Content area
Full text
ABSTRACT
Keywords: adult education, digital literacy, English as a second language, family learning, project-based learning, student-centered approaches, technology
This article discusses how educators can bridge the digital divide for adult English language learners (ELLs) through mini-projects that are tied to family learning. These family motivated projects aim to boost learners' English language proficiency and digital skills necessary for job readiness, and, most significantly, create stronger connections with their families. This article provides an overview of the learner demographics and programs at one nonprofit organization, the English Empowerment Center, and explains the key factors considered in designing the mini-projects. The authors discuss how the digital skills were chosen, common barriers to digital access, the importance of student motivation and digital resilience, and the role of weaving together multiple literacies. Examples of mini-projects focused on community and school connections are shared, along with outcomes related to digital skill development, family engagement, and learner confidence in supporting their children's education.
INTRODUCTION
What motivates adult learners to walk into our English classrooms besides the obvious desire for language instruction? In an era where digital literacy is increasingly essential for success in work, family, and community life, many adult English language learners (ELLs) confront a digital divide. This digital divide, combined with linguistic barriers, "can create a multigenerational rift between parents and their children" (Machado-Casas et al., 2014, p. 29) as immigrant parents may struggle to keep up with their more tech-savvy children. Additionally, digital literacy is a determining factor in the job industry with 92% of jobs requiring digital skills (Bergson-Shilcock & Taylor, 2023). To address this multifaceted challenge, educators can create opportunities for learners to develop digital skills (see Table 1) alongside English proficiency through the use of family motivated mini-projects. These projects are directly relevant to their goals as parents and community members, as we will demonstrate in the context of the English Empowerment Center, a community-based literacy organization.
CONTEXT
EEC Learners
The English Empowerment Center (EEC), formerly the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, serves 2,000 adult ELLs a year, teaching them the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English so they can access employment and educational opportunities and more fully and equitably participate in the community. EEC learners are immigrants- individuals who were...