This two-year project involves 5 partners from 5 countries and focuses on the upskilling both volunteers and existing language teachers who are working on the teaching of the home language to asylum seekers and refugees. It addresses shortfalls in both provision and quality. The Council of Europe Report (2017b) highlighted the key role of volunteers in providing language tuition to newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees in both formal and non-formal contexts. However, they rarely have access to training. Furthermore, research by the Fundamental Rights Agency, in 2017, highlighted that even in formal settings, many teachers are not trained or have no experience with general issues of migration and diversity, to work with refugee students and their particular needs or to teach the national language as a second language. This project aims to address these shortfalls by creating a model of training provision that focuses on the specific needs of the target groups of asylum seekers and refugees, and the quality of teaching and learning. It aims to explore such issues as knowing the needs and expectations of the target groups, different techniques to improve engagement, and learning models to meet those needs, including non-formal learning. It will share existing expertise and develop new strategies. The aim will be to provide a model methodology and set of resources that have been tested in a range of contexts with a variety of target groups, which can then be more widely adopted. The resources to be developed will be a set of 5 training modules. The approach taken by this project is very much learner orientated and linked to their specific needs and ambitions – this is covered in the first module of the training. Evidence shows that all too often, there is a one size fits all approach and that this is de-motivating. The learner-centred approach will focus on the individual need and use individual plans to tailor provision and measure progress. This project also aims to ensure that formal approaches are supported by non-formal learning, and that there is a synergy between them. The 5 modules are: 1. Getting to know your target groups and their needs – including using a self-evaluation tool 2. Active engagement techniques including creating a positive climate for learning 3. Structuring learning including preparation, planning, and resourcing 4. Teaching Models including lesson design for inclusion incorporating both formal and non-formal learning, learning styles, guided learning, and group work 5. Assessment for Learning These will be trialed in two cycles with volunteers and trained teachers and it is anticipated that they will reach 400 learners. The outcomes of the trials will be reported in an impact report. The project addresses the Adult Education priority of extending and developing the competence of educators and other personnel who support adult learners and the horizontal priorities of supporting individuals in acquiring and developing basic skills and key competences and social inclusion. The overall anticipated result will be a new training model and resources with evidence that they can impact on the quality of teaching and learning of those working with asylum seekers and refugees, despite different educational and cultural contexts. They will be made freely available to NGOs working with asylum seekers, voluntary organisations, training providers and regional authorities across the EU.
The overall objective of this Strategic Partnership was to develop a set of training resources to be used by teachers and volunteers teaching the home language to asylum seekers and refugees. The specific objectives of the project were to: • identify and prioritise generic and specific training needs in the field of teaching the home language to asylum seekers and refugees and create a self-evaluation tool • create an outline scheme of work which addresses the training needs and the priority communication needs of the target groups • develop the scheme of work into a modular training course in 5 languages in 5 countries • trial and test the methodology and the resources • identify and use tools to evaluate impact, including data and feedback from the target groups • create a set of case studies from each country • share the outcomes and materials widely
This project was inspired by work that was being undertaken in the North Yorkshire and Teesside areas of the UK to help asylum seekers and refugees learn English. Although they had some small amount of formal input, the local areas have recruited volunteers to help through the English at Home scheme and the City of Sanctuary. In the UK, research by Refugee Action found that ‘refugees are waiting up to three years to start learning English, as chronic underfunding has left colleges and other providers struggling to meet demand’. Their research also highlighted that women face the biggest barriers to learning, with 77% of providers unable to meet the needs of all those who want to learn. After discussing with colleagues in other countries, we discovered that this pattern is repeated elsewhere, with the voluntary sector active in supporting language learning. We also discovered that the training of teachers of an additional language is uneven and that language lessons are, in many cases, delivered in a very traditional manner. The increase of migration in recent years, has led to a significant increase in demand to learn the language of the host country, which has been further exacerbated by the requirement by some member states for migrants to have a certain level of competence in the national or official language in order to apply for residence. This increased demand has placed strains on capacity. At the European level, the 2018 Council of Europe survey on language policies for migrants concluded that there is little language learning provision outside the compulsory school system, and the specific needs of refugees are rarely catered for. The Council of Europe report (2017b) pointed out that ‘even before the large numbers of newly arrived refugees, it has been crucial to cooperate with volunteers and NGOs, mainly to fill gaps that could not be serviced by governments and cities… This has been the case particularly for language learning’. The UK Refugee Action research pointed out that charities and community groups are stepping in to support refugees and people seeking asylum to practice their English and make new friends. There have also been issues of quality of provision. Research by the Fundamental Rights Agency, 2017, highlighted that ‘many teachers are not trained or have no experience with general issues of migration and diversity, to work with refugee students and their particular needs, to teach the national language as a second language and to enable connections with students’ prior knowledge’ This project aimed to address the lack of specific training to teachers of asylum seekers and, in particular, volunteers. It aimed to address this shortfall by creating a model of training provision that focuses on the specific needs of the target groups of asylum seekers and refugees but also the quality of teaching and learning. It has explored such issues as knowing the needs and expectations of the target groups, different techniques to improve engagement, and learning models to meet those needs, with a focus on the individual’s learning needs. The aim has been to provide a model methodology and set of resources that have been tested in a range of contexts with a variety of target groups, to demonstrate how they can be more widely adopted.