Thank you Mike and yes research is something I am in the process of exploring so any signpost would be very gratefully received especially with regards to funding.
Thank you
Laila El-Metoui
Sent from my iPhone
On 13 Nov 2012, at 18:33, "Mike Baynham" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I completely agree with Mel and other's comments in response to Sheila's comment. Yes the conference was not research, but the life experience of LGBT students both in ESOL classes and in their daily lives would be an excellent focus for some research. Cynthia Nelson has done such work in Sydney and there are no doubt others. In my own work on migration narratives I have pointed out that much migration research takes the family as a given (heteronormativity in the jargon) and sidelines the experience of single migrants and this would include LGBT migrants. Research would help to create more visibility and help identify the issues faced by LGBT students. So why not try for some funding?
>
> Mike
> _________________________
> From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Cooke, Melanie [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 13 November 2012 17:35
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: NATECLA LGBT Support group for London
>
> Dear Sheila, All,
>
>
>
> There are several things which your post brings up. Firstly there is a question of accuracy. The original post was about setting up a support group for teachers and NOT about funded research (chance would be a fine thing!). The group is going to be voluntary and is for those of us, LGBT or not, who recognise this is an issue we'd either like support with or which we'd like to discuss. The event organised by NATECLA London was also not 'research', it was a conference which was attended by 60+ people who came together for the same reason - to explore LGBT issues from the point of view of students and teachers who either are themselves LGBT or who wish to properly include and represent all their students. This was supported by the British Council who lent NATECLA their premises and provided lunch, but was hardly a gay junket (again, chance would be a fine thing!). In fact everyone who was there went along on a Saturday morning in their free time because of their interest and commitment. So your anxiety about (public? tax-payers?) money being spent on what you clearly regard as an undeserving group, LGBT people, is unfounded. And the claims for its 'success' came from a) the attendance and b) the feedback the organisers received. For my part, it was one of the most interesting and significant discussions I have had in ESOL for a long time.
>
>
>
> Secondly, there is a more interesting assumption in your post that 'issues' such as LGBT - and I am presuming others such as gender, ethnicity, disability, religious identity and social class - have no place in English language teaching. This suggests you subscribe to a naive belief that language, language learning, language teaching and education itself can somehow be divorced from the social world, and that people's everyday lives and identities have no bearing whatsoever on either their learning or their experience in the classroom. Years of classroom research and research on language acquisition have shown that this is simply a wrong view.
>
>
>
> Most LGBT people are used to feeling invisible (at best) in classroom settings as well as elsewhere. This is particularly acute in ESOL which starts on day 1 with intrusive nuclear-family oriented questions (are you married? how many children have you got?) and continues with a safe, domesticated, cosy, and completely dishonest portrayal of the world outside the classroom. Add to this the casual discriminatory talk LGBT people are exposed in and out of the classroom, not to mention their entire invisibility in textbooks and materials and the picture becomes one of a learning environment which is less than optimum for LGBT students. By the same token, LGBT teachers face similar issues - and as we are beginning to find out, are more likely to be bullied and open to discrimination in the workplace.
>
>
>
> So I would say that rather than being dismayed by the fact that an LGBT group is setting up in London you might wish to examine a) your beliefs about teaching and learning and, perhaps more pressingly, b) quite why it bothers you so much that teachers care enough about each other and about their students to wish to support each other and improve their professional and personal experience.
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
>
>
> Mel Cooke
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
> Melanie Cooke
> Room 4.12
> 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]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> 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 Diana Tremayne [[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 13 November 2012 16:32
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: NATECLA LGBT Support group for London
>
> I agree very much with Janet on this issue – I think LGBT issues are as relevant as any of the other cultural, political, religious issues which are seen to be important (and which are included in the Citizenship materials!). Equality and Diversity are part of the CIF and that includes how we portray families etc. Just as it is not appropriate to assume that all families we may show to ESOL learners are white and Christian, so it should not be appropriate to exclude whole sections of society which some teachers and learners may feel uncomfortable addressing. Any attempt to address this in a positive, supportive way, seems to me to be something to welcome.
>
>
> Diana Tremayne
> E2 ESOL Course Leader / Advanced Learning Practitioner
> Calderdale College
> Francis Street
> Halifax
> HX1 3UZ
> Tel: 01422 357357 ext 9403
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> From: ESOL-Research discussion forum and message board [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Isserlis, Janet
> Sent: 13 November 2012 16:09
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: NATECLA LGBT Support group for London
>
> Sheila and all,
>
> With respect, many of our colleagues and students - many of us - have experienced challenges, discrimination and worse because of sexual orientation. Understanding its impact on our lives - as educators, as learners, as workers - has huge relevance to our work in adult language and literacy learning and instruction.
>
> Janet Isserlis
> On Tue, Nov 13, 2012 at 11:04 AM, Sheila Scott <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
> I do not see any relevance whatever for ESOL in particular or any other subject. Where does this LGBT nonsense come into teaching - why waste money on this 'research'? Money which should be spent in educating immigrants and asylum speakers in English. I'm sure I'm not the only person with this view. How did you measurethe success rate of your 'conference'?
>
>
> Sheila
>
> ________________________________
> Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2012 08:28:17 +0000
> From: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: NATECLA LGBT Support group for London
> To: [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Dear all,
>
> Following our successful LGBT ESOL conference, I have decided to set up a NATECLA LGBT support group for ESOL practitioners.
>
> Since the conference I have received numerous emails from teachers who either feel isolated within their institutions, teachers being bullied by students and are not getting support from their institutions or college needing training on the issue.
>
> The purpose of the group is initially
> - to offer support tutors particularly hourly paid staff who feel more at risk should they want to raise the issue
> - continue designing / sourcing teaching resources to support the integration of LGBT themes in ESOL
> - offer training and support to organisations
>
> The group will initially meet in London once a month and the first meeting will be on Saturday 1st December at 10.30 place to be confirmed - but it will be in London
> Please feel free to contact me should you want to disuss this more -
>
> Thank you
>
>
> Laila El-Metoui
> NATECLA London Chair (volunteer)
>
> *********************************** 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]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[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]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>
>
> [cid:email-logo-115fd.jpg][cid:esf-logo-web7cb8.jpg]
>
> Calderdale College Francis Street Halifax HX1 3UZ
> 01422 357357 email:[log in to unmask] <http://www.calderdale.ac.uk/> www.calderdale.ac.uk<http://www.calderdale.ac.uk>
>
> *********************************** 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]
>
> ***********************************
> 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]
|