In recent times, there has been much focus placed on how best to meet the needs of children with learning disabilities or other conditions which make their inclusion in mainstream school a challenge; approaches to teaching sees inclusion as something which is seen to be encouraged as much as possible. In the case of adult English Language Learning (ELL), in the last twenty years the UK has seen a rise in immigrants seeking asylum, some of whom have fled war zones or persecution in their own countries, and consequently present with significant disabilities, learning difficulties or literacy problems. This paper looks at some of the challenges faced by teachers and suggests ways in which English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classrooms can be most effective for learners with differing needs.
To gain United Kingdom citizenship, it is necessary for prospective candidates to pass the Life in the UK Test for which certain language proficiency is required. For this purpose, ESOL classes are designed and attendance is compulsory in many cases, especially those seeking asylum or wishing to apply for Leave to Remain in the UK. In the author’s experience, ESOL classes in the UK are more than just a place for immigrants, asylum seekers and migrant workers to gain the English skills required to function in everyday life in Britain - they are also an opportunity for socialization and the chance for them to be assessed and signposted to specialist agencies providing help and support.
Prior to each term, each learner undergoes an initial assessment for reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in order for them to be placed in the most appropriate level and for Individual Learner Plans (ILP) to be formulated. It is during this process that those with limited literacy are identified and offered places on literacy courses if they are available. Furthermore, learners may also present with disabilities for which classroom accessibility needs to be assessed but whilst learning support assistants are a valuable and much needed support to the teacher, lack of funding almost always prevents teachers from benefiting from additional support. With this in mind, the utilization of volunteers can be key to enabling effective learning to take place in an inclusive environment.
My greatest challenge was a student who was seeking asylum after being in the Afghan army in the 2000s. Seriously injured in a roadside bomb attack, he eventually made his way to the UK where he was assessed by Social Services as part of his asylum claim and was sent to our school for English classes. He was able to undergo assessment but also presented with limited vision, an element of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a heart condition and missing digits which made writing difficult. He was also illiterate in his first language (L1). These disabilities made it difficult to include him in general English classes. Unfortunately, no funding was available for a classroom assistant and as literacy classes were limited to women only, I had to make my classroom as accessible as I could for him. To include him, I devised differentiated lesson plans and also utilized a volunteer to work with him one-to-one wherever possible.
Nevertheless, despite providing one-to-one support, students’ learning processes can also be affected by other factors. Whilst it is important to monitor student performance in class, it is also essential to identify other reasons why their learning may be affected. For instance, my class once included a female student who eventually shared that she was being abused by her husband so it was possible to refer her to a local domestic violence unit. Also, we were able to link one of our male Iranian learners up with a substance misuse team due to his addiction to methadone, which was not uncommon due to the black market availability of the drug in the local Iranian community.
In conclusion, classes are often mixed sex, multi-cultural and mixed ability which makes it essential for the mobilization of volunteers and appropriate differentiation of lesson plans for those with learning difficulties. This requires culturally-relevant activities to be selected and for differentiated materials to be provided for low-level learners. Evidently, these classes can be challenging to manage and time consuming for ESOL teachers to plan for but with good assessment and trained volunteers, they can be conducted successfully and with favourable results.
To gain United Kingdom citizenship, it is necessary for prospective candidates to pass the Life in the UK Test for which certain language proficiency is required. For this purpose, ESOL classes are designed and attendance is compulsory in many cases, especially those seeking asylum or wishing to apply for Leave to Remain in the UK. In the author’s experience, ESOL classes in the UK are more than just a place for immigrants, asylum seekers and migrant workers to gain the English skills required to function in everyday life in Britain - they are also an opportunity for socialization and the chance for them to be assessed and signposted to specialist agencies providing help and support.
Prior to each term, each learner undergoes an initial assessment for reading, writing, listening and speaking skills in order for them to be placed in the most appropriate level and for Individual Learner Plans (ILP) to be formulated. It is during this process that those with limited literacy are identified and offered places on literacy courses if they are available. Furthermore, learners may also present with disabilities for which classroom accessibility needs to be assessed but whilst learning support assistants are a valuable and much needed support to the teacher, lack of funding almost always prevents teachers from benefiting from additional support. With this in mind, the utilization of volunteers can be key to enabling effective learning to take place in an inclusive environment.
My greatest challenge was a student who was seeking asylum after being in the Afghan army in the 2000s. Seriously injured in a roadside bomb attack, he eventually made his way to the UK where he was assessed by Social Services as part of his asylum claim and was sent to our school for English classes. He was able to undergo assessment but also presented with limited vision, an element of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a heart condition and missing digits which made writing difficult. He was also illiterate in his first language (L1). These disabilities made it difficult to include him in general English classes. Unfortunately, no funding was available for a classroom assistant and as literacy classes were limited to women only, I had to make my classroom as accessible as I could for him. To include him, I devised differentiated lesson plans and also utilized a volunteer to work with him one-to-one wherever possible.
Nevertheless, despite providing one-to-one support, students’ learning processes can also be affected by other factors. Whilst it is important to monitor student performance in class, it is also essential to identify other reasons why their learning may be affected. For instance, my class once included a female student who eventually shared that she was being abused by her husband so it was possible to refer her to a local domestic violence unit. Also, we were able to link one of our male Iranian learners up with a substance misuse team due to his addiction to methadone, which was not uncommon due to the black market availability of the drug in the local Iranian community.
In conclusion, classes are often mixed sex, multi-cultural and mixed ability which makes it essential for the mobilization of volunteers and appropriate differentiation of lesson plans for those with learning difficulties. This requires culturally-relevant activities to be selected and for differentiated materials to be provided for low-level learners. Evidently, these classes can be challenging to manage and time consuming for ESOL teachers to plan for but with good assessment and trained volunteers, they can be conducted successfully and with favourable results.