Free community English classes are now available at the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Thursday evenings and Friday mornings. Hosted by the UAB School of Education’s Department of Curriculum and Instruction, the English language classes serve as a training program for the master’s program in teaching English as a second language. Classes are taught by graduate students being trained to become ESL teachers and community volunteers and incorporate integrated listening, speaking, reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar skills into the lessons.
English language learners in the Greater Birmingham area will take a placement test that evaluates listening, speaking, reading and writing English language knowledge to place learners in the appropriate level class. A placement test is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the UAB Education Building, 901 13th St. South, Room 118.
Two classes with five different levels, ranging from emerging English language learners to advanced, will be offered every Thursday from 7:30-9 p.m., running Sept. 12 through Dec. 5, and every Friday from 9:30-11 a.m., running Sept. 13 through Dec. 6.
These community English classes are a well-established tradition within UAB’s international community, having taken place on campus for more than 20 years. UAB’s community English classes are offered at no cost to the participants. For more information, contact Josephine Prado, Ph.D., assistant professor of English learner education, at 205-975-5045 or jprado@uab.edu.