James Simpson's article highlights the interesting tension with the NRDC: that between managerialist / functionalist / deficit ideas of literacy and more critical socio-cultural approaches. It'd certainly be interesting to get a sense of how the critical academic researchers muckle along with the policy makers and skills quangocracy reps.
This tension (gap / incongruence) was evident at the recent LSN / NIACE Practitioner Research conference in London. Practitioner research was a bit of misnomer because there were very few practitioners [as opposed to managers, co-ordinators, consultants and researchers] there. There is something here to think about. Be that as it may there were some interesting (critical) presentations - Freire and bell hooks got a mention, which must be quite unusual these days - and some equally interesting discussions / informal conversations. But these sat awkwardly alongside a set of quite bland contributions from would be [market?] researchers!
I was interested that the idea of being critical was well supported at the conference, although 'being critical' like 'being reflective' can be fairly critique-lite.
What could have been an important debate on the meaning of teacher professionalism was turned into a banal competition for the best flip chart paper. In addition, although the IfL were represented in the platform, there was no discussion of its role. (A debate on the IfL amongst practitioners is overdue).
In the end, it felt as if the nod in the direction of 'critical' research was there to add a gloss of academic / research credibility to SfL
Rob
________________________________
From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board on behalf of ESOL-RESEARCH automatic digest system
Sent: Wed 12/17/2008 12:01 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ESOL-RESEARCH Digest - 16 Dec 2008 (#2008-215)
There are 2 messages totalling 177 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. review of NRDC magazine Reflect
2. Could Corinne Tarbet join your forum please?
***********************************
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]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 17:49:36 -0000
From: Cheryl Thornett <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: review of NRDC magazine Reflect
I thought your review makes some excellent points. It is noticeable that the
government (all governments, perhaps) only seems to listen to the bodies it
sets up when they say what ministers want to hear. If numbers are so
important, why aren't they taking steps to reduce the waiting lists of
people who are desperate to learn English, rather than putting out endless
statements about compelling people to learn English?
Considering some of my students, this would go some way towards answering
the 'skills shortage', as well.
One of the factors contributing to my early retirement (next year, if not at
the end of this year) is being asked to cram more and more into a reduced
time--we've lost a couple of weeks over the past few years and this is
serious for classes which only meet a few hours a week. Having to include 20
hours of specific citizenship tuition in this reduced time doesn't help
much, either. I'm not aware of any targets having been reduced to reflect
reduced teaching and learning time. (The lost pay doesn't help, either,
especially when there are no ESOL summer courses to teach.)
I'm hoping to have enough time during the holiday to read the book, by the
way.
Cheryl Thornett
ESOL & Literacy ttutor
Birmingham Adult Education
***********************************
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]
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 18:07:10 +0000
From: Corinne Tarbet <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Could Corinne Tarbet join your forum please?
--_000_CF6F041AC4F60B479155E4B51C8E73567665FCBAB1exsrv2k7crisi_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Hi=20all
My=20colleague=20told=20me=20me=20that=20you=20have=20some=20really=20inte=
resting=20discussions=20and=20disseminate=20research=20via=20email?
If=20possible=20I=20would=20really=20love=20to=20join.=20If=20you=20could=20=
let=20me=20know=20if=20that=20is=20possible=20and=20how=20I=20would=20go=20=
about=20it=20that=20would=20be=20greatly=20appreciated.
Kind=20regards
Corinne=20Tarbet
ESOL=20Tutor,=20Crisis
T:=20020=207426=205670
www.crisis.org.uk
66=20Commercial=20Street,=20London=20E1=206LT
Crisis=20UK=20(trading=20as=20Crisis).=20Charity=20no:=201082947
To=20make=20a=20secure=20donation=20visit:=20www.crisis.org.uk/donate
Homelessness=20ends=20here
______________________________________________________________________
This=20email=20has=20been=20scanned=20by=20the=20MessageLabs=20Email=20Sec=
urity=20System.
For=20more=20information=20please=20visit=20http://www.messagelabs.com/ema=
il=20
______________________________________________________________________
***********************************
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]
--_000_CF6F041AC4F60B479155E4B51C8E73567665FCBAB1exsrv2k7crisi_
Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
<html>
<head>
<meta=20http-equiv=3D"Content-Type"=20content=3D"text/html;=20charset=3Dis=
o-8859-1">
<meta=20name=3D"Generator"=20content=3D"Microsoft=20Exchange=20Server">
<!--=20converted=20from=20rtf=20-->
<style>.EmailQuote=20{=20margin-left:=201pt;=20padding-left:=204pt;=20bord=
er-left:=20#800000=202px=20solid;=20}</style>
</head>
<body>
<font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"=20size=3D"2">
<div>Hi=20all</div>
<div> </div>
<div>My=20colleague=20told=20me=20me=20that=20you=20have=20some=20really=20=
interesting=20discussions=20and=20disseminate=20research=20via=20email?=20=
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>If=20possible=20I=20would=20really=20love=20to=20join.=20If=20you=20c=
ould=20let=20me=20know=20if=20that=20is=20possible=20and=20how=20I=20would=
=20go=20about=20it=20that=20would=20be=20greatly=20appreciated.=20</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Kind=20regards</div>
<div> </div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"><b>Corinne=20Tarbet</b></font></=
div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif">ESOL=20Tutor,=20Crisis</font></d=
iv>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif">T:=20020=207426=205670</font></d=
iv>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"=20color=3D"#CC0000"><u><a=20href=
=3D"http://www.crisis.org.uk <http://www.crisis.org.uk/> ">www.crisis.org.uk</a></u>=20</font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif">66=20Commercial=20Street,=20Lond=
on=20E1=206LT</font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif">Crisis=20UK=20(trading=20as=20Cr=
isis).=20Charity=20no:=201082947<br>
To=20make=20a=20secure=20donation=20visit:<font=20color=3D"#CC0000">=20<a=20=
href=3D"http://www.crisis.org.uk/donate">
www.crisis.org.uk/donate</a></font></font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"=20color=3D"#CC0000"><b>Homelessn=
ess=20ends=20here</b></font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font=20face=3D"Arial,=20sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div> </div>
</font>
<BR>
______________________________________________________________________<BR>=
This=20email=20has=20been=20scanned=20by=20the=20MessageLabs=20Email=20Sec=
urity=20System.<BR>
For=20more=20information=20please=20visit=20http://www.messagelabs.com/ema=
il=20<BR>
______________________________________________________________________<BR>=
</body>
</html>
***********************************
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]
--_000_CF6F041AC4F60B479155E4B51C8E73567665FCBAB1exsrv2k7crisi_--
------------------------------
End of ESOL-RESEARCH Digest - 16 Dec 2008 (#2008-215)
*****************************************************
***********************************
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]
|