the action for esol manifesto

The Action for ESOL manifesto

National Association for Teaching Englishand Community Languages to Adults

On Saturday 3 March, 2012, the Action for ESOL Manifesto

launch took place at the UCU offices in London.

It was attended by approximately 30 – 40 people. The manifesto is

a statement of the beliefs and values of ESOL practitioners and is

the result of many hours of discussion and thinking amongst a large

group of committed individuals, particularly of discussions during two

seminars in June and September 2011.

It covers many different aspects, ranging from funding and the right

to learn English to community, diversity, identity, professionalism and

pedagogy: ‘ESOL Provision should be accessible, comprehensive and

integrated. It should reach out into the community and provide well-

constructed but flexible routes onto academic and vocational courses.’

The purpose of the manifesto is to support ESOL practitioners in

discussions with managers and providers, spark further debate and to

generate ideas which will help to shape the future of ESOL provision.

The launch provided an opportunity to celebrate the success of

the Action for ESOL campaign in 2011 and to look back at its

achievements. Speakers such as Mandy Brown from Lambeth College

and Kathy Taylor, UCU Vice-President, pointed out that the success of

the campaign was due in no small measure to the massive widespread

support shown by ESOL teachers and their learners, trade unions,

professional bodies such as NIACE and NATECLA, community groups,

MPs and many others. Demonstrations and events such as that at the

Westminster Old Palace Yard, petitions, publicity and press reports also

played a significant part in making the campaign such a success.

Heidi Alexander MP, a staunch supporter, praised the campaign and

manifesto and pledged her ongoing support. She talked about the

need for sustained funding and the importance of convincing policy

makers of the fundamental right for ESOL provision to be free to all.

The battle may be won but the war is not over yet!

Messages of support were received from Lilian Greenwood MP and

David Hughes of NIACE. Judith Kirsh, NATECLA co-chair, talked about

the key role NATECLA plays in representing and campaigning on behalf

of ESOL practitioners and their learners, and the networking and CPD

SCREEN EDITION Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38

CONTENTS

Action for ESOL manifesto launch 1

BIS visit to Greenwich College 4

Digital literacies - an overview 6

Digital literacies - texting literacy 9

NATECLA Day Conference 12

The Mystery and Magic of Language 14

The importance of being creative 16

Where next with ESOL teacher training 18

NATECLA GLEN event 20

The undermining of ESOL 21

Migrants and labour exploitation 24

Yorkshire and Humberside event 26

A thriving branch 28

Management Council 30

Ruth Hayman Trust 31

Nexhmije’s story 33

Review: Phonetics for Phonics 35

Contact information 36

Diary dates and Noticeboard 37

Next page


Previous page Next page

Heidi Alexander MP, a staunch supporter

opportunities offered through branches and conferences.

Melanie Cooke (King’s College, London) and Rob Peutrell (South

Notts. College) talked about how the manifesto came about – how

it emerged from the campaign, how it was drafted, the democratic

process of sending it round email groups, and questions that arose

regarding terminology and politics. The final version was designed by a

sympathetic supporter and printed by UCU. Dan Taubman of UCU has

been untiringly supportive throughout the campaign. So, what next?

Various suggestions were made as to how the manifesto could be

disseminated - it certainly needs to be publicised as widely as possible.

Copies will be sent to Westminster for Heidi Alexander to distribute to

other MPs.

The launch was rounded off by Tish Taylor (from Reflect ESOL) showing

the video of the event at the Old

Palace Yard, Westminster on 24

March 2011.

The manifesto is available as an

interactive on-line version which

can be accessed from the NATECLA

website or Action for ESOL website

http://actionforesol.org/action-for-

esol-manifesto Hard copies can be

obtained from UCU or from NATECLA

National Centre. Please contact

Chloe Hindmarsh (email:

[email protected] or tel:

07875 683254) to request copies

for yourself and colleagues – and

distribute it as widely as possible.

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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38What next for the Action for ESOL campaign? continued


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Mandy Brown of Lambeth College Rob Peutrell holds a copy of

the manifesto

For a copy of The ESOL Manifesto

email Chloe Hindmarsh:

[email protected]

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Action for ESOL is a partnership of NATECLA, UCU, the Refugee Council and many other organisations


photo: Richard Chambury

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◗ New for 2011 — money and transport topics


On Thursday 2 February 2012 the ESOL Department at

Greenwich Community College was visited by group of civil

servants from BIS, DWP, The Home Office, DCLG and the SFA.*

All of these departments deal with ESOL from different angles (pre-

employment training and English for Work, ESOL for job seekers, for

citizenship, for community cohesion etc) and they can often make

conflicting demands on providers

and students.

The visit came about as the result of a meeting between members of

NATECLA Management Council and Bill Hallahan from Pre-employment

Training at BIS in December.

The purpose of the visit for the civil servants, many of whom are new

in their posts, was to gain an understanding of ESOL in a diverse urban

college. Their impression will certainly inform future thinking about

funding and provision.

The purpose of the visit for us at the college was to debunk some of

the myths about ESOL prevailing in government: that provision is poor

quality, with poor outcomes and progression. So no pressure there!

We put together some information about our provision (including

progression and quality), nationalities and the languages spoken by our

students (over 70 first languages and nationalities were declared

Continues on following page

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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38BIS visit to Greenwich Community College


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Thea Edwards, DCLG meets ESOL students at Greenwich


on enrolment forms this year). Our

visitors seemed quite surprised

at the diversity of our learners

and we spoke a bit about the

impact of educational background

on progress and the barriers our

learners face.

In the morning they visited several

ESOL classes. Some joined in and many commented on the degree

of enthusiasm and the standard of language the students were able

to produce. Needless to say our teachers put on a good show and

lessons were relevant and engaging and classrooms decorated and

welcoming. There was a brief working lunch hosted by Gary Chin,

our principal, at which we raised the plight of age-contested asylum

seekers, the problems we’ve encountered around setting up courses

with Job Centre Plus and a range of other issues. This was followed by

a learner meeting.

The meeting was really well attended and included some alumni (Egle

who now works at the college in the Finance department and Dorata

who now works for a fashion outlet), some of the stars of last year’s

Action for ESOL campaign (Juan and Idil, to name two), students who

have progressed through the ESOL levels and into level 3 courses and,

of course, current ESOL students of every age, nationality and level, all

really keen to demonstrate how much they value the classes and how

important these are to their lives.

Afterwards Gary said that he felt very proud of the very positive

impression and message our students presented to our visitors. And

Bill Hallahan, the civil servant at BIS with responsibility for ESOL wrote,

‘Please pass on our thanks to all the staff and students for giving up

so much of their time to see us. I know from speaking to everyone

that came along that they had found it really worthwhile and insightful.

It was really beneficial to see ESOL being taught, to speak to the

teachers and to hear directly from the students’.

We hope we have contributed to a fair and positive future for our

provision and our students.

Jennie Turner

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It was really beneficial to see ESOL being taught, to speak to the teachers and to hear directly from the students’.


In this article about digital literacies, Nicky Hockly explains in

more detail what they are and why we should be integrating

them into our language teaching. This article was first published

in IATEFL Voices 226, May-June 2012.

It’s a wired world. In our increasingly connected society new skills are

needed. So-called ‘21st century skills’ are making an appearance

in curricula the world over as governments and educators recognise

the need to educate children (and in many cases adults) in how to

effectively navigate an increasingly digital world. In most UK schools

new media literacy skills now supplement the more traditional

3 Rs (reading, writing and ‘rithmetic). In Australia schools teach ‘digital

literacy skills’, and in the USA there is a growing awareness of the

importance of ‘new media literacies’. In Spain and Norway there is talk

of ‘digital competences’ being a necessary part of the curriculum. In

short, digital literacies are being recognised as fundamental skills for

today’s and tomorrow’s citizens.What are digital literacies?

An umbrella term for the media literacy skills and digital competences

which appear in national curricula, digital literacies refer to our ability

to effectively make use of the technologies at our disposal. We are

not just talking about a checklist of technical skills but also about

the social practices that surround the use of new media. So not just

knowing how to create a blog entry, but knowing how to use this to

connect with a wider community of readers and writers and what sort

of online persona one projects though one’s post. Not just knowing

how to upload photos to Flickr (a photo sharing site), but knowing

whether to publish them under a Creative Commons license and what

this implies in terms of digital rights and usage.

Why digital literacies in the language classroom?

What has this got to do with language teaching, you may be asking

yourself? Well, everything. Quite apart from the emphasis put

on lifelong learning and the acquisition of ICT skills in all areas of

education in the UK, we are teachers of the language of global

communication. And that communication is increasingly digitally

mediated. If our learners are to be fully functional citizens in the

twenty-first century, they need digital skills. We can promote these

skills in parallel with teaching English. Indeed, one could argue that it

is our duty to do so.

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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Digital literacies - an overview


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?


Four main foci

Mark Pegrum (2009) proposes a useful way of conceptualising digital

literacies. He envisages four main areas: language, information,

connections and (re)design.

A focus on language: these are key digital literacies which focus on

communication via the language of text, image and multimedia, and

include:

• print literacy: the ability to read and produce online text, such

as blog entries, tweets, emails etc. This is clearly related to traditional

print literacy, but includes an awareness of online text genres.

• texting literacy: an awareness of the conventions of texting

language (abbreviations, acronyms, symbols etc), and of knowing in

what contexts to use or not use it.

• hypertext literacy: understanding how hyperlinks in online

text work, and being able to produce texts with effective use of

hyperlinking. Here we could include knowing how many hyperlinks to

include in a text and why, what to link to, understanding the effects of

over- (or under-) linking in a text, and so on.

• visual, media and multimedia literacy: the Internet is a

multimedia medium par excellence, and we need to understand how

images and multimedia (audio, video) can be used to supplement,

enhance, subvert or even replace text communication. We also need

to know how to produce multimodal messages ourselves, from sharing

our photos on Facebook to creating video clips for You Tube. In the

age of Web 2.0 we are no longer passive consumers who need to

learn how to sit back and critique mass media (although this is still

a key skill). We are now ‘prosumers’ (producers and consumers) of

multimedia artefacts.

• gaming literacy: a macroliteracy involving kinaesthetic and

spatial skills, and the ability to navigate online worlds (such as Second

Life) or use gaming consoles such as the Wii. Although this may seem

like a literacy unconnected to education, there is a growing interest in

serious games for education.

• mobile literacy: an understanding of how mobile technology is

transforming our world, from issues of hyperconnectivity (always being

connected to the Internet), to understanding how to use geolocation

and augmented reality.

• code and technological literacy: apart from basic technical

skills (such as knowing how to use a word processing program, or

how to send an attachment by email), a basic knowledge of html

coding can help us understand how online tools and products are put

together- and more importantly, enable us to make changes to these

to overcome limitations. As Rushkoff (2010) puts it ‘If we don’t learn to

program, we risk being programmed ourselves’. We are not talking here

about becoming fully fledged computer programmers, but rather about

developing an awareness of the basics. Very basic coding skills can

help one customise the elements in one’s blog for example, or route

around censorship (for good or bad).

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Focus on information

• search literacy: the ability to search for information effectively

online. This includes an awareness of search engines beyond Google!

• tagging literacy: knowing how to tag (or label) online content,

how to create tag clouds and to contribute to ‘folksonomies’ (user

created banks of tags).

• information literacy: the ability to evaluate online sources of

information for veracity, and credibility. In this age of information

overload, we also need to develop filtering and attention literacy so as

to know what to pay attention to and what not- and when.Focus on connections

• personal literacy: knowing how to create, project and curate

your online identity. This includes an awareness of issues such as

online safety or identity theft.

• network literacy: the ability to take part in online networks and

to leverage these to help you filter and find information. For teachers,

their PLN (Personal Learning Network) - online professional contacts

- can be useful as a means of tapping into ongoing professional

development.

• participatory literacy: closely aligned to network literacy,

participatory literacy involves contributing to and participating in online

networks. So not just reading professional development tweets on

Twitter, but contributing your own tweets. Not just reading blog posts,

but leaving comments - or even writing your own blog.

• cultural and intercultural literacy: understanding digital artefacts

from other cultures, and interacting effectively and constructively

with people from other cultures take on even more importance in our

global world, where intercultural contact via digital communication is

increasingly possible and increasingly likely.Focus on (re)design

• remix literacy: the ability to repurpose or change already-made

content in order to create something new. Literal videos on You Tube

are a good example of this - see the Harry Potter literal film trailer here

for just one example:

Not surprisingly, teachers may feel overwhelmed at the thought of

needing to be up to speed with such a wide range of digital literacies.

In many cases, teachers may feel uncomfortably illiterate themselves,

due to a lack of training or a low tech comfort level. And how then

can we help our students acquire these skills? That is what we are

addressing in this series for NATECLA news.

Editor’s note. We hope you have been finding the articles in this series useful. Please give your feedback at <to follow>

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Further reading• Dudeney, G., N. Hockly, and M. Pegrum (Forthcoming 2012): Digital Literacies.

Harlow: Pearson.

• Pegrum, M (2009): From Blogs to Bombs: The Future of Digital Technologies in Education. Perth: UWA Publishing.

• Rushkoff, D. (2010) Program Or be Programmed: Ten Commands for a Digital Age. OR Books.

• See this list of resources about digital literacies: www.theconsultants-e.com/resources/ToolsResources/DigiLit.aspx


In this article, Nicky Hockly considers how we might explore

‘texting literacy’ in the classroom.

Put your hand up if you own a mobile phone. Say this to a group of

teachers, or a group of English language students almost anywhere in

the world, and the vast majority will put their hands up.

Mobile phone penetration in high resource contexts is near the 100%

mark, and in lower resource contexts, it’s catching up. For language

teachers, this means that your students are carrying around a device

that they use on a daily basis. And depending on the demographic of

your students, they may be sending far more text (or ‘sms’) messages

than they are making phone calls.

Sending a short but intelligible SMS message is, as we know, a skill.

Although there are still those who insist on sending text messages

in fully formed grammatical sentences with capitalisation and

punctuation, the trend is in fact towards using text speak, or ‘txtspk’.

Knowing how to formulate appropriate messages in text speak (texting

literacy) is clearly a 21st century digital skill. It’s one that many of your

students already master in their first language.

But what about text speak in English? For students living, working or

studying in the UK, they may well need to use text speak in order to

communicate by mobile phone.

They may also need text speak to participate in online conversations

in social networking sites, or even on public websites where the use

of text speak is encouraged or even fundamental to understanding

the genre (e.g. LOLcats - www.lolcats.com ). And even for students

not resident in the UK, it’s fun to learn about and compare text speak

conventions in English with their first language tech speak conventions.

Here is a lesson you can try out with your students to gauge their

awareness and use of English text speak:

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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Digital literacies - texting literacy


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Warmer: Put the following emoticons on the board and ask students

what they represent:

:-) [smiley face] :-o [surprise]

:-/ [‘hmmm’ or non-committal] :-D [big grin]

What other emoticons do they know? See a complete list at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_emoticons . Are emoticons the same

in their language as in English? Where and when do we use emoticons

(emails, online communication, text messages...).

1. Ask students about their mobile phones. What do they use them

for? How often? Do they send SMS (text) messages? What are the

advantages of using text speak in such messages (e.g., speed, cost,

informality, playfulness)? Can they give an example of a text message

in their mother tongue?

2. Put the following mobile phone text message on the board:

Thx 4 gr8 eve & dinner :-) Gd 2 c Steve&Jill 2. C u soon. xxx Sue

Tell students you recently received this message from a friend. What is

it about? Can they decipher the text message in pairs?

Give feedback, pointing out some of the features of text messages in

English, such as

• common abbreviations (Thx=thanks, gr8=great, gd=good)

• acronyms and numbers (c u=see you, 2=to)

• emoticons (e.g. :-) denotes a smiley face)

• symbols (xxx means kisses, &=and)

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3. Put the following text messages on a handout, or on the board. Put

students in pairs to decipher and write out each message in standard

English:

• Wot u doing 2nite?

