Interview Videos
There are several must see mock interview videos on the web. Watching the videos will give you a sense of the tone to take in the practice interview. In general, the feeling is businesslike but not too formal: more like traffic court, less like a cross-examination
SaberHacer.com
SaberHacer.com has a realistic one featuring a short interview with an USCIS adjudicator, as well as other related videos that you can find in their site by using the links at right.
JFVS of Middlesex County
There is a very good one from Debby Alter of JFVS of Middlesex County. Use the link in the right nav list to find the three others by this group.
CCSFCitizenship
Below is the first in a series from the City College of San Francisco. There are many others that can be found by using the link at right.
Monday, May 4, 2009
The Practice Interview: Part 1 Overview and N-400
Interview overview
The citizenship interview is the final part of the naturalization process, which began with the written application, the 10-page N-400 form. Only after the applicant has demonstrated legal eligibility and passed a background check is she invited to the interview. It’s the last step before granting the applicant full, unrestricted citizenship with all of its benefits. Because it is such a critical, and often nuanced, part of the process, it is done in a one-on-one basis with a trained interviewer (officially known as an adjudicator).
The adjudicator’s job, as a representative of the federal government, is to grant, deny or delay citizenship. He uses his skills to confirm the applicant’s identity. He reviews residency and work histories, marital status and family connections, character and affiliations. He determines that the applicant is telling the truth and that there is evidence to back up all significant claims and events. In today’s immigration and security environment there is a lot of pressure to get it right, every time.
The typical interview takes 15-30 minutes. It is conducted in English, rarely with a translator. Although much of the study material for the citizenship interview concentrates on American history and government, there is an “English language proficiency” requirement, which is, if anything, more important. The adjudicator judges the applicant’s verbal skills by her ability to answer questions based on the application. Many, if not most, of the otherwise eligible applicants who fail do so because they can’t respond appropriately. Only after the adjudicator is satisfied with the applicant’s legal eligibility and English skills does the interview proceed to the civics test and finally to the written dictated sentences.
The practice interview
The purpose of the practice interview is to get ready for the stress and surprises of the real thing. Like any other test prep, knowing what’s coming gives the “test taker” three advantages: reducing fear of the unknown, developing confidence in the ability to answer the simpler questions, and preparing responses for the more difficult ones.
A little training and planning can enhance effectiveness. We suggest this sequence:
A current version of the N-400 (approved through 12/31/09) can be downloaded here. There are several versions with minor edits. Get the latest, if you can, but if you have one that is no more than few years old it should be fine for practice. Look at the form date to identify.
The instructions for filling out the N-400 can be accessed here. While most of the questions are self-explanatory to a native English speaker, many require an intermediate knowledge of English, which is often exactly what the learner lacks. There are also some questions whose answers are not so obvious. And the applicant might fear that failure to fill out the N-400 correctly might jeopardize the application, so she feels a lot of pressure to get it right.
Another reason for you to be familiar with the form is to be able to spot errors in the applicant's actual application. Just as we encourage our learners: do it to learn it. Filling out the form forces you to make the same decisions about the same ambiguities as an applicant.
Finally, the feds recommend for all applicants the M-476, USCIS A Guide to Naturalization, which "provides information on the benefits and responsibilities of citizenship, an overview of the naturalization process, and eligibility requirements." You may not needto read all of it, but it's useful for reference.
The citizenship interview is the final part of the naturalization process, which began with the written application, the 10-page N-400 form. Only after the applicant has demonstrated legal eligibility and passed a background check is she invited to the interview. It’s the last step before granting the applicant full, unrestricted citizenship with all of its benefits. Because it is such a critical, and often nuanced, part of the process, it is done in a one-on-one basis with a trained interviewer (officially known as an adjudicator).
The adjudicator’s job, as a representative of the federal government, is to grant, deny or delay citizenship. He uses his skills to confirm the applicant’s identity. He reviews residency and work histories, marital status and family connections, character and affiliations. He determines that the applicant is telling the truth and that there is evidence to back up all significant claims and events. In today’s immigration and security environment there is a lot of pressure to get it right, every time.
The typical interview takes 15-30 minutes. It is conducted in English, rarely with a translator. Although much of the study material for the citizenship interview concentrates on American history and government, there is an “English language proficiency” requirement, which is, if anything, more important. The adjudicator judges the applicant’s verbal skills by her ability to answer questions based on the application. Many, if not most, of the otherwise eligible applicants who fail do so because they can’t respond appropriately. Only after the adjudicator is satisfied with the applicant’s legal eligibility and English skills does the interview proceed to the civics test and finally to the written dictated sentences.
