Archive Document

The problem of illiterate adults who speak languages other than English can be seen in the numbers in the United States as well as in Texas. In the United States there are nearly 32 million people who speak languages other than English. Nationally, 69 percent of adults learning English as a second language are Hispanic (Fitzgerald, 1995). In Texas, a 1995 report of the State Board of Education Task Force on Adult Education and Literacy (Adult Literacy: A Texas Priority, p. 45) stated that approximately 40 percent of the state's adult education student population was identified as having limited English proficiency. The demand for adult literacy education has caused a corresponding need for increased funding, personnel, and programs which present-day funding does not meet (Adult Literacy: A Texas Priority, 1995, p. 57). National and state educational systems are strained to meet the demands. One indication of this demand is the number of clients on waiting lists maintained by adult education programs (Fitzgerald, 1995). "In general, there are more ESL students waiting to be served than can be accommodated by existing program capacity" (Fitzgerald, 1995, p. 4).

In the past, illiteracy was seen as primarily an individual problem. "Now, however, it is increasingly viewed as a national problem, with implications that reach far beyond the individual" (Adult Literacy in America, 1993, p. x). Illiteracy impacts the economy and society, as well as the individual's job opportunities, educational goals, and personal fulfillment. The goal for the year 2000 is for all of America's adults to be literate. "The responsibility for meeting this objective must be shared among individuals, groups, and organizations throughout our society" (Adult Literacy in America, 1993, p. xxi). This paper presents how one local organization became involved in ESL literacy through the volunteer efforts of a few individuals. It describes the author's experiences in becoming involved in literacy tutoring and the first steps in the development of a literacy center in a small inner-city neighborhood.

After several months of walking by and admiring the plantings in the yard of the agency and always being cordially greeted by Mrs. L, the executive director, Mr. Ruiz began returning her greetings. It was soon evident that he did not speak English well, but as he became more comfortable in their growing friendship, he became less self-conscious of his limited English. ¹

National and state educational systems are strained to meet the demands of th increasing numbers of limited English proficient adults who want to learn to communicate in English. One solution to this problem is to involve other providers in offering literacy programs. The challenge is somewhat being met by local community social service groups, many of them offering a wide range of services to their surrounding populations.

Robert visited Mr. Ruiz's home and met his wife and seven children, ranging from three years of age to a high school teen. Richard was appalled at the poor condition of the Ruiz home. The roof leaked. There were cracks in the walls. The family cooked on a hot plate. Then Robert saw that the children had no shoes to wear to school. That visit was the inspiration for the neighborhood "Shoe Program," which successfully solicited donations of school shoes from Houston shoe stores for many barefooted children in the neighborhood.

Partners/5 West (P5W) is a non-profit organization which was established in 1996 in the western section of Houston's Fifth Ward with the mission of revitalizing neighborhoods through mentoring and networking. By working with neighborhood residents and other organizations, Partners is able to assist the residents in improving their community and themselves. This is accomplished by maintaining an office in the neighborhood as a place where people can come to learn, teach, help, and be helped. The plan is to identify needs, to find resources to meet those needs, and to put people in contact with people who can help. The goals are education, economic growth, housing, and health.

"I no write Ingles, " Mr. Ruiz confided to Mrs. L. one day during a visit to Partners. He communicated in a mixture of Spanish, English, and gestures that he would like to learn to read, write, and speak English. He proudly showed her he already knew the alphabet, printing on a tablet the letters in upper and lower case. His children, he told her, had taught him. He asked again to be taught, insisting that only at Partners would he feel comfortable in being helped.

In 1998, Houston's Planning and Development Department conducted a Fifth Ward Neighborhood Impact Analysis. The analysis showed that 81 percent of the population was African/American, with the remaining 19 percent mostly Hispanic. In the last ten years, the average household income had declined from $14,781 to $9,385 (Fifth Ward.... p. 1). As a community-based organization, Partners/5 West conducted its own survey to identify the needs of this small western Fifth Ward neighborhood which is located on the near northeast side of Houston just inside Loop 610. In July 1996, the survey showed that the residents perceived unemployment or underemployment as a major problem and illiteracy as a moderate-to-major problem (Ulery, 1996, Appendix II).

According to the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey (Adult Literacy in America, 1993) over 40 million adults in the United States have skills in the lowest level of five levels in prose, document, and quantitative proficiencies. Twenty-five percent of those who perform at Level 1 are immigrants who are just learning to speak English, and "26 percent have physical, mental, or health conditions that keep them from participating in fully in work, school, housework, or other activities" (Adult Literacy in America, 1993, p. xiv).

