THE RIGHT FIT FOR A WORKPLACE ESL CLASS

Below are some of the guidelines that I have put together to help our teachers place potential workplace ESL in the appropriate class. There will always be varying levels of English proficiency in the classes but not all of the students that want to participate are a good fit for the class. Sometimes participants need additional help before they qualify for a Level I class and other times their level of proficiency is too advanced for a Level I class. Here are my thoughts:

GUIDELINES FOR SELECTING APPROPRIATE CANDIDATES for a
LEVEL I WORKPLACE ENGLISH CLASS

I. TYPICALLY POTENTIAL PARTICIPANTS OF A LEVEL I COURSE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE THE NECESSARY ENGLISH SKILLS IF THEY:

· Do not make an attempt to communicate to the GM / Supervisor / Coworkers in English
· Haven’t completed the 2nd grade in the U.S. or their country
· Possess only a few vocabulary words in English
· Have worked less than 6 months at their company

II. CANDIDATES THAT ARE A “GOOD FIT” FOR A LEVEL I WORKPLACE ENGLISH COURSE TYPICALLY:

· Is shy / not confident of their ability (although they may possess good speaking skills)
· Knows a number of vocabulary words in English
· Have problems “getting their point across” although they can do it occasionally
· Is reluctant to speak with customers but will be able to communicate some ideas to their GM / Supervisor
· Needs to work at their company 6+ months
· Can make simple requests but can’t elaborate / give many details
· Is able to fill out personal information on a application – name, phone, address …
· Wants to take the class / has aspirations of advancement within the organization (have a bilingual coworker elicit some of this information)
· Would have completed any grade between 2nd and 8th in the U.S. or in their country

III. INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE CONSIDERED A GOOD FIT FOR AN ADVANCED ESL CLASS WOULD:

· Be able to communicate their ideas and make simple requests
· Speak “choppy” English and would have an accent but could “get their point across”
· Not have any difficulty completely filling out any simple forms
· Be able to explain roles & responsibilities of various positions in a simple fashion
· Have completed 8th grade or above in the U.S. or in their own country