Using participatory approaches in community based English coversation groups.
The project aimed to enable volunteer ESOL teachers to facilitate participatory, localised ESOL speaking and listening activities in SAVTE conversation groups.
The project aimed to change the role of a volunteer from that of 'teacher' who may sit apart from learning being experienced in the room, and to expand the experience of conversation groups for learners, into a more collaborative and experiential experience with direct relevance to issues and changes in their own lives. Volunteers were supported by members of the research team to deliver participatory sessions. The project has highlighted the important role that Language Volunteers, with a degree of lived experience shared with the ESOL learners they support, play.
OTLA 8
1. Reflect on what works best in your teaching and learning to meet the diverse needs of learners - This project has used collaborative learning methods, which meet the needs of learners with ‘spiky profiles’ - those with lower literacy levels are still able to fully participate.
6. Build positive and collaborative relationships with colleagues and learners - This project activity has demonstrated the ‘bridging’ role of a participatory activity where everyone in the room is a genuine participant with shared experience of the topic being explored. As such it offers an approach to overcome traditional perceptions of where ‘power’ lies in a classroom, as all participants can contribute and collaborate equally.
9. Apply theoretical understanding of effective practice in teaching, learning and assessment drawing on research and other evidence - This project builds on theories of adult learning which highlight the importance of using immediately relevant subject matter which is of importance to the adult participants to maximise engagement and reflection.