Hello all

 

I think that this ESOL/literacy discussion is really interesting and important. Thanks everyone for contributing. Our forthcoming NRDC project (mentioned by Stephen Woulds), together with the move by LLUK to pilot a merging of ESOL and literacy training, raise big questions about the relationship between ESOL and literacy after E3. 

 

But we need to be clear who we are talking about. When lay people think of ESOL and literacy they might invoke prototypical ideas of who the students are. Perhaps an ESOL student is a recent migrant, maybe a refugee, without a background in English Language education or much experience of using English day-to-day. And perhaps a literacy student is a monolingual English-speaking adult learner whose school experience of English was not a successful one. These types of student are clearly quite different, and have very different English language and literacy needs. 

 

But in an age of mass migration and super-diversity, things are of course not so clear cut. Teachers and institutions, particularly those in diverse inner city areas, are finding that there are many bilingual students - no one knows how many - who are not typical of either ESOL or literacy, as they are traditionally understood. As Helen Sunderland said in her message just now, 'The population is the same - in London it's getting very difficult to say who should be in which type of class, and literacy classes are more or less completely full of learners who could just as easily be in ESOL courses.' Many such students, therefore, are literacy students who have more general language needs. In the report which Stephen mentions, we identify some of the groups which these students might come from. There are certainly others. We say: 

 

"In some urban centres a high proportion - sometimes the majority - of the population are bilingual at the least. The consequence of this for Skills for Life provision is that classes, and not only ESOL classes, are often dominated by transnational learners of various kinds: learners who might have been born in the UK but who have spent much of their childhood in their parents' home country; people who are second generation children of migrants who have another language as a home language, people who have come to the UK as teenagers and who are enrolling in Skills for Life classes ten, twenty, thirty years later; and in general, learners whose expert languages are not English. Previous NRDC research has recognised the fact that Skills for Life classes across the spectrum are significantly populated by such multi-lingual learners, many of whom have a language learning need."

 

I would not advocate a cutting of ESOL or a merging of Skills for Life ESOL with Literacy after E3. This is a real worry, and would have to be fought tooth and nail. There are quite clearly students at L1 and L2 who have language learning needs and who would identify themselves and be identified by teachers and institutions as ESOL students. Without a doubt. But there are also large numbers of students - we don't know how many - who identify themselves (or are identified by institutions etc) as literacy students but who also have more general language learning needs. And hence in some cases the strict division between ESOL and literacy is breaking down. 

 

Exactly what the language needs of these students are is difficult to say. But to illustrate this, let's take three examples: 

- a speaker of Jamaican creole (an English-based creole language) who came to the UK a year ago; 

- a Bengali and Sylheti speaker who came to the UK with his parents as a teenager, spent three years in secondary school in England, and has been in the country for a decade;

- a student from Nigeria who was educated in an English-medium school and also speaks a local variety of Nigerian English. 

I would contend that all three might find themselves in the same literacy class. It is also possible that they might find themselves in an ESOL class, given the vagaries of the placement process in many centres. But I would say that none would identify themselves as ESOL students. Nonetheless, they might have spoken or written language needs beyond those catered for in most literacy classes. 

 

This is why I think that literacy teachers need specific training to deal with the language needs of their students. And I imagine this is where the LLUK were coming from when they decided to pilot side-by-side ESOL and literacy training. My view is that 'Literacy' itself, not ESOL, needs to be re-defined and re-worked in the Skills for Life context. It can do this by drawing on the language knowledge of Applied Linguistics that informs, and is informed by, ESOL, EFL and ELT in general. 

 

My worry is that the baby will get thrown out with the bathwater. That is, quite rightly the training need for literacy teachers with bilingual students in their classes will be addressed, but in so doing, the continuing need for ESOL provision - and subject-specific ESOL teacher training - at Level 1 and Level 2 will be neglected or downplayed.  

 

By the way, the project Stephen mentioned will be published by the NRDC soon: 

Simpson, J., M. Cooke and M. Baynham (2007) The Right Course? London: NRDC. I'll let you know when it's out. 

 

Cheers

James


________________________________

From: ESOL-Research discussion forum on behalf of Sunderland, Helen Charlotte
Sent: Fri 30/11/2007 15:54
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: ESOL: language / literacy


Dear all
 
At LLU+ in London South Bank University we are one of the groups that are experimenting with training teachers together. We decided to do this because we felt 
a) the population is the same - in London it's getting very difficult to say who should be in which type of class, and literacy classes are more or less completely full of learners who could just as easily be in ESOL courses. And of course, now literacy includes speaking and listening!
b) the subject knowledge, ie linguistics, is more or less the same - it is the pedagogy that is different
c) teachers from both disciplines could benefit from insights into the other
d) while I agree that the pedagogy of ESOL might be nearer to modern foreign languages than to literacy, the social context issues and ethos is not.
 
We are not going down the route of both disciplines are the same and therefore we will teach trainees to do exactly the same. We will teach this course with one literacy and one ESOL teacher educator and we will have practice classes in both ESOL and literacy. In the first semester, all trainees will take part in both types of practice class and so will have the opportunity to reflect on the differences and similarities and discuss them. After the first semester we will see where we are and take it from there. Maybe we will need to specialise at that stage, maybe trainees can continue to do both. In the end, it seems that the qualifications are different, so we will have to diverge, unless LLUK can make changes. 
 
But I think it's an interesting experiment and worth trying. We are all quite excited about it. 
 
