Literacy Links

English Language Civics Education

Integrating English Language Learning
and Civic Participation Education

by Gloria Beachey, Michael Campbell, and Cheryl North
ESL Professional Development Center, The University of Texas at San Antonio

A key element of civic participation education for adult English language learners is that learning needs to have real-life consequences. One of its purposes is for learners to become active in community life. For example, learners might collaborate to fight for a community improvement, learn about and participate in the American electoral system (if appropriate), or join the local Parent Teacher Association (PTA). (Terrill, 2000)

We agree wholeheartedly with the above quote and believe that such an approach to English language learning will contribute to the good of all citizens and non-citizens in our country. A classroom activity that we have shared with a number of adult ESL instructors has proven to be effective in helping students learn the vocabulary and explore the concepts of civic participation. We call the activity "Building a Community." The box below shows how we do it.

The "Building a Community" activity is easily extended to transform it from a virtual model to a representation of the community in which the learners participate. One example is to create a model of their actual community with local landmarks, streets, houses, businesses, and schools. The next step is to discuss various aspects of the community and facilitate their identifying a problem or deficit in the community. It can be as simple as pothole repairs, a necessary bus stop, or as complex as the lack of neighborhood health services. If necessary, the instructor can introduce problem-solving techniques. The learners might address the questions "what, who, how, when and where." The activity often evolves into a project once those questions are answered and the hypothetical becomes real. Like a pebble dropped into a pond, the learners' concept of community ripples from local to global, their street to their neighborhood and beyond to the national level. As their understanding of their importance in the community increases, their empowerment blossoms.

A number of additional benefits come from doing this activity. "Building a Community" encourages collaboration, negotiation, and interaction among all levels of students and thus is an excellent activity for a multilevel classroom. It also accommodates all the learning styles - visual, tactile, auditory, and kinesthetic. Community resource guides, letter writing campaigns and life stories integrate reading and writing skills into the classroom. Technology can be employed for research and e-mail. Inviting community leaders to speak to the class provides listening and speaking in authentic situations as well as access to those individuals that can facilitate change in the community. Language is contextualized and communicative. Opportunities to solve real problems, meaningful to the students, encourage class attendance and class participation.

Civics education is more than citizenship classes and history and culture lessons, although these are important facets of citizen education. Civic participation education, which encourages learners to become effective citizens and 'builders of the community' is an integral part as well.

Reference

Terrill, L. (2000.) Civics education for adult English Language Learners ERIC Q & A. Washington, DC: National Center for ESL Literacy Education.

Building a Community Activity

Time for Activity:
Several hours but may be extended and used through a whole semester with modifications and adaptations to meet the learners' needs.

Materials Needed:
Foam core board or cardboard (something substantial to hold the models). Paper, pencils scissors, tape, markers. Clip Art representing different items found within a community, such as school buses, stop signs, streets, buildings, homes, parks, people, school, library, hospital (or miniature replicas). Pictures of people (children, adults, sports figures, police, postal worker, delivery person).

Grouping:

1. Determine the size you want the groups to be before the learners begin (4-5 is optimum).
2. Each person chooses a picture from the pictures of people.
3. Each student looks at the pictures other learners have and tries to find people with whom he/she can make a group and develop a theme relating to a common situation. For example: Pictures of a boy playing soccer, a coach, a mother, a group of children -- could be used to make up an soccer game event.
4. Once the predetermined group size has been met, these learners will be a group who will help to develop their community around an event, problem or action they identify. This encourages communication and development of common interests within a group.

Activity: "Building A Community"

1. Each group will identify an event (it can be a social event such as a party, a political event such as an election and voting, a church event such as baptism, etc.), a problem and solution (such as how to get a particular street repaired, or an action (such as how to visit a doctor's office).
2. Each group will build a model community including the locations(s) of their event and whatever else they want to include.
3. They also will make an advertisement and/or invitations with time, place, and directions to a particular event.
4. After all groups have developed their particular event, problem, action, they will write an explanation of what their event/problem/action is and present it orally to the class. This presentation will include showing where the physical locations are on the model.

An Example:
A group has chosen to do a social event - a birthday party in the park. They must build a model community that includes a park, maybe a pavilion, roads leading to the park, and landmarks that would make it easier to find the location. They will design invitations with the time, place, directions, etc. They will decide if they want entertainment, what kind of food will be served and any other special things they would need to have a successful party. They may even want to include the costs and how much they will spend on each item.