Participate to be heard

13. Recap: To be civically engaged students need . . .
A sense of community
A personal connection to an issue
Skills that prepare them to take informed action
Understanding of how the unit addresses their learning goals
Role models that remind them that change is possible and help them recognize the importance of their voice in that change
Rehearsal of unfamiliar interactions

14. Resources
Pick Your Candidate The Right Question Institute Welcoming America Integrating Civic Participation and Adult ESOL What Kind of Citizen? The Politics of Educating for Democracy

15. The Change Agent publishes a Call for Articles twice a year (in February and August), inviting students to submit their work to be reviewed by the editorial board and perhaps published in a national magazine.
Student authors who are published receive a $50 stipend for their pieces.
changeagent.nelrc.org
Download a PDF of Call for Articles: