RESOURCE PACK SECTION ONE Reflect for ESOL · 2020-04-29 · English are often ignored and marginalised. A Reflect-based approach to learning English can help equip participants with

Reflect for ESOLENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

RESOURCE PACK SECTION ONE

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REFLECT ESOL | RESOURCE PACK SECTION ONE

Introduction 03

Who are these materials for? 04

What is Reflect? 05

Getting started 07

The facilitator 09

A scheme of work 10

The Reflect session 11

Monitoring and evaluation 14

Networking 15

Contents

Reflect:c/o International Education Team,

Actionaid, Hamlyn House,

Macdonald Road, Archway, London N19 5PG

Telephone: 020 7561 7561

[email protected]

www.reflect-action.org

Written by: Piers Cardiff, Kate Newman and Emma Pearce,

with contributions from Kate Metcalf & Eamon Scanlon

Design: www.open-associates.co.uk

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The national core curriculum forEnglish for Speakers of OtherLanguages (ESOL) emphasises alearner-centred approach. ESOLproviders and teachers are expectedto be aware of the range of needs,skills and aspirations that eachlearner has and the implication of these for the learning process.Reflect offers a practical andproven way of achieving this.

By drawing on participatory tools andmethods to address teacher/learnerdynamics, Reflect enables participants to bring their existing knowledge, skillsand creativity into the learning process.Participants develop visual learningmaterials related to their own immediateexperiences. The development oflanguage skills is thus linked to practicaland relevant issues that relate to realsituations. Participants also gainconfidence to express their own opinionsand challenge injustices. By linkinglanguage learning to the analysis ofbroader issues in learners’ lives Reflectcan help bring the real world into theclassroom, helping participants todevelop and strengthen their languageskills through practical use.

Although literacy and language skills areimportant, they alone will not changepeople’s lives. Refugees, asylum seekersand other long-term immigrants to theUK face a multitude of barriers andprejudices in accessing services andmeeting their daily needs in an unfamiliarenvironment. They need to know how toaccess and use information not just howto read it. They need to develop morethan just linguistic confidence to dealwith the complex power dynamicsaround certain situations. They shouldfeel as confident as anyone else tospeak out when their rights are abused –as entitled as anyone else to addressproblems for themselves and to proposetheir own solutions.

Reflect can play a key role in linking thelearning of ESOL to wider processes ofsocial integration and communitycohesion. The Reflect ESOL process willhelp to give refugees, asylum seekers andother marginalised groups a greater voicein their own community, challengingstereotypes and confronting socialexclusion, racism and isolation. In apredominantly monolingual society, such as the UK, those who do not speakEnglish are often ignored and marginalised.A Reflect-based approach to learningEnglish can help equip participants with a greater understanding of the issues theyface, whilst also developing their languageskills in areas that are relevant to theirlives. Learners will learn language skillsalongside other skills, enabling them toparticipate in the national economy,become active citizens and access theirbasic rights and entitlements.

In this Resource Pack, we present avariety of Reflect materials adaptedspecifically for use in an ESOL context.We hope that teachers and otherpractitioners will make use of them. We hope to improve and add to thesematerials based on your experiences ofusing them, so please let us know whathas and hasn’t worked for you and whatadditions you would like to see to theResource Pack ([email protected]).

Reflect for ESOLENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES

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The Reflect ESOL Resource Pack isintended for anyone teaching or workingwith refugees, asylum seekers, or long-term immigrant groups in the UK. SectionOne provides an overview of the Reflectparticipatory process, starting fromdiscussion, analysis and learning, throughto practice and finally reflection andaction. The materials provided in SectionTwo cover the four language skills oflistening, speaking, reading and writingand are based on a variety of themes, all of which are pertinent to the lives ofrefugees, asylum seekers and immigrantgroups. Examples are provided of howthese can be mapped to the Adult ESOLcore curriculum. Finally, in Section Three you can find a selection of theparticipatory tools used in Reflect,including graphics such as the tree,matrix and river.

The materials are not designed to run in sequence. The aim is not to provide a step-by-step guide for ESOL teaching,but to generate ideas to help facilitate acritical and collaborative learning process.The materials can be used to develop aspecific scheme of work based on theReflect approach, or dipped into tosupplement an existing ESOL course.Practitioners can choose a relevanttheme from those described, or workwith their group to chose a new themeand develop it to reflect their own ideasand the specific needs and identities ofthe group.

