Welcome to
Sacred Heart School of Theology's
English as a Second Language Program
History of the ESL Program
Origins:
Sacred Heart School of Theology's ESL program started in 1986 mainly as a service for the Priests of the Sacred Heart (SCJ) who were going to work in the mission in South Africa. Since then, the program has continued to provide SCJs from various provinces with the opportunity to study English, theology, and culture in preparation for their work in Argentina, Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Ecuador, Europe, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Korea, South Africa, The Congo, The Philippines, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Activities of the ESL Program:
As well as studying the language, English as a Second Language students participate in various other activities. Each year in September, the ESL students learn academic writing; take TOEFL-preparation classes; participate in diversity workshop ; and in ESL Power Point Conferences; prepare an ESL International Culture Fair where they exhibit information, food, music, dances, and songs from their respective countries. The Culture Fair was offered originally only to the academic community of SHST, but it has expanded due to its popularity; and the general public is now invited to attend. In addition, the students also publish The ESL Newsletter with articles which they have written, and they take part in many extra-curricular activities during the year: attending sport, movie, and theater performances; going on field trips and outings; and taking part in American festivities. All of these events are enriching to the students and are an integral part of the ESL program's cultural curriculum.
Future Developments:
The ESL Program has several goals for the future. These include expanding the number of course offerings as well as specializing in areas which are of direct interest to our students, such as improving pronunciation and gaining proficiency in liturgical readings. We are also investigating the possibility of offering outreach/mentoring programs where advanced ESL students can learn theoretical methodologies and experience practical teaching techniques to enable them to instruct others in learning English. This is because many of our former students have found themselves teaching English as teachers themselves, either in missions or in their home countries. In addition, Sacred Heart School of Theology is a center of learning where students can study in preparation for ministry. As a result, the ESL Program is uniquely situated as a place where Religious and Lay people from other countries can work on perfecting their English language skills. This will enable them to be adequately prepared for future religious study and/or for work in the United States or in other English-speaking countries.
Students:
The program has also worked with diocesan students from many countries who have gone on to study theology and have then become priests in the U.S. The program has taught religious who are ministering all over the world and in the U.S. In addition, the ESL Program has taught women religious, some of whom are missionaries in the Philippines and in Papua, New Guinea.
International Connections:
Students who have completed the ESL program have been from the following countries: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Colombia, Czechoslovakia, The Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Haiti, Holland, Indonesia, Italy, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Mozambique, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Vietnam.
Instructors:
The instructors for the ESL Program are Ruth K. MacKechnie, Academic Coordinator, and Michael Krull, ESL Instructor. Ruth K. MacKechnie has a Master's degree in Teaching English as a Second Language; and she has extensive teaching experience in Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
ESL Program Report 2006:
An Overview of the ESL Program
The Priests of the Sacred Heart have sponsored the English as a Second Language Program at Sacred Heart School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin for over 17 years. The ESL Program is uniquely constructed to provide the best learning environment possible for Catholic priests and seminarians who wish to learn, or to improve, their knowledge of the English language. Students from many different countries have come to study at SHST’s ESL Program over the years. They come for different reasons. Some individuals study here because they are planning on living and working in the United States; others attend because they are planning to continue with academic studies in English at the university level; and other students come to learn English to help them in their future work as missionaries abroad. Sacred Heart School of Theology’s ESL Program is able to meet all of these students’ diverse needs because it is small enough to be able to carefully assess each student’s individual requirements.
When a student is first welcomed to the ESL Program, he is tested with the University of Michigan Placement Test in the areas of listening and grammar. The ESL program then gives tests in the area of speaking and writing. From these assessments, the student is then placed in the most appropriate level. The ESL Program always runs at least two levels; and in the summer, there are three levels available. Classes are taught in the areas of Grammar/TOEFL, Reading/Writing, Culture/Communication, and Pronunciation/Liturgical Readings. During the academic year, classes run Monday through Thursday for four hours and for three hours on a Friday. In addition, students attend Mass for one hour on Wednesdays; and they are also expected to spend at least three hours a week, after their formal class time, working on self-directed study using the facilities available in the ESL Program’s Self-Access Lab.
At SHST, students learn in an ESL Program which is tailored to their own specific needs. In their Grammar/TOEFL classes, they study English grammar with the use of a textbook, a workbook, computer CD exercises, and listening CDs. In addition to grammar, during the academic year, students in the advanced classes prepare to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL is an internationally known test which universities in the United States and abroad use to determine an ESL student’s suitability for entrance into their normal academic courses. ESL students improve their English language skills through preparing for the TOEFL test which tests their understanding of grammatical structures, listening, reading, and writing skills. Before the ESL students go to take the actual test, the ESL Program runs mock test days to prepare them for the stress of taking the test. Every student is offered the opportunity to take the TOEFL at an independent testing center at the end of spring semester.
