Oxford Adult ESL Conversations podcast

Welcome to Oxford Adult ESL Conversations, hosted by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein, co-author of the Oxford Picture Dictionary and Series Director of Step Forward. In this episode, Jayme is joined by Joy Lehman and Kristi Weisenburger, English language teachers at the Milwaukee Area Technical College in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. of Libraries. Kristi currently teaches English in virtual and high-flex environments to community students learning English, as well as students working towards GED, HSE and college transfer. In the past, Kristi has worked as an English language fellow for the State Department and has presented at local and national conferences. Joy works primarily with beginning English learners and is part of Milwaukee Area Technical College’s first group of high-flex classes for ELLs. In the past, she has presented on adding rigor to adult ELL classes at national and local conferences, and she was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship.

In this episode, Jayme is joined by Rebecca Barker. Rebecca coordinates the process, reports, and technical assistance for literacy grants funded by the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. She also arranges training and identifies resources for ELL activities and coordinates a citizenship and immigration program. With previous experience as a local literacy program director, Rebecca has first-hand knowledge of local needs and challenges. She is a trainer, public speaker, and editor of LRO publications including Celebrating Our Journey, a collection of stories written by adult learners.

Jayme is joined by Anthony Tassi, CEO of Literacy Partners, an organization devoted to improving literacy and language skills of BIPOC parents of young children. In addition to being an adult educator, Anthony is an expert in health policy and a two-time Emmy Award-winning creator of educational television for English language learners and for Hispanic parents. Anthony lives in Brooklyn, NY with his partner and daughter. In this episode, Anthony and Jayme discuss the process and benefits of pivoting to remote instruction for ESOL learners with limited digital literacy.

In this episode, Jayme is joined by Jenni Currie Santamaria, author of Step Forward Introductory and Levels 1 and 5. The two discuss everything about advanced learner instruction, from skills instruction to teaching idioms.

In this episode, Jayme is joined by Andy Nash, a Senior Advisor at World Education, Inc., where for over 20 years she has facilitated professional development projects at the local, regional, and national levels. She specializes in contextualized ESOL, standards-based instruction, and the integration of adult education with civic engagement. She has contributed to a variety of national projects on immigrant integration, teacher effectiveness, IET, and evidence-based ESOL.

Note: This conversation was recorded prior to the pandemic and the nation-wide move to remote instruction, but Andy’s points couldn’t be more relevant to our work and our learners’ lives at this time. During the podcast, Andy references a past issue of the Change Agent; however, the September 2020 issue, which focuses on the pandemic, would be an excellent tool to address learners’ current concerns. In addition, the Change Agent site has free resources to help teachers and students discuss race in the classroom

In this new episode, Jayme Adelson-Goldstein is joined by MaryAnn Cunningham Florez, Program Manager for Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools Adult ESOL Program. Her previous positions include Director of the Adult Education Professional Development Center of DC Learns, and assistant director at the National Center for ESL Literacy Education. In this conversation MaryAnn offers insights gleaned from her wealth of experience working with adult ESOL practitioners across the US.

In this episode, Jayme is joined by Dr. Kathy Harris, a member of the literacy, language and technology research group and teacher of teacher education courses in the department of applied linguistics at Portland State University. Dr. Harris creates professional development materials for the adult ESL teachers and national projects including ELLU and ESL pro, and teaches adult ESL including digital literacy and ESL to adult learners with limited or interrupted formal education.

In this episode, Jayme is joined by Lori Howard, an ESL Consultant, Teacher Trainer, Author and Program Specialist for the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS). Listen in as Lori discusses Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education (IELCE), which enables learners to acquire skills for English literacy as well as skills that help them be effective workers, parents, and community members.

Host Jayme Adelson-Goldstein extends her warmest season’s greetings and invites you to join the conversation in the new year.

What does learner autonomy mean in the context of the Adult ESL classroom? Dave Coleman, member of the CATESOL Board of Directors and Professional Development and Technical Assistance Specialist for the LAUSD Division of Adult and Career Education, joins Jayme to discuss.

Carolyn Nason, Instructional Chair of the Department of ESL at Milwaukee Area Technical College, joins Jayme to discuss the benefits and challenges of introducing rigor-infused activities into the Adult ESL classroom.

Read more in her blog post here

Dr. Patsy Egan, a member of the expert panel for the creation of the English Language Proficiency Standards and Director of ATLAS at Hamline University, joins Jayme to discuss how the Adult ESL field has been affected by the recent implementation of the College and Career Readiness and English Language Proficiency Standards and how teachers can use them as a resource to better serve their students’ needs.

Welcome to Oxford Adult ESL Conversations podcast, hosted by Jayme Adelson-Goldstein, co-author of the Oxford Picture Dictionary and series director of the new Step Forward Second Edition. In these podcasts Jayme is joined by Adult ESL educators, thought leaders, and advocates for candid conversations about topics important to teachers in this dynamic field.