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Best Practices for EnglishInstruction in Engineering/

Technology Disciplines

Polytechnic Summit

June 12th, 2014

Panel:

Faith Litchock-Morellato, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Rachel Maitra, Wentworth Institute of Technology

James OBrien, Wentworth Institute of Technology

Greg Sirokman, Wentworth Institute of Technology

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Objective

The goal of this panel will be to discussthe paradigm of service for non-native

speakers at Wentworth Institute of

Technology, the challenges that are

faced, as well as possible next steps.

.

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Defining the Population

The 2013-2014 cohort was comprised ofapproximately 40 students.

Our students span the globe from theMiddle East, Asia, South America andEurope.

Students levels upon entrance rangefrom low intermediate to advanced.

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Retention Rates of All

International Students

Cohort Year !"# %&'( )*(+,- .,/ %&'( 0'11 2(/ %&'( 0'11 3#4 %&'( 0'11

Full-TimeIntl 2010

Cohort

5267! 8 95633 8 976:2 8 :;6!< 8

Full-TimeIntl

2011 Cohort

5369: 8 ;.672 8 9

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Retention Rates of

Domestic Students

Cohort Year !"# %&'( )*(+,- .,/ %&'( 0'11 2(/ %&'( 0'11 3#4 %&'( 0'11

Full-Time2010 Cohort 5.69: 8 95695 8 9!6!5 8 :;6:9 8

Full-Time

2011 Cohort 536

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Graduation Rates

=>? @'A&1" 3 %( B('/ ='#& < %( B('/ ='#& : %( B('/ ='#&

0>(&+-, C+DE&, .:6.! 8 276;: 8 2263: 8

F&(G',&,# =&"+/&,# 2.63; 8 376.7 8 3362: 8

!"#$% '()#*

+#,-"#.- (/ 0()1

2(23*#4($56

7897: ;

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ESL Programming at WIT

Currently, all incoming freshmen take aplacement exam to be put into one of the

following English classes: ENGL-070

(ESL), ENGL-090 (Developmental

English), ENGL-100 (standard English),and ENGL-125 (Honors).

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ESL Sequencing- two levels of classes(ENGLISH-070 and 080) where students

engage in expository writing and

identification of repeated grammar

errors.

Weekly tutoring, workshops and bi-weekly conversation groups support their

English development outside of the

classroom. Participation in annual

Cultural Language Exchange.

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Students that do not earn a C or better inENGLISH-080 must take a remedial 1-credit course, ENGLISH-085 (on-line). Thispass/fail course focuses on the revision oftwo of their lowest scoring essays as well as

grammatical challenges. If the studentsuccessfully passes the course, they canmove on to ENGLISH-100.

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Major Challenges

Low student engagement in Englishrelated subjects Why do I needEnglish?

Level of English competency is not onpar with their level of skill within their

majorProficient in their area of studybut where English is required skills needsrefinement.

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Other classroom

Related challenges

Use of humor and cultural/pop culturereferences in an inclusive way, so as to

make material more relevant andrelatable for both ESL and native

speaking students. Humor and (pop)

culture make class more fun on the one

hand, but on the other, they may

introduce needless confusion for English

language learners. How do we achieve

balance?

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Other Classroom

Related Challenges

Encouraging interaction among ESLstudents and native speakers in a casualnatural way that doesnt make ESLstudents feel pushed into a needlesslytricky conversation on top of the

challenges everyone faces in learninghow to navigate and talk about newsubject matter.

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How we are meeting the

challenges in the classroom

To facilitate understanding of course

material:

Include visuals in class to support verbalexplanation. Further, tap into theory of

multiple intelligences to reach the most

students.

Explain concepts in more than one wayso as not to limit understanding to a

single vocabulary or means of

ex ression.


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Continued

Slow down and leave pausesforlanguage learners, rapid speech is oftenmore of a barrier to understanding thanword choice. Speak clearly, avoidingoveruse of colloquialisms, incompletesentences, and fillers such as like andyou know. Be okay with silence toallow time for thinking in English.


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continued

Avoid over-explaining. Often a languagelearner may miss a single word orexpression, rather than a concept. An

elaborate explanation could compound

what was actually a straightforwardmisunderstanding.


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Continued

To facilitate engagement of students:

Include group work in class time,perhaps assigning groups randomly so

that both native and non-native speakers

interact.


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Continued

To encourage student buy-in to theimportance of English language skills(both among the ESL and native- speakingpopulation):

Assign a variety of work that assists withstudents fluency in all four skills(reading, writing, speaking and listening).Such as: presentations and processpapers as part of class projects.

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WIki

If you would like a copy of thispresentation, please go to:http://esl-wit.wikidot.com/

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Questions for the

General audience

What is the paradigm of services at yourinstitutions?

Questions for the

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Questions for the

General Audience

Do you have specific courses/training fornon-native speakers for terminologywithin respective disciplines?

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Questions for the

General Audience

What is the average class size at yourinstitution? How do you group yourstudents? Do you acknowledge cultural

silos within your classes? Is the latter

beneficial or not?

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Questions for the

General Audience

Does your institution have a summerbridge program for non-native speakingstudents that are conditionally admitted?

Please speak to the design of the

program and how it is implemented.

t T T

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Questions for The WIT

Community

Are you aware of the challenges we arefacing with non-native speakers?

Q st o s o T T

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Questions for The WIT

Community

How can we work together to improveour services?

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