Teaching and Learning English


Teaching and Learning English (TaLE)
 was a 22 month European Integration Fund (EIF) project undertaking pre-departure work in Sylhet, Bangladesh. Drawing on the strengths of its partners, UKBET (the UK Bangladesh Education Trust), St Giles Educational Trust and Greenwich Community College, TaLE provided an innovative and holistic approach to ESOL teacher training, teaching and learning in order to establish a sustainable and reputable model of good practice. It:

  • expanded and added value to the existing EIF funded Preparing for life in the UK (PLUK) workshops by offering high quality, contextualised ESOL courses to support local women, who were planning to settle in the UK, in developing their skills and confidence in English to support their active participation in life in the UK
  • provided high quality teacher training and capacity building support for English teachers and ESOL providers in order to raise the quality and value of locally provided ESOL programmes, in and around Sylhet, specifically those engaging women preparing to migrate to the UK

Project objectives

Quantitative and qualitative impact assessment research with PLUK participants, volunteers, UKBET teachers and local stakeholders has clearly demonstrated a great local need for:

  • more opportunities for women to prepare for life in the UK
  • high quality, easily accessible and affordable ESOL classes
  • ESOL classes taught by fully qualified teachers who have been trained to teach ESOL to adults and prepare learners for UKBA recognised ESOL accreditation
  • high quality ESOL teacher training to train and support local teachers, particularly women teachers, in teaching ESOL to adult learners
  • the piloting and development of sustainable quality assurance systems to underpin ESOL teaching and learning
  • materials and resources to support language development and knowledge of life in the UK and ESOL teacher training

Partners and stakeholders

Led by Learning Unlimited, TaLE was delivered with input and/or match funding from the following partners: UKBET (UK Bangladesh Education Trust), St Giles Educational Trust and Greenwich Community College.

Project background

The Teaching and Learning English project built on and added value to the successful 3 year EIF funded Welcome to the UK (WUK) project run by Learning Unlimited. WUK provided a short programme of Preparing for life in the UK (PLUK) workshops in and around the Sylhet division for Bangladeshi women who were preparing to settle in the UK as wives or family members of UK citizens and/or partners with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

PLUK workshops were planned and delivered by trained British Bangladeshi volunteers from the UK working with local Bangladeshi teachers of English. PLUK workshops supported integration by covering topics such as health, education, housing, public transport, libraries, schools and shopping. Although they provided some language learning and practice in English (ESOL) linked to topics, as the main aim was to build knowledge and confidence about living in the UK, much workshop content was delivered in Sylheti in order to maximise active participation and knowledge exchange.

The Teaching and learning English project broadened the reach and added value to the PLUK programme through five main strands of activity:

*To be eligible to join the TaLE project, participants had to either be female Bangladeshi nationals, complying with specific pre-departure measures with view to settling in the UK or Bangladeshi teachers of English working with the target group.

TALE_ICELT
image-549
Topic-based unit: ICELT task sheets for trainers and trainees

This pack, developed by St Giles International, is intended for use by teacher trainers and candidates on a Cambridge ICELT (In-service Certificate in English Language Training) Module 1 (Language for Teachers) course. The pack has been designed to supplement the delivery of an ICELT course and contains material relating to the six assessed tasks that candidates need to submit for this stand-alone module.

The pack does not contain course input sessions, as these would need to be developed by any centres running the ICELT course. It should be noted that courses should comply with all Cambridge English Language Assessment regulations and requirements. For guidance on this, please refer to the Cambridge website: www.cambridgeenglish.org Pack available to download here

TALE_Phonology
image-550
Topic-based: Phonology for English teachers in Bangladesh

This pack, Phonology for English teachers in Bangladesh, developed by St Giles International, is intended for use by teacher trainers and candidates on teacher training programmes including Cambridge ICELT Module 1 (Language for Teachers) and Teaching Knowledge Test (TKT) courses. The pack has been designed to supplement the delivery of ICELT and TKT courses and contains a series of four teacher training sessions focussing on phonology. The materials and activities were designed for a group of English teachers whose first language was Bangla (Bengali).

The first two sessions cover the principal areas of phonology, moving from sounds and phonemes to stress and intonation. The main aim here is to improve the participants’ own pronunciation and awareness of phonology. In the third session, the focus moves on to how teachers can analyse phonology in lessons when dealing with new language and lexis. The fourth session is a review. Pack available to download here

Topic-based unit: ESOL in the UK

These materials all use everyday life in the UK as contexts for supporting adult learners to develop their language and literacy skills in English, as well as their knowledge and confidence about life in the UK.

The activities and materials are aimed at beginner and elementary adult learners working at the equivalent of ESOL Entry levels 1 and 2 in the UK/A1 and A2 on the Common European Framework. Available to download here.

TALE_Safeoutsidehome
image-551
Topic-based unit: Staying safe at home

This pack has been designed to supplement the above-mentioned ESOL in the UK, and its main objectives are for learners to:

  • develop their skills, knowledge and confidence in English
  • recognise the similarities and differences between staying safe at home in Bangladesh and the UK
  • develop language and strategies to help them to stay safe in the UK
  • develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to follow up issues relating to personal safety in the UK.

The pack includes teacher’s notes and materials for use with adult learners in Bangladesh or other non-EU settings and can be adapted for use in the UK. The teacher’s notes are designed to provide a quick and easy overview for teachers who can then use, adapt and incorporate them into their own lesson plans, as appropriate, in order to ensure that lesson content and activities best meet the needs, interests and levels of their learners.

These activities and materials are aimed at beginner and elementary adult learners working at the equivalent of ESOL Entry levels 1 and 2 in the UK/ A1 and A2 on the Common European Framework (CEFR). Suggestions for differentiation and extension activities for learners working at a higher level are also included.

Pack available to download here
Accompanying audio files in zipped folder

TALE_Safehome
image-552
Topic-based unit: Staying safe outside the home

This pack has also been designed to supplement the above-mentioned Year 1 ESOL in the UK and the main objectives here are for learners to:

  • develop their skills, knowledge and confidence in English
  • recognise the similarities and differences between staying safe outside in Bangladesh and the UK
  • develop language and strategies to help them to stay safe in the UK
  • develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to follow up issues relating to personal safety in the UK.

The pack includes teacher’s notes and materials for use with adult learners in Bangladesh or other non-EU settings. The teacher’s notes are designed to provide a quick and easy overview for teachers who can then use, adapt and incorporate them into their own lesson plans, as appropriate, in order to ensure that lesson content and activities best meet the needs, interests and levels of their learners.

These activities and materials are aimed at beginner and elementary adult learners working at the equivalent of ESOL Entry levels 1 and 2 in the UK/ A1 and A2 on the Common European Framework (CEFR). Suggestions for differentiation and extension activities for learners working at a higher level are also included.

Pack available to download here
Accompanying audio files in zipped folder

For further information please contact Karen Dudley, Project Manager, 020 3700 1161, [email protected]

 

 

Leave a Reply