Contract Proposal

Stephen Swisher
Comp. 4
Contract Proposal
11/5/07



ESL Teaching Theories:
How theory is practiced at Chicago’s Truman College

This topic struck me because my father is a teacher at Truman College and he alerted me to the fact that the enrollment for ESL courses have grammatically decreased in recent years. This got me thinking, many Americans and politicians say (complain) that if you are going to live in America than you should speak English. If we agree with policy makers, that this is an important problem, who is responsible for the cause? Is it up to the national or state government to provide this service of teaching English to immigrants or up to the immigrants to learn English where they can. Mulling this question around in my head, I wanted to know how the whole process works, the theories of ESL and how it is put its put to practice.

I already have some experience in ESL because both of my parents have taught English overseas, my mother in China and my father in Germany and Austria. I lived in Vienna, Austria in my sophomore year of high school saw how English was being taught. So I was curious to see how the topic is taught differently to different groups of people.

My questions about this topic would be, how available are these courses being made to immigrants? are they affordable? What subjects or topics are stressed most in these classes? How is ESL theory different from practice? Do Truman teachers use the theories and practices I have read about? What techniques work best for them? It would interest me to hear some stories about some students and how they might have learned best to? To what do students respond best to? Writing, speaking, or listening? Do ESL students learn differently because most are adults learning a language? And lastly how does the US citizen test correlate with ESL?

Sources…so far. My main source is the head of the language department
at Truman College and anyone who he can get to talk with me. I would love
to talk to some teachers and students. I have just contacted an ESL teacher at Truman and hope to set up an interview.
Secondary sources are: essays written by
Paul Kei Matsuda, like, “Composition Studies and ESL Writings: A
Disciplinary Division of Labor”
“Composition and the Courses in English for Foreign Students” by
William Marqaurdt
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language by Marianne Celce-Muarica

The Changing Role of ESL in Bilingual Education by Robert D. Milk
Teaching ESL: A Note against Authorities by Don K. Pierstorff

Teaching English as a Second Language and many more…