The practice interview
The purpose of the practice interview is to get ready for the stress and surprises of the real thing. Like any other test prep, knowing what’s coming gives the “test taker” three advantages: reducing fear of the unknown, developing confidence in the ability to answer the simpler questions, and preparing responses for the more difficult ones.
A little training and planning can enhance effectiveness. We suggest this sequence:
- Familiarize yourself with the N-400 form by filling one out completely
- Watch several mock interviews on YouTube
- Read the adjudicator’s guidelines regarding English verbal and written skills.
- Download scripts to use in the interview
- Get a copy of the civics/history questions
- Formulate dictation sentences to test for English writing ability
A current version of the N-400 (approved through 12/31/09) can be downloaded here. There are several versions with minor edits. Get the latest, if you can, but if you have one that is no more than few years old it should be fine for practice. Look at the form date to identify.
The instructions for filling out the N-400 can be accessed here. While most of the questions are self-explanatory to a native English speaker, many require an intermediate knowledge of English, which is often exactly what the learner lacks. There are also some questions whose answers are not so obvious. And the applicant might fear that failure to fill out the N-400 correctly might jeopardize the application, so she feels a lot of pressure to get it right.
Another reason for you to be familiar with the form is to be able to spot errors in the applicant's actual application. Just as we encourage our learners: do it to learn it. Filling out the form forces you to make the same decisions about the same ambiguities as an applicant.
Finally, the feds recommend for all applicants the M-476, USCIS A Guide to Naturalization, which "provides information on the benefits and responsibilities of citizenship, an overview of the naturalization process, and eligibility requirements." You may not needto read all of it, but it's useful for reference.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Class One: defining citizen; name; to be
Second meeting: Class 1 04/11/09
For the second meeting we have two new students:
R2: 30-55, female, South America, no application yet
N: 30-55, female, SA, plans to apply soon
I distributed the reworked Class 1 handout, which came from the longish one I had created for the last several class cycles. Other than some aesthetics I didn’t change much, but hope to improve the content, functionality and style of future lessons.
Here’s why I decided to use PowerPoint to create the class handouts. First, if the content is ever presented to a larger audience, the materials will be ready. Not pretty and pseudo-professional ready, but 80%-of-the-content-is-done ready. Second, just about anybody owns, or has access to PP, so it’s adaptable as a collaborative medium for other tutors. Third, whether used as stand alone handouts or as a set of printed duplicate slides, the print options are great, and easy to handle.
Class 1 focused on the first part of the N-400 - Name; the portion of the old-test dictation sentences that feature the use of the verb am ~ is; and Chapters 23 and 20 (in that order) of PECA.
Part 1 of the N-400 is the first section of the application. Because it’s crucial that the applicant make a good first impression on the adjudicator (interviewer), we need to make sure that all of the students have a clear understanding of the content.
There is a tremendous amount of material to be covered in Part 1 in terms of pure vocabulary: at least 14 different variations of “name”; 15 verbs or verb phrases; 4 conceptual nouns; and a dozen or so articles, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, and adverbs. Not all need to be learned perfectly the first week, of course, but the applicants do need to be able to hear, understand and react properly to the vocabulary in order to feel confident going into the interview.
In the handouts, the presentation of a specific N-400 section and the related vocabulary is followed by a series of questions that are designed to simulate the variety of ways that officers can ask the same question. A similar section is in PECA, page 197. We had the time to go over these in class, but they could also be used as an assignment. The students could either have an English-speaking partner ask the questions and respond orally, or they could read the questions and respond in writing. There is also a page where the students can write their own questions with similar beginnings, such as, “What is …?”, or “What is the name of…?”
Handouts for future classes will also have a synopsis of the assigned lessons from the text to reinforce the material. Vocabulary not stressed in the book will be explained and corresponding questions from the USCIS 100 will follow.
The dictation sentences and vocabulary took a little more than a full hour of the class. The sentences were grouped by the verbs am ~ is. This is the largest natural (to me) division of the sentences, and can easily be spread out over two meetings. Much of the reading and writing vocabulary for the redesigned test can be found in the “old” sentences. I have yet to try to correlate the old vocab with the new, but will do so by the end of the classes. I will probably rewrite some of the sentences to accommodate the newly prescribed words.