• Had gr8 time w John on hols

• Pls send me info re: ur Eng courses 4 nxt yr

• OK, 8pm good. C u there!

• i want 2 apply 4 job in ydays nwspaper

4. Conduct feedback and ask: What is the context for each message?

Which two messages are not appropriate as SMS?

5. Ask pairs to choose one of the appropriate text messages, and

compose a reply in text speak. They write their replies on the board.

6. The same pairs then try to decipher all the text speak reply

messages now on the board, and match them to the original message

from stage 3 above. Provide feedback.

7. As a round up, ask students to discuss some or all of the following

questions in small groups, or as a whole class:

• How many text messages do you send per day in your mother

tongue? Per week?

• Who do you text? When and why?

• Can you give an example of an emoticon which is the same in

your language as in English? Can you give an example which is

different?

• Can you give an example of a textspeak abbreviation which

works in the same way in your language as in English? Can you

give an example which is different?

• In what situations is text messaging considered OK in your

mother tongue? Do you think this is the same in English?

• In what situations is text messaging not considered OK in your

mother tongue? Do you think this is the same in English?

8. Homework: Ask students to send you a text message in English

telling you what they thought of the class!

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The author:Nicky Hockly is Director of Pedagogy of The Consultants-E, an online training and development consultancy. She has written several books on ELT and technology and is currently working on a book about digital literacies.

Further info at www.theconsultants-e.com


‘Scratching beneath the surface: exploring issues of

integration and learning’

Fusion Centre, South Birmingham College, November 2011

The autumn day conference this year was held in the West Midlands

and what had been planned as a local event became a national

one. Despite in the end being arranged at rather short notice, it was

attended by 35 delegates, whose feedback was very positive. They

came from all round the UK, including Scotland, some with an interest

in starting branches or in other ways working with NATECLA. This

included investigating ways of promoting professional development in

local areas.

The day ran from 10.00 until 15.00 with lunch provided. The venue

was a new one for NATECLA, although still part of South Birmingham

College which hosts our national headquarters. In general the facilities

were excellent and in particular its central location is a huge asset.

Four workshops were offered with the opportunity for each delegate to

attend three of them. Karen Dudley repeated the workshop which she

ran at the national conference on the ‘Welcome to the UK’ project. This

covered a number of areas including volunteer training, the operation

of the European Integration Fund as well as programme design and

delivery. Amongst the many positive comments was an appreciation of

the way the project handed power to the learners.

John Sutter’s workshop, called ‘Deep versus Surface Learning in

Language and Literacy’ took us through a number of fascinating

tasks on how language operates at deeper, conceptual levels, the

commonalities between languages and some particularities of how

English speakers use the language and make unconscious choices

in systems and lexis. ‘Stimulating’ was a word much used in the

evaluation and the tasks around metaphor in everyday language use

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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38NATECLA Day Conference


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Judith Kirsh addresses the Day Conference


were picked out for particular appreciation.

Mary Osmaston provided some wonderful ideas for tools we can use

to help more advanced learners to develop in order to assess and

improve their own writing especially when working towards literacy

exams; the approach could clearly be slanted to all kinds of writing at

a number of different levels and was impressive in its systematised

approach to making learners genuinely independent through relatively

easily applied ‘noticing’ techniques. Comments in the evaluation

referred with approval to the stimulating hands-on techniques in the

workshop and the focus on raising the awareness of learners.

Judith Kirsh’s session looked at issues involved in choosing ESOL

materials, stimulating participants’ thinking and also providing an

exhaustive list of really helpful websites. She also managed time to

bring participants up to date on the British Council Nexus project.

Amongst other specific comments the help in personalising materials

was much appreciated.

This element of giving independence to learners and learner groups in

all sorts of ways but particularly by

raising awareness, whether of language, of learning tools or ways of

dealing with political and social systems, was for me a significant

theme in the approaches taken by all four workshop leaders.

For all the delegates the great variety of the workshops was hugely

stimulating. In this as other NATECLA conferences delegates were

working in a number of different contexts in the community and

colleges and with the full range of levels. The workshops offered

practical help and tips for all levels in organisation, materials and

teaching approaches and in addition

a chance to luxuriate in the fascination of language and languages. No

mean feat in a matter of 4 or 5 hours or so.

Jane Arstall and Chloe Hindmarsh as ever worked tirelessly to ensure

that things ran smoothly and Chloe had even dragooned her father into

attending with a camera to record the event and the people at it. The

Ruth Hayman Trust was also represented, raising awareness and funds

to support ESOL students.

We are extremely grateful to South Birmingham College for allowing us

to use their great new centre and for the support and help they

provided on the day.

Brigid Bird, NATECLA Midlands Chair

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NATECLA National Conference

6-8 July 2012

Liverpool Hope University,

Hope Park, Liverpool L16 9JD

We have chosen ‘The Mystery and Magic of Language’ as the theme

for NATECLA’s thirty-fourth National Conference to highlight the

fascinating process of acquiring, learning and using language. Learning

to distinguish patterns and make associations – the magic moment

when we realise that everything has a name – is all part of the

journey to communication and the mysterious bond that ties humanity

together. Come to the Liverpool conference and explore these themes

and much more besides.

This year promises to be one of the most stimulating and ‘magical’

conferences yet. The programme offers a varied and exciting choice of

workshops at every session during the weekend, covering all aspects

of practice and research, delivered by presenters with a wealth of

experience to share. There will be an opportunity to network with

colleagues, discuss the ‘Action for ESOL’ campaign and manifesto,

browse and buy at the resources exhibition and relax in pleasant

surroundings with delicious food and excellent company.

We are delighted that Marina Lewycka has accepted our invitation to

give the keynote address on Friday evening. Marina is a successful

author and her books include: ‘A Short History of tractors in Ukrainian’

(which has sold over a million copies in the UK), ‘Two Caravans’

and ‘We are All Made of Glue’. Being a writer links in well with the

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Phot

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f Ben

Mac

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an

Marina Lewycka, writer and Friday’s keynote speaker


conference theme - Marina says she started writing because it was

‘the sounds and rhythms that captivated me - it was like creating my

own magic spells.’

On Saturday and Sunday there will be a diverse range of workshops on

offer, delivered by both new and familiar faces to NATECLA on themes

ranging from taking the fear out of phonology to international ESOL,

from practical teaching tips to web-based homework.

On Saturday afternoon, Bill Hallahan, Skills Directorate, Department of

Business, Innovation and Skills will give a presentation about his work

in relation to ESOL, which will be followed by a question and answer

session. This is a wonderful opportunity to find out about government

policy and explore key issues.

New for this year, there will be a pre-dinner reception and an award

sponsored by the British Council – details to be announced at the

conference. The British Council’s ESOL Nexus Project will provide an

update and introduce their online portal, designed to provide easy

access to resources for learners, teachers, providers and policy

makers.

Following the workshops on Saturday, there will be a film showing in

the lecture theatre with state-of-the-art audiovisual facilities. There will

also be alternative entertainment organised by the North-West branch

of NATECLA - to be announced at the conference.

On Sunday, following the final workshop session, the conference will be

rounded off with a closing panel session.

Whether you are coming for the whole event or just for the day, you will

be most welcome. And of course attendance at NATECLA conferences

can count towards your continuing professional development

requirement.

Hope Park is an attractive 30 acre landscaped campus, four miles

from Liverpool city centre, one mile from the end of the M62, with

links to the M6 and the M57. It is easily accessible by road and public

transport and there is ample car parking on site. There are good

facilities – excellent en-suite accommodation with Internet access,

well-equipped seminar rooms, shops and cafes.

‘The Mystery and Magic of Language’ is the ESOL event of the year.

Whether you are coming on your own or with a group of colleagues,

for the whole event or just for the day, the conference offers you the

chance to discuss the latest developments, air your views and take

part in networking opportunities. You can be sure of a welcoming and

friendly atmosphere – take advantage of the Early Booking rate and

book your place now.

To book online please go to http://natecla2012liverpool-eorg.

eventbrite.co.uk/?ebtv=C

For booking, bursaries and more information please go to

www.natecla.org.uk.

