Week 6 Response 2: Plans for Final Project

For the final project, I was hoping to create a website... before you said it was your least favorite option on the list.  Hopefully, I will be able to convince you otherwise.  I have created many websites before, so I am well-versed with the "how" of web design.  And while I do enjoy writing papers, my best work is usually a consequence of hands-on, artistic endeavors.

For the past year and a half, I have been teaching adult ESL classes for native Spanish speakers at Western Avenue Community Center.  The philosophy we use is "teach what the students want to learn" in what we call "Survival English" classes.  This is for immigrants who need basic linguistic knowledge for very specific purposes (e.g. making a doctor's appointment or applying for a job).  Therefore, my lesson planning has always been very minimal.  No textbooks are used and learner materials are scarce.

With that being said, let me outline my plans for this project.  My vision is to create an interactive website for future teachers (I am graduating at the end of this year, after all) and students/members of the community.  This website would compile relevant activities, reading materials, websites, articles, videos, and other resources in one place for a very specific audience.  This website is intended for Western Avenue's Hispanic Outreach Program, or programs similar to it.  Thus, materials will focus on learning the differences between a specific L1 (Spanish) and the target language (English), as well as the differences (style, motivation, investment) of adult immigrant learners.  Over the past couple years, I have saved websites and materials that I have found useful for my students.  This project would allow me to expand upon this knowledge base and almost augment it with research.

Since I am not going into the educational field--in the traditional sense of the word--but instead will be working as a social worker in a community setting, my classes are fundamentally different than the ones structured in the classroom.  I feel that this experience, and the final product that will result, will be far more beneficial to me and will also be a lasting resource for WACC long after I am gone.