Guy, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, started college with no clear idea of what path he wanted to take. With guidance from a tutor, he started a course that he found challenging as his first language is French. With lots of hard work, Guy’s English improved. He chose to pursue a pathway leading…
The smell of the grease paint, the heat of the lights, the sound of laughter, the thrill of the applause….a life in the theatre. When I decided to be a Performing Arts teacher I thought I had to leave all of this in the past. That was, however, until I discovered other ways to fulfil…
Learner stories were collected from across Australia and the United Kingdom, and include voices spanning much of the earth. The anthology originated in two national adult literacies organisations whose members wanted told the stories of the resilience of learners and the value of developing literacies through lifelong and lifewide learning. This is the latest collection…
Education is a human right I left school with relatively mediocre O level and CSE qualifications. I went to my local FE college to study nursery nursing. Here, I was able to enter the work of work and mix with adults in the work place, a whole new world for me back then. This is…
Gary Husband shares his story FE has been hugely influential in my adult life. On leaving school I didn’t consider ‘tech’ as an option, my parents had aspirations of me attending university. I went for several interviews for various degree courses and received several offers. When my A level results arrived, not only did they…
Originally from Ukraine, Alena talks about returning to education as a mature student. Alena’s journey meant facing up to the challenge of learning in a fourth language and starting a new life in this country. Alena’s story shows us how FE can offer opportunities to develop new knowledge and new identities. Her story is a testament…
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…