Note that some of the vocab has multiple and thus potentially confusing meanings, for example, the three words pronounced /tu/, the four common meanings of “right”, “work” as both a verb and a location noun, and the distinction between “free” and “freedom”. My favorite sentence is, “I am too busy to go to your house with my two kids today.”
As far as the civics and history part of this class, I taught the two chapters directly from the book, which is a sin of the lazy. Sigh. I was, however, clever enough to end the class by using flash cards from the set published by the USCIS that were appropriate to the material. You can buy them, and lots of other naturalization study materials, directly from the feds at a very reasonable price. There were a few cards that covered concepts in lessons 20 and 23 that I thought hadn’t been given enough exposition, so I decided to open the next class with them. These were related to the rights and responsibilities of United States citizens.
Things I need to do for next class:
Get a lesson plan already!
Things I should have done in this class:
Paired the stronger with the less facile students yet
Finally, I made a special appointment with A to conduct a mock interview two days before his actual interview. He will call to finalize the time once his work schedule is clear. I’ll discuss the process in another post.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
The First Meeting
The first class meeting: Introduction 4/4/09
On Saturday April 4th we had our first class meeting in the Plainfield library. We met for three hours, 10 am to 1 pm, which will be the standard time. There were seven new students. The husband of one also attended. He was a student the last cycle and had recently passed his interview. Of the new seven, six have Spanish as their native language; five are women, two are men.
We began with J, the new citizen, who told us about his interview experience, which was mostly positive and smooth. In contrast, AH volunteered the story of his recently failed interview. He appears to have not had some required documentation, although he felt that he had what was called for. The there was a dramatic contrast between the two CIS officers, one of them, MO’C, was cordial and non-adversarial, while the other was described as oddly distracted and coldly unhelpful.
The rest of the class reacted by adding their own stories of friends and relatives, both positive and not. The thread was that a lot depends on the demeanor of the interviewing officer. The characteristic that raised the most concern was “strict”.
One of my objectives for the first class was to make an informal evaluation of the learners’ level of spoken English. I asked the students to introduce themselves and tell a little of themselves. I think that I can identify three who can use extra attention, and three who might have strong enough English skills to help.
Here’s a list of the students:
R1: 30-55, female, South America, medical assistant, anticipates interview in early July
E: 55+, female, SA, childcare, plans to apply soon
A2: 55+, male, SA, factory worker, interview in two weeks
F: 30-55, male, SA, driver, applied approximately March 1st
A1: 30-55, female, Caribbean, no application yet
X: 30-55, female, SA, no application yet
B: 55+, female, SA, factory worker, no application yet
Towards the end of the class I distributed my contact information, the class syllabus, and the book that we will use, Pasa el Examen de CiudadanÃa Americana (PECA), discussing each briefly.
Next week we will begin the actual content of the course. For clarity (mine, if no one else’s) the next 12 classes will be numbered from 1 through 12.
* * * * *
Things I wish I had done:
Had a formal lesson plan, even if just scribbled on legal paper, instead of an ineffective portion of a spreadsheet.
Introduced myself earlier. I didn’t want to make the first class about me, but I waited so long (until almost the end of the class) it must have seemed weird or at least make me look eccentric. Oh, well…
Made a more concise class schedule. The syllabus/schedule is accurate enough, but it’s spread out over two pages, and has too much unneeded stuff, so it’s almost unusable. This is easy to fix for the next class meeting.
Spent time with the alphabet page that I distributed, showing the letters as pronounced in English as well as their Spanish pronunciation.
Been more proactive when two of the Latino students made remarks that possibly could have been taken as derogatory towards blacks, especially because one of the students is black. Neither comment was harsh, to my ears, and neither was racist, to my mind, but both showed lack of sensitivity. I need to find a strategy to deter and/or defuse similar future episodes, without stifling candid expression.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
AmCit Syllabus ~ First Draft
Before we get to the draft outline of the syllabus, a word on the number of weeks in the course. Last post I laboriously argued for a 12 week course with 1 week of review. Well, that was last week. I still think 12 weeks is the right length for the material, and it fits the timing of many students, but I also think that there should be an extra introductory week, so the total weeks are now 14.
There's not much to say about the draft PDF syllabus that that isn't self explanatory.
Check it out and see what you think. This will not be the last version. I expect to tweak it throughout the course and suspect the final may look a lot different.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Is Twelve Weeks Enough?
In the last post I concluded that the natural time for our curriculum is 12 weeks, with an extra review week, for a total of 13 weeks. In this post I’ll try to figure out if that’s enough to learn what’s needed.