In the Reading/Writing classes, students practice reading from a variety of sources, including a text-book, newspapers, magazines, and Biblical passages. They learn how to scan, skim, and study-read for academic purposes; and they are taught note-taking skills from written and oral sources. Students are required to keep a vocabulary notebook, as new language is tested, and to write a daily journal. In the journal, they are asked to summarize their thoughts for the day and to report on world news that they have listened to from the radio or TV. In addition, students are asked to read outside of class time – either from especially language-graded readers, or from fictional/non-fictional short-stories and novels. Students are asked to write a weekly report on what they have read and to summarize this to others in their classes.
During the academic year, students in both levels are asked to do various writing assignments; but in the advanced class, they also learn to compose various academic writings to prepare them for future work either in religious settings or for university/theological study. Students in the Advanced Reading/Writing class plan and deliver homilies and write several types of academic papers such as: reviews, argumentative essays, and reports. They present what they write to other members of the program, and they keep their papers on file in the ESL classroom. In addition, less comprehensive articles are published in The ESL Times, the program’s newspaper, at the end of every semester.
In the Culture/Communication classes, students work through a textbook with prepared listenings and spend time in class discussing current issues that are in the news. They are study non-verbal communication, the meaning and use of idioms in the English language, and American cultural practices. Students listen to radio broadcasts from National Public Radio, do readings, and watch videos/DVDs on topical issues for discussions. They are also asked to make video-taped and/or Power-Point presentations. To follow up on learning argumentative techniques, students in the advanced class are asked to organize and run group discussions at least once a semester while students in the lower level classes are asked to give a weekly five minute report on a topic of their choosing.
In the Pronunciation/Liturgical Readings classes, students’ individual pronunciation problems are assessed, and these areas are worked on both in class and in the ESL Self-Access Lab. In class, the students work from a pronunciation textbook, and they practice saying prayers and liturgical readings in English daily. They tape themselves speaking, they are asked to read occasionally for the school’s daily Mass, and they are encouraged to work privately with their teachers and with the American volunteers who help the program.
The ESL Program requires that the students use the Self-Access Lab area; it is organized for the students’ use with computers, scanners, and printers available. In the Lab, students are expected to work for one hour daily using text-books for self-directed study. This independent time is useful for students to review and consolidate what they are learning in their classes. The Lab has grammar CD discs, games, and work-sheets on hand for all levels of self-study; there are cassette tapes and tape-recorders in individual carrels for students to practice self-directed listening and pronunciation; and there is an ESL Library with graded-language readers, novels, videos, and movie DVDs. The Self-Access Lab is designed for the students’ own directed study, but a teacher is always available for help or private tutoring, and the students’ progress is monitored by the Pronunciation class instructor. The Lab time is useful for the ESL students to arrange to work on problems they may have individually in specialized areas, such as pronunciation, or accent reduction, or on grammar, depending on individual needs.
In addition, the program teachers have weekly office hours with set times when they are available to confer with each student individually if necessary; and occasionally, volunteer American tutors are available at this time to work one-on-one with students who may be experiencing language difficulties.
Learning about the culture of the United States is another very important component of the ESL Program. This is because many of the students will work in parishes and dioceses in the USA after leaving SHST. So, it is important that these men have the opportunity to practice using their English in real situations by role-playing, occasionally making videos, and by going on field trips at least once a month to visit museums, sporting events, and places of interest around Milwaukee. Students also read, discuss, and afterwards attend the play the Christmas Carol in December. The students periodically work on thematic units to first prepare their understanding, and then they attend outside locations such as community centers, police stations, animal shelters, and local elementary schools where they have the opportunity to interact with people from outside the seminary. These activities help the students on the ESL Program to become better enculturated to the United States.
Students also can expect to learn in the ESL Program about seasonal customs and celebrations followed in the USA such as Halloween, Christmas, Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Easter, and the 4th of July. In addition, the ESL students are introduced to various sporting activities found in the States, and students have the opportunity to try rock-climbing, baseball, bowling, and mini-golf. In addition, students have the opportunity during the year to be part of the SHST soccer team, and the volleyball team. These teams play other teams in Milwaukee. All of these activities are planned to give the ESL students a better understanding of American culture to help them for their future lives in the United States
The ESL students, with their different needs, help to make the ESL Program a vibrant, lively, and fun place; but it is also a very demanding learning experience. Students are expected to do at least four hours of homework at night, and the pressure can be great at times. Nevertheless, the rewards are many; and students who work hard usually excel in progressing in the language. It is expected that students who attend the program will not only study hard but will also try to speak only English in their time here; and they are expected to make an effort to become integrated with the American students who are also studying at Sacred Heart School of Theology.
With its wonderful mixture of religious, moral, and spiritual values, and with its educational strengths and facilities, the ESL Program can offer many benefits to students for whom English is a second language.
