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