There are three broad subjects areas in a successful American Citizenship class: United States history and civics, interview techniques and strategy, and conversational American English. Let’s look at how those categories might fare in a 12 week syllabus.
The history and civics material is for the most part basic stuff. The interview questions are public knowledge with short, easy answers. The hardest part for learners with limited English and almost no contextual knowledge of American history and government is to memorize unfamiliar words and facts. We’ve read, heard and seen literally tens of thousands of references to Lincoln and Jefferson, so it’s hard for us to imagine how anyone could get them confused, but many do.
Nevertheless, I believe that given the appropriate study material just about anyone can adequately master the content in 12 weeks. They’re not getting their doctorate, just learning the enough to pass the civics part of the interview. It’s only if we wish to push further into developing civic awareness and responsibility that time becomes a significant restraint.
As for interview technique and strategy, 12 weeks to prepare for fifteen minutes is enough time for most. The skills are simple and the behavioral changes are modest.
Which leads to the question of how long it takes to master the ESOL component of a successful interview. The answer is, “It depends and I don’t know.”
Citizenship applicants come from many cultures, speak different native languages, and have varying educational levels and experiences. They also have job, kid, health and family issues (just like native-born Americans) that limit the time they can devote to study. In that respect they are the same as most other groups of adult learners.
But citizenship applicants are unique in the ESOL universe in that they are defined by a very specific, short-term goal, rather than the broader ambition of improving their English. Because their purpose is by definition democratic and open to all, they have the widest range of abilities and education. Some of the learners need a basic crash course in order to pass the interview and others need constant motivation to stay interested in the class. As a result, it’s less hard to define the essential ESOL content than it is to design a working model for organizing the class that keeps the advanced involved while giving everyone the best opportunity to pass.
The good part is that there’s a lot of natural camaraderie in class. Most of our students speak Spanish, some know one another socially or from work, many share native countries, all have the common immigrant experience. I intend to tap into this fellowship by pairing the advanced students as mentors with the beginners. The details will be in another post.
Does this answer the question if 12 weeks is enough to adequately master the English requirement for citizenship? No, it doesn't. But I am hopeful that those who need more help can get it from within the class, which I believe makes a tightly organized 12 week schedule feasible.
There are three broad subjects areas in a successful American Citizenship class: United States history and civics, interview techniques and strategy, and conversational American English. Let’s look at how those categories might fare in a 12 week syllabus.
The history and civics material is for the most part basic stuff. The interview questions are public knowledge with short, easy answers. The hardest part for learners with limited English and almost no contextual knowledge of American history and government is to memorize unfamiliar words and facts. We’ve read, heard and seen literally tens of thousands of references to Lincoln and Jefferson, so it’s hard for us to imagine how anyone could get them confused, but many do.
Nevertheless, I believe that given the appropriate study material just about anyone can adequately master the content in 12 weeks. They’re not getting their doctorate, just learning the enough to pass the civics part of the interview. It’s only if we wish to push further into developing civic awareness and responsibility that time becomes a significant restraint.
As for interview technique and strategy, 12 weeks to prepare for fifteen minutes is enough time for most. The skills are simple and the behavioral changes are modest.
Which leads to the question of how long it takes to master the ESOL component of a successful interview. The answer is, “It depends and I don’t know.”
Citizenship applicants come from many cultures, speak different native languages, and have varying educational levels and experiences. They also have job, kid, health and family issues (just like native-born Americans) that limit the time they can devote to study. In that respect they are the same as most other groups of adult learners.
But citizenship applicants are unique in the ESOL universe in that they are defined by a very specific, short-term goal, rather than the broader ambition of improving their English. Because their purpose is by definition democratic and open to all, they have the widest range of abilities and education. Some of the learners need a basic crash course in order to pass the interview and others need constant motivation to stay interested in the class. As a result, it’s less hard to define the essential ESOL content than it is to design a working model for organizing the class that keeps the advanced involved while giving everyone the best opportunity to pass.
The good part is that there’s a lot of natural camaraderie in class. Most of our students speak Spanish, some know one another socially or from work, many share native countries, all have the common immigrant experience. I intend to tap into this fellowship by pairing the advanced students as mentors with the beginners. The details will be in another post.
Does this answer the question if 12 weeks is enough to adequately master the English requirement for citizenship? No, it doesn't. But I am hopeful that those who need more help can get it from within the class, which I believe makes a tightly organized 12 week schedule feasible.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
What’s the Best Course Length?
