Julie Meredith & Linda Pearce


Julie is a Study Coach and Specialist Learning Support Assistant for deaf and hard of hearing students at Wakefield College.


Linda is a Parent Support Coordinator at Plymouth Parent Partnership, an Independent Evaluator and a member of the RaPAL Editorial Group.


Welcome to this Open Edition of the Journal. We are delighted to have a range of contributions from learners, researchers and practitioners from different contexts. We are grateful to all


Someone who feels he is treated as an individual, and that his existing skills are recognised, is FE student Luke Bartle. In an open letter addressed to the Principal, he


those who have worked with us over the last few expresses his gratitude. months and would particularly like to acknowledge the time and talent of illustrator Eleanor Shakespeare. Eleanor provided an illustration for an article and then kindly agreed to design the cover image.


Section 2


The opening article in this section takes us inside a women's prison in England. “Power,


Section 1


The opening article takes us to Senegal where Elisabeth Gerger investigates the mental calculation practices used in cooking and commerce by two different women. She invites us to draw parallels with the way maths is used in everyday life in the UK.


From everyday numeracy practices, we move to everyday literacy with a piece by Amanda Easto: Joining a Library and Reading for Pleasure. Amanda outlines three lessons that integrate reading, writing, speaking and


listening. Her article is followed by contributions


from Marsha Allen and Terry Welham, two students from her class. Marsha and Terry introduce themselves and then share their creative writing inspired by the shared reading of a short story.


1


Caroline Lewis then takes us from an Adult Education context back to secondary school. As more of us start to welcome younger students


into Further Education (FE), her account of working as a Teaching Assistant with the 14+ age group is sure to be relevant. What are your expectations and/or preconceptions of teenagers?


think of me, I will be.” Through poetry, Colin Thomson challenges us to think about the


status, values and attitudes towards writing and writers are all closely interconnected with each other, and with the questions of who writes


why it is like this.” Heather Shakespeare examines the value of teaching creative writing and considers what it has to offer that Functional Skills does not.


about what and for whom, why this matters and 3


Dyslexia specialist Karen Tobias-Green stays with the topic of writing and considers the challenges that it holds for art and design students. She explores ways of engendering the level of confidence and excitement in written work that the students have for their practical, visual work.


From the ongoing challenges of teaching and learning, Margot Walsh addresses the mental and emotional upheaval of organisational


change. Whether termed a restructure or rationalisation, experience of this process is increasingly common, but the impact is usually seen only in the outcome. Margot asks: “Does Emotion have a Role in Organisational Change?”


In the current instability and uncertainty, Geraldine Murphy argues for further research into digital literacy from the perspective of FE


staff. She shares her findings from a small-scale survey of in-service trainee teachers. Before


“What you think of me, I will think of me. What I reading, you might like to consider your answers 2


to two questions: What is literacy? What is digital literacy?


language we use that 'labels'. He echoes a point Caroline makes about taking the time to get to know people as individuals.


1 Reviews


This section opens with Sue Grief's review of Grammar for Sentence Combining:


1. Henry by Elizabeth Brassington: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/19609/Henry-is-our-best-short-story.html 2. National Deaf Children's Society, in Coates, T. (2012). Meanwhile I Keep Dancing. Leicester: Action Deafness Books. 3. Clark, R. & Ivaniè, R. (1997:36) The Politics of Writing. London: Routledge.

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