ESOL Awareness

TalkEnglishHere

Today, we are going to:

• Introduce the Talk English Project

About Talk English

Funded by the

Department of

Communities and Local

Government (DCLG),

Talk English aims to

improve the language

skills of people with little

or no English.

‘Speaking English is crucial to allow us to come together and be part of British society.’

The Rt Hon Eric Pickles MP, DCLG, 2013

‘People are unable to do this and are condemned to a limited life if they can’t speak our language.’

About Talk English

Talk English is taking

place in Blackburn with

Darwen, Bradford,

Burnley, Hyndburn,

Kirklees, Manchester,

Oldham, Pendle and

Rochdale.

Talk English beneficiaries…

• have little or no English language

• are not eligible for mainstream ESOL support, as delivered via the Skills Funding Agency

• live in areas with high demand for ESOL

• are aged 19+

About Talk English

#1 Talk English Courses

#2 Talk English Friends

#3 Talk English Here

#4 Talk English Activities

#5 Talk English Web

#1 Talk English Courses

• Take place in community settings

• Taught by trained volunteers

• Learners practise their speaking,

listening, reading and writing skills

• Functional topics- shopping, health,

transport, homes, neighbourhood

#2 Talk English Friends

• ‘Friends’ are native or fluent speakers of English

• Learners are matched to a ‘Friend’

• Meet regularly to practise English

• Do different activities together- go for a walk, visit

a museum, join the library

#4 Talk English Activities

• Programme of activities that people can

attend to improve their English and at the

same time :

- meet others

- build confidence

- learn something new

- improve their general health

#3 Talk English Here

• Working with local businesses and

services to increase ESOL Awareness in

staff

• Staff will be better able to help customers

with low levels of English

• Provide authentic opportunities for

people to practise and use English

The figures

England & Wales Manchester

Population 54 million 480,738

Cannot speak English well

725,639 1.3% 13,941 2.9%

Cannot speak English

137,511 0.3% 2,884 0.6%

Office of National Statistics, 2011 Census: Proficiency in English, local authorities in England and Wales, accessed February 2014 at www.ons.gov.uk

Office of National Statistics, 2011 Census: Proficiency in English, local authorities in England and Wales, accessed February 2014 at www.ons.gov.uk

What is ESOL?

English for

OS

L

peakers of

ther

anguages

ESOL levels

• There are 6 ESOL levels

- Pre-entry - Entry 3

- Entry 1 - Level 1

- Entry 2 - Level 2

The Talk English project aims to help people who reported that they could not speak English or could not speak English well in the 2011 Census.

• Talk English is for people with skills at Pre-

entry – Entry Level 1

Activity 1: Overview of ESOL Levels sorting task

Other languages

In Manchester, 17% of all usual residents don’t speak English as their main language, compared to 8% in England and Wales.

1.What other main languages are spoken in Manchester?

2.Which languages are the most widely spoken?

Activity 2a: Languages, script and country matching task

Learning another language

You’re going to take part in a short lesson in

which you will learn a few phrases in an

unknown language.

Activity 2b: Learning an unknown language (microteach)

Learning another language

1.How did you feel during the session?

2.Did you find it easy or difficult?

3.How long do you think it takes to learn a language?

Activity 2b: Learning an unknown language (microteach)

Better communication

Have a look at the phrase(s) you’ve been given.

1.Why might they be difficult for people with low levels of English?

2.How could you make them simpler?

Activity 3a: Is it direct, straightforward or specific?

Better communication

Read the statements and decide if they are ‘Dos’ or ‘Don’ts’.

Can you think of any more tips for effective communication?

Activity 3b: Top tips for effective communication

Better communication

Watch the role-play and list all the

examples of bad communication.

Activity 3c: Role-playing (in)effective communication

Now practise the role-play with a

partner using good communication.

What have you learned today? Complete the Talk

English Here: Trainee Evaluation to share what you’ve learned today and how you found the session

Find out more about ESOL

• Watch videos of ESOL learners at different levels

http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=1999

• Sign up for free to ESOL Nexus and complete the on-line CPD activity

What is ESOL? at http://esol.britishcouncil.org/cpd-modules/what-esol

Thank you!

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