The Current ESL Program
Staff Developments
The ESL Program staff in 2004-2006 consisted of Fr. Paul Grizzelle-Reid, SCJ, Director; Ruth MacKechnie, Academic Coordinator; and Michael Krull, Instructor. Michael Krull was the part-time Lab Instructor and Tutor. Ms. MacKechnie is a full-time employee.
Student Statistics
This academic year, the ESL Program ran from October 1st to May 6th. In 2004/2005, the program taught the same number of students as had been taught in the previous year. There were 18 students enrolled in the program from Fall Semester 2004 to the end of the Spring Semester 2005. Most of these students stayed for the entire academic year in the program; and they came from the following destinations: Mexico, Vietnam, Peru, Haiti, Poland, Cameroon, Indonesia, Colombia, and Tanzania. There were also quite a few religious communities represented this year in the program including: the SCJs, the Xaverian Community, the Benedictines, and the Vincentian Fathers. In addition, the Dioceses of Pueblo, Portland, and Cheyenne were all represented in the program. It is interesting that, in the Milwaukee area, SHST’s ESL Program is the second largest program for international students who come to study from abroad after the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee ESL Program.
In 2005, the ESL Program was very busy, and this will continue during the summer months of July and August. At the time of this report, it is projected that ten of the ESL students from this past academic year will continue studying in the program for the summer. In addition, new students will be arriving from Brazil, Vietnam, Cameroon, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, the Congo, Poland, Italy, and the Netherlands. Three of these students have studied on the ESL Summer Program in the past two years and asked to return. Student numbers usually increase during the summer compared to the academic school year, and the ESL program is hoping at this time to be hiring Ms. Zizzo in a full-time, limited term capacity for the months of July and August. Currently, there are a projected number of 35 enrolled students for July and August.
Program Academic Developments
This year the ESL Program continued to demand academic excellence and hard work from the students. The teachers rewrote the oral exam once again to improve student testing. Students were tested at the end of each semester as usual; but, in addition, four mock TOEFL exams were given to help with preparation for the actual exam. By May, most students had finished in their classes several academic writing assignments and had worked through several texts, a workbook, and two TOEFL books. In addition, all the students read at least three novels in English and had been given individual private tutoring at least once every two weeks during the academic year.
All this work, and the extra classes, helped almost all the students to show greatly improved test scores by the end of the academic year with one student rising 57 points on his grammar test! This was a tremendous achievement, but high scores were the norm, not the exception. In addition, all the students were required to take the TOEFL test at the end of the academic year; and the ranges were excellent, especially when considering the short amount of time most of the ESL students had been enrolled in the program. The TOEFL is a nationally accepted test used by American universities to determine a non-native speaker’s level of English. Universities in the United States use TOEFL scores to decide if a student’s level is appropriately high to enroll in regular academic classes. Three years ago, Sacred Heart School of Theology began to include students’ TOEFL scores when reporting on suitability to join theological classes at SHST; and this practice continues. In most university ESL courses, students usually spend a minimum of two years training to take the TOEFL exam; our students prepared for it in just one year. The students’ exact scores have not been returned at present from the TOEFL examining board, but the preliminary scales have been excellent as scores have ranged from the mid 400s to the low 600s. An American university student needs a score around 500 to enter undergraduate study and around a 550 to enter into graduate work.
Improving the Self-Access Lab was another continuous goal of the ESL Program. The lab is set up with grammar and TOEFL worksheets to give students the opportunity to do extra English language work privately, at their own pace. The lab also has facilities available to help students with listening in English. Students were asked to tape themselves reading common prayers for specific errors in pronunciation using the tape-recorders available. Individual student mistakes and improvements in this area were noted by the instructors for the students to work on improving. The instructors have worked hard to increase the selection of modern language materials available this year. Computer-based language and TOEFL CDs, natural and NPR listenings, and movie DVDs are now all available. In addition, students this year took advantage of the lab facilities to create power-point presentations. Several people from the community volunteered in the ESL Program this year also; and this help gave students the opportunity to work with people whose accents differed from those of their instructors.
It also has been a goal of the ESL Program, especially over the last three years, to become a more integral part of Sacred Heart School by working more with the Americans here at SHST. The ESL Program hosted the Cultural Fair for the entire school at the beginning of the academic year in September. With help from the SHST kitchen, the ESL students planned menus, went shopping, prepared food, and offered it to SHST staff and students. Students worked in groups to organize information and displays in English about their countries, and the 2004 Cultural Fair was very successful. In addition, the ESL students again worked together as a group to prepare and take part in a performance during the SHST Follies held in February 2005.