A fundamental issue in designing an appropriate curriculum for a citizenship preparation class is that of course length. You have to decide on the number of weeks that a class should run, or whether there should be any set length at all.
By tracking the students who have entered our program in the past two years, I've calculated the mean (average) and the median (most common) of the length of time between their entry and their passing the interview. I then eliminated the extreme cases and recalculated, excluding those who were in the program more than 2.5 times or less than .33 the mean. (Both of these multiples are capricious and arbitrary. If anyone wants to do this more rigorously just shout me out and I’ll send you the data). The sample was 42 students total, 25 who have passed the interview. It’s a small sample but probably large enough for our purposes.
The adjusted median is 81 days, or 11.6 weeks. The mean is 99 days, or 14.2 weeks. I think it makes sense to focus the scheduling on that range.
Anecdotally, many students first come to us after filing their application or after receiving their fingerprint appointment. That usually leaves 12 -16 weeks before their interview to prepare. But there are also those who come in after they get their interview appointment. That leaves about 6 – 8 weeks to get ready. So the scheduled curriculum must be flexible and compressible in a standard and easily administered way to accommodate latecomers.
Although we decide on a case basis whether to allow students to join a class after a couple of classes, our policy is to never turn away anyone, especially one who has a scheduled interview. There may not be enough time for them to get all of our brilliant nuances but they should have the same opportunity to succeed as the others.
As stated earlier, the median/mean range that a student is with us is 11 – 14 weeks. Let’s try setting the class curriculum for 12 weeks, and add a review class at the end for a total of 13 weeks and see how well that works.
For a late starter, a 12 week schedule can be compressed into fewer weeks as needed, with double assignments until the time is made up, up to a probable minimum of 6 weeks, which requires double work for 6 weeks. Not easy to do, but it can be done if the student is advanced and motivated. So it’s possible to accommodate a student who enters the class with as few as 6 weeks to go before the interview.
How does this fit into a yearly schedule? Were it not for holidays and vacations, a 13 week schedule could be given 4 times a year, but I think it’s more realistic to plan on a 17 week rotation, 3 times a year. Of course, if the demand is there, you can always run multiple overlapping classes.
A 13 week class that meets 3 hours a week yields 39 contact hours. Subtract the review class and there are 36 hours of face time with the students. Now the question is, what do we do with our 36 hours? We’ll begin to answer that next post.
In my experience, there’s really only one factor that drives the decision: the typical length of time between when a student enters the program and she passes the interview. Although it might be nice to plan the curriculum based on the time needed to optimize the students’ ability to learn, we rarely have that luxury.
By tracking the students who have entered our program in the past two years, I've calculated the mean (average) and the median (most common) of the length of time between their entry and their passing the interview. I then eliminated the extreme cases and recalculated, excluding those who were in the program more than 2.5 times or less than .33 the mean. (Both of these multiples are capricious and arbitrary. If anyone wants to do this more rigorously just shout me out and I’ll send you the data). The sample was 42 students total, 25 who have passed the interview. It’s a small sample but probably large enough for our purposes.
The adjusted median is 81 days, or 11.6 weeks. The mean is 99 days, or 14.2 weeks. I think it makes sense to focus the scheduling on that range.
Anecdotally, many students first come to us after filing their application or after receiving their fingerprint appointment. That usually leaves 12 -16 weeks before their interview to prepare. But there are also those who come in after they get their interview appointment. That leaves about 6 – 8 weeks to get ready. So the scheduled curriculum must be flexible and compressible in a standard and easily administered way to accommodate latecomers.
Although we decide on a case basis whether to allow students to join a class after a couple of classes, our policy is to never turn away anyone, especially one who has a scheduled interview. There may not be enough time for them to get all of our brilliant nuances but they should have the same opportunity to succeed as the others.
As stated earlier, the median/mean range that a student is with us is 11 – 14 weeks. Let’s try setting the class curriculum for 12 weeks, and add a review class at the end for a total of 13 weeks and see how well that works.
For a late starter, a 12 week schedule can be compressed into fewer weeks as needed, with double assignments until the time is made up, up to a probable minimum of 6 weeks, which requires double work for 6 weeks. Not easy to do, but it can be done if the student is advanced and motivated. So it’s possible to accommodate a student who enters the class with as few as 6 weeks to go before the interview.
How does this fit into a yearly schedule? Were it not for holidays and vacations, a 13 week schedule could be given 4 times a year, but I think it’s more realistic to plan on a 17 week rotation, 3 times a year. Of course, if the demand is there, you can always run multiple overlapping classes.
