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.