The world of the multilevel ESL classroom, despite being an exciting, challenging and richly rewarding one for teachers, is by no means an easy environment, particularly for those entering it for the first time. However Jill Sinclair Bell's Teaching Multilevel Classes in ESL, now extensively revised and updated in a second edition to reflect the real world of today's classroom, will prove a tried and trusty friend - ready, like any good friend, with advice and support whenever needed. Inspired by and based on the author's own extensive familiarity with teaching in multilevel classrooms, this classic has been further enriched by the more theoretical understandings from her experience as a professor of education. Furthermore, not only has the author herself personally tested all the ideas and activities in the book, so have groups of teachers of widely ranging experience, from novice to veteran. Above all, Jill Bell recognizes the folly of pretending that multilevel teaching is easy, offering instead reassuring support and encouragement, sample lesson plans to illustrate how the ideas in her book can work in practice, and an easy-to-read text with masses of practical examples. In addition, and as an added bonus, the second edition reflects the latest ideas in teaching practice, discussion material updated to reflect changes in the student demographic profiles, a fully revised list of the latest resources including websites, and an additional chapter, brimming with sparkling and easily implemented ideas, focusing on ways to use technology successfully in the classroom.

Guidelines for teaching English as a second language (ESL) are directed at teachers and teacher trainees. With an emphasis on teaching ESL quickly and efficiently to adults, the six chapters address teaching ESL to competencies, teaching ESL to nonliterate adults, vocational ESL, ESL instruction in the workplace, teaching ESL in the multilevel classroom, and coordinating and training volunteer tutors. Teaching methods, program designs, objectives, materials, and testing are among the topics considered. Each chapter includes suggested resources and reading. The appendix provides an outline of generic concerns and specific models for adult ESL. The six models presented are ESL for survival, literacy, basic skills, general vocational, occupation-specific, and home management. (RW)

Adult ESL/Literacy from the Community to the Community: A Guidebook for Participatory Literacy Training tells the story of a university-community collaboration to develop, implement, and evaluate a project designed to train immigrants and refugees as adult ESL and native literacy instructors in their own communities. Beyond the story of this one project, the book is also a clear and powerful explication of the underlying principles and premises of the program model it describes: community leadership development, a participatory approach to literacy instruction and instructor training, native language adult literacy instruction, and collaboration.

The result of a 2-year research study funded under the National English Literacy Demonstration Program for Adults of Limited English Proficiency, this handbook on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy education represents a synthesis of ideas derived from various sources. It is meant as a resource for teachers who have some experience in teaching but are new to ESL literacy. It contains the following nine chapters: (1) "Adult ESL Literacy: State of the Art," which discusses some of the special features of adult ESL literacy; (2) "Approaches and Materials," which maintains that meaning-based approaches show the greatest promise in helping adults develop full literacy; (3) "Teaching Adult ESL Literacy in the Multilevel Classroom," which shows that group work is the most effective strategy for dealing with multilevel classrooms; (4) "Using Computer and Video Technology in Adult ESL Literacy," which discusses the pros and cons of using technology in ESL literacy teaching; (5) "Native Language Literacy," which demonstrates that using the native language of the learners is a viable approach to introducing literacy to adults who are not literate in their first language; (6) "Learner Assessment," which shows that program-based assessments are superior to standardized tests; (7) "Curriculum," which demonstrates that curriculum decisions are value decisions that mirror a program's philosophy; (8) "Staff Development and Program Issues," which holds that effective staff development should focus on the social context, adult learning, second language acquisition, literacy development, and effective teaching processes; and (9) "Curriculum Modules," which presents 10 teaching units that demonstrate meaning-based teaching. (LB) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)