The tools and themes described in thisResource Pack can be adapted for useat any stage in the learning process. Theprocess can work with mixed languagegroups or single language groups. It canbe used with people with similar levels ofEnglish or with mixed ability groups.Learners at pre-entry stage and beyondcan use their first language to developmaterials and bring in ESOL skills at theirown pace. Pictures and graphics aidcommunication and encourage an easytransition to literacy skills. In a moreadvanced group the graphics encourage

lively debate, helping to draw in thosewho may be otherwise reluctant toparticipate. Any ESOL provider couldwork with Reflect, be they community-based organisations, further educationcolleges or local authority centres. Thesize of a group could be anything from10 to 30 members.

Pebbles in the SandSince 1999, the Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association(CIWA), a local Canadian NGO, has used Reflect in ESOLwith refugee communities, specifically women, who arecurrently underserved by the traditional system. The CIWAstaff had no specific training in the Reflect methodologynor any direct contact with other Reflect groups, just acopy of the Reflect Mother Manual.

Commenting on her experience of working with Reflect,Desiree Lopez (then programme manager) writes: “from the beginning of the pilot phase, when all the staffprimarily had conventional teaching experience, we wereastounded by the multi-dimensional effect that usingReflect had on our experience. Yes, participants increasedtheir reading and writing skills in English (on average 87%of participants increase in either their reading and/orwriting benchmark within 10 weeks of part-time study andon average 70% move on to full-time study in mainstreamprogrammes, employment or skills training programmes)…[but] working with Reflect opened it beyond that to look at additional issues around personal worth, communityhealth, gender, illness, domestic violence, access andisolation and culture.”

Groups discussed topics such as family violence, poverty,immigration law, health, parenting, social services, etc.,thus spreading the impact far beyond language learning.In its review, the standing committee on citizenship andintegration of the House of Commons in Canadarecognised this as good practice.

Who are these materials for?

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Reflect is an innovative approach to adult learning and social change thatfuses the theories of Paulo Freire withparticipatory methodologies developedfor Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA).Originally developed through pilot projectsin Bangladesh, El Salvador and Uganda,Reflect is now used by over 500organisations in more than 70 countries,in each case adapted to the localcontext. It was awarded UN LiteracyPrizes in 2003 and 2005, for the way inwhich it has revolutionised adult learning.

Central to Reflect is an awareness ofpower dynamics and relationships, and the effect of this on participation andlearning. As such, the approach requires a transformation of traditional classroomroles, placing learners at the centre of their own learning process. The teacherbecomes facilitator, their role transformedfrom one of directing or transferringknowledge to one of facilitating, sharing,enabling and catalysing, as well as learningand reflecting themselves. The participantsset their own agenda, identify their ownissues, prepare their own learning materialsand act on their analysis.

Underpinning the approach is a huge(and ever-expanding) range ofparticipatory tools and techniques.Prominent among these are visualisationtools (or graphics) such as calendars,maps, matrices, rivers, and trees, whichenable participants to communicate theirknowledge, experience and feelingswithout being restricted by literacy andlanguage barriers. The construction ofthe graphic involves discussion on a keyissue in the learners’ lives, generatingvocabulary that is relevant and practical.Other participatory tools such as role-play are introduced to give learners theopportunity to rehearse real situations.

The accumulated discussion, reflectionand analysis of each issue leads learnersto identify actions that they can take(individually or as a group) to improvetheir situation. These actions involve the practical use of oral and writtenlanguage, thus strengthening people’slanguage use outside the classroom.Furthermore, using the Reflect tools andapproach encourages documentation of the learners’ own experiences andhistories – a valuable end in itself.

What is Reflect?

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Reflect is based on a series of core principles and elements, derived both from the theoreticalfoundations in Freire and Participatory RuralAppraisal, and from evolution of the approachthrough practical application and experience.

… power and voiceReflect is a process that aims to strengthen people’scapacity to communicate by whatever means are mostrelevant to them. Although part of the process may beabout learning a new language, the focus is on using this ina meaningful way. It is through focusing on the practical usethat real learning takes place.

… a political processReflect is premised on the recognition that achieving social change and greater social justice is a fundamentallypolitical process. Reflect is not a neutral approach. It seeks to help people in the struggle to assert their rights,challenge injustice and change their position in society. As such it requires us to explicitly align ourselves with thepoorest and most marginalised. It involves working withpeople rather than for them.

… a democratic spaceReflect involves creating a democratic space – one in whicheveryone’s voice is given equal weight. This needs to beactively constructed, as it does not naturally exist. As suchit is counter-cultural – challenging the power relationshipsand stratification that have created inequality. It is nevereasy and may never be perfectly achieved, but it should be a constant focus.

... an intensive and extensive processReflect is rarely a short or one-off process. Groups usually meet for about two years, and sometimes continue indefinitely. Often they meet three times a week –sometimes up to six times a week and rarely less thanonce a week. Each meeting may take about two hours.This intensity of contact on an ongoing basis is one of the fundamental ingredients for a process that seeks toachieve serious social or political change.

… grounded in existing knowledgeReflect begins with respecting and valuing people’s existingknowledge and experiences. However this does not meanaccepting opinions or prejudices without challenge.Whatsmore, there will always be a part of the process in which participants are enabled to access new informationand ideas from new sources. The key is to give people controlover that process and confidence in their own starting point,so that they can be critical and selective.

… linking reflection and actionReflect involves a continual cycle of reflection and action. It is not about reflection or learning for the sake of it, butrather reflection for the purpose of change. Neither is itabout action isolated from reflection, as pure activismrapidly loses direction. It is the fusion of these elements,and it can start with either.

… using participatory toolsA wide range of participatory tools are used within a Reflectprocess to help create an open, democratic environment inwhich everyone is able to contribute. Visualisation approachesare of particular importance (calendars, diagrams, maps,etc…) and can provide a structure for the process. However,many other participatory methods and processes are alsoused, including theatre, role-play, song, dance, video orphotography.

… power awarenessAll participatory tools can be distorted, manipulated or usedin exploitative ways if they are not linked to an awareness ofpower relationships. Reflect is a political process in whichthe multiple dimensions of power and stratification arealways the focus of reflection, and actions are orientedtowards changing inequitable power relationships whatevertheir basis. A structural analysis is needed to ensure thatissues are not dealt with at a superficial level. Only throughsuch analysis can effective strategic actions be determined.

… coherence and self-organisationReflect needs to be used systematically. The same principlesand processes that apply to the participants also apply tous, within our own institutions and even our personal lives. It is important that the facilitator engage in the processalongside the participants, subjecting her/his behaviour,experiences and opinions to the same analysis, rather thanstanding outside as teacher and judge. Ideally, the focus ofthe process should be towards self-organisation, so thatgroups are self-managed where possible rather than beingfacilitated by, or dependent on, outsiders.

The core elements of Reflect

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Whilst we recognise that somefacilitators may wish just to dipinto the materials, using the ideasto supplement their usual ESOLteaching, we feel that the greatestbenefit will come from undertakingan integrated Reflect process. Herewe describe some of the keyelements of such a process.

Negotiating ground rules

If you are planning to run a Reflect group,in the first proper meeting it is important to negotiate some basic ground rules andnorms. The participants may brainstorm anumber of ground rules for discussion bythe group. Alternatively, each participantcould write a couple of proposed rules ona card. Rules may cover issues such ashaving fun, turning up on time, showingrespect for fellow participants and notinterrupting or ridiculing another participant,for example. Some of the proposed rulesmay well be rejected or amended by thegroup members, especially where thereare contradictions. Others may be sosimilar that they can be merged into asingle statement. A written or clear visualrecord should be kept of any of the basicnorms or ground rules agreed. It shouldbe noted that even at this stage, there are plenty of opportunities for languagelearning.

Appropriate ways should be found fordiscussing the importance of creating a democratic space, exploring what thismeans to participants and how it can be put into practice. It may be possible to discuss directly some of the powerrelationships that are present betweenparticipants and how these may affect theatmosphere or dynamic of the group. Thismay sound daunting, but it can be donequite simply. Sheer numbers may meanthat one set of participants very obviouslydominates the group. Visualisationapproaches may be used to structure a reflection on these dynamics. Forexample, a series of chapati diagrams (see Section Three) could be used to look at the relative size and influence ofdifferent groups (according to sex, age,nationality, religion, social group, etc). Inthese discussions the facilitator should beprepared to acknowledge her or his ownpower in the group.

Layout and group dynamics

The layout of space has very significantpower implications and it is important toconsider this when working with Reflect. A traditional classroom layout with theteacher/facilitator at the front and thestudents/participants sitting at rows ofdesks will have echoes of school and willnot encourage full participation. Althoughthe group will probably have little controlover the room assigned to it, there may besome scope for rearranging it to suit theparticipants’ needs. It’s a good idea toinvolve participants in designing, agreeingor arranging the use of space – alwaysreflecting on the power issues involved.

Try to ensure that the room can be used for two purposes with relative ease. Space is needed for participatoryactivities; for example where graphics canbe constructed on the floor or on a largesurface, with room for participants tomove around. The group should also beable to sit in a circle (perhaps around thegraphic), ideally so that each participantcan make eye contact reasonably easilywith every other participant. It is alsohelpful to have places where completedgraphics can be hung up. Keeping thematerials on display will help with cross-referencing and the build up of acumulative analysis, as participants areable to return to and build upon their work whenever they wish.

The Reflect processGetting started

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Expectations & aspirations

One early discussion should concernparticipants’ expectations andaspirations. Each participant should begiven an opportunity and the means toshare their opinions on this. For example,the participants could be asked to writeor draw their main expectations onpieces of card. These could be displayedas a web with similar expectationsgrouped together by the participants (a more advanced group may be able tocome up with phrases that summarisethe main expectations expressed by theparticipants). Following a discussion, theexpectations could be recorded for futurereference and used as a basis forongoing monitoring.

It may also be useful to discuss theparticipant’s reasons for wishing to attendthe ESOL class (for some it may becompulsory). A lack of language skills isoften a common cause of discriminationin a predominantly monolingual societysuch as that of the UK. A tree provides agood means of examining the cause andeffects of a lack of language skills, withpotential actions for improving theirEnglish (see Section Three). It could becombined with a graphic such as a river,which examines their recent experiencesand the factors, that led them to come tothe class, and might be a useful startingpoint for a group.

The Reflect process could also be useful for helping to review participants’progress and the completion of IndividualLearning Plans (ILPs). One of the mainbarriers to students successfullycompleting ILPs, especially at lowerlevels, is a lack of language skills.Therefore, using graphics like a matrixcould be useful for reviewing participants’progress. On the vertical axis the tutorcan have a list of language outcomes,and in the next column, the participantscan use symbols, such as faces, ornumbers to reflect their opinions (for an example, see p.14).

Materials and resources

It is likely that the following materials willbe needed, though alternatives can beimprovised and many additional materialsmay be used at different moments:• Large sheets of paper, flipchart paper

or wallpaper.• Large marker-pens and felt-tips,

ideally lots of them and with a goodrange of colours.

• Sticky tape or masking tape.• Coloured paper or card, which can be

cut to make smaller cards as needed.• A store of objects for the flexible

construction of graphics (e.g. bags ofdifferent beans or rice, beads, buttons,pebbles, string).

• A blackboard or white-board, withchalk or pens.

Following the initial discussion of an issuewithin the group, the facilitator mayintroduce relevant supplementarymaterials on the issue being discussed.These may consist of:• Written materials – official forms,

newspaper articles, leaflets,organisational plans, budgets.

• Visual materials – photos, pictures,maps, cartoons.

• Audio materials – external speakers,excerpts from TV or radio broadcasts.

These materials will be used to furtheranalysis of the issue, with most languagelearning occurring through practicalexposure and use.

The Reflect ProcessGetting started cont.

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Reflect requires a transformation of traditional classroom dynamics,in which learners are placed at the centre of their own learningprocess. They set their own agenda,identify the issues to be discussed,prepare their own learning materials(sometimes drawing on externalinformation) and draw up and actupon their action plans. The teacherbecomes a facilitator. Their role istransformed from one of directingor transferring knowledge to one of sharing, enabling and catalysing,as well as learning and reflectingthemselves.

As well as language teaching, the facilitatorneeds to guide the group and keep themfocused on the task they are carrying out.Central to the Reflect process is a respectfor each individual’s existing knowledgeand experiences (though that doesn’tmean that opinions and prejudices gounchallenged). However, while the learners’own experiences will form the basis ofdiscussion around a theme, it will often benecessary for the facilitator to complementthis with external information anddocumentation to aid analysis, planningand action.

Reflect involves creating a democraticspace in which everyone’s voice is givenequal weight. The facilitator needs todevelop an awareness of the powerdynamics of the ESOL classroom and beprepared to transform their own and theirinstitution’s power.

Orientation

This Resource Pack is aimed primarily attrained and experienced ESOL teachers.However, we are aware that teachers whowant to take on this innovative approachwill need support. Whilst the materials areuser friendly and ideally can be used off-the-shelf, some familiarisation or orientationwill be important to ensure more effectivepractice. What's more, feedback fromteachers will be essential for enriching thematerials and situating them.

The focus of facilitator orientation shouldbe on the process rather than the content.Reflect principles and processes should befully applied, using participatory processesand engaging in power analysis of issuesarising. The intention should be to achievea level of internalisation and ownership ofthe process. Practical experience is key. A good option is to hold ‘sandwichworkshops’, with two periods of trainingeither side of a period of practicalexperience with the Reflect ESOL group. In the orientation process, facilitators canmake new adaptations of Reflect andproduce their own resource materials.Refresher workshops should be held atleast once a year, preferably more often.The focus of these should be defined bythe facilitators’ needs and interests.

Please contact ActionAid for details offuture Reflect for ESOL orientationworkshops.

Peer support

Facilitators need intensive support in thefirst weeks of a Reflect process. It can beeasy to get disillusioned, as things thatseemed easy in the orientation workshopprove more difficult in practice andunexpected problems and obstaclesarise. The facilitators will be the bestsupport for each other, as they will havea shared experience and will understandeach other. Where there is more than onefacilitator in an organisation or group theymay be able to undertake regular peerreviews as part of their reflective practice.

Regular facilitators’ forums can be veryeffective, meeting with rotating facilitationfrom within the group. The forums canecho the Reflect circle process, identifyingproblems and finding practical solutions.They may offer space for facilitators todevelop new ideas for participatory toolsand other resources that can be ofpractical use. The sharing and review of their experiences can also lead tothem identifying and discussing commonissues arising across groups. In somecases the forum may decide to do further research on an issue, or developjoint actions.

The facilitator

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Identifying and prioritising issues

In an initial session, members of the groupshould be asked to identify the main issuesor problems they face. This may be doneas a group brainstorming activity, orperhaps each participant could be askedto identify two or three key issues. Oneway of doing this is for participants to writeor (depending on their level of English)draw symbols representing the issues oncards. Cards representing similar issuesmay be grouped together and a definitivelist agreed by the whole group.

These issues can then be ranked using amatrix (see Section Three). The issuesidentified are written along one side of thematrix and each participant indicates theones that they feel are either the mostimportant or the one’s they most wish todiscuss in the group. They may usenumbers to rank them or other symbolschosen by the group. It may be worthdividing the group according toage/sex/ethnic origin or economic status,as this can reveal widely differing priorities.

The Reflect sessions can then be adaptedand sequenced according to the primaryconcerns of the group.

The following issues were identifiedin one Reflect ESOL workshop inNorth London in 2003: childcare; children’s schooling;cross-cultural relations; contact with home (information about family, politics); cultural identity;employment (recognition ofqualifications, retraining, employerprejudice, minimum wage); enforcedidleness (impact on self esteem andmotivation); gender relations;healthcare; housing; immigration;inter-generational relations; isolation;media (prejudice, access);neighbourhood; schooling; shopping;social security; transport; trauma.

Planning a scheme of work

Section Two of this Resource Pack ismade up of a number of sample sessionsfor you to review. These are not designedto be used in sequence. Rather youshould produce your own sequenceadapted to the needs of your group andbased on the priorities that they haveidentified. Depending on the issueidentified and on the interests of thegroup, a single theme may be coveredover anything from one to ten sessions.Over a period of time a variety of differentgraphics may be used to explore differentaspects of a single theme. Often onetheme will lead into another and agraphic may be used to bring togetherthe two themes in a linking session.

Some flexibility is important. Although youmight wish to have a fairly tight structurefor the first few sessions, once the lessonshave gained momentum the participantsshould be given the opportunity to changethe order of sessions, reject sessions oreven propose new sessions.

It is important to ensure that there is an integration of the different steps thatneed to be followed in each session.Every effort should be made to ensurethat all the discussion, language andnumeracy work relates to and arises out of each graphic, and weaves into a whole, rather than being a series ofseparate activities. It is worth noting thatwhen producing sessions the sequenceis very important. Try not to jump aroundbetween themes too often. Rather it isbetter to introduce a theme and thenexplore it in more and more detail beforemoving on to another theme (for examplehaving a sequence of units on health andthen one on housing rather than mixingthem). However, similarly, spending toomuch time on one theme might lead torepetition and frustration.

Revision sessions should be held atcertain intervals, such as at the end ofeach theme. It can be useful to referback to past graphics so that participantscan see how much they’ve progressed.They can often add further writing in theprocess. The revision sessions can alsooffer an opportunity for facilitators to pickup on any unresolved issues.

A scheme of work

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Here we describe the core Reflectsession, involving the constructionof a graphic, discussion and analysisof the issue, moving to languagelearning, reflection and action.Section Two of this Resource Packcontains a number of specific ideasfor Reflect sessions, which you maychose to adapt for use with yourgroup. Alternatively, you may decideto develop your own sessions basedon the issues identified by the group.

Constructing the graphic

Until the members of the group have hadsome experience of working with Reflectand are familiar with the variety of differentgraphics available, it will be up to thefacilitator to decide which graphics ismost appropriate for the analysis of aparticular problem. Usually, there will be a wide choice as with a little imaginationmost of the graphics can be adapted tofit any topic. The choice of graphic willaffect the way in which a particular topicis approached. You may wish to look atthe materials provided in Section Three of this Resource Pack for ideas.

It is important to recognise that thegraphics are not ends in themselves. The focus should be on the participatoryprocess of producing them, rather thanon the end product. The facilitator shouldplay as small a role as possible, guidingthe participants but not dominating theprocess. The construction of the graphicusually involves a great deal of structureddiscussion and negotiation. This is a keypart of the process and helps toencourage the unselfconscious use oflanguage even in participants who areusually reluctant to speak.

The group will need a defined space inwhich to construct the graphic, with plentyof room to move around. Participants mayplace or stick images and objects directlyon to the wall or floor (if they know theyare not likely to have to pack up half waythrough the exercise) or use large sheetsof paper.

When first creating a graphic theparticipants should agree on their owncodes and symbols. They may use amixture of pictures, objects and words to represent the various elements of thegraphic. For example, in creating a worldmap to show the journeys made by eachof the participants, the group may usephotos to represent themselves, piecesof wool and blu-tack to trace the routesthat each has followed, pink card to markthe place where they were born, blue toshow the places they have lived andgreen to show where they are now, etc.There may well be great deal of discussionaround the best symbol to choose foreach element of the graphic. And therewill often be a lot of shifting around andcorrecting before everyone agrees thatthe graphic is accurate.

If the graphic was constructed directly on the floor or wall then, once all theparticipants are happy with it, a large paper copy should be made. At this point,depending on the level of the group, manyof the symbols may be replaced by words;either introducing new vocabulary to thegroup or reinforcing what is already known.If appropriate, word cards may be used atthis point. This may also be a good time to write up new phrases and sentencesthat have come up during discussion. It is a good idea to ask participants to alsomake a copy of each graphic in their ownnotebook so that they have a permanentrecord of it.

The Reflect session

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Analysing the issue

In Reflect, dialogue is central to the wholeprocess. The production of the graphicsdepends on discussion, and this isstructured by the task that the groupcollectively faces. The facilitator doesn’thave to constantly guide or push thediscussion in an artificial way, as it gathersits own momentum around the task.

