Emma Leavey writes from Brighton:
Hello,
I am an organiser of 13 ESOL classes in Brighton & Hove which vary from
Pre Entry to Level 1 and are mostly accreditted. We have struggled over
the years to fund assessments of learners who either appear to be
dyslexic or appear to have some kind of learning difficulty and have now
managed to fund it. However, we are now struggling to find someone who
can conduct these assessments as none of us are qualified even to
presume that a learner may have one of the above.
Is there any help or guidance that you could give me?
Many thanks
Emma Leavey
ESOL Project Worker
Workers' Educational Association
Emma's dilemma raises all sorts of difficult questions for ESOL
practitioners faced with learners who appear to have learning
difficulties or differences of some kind. It's a particular acute
problem with students of the level she is teaching, as many of them -
presumably - have never learned to read or write in any language and are
coming to literacy for the first time.
My own immediate - but limited - suggestion is to take a look at Chapter
5 of M. Spiegel and H. Sunderland's 'Teaching basic literacy to ESOL
learners' (2006, LLU+), and follow up some of the references there. I am
rather hoping some members of this list might have more ideas,
suggestions and comments. If you do, just press 'reply to all' on this
message or send a message to [log in to unmask]
Best wishes
James
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