A 13 week class that meets 3 hours a week yields 39 contact hours. Subtract the review class and there are 36 hours of face time with the students. Now the question is, what do we do with our 36 hours? We’ll begin to answer that next post.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Significant New Dialog on Immigration
Starting today at the New York Times Online is a significant new dialog about immigration. The initial topic is bilingual education for the young, which is near enough to our mission to warrant close attention. You can follow it here.
It's good starting point to see how leaders in the field see the same issue from various perspectives. Although the obstacles facing adult learners are different than those of children in the classroom, it can't hurt to broaden our knowledge with the experience of others.
Regarding the education of young SOL, we all know there's a major change going on in many of our local classrooms, but it helps to see statistics and charts to appreciate it. From the Times:
If you want to see how immigration has effected the student population of Plainfield and the rest of New Jersey over the last twenty years, click here.
It's good starting point to see how leaders in the field see the same issue from various perspectives. Although the obstacles facing adult learners are different than those of children in the classroom, it can't hurt to broaden our knowledge with the experience of others.
Regarding the education of young SOL, we all know there's a major change going on in many of our local classrooms, but it helps to see statistics and charts to appreciate it. From the Times:
Immigration’s impact is often first seen in the classroom. The increasing diversity of the nation’s education system is the most detailed measure of where immigrants have settled in recent years. View demographic changes in more than 17,000 school districts across the nation — including your own.
If you want to see how immigration has effected the student population of Plainfield and the rest of New Jersey over the last twenty years, click here.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Two Great Web Resources for Citizenship Civics
Here are two web sites that have deep resources for citizenship programs. One has great printable material, the other has a large set of recorded podcasts.
The first is the site of CAAELII, an immigrant rights group in Chicago.
To quote from their web site:
The strength of their program is in the Teacher's Toolbox:
The second site is that of http://www.uscitizenpod.com/
The first is the site of CAAELII, an immigrant rights group in Chicago.
To quote from their web site:
English Literacy/Civics (EL/Civics)
ESL in the context of civic participation.
CAAAELII works closely with its partner agencies and their citizenship coordinators to provide integrated English literacy and civics education to immigrant and other limited English proficient population so they may learn how to become active community members.
*****
Education: Much more than traditional citizenship classes, we have developed and continue to fine tune an integrative English-as-a-Second-Language/Civics curriculum that not only prepares our students to pass the Citizenship test, but also encourages them to become better citizens, and even civic leaders.
Curriculum and Teacher Development: Our Teacher's Tool Box contains specific lesson plans that educate our students about civics, and gives them the information they need to engage in civic activities in their neighborhoods and beyond.
The strength of their program is in the Teacher's Toolbox:
English Language, Civics and Citizenship Teacher's Toolbox
The Teacher’s Toolbox integrates components of English language learning with practical plans for student involvement in communities at the local, state and national levels. The plans are designed so that teachers can adapt them for use in their classrooms with a minimum of preparation time. Handouts and Internet links are included as resources with most of the lessons.
The twenty customized lesson plans cover diverse topics... Make the latest technology available to teachers... The goals of these lessons are to teach students English, to educate them about their civic rights and responsibilities, and to give them the tools they need to make changes in their own lives, as well as those of their families and communities.
*****
We welcome anyone who has an interest in teaching their students English and Civics to download these lessons."
The second site is that of http://www.uscitizenpod.com/
You can listen to all 96 new civics and history questions as well as 12 practice interviews.
with a lot of downloadable printed backup. You can download a sample of one of many nicely formatted mock interviews here.
Although it requires an internet connection to take advantage of the spoken resources, if available it's a great way for applicants to get familiar with the sounds of English outside of the classroom setting.
Although it requires an internet connection to take advantage of the spoken resources, if available it's a great way for applicants to get familiar with the sounds of English outside of the classroom setting.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
List of possible topics
The following is an initial working list of topics for possible blog posts. It is not comprehensive. I’m sure that many more topics will arise or be suggested by readers. Some will be consolidated with others. Some will go unexplored because they are beyond the scope of this venue, outside of my competency range, or there just isn’t enough time. Perhaps those topics will be taken up by others. Please comment freely about what you want discussed and why. Ask your colleagues. The more input the better.
Program design
What is the best medium for the delivery of program materials?
Integrating citizenship with ESOL and other programs
Reaching out to other groups for collaboration and scale
Measuring results to determine efficacy and areas of focus
Applying the principals of continual improvement to the program
Who to include in a working group for program design
Building community, facilitating and accelerating information transfer among learners and tutors through electronic media
The role of the web, email, blogs Facebook, iPods and other electronic and social media in program design and implementation
Why is conversation so important?
