Research+environment+-+AMES

=//Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES)//=

AMES specialises in teaching English to adult immigrants. AMES offers a series of certificates based on learners English language competency. Language competency is assessed using an internationally recognised scale, the International Second Language Proficiency Rating Scale (ISLPR). All **4 language competencies are measured: Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing**. Listening and reading are passive activities whereas speaking and writing are productive. **A learner may not necessarily progress at an even rate across all skill areas.** The educational background and features of the learners' native language influence how subsequent languages are learned. For example, a Vietnamese learner who has completed High School in Vietnam and studied English as a Second Language at High School may quickly develop reading and writing in English but find pronunciation and casual conversation very difficult as the two languages have very different sound systems. In contrast, a Sudanese learner who uses 5 or 6 different languages but who has had little formal education may speak very fluently but find reading and writing very difficult. **Teachers aim to cover all 4 competencies (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing) in each lesson**, although one or two of the skills may be focused on.

Teachers recognise that **learning another language is hard work and that progress is not linear.** Progress is usually followed by plateaus and backsliding. It is very important for learners to exercise **"the right to silence"** that is, to have unlimited opportunity to reflect and to attempt speaking and using the language in a safe environment at their own pace. Experts concur that the material used in lessons needs to be relevant to the learners and that it is important to use familiar language to introduce new concepts. AMES employs interpreters to aid teachers who are working with learners with very low levels of English language proficiency. The AMES Certificates include a range of modules that address issues such as going to the doctor, purchasing groceries, completing forms, applying for jobs. **English language skills are taught within the context of cultural knowledge** (such as social customs, history of Australia, major cities, law, the criminal justice system, education system) **to aid settlement**.

Teachers delivering the AMES Certificates face a number of **unique challenges**. Most certificates comprise 7 modules which are delivered over two terms in a four term year, which is longer than the school year. Thus the certificate is delivered once, then repeated. Classes are often scheduled Monday - Friday 9am - 2pm for adult ESL learners, so **the face to face teaching load is higher than Secondary Schools**. Further, there are **high levels of administrative requirements** resulting from the continual enrolments of new students and students completing their hours. A student may join the class 4 weeks into term and will need to finish 4 weeks into the second semester. All students have to complete a set number of assessments which are signed off for each module. Students who fail an assessment re sit the assessment but the teacher has to offer a different assessment task. Thus a teacher has to track each student's assessment process and ensure that any students choosing to finish their course have fulfilled all assessment tasks for as many modules as possible. Classes are often large with 30 plus students. Students are allocated a number of course hours and can elect to suspend their hours for periods of time. Again the teacher is responsible for approving requests for leave and tracking the number of hours for each student. New students can start at any point in time - usually the student finds their way to the classroom, sometimes in the middle of a lesson and hands over a slip of paper with their name and ISPLR assessment) and is ready to start learning!

Many students have a greatly varied ISPLR; most students have a **jagged profile** (different skill levels for Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing). Whilst the Certificates organise learners into broad levels: basic, beginners, intermediate, in any given class, students are usually from different countries, speak different languages and have different living circumstances in Australia. For example in a CSWE III intermediate class of 36 enrolled students, there were 20 different Country of Birth and 15 different first languages with Arabic the main first language. Some students had less than 4 years of schooling but many students were skilled professionals building English language skills prior to seeking Australian certification in their profession. T**eachers need to structure their lessons to meet all of these differing needs!**

Teachers need to remember that students are not only learning English language, they are also learning the cultural norms and mores. A sensitivity to this needs to underpin all of the teachers actions.