Once the graphic is completed, focusedquestions can help participants to explorekey issues. In Section Two, the themedresource sheets give examples ofpotential questions. The questions willrelate directly to the participants’ livesand their community because theframework for their discussion is thegraphic that they, themselves, haveproduced. Participants feel the issues aretheirs and as a result the discussions aremore likely to lead to the identification oflocal solutions and local actions.

As refugees, asylum seekers andimmigrants to the UK, the participants will have many shared experiences andproblems, but there will also be manydifferences. They may have very differentbackgrounds. Some will have been in theUK for years, others for a relatively shorttime. Production of the graphics and thediscussions that accompany and followthis will help participants to sharecommon experiences, and pool localknowledge, as well as to betterunderstand each other.

The process of discussion and reflectionin a Reflect group need not end withinthe group itself. Each participant, bycopying the graphics in their own books,can share them at home, or with othersto develop discussions outside the group.If the meetings take place in a communitycentre or college and the graphics are lefton display, other members of thecommunity may show an interest and wish to become involved.

Some suggestions for maximisingdialogue and action:

• Listen and encourage, asking openquestions, which are focused andrelevant. Avoid a discussion betweenthe facilitator and participants, insteadencouraging horizontal dialoguebetween the participants themselves.

• Recognise and value the differentperspectives and knowledge of theparticipants. This brings a uniquerichness to each discussion.

• Many of the graphics can bediscussed in relation to time. Whatwas your situation ten years ago?How might it be or do we want it tobe in ten years time? Keeping the timecontinuum in mind, facilitators canpush the discussions beyond the hereand now and can explore issues atanother level. This may lead toparticipants producing a second orthird copy of a graphic to show howthings have changed or may change.

• Comparisons can also be madebetween the situation here in the UKand that in the participants’ countriesof origin. Participants may workindividually, or in groups, or subgroupsthat are divided according to countryof origin, ethnicity, sex or age, toproduce graphics that representdifferent aspects of the topic.

• Comparisons may also be madebetween the actual situation and theideal. Participants may then wish toanalyse who needs to be involved andwhat steps must be taken to make theideal reality.

From reflection to action

Following discussion and analysis, thegroup should identify actions that they cantake, either as individuals or as a group.Some actions may entail a change inindividual behaviour, accessing specificinformation (e.g. opportunities for ITtraining), contacting someone responsiblefor a particular issue (e.g. a housing officer),or a group activity (e.g. writing an article fora local newspaper about life as a refugee in the UK). Following up, monitoring andreflecting on these actions becomes anintegral part of the Reflect ESOL process.They help to sustain learner motivation andensure that language skills are used in realsituations (not just inside a classroom).

The following are some useful points to keep in mind:

• The suggestions for action pointsmust come from the participants notthe facilitator. Avoid over dependency.

• The facilitator can be a bridge helpingparticipants to access information,make contact with externalorganisations and experts.

• Further research (for example ofstatistics to back up observationsmade by the group) may be needed inorder to present a solid case forchange to decision makers.

• Avoid raising unrealistic expectations.Participants address a wide range oflocal issues and may identify manysolutions /actions. But if these cannotbe implemented then they are likely tobecome disillusioned. Try to focus onactions which are feasible and do notrequire external support.

• Share discussions with localcommunity organisations and bodiesthat work with refugees and asylumseekers. The Reflect group can beencouraged to formalise regularmeetings with the wider community.

The Reflect session cont.

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• Where there is more than one Reflectgroup in an area, the different groupscan formalise regular meetings witheach other to discuss their work andpresent proposals for action.

• It may be useful to draw up an “actionagreement”, identifying what will bedone, all the steps needed and whowill do what on what date. This is then signed by all who agree. Suchdocuments serve both as reading andwriting practice and as permanentrecords. The written word often hasthe power to make people do thingswhich they would not get round to ifthey had only agreed verbally!

From graphics to words

In Reflect, language work arises eitherdirectly or thematically out of the graphicsproduced by the participants. The maps,matrices, calendars and diagrams, and thestructured discussions based on them,provide rich source material for developinglanguage practice in a meaningful context.The emphasis is placed on production,creation and action – not passivity, copyingor absorption.