What is the best group size?
What is the best mix of English to native language?
Integrating with legal and other service professionals
Using software and online tools to design a program
Using the resources of affiliated groups
Whether to use specialists to tutor different aspects of a program?
Materials
What civics/history materials and programs are available to use right now?
• Books
• Web sites
• Downloads
• Movies and documentaries
• Government
• Commercial sites and DVDs
• Local volunteer groups
• National advocacy groups
• Library owned
What ESOL materials are available to use or adapt for targeted use
• Books
• Web sites
• Downloads
• Movies and documentaries
• Government
• Commercial sites and DVDs
• Local volunteer groups
• National advocacy group
• Library owned
Basic copyright rules
Using program created printed materials
PDFs vs printed
Curriculum
How to build competency in writing
Which of the civics questions are the most difficult? Easiest? Most confusing?
Moving from abstract to concrete: how to choose, organize and formalize curriculum and materials.
How should ESOL, civics and interview techniques be integrated?
What’s the best structure for a lesson?
What is the vocabulary and grammar for interview situations?
Of this material, what is most important? Most misunderstood?
What is the key vocabulary and grammar for the civics questions?
Of this material, what is most important? Most misunderstood?
What is the essential ESOL content?
How time constraints drive the curriculum?
Homework: what kind, how much?
The interview
Is the new interview harder than the former?
What are the key interview techniques?
Debriefing the applicants after the interview
Identifying common interview patterns
Conducting a mock interview
Applicants
How much money commitment can you ask of the learners?
Enlisting learners in the program design and discovery process
Involving learners as tutoring assistants
How should a program or tutor handle legal questions?
How to identify those with potential legal issues
How to identify those with more pressing ESOL needs
Getting involved in the application process
How citizenship applicants are different from other ESOL learners?
How their culture affects learning
Tutors
Recruiting tutors
What skills does a successful tutor need?
Administration
How to find money
How to apply for money
Program design
What is the best medium for the delivery of program materials?
Integrating citizenship with ESOL and other programs
Reaching out to other groups for collaboration and scale
Measuring results to determine efficacy and areas of focus
Applying the principals of continual improvement to the program
Who to include in a working group for program design
Building community, facilitating and accelerating information transfer among learners and tutors through electronic media
The role of the web, email, blogs Facebook, iPods and other electronic and social media in program design and implementation
Why is conversation so important?
What is the best group size?
What is the best mix of English to native language?
Integrating with legal and other service professionals
Using software and online tools to design a program
Using the resources of affiliated groups
Whether to use specialists to tutor different aspects of a program?
Materials
What civics/history materials and programs are available to use right now?
• Books
• Web sites
• Downloads
• Movies and documentaries
• Government
• Commercial sites and DVDs
• Local volunteer groups
• National advocacy groups
• Library owned
What ESOL materials are available to use or adapt for targeted use
• Books
• Web sites
• Downloads
• Movies and documentaries
• Government
• Commercial sites and DVDs
• Local volunteer groups
• National advocacy group
• Library owned
Basic copyright rules
Using program created printed materials
PDFs vs printed
Curriculum
How to build competency in writing
Which of the civics questions are the most difficult? Easiest? Most confusing?
Moving from abstract to concrete: how to choose, organize and formalize curriculum and materials.
How should ESOL, civics and interview techniques be integrated?
What’s the best structure for a lesson?
What is the vocabulary and grammar for interview situations?
Of this material, what is most important? Most misunderstood?
What is the key vocabulary and grammar for the civics questions?
Of this material, what is most important? Most misunderstood?
What is the essential ESOL content?
How time constraints drive the curriculum?
Homework: what kind, how much?
The interview
Is the new interview harder than the former?
What are the key interview techniques?
Debriefing the applicants after the interview
Identifying common interview patterns
Conducting a mock interview
Applicants
How much money commitment can you ask of the learners?
Enlisting learners in the program design and discovery process
Involving learners as tutoring assistants
How should a program or tutor handle legal questions?
How to identify those with potential legal issues
How to identify those with more pressing ESOL needs
Getting involved in the application process
How citizenship applicants are different from other ESOL learners?
How their culture affects learning
Tutors
Recruiting tutors
What skills does a successful tutor need?
Administration
How to find money
How to apply for money
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Why this blog?
