Start Date
6-6-2013 9:30 AM
End Date
6-6-2013 10:40 AM
Description
This presentation highlights the need for a new approach for conducting ESL education in Hong Kong. It draws upon the literature on how children and youth learn new language skills, and takes into account recent data that demonstrates the value of real-life contexts and information made easily available in the teaching-learning interface for ESL education (Lai, 2011). To explore the foundations of this approach, an action research project that represents an intergenerational framework for promoting ESL skills has been established. The core of this project involves infusing intergenerational engagement opportunities into the ESL learning milieu. This model represents a novel strategy for linking two growing trends in Hong Kong: (1) an increase in the number of older adults looking for rewarding lifelong learning opportunities, and (2) the need to expand real-world practice for ESL learners at post secondary level. By pairing older adults and university students in this collaborative service-learning model, a socio-historical (i.e., meaningful and real-life) environment is established for contributing to ESL skills development for participating youth as well as creating professional development and voluntary civic engagement opportunities for older adult volunteers. The program is designed to be delivered over the course of a 12-week period. Four Third age (55 years of age and older) members (proficient in English language) will: (1) receive professional development training on teaching ESL and (2) engage in activities tied to co-teaching ESL for a group of six college students who have completed basic ESL courses from university and want to further improve their English language skills. Research team members will assess program impact on: the quality of life of participating older adult volunteers, ESL learners’ motivation to engage in real-world ESL practice, and the evolution of ESL learners’ reading, writing, listening and oral skills development. Towards these research goals, pre- and post-testing including an IELTS-format test and a questionnaire will be respectively used to assess students’ English language skills and senior participants’ physical health and psychological sense of well-being. Video recording, group interviews and after-class journal writing are additional methods that will be used to track intergenerational-ESL patterns of discourse.
Recommended Citation
Lai, W. L. A., & Kaplan, M. (2013, June). An intergenerational strategy for promoting successful aging and ESL skills. Paper presented at the 4th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference on Service-Learning: Service-Learning as a Bridge from Local to Global: Connected world, Connected future, Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China.
Included in
An intergenerational strategy for promoting successful aging and ESL skills
This presentation highlights the need for a new approach for conducting ESL education in Hong Kong. It draws upon the literature on how children and youth learn new language skills, and takes into account recent data that demonstrates the value of real-life contexts and information made easily available in the teaching-learning interface for ESL education (Lai, 2011). To explore the foundations of this approach, an action research project that represents an intergenerational framework for promoting ESL skills has been established. The core of this project involves infusing intergenerational engagement opportunities into the ESL learning milieu. This model represents a novel strategy for linking two growing trends in Hong Kong: (1) an increase in the number of older adults looking for rewarding lifelong learning opportunities, and (2) the need to expand real-world practice for ESL learners at post secondary level. By pairing older adults and university students in this collaborative service-learning model, a socio-historical (i.e., meaningful and real-life) environment is established for contributing to ESL skills development for participating youth as well as creating professional development and voluntary civic engagement opportunities for older adult volunteers. The program is designed to be delivered over the course of a 12-week period. Four Third age (55 years of age and older) members (proficient in English language) will: (1) receive professional development training on teaching ESL and (2) engage in activities tied to co-teaching ESL for a group of six college students who have completed basic ESL courses from university and want to further improve their English language skills. Research team members will assess program impact on: the quality of life of participating older adult volunteers, ESL learners’ motivation to engage in real-world ESL practice, and the evolution of ESL learners’ reading, writing, listening and oral skills development. Towards these research goals, pre- and post-testing including an IELTS-format test and a questionnaire will be respectively used to assess students’ English language skills and senior participants’ physical health and psychological sense of well-being. Video recording, group interviews and after-class journal writing are additional methods that will be used to track intergenerational-ESL patterns of discourse.