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In these target-driven times, it’s very easy to find ourselves gearing

every session towards tasks that will help learners achieve exam

success, particularly when it comes to writing. Consequently, we teach

how to write letters, reports, articles, etc, on topics that are likely to

arise in the exam. It can become formulaic and depersonalised.

But sometimes it’s exciting to deviate from that path, to wander off

down a different track to an unknown destination – and that’s where

a journey into creative writing can come into its own. I find that some

of the most interesting, inspiring and linguistically-competent writing

emerges on these journeys.

There are countless tasks that can be undertaken in the classroom to

encourage learners to write creatively and on the following page are

the outlines for two that I find effective. The first results in a poem, the

second in autobiographical or fictional prose.

Poetry writing can be a daunting task in your first language, never mind

in your target language, and when I presented this task to a group

of ESOL teachers in a recent workshop, the horror was apparent.

However, by guiding learners through some gentle steps, they can

create a poem of their own. The true beauty of poetry is that language

doesn’t have to be used correctly. Look, for example, at Lewis Carroll’s

Jabberwocky. There is freedom in poetry.

Another activity that I use to good effect is based on the chapter entitled

‘Alien’ from the novel the novel A Chinese - English Dictionary for Lovers

by Xiaolu Guo and encourages learners to produce either a (semi-)

autobiographical or fictional piece of writing. The novel is written in

‘beginners’ English and can persuade learners to overcome fears of

having to get their writing perfect. After all, writing has to be written

before it can be worked on. The process has produced some very

moving pieces and the procedure is outlined in the second box.

These are just two of the activities that I have used to encourage

creative writing in the ESOL classroom. There are infinite possibilities,

as a browse through any creative writing handbook will demonstrate.

Away from the restrictions of exam task-based writing with the focus

on getting it right, learners have freedom and permission to use the

language in their own way. The balance of power shifts in their favour.

Finally, what better way to showcase this writing than in a ‘magazine’?

The ESOL department at my college publishes annually a collection

Words and Memories, in which ESOL learners’ writing is presented,

giving them a feeling of satisfaction and pride.

Continues on next page

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Whilst I won’t deny that we need to prepare our learners for exams,

I feel it is important not to overlook the rewards of introducing more

creative-based writing into the classroom.

Marina McGovern

Writing a poem

1. Choose a short, rhythmical, rhyming poem. Most recently I used

After the Lunch by Wendy Cope, which has an AA, BB, CC, etc,

rhyming pattern.

2. Present the poem as a running dictation, with the rhyming word at

the end of every other line gapped, ie at the ends of lines 2, 4, 6, etc.

3. Learners complete the running dictation and then work together to

complete the gaps. They can also decide on a title.

4. Learners listen to recording of the poem from Youtube and compare

their version to the original.

5. Provide a copy of the poem with alternate lines deleted, leaving a

space where the line was.

6. Learners write their own lines in the spaces.

7. Learners re-write their lines of the poem on a new sheet of paper.

They now have their very own poem, which they can title, modify and

share if they wish.

Writing prose

1. Show a photo of the author of a novel and ask learners to speculate

about him/her and his/her life.

2. Read a short biography of the author as learners make notes.

3. Learners recreate the biography together (either orally or in writing).

4. Read a chapter from the novel. I use Alien which is about arriving in

the UK.

5. Discuss the character’s arrival and compare it to their own

experience. Obviously, sensitivity is required here and it will be up to

teachers to decide how to handle this based on the circumstances of

their learners.

6. Write about their arrival in the UK or write a fictional piece of an

imagined character’s arrival.

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Xiaolu, G. (2007) A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers: Chatto and Windus

Cope, W. After the lunch: available in various anthologies and on YouTube

Lewis Carroll. Jabberwocky from Alice through the Looking Glass


We have a long history in ESOL of subject specialist teacher training,

with qualifications such as CELTA and the Trinity Cert TESOL stretching

back a long way. However, these have never been recognised as being

sufficient for teaching in the Lifelong Learning Sector. Since the subject

specific ESOL, Literacy and Numeracy teaching qualifications were

introduced as part of the Skills for Life strategy, many ESOL teachers

have become ‘fully qualified’ by taking an integrated ESOL teaching

qualification or a separate ESOL Additional Diploma, previously known

as the ESOL Level 4 certificate. The focus for these courses has

always been on developing both ESOL subject knowledge and specialist

language teaching skills, so that our students have the best possible

language learning experience.

Initially, many courses were developed and demand was high, as

many experienced teachers, as well as new teachers, needed the new

qualifications. Over the past couple of years demand has decreased,

as more teachers are now qualified and some ESOL teaching posts

have disappeared. But are these the only reasons for the decline in

numbers on ESOL training courses? Probably the shift in national focus

away from Skills for Life has meant that colleges and other providers

are more able to ignore the regulations on teacher qualifications, and

as more courses close, it is harder for prospective teachers to find

a local one. The NATECLA teacher training working group has been

working to raise awareness within the government of the continuing

need for high quality training, and for strategic planning to ensure that

courses remain available.

What do we want from employers?

We need to persuade employers to demand subject specialist teaching

qualifications and support their staff in obtaining them: ESOL teachers

are not ‘fully qualified’ without a subject specialist qualification,

whether this is the old ‘Level 4’, an ESOL DTLLS or an Additional

Diploma, and cannot apply for QTLS without this.


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ESOL Additional DiplomaIntegrated ESOL

specialist DTLLS

DTLLS/ Cert Ed/ PGCE

CELTA/ Cert TESOL


What would help?

We would like Ofsted to ask providers about staff qualifications,

including subject specialist qualifications for ESOL, Literacy, Numeracy

and Functional Skills teachers, to show that they consider these to be

important. In last year’s annual report, Ofsted said that:

‘Overall, the provision of literacy, numeracy and language support relies

too much on teachers and assessors who lack the specialist expertise

to make a significant improvement in learners’ understanding and skills

development.’ (Ofsted Annual Report 10-11 p.98)

Although the regulations don’t require that teachers of Functional Skills

have these qualifications, this finding from Ofsted suggests that more

of them should have one, as they are often the teachers providing

language support to students in a variety of curriculum areas.

What do we want from the government?

• There should be strategic regional planning to ensure that

subject specialist ESOL, Literacy and Numeracy courses are more

widely available. At present, many prospective teachers don’t have

access to one.

• Trainees who want to teach ESOL, Literacy or Numeracy in the

Lifelong Learning Sector need better advice about what is required and

should not be accepted onto generic teaching courses where there is a

subject specialist one available.

• The quality of all subject specialist training should be inspected

by Ofsted: Additional Diplomas should be included by Ofsted in Teacher

Education inspections, as most teachers take this route rather than the

integrated courses. This would help to improve the status and quality of

the training.

We have sent our requests to BIS, the government department

responsible for the Learning and Skills Sector, and also to Ofsted, and

hope that we can keep up the pressure until some steps are taken. At

the very least, it would be logical for Ofsted to take an interest in this

issue, as their role is to raise standards in education and they have

identified a need for this in ESOL.

Mary Osmaston for the NATECLA Teacher Training Working Group

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I am a part-time ESOL tutor with a DTLLS qualification. I combined studying for my DTLLS qualification with looking after my children, who were both under 5 at the time, and working evenings and weekends. This shows my commitment to becoming fully qualified and gaining the necessary training to give my students the best possible experience and opportunities. I am frustrated to find that having shown such commitment and having made such sacrifices I am now unable to find a subject-specialist course which would enable me to become fully qualified. The nearest course available to me would require me taking a day off work, arranging and paying for childcare and travelling for up to 3 hours!

Sam Clark SCOLA


NATECLA is holding its first Greater London ESOL Networking event for

all ESOL practitioners in London and south-east.

This is a wonderful opportunity to meet like-minded professionals, find

out about the latest news and developments in the sector and discuss

future London meetings.

The event is being sponsored by the British Council and will take place

at their superb premises near Trafalgar Square.

The morning session (10.00 – 12.30) will be followed by lunch and the

launch of the new NATECLA website.

