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##  Trauma and the Adult English Language Learner. ERIC Digest.                  

English as a second language (ESL) practitioners are familiar with              adult learners' stories of disruption, political trauma, and mental             upheaval Adkins, Sample,& Birman, 1999). Until recently, however,               little attention has been paid to personal trauma and domestic                  abuse. Acknowledgement of the prevalence of violence generally, and             of that experienced by those in the adult ESL and literacy community            specifically, is critical to the development of instructional                   approaches that make classrooms safer and learning more possible for            adult immigrant learners. 
This digest describes trauma and abuse              in immigrant communities, discusses the effects of trauma on                    learning, and suggests ways in which practitioners can modify their             practice to facilitate learning among victims of trauma and                     violence. TRAUMA AND ABUSE IN THE IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY"In the              United States today, women and children constitute approximately                two-thirds of all legal immigrants. Immigrant women suffer a triple             burden of discrimination based on their sex, race, and immigration              status. Increasing evidence indicates that there are large numbers              of immigrant women trapped and isolated in violent relationships,               afraid to turn to anyone for help" (Family Violence Prevention Fund,            1999). 
Violence against women is rooted in an abuser's need for               power and control over his victim (Horsman, 2000; Volpp & Marin,                1995). Volpp and Marin delineate specific ways in which abusers                 exert power and control over immigrant and refugee women. Such                  control can take the form of emotional, economic, or sexual abuse               and can include the batterer's use of coercion, intimidation, and               threats. Loss of immigration status and custody of children are                 threats often used by batterers. 
Minimizing violent                           behavior (e.g., convincing a woman that violence is criminal only if            it occurs in public, or that a man is allowed to physically punish              her because of male privilege; or blaming her for the violence                  because she did not obey him) is also common among batterers both               within and beyond immigrant communities. Batterers strive to isolate            their victims. For immigrant or refugee women, this isolation is                exacerbated by language and culture differences that make finding               safe options all the more daunting. While an overwhelming majority              of violence is inflicted by men against women, violence is also                 perpetrated by women against men, within same-sex relationships, and            intergenerationally. 
Horsman (personal communication, June 2000)              posits that while every culture accepts violence to some degree, in             every culture people are beginning to realize that violence is no               longer acceptable. Thinking that cultural groups must be left alone             to sort out their own differences only supports the violators. On               the other hand, imposing behaviors or beliefs upon communities will             not necessarily change attitudes or behaviors. Adult ESL                        practitioners are urged to learn more about the laws concerning                 violence against children, adults, and the elderly; about domestic              violence assistance options in their communities; and about                     culture-based approaches of dealing with the issue of violence and              learners. EFFECTS OF TRAUMA ON LEARNING"[Traumatic events] can            overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of              control, connection, and meaning" (Herman, 1992,p. 33). Since                   language learning demands control, connection, and meaning, adults              experiencing effects of past or current trauma are particularly                 challenged in learning a new language. They may be affected by                  symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder, be clinically depressed,            have repressed memories of previous abuse, or display visible signs             of emotional distress. Victims of trauma may also experience                    concentration and memory loss (Canadian Centre for Victims of                   Torture, 2000). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICERegardless of an                 individual's experience with violence, torture, or abuse, being an              adult learner is intimidating for many. The following are                       suggestions for making the classroom safer for all. 
* Listen to               learners and allow their concerns about violence to surface in one              form or another. A class in which a learner-centered approach is                used enables community to develop among the learners. It is                     important not to compartmentalize violence or to frame trauma as a              medical issue, but rather to understand its many forms. 
* Offer               content and activities that allow learners to share as much or as               little information about themselves as they want, particularly when             they are just beginning to study together. Let learners know that               while they are invited to share information about their lives, they             are not obliged to do so (Isserlis, 1996). Validating learners'                 strengths is critical, especially for adults who have received                  negative messages about themselves or their learning abilities.                 Using learners' native languages for content learning, activities,              and discussion can help build trust and community (Florez, 2000;                Rivera, 1999). 
* Allow learners to choose their own level of                  participation in classroom activities. Horsman describes learners'              abilities to attend to and participate in classroom activity                    as "relative states of presence" (2000, p. 84). She suggests                    discussing with learners what it means to be present in the class               and giving permission for them to be less than totally involved in              all class activities. One way to do this is to set up a "quiet                  corner" for learners who feel unable to take part in particular                 classroom activities (Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture,                   2000). 
* Find out about community resources. While teachers do not            need to become counselors, they should be aware of appropriate                  services. Find out what happens when one calls an emergency                     hotline-what information will be asked for, what language assistance            is available, what assurances of confidentiality exist-so that                  learners will know exactly what to expect when they call. If                    appropriate, create a class activity using the language and                     communication skills needed to call a hotline and ask for                       assistance. Knowing that many hotlines aid victims of crimes (both              men and women) can lessen some of the anxiety for female victims of             domestic abuse by shifting the focus from them to the broader                   community. Allow learners to pursue the topic, if they choose, by               investigating community resources and by reading accounts of the                experiences of other learners. (See, for example, "Not by Myself",              Literacy South, 1999, and "If I Were a Door", Landers, 1994.)                   Klaudia Rivera (personal communication, June 2000) notes that staff             at the El Barrio Popular Education Program in New York City created             collaborations with other community agencies dealing with the issue             of domestic violence by providing information about their services              and offering workshops to teach learners to become peer counselors.             She adds, "For many, the abuse began after the students enrolled in             classes. Their partners could not deal with them becoming                       independent through learning English. In most cases the spouse had              not been abusive in the past." 
