English Language Civics Education

English Language Civics:
Teaching "Beyond Citizenship"

Do these questions sound familiar? You're right! They are among the 100 questions asked of those seeking U.S. citizenship. And, they are the foundation of any citizenship class. But what happens after someone becomes a citizen?

The U.S. Government has granted funds to Texas for English Language Civics (E. L. Civics) Education. Twenty Texas programs have received grants. In the E. L. Civics Grant Announcement, the Texas Education Agency emphasized that the purposes of this grant are to educate persons new to the U.S. in the rights and responsibilities of citizenship; and to instruct them in naturalization procedures, civic participation, and U.S. history and government. These topics will be taught through contextualized instruction that integrates English literacy and language education for immigrants and other limited English proficient populations into all aspects of civics education. The purpose of acquiring this knowledge and these skills is to "help students acquire the skills and knowledge to become active and informed parents, workers, and community members." Note the reference to the "Equipped for the Future" (EFF) framework's three roles. For more information about EFF, go to http://www.nifl.gov/lincs/collections/eff/eff.html .

E. L. Civics education acknowledges each learner's multiple roles (i.e. family member, worker, and community member/citizen) and supports opportunities for learners to explore all possibilities of living the U.S. experience. In tandem with literacy education, therefore, E. L. Civics education focuses on learners becoming fully participating citizens, community members, and leaders so that they may also become empowered parents, family members, and workers.

E. L. Civics education includes the "basics" of citizenship: the 100 citizenship questions, filling out the INS application, learning about American history and culture, INS interview practice, etc. And, of course, we can teach these basics, as many of us have successfully done. But for our E. L. Civics learners, the relevant issues, concerns, problems, and opportunities of being a citizen and community member in the United States (i.e. "civic participation") takes us "outside the box," and beyond what - and how - we have been teaching "citizenship" up to now. When you understand what your learners have to deal with in their new lives in the United States (beyond those limited basics), then you, the instructor, can determine and teach the skills and knowledge they need to know in order to become fully participating citizens and community members.

But what, exactly, do learners have to deal with? And what does "civic participation" really mean?

In preparing materials for teacher training workshops in E. L. Civics education, one resource with a broad definition of Civic Participation stands out: Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook (CPCAS). In this resource, civic participation is defined in part as "preparing people for participation in democracy (voting) . . ." But the authors go on to say that "we need to go beyond voting to more direct forms of participation, such as community education, advocacy, and organizing. We also need, in a culture that celebrates the individual and the myth of the equal playing field, to recognize our interdependence, and acknowledge and address our inequalities." (CPCAS, p. ix)

When the editor of CPCAS and her colleagues asked a group of learners to define civic participation, their answers included:

• having a voice in how your community operates;
• following what people do once they have been elected to office;
• increasing community awareness;
• learning about community history;
• being heard;
• taking action;
• being a good neighbor;
• having a sense of belonging;
• coming together on many levels to be engaged in public issues and community life;
• having the ability to navigate and influence systems and policies; and
• becoming an agent (rather than a recipient) of change.

When you think about it, these definitions of civic participation make sense - and it makes sense to teach civic participation (so defined) as part of E.L. Civics. But, how do we teach this? How do students learn what they need to know to be empowered citizens and community members?

Fortunately, Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook offers some answers. For instance, this sourcebook includes real-life stories about critical inquiry projects dealing with learners' community issues. Further, it provides "prep" and "practice" activities that allow learners to acquire and practice skills needed to complete their projects successfully. Following is an example of how one teacher increased civic participation by facilitating these projects in her classroom.

In Judy Hofer's article in CPCAS, "Saying What is True: Women Speak Out Against Domestic Violence," a teacher working with the Literacy Project in Western Massachusetts discusses with her class the nature and prevalence of abuse - and refers to her own experiences during the discussion. For the first time in their lives, the students begin to talk about their own experiences of abuse.

Several projects emerged from this sharing and discussion. The students established a support group with regular meetings to primarily address why domestic violence has become so commonplace that it is normalized. In the group, they analyzed their common threads of experience with domestic violence, and realized that they are not passively accepting violence but are actively seeking a way out of it. They worked through very emotionally charged communication skills such as how to express feelings, how to disagree constructively, how to tell the truth, how to create and work with ground rules, and how to compromise. They created and wore T-shirts that symbolized their unity. The T-shirts say: "Together We Bloom."

One project led to another. After a year together, the students decided to make a video to inspire other women to speak out about and take a stand against domestic violence, and to inspire those in power to hold the abuser accountable for his actions. The students received technical training in video production, creating storyboards, and editing from the local cable access TV station. They brainstormed and decided on three themes for the video: the normalization of violence against women, a critique of why women stay in abusive relationships, and reflections on their own learning during these processes.

Yet another project emerged from this: students trained to become women's advocates assisted by a university-based women's organization. With statistics and models, they returned to their support group to share the information they learned.

Language was learned. Skills were acquired. Emotions were shared. Self-esteem soared. To quote Ms. Hofer, "As the women reflected, 'When you're in the tunnel and alone, you don't see the light. But when you have the support of others, the light is there. It's together that we are strong, and it's together that we can make a difference. Together we bloom."

Now, consider for a moment how - or whether - the activities described above relate to civic participation. Did the students:

• Have a voice in how their community operates?
• Come together on many levels to be engaged in public issues and community life?
• Have [or gain] the ability to navigate and influence systems and policies?

If we agree with the definitions of civic participation suggested by the authors of CPCAS and their students, then we can see that these learning activities not only promoted, but also were themselves examples of civic participation.

Do the strategies used in this class sound familiar? Of course! They are examples of Project-Based Learning! The theme emerged from the learners' lives, and as they progressed in their inquiry and exploration of their topic of concern, several projects emerged with clear products and audiences.

The learners had to choose roles, negotiate, compromise, determine tasks to be done, and create timelines. Above all, the learners became a strong community committed to making a difference in their own lives and in the lives of others. Doesn't this story typify the freedoms the U.S. Constitution gives us? Doesn't it model citizen/community member participation fostering positive change?

English Language Civics Education involves more than the straightforward "citizenship training" that we've done in the past -- it includes the much wider notion of civic participation. And civic participation can best be learned through actually participating in projects related to one's life! E. L. Civics education using Project-Based Learning can be fun and rewarding as you learn, along with your students, about the opportunities, successes, and gifts of empowered civic participation in the United States of America.

Nash, Andy (Ed.). (1999). Civic Participation and Community Action Sourcebook: A Resource for Adult Educators. Boston: New England Literacy Resource Center. [To order your copy, send check for $10.00 (include your name, mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail) to: Kerline Tofuri, World Education, 44 Farnsworth Street, Boston, MA 02210 or call (617) 482-0617.]

National Institute for Literacy Web site http://www.nifl.gov

Alex Baez is Materials Developer and Field Specialist for the ESL Professional Development Project, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. She lives in Austin with her husband Victor, and her cat, Kay-tee Kit-tee. Alex enjoys cooking and eating, travel, genealogy, and researching the history of Texas, Mexico, and New Spain.