Curricula for learning English as an adult in the U.S. varies widely by program. Lessons tend to focus on conversational English. Classes are held in disparate settings—from adult education centers to churches and nonprofits.
UMD Professor Aydin Durgunoglu and her colleagues from Georgia State University and Literacy Minnesota recognized the need for a more complete curriculum. “Adult English education is very fragmented,” Durgunoglu explains. “Our thought was to make it more efficient and coherent.”
Over the last few years, Durgunoglu, Erin Cary and other team members have developed a comprehensive curriculum for intermediate and advanced adult English language learners. The researchers secured a $2.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences for this project.
Durgunoglu stresses the importance of lessons that extend beyond basic conversational skills for those who want to continue their education, advance in a career or embark on a path to citizenship. “Academic English opens doors,” she says.
The curriculum, called CILIA-T (Content-Integrated Language Instruction for Adults with Technology Support), helps participants build their academic vocabulary, comprehension and digital skills through 16 modules that cover U.S. history and civics topics. The modules encourage thoughtful analysis and discussion. The curriculum can be used in in-person, virtual or hybrid formats.
Understanding society through academic English
CILIA-T builds on what students already know. Students are encouraged to discuss their home countries in class—to compare and contrast their personal experiences. “We make history relevant for understanding society as it currently exists,” explains Durgunoglu. “We don’t just talk about the Civil War. The lessons involve critical thinking activities and questions such as, ‘Why was there a Civil War?’ and ‘How do we still see the ramifications of the Civil War in today’s society?’”
Through CILIA-T, students also have a chance to gain relevant digital literacy skills. For example, they learn about accessing the internet and digital safety as well as how to write a formal email, from start to close. Practical tools like Google Forms, Zoom and WhatsApp are integrated into the lessons.
The five-year project is in the curriculum testing stage through a partnership with Literacy Minnesota’s Northstar Digital Literacy program. An initial pilot involving four classrooms in the Twin Cities was completed. Researchers had the chance to observe classrooms and solicit feedback from teachers and students.
They’re now in the process of revising and improving the curriculum based on what they learned. One positive finding was that participants enjoyed the class and thought the curriculum was interesting. Durgunoglu was pleased with this feedback and points out that motivation is a huge factor in adult education since students have many competing responsibilities and aren’t graded on their work. “They don’t have to be there. They need to want to be there,” she says.
Starting in the summer of 2025, a larger pilot will take place to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum. Eventually, the goal is for the entire curriculum and teacher resources to be open access and available online for free.
A cognitive and educational psychology expert, Professor Aydin Durgunoglu taught in UMD’s Department of Psychology for more than 26 years. She was part of an international team recognized with literacy prizes from UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress for their work to develop adult literacy and women’s empowerment programs in Turkiye (commonly known as Turkey). If you would like to learn more, contact: [email protected]
Feature photo: (left to right) Erin Cary, Jitka Sebek, Aydin Durgunoglu, Laurie Patton, Steve Hunt and Jill Ashley-Grochowski