CASE STUDY HOUNSLOW ADULT AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND ‘LEARN HARROW’


This partnership identified that ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) students who progressed on to Functional Skills English and maths struggled to achieve grades that reflected their ability. The language experience of the students was too narrow to allow them to fully understand assessment requirements and express themselves with sufficient clarity. This was rooted in a limited exposure


to English outside the confines of the classroom, with learners’ first languages understandably dominant in the home and in their wider social environment. To counter this, the project team


developed an enrichment toolkit to build up learners’ confidence with a wider array of English. This toolkit was developed from a range of sources (learning sites, free apps, news, podcast materials and songs) and covered a range of idiomatic, local, national and global issues. Deployed alongside a journal, in which learners could plot their own use of the toolkit, this approach was a huge success. Learners created a colourful, personal record of discovery that enabled tutors to feed back and focus on particular aspects of the curriculum, and expand their thinking by using their own source material in new constructs. The case study is one of the Outstanding Teaching Learning and Assessment (OTLA) projects funded by the Education and Training Foundation (ETF). This project was managed and supported by Creative Education, a training and consultancy agency providing services for education and training providers.


IDEAS FOR ‘PREACHING TO THE UNCONVERTED’


How can teachers win over adult learners who have given up on learning English and reckon there’s no point trying? Samantha Hart has some suggestions.


“


Can’t wait till this course is over. I hate English,” was the rather discouraging greeting from one of my students at the beginning


of term last year. Although a little off-putting, this is an understandable and not uncommon sentiment among learners who may be tackling the subject for the second, third or even fourth time. It is 20 years since the late Claus


Moser’s Fresh Start Report pointed out the links between social exclusion and poor literacy. (Claus Moser, 1999. A Fresh Start – Improving Literacy and Numeracy. HMSO). Many adult learners returning to education will have undiagnosed learning difficulties or experience ill health, poor teaching, bullying or difficult home lives. Some will feel angry, anxious or even downright hostile towards the subject and struggle to see the point of paragraphs, punctuation and pathetic fallacy. In short, we are preaching to the unconverted. Such negative feelings are hardly the best basis for good quality learning and need to be addressed. The first week is vital in setting the right tone. Students who have been marginalised in the past need to feel they belong, so building connections within the group is vital. Trying to find and nurture common ground through group work, games and inclusive class discussions may be difficult to squeeze in to crowded curricula, but is time well spent. Relationships need to be nurtured


throughout the course, with good-quality, inclusive class discussion being the norm in all lessons. This dialogic teaching style also provides teachers with useful information about misunderstandings. For example, one class discussion revealed that some students only had the vaguest idea of the Victorian era, with one or two


convinced that Shakespeare was a leading writer of that time. A sense of purpose is also vital for adult learners and it would be worth asking students to spend some time thinking about how the course helps them reach their long-term goals. Reflective writing exercises should help them identify why they are doing the course and to consider their past difficulties with it and how to move forward. A convincing body of research into


‘growth mindset’ shows that the right attitude to learning is vital for success. Adults with poor prior experiences do not necessarily come equipped with the belief that they are capable of completing the course, which can lead to them dropping out.


Explicit sessions on grit and persistence


may seem superfluous or patronising, but they pay dividends. It’s important to drill home that making mistakes is a vital part of learning and that students should expect to get out of their comfort zone. Constant reminders of what has been achieved throughout the year and celebrating successes also help students to stay focused. Keeping adult learners motivated and inspired is challenging, but as Moser said, poor literacy “cramps the lives of millions of people. We owe it to them to remedy at public expense the shortcomings of the past.”


Samantha Hart is a teacher educator and English lecturer at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College. She is a Member of SET and a regular contributor to inTuition.


InTUITIONENGLISH • AUTUMN 2019 5


ESOL learning at ELATT


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