What this blog is about
This blog is about trying to design and implement an instructional program for those preparing to take the interview to become a naturalized United States citizen. It is intended for ESOL coordinators, program directors, volunteer tutors and others responsible for helping applicants meet the final challenge in their quest for the security and opportunity of being an American.
Why it's needed
Many applicants don’t seek help until shortly before the interview, often not until they receive the appointment letter. This leaves weeks, not months, to prepare. If the applicants all came from English speaking countries there would be no need for them to come to us. They could simply buy a book or download a guide, study for a week or two, and then pass easily. But because many have limited facility in English they need help in the all-important skill of answering the questions of the interviewer that are based on the personal information contained in the application, as well as learning to answer the civics and history questions.
This blog is about trying to design and implement an instructional program for those preparing to take the interview to become a naturalized United States citizen. It is intended for ESOL coordinators, program directors, volunteer tutors and others responsible for helping applicants meet the final challenge in their quest for the security and opportunity of being an American.
Why it's needed
Many applicants don’t seek help until shortly before the interview, often not until they receive the appointment letter. This leaves weeks, not months, to prepare. If the applicants all came from English speaking countries there would be no need for them to come to us. They could simply buy a book or download a guide, study for a week or two, and then pass easily. But because many have limited facility in English they need help in the all-important skill of answering the questions of the interviewer that are based on the personal information contained in the application, as well as learning to answer the civics and history questions.
What is needed is a holistic approach that teaches grammar and vocabulary specifically targeted for the interview, together with the civics and history material, in a compressed time frame, with continual interaction in an English based conversational setting.
How it came to be
I began to tutor a citizenship group about two years ago after tutoring literacy and ESOL for three years. I tried to find a suitable syllabus to teach civics and history, thinking that was my mission. I based my early classes on USCIS and other material that I found. But then one of my students failed his interview for the second time because he could not understand and respond to simple questions from the interviewer. I realized then that the applicants needed more than just civics. I searched for an appropriate syllabus but could not find one. So I started to develop my own program that combines targeted ESOL, interview strategies, and American civics and history.
What my background is
I’m a volunteer at the Plainfield, NJ library with no formal teacher schooling beyond the ProLiteracy basic tutor training. My total academic teaching experience is two semesters of one course in a design school. The majority of my students are Latino. I am not bilingual but did recently study Spanish for several semesters at the local community college. I run a printing company and have a degree in art.
What a good outcome looks like
I want to develop a syllabus and collection of related materials that any program, tutor or student can access to simplify and standardize preparation for the interview.
Disclaimer
I am not an attorney, attorneys have not reviewed this blog, and nothing contained herein should be considered legal advice. If you think or suspect that an applicant has a situation that needs legal help, direct him or her to competent counsel. The views contained in this blog are mine alone and are not necessarily those of any group that I am affiliated with.
Call for comments
I need your help. Any comments or suggestions, positive or negative, are needed to shape and refine this project. Don’t hold back. Let me know what you think about what you see and what you would like to see. Point us to any sites or other material that you think will be helpful, especially on the ESOL side. Thanks.
How it came to be
I began to tutor a citizenship group about two years ago after tutoring literacy and ESOL for three years. I tried to find a suitable syllabus to teach civics and history, thinking that was my mission. I based my early classes on USCIS and other material that I found. But then one of my students failed his interview for the second time because he could not understand and respond to simple questions from the interviewer. I realized then that the applicants needed more than just civics. I searched for an appropriate syllabus but could not find one. So I started to develop my own program that combines targeted ESOL, interview strategies, and American civics and history.
What my background is
I’m a volunteer at the Plainfield, NJ library with no formal teacher schooling beyond the ProLiteracy basic tutor training. My total academic teaching experience is two semesters of one course in a design school. The majority of my students are Latino. I am not bilingual but did recently study Spanish for several semesters at the local community college. I run a printing company and have a degree in art.
What a good outcome looks like
I want to develop a syllabus and collection of related materials that any program, tutor or student can access to simplify and standardize preparation for the interview.
Disclaimer
I am not an attorney, attorneys have not reviewed this blog, and nothing contained herein should be considered legal advice. If you think or suspect that an applicant has a situation that needs legal help, direct him or her to competent counsel. The views contained in this blog are mine alone and are not necessarily those of any group that I am affiliated with.
Call for comments
I need your help. Any comments or suggestions, positive or negative, are needed to shape and refine this project. Don’t hold back. Let me know what you think about what you see and what you would like to see. Point us to any sites or other material that you think will be helpful, especially on the ESOL side. Thanks.
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