Mr. Ruiz slowly raised his pants leg to reveal the scars of the mangled le February 11, 2008 while on the job at a construction site. That explained the limp and hesitant walk the others had noticed and had quietly wondered about He communicated that he needed to learn English so he can get a job that allows him to sit. Presently, his wife is the only wage-earner, as a house cleaner He wants help in pursuing what he feels is an unjust settlement for his injury. He was unable to read and understand the papers they asked him to sign.

Adult Literacy: A Texas Priority (1995) indicated that the literacy levels of Texas adults are not only lower than those in the rest of the United States (p. 5), but "half of I poor or near poor' Texans also ranked in the lowest literacy level" (p. 7). It also stated that "virtually all limited English proficient adults will experience limited access to upward mobility, including better paying jobs, if they lack adequate literacy skills in English" (p. 46).The needs of limited English proficient adults enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) programs are quite different from those of other adult learners. The Texas report pointed out the importance of ESOL programs focusing on the special needs of adult learners who are not only learning to communicate in English but also are learning to interact successfully with a new culture, community, and workplace (Adult Literacy- A Texas Priority, 1995, p. 45). ESOL students come to English classes for a variety of reasons. They enroll to become proficient speakers, to gain employability, to improve job skills, and/or to learn to communicate in English with family, friends, school personnel, or employers. Others want to pass the citizenship test, continue a disrupted education or obtain a GED. Other factors that motivate adults to learn English include the desire for personal enrichment, to help their children with school, and to increase their own confidence and self-esteem as members of their families and communities. They see it as a form of empowerment, as a way to obtain control and power over their own lives (Crandall & Peyton, 1993).

Mr. Ruiz confessed to Robert that his children do not respect him because he is unable to read, write, or speak English. His older son, the high school student, is especially disrespectful and is becoming difficult to handle. Mr. Ruiz thinks he will not only regain respect from his family but will also gain parental authority when he is able to communicate in English. He will be able to talk with teachers and administrators at his children's schools. He will know what is going on in their lives.

Among the kinds of obstacles that tend to hinder adults' participation in formal education are barriers which include location, schedules, fees, site atmosphere, home and family responsibilities, self-esteem, and transportation (Spanard, 1990). For minority cultural groups such as recent immigrants, there are additional hindering factors such as limited proficiency in English and unfamiliarity with or exclusion from local cultural practices and institutions (Bell, 1990; Weinstein, 1984). A program which strives for success must address these barriers. Since eighty-five percent of limited English proficient adults live in metropolitan areas (Young, Fitzgerald, & Fleischman, 1993), ESL literacy programs and teaching centers need to be situated in those metropolitan areas if they are to be effective in reaching most of the people who most need them. Location of instructional sites close to the homes of the learners is critical because of inconvenience or lack of transportation in the areas where the learners live. The location of Partners/5 West in the inner city of Houston is within walking distance of most of the people in the neighborhood and presents a familiar and comfortable place for adult learners such as Mr. Ruiz. A study of 24 community-based organizations in 1986 found that a comfortable, accessible, nonacademic and nonthreatening setting appeared to be an important determinant of success in reaching and retaining learners (Adult Literacy: A Study of.... 1986). Community-based organizations such as Partners can also offer other services which may be needed by the students.

As an economical way to provide literacy instruction in a community-based service agency such as Partners/5 West, the use of volunteers is of great importance. Schlusberg and Mueller (1995) found that potential ESL learners turn to volunteer based programs because that is where instruction is offered at their level of proficiency, at a location they can easily access, on a schedule they can meet, and because they seek more individualized attention or a less traditional form of instruction. Volunteers can more easily meet the needs of learners who are difficult to place in adult ESL classes. The relationship between the tutor and learner provides a positive experience for the learner (Schlusberg & Mueller, 1995) and can enhance the learner's desire to stay in the program. In order to offer literacy instruction to Mr. Ruiz, it was decided to enlist volunteers and to find training for them. Research found that ESL instruction is most often provided by programs affiliated with one of the national literacy organizations such as Laubach Literacy Action (LLA) and Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA) (Schlusberg & Mueller, 1995). These organizations train volunteers in small groups, provide tutor and student materials, and match instructors with learners. The tutors meet with their students in a variety of community sites. local libraries, religious institutions, housing centers, community centers, or businesses.

Laubach Literacy is the largest volunteer-based literacy organization in the United States, providing a full range of literacy services to more than 150,000 new readers annually through more than 1,000 local member programs. More than 78,000 volunteer trainers and tutors donated 6.7 million hours in 1997-1998 (LLA Online, 1999). The Laubach Method is used as the core of the instructional program Frank Laubach, as a missionary in the Philippines, developed his method when teaching reading and writing to the "natives" in their own language. During a depression, the tribal chief had no extra funding, so he decreed that "one teaches another--or dies. "² (A. Perkins, personal communication, February 20, 1999).

