‘Anunavoidablemust’Asylumseekers,refugees,andEnglish.pptVIP

‘An unavoidable must’? Asylum seekers, refugees, and English classes James Simpson (University of Leeds) Melanie Cooke (King’s College, London) Journeys and Justice Conference University of Leeds 29-01-10 ESOL Research ESOL Effective Practice Project (EEPP) Baynham, M., C. Roberts, M. Cooke, J. Simpson, K. Ananiadou, J. Callaghan, J. McGoldrick and C. Wallace, (2007) Effective teaching and learning: ESOL. London: NRDC Turning Talk into Learning Project Cooke, M. and C. Roberts (2007) Developing adult teaching and learning: Practitioner guide ESOL and Reflection and Action in ESOL Classrooms. London: NRDC Placement Practices Project Simpson, J., M. Cooke and M. Baynham (2007) The Right Course? An exploratory study of learner placement practices in ESOL and Literacy. London: NRDC. Cooke, M. and Simpson, J. (2008) ESOL: A Critical Guide. Oxford University Press The struggle for English The EEPP study showed that some people had been in the UK for many years without reaching a level of English they found acceptable Many people speak English outside the classroom mainly in fleeting casual encounters or unequal institutional encounters Some people have dense social networks but others are extremely isolated and almost all have very limited opportunities to practise English Many express a strong desire to get to know people from English speaking communities, to work and to “integrate” Motivation to learn English Employment: most asylum seekers and refugees suffer a dramatic loss of cultural capital when they come to the UK. Professionals and skilled workers are unable to practise their professions because they are not permitted to work, or their qualifications are not recognised in the UK Dealing with everyday bureaucracy To break dependence on others (e.g. interpreters) Motivation (2) To understand everyday interaction ‘my wife and I used to joke with each other, saying that we might have said thanks in reply to someone else’s curses’. (Chinese man, Le