Out and About in Leeds
Safina and Angela spent the day at Leeds City College, Enfield Centre, yesterday, for a CPD day. They were sharing the work of MESH and the Progression Pathways resource with ESOL tutors and support staff from the college.
It was a really enjoyable day for us, and we hope for the attendees. We were impressed by the number of dedicated ESOL teachers, and their engagement with the topic of progression for their learners. Participants made many suggestions for its use, including as part of ILPs at the beginning and end of each year, to encourage self-reflection and motivation. Encouraging learners to reflect on their personal goals in this way, not just with learning English but more widely in their lives, can help them see how their ESOL course can help them achieve what they want in their new lives.
Another aspect of the Progression Pathways resource is giving tutors and learners access to the information they need to help them decide what to do after ESOL. The ‘Where Next?’ slide is designed to help with this, and the Wider Opportunities part of our website lists a range of courses and opportunities in the region which are useful and relevant to ESOL learners, for example courses on using spreadsheets for business, and self-employment skills.
Some tutors were curious about trying to use the resource with lower levels, starting the self-reflection and goal-setting process earlier on in learners’ ESOL journey. We have developed a lower level resource to help with this – tried and tested in an E1/E2 classroom. These slides, along with the original resource designed for E3/L1 learners, are available by clicking the button below