Places are limited so book now at

www.eventbrite.co.uk/org/2016274813

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Busaries for National conferenceIf your employer cannot fund your place at conference and you

are an individual member of NATECLA you are eligible to apply for

a bursary. To find out more look at the booking information on

our website www.natecla.org.uk/content.asp?CategoryID=468 or

contact [email protected]

Deadline for applications is 4 May.

For more information about NATCLA National Conference

The Mystery and Magic of Language please return to

pages 14 and 15.


ESOL is being undermined by policy as never before. Current

confusion and proposed cuts to ESOL funding put students’

learning and teachers’ livelihoods in serious peril. Here I take

one example of how policy and its enactment can impact on

practice, as I examine the conflicting advice emanating from the

Skills Funding Agency.

You might suppose that the course on which a student is enrolled is

a matter for their institution, depending on an assessment of their

needs. And this is indeed one view from the SFA, who maintain that

‘Providers should do what is right for the learner, and there is no steer

from the Agency on this’ (SFA, online).

Yet this contradicts a directive from the same agency, FACT SHEET 2 –

Ensuring learners with literacy and language learning needs are placed

on the most appropriate provision - Updated May 2010.

This document suggests that SFA auditors, rather than tutors and

institutions, decide what counts and what doesn’t as appropriate

provision for multilingual learners of English.

This deserves critique not least because it directly involves SFA

interference at classroom level.

The Fact Sheet articulates a policy which aims to rigidly delimit areas

of provision that in reality – because of the nature of the student body

– have indistinct boundaries. Its true purpose, though, is to provide

justification for discriminating against multilingual students.

This intent runs like a thread through the document.

Paragraph 6 of the Fact Sheet reads:

The Skills Funding Agency does not expect the number of Skills for Life

ESOL enrolments within individual providers to decrease due to this

policy change [i.e. the requirement that certain categories of student

are no longer entitled to a free ESOL class]; neither do we expect to

see any notable increase in Skills for Life literacy enrolments.


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In addition to this we do not expect

to see ESOL learners being enrolled

on to literacy provision but being

taught ESOL.

Skills for Life Literacy classes are

free to all adult learners who are

felt to need them, but since 2006

‘demand-led’ education has not

applied to ESOL: certain categories

of student are not entitled to a free ESOL class.

To offer free Literacy classes but to make ESOL students pay blatantly

discriminates against ESOL students. But the idea that ‘we do not

expect to see ESOL learners being enrolled on to literacy provision but

being taught ESOL’ has nothing to do with learning, and has the sole

function of shoring up an unsound policy.

Firstly, students are not ESOL students/learners unless they are on an

ESOL course.

Secondly, and more importantly, teachers in all classes, including

Literacy classes, should attend to their students’ language needs,

including their oral language needs, as a matter of course.

Migrants who are learners of English have very specific learning needs,

not shared by local-born students. These needs might be met in an

ESOL class, but for some students other areas of provision will be

appropriate.

The SFA conflates the distinctiveness of English language learning with

a crude over-emphasis on the difference between ‘ESOL’ and ‘Literacy’.

By doing so, it uses this difference as a tool for segregation, to exclude

some students from learning opportunities by maintaining that they

don’t ‘belong’ in the funded areas of provision.

The means of discrimination encroach even on classroom method and

technique. Paragraph 11 of the Fact Sheet reads:

The Skills Funding Agency’s in-house or appointed auditors will look

at a variety of evidence and documentation to gain assurance that

literacy is being taught in literacy classes and ESOL in ESOL classes

and that learners are following the correct provision according to their

needs. This includes:

• teaching plans

• initial assessment and/or the training needs analysis

• individual learning plans and their relevance to the syllabus for

ESOL or literacy

• shifts in provision and monitor any changes in trends….

In other words, auditors analyse lesson plans, ILPs etc. to ensure that

the ‘correct’ kind of learning is happening in classes. We might as well

install CCTV cameras in classrooms and be done with it.


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Since 2006 ‘demand-led’ education has not applied to ESOL: certain categories of student are not entitled to a free ESOL class.

The SFA conflates the distinctiveness of English language learning with a crude over-emphasis on the difference between ‘ESOL’ and ‘Literacy’.


This mad level of policing is a disgrace and should be challenged

by asking auditors who exactly an ‘ESOL learner’ (as opposed to a

‘Literacy learner’) actually is. If the SFA definition is ‘someone with

English language needs’, then it could be pointed out that (a) in many

areas that definition applies to the majority of people; and (b) that

students in all sectors of education – not just ‘ESOL’ – have a range

of learning needs, including English language ones, that have to be

addressed.

Why does this matter? Because a document such as the SFA Fact

Sheet can, as one of a wave of policy moves, have a profound effect

on learners’ lives, to the extent that they are denied fundamental

education. Documents which give voice to flawed policies need to be

held up as a mirror to policy-makers, and to those who enact them.

It is crucial to continue to defend the sector against attempts to

use ESOL as a dustbin of policy into which inconvenient multilingual

learners can be dumped. But if the government continues to

undermine ESOL to the extent that only people with the ability to

pay are entitled to enrol on an ESOL course, the SFA should not be

surprised to see pedagogically-justified mass enrolments of multilingual

students onto Functional Skills, Literacy and GCSE English courses.

James Simpson. University of Leeds

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ReferencesSkills Funding Agency (2010) FACT SHEET 2 – Ensuring learners with literacy and language learning needs are placed on the most appropriate provision - Updated May 2010. http://readingroom.lsc.gov.uk/SFA/SfL-Factsheet_2-Literacy_and_Language_.pdf

Skills Funding Agency (online) Skills Investment Strategy Briefings - Provider Questions and Answers.

http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk/providers/SISBriefings/sisbriefings.htm

Note: An earlier version of this article appeared in Post-16 Educator (issue 66, Jan-Mar 2012).


Two centuries after slavery was outlawed in the UK, there are still

people working under forced conditions, often forcibly constrained

from moving. Many of these cases involve foreign individuals who have

either been trafficked into the UK or who have arrived independently

but have ended up in the grips of exploitative employers. Migrants

are especially vulnerable to labour exploitation due to a variety of

factors, including lack of immigration status or visa with restrictions;

debts accumulated in the process of migrating; lack of knowledge of

British employment laws, rights and support structures; and in some

cases the threat of criminal gangs. Importantly, without sufficient

knowledge of English, migrants depend on others to provide them with

information, and can fall prey

to individuals that deliberately

mislead and misinform them.

The UK has introduced a forced

labour offence which has

facilitated the prosecution of

those involved in exploitation,

and has set up a National

Referral Mechanism that aims

to protect victims of human

trafficking.

While these measures offer

significant protection for the

worst types of abuses, many

migrants in the UK face work

exploitation, but not to a degree

where a clear case on forced labour can be brought or where the

protections for trafficked people apply. Common issues are payment

below the minimum wage, retention of documents (which is a criminal

offence in its own right), withholding of salaries, work without a written

contract, and being pressured into working long hours.

Continues on the next page

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Short-term workers will be needed to cope with visitors


English Language and exploitation

In many cases migrants may feel pressure to put up with exploitative

working conditions because they may have an uncertain immigration

status, they may not be aware of regulations in the UK or simply

because they fear they will not manage to find further employment.

Another key issue flagged up by migrant-support organisations is

that poor English language skills may prevent migrants from finding

out about employment rights and taking action to address their own

situation.

In this sense, English language tuition can play a major role in helping

migrants become aware of their rights and giving them the confidence

to address some of their issues.

The Olympics

The 2012 Olympics will attract people from across the globe into

London this summer. There has been a high level of oversight of

employment conditions for those working directly in the construction of

venues or for the games. There has also been a considerable degree

of attention paid to particular forms of exploitation, and preventative

measures put in place, especially with regard to sex trafficking.

However, there will be lots of employment opportunities in the capital,

including an increased demand for labour in leisure and hospitality

services such as hotels, restaurants and bars. To meet this demand,

short-term, temporary workers will be required, but there is a risk

that unscrupulous employers and rogue agents may look to employ

people under conditions of exploitation. The influx of people expected

this summer may also be seen as an opportunity for criminal gangs

that specialise in trafficking children and women for begging and pick

pocketing. In other cases, people-smuggling rings could allure people

into paying fees to be smuggled into the UK by giving the impression

of an abundance of work opportunities. Migrants may then be forced

to find employment in areas of work that are already notorious for

exploitation.

