Writing Together: Building Community through Learner Stories in Adult ESL

Interrupted formal education is a barrier that makes learning English as an adult an extremely challenging commitment. Besides the many work and family responsibilities that most adult English as a second language (ESL) learners face, students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) often lack familiarity with school-based skills and typical classroom activities that develop over years of formal schooling (Florez & Burt, 2001; Wrigley, 2004). Their limited reading skills also effectively shut off a major source of input for learning, especially learning in school. This article describes how an ESL family literacy program serving refugee SIFE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, uses learner narratives to create an engaging, productive classroom experience. (Contains 1 footnote.)