How to Manage an ESL Program in a Rural Schools
Most English as a Second Language (ESL) students were located in large metropolitan areas. Today there are many ESL students in rural settings. Managing ESL programs in a rural area is challenging, as the needs of the students and the rural population needs to be addressed.
- Develop and ESL program that
revolves around the four key elements of writing, speaking,
listening, and pronunciation skills. Tailor your program to meet the
requirements of a specific board of education goal for ESL
programs. Private schools have more freedom than public schools do
in creating ESL programs. - Build the programs in terms of
fluency and accuracy. Fluency refers to a student's ability to
competently read and write in English. Accuracy refers to the
ability of the student to follow grammar rules. - Collect resources to use in
writing, speaking, listening and pronunciation classes. Choose your
textbooks carefully. You will need excellent texts because students
are going to use these to learn English rules, speech and style.
Pick textbooks that will be relevant for many years to come, as you
don't know when you will be able to purchase more books. - Create an entrance test to assess
the abilities of your new students. Questions about writing,
speaking, listening and pronunciation skills should be assessed. You
will need to know your student's baseline so you can monitor their
progress. - Hire teachers and administrative
staff to handle teaching and student services. ESL students may need
assistance with housing and immigration issues. Your program should
have one teacher for every 10 students. - Create an evaluation form for you
students to complete at the end of the course. This will let you
know how the students felt about their course. Did they feel they
learned enough skills? Was the program too easy or too hard? Were
the staff competent and did the students feel respected?