Rima is a multi-lingual student from Italy. She talks about her experience of returning to education and her dream of going to university. With the help, belief and support of her FE teacher she overcame her language barriers and is now studying psychology at university. Rima: It was a long journey, but I’ve made it. Jo uses…
I dropped all science at 14, it wasn’t until our mock ‘O’ levels that the school realised this. Too late to do anything about it then! My mother suggested hairdressing as an occupation as I was clueless about what I wanted to do. At that time we had separate science lessons and our tutor decided…
Howard teaches in a college in the northwest and uses social networks as a supportive base to situate learning around and authenticate language in dynamic contexts. The functions of online networks can help realise underlying social principles, enable improved communication through communities of practice and facilitate visible and purposeful agency towards objectives, enhancing engagement with…
Over my teaching career, I have seen learners’ lives transformed by teachers, including me and my team. My curriculum area includes ESOL where learners have developed skills and confidence in speaking English as their second language so that they now have better jobs, friends in the community and the workplace and, in some cases, have…
I always wanted to be a teacher but was led to believe university wasn’t for someone like me. Growing up was hard, my life was turbulent and I experienced things that no child ever should, as a consequence my mental health suffered along with my education, I failed my 11 plus and my G.C.S.E’s. When…
Redborne Community College last century. The first ‘Brush Up Your Maths’ session of the academic year. At the beginning of the lesson, in comes a former student to speak to the class. “I passed my GCSE Maths, then obtained a Physics Degree + I’ve just completed a PGCE. I now teach locally.” Both of us so…
As an active young disabled member of Unison, I fully support the need for continued trade union education at local trade union study centres. As you may be aware all funding will go in 2017. I feel so strongly that this must not happen, as Unison is the biggest union in the country we need…
Working in the North East, Judith has a strong awareness of the community her students come from. Her approach to teaching focuses on individuals and mediating new knowledge to make it meaningful and accessible. This builds confidence and strengthens engagement. Judith is a committed teacher who has seen a multitude of learners transform their lives…
Further education is a powerful lever for personal, community and social change.Adult Education and its benefits are dynamic in the sense that benefits gained in one domain such as education impact on functioning in other domains, such as family and community. Bynner and Parsons (2005) drawing on the preliminary results from their longitudinal research using…
Curtis compares being an FE teacher to spinning plates. Not only do FE teachers have to meet the needs of their students but they have to gather data about individual students and always be mindful of funding. Curtis thinks it is vital that FE teachers are active in their approaches and that they bring themselves…
