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What does the learner want? Thank you for that question, I needed a laugh! It seems to me that the learner is only given consideration when it comes to their achievement affecting our retention and success rates. We canvassed our students to find out what they wanted, and the "consultant" working with us ignored their input and came up with a curriculum of his own devising which failed to take into account things like our rubbish local public transport, or people having to drop/collect children from school. The learner isn't given a moment's thought by "the system", it seems to me. Hey ho. Barb. Barbara Spence Basic Skills Programme Area Administrator / ESOL Teacher Swindon College, North Star Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN2 1DY Tel: (01793) 491591 Extension: 3009 Direct Line: (01793) 498309 www.swindon-college.ac.uk Please consider the environment before printing this email. ________________________________ From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of alexandra halliday Sent: 16 July 2009 12:41 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] The last question we finally get around to asking, after trying to answer all of those and find the Holy Grail, is: What does the learner want? !!! ________________________________ Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:54:56 +0100 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] To: [log in to unmask] Mm. Sounds familiar. That fun guessing game which guides the working lives of teachers: what do inspectors want? what do managers think inspectors want? what do the LSC want? what do employers want? what do the exam boards want? and, coming soon to a 'hard to reach learner' near you soon: what do the Local Authorities say we want? Answers on a 10 page ILP please. ________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Melanie Cooke Researcher Department of Education and Professional Studies King's College, London Franklin Wilkins Building Waterloo Road London SE1 9NH Tel: 020 7848 3122 [log in to unmask] http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/sspp/education/staff/mcooke.html <http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/sspp/education/staff/mcooke.html> ________________________________ From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cheryl Thornett [[log in to unmask]] Sent: 16 July 2009 10:24 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] We were told a few years ago that inspectors would expect to see Skills for Life course materials used in classes and that every student should have a set; that if they didn't the inspectors would claim some students were being denied something to which they were entitled. This is what probably led one centre I know of to print full colour copies, because even then it was difficult to get enough copies for a single class, never mind for more than one class at the same level. If it is true that inspectors expect or demand use of SfL materials, as opposed to evidence that the national curriculum is being used in a way that meets and matches learners' needs, then perhaps the fault is with the inspectorate. Perhaps managers and administrators who do not have basic skills backgrounds are unduly influenced by inspectors' preferences. (Many commercial textbook series provide curriculum mapping, which eliminates that problem.) Cheryl Thornett ESOL & Literacy tutor Birmingham Adult Education ----- Original Message ----- From: weir, mary <mailto:[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Wednesday, July 15, 2009 11:38 PM Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] I agree with many of Isabel's points. There seem to be some misunderstandings in some parts of the ESOL community about the CC and the Skills for Life materials. We need to be clear about some points: The ESOL CC was written before the SfL materials were produced. It does not prescribe contexts for language learning, so tutors are free to choose the contexts that are most suitable for their class. The materials are NOT called the ESOL Core Curriculum materials and there is no requirement to use them in ESOL classes. If some managers or institutions require their use then that is a local decision. My memory of the training we had when the materials were launched is that they were NOT designed as a course and were NOT intended to be used slavishly or exclusively. Most teachers ensure that their students are exposed to a much richer range and variety of language by bringing in other resources to the classroom. The notes and suggested activites in the ESOL CC support and encourage this. This was the case in the original ring binder version and is even more clearly the case in the re-launched online version. Like Isabel, I have never been obliged to use the SfL materials. I don't feel constrained by the ESOL CC. Whatever language or language learning activites I think would best suit my learners, I can bring them in to the classroom and know that I could link them to the CC. The constraints I have stem from the requirements of accreditation and the unrealistic expectation that students can move from one level to the next each year. THe constraints and a narrow approach to language learning can also arise if tutors are required to map materials, resources, lesson plans, schemes of work and ILPs in great detail to the Core Curriculum. Many others have said many times that this hijacking of the ESOL CC for audit purposes is unhelpful and an unecessary waste of tutors' time and energy. One of the appeals of the SfL materials is perhaps that this work has already been done and makes evident to managers,observers or inspectors that the CC is being followed. Why can we not be trusted? -----Original Message----- From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board on behalf of Isabel Arnold Sent: Wed 15/07/2009 14:11 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] Regarding the SfL materials, I am pleased we have them and would be sorry if the supply of free materials has stopped. I think they should be viewed as a resource rather than a course or a framework, as sometimes seems to be the case. They are function based in my opinion, as is the curriculum, and personally I have never used them to present new language forms unless there is an appropriate visual or audio to illustrate my own presentation. They have been very helpful to me in providing language listening activities, and I make extensive use of selected audios and photos as prompts for speaking and writing. I adapt the materials to my language teaching aims, not working through complete units but picking and choosing what I need according to my Topic and the language I am teaching, and similarly with other available materials / coursebooks. They present a different approach to teaching and learning English and I am sure they are loose leaf to facilitate flexible use. I have never felt pressurised into using them! I'm sorry if others have been! Isabel Arnold ________________________________ Date: Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:06:45 +0100 From: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] To: [log in to unmask] That does sound like a reasonable solution, we find that the SfL materials are often relevant to a small group of learners and tend to leave much to desire in the presentation of new language forms. The problem is that we feel a certain amount of 'political' pressure to use them, sometimes they are seen by inspectors and consultants as a positive factor. Maybe not getting the printouts will enable us to use them less, it could be a positive in the long term! ________________________________ From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cheryl Thornett Sent: 14 July 2009 09:52 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] We have the same problem in that we can't get class sets (and even the teacher sets are in short supply) and cannot possibly print colour copies for our learners. As I am very dissatisfied with the materials in any case, I have largely stopped using them and use recent commercial textbooks as the framework, with selected sections of Skills for Life, among other resources, as supplemental work. I used SfL for about two years, the first year at least without having class sets, and I was constantly exceeding my photocopying budget. I find I can adapt or supplement the commercial textbooks without too much difficulty and extra work, whereas I had to supplement SfL very heavily. (Not having the resources of the large college which seems a presumption of SfL has certainly been a factor, as has being sessionally paid and having to do most preparation at home.) This is my solution, rather than that of the adult education service for which I work; I am not aware of an official solution beyond photocopying. I have been able to get a bare sufficiency of textbooks at different levels to be shared in class, which at least means they can be used again another year. I buy far too many of my own resources, because that's the only way to get them, and scrounge authentic resources as I can. I have heard of centres who made colour prints or photocopies because of inspection but this strikes me as dishonest. Cheryl Thornett ESOL & Literacy tutor Birmingham Adult Education ----- Original Message ----- From: Bird, Phil <mailto:[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 9:25 AM Subject: Skills for Life Teaching materials [Scanned] Hi, We usually use the Skills for Life teaching materials, provided by the DCSF (formerly DFES) with our ESOL students. We have recently been told that these materials will no longer be provided as they are available online. We have looked at printing these materials ourselves for the students, but it will have to be as black and white photocopies, because we don't have the budget to do it in colour - this is a solution of sorts, but far from ideal. 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