UC San Diego

Immigrating to a new country and learning a new language require a redefining of self, often resulting in conflicts with identity, a loss of voice and power and a disconnection from future hope. These conflicts, struggles and stresses can play out in the classroom in the form of non-participation and disruptive behaviors that inhibit learning. Looking Back, Looking Forward was designed as an extension to a regular adult ESL curriculum in an effort to address the needs, beyond language skills, that adult, immigrant English learners have. The highly scaffolded project-based curriculum guides students through the creation of a children's story based on their personal immigration story. Looking Back, Looking Forward was implemented in a beginning level ESL class at a southern California community college. The effectiveness of Looking Back, Looking Forward was measured through the analysis of a variety of data including instructor field notes of observations and student mini-conferences, surveys, goal- setting activities and student artifacts. The results showed that throughout the semester-long implementation students began to resolve identity conflicts by incorporating the past, present and future into an envisioned trajectory. Students demonstrated personal agency and voice in their classroom behavior and through the work they produced. Students also increased participation, in both quality and quantity, inside the classroom and in schoolwork done outside of the classroom. The evidence suggests that Looking Back, Looking Forward can be an effective tool in the ESL classroom to resolve problems with identity, agency and voice that inhibit learning and to develop English skills