Helen

________________________________

	From: ESOL-Research discussion forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Isabel Arnold
	Sent: 30 November 2007 10:04
	To: [log in to unmask]
	Subject: ESOL: language / literacy
	
	
	I recommend pp20-23 of Philida Schellekens' book The Oxford ESOL Handbook for a clear explanation of a couple of the issues here. I think she is also tentatively voicing concern about the whole literacy basis for skills for life ESOL: 'unique to England'.
	I realised the different perspective of literacy teachers when I chatted with a literacy colleague at the photocopier about ESOL learners and definite / indefinite articles: "They don't use them! How on earth can you teach it?" I was asked. So I demonstrated!
	ESOL is language teaching. It would have been better if it had been linked more strongly to MFL teaching and learning at the early levels, than to English literacy, in my opinion. Then a link between the training of MFL teachers would benefit them too. ( Is there any specific training for MFL teachers?) 
	How many of us would be happy in an adult literacy class abroad, when we wanted/needed to learn the host language? I am certainly glad I am not in a Polish adult literacy class! I am learning some reading and writing of course, but I am primarily learning the language.
	Isabel Arnold
	
________________________________


	Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:47:01 +0000
	From: [log in to unmask]
	Subject: Re: never the twain shall meet?
	To: [log in to unmask]
	
	
	

		Having spent the last couple of months supervising several literacy teachers who have been required to teach ESOL due to a lack of demand in their 'specialism', I am now more sure than ever that these are two entirely separate disciplines, lumped together because of very broad (demographic?) similarities between their client groups and the various political imperatives which drive the current SfL agenda. ]
		 
		A key issue, though not the only one by any means, seems to me to be the accepted model of learning in ESOL. While it's not really addressed within the curriculum and related literature, the fundamentally communicative approach to language teaching which is suggested is richly (if not conclusively) served by a body of research investigating learning from a psycho-linguistic perspective. Many of the theories resulting from this propose that language is learnt using unique mechanisms, separate from other types of learning. Doesn't that make a fairly strong case for ESOL to remain separate, just to be on the safe side?


		[log in to unmask]> 28/11/2007 10:29 >>>
		Hi all
		
		I notice James has a paper out soon on the NRDC website following his research into learner placement in literacy or ESOL courses (The Right Course?). It got me thinking about new teaching standards in FE produced by LLUK, in which literacy and ESOL have been lumped together as a general 'English' teacher training qualification: the 'LLUK is to consider in what ways literacy and ESOL cohorts could usefully and appropriately train together.'
		
		This is new to me so I'd like to know if others have more information. I'd also like to hear what other people think with regard to the introduction of a single subject specialism (English) rather than the existing two (Literacy and ESOL). Benefits? Negatives?
		
		The new standards to be used for teacher training of 'English', can be dowloaded here: http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/documents/nrp/app_prof_standards_literacy_esol_2nd_version.pdf <http://www.lifelonglearninguk.org/documents/nrp/app_prof_standards_literacy_esol_2!%20nd_version.pdf> 
		
		Note in particular the justification on page 3.
		
		
		Literacy and ESOL teaching have different traditions of theory,
		
		principle and practice. These have given us areas of specialism
		
		and teaching professionals with their own distinctive identities and
		
		approaches. In recent years there has been a growing convergence
		
		of experience and practice. Many literacy teachers work with
		
		multilingual learners in their groups. Many ESOL teachers work with
		
		learners with literacy needs. Learners do not always fit easily into
		
		discrete categories of literacy and ESOL, although at either end of
		
		the spectrum this may be clear. A recent arrival to the UK may be
		
		categorised as an ESOL learner, while an indigenous monolingual
		
		English speaker is categorised as an adult literacy learner. However,
		
		! within the spectrum, particularly in urban areas, there are increasing 
		
		numbers of multilingual people with literacy and language learning
		
		needs who do not fit neatly into either category. These learners, who
		
		fit neither ESOL or literacy labels easily, need teachers
		
		______________________________________________________________________
		This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System
		on behalf of Leeds Thomas Danby. For more information please visit http://www.messagelabs.com/email 
		______________________________________________________________________
		
		***********************************
		ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
		To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
		http://w! ww.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL <http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL> -RESEARCH.html
		A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
		http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
		To contact the list owner, send an email to
		[log in to unmask]
		
		
		
		
		*********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask] 


________________________________

	Get closer to the jungle. I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! <http://entertainment.uk.msn.com/tv/realitytv/im-a-celebrity/>  

	-- 
	Email has been scanned for spam and viruses by Altman Technologies' email management service <http://www.altman.co.uk/emailsystems/> 


	Any queries regarding these services should be emailed to [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask] about EMS>  or you can check our web site at www.lsbu.ac.uk/email/ <http://lsbu.ac.uk/email/> for up todate information about this service. *********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask] 




--
Copyright in this email and in any attachments belongs to London South Bank University. This email, and its attachments if any, may be confidential or legally privileged and is intended to be seen only by the person to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, please note the following: (1) You should take immediate action to notify the sender and delete the original email and all copies from your computer systems; (2) You should not read copy or use the contents of the email nor disclose it or its existence to anyone else.

The views expressed herein are those of the author(s) and should not be taken as those of London South Bank University, unless this is specifically stated.

London South Bank University is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales. The following details apply to London South Bank University: Company number - 00986761; Registered office and trading address - 103 Borough Road London SE1 0AA; VAT number - 778 1116 17; Email address - [log in to unmask] *********************************** ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds. To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at: http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm To contact the list owner, send an email to [log in to unmask] 

***********************************
ESOL-Research is a forum for researchers and practitioners with an interest in research into teaching and learning ESOL. ESOL-Research is managed by James Simpson at the Centre for Language Education Research, School of Education, University of Leeds.
To join or leave ESOL-Research, visit
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/ESOL-RESEARCH.html
A quick guide to using Jiscmail lists can be found at:
http://jiscmail.ac.uk/help/using/quickuser.htm
To contact the list owner, send an email to
[log in to unmask]