Some students at Davis Community Learning Center ESOL program are ready to see how their language skills have improved.
Catherine one of our fantastic TA's gets the opportunity to help students in the lab. She is inspired by the huge diversity of students in the program. It doesn't matter who they are or where they are from they are here for the same goal to learn a new language ang get integrated into the US society. She said "you can feel a great solidarity between all the students and feel that they are all equal." Catherine's job at Davis Community Learning Center with Adult ESOL is to identify when students need to be assessed and potentially go up a level in their English abilities.
It is amazing to see how the students can quickly improve their skills in English. Students quickly manage to speak and make themselves understood even at a basic level so that they can better understand the world around them. Progress can be very fast and liberating at the same time for students.
So how do these students make progress? Catherine says when students attend class regularly, work hard at school and also at home, they see more success. She says " when students see that every day, every situation can be a learning experience from going to a grocery store or writing an email you gain a great opportunity to improve your learning." She also tutors some of the students face to face or in a group, and helps them use the online Burlington English Program. It is a time when students can take more ownership of what they have learned with the teachers.
We wish the students the best of luck for those that are post testing to see their improvements!