The Intensive ESL Program provides an introduction to the language and culture of the English-speaking world. By the time the students complete the program, they will have acquired a command of the key vocabulary and structures necessary for personal and business communication as well as an insight into American customs and values. The program features the best of what has come to be known as "communicative language teaching," including recent developments in creating interactive, learner-centered classrooms. It provides students with natural, meaningful contexts in which to practice the communicative functions of the language. The basic objectives of the program are 1) to help students with limited English proficiency become proficient in the language and 2) to present the language within the context of the contemporary English-speaking culture. We have adopted a pragmatic approach and have purposely avoided relying on any single theory of language learning. Our guiding principle has been to present the material in a way that will elicit a high level of student participation in the learning process. To this end, we have evaluated a variety of pedagogical techniques and have selected those which have given the best results both inside and outside the formal classroom. This interweaving and integration of techniques is at the heart of the ESL Program. Teachers can adapt the program to their own teaching styles and to the needs of their students.An effective way of involving students in the learning of a second language is to make communication in the new language relevant to their own lives and culture. The majority of the activities in this program, therefore, have real-life themes (e.g. following directions, filling out applications and forms, reading and understanding warning signs and labels).The program is organized around two areas:

1. competencies - what learners need to be able to do with English in real-life situations, and
2. functions - how people use language: to ask and answer situation-specific questions, to state opinions, to agree and disagree, to make suggestions, to ask for clarification, etc.
3. Professional and Career Skills

The Secretary's Commission on Achieving the Necessary Skills (SCANS) was established in February of 1990. Its mission was to define the skills and knowledge that characterize a high-performance economy. The commission was directed to advise the Secretary of Labor on the type and level of skills needed for high-skills, high-wage employment. The SCANS action plan begins by defining necessary "workplace know-how." This know-how consists of Workplace Competencies and Foundation Skills. The Intensive English Program integrates SCANS into the curriculum. It offers learners the opportunity to develop, practice, and apply English-language skills necessary to obtain jobs and progress in them.

Cross-Cultural Training

A determining factor in student success is the ability to adapt to a different, and sometimes hostile, environment. To help participants overcome this barrier, cross-cultural training will also be provided to students throughout the program as a part of language instruction. This cultural training is not only related to learning about American cultural beliefs and work practices, but is an experience in learning how to get along better with people in one's own life. Students will develop the capacity to meet and respond to behavior of ethnically different persons in a manner which is mutually beneficial. This training also emphasizes that having the right attitude toward school and work and providing quality performance is as important as having the right skills. It helps the student develop a concept of efficiency and quality standards that will enable him or her to adapt to the requirements and challenges of school, work, and everyday living.

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL)

Software incorporating SCANS skills and competencies offer learners the opportunity to develop, practice, and apply skills necessary to obtain progress in school, work, and everyday life. Skills, therefore, are not taught in isolation, but in relation to their actual use. All activities are set in a real-life context, and students have to solve problems that require them to perform a cluster of skills to find the solutions. Students will also be able to access the computerized PLATO Job Search Course to learn job-seeking skills, including resumes, cover letters, application forms and job interviews. In addition, the JOBS Lab, a self-paced, computerized laboratory program, offers computer-based pretests, lessons, and posttests in basic reading and writing skills and specific vocabulary lessons for office administration, drafting, and computer information. JOBS lessons include: developing vocabulary, using correct grammar, spelling correctly, following directions, editing writing, locating information in general references, and identifying and correcting confusing words. Finally, students are encouraged to use the American Language Academy Lab System, which facilitates practice of all language skills - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - by allowing students to record and work with living sound on a computer.

Multi-Media Resource Center

The English as a Second Language Program allows students to choose from a wide variety of materials from our Multi-Media Resource Center. By using the computer laboratory, video tapes, and audio cassettes, students can obtain additional language study and practice.Join the technologically modern world of computer instruction. North Harris College offers a wide variety of English language materials through the use of specialized computer programs designed to reinforce the meaningful use of grammar, vocabulary, and word order. The video tapes present slices of American life in which students can observe a more realistic view of social interaction and learn cultural concepts which facilitate their adjustment to and satisfaction with their new cultural environment. The audio cassettes reinforce pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, listening, and speaking skills. Students can choose from a wide variety of materials ppropriate for their level and the individual skills they want to practice. Students can check out the materials with our lab assistants or in the Learning Resource Center. Lab assistants are available to demonstrate how to use the computer, video, and audio materials.