Due to the nature of exploitation, there is limited data or information

on the scale of these issues or whether it is increasing due to the

Olympics. However, it is important for those working with and in close

contact with migrants to be aware of what constitutes exploitation,

the signs that someone may be in that situation and the reporting and

support mechanisms for victims.

To find out how you can get involved visit

www.antislavery.org

www.migrantsrights.org.uk

Juan Camilo, Migrants Rights Network and Klara Srivankova, Anti-Slavery International.

Full article on NATECLA website includes list of indicators

of exploitation. www.natecla.org.uk

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‘Fresh Challenges: new ideas, ESOL, learning and change’

Huddersfield, March 2012

This was my first conference as a member of the Y & H NATECLA

committee and my third year as a member of NATECLA. Since joining

NATECLA there have been some obvious, and some less obvious,

benefits to my career. Attending conferences is as much about the

networking opportunities as it is about attending workshops, and it

was attending my first regional event that set off a chain of events that

led to gaining an NRDC grant, which allowed me to buy several mobile

devices that were used by ESOL teachers and trainers on the DTE(E)

LLS course at Kirklees College, that led me to write the case study

for LSIS, a second case study for ESCalate and presenting at my first

international conference in Morocco.

It is this networking with fellow ESOL practitioners, who are all so

committed to supporting their learners, that has been so beneficial for

me, whether it has been about being informed of the Action for ESOL

campaign and being confident enough to promote this campaign to my

CELTA trainees, or more directly about my classroom practice.

At my first committee meeting last September everyone was very

clear that the focus of our next event should be practical, with ideas

that ESOL teachers can take away and adapt for their own classroom

practice. With this key focus in mind, a venue, a date and workshop

leaders followed and the practicalities of organising such an event were

in full flow. Committee members, as volunteers, worked extremely hard

to organise this and it is a real credit to their commitment and team

work that evaluations from the 63 delegates were so overwhelmingly

positive.

There were lots of suggestions and ideas shared during the day, and

here are some of the links that were shared via #cpdnatecla on Twitter

or by workshop leaders:

Continiues on the next page

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A day to share ideas and experiences


Resources shared by @amandalanguages for the

BC Nexus project

Typewith.me– a collaborative document. Below are two

documents that have been created for ESOL teachers to share

CPD ideas and ESOL resources.

CPDideas – a collaborative document where ESOL teachers are

asked to share ideas on their CPD activities.

ESOLresources - a collaborative document where ESOL teachers

are asked to share resource ideas

Resources shared by @harrisonmike and @pysproblem81 in their

session on differentiation for mixed levels

http://vocaroo.com - voice recorder

Bit.ly/cpdnatecla This links to a PDF file where there are resources

and links shared during the Differentiation workshop.

Telescopictext – a writing tool to make expandable stories

www.telescopictext.org

Resources sharing in the Functional Skills workshop led by

Caroleen La Pierre

teachit – a library of English teaching resources www.teachit.co.uk

A lesson about Drugs – a blog update by @samshep who

attended this workshop http://samuelshep.wordpress.com

Additional links shared outside of the workshops

Ruth Hayman Trust

Moodle Forums for ESOL students http://classroom201x.

wordpress.com/2010/01/04/moodle-forums-for-esol-students/

As the new Chair of the Y & H branch I am really excited about working

with such a dedicated group of ESOL practitioners and how we as

NATECLA members can support each other as ‘teachers-as-learners’.

As well as face-to-face conferences I am interested in exploring how

NATECLA members can be supported in engaging with the ever growing

ESOL twitterati and blogosphere, which provides a huge wealth of ideas

and activities from not just the UK context but around the EFL world.

I can be found @cathywint or email me at [email protected]

Cathy Clarkson

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Being part of a local branch isn’t the only reason to join

NATECLA but it can be a real opportunity to meet other

practitioners and get more involved.

All branches have their ‘ups and downs’ but when a group is going

well it can make a real difference. In Yorkshire and Humberside we are

very lucky to have an active committee and to have been able to hold

a good mixture of events. Our next event is going to be at a football

stadium and our last was at the National Media Museum in Bradford

(which provided the venue free of charge)!

Our committee is usually made up of between 10-12 members and

this really helps when it comes to planning events. Since I have been

involved the committee has changed slightly each year but has always

had a core of people who are prepared to put in the time and effort

to make the branch work. The mix of people is great – some have

years of experience and others are relatively new to ESOL but everyone

has really valuable contributions to make. Our meetings are usually in

Leeds and we have people coming from as far afield as Rotherham,

Sheffield and Hull.

We recently had our first fully ‘virtual’ meeting to help plan our latest

event and this was really successful – I’d recommend it to others who

find it hard to make the time for regular face to face meetings. We

used http://sync.in/ a really easy online word-processing document

which allows up to 8 people to contribute at the same time. It was a

very effective way of covering a lot of ground without having to travel

Continues on the next page

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A branch event at Calderdale College


to meet up face to face.

When we do have face to

face meetings we usually

find that that we have

plenty to discuss and enjoy

catching up with colleagues.

We now meet in a local cafe

as it was cheaper than the

room we used to hire, so we can discuss issues over a latte in a fairly

convivial atmosphere.

Cathy, one of our newer committee members, says, ‘As a new member

to the committee I have really enjoyed being involved in organising the

regional conference and I’m really excited about providing and taking

part in, what I’m hoping will be fabulous, CPD opportunities for ESOL

teachers across the region’.

I certainly wouldn’t want to mislead people into thinking that organising

events doesn’t take a fair amount of time and effort but it is also

hugely satisfying. Many ESOL practitioners say that they have relatively

few good CPD and networking opportunities and many also work in

small teams with little support. What is great about the events we have

held is the enormous variety of people who attend and all the different

experiences they bring. We only organise one or two events each

year but these do make a real difference to people. Here are a few

comments from our ‘Museums and Learning’ event in Bradford in June,

which was attended by about 30 people

‘You have converted me to museum visits!’, ‘A nice integration of

theory and practice.’, ‘An interesting and inspiring session’.

It was interesting to see the museum and the staff were very helpful

and led a session on the ESOL workshops they offer. I’ve taken my

students to do one of the workshops since and they are still talking

about it two months later.

It can be difficult to find venues for events but is always worth asking

around. Most of our events have been in colleges in our area and they

are often happy of the publicity. Public buildings can also be good as

they often have a remit to engage different groups in the community. It

can also be nice to get out of a work environment sometimes.

If there are just a few of you then the best thing to do is probably

to start small and simple and see how it goes. If you need support

then you can contact the National co-ordinators and they will try and

put you in touch with another branch to share ideas. Please don’t be

scared to get involved – it really is worth it!

Diana Tremayne

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The mix of people is great – some have years of experience and others are relatively new to ESOL but everyone has really valuable contributions to make.


Diana Tremayne -

proposed new Co-Chair

Management Council is

very pleased that Diana

has agreed for her name

to be put forward for

Co-Chair alongside Judith

Kirsh. She has been

involved with NATECLA for

a number of years and

has just stepped down

as Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber branch (see article

‘A thriving branch on page 28). Diana is an ESOL lecturer

and Advanced Learning Practitioner at Calderdale College

in Halifax. She has been teaching ESOL for about 10 years

and finds it ‘fulfilling and also frequently challenging with the

constant changes to funding etc.’. Prior to her ESOL career

she was a MFL teacher while also running a community café-

‘we were into using fair-trade/organic ingredients before they

became trendy and were extremely child friendly’. Her current

work is mainly with 16-18 year old learners and, in addition,

she teaches ICT Functional Skills. She is also a local town

councillor.

New look for NATECLA website

Not only is this newsletter appearing in a new electronic

format, we are also pleased to announce that we are

undertaking a redesign of our website, which should be

completed by the end of March.