Contacts were made with an employee of the Harris County Library System who coordinates the training of literacy tutors at library branches around the county. He provided a training schedule, and applications were made by Partners/5West volunteers to attend ESL training for a total of 15 hours on two Saturdays in February, 1999. Applications were sent to Literacy Advance of Houston (LAH), the organization which is affiliated nationally with Laubach Literacy Action and which provides the Laubach materials.

Founded in 1964, Literacy Advance of Houston is a non-profit United Way organization that recruits both students and tutors from the greater Houston area. Their target groups are the adults who are least likely to enter or succeed in traditional literacy programs and their children. The Texas Adult Literacy Survey (1993) found that close to one million of the 53+ percent of Texans sampled who scored in the lowest two levels of proficiency reside in the greater Houston area. Although over 80 new literacy providers have become active in the Houston area in the last 10 years, these providers still serve less than 10 percent of those who need help (Brief History of LAH, no date). With the increase in literacy providers, there is an increase in competition for funding. LAH holds fund raisers each year as well as receiving support from local businesses, churches, foundations, service organizations, and individual donors. Besides having over 70 literacy centers and literacy labs, the organization also conducts family literacy and workplace literacy programs. Over 1000 volunteer tutors are available each year, having served 55,000 adult clients in the last decade (LAH Fact Sheet, no date). The executive director of Literacy Advance reports an expansion of children's programs in the effort to break the cycle of illiteracy (Riddle,1998, p 2). Literacy Advance has pledged to help 2,000 children by the year 2000 through its Boys and Girls Clubs, Day Care, and Focus Programs in the schools (Riddle, 1998, p. 2).

Training began at 8,30 on a Saturday morning at High Meadows Library in north Houston with 22 volunteers attending. The lead instructor, a trainer since 1992, had two assistants. He emphasized that the only requirements for tutors are English fluency, dedication, and a love for people. Most people would agree that it is nearly impossible to teach a speaker of another language if the tutor does not know the student's language. However, the Laubach Method uses techniques to make that possible. To illustrate the method, the trainer demonstrated a first lesson in Russian. The volunteers were led through exercises to learn greetings, introductions, and several vocabulary words in Russian by a trainer who never spoke a word of English. The volunteers learned to appreciate the the fears and frustrations their future students may have.

Volunteers found there were three learning styles--visual, auditory, and tactile-and they identified their own style. The trainer talked about internal needs of students. He said that people learn when they are respected and when the learning is relevant, based on experience, appeals to all the senses, and meets the individual's needs. Through a version of "Simon Says," the class learned about Total Physical Response. The basic components of language are sounds, words and sentences, and meaning, and the class was instructed to use the four basic language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing when they create an activity for their students.

The teaching manuals, skill books, and workbooks of the Laubach Method were introduced. The class was led through the first five lessons and practiced with each other. They were taught that students should talk 80% of the time, and to follow four steps of dialog. The first is to model the whole dialog while the student listens. Second, the tutor models each line and the student repeats. Third, the tutor and each student each take a role, and last, the tutor and student exchange roles. There are six units of speaking and listening before the student gets to reading, and the class was cautioned to frequently review as each lesson builds on previous learning.

According to Laubach, adults learn best by association, and there is a simple picture associated with each letter. For example, the letter b looks like a bird with its tail in the air and begins the word bird. Students learn what the letter sounds like, what it looks like, and what it can spell. Soon students can read short sentences and are writing their own short sentences using their newly-learned English words.

A variety of teaching approaches were presented in class, including Language Experience Activity, Competency- Based Approach, Whole Language, and Publishing Student Writing. Volunteers were cautioned to be aware of cultural differences and to respect the culture of their students as they taught them the new language and the new culture. Many tips were given on creative ways to develop meaningful lessons and to design instruction.

At the end of the second Saturday of training, certificates of completion and words of appreciation were extended to the new tutors in a "graduation" ceremony (see Appendix A). Much emphasis is placed on the value of positive feedback and praise. Tutors were reminded to recognize and reward their students' accomplishments by presenting tokens, certificates, and other awards.

Within a few days a staff member of Literacy Advance had found another tutor who was willing to work with learners in the Fifth Ward. It was apparent that some publicity was needed to recruit students. Literacy Advance provided flyers for distribution in the neighborhood and plans were made to visit the local elementary school to enlist the students' help in taking flyers home (see Appendix B). A bilingual article was written for publication in the Fifth Ward Banner, the monthly community newspaper which is published by Partners/5 West.