* Do not assume that all immigrant             learners have experienced trauma. Neither do teachers necessarily               need to know who among their learners has experienced abuse.                    However, educators should understand that certain topics generally              discussed in adult ESL classes (e.g., family and health) can cause              learner discomfort because of past and present abuse (Horsman,                  2000). 
For English language learners who have faced loss of one               sort or another (status, employment, family members, or homeland),              being able to view the classroom as a safe and predictable place is             key to building community among and safety for learners and                     practitioners. In one Massachusetts class, students decided to meet             together outside of class to form a support group after they                    realized that they shared histories of abuse. They subsequently                 produced a videotape and guide to document for others their                     experiences and the information they gained about domestic                      violence (Hofer, Haddock, Swekla, & Kocik,                                      1998). CONCLUSIONAlthough strides have been made in raising               public awareness about the prevalence of violence in all forms and              its effects upon learning, work remains to be done in the areas of              teacher education, policy, and increased awareness among learners               and practitioners in ESL programs. State plans for adult education              might support development of ancillary services for learners                    attending classes for whom violence is a factor in learning. This,              coupled with teachers' understanding of the effects of trauma on                learning, should help to make the classroom a safe place and                    learning more possible for adult language                                       learners. REFERENCESAdkins, M.A., Sample, B., & Birman,                   D. (1999). "Mental health and the adult refugee: The role of the ESL            teacher". ERIC Digest. Washington,DC: National Clearinghouse for ESL            Literacy Education. 
Canadian Centre for Victims of                            Torture. (2000). Torture and second language acquisition. Retrieved             from the World Wide Web:                                                        http://www.icomm.ca/ccvt/intro.html 
Family Violence Prevention                Fund. (1999). Battered immigrant women. Retrieved from the World                Wide Web: http://www.fvpf.org/immigration/index.html 
Florez,                  M.C. (2000, June/July). Native languages in the beginning adult ESL             classroom: To use or not to use. "WATESOL News, 30"(4), 1,                      10. 
Herman, J. (1992). "Trauma and recovery". New York: Basic                 Books. 
Hofer, J.S., Haddock, M., Swekla, J., & Kocik,                         J. (1998). "Together we bloom: Women speaking out against domestic              violence". Video and guide. Greenfield, MA: Literacy Project/Laubach            Literacy Action. 
Horsman, J. (2000). "Too scared to learn: Women,             violence and education". Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. 
Isserlis,J. (1996).             Women at the centre of the curriculum. In K. Nonesuch (Ed.), "Making            connections: Literacy and EAL curriculum from a feminist                        perspective" (pp. 13-14). Toronto, Canada: Canadian Congress for                Learning Opportunities for Women. 
Landers, C.B. (Ed.). (1994). "If            I were a door: Writings of the ESL students at Wake Technical                   Community College". Snow Camp, NC: Peppercorn Books &                           Press. 
Literacy South. (1999). "Not by myself". (Vols. 1-8). Snow             Camp, NC: Peppercorn Books & Press. 
Rivera, K. (1999). "Native                language literacy and adult ESL instruction". ERIC Digest.                      Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy                         Education. 
Volpp, L., & Marin, L. (1995). "Working with battered              immigrant women: A handbook to make services accessible". San                   Francisco: Family Violence Prevention Fund. 
RESOURCES 
Elliott,              A., & Williams, P. (Eds.). (1995). "Isolating the barriers and                  strategies for prevention: A kit about violence and women's                     education for adult educators and adult learners". Toronto, Canada:             Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women.                         416-599-2854; http://www.nald.ca/cclow.htm 
Isserlis, J. "On the               screen". Resources for victims and survivors of abuse.                          http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/s            creen.html 
National Domestic Violence Hotline. A help line for                immigrant women. 800-799-7233; http://www.ndvh.org 
Peppercorn                 Books & Press. Publications for teachers of ESOL. 877-574-1634;                 http://www.peppercornbooks.com 
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The National                  Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education(NCLE)is operated by the                Center for Applied Linguistics(CAL) with funding from the U.S.                  Department of Education(ED), Office of Vocational and Adult                     Education, under contract no. RR 93002010. The opinions expressed in            this report do not necessarily reflect the position or policies of              ED.  This document is in the public domain and may be reproduced                without permission.                                                          **Title:** Trauma and the Adult English Language Learner. ERIC Digest.                  **Document Type:** Information Analyses---ERIC Information Analysis Products (IAPs) (071); Information Analyses---ERIC Digests (Selected) in Full Text (073); **Available From:** For full text: http://www.cal.org/ncle/Digests.                              **Descriptors:** Adult Education, Bilingual Education Programs,  English (Second                 Language),  Family Violence,  Immigrants, Interpersonal Competence,             Literacy, Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning,                Teacher Education                                                            **Identifiers:**  Traumas                                                                     
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