The new site will allow you to share and interact with

NATECLA in new ways. In addition it will be easier for our

administrators to keep up to date membership records,

provide user profiles, better access to publications and

to process payments through paypal. If you have any

recommendations to make about how you use the website,

please get in touch by emailing Chloe at

[email protected]

Electronic version of NATECLA News

We hope that you are enjoying reading NATECLA News in

its new, electronic, format. Some of the benefits include

more articles, active hyperlinks and a print only version.

And you can do your bit for NATECLA by passing this edition

on to colleagues. The more members we get, the stronger

we become. The plan is to produce our autumn and spring

editions this way and to have a hard copy for the summer.

When the new website is ready the newsletter will be

password-protected for members only. Please let us have

your views at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V3THHYB

NATECLA Vision and Values

We are currently drafting a statement of the vision and values

of NATECLA and we would like as many members as possible

to contribute.

Initial suggestions are:

• Independence and professionalism in

language education

• Support for ESOL practitioners and learners

• Support for community languages

• Provision of relevant, high-quality training

opportunities through national, regional and

local events

• Respect for diversity, multilingualism and

multiculturalism

• Provision of expert advice to government bodies

and other agencies

• Campaigns on behalf of practitioners and learners

to promote ESOL and community languages

throughout the UK

Please feedback your comments and suggestions to Chloe:

[email protected] by the end of June as we intend to

present the final version at the conference in July.


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Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Management Council



NATECLA meets BIS

In December 2011 four representatives from MC had a

meeting with Bill Hallahan at the Department for Business,

Innovations and Skills (BIS). Bill is a part of the FE and Skills

Directorate and heads up policy for ESOL and LLDD.

All the reps reported that Bill was both knowledgeable about

and sympathetic towards ESOL and is keen to foster good

communications between all the stakeholders in ESOL. He

was eager to find out as much as possible so Jennie Turner

(ESOL manager at Greenwich Community College) invited

him to visit ESOL provision at the college (see page 4). He

also agreed to be interviewed for the summer edition of this

newsletter and he will be attending our conference in July.

Bill listened to our concerns and agreed that he would

facilitate contact between NATECLA, Ofqual and the Skills

Funding Agency as well as those responsible for teacher

training.

Ruth Hayman Trust

A new event appeared in the City & Islington College

enrichment calendar for 2011-12: Ruth Hayman Trust week.

This was marked enthusiastically by ESOL students, with

successful fundraising events at two college sites raising a

total of over £450.

Judith Nicholson, ESOL teacher at the Camden Road site,

reports: I had just started teaching a new E2 ESOL course

leading to an NCFE work skills qualification. One lunch-time

we spread our stalls over the college reception area to sell

books, toys, clothes and – the undoubted star of the show

– food prepared by the students. The spring rolls made by a

Vietnamese student are now legendary.


SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Management Council



The event involved many “employability” skills – planning,

organisation, teamwork, customer service, dealing with

money and so on. With this experience, the students were

easily able to complete the unit on “Communication in the

workplace” for their NCFE portfolio. They also appreciated

their certificates from RHT.

But most of all, the students loved running the sale. They

seemed so happy to give something back, leaving aside

their own problems. The words of one student expressed the

mood on the day: “Can we do this every week?”

Maybe not, but I hope at least every year!

Meanwhile, at the Finsbury Park site, teacher Shweta Otiv

reports:

Building on the enthusiasm and success of last year’s

student fundraising event, I invited Frances Weinreich from

the Trust to meet my groups and run a reading and speaking

activity on the Trust’s work and ways to raise funds for it.

Having already done a lesson on charities, this really brought

the topic alive for them and they related very well to the

beneficiaries of this particular trust for obvious reasons!

Being involved in the discussion to choose an event and

divide responsibilities to make it happen involves all the

language skills they will need to demonstrate later on in

their OCR Functional Skills English Speaking, Listening and

Communication exam, which CIC is offering to advanced

ESOL learners for the first time this year. These are skills

which will also increase their employability.

The event at Finsbury Park was a Bring and Buy sale,

involving four classes. Once galvanised, students in my class

got to work on writing their personal stories and even typed

them up themselves (or with help at home) and together

produced a booklet, which they sold on the day of the event.

It was amazing to see even the shyest of students approach

both students and tutors they didn’t know in the atrium to

sell around 120 copies of their booklet at 50p each.

All the students who took part were presented with a

certificate from the RHT, which are also valid to include in

Citizenship applications.

Students’ comments included:

‘I enjoyed the fact that I knew I was raising money for a good

cause.’

‘I was very happy that I sold some items. This can help

people. I would like to repeat this experience to raise money.’

‘I learned how to work with other people.’

On behalf of the Ruth Hayman Trust, I’d like to thank

students and teachers at City and Islington College for their

magnificent fundraising efforts. We hope their example will

inspire others – do have a look at the teaching materials on

our website (the speaking and reading activities that Shweta

refers to) www.ruthhaymantrust.com/material.htm to help

prepare your students to raise funds.

Thanks also to those of you who supported the sell-out

concert in aid of the Trust at South Africa House in October.

We made over £3,800; a few weeks later we gave away

most of this money at one of the five grant-giving meetings

we hold each year. This included grants of over £1,000

to eight students on ESOL courses who otherwise would

not have been able to pay course and exam fees, and for

the first time we supported a student on a ‘watchkeeping

course’, an essential qualification for those who keep watch

on board ship.

The acknowledgement letters we receive show that even

relatively small grants (£300 is our maximum) can make a

huge difference to a student’s life.

Sheila Rosenberg and I will be at the NATECLA Training Day in

Huddersfield so we look forward to seeing some of you there.

Mary Simpson Ruth Hayman Trust

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Ruth Hayman Trust continued


Copies of the booklet written by Shweta’s students are available on request (50p per copy plus p&p) from [email protected] proceeds to the RHT.


Nexhmije Krasniqi escaped the conflict in Kosovo over a decade

ago. Below are extracts from her account of how she escaped

and settled in the UK. She was encouraged to write of her

experience by her tutor, Barbara Jacquess, who has not altered

Nexhmije’s expressive way of writing her experiences.

It was in December 2000 month when I decided to abscond from the

people I was surrounded by. That day the weather was wicked, goblet

of heaven was covered in black clouds, rapid rain, and thunders.

I flew through the air between of heaven, to discover a new world,

a new social life and a European culture. The journey was lengthy

and tedious!

In the country where I lived the sun had gone before I was even born.

There was only darkness and the life was very poor. Religion and

politics was killing people everyday. I was living like I lived in hell.

There I could not breathe freely and I did not have the right to

speak my mind!

In hoping to cross the border for England, we had to wait a month in a

polluted house… there was around 30 foreign people cramped in one

room. We were fed once a day, the lack of sleep was exhausting and

becoming a nightmare, the mice would crawl around our bodies.

I sensed a tingle on my finger, I was shaking and all of sudden I

started crying. I could not understand where I was coming from and

where I was going.

The night I had been waiting for became a reality on 3rd of January

2000. Continues on nest page

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Nexhmije’s story


CONTENTS





















That same night with us there was a mother with two children from

Kosovo, and I couldn’t ever forget this woman. It was a battle to

survive, no whispers and no breathing. The young mother was tightly

pressing with her hand on her little baby’s mouth, so the crying would

not be heard. The lorry was heading towards England, inside there

were human beings. I prayed in silence, the darkness covered me with

her black veil. My body was turned into ice like I was not alive, I was

holding on tightly to my daughter. Soul was wondering to infinity, with

tears gently falling more than ever I was calling out to my mother. On

my shoulders I felt the tender hand of the Kosovan woman touching

me; she was trying to calm me. Her kindness gave me more pain, I felt

compassion for her.

At last we arrived in the land of our dreams England, half alive and

half dead. The signs of depression appeared immediately, loss of

confidence, loss of brilliance. Months and years passed, my daughter

started school, and I continued feeling crazy. I didn’t worry when they

referred to me as that, because my incredible soul didn’t belong to this

world so-called ‘normal’.

In 2004 I started to return to the normality of life. With the help of

doctors and social workers, who willingly were helpful and kind, I

gradually recovered. The psychiatric doctor unleashed me from the

chains of the past

In 2005 I was blessed with the most joyful news I had ever received

since being in England, I was granted indefinite leave to remain in the

United Kingdom.

