Developing a Conversational English as a Second Language and Acculturation Program for a Social Service Agency Engaged in the Resettlement of Soviet Jewish Immigrants

This paper describes the creation and first year of development of a three-component conversational ESL and acculturation program for Soviet Jewish immigrants. The project was designed to meet the needs of a private social service agency engaged in resettlement in Long Beach, California. It consisted of reorganization and development of a newly formed volunteer tutorial project, and the creation and development of a weekly class program and a series of cross-cultural communication gatherings. Of special note are selections which discuss the orientation, on-going training, and problems relative to the employment of non-professionals as tutors and teaching assistants. Approaches, methods, and materials are evaluated with respect to both adaptability by non-professional staff and effectiveness with students. learner-centered, non-book-based oral/aural activities are emphasized in both the tutorial and class components. Although this project deals solely with Soviet Jews, it is hoped that it may be used as a model or resource for the development of programs seeking to serve the linguistic and acculturation needs of any recent immigrant group, regardless of ethnicity