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Back in August 2009, MaryAnn Florez, Betsy Parrish, and I came together to begin work on the Adult ESL Training Video Project. We came up with an outline for a series of videos to train ESL teachers. The videos would consist of two types: 8 Core Lesson Videos and 7 Themed Videos (derived from the raw footage we took in filming the 8 core lessons). This outline is tentative, not set in stone. The topics may shift a bit as our thinking develops through the course of producing the videos. And of course the topics we cover will depend in part on the expertise and availability of teachers and programs who are willing to participate. Below is the outline we came up with.

Core Lesson Videos

These videos will be complete lessons, each an average of 30 minutes total taken from 2 hours of classroom footage and a later interview with the teacher. As we put the list of topics and classes together, we’ll also be trying to represent a range of proficiency levels, from literacy level to high intermediate.

1. Lesson planning: life skills theme (COMPLETED)
2. Multi-level: teaching students at differing levels
3. Low literacy: Employing top-down/bottom-up strategies; supporting print visually; drawing on learners’ prior skill and knowledge (COMPLETED)
4. Reading: Using narrative texts; pre-, during, and post-reading tasks; developing reading skills (skimming, scanning, inferring meaning, reading for detail, etc.)
5. Listening: Using authentic listening texts (e.g., interview or short video clip); pre-, during, and post-listening tasks; developing listening skills (gist, specific info, inferring meaning)
6. Contextualized language lesson I: Grammar
7. Contextualized language lesson II: Vocabulary, eg. jobs
8. Writing for a purpose: Stages, process vs. product. (Could also use footage from other lessons)

Themed Videos/ Derived from core lessons

These videos will be drawn from the raw footage generated from the above classroom video sessions. Each themed video will contain footage from several of the core lessons, edited together after the core lesson videos are completed. This list is tentative, depending on what themes are best illustrated in the core lessons. We will tell the teachers of the core lessons what themes we want to illustrate, so they will keep them in mind as they construct their lessons.

1. Developing oral skills, also pronunciation
2. Activity types—accuracy-based to fluency-based
3. Developing learning strategies
4. Checking and assessing learning, giving feedback
5. Classroom interactions: e.g., roles, grouping of learners for activities, minimizing teacher talk, giving directions
6. Practicing higher order thinking/critical thinking: e.g., how to give tasks, how to ask questions, how to use graphic organizers, listening and note-taking, academic readiness/transitions to higher education
7. Community building: e.g., ways to create an accepting environment, cultural sensitivity