Promoting agency and active citizenship in an integrated adult education program (CILIA-T) in the U.S.

Résumé

For immigrants and refugees to adapt and become active participants in their new country, in addition to language and digital skills, they need to understand the history, systems and rules. In this article, we describe a new curriculum we have developed for adult learners in the United States, called CILIA-T (Content Integrated Language Instruction for Adults with Technology Support). It integrates academic English, digital literacy, civics and U.S. History knowledge, while encouraging critical thought and building awareness of how learners can contribute their voices to their adopted communities. We also discuss its key approaches for possible implementations in other communities.