A Learner-Centered and Participatory Approach to Teaching Community Adult ESL

This MA project examines the creation, implementation, and effectiveness of the guidebook, Moving Forward: A Learner-Centered and Participatory Approach to Teaching Community Adult ESL, designed to help adult English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers base their classes on the specific needs of community adult education students. This guidebook was created in response to the need for lesson plans and activities that help teachers focus on learner needs. The activities in the guidebook are based on the National Institute for Literacy’s (NIFL) adult literacy initiative, Equipped for the Future (EFF) because it focuses on the tasks adults must perform to function successfully on a daily basis. Participatory Curriculum Development (PCD) was used to create the specific activities in the guidebook because its focus is on creating curriculum based on the needs of learners.

Thesis Author: Wiggins, Haley

Year Completed: 2004

Committee Members: Lynn Henrichsen, William Eggington

Thesis Chair: Wendy Baker