Title: English as a Second Language Support in
Electronics Labs
College: San Jose City College
2100 Moorpark Ave. San Jose, CA 95128
College Contact:
Kathy Werle, Dean,
Applied Science, Technology, and P.E.
Kathy.Werle@sjcc.edu
or 408-288-3781
Target population:
Limited English
Proficient Students. At San Jose City college approximately 48
languages are spoken by students. Vietnamese is the primary second
language spoken by the students in the electronics program.
Goals: To increase the
educational and employment success of limited English proficient
students studying electronics.
Description:
College officials
noticed that even though limited English proficient students had the
technical skills, they often had difficulty obtaining employment
because they didn’t have enough English language proficiency to
interview well. The faculty encouraged students to enroll in
English-as-a second-language classes, but few did so. The college
Career and Technical faculty discussed this issue with their
advisory committee and the ESL faculty. A strategy was developed to
employ two ESL teachers to work in the electronics labs. These
instructors challenged the students to speak English and explain the
experiments they were performing, and assisted students with lab
write-ups. The students were also encouraged to work in groups and
use English with each other.
Staffing:
The lab is staffed
by the regular instructor. Two ESL instructors assist in the lab.
The instructors are not fluent in Vietnamese, but have expertise in
strategies for teaching ESL.
Facilities, equipment, materials:
No additional facilities or materials are required.
Costs, funding source:
VTEA funds were used for the additional lab support. Unfortunately,
due to budget constraints, the college has been unable to continue
offering this assistance.
Outreach and marketing:
The outreach that is conducted is to encourage students to increase
their English language proficiency. A poster was developed to
encourage Career and Technical Education students to enroll in ESL
classes.
Evidence of effectiveness:
The activity was deemed very effective by faculty in building
students’ language skills, helping with critical thinking, and
helping them become work ready. Electronics faculty learned to
challenge students as they had observed the ESL teachers, and the
ESL teachers learned a lot about the demands of this occupational
area that they could take back to their general ESL classrooms.
Suggestions for replication:
Close cooperation should be maintained between ESL and Career and
Technical faculty.