Gorham, Maine 04038
kirkjohnb5@gmail.com
www.aokbasicskills.gratis
January 2, 2024
RE: How to Become an Independent Language Learner (ILL) with the European Language Learning System for CEFR levels A1-B2
Dear Adult Education Director:
I’m a semi-retired ESOL teacher over 65 and lived in Ecuador for more than 10 years until September, 2021. I am now living in the Portland, Maine area in the U.S. I am the director of AOK, my retirement project and a charitable educational effort that was connected to my English school in Quito. Before COVID, AOK received 1,000 positive and anonymous evaluations for its presentations in the Ecuadorian Sierra.
AOK is not an organization. It’s a project that specializes in providing overview workshops of basic skills related to learning English, native speaker education, and nutrition for low-income peoples. The workshops connect to basic skill websites that are free for public use. After the workshops, the participants continue learning through self-study. In Ecuador it was not unusual to find someone in an extended family who could help family members access the digital course information if this was a problem.
Welcome to my free course for teaching people how to be independent language learners (ILLs). Throughout the N. America there are thousands if not millions of people who want to learn English but are not able to enroll in a class. And for those that are enrolled, this course can help them review or study something that was presented in class but for which they were absent. I’ve written the course in both English and Spanish and have tried to make it understandable for people without a post-secondary education. Please feel free to use the workshop in any way that might help your program.
This is the first time I have put a course on my website for people who might not be able to receive an overview workshop. In doing so, I have tried to provide directions for accessing the needed digital information without assistance.
Workshop summary
The immediate purpose of the workshop is to provide individuals and families with a better understanding of how they can take advantage of the Internet and use it to teach themselves English. To do so I have roughly divided the European Learning Portfolio (ELP) in two parts.
The first part focuses on students’ basic CEFR needs and finding free teaching materials; it is for level A1-2 students. The second part focuses on the cognitive and reflective aspects of the ELP and is for levels A2-B2. I also provide supporting website guides with free sites for children, teens and adults as well as a guide with information on forming English clubs.
I have also included the Learn to Learn study skills handouts for learning a foreign language from SEPIE, the Ministry of Science, Innovation & Universities in Spain, for both Parts I & II.
Please take a look at the various files on my website to learn more.
Adult Education programs can distribute Sustainable Development Badges
To learn about possibilities of motivating your students through SDG badges, ask Google Gemini “Can an adult education program distribute the Sustainable Development Logo: Version 2, which does not display the United Nations emblem, to their students to accomplish certain academic tasks?”
The long-term purpose of the workshop
The long-term purpose of this workshop is to encourage the UN to sponsor a website that helps people learn English independently and to provide support for U.N. Global Objective No. 4: Quality Education. The UN hopes to reach their 17 sustainable development goals by 2030.
Sincerely,
John B. Kirk, Director
E: kirkjohnb5@gmail.com