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- A New Book to Support our Work with Adult English Learners
September 30, 2019
A New Book to Support our Work with Adult English Learners
It is with excitement that I share the release of the new edition of my professional development text, Teaching Adult English Language Learners: A Practical Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 2019). This new edition reflects developments in best practices with adult English learners, including a shift in focus from life-skills competencies to more emphasis on preparing adults for the demands of work and school in the 21st century. A significant change is the global focus of the new edition. While the original book was written primarily for a U.S. audience, it now includes research, resources, and examples that reflect the teaching of adult learners in settings around world. The book reflects the many lessons I have learned through my work with state teachers and community organizations. My hope is that we see how the work we do in Minnesota is at the forefront of research and practice on a global scale!
Like the original text, the book provides overviews of approaches and program models, techniques for teaching language for meaningful purposes, as well as listening speaking, reading and writing. Guidelines for lesson planning, assessment, and addressing standards are included as well. The most gratifying part for me, though, are the multiple teacher voices included in the text. You will recognize many of those from our amazing MN ESL professional network! The book also promotes teacher reflection as each chapter includes points to consider, tasks, vignettes, and activities to help teachers to reflect on and apply what they’ve learned. The accompanying resource tab at the Cambridge University Press website will be updated regularly to include freely available resources to supplement each chapter.