My life has begun to return

to normal, from all the

difficulties I was rewarded by

my daughter’s achievements

in life, she continued

her studies and has now

graduated from university,

and at the same time I am

going to college to have a better knowledge for myself.

At every moment I am grateful and very thankful to God, my personal

counsellor, and my dear friends who have supported and stayed by

my side.

I feel privileged and very lucky to be in England!

Nexhmije Krasniqi June 2011

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Nexhmije’s story continued


CONTENTS




















In the country where I lived the sun had gone before I was even born. There was only darkness and the life was very poor.


When first flicking through the pages

of this easy to hold, slim, A5-sized

text book, you may feel as bewildered

as you would glancing at a foreign

language guide for advanced speakers;

no pictures, no nonsense. However,

don’t be fooled, this clever little book

packs a punch, as it will leave the

reader feeling confident and content

with regard to phonetics. Designed specifically for adult

literacy teachers, it has all the background knowledge and

support one would expect in order to teach phonetics within

the classroom.

There is a clearly laid set up to this book which guides you

through the reasons behind phonetics, their usage and the

role of phonetics within the core curriculum. Burton begins

by educating the reader as to why phonetics is important for

adults when learning English as a foreign language, marking

phonics as ‘the most reliable method of word identification’.

This is no mere paragraph, a generous two chapters are

devoted to this, before the reader is then introduced to The

International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

The ‘basics’ of phonetics are explained in a detailed chapter

made up of various ‘tasks’, giving examples of how ‘word

sounds’ are expressed, formed and identified when using

phonetics. Two very useful chapters are included which

focus on how phonetics are mapped to the core curriculum

for spelling and reading. Burton explains the importance of

phonetics and their relationship to the curriculum indicators

for Entry Levels 1 – 3. A chapter discussing ‘accent’ and

influences is discussed in detail before providing detailed

references, a thorough glossary and impressive appendices.

As an ESOL tutor, I will be able to use the knowledge and

guidelines revealed in this book to enhance my learners’

understanding of phonetics. There are a multitude of

activities that could be developed based upon the content

of this book. All in all, a ‘must-have’ for any practitioner who

intends to use phonetics to support learners.

Sharon Hepburn

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38REVIEW: Phonetics for Phonics – Underpinning Knowledge for Adult Literacy Practitioners


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Phonetics for Phonics – Underpinning Knowledge for Adult Literacy PractitionersMaxine Burton: NIACE £9.95 ISBN 10: 1862014531


CO-CHAIRS Judith Kirsh [email protected]

Diana [email protected]

ADMINISTRATION National Co-ordinator: Chloe Hindmarsh [email protected]

Assistant National Co-ordinator Jane Arstall [email protected]

South Birmingham College, Hall Green Campus, Cole Bank Road, Hall Green, Birmingham B28 8ES Tel: 0121 688 8121 Mobile: 07875 68 32 54

NATECLA receives support from South Birmingham College.

MIDLANDS Brigid Bird [email protected]

Anne Mills [email protected]

Cheryl Thornett [email protected]

NORTH THAMES Dawn Stafford [email protected]

Chloe Hindmarsh [email protected]

NORTH WEST AND NORTH WALES Lynn Murrell [email protected]

Caroline Helal [email protected]

Tina Fry [email protected]

SOUTH THAMES Alison Blair [email protected]

Ireni Thalassinos [email protected]

YORKSHIRE AND HUMBERSIDE Cathy Winterbottom [email protected]

Barbara Jaquess [email protected]

Naeema Hann [email protected]

To see the full list of Management Council (MC) officers, co-opted MC members and MC Branch representatives go to www.natecla.org.uk/content/474/how_we_operate/

They can be contacted via National Centre.

Follow us on Twitter NATECLA

Follow NATECLA on Facebook www.natecla.org.uk

East Anglia, Home Counties and South East, North East, Scotland, South Wales, West of England

If you are a member who lives in one of these areas please contact National Centre to see how you can get involved.

NATECLA News is published three times each year by the National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults.

Articles in this newsletter are edited only for length or clarity, not for style or content. Submissions of articles and pictures are welcomed, text on disk or via email please to National Centre as on opposite page.

Pictures will be returned but please be sure to supply a return address.

Views expressed within this newsletter are not necessarily supported or endorsed by NATECLA.

Articles may be reproduced with acknowledgement for non-commercial purposes only. ©NATECLA 2012.

To join NATECLA or renew your membership contact Jane Arstall at National Centre: [email protected]

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Contact information


Judith Kirsh

Diana Tremayne

https://twitter.com/#!/NATECLA

http://www.facebook.com/groups/281586965242111/


Management Council Meetings

Sheffield, Saturday 21 April 2012 Freeman College, Sheffield

Liverpool, Sunday 8 July 2012

Liverpool Hope University

NATECLA GLEN Event

Friday 4 May 2012

The British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN

10.00-12.30, followed by lunch and the launch of the new

NATECLA website.

This new networking event is for all ESOL practitioners in the

Greater London area. To book, go to

www.eventbrite.co.uk/org/2016274813

Adult Learners Week

Saturday 12 - Friday 18 May 2012 Register interest in the

campaign at www.alw.org.uk/register

ESOL Nexus project: reflections

Saturday 12 June 2012

The British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN

18.30-20.30. Further details to follow.

Innovate in ELT Conference 2012

Saturday 5 May 2012

Christ Church University, Canterbury

Cost: £40.00 (Concessions £20.00) for three workshops,

refreshments and lunch. Speakers and workshops to choose

from: Nick Bilbrough, Jeremy Harmer, Luke Meddings, Russell

Stannard, Tessa Woodward

For further details, contact Mark Almond:

[email protected]

Phone: +44(0)1227 782308

Pay Online: www.shop.canterbury.ac.uk

NATECLA National Conference 2012 - The Mystery and

Magic of Language

Friday 6 - Sunday 8 July 2012

Liverpool Hope University

Keynote speaker: Marina Lewycka

On Saturday and Sunday there will be a diverse range of

workshops on offer, delivered by both new and familiar faces

to NATECLA on themes ranging from taking the fear out of

phonology to international ESOL, from practical teaching tips

to web-based homework. For booking, bursaries and more

information please go to www.natecla.org.uk

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Diary dates and Noticeboard



The NATECLA ESOL Forum is a space where members

can discuss any aspect of teaching and learning of ESOL

and Community Languages. Information, updates and news

will be passed on through this group too. Once a member,

you may wish to visit the group or read emails that come

straight to your usual mailbox. NATECLA members can email

the group at [email protected] and

received responses directly to their inbox.

For more information or technical queries, please email

Chloe on [email protected]

Skills Investment Strategy Briefings -

Provider Questions and Answers

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), updated

24/1/2012

More information is available at

http://skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk

The Ruth Hayman Trust has signed up to the Give as You

Live website. www.giveasyoulive.com

It is a way of donating to charity as you shop on-line shop.

They are offering £5 for every person who signs up (and

spends at least £10) before Saturday 31 March, provided

there are 25 in total. Please sign up yourself ASAP and

encourage as many of your family and friends to do the

same. You will need to download the software, and then

specify the Ruth Hayman Trust as the recipient. For

information on the trust, go to www.ruthhaymantrust.com

Re-launch of the Excellence Gateway In February 2012,

following their email stating ‘Using the new Excellence

Gateway will be faster, simpler and more effective, due to

fully redesigned navigation and improved search technology.

These innovations, together with a sleeker look and feel,

have enabled us to develop a site that is truly fit for the

future.’ Try it at www.excellencegateway.org.uk

Report from Dr Philida Schellekens ‘First and second

language speakers: one size does not fit all, says

language expert’ available at: www.cambridgeesol.org

The British Council’s ESOL Nexus project is focused

on developing a web portal for third country nationals and

their teachers to support teaching and learning ESOL in

the UK. The website is currently being built and materials

being developed include: lesson plans, self access activities,

materials for specific vocational contexts and online CPD

modules. Follow developments via @ESOLNexus on Twitter

SCREEN EDITION

Spring 2012 Issue 97 of 38Noticeboard

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