Mr. Ruiz is meeting with his tutor twice a week. She says it is difficult and slow, but she is gratified with his commitment His wife has now expressed an interest in learning English.

Collaboration with other local agencies is seen to be important to a program's success (Adult Literacy: A Texas Priority, 1995, p. 18):

To achieve sharing of responsibility and coordination of services, adult education and literacy providers must establish a structure that enables them to collaborate--to communicate, coordinate, allocate, share, and refer participants in order to provide the best and most complete services to adult learners in their community.

In accordance with this guideline, the Partners/5 West literacy group contacted other literacy and social service providers in Houston's inner city and arranged a get acquainted meeting. Attending were a staff member from Literacy Advance, and six representatives from four community agencies. The group met at the Eastwood Health Clinic and toured the new building which will house literacy classrooms in addition to the health clinic rooms. Discussion topics included the need for a map showing all the agency locations, kinds of services offered, referrals, the need for coordination of tutors with students, recruitment of tutors and students, and materials and help available from Literacy Advance. Transportation and child care for students was also discussed. As a follow-up, Partners/5 West sent a questionnaire to all the literacy agencies in the area to survey their programs and services. The intention is to be active in pursuing coordination and collaboration in the Fifth Ward.

There are many ideas about what the goals of the Partners/5 West literacy program should be. In line with the mission of the organization to mentor, network, and develop community resources, the primary goal is to have a literacy program staffed and operated by community residents. Therefore, it is necessary to recruit residents as volunteer tutors who will become the future trainers and program directors (Cumming, 1992). The community newspaper will be used to publicize the program, to recruit tutors and learners, and also to provide the vehicle for publication of student writings in the future. Although Literacy Advance provides the first-level books, funds will need to be acquired to purchase other books, student materials, and other teaching supplies. According to Spanard (1990) a common institutional barrier is lack of on-site child care by trusted members of their own culture. This is something that can be explored as student numbers increase, with one possible solution being that the students rotate responsibility for child care among themselves at the P5W offices. Developing ongoing liaisons with community service providers, such as counselors, health care providers, job training and employment agencies, etc., are worthwhile goals (Cumming, 1992). By following the guidelines developed by others and working together with other interested parties, it is hoped that the Partners/5 West Literacy Center becomes a valuable program for the Fifth Ward residents.

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1. Original narrative written by the author. "Mr. Ruiz" and "Robert are fictitious names.

2. Thus was born the concept of volunteer tutoring.

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Adult literacy: A study of community based literacy programs. Study findings and recommendations. (1986). Washington, DC- Association for Community Based Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED305431)

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Bell, J. (Ed.). (1990). ESL literacy. Special issue. TESL Talk, 20.

Brief history of the organization. (Available from Literacy Advance of Houston, Inc., 2640 Fountainview, Suite 132, Houston, TX 77057)

Crandall, J., & Peyton, J. K. (Eds.). (1993). Approaches to adult ESL literacyinstruction. McHenry, IL and Washington, DC.- Delta Systems and Center for Applied Linguistics.

Cumming, A. (1992). Access to literacy for language minority adults. Washington, DC.. National Clearinghouse on Literacy. (EDO-LE-9202)

Fact Sheet. (Available from Literacy Advance of Houston, 2640 Fountainview, Suite 132, Houston, TX 77057-8777)

Fifth ward neighborhood impact analysis: Community overview and neighborhood impact projects recommendations. (1988). Houston: City of Houston Planning and Development Department.

Fitzgerald, N.B. (1995). ESL instruction in adult education: Findings from a national evaluation. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education. (EDO-LE-95-03)

Riddle, C. (1998). From the desk of Connie Riddle: Editorial. Advance Notice. Houston.

Literacy Advance.

Schlusberg, P., & Mueller, T. (1995). English as a second language in volunteerbased programs. Washington, DC-. National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education. (EDO-LE-95-04)

Spanard, J. (1990). Beyond intent: Reentering college to complete the degree. Review of Sociology of Education, 8, 153-167. In A. Cumming, Access to literacy for language minority adults. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse on Literacy Education (EDO-LE-92-02)

Ulery, L. (1996). Needs assessment of the near northside of the 5th ward. (Available from Partners /5West, 1908 Stevens Street, Houston, TX 77026)

Weinstein, G. (1984). Literacy and second language acquisition - Issues and perspectives. TESOL Quarterly, 18, 471-484. In A. Cumming, Access to literacy for language minority adults. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse on Literacy Education (EDO-LE-92-02)

Young, M. B., Fitzgerald, N. B., & Fleischman, H. L. (1993). National evaluation of adult education programs. Second interim report: Profiles of client characteristics, Arlington, VA, Development Associates. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 364 125)

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Appendix A

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Appendix B

 

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