inFOCUS


CHANNEL ISLANDS GUERNSEY


In this issue we compare the professional experiences of SET member Jennifer Long, an English lecturer at Guernsey College (a SET Corporate Partner), with Harriet Williams, who taught in the French equivalent of an FE college. Despite the relatively small geographical distance between their two colleges, there were significant professional and pedagogic differences.


SET MEMBER JENNIFER LONG TEACHES GCSE ENGLISH AND ESOL, AND FUNCTIONAL SKILLS ENGLISH AND MATHS, AT GUERNSEY COLLEGE.


After university, Jennifer took a year out to teach English overseas and loved it so much that she gained formal teaching qualifications – this year she celebrates her 15th anniversary as an educator. Jennifer has specialist qualifications in English, maths and computing, and a Diploma in Teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector (DTLLS). She has QTLS status and is awaiting feedback on her application for Advanced


Teacher Status (ATS). She started studying for a Master’s in Education in October last year. Sometimes referred to by colleagues as the ‘CPD Queen’ because of the amount of courses and conferences she applies for, Jennifer pays tribute to her college for having an extremely supportive and encouraging approach to continuing professional development. As well as having a CPD manager and scholarly lead, the college has reworked its observation cycle to remove the qualitative focus and instead promote personal and professional development. Jennifer has formed a professional discussion group in which colleagues exchange ideas, act as sounding boards, and recommend articles or books to read and experts to follow online. Her teaching methods vary depending on subject and topic, although she


FRANCE SAUMUR


broadly favours interactive methods such as discussion and practical activities. She encourages independent learning through individual and group research projects and strongly supports peer discussion, support and review approaches. She is a keen user of EdTech but is “extremely picky” about the technology she chooses. The college uses Google Classroom and a private college social media system. Most vocational departments use Turnitin for assignment submissions.


HARRIET WILLIAMS TAUGHT ENGLISH AT THE LYCÉE POLYVALENT SADI CARNOT - JEAN BERTIN IN AN ERASMUS PROGRAMME PLACEMENT.


Like Jennifer, Harriet spent time abroad teaching English. In Harriet’s case this was part of an Erasmus exchange scheme which saw


her teach in a French lycée polyvalent, which translates roughly as a general further education college. She taught English as a Foreign Language at


Level 3 as part of the Baccalauréats général, téchnique and professionnel offered by


the lycée. Students typically leave the lycée to find work, although some stay on to gain a Level 4 qualification or go to university. While Jennifer is able to take full advantage of


professional development opportunities on offer, Harriet found relatively few opportunities for specific training around teaching and learning, although there were college training


days based around subjects. Some staff undertook Masters degrees at local universities at their own expense. Harriet has a BA in English and French, and is currently studying for a Masters in Research (MRes) in Modern Languages in England. She found the


French style of teaching more formal than is common in post-16 education in the UK. However, she tried to make sessions more engaging by, for example, relating lessons to British music culture, in which the students were very interested. She was also asked to prepare lessons on British political developments, including Brexit. The college uses a virtual learning environment called e-lyco for learning resources, emails, messaging, registers, student monitoring, etc.


But, in contrast with Jennifer’s experience, most assessed work was submitted on paper. There was a greater reliance on end-of-year exams and there was less use of peer assessment. But Harriet did provide substantial verbal feedback in group settings for matters such as pronunciation.


LYCÉE POLYVALENT SADI CARNOT - JEAN BERTIN


is a science and technology college delivering both vocational and academic Level 3 courses. It has around 1,300 students aged 15-18 studying for Baccalauréats général, téchnique and professionnel. All students study English as a Foreign Language.


8 ISSUE 39 • SPRING 2020 inTUITION


GUERNSEY COLLEGE enrols more than 5,000 students annually, mainly on post-GCSE on Levels 1, 2 and 3 programmes. Its offer also includes higher education courses, professional and apprenticeship courses, and adult learning and SEND courses.


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