A 7 page pre-proposal paper addressing the development of a phonemic, online instructional approach to teaching adult ESL learners. The paper discusses the phonological-loop model and characteristics of adult learners, as well as the digital learning environment. That environment typically is asynchronous, but the influence of technology is such that there are synchronous environments emerging now that adds audio and whiteboard capabilities, facilitating the development of a collaborative learning environment in which those involved can build a true community of learners. The paper concludes with three potential research questions. Bibliography lists 12 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: CC6_KSeduPropESLadult.rtf
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on using this paper properly! Introduction Shifts in instructional techniques already were occurring before the emergence of the Internet and the
technological advances that have made collaborative online learning not only possible over the past several years, but also highly productive. "Phonemic (phonetic) relationships in English formerly were taught to
non-native speakers but [are] not being taught to adult low-level English proficient learners." This approach often is viewed as consisting of education by rote, which is not acceptable in
todays educational environment at any level. Educators and students alike seek to achieve transfer of meaning, a goal to which phonemic approaches to learning do not appear to contribute.
One of the difficulties of distance education highly relevant to adult English as a second language (ESL) learners is that of "how sound
is related to the written English language." This is particularly true when considering the role of the phonological-loop model (Mueller, Seymour, Kieras and Meyer, 2003). Mueller, et al.
(2003) state that the "phonological-loop model provides a prominent theoretical description of verbal working memory" (p. 1353) in which "serial recall accuracy should be inversely related to the articulatory duration
and phonological similarity of verbal items in memorized sequences" (Mueller, et al., 2003; p. 1353). The phonological-loop model has been criticized in the past, but Mueller, et al. (2003)
believe that their work confirms the value of the model in reference to its ability to support language acquisition. Adult Learners Bastable (1997)
notes that adult learners differ from children in that they have experience to draw from and can build on that past experience in learning new facts and techniques. "They
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