ESOL Awareness
Talk
English
Here
Today, we are going to:
• Introduce the Talk English Project
About Talk English
Funded by the
Department of
‘Speaking English is
crucial to allow us to
come together and be
part of British society.’
‘People are unable to
do this and are
condemned to a
limited life if they can’t
speak our language.’
The Rt Hon Eric Pickles
MP, DCLG, 2013
Communities and Local
Government (DCLG),
Talk English aims to
improve the language
skills of people with little
or no English.
About Talk English
Talk English is taking
place in Blackburn with
Darwen, Bradford,
Burnley, Hyndburn,
Kirklees, Manchester,
Oldham, Pendle and
Rochdale.
Talk English beneficiaries…
• have little or no English language
• are not eligible for mainstream ESOL
support, as delivered via the Skills Funding
Agency
• live in areas with high
demand for ESOL
• are aged 19+
About Talk English
#1 Talk English Courses
#2 Talk English Friends
#3 Talk English Here
#4 Talk English Activities
#5 Talk English Web
#1 Talk English Courses
• Take place in community settings
• Taught by trained volunteers
• Learners practise their speaking,
listening, reading and writing skills
• Functional topics- shopping, health,
transport, homes, neighbourhood
#2 Talk English Friends
•
‘Friends’ are native or fluent speakers of
English
•
Learners are matched to a ‘Friend’
•
Meet regularly to practise English
•
Do different activities together- go for a
walk, visit a museum, join the library
#4 Talk English Activities
• Programme of activities that people can
attend to improve their English and at the
same time :
- meet others
- build confidence
- learn something new
- improve their general health
#3 Talk English Here
• Working with local businesses and
services to increase ESOL Awareness in
staff
• Staff will be better able to help customers
with low levels of English
• Provide authentic opportunities for people
to practise and use English
The figures
Population
Cannot
speak
English well
Cannot
speak
English
England &
Wales
Manchester
54 million
480,738
725,639
1.3%
13,941
2.9%
137,511
0.3%
2,884
0.6%
Office of National Statistics, 2011 Census: Proficiency in English, local authorities in England and Wales, accessed
February 2014 at www.ons.gov.uk
Office of National Statistics, 2011 Census: Proficiency in English, local authorities in England and Wales, accessed
February 2014 at www.ons.gov.uk
What is ESOL?
E nglish for
S peakers of
O ther
L anguages
ESOL levels
• There are 6 ESOL levels
- Pre-entry
- Entry 3
- Entry 1
- Level 1
- Entry 2
- Level 2
The Talk English
project aims to help
people who reported
that they could not
speak English or
could not speak
English well in the
2011 Census.
• Talk English is for people with skills at Preentry – Entry Level 1
Activity 1: Overview of ESOL Levels sorting task
Other languages
In Manchester, 17% of all usual residents
don’t speak English as their main language,
compared to 8% in England and Wales.
1.What other main languages
are spoken in Manchester?
2.Which languages are the
most widely spoken?
Activity 2a: Languages, script and country matching task
Learning another language
You’re going to take part in a short lesson in
which you will learn a few phrases in an
unknown language.
Activity 2b: Learning an unknown language (microteach)
Learning another language
1. How did you feel during the session?
2. Did you find it easy or difficult?
3. How long do you think it takes to learn a
language?
Activity 2b: Learning an unknown language (microteach)
Better communication
Have a look at the phrase(s) you’ve been
given.
1.Why might they be difficult
for people with low levels of
English?
2.How could you make them
simpler?
Activity 3a: Is it direct, straightforward or specific?
Better communication
Read the statements and decide if they are
‘Dos’ or ‘Don’ts’.
Can you think of any more tips for effective
communication?
Activity 3b: Top tips for effective communication
Better communication
Watch the role-play and list all the examples
of bad communication.
Now practise the role-play with a partner
using good communication.
Activity 3c: Role-playing (in)effective communication
What have you
learned today?
Complete the Talk
English Here:
Trainee Evaluation
to share what you’ve
learned today and
how you found the
session
Find out more about ESOL
• Watch videos of ESOL learners at different levels
http://www.trinitycollege.co.uk/site/?id=1999
• Sign up for free to ESOL Nexus and complete
the on-line CPD activity What is ESOL? at
http://esol.britishcouncil.org/cpd-modules/what-
esol
Follow us on Twitter
@TalkEnglishReg
Like us on Facebook:
Talk English
Thank you!