ESL students also had the opportunity this year to join with the American seminarians studying at SHST and to take part in activities which were held outside of class time. ESL students attended Spanish liturgies, and many of them were members of the Spanish choral group. In January, the ESL students attended a retreat held at the Dominican convent in Racine, WI. At Easter, they were invited to attend another retreat which is held annually at Notre Dame University. This spring, a large number of ESL students also attended Fr. Michael Weldon’s Reconciliation Class which was held for four weeks in the evening, and all the ESL students were invited to attend a Jewish Seder dinner during Passover. Other opportunities to become involved in the English speaking life of the seminary included taking part in prayer groups and being part of the SHST volleyball and soccer teams. Hispanic ESL students also were invited to attend the Hispanic conference held this year. Finally, because of the necessity of being able to drive in the USA, ESL students were given the opportunity to study to get their American driving licenses.
These opportunities helped to illustrate to the ESL students the importance of learning English to be able to become involved in life in the USA. Two ESL students from Colombia this year joined in making weekly visitations of the sick in nursing homes located around SHST. One ESL student, a Polish priest, will be working in a parish in Brooklyn this summer. Also, for the first time, the ESL program welcomed a Benedictine brother from Tanzania. This student will be continuing his English studies in the summer with the hope of attending university next year in the United States. He would like to get a degree in computer technology so that he can eventually return to teach in his community in Africa.
Finally, two ESL students from Colombia, who were SCJ candidates during this academic school year, were received into the SCJ Congregation this May; and there are two more ESL students currently, one from Mexico, and another one from Colombia, also undergoing the process.
Future Plans
There are several proposals for the future of the ESL Program. One proposal is that a Cultural Orientation Program (COP) might be established to meet the needs of NESB priests who are new to the United States. These men may be interested in enrolling in SHST to study, not only English, but to receive the opportunity to learn about parish life in the United States. This is a proposal that SHST is currently examining.
Another proposed development for the future is to invite each non-English-speaking SCJ Province and Region to send one SCJ student to the United States to study English at SHST for at least one year. Afterwards, the SCJ students could then begin studies at SHST with the goal of advancing towards higher degrees. Classes specializing in Dehonian Spirituality could accompany these courses. This development could prepare a group of dedicated SCJs to serve the SCJ provinces both abroad and in the States; and it could establish a networking system where former ESL students can advise others of the benefits of attending the ESL program.
Third, tentative plans for the ESL program in the future include giving in-service training programs for priests who teach English themselves and would like more instruction on how to improve their methodology.
Some projected plans are already being put into action. Because of an SCJ review of the ESL Program which was conducted by Fr. Jim Walters, SCJ during the first months of 2005, a few changes will be instituted in the program this year. The most important change will take place during the month of September. September is traditionally a very difficult time for the ESL Program as it loses its third summer teacher at the beginning of the month; it loses its third classroom; new students arrive in the program to start studying for the Fall; and at the same time, the needs of the continuing summer ESL students need to be met as they are still attending classes. To help facilitate a smoother transition period during the month of September, several changes were suggested during the review process by the instructors; and these will be implemented this year.
The first change is that the ESL Program will teach two intensive weeks with all of the students, the new fall enrollees, and the returning pupils, in one cohesive group. The theme of these two weeks will be “Milwaukee Days”, and the students will study and learn about different places and issues that are all related to life in Milwaukee. Students will be able to visit a restaurant, a co-op, a Catholic elementary school, and a museum in the city after first doing preparatory work on all these places and on the people who are associated with them. It is hoped that using these types of thematic teaching units for two weeks in September will help the ESL students to form a more cohesive group, and it will solve the difficulties which traditionally have been problematic during that month. Then, the ESL Program will have a break during the week of September 26 – 30. It is normal in most ESL Programs to have a break between the summer and fall programs, and this will be a useful time for ESL students to meet personal needs such as arranging travel breaks within the USA. Then, immediately following the break, the ESL Program fall semester will officially start at the beginning of October. At this time, usually all of the summer students will have left the program, and it will then be possible to issue new textbooks and to begin the TOEFL preparation and academic writing courses which are not offered in the summer program for the remaining students.
This ability to fine-tune the ESL Program, depending on the needs of its students and on the requirements of Sacred Heart School of Theology, is one thing which helps to make the program such a good one. It is important for the ESL Program to be able to meet the needs of its students so that they will be able to perform well in both the areas of theological study and in future ministry.
It is also necessary that the ESL Program continue to provide a helpful, kind, and caring learning environment where the students know they are welcomed and appreciated and are seen as being an important part of Sacred Heart School of Theology. The ESL Program’s goal is to provide the best, and most demanding, teaching/learning environment possible to facilitate its students’ language education. Speaking English well is important to help non-English speaking background priests and seminarians be able to work both in the American Catholic Church, with its diversity of population and language, and in ministry world-wide.
Priests of the Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart School of Theology
P.O. Box 429
Hales Corners, WI 53130-0429
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