In Section Two of this Resource Pack youcan find some specific ideas for languageteaching linked with different themes andgraphics. The graphics and the issuesthat arise from them can give rise to awide variety of language activities:

• Participants write directly on thegraphics, replacing symbols withwords as their vocabulary expands.

• The group generates as extensive a vocabulary as possible around thetheme of the graphic. This can be doneindividually, in pairs, as a group, etc.

• Participants create phrases, sentencesor paragraphs based on the discussionand written up on the board by thefacilitator or participants.

• Participants create a role-play basedon some of the issues discussed.

• Participants read a “real” text on arelated theme (e.g. newspaper article,brochure or leaflet), either as a groupor individually.

• Participants are asked to find andbring in other written materials, whichrelate to the theme.

• Participants write joint agreementsabout actions identified by the groupthrough the discussions.

• Participants collectively write letters tolocal authorities or other organisationsregarding issues discussed orrequesting help, etc. Responses tosuch letters will also generateadditional reading materials.

Every effort should be made to link thework of the group to people’s daily lives.It is important that the reading andwriting activities of the group are closelylinked to the graphics and discussion.This will help to maintain motivation andrelevance. At the end of the Reflectcourse each participant should have abook with a number of graphics abouttheir lives and their community togetherwith their commentary on these graphics.This amounts to a detailed diagnosis oftheir community and should be adocument about which the participantswill feel a strong sense of ownership.

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Depending on the ESOL provider,monitoring and evaluation processesmay well be already built into theprocess. Here we describe somesimple guidelines to participatorymonitoring and evaluation that youmay find helpful.

Monitoring

The role of monitoring the Reflect processshould not be seen as the preserve of anyone group of people. Certainly participantsmust be at the centre of monitoring theirown progress, proposing their ownobjectives, indicators and modes ofmeasurement. However, facilitators,trainers and other resource people arealso participants in the process and needto establish their own objectives andindicators, to be revisited in the light oftheir experience and the changing natureand direction of the process.

Ideally this monitoring should form anintegral part of the Reflect process, thecycle of action and reflection leading to new action and new reflection.Documenting and recording the processfrom different perspectives is not aneutral or detached activity but one thatforms part of the continuing flow of theprocess. It is important to be aware of thepower dynamics involved in monitoringand to include reflection on that as partof the monitoring process.

Evaluation

Participants can continually evaluate the Reflect ESOL materials and process.At the end of every session or course,participants can revisit their initialexpectations and aspirations, reviewactions they have taken and reflect ontheir learning, with respect to languageand literacy and more generally in relationto their confidence and capacity tocommunicate. This participatoryevaluation may link in with the Individual

Learning Plans (ILPs), as conceived inpresent ESOL policy. It will also representa key part of the facilitator’s learningprocess, helping them to improve theirskills in adapting participatory tools, infacilitation and in accessing informationon key issues.

The learner should have control over theirown learning process. They should beable to decide what exams they sit (if

any) and when. It is envisaged that in mostcases participants will take the accreditedESOL examinations, but it should alwaysbe clear that these are self-containedlanguage exams and not directly linked tothe Reflect ESOL process itself. Facilitatorscan help to prepare learners who wish toenter exams to become familiar with theformat of the exams and exam technique,but this support should be considered asoutside the core Reflect ESOL process.

Monitoring and evaluation

Self-evaluation matrix onparticipant progress

This can be built into the Reflect course, either at the end of eachmodule or after every term, half term or at the end of the course.

Participants are asked whether they are happy with their progress indifferent areas in relation to their own initial expectations. A scale of three isthe easiest to use (happy, OK, unhappy) although a scale of five will givemore detail (very happy, happy, OK, unhappy, very unhappy). Simple facescan be used instead of (or as well as) words. The self-evaluation matrixmay look something like this:

Listening Speaking Reading Writing☺ happy# OK$ unhappy

Participants may keep personal copies of the matrix to show their ownprogression and may also add a mark to a large copy of the matrix(perhaps in a different colour for men and women so gender trends can bemonitored) to give a picture of the group as a whole.

This type of self-evaluation matrix can be used with different questions. For instance, facilitators could ask whether the Reflect process has helpedparticipants develop their self-esteem, problem solving, understanding of the education system or health issues in the UK, etc (whether it helped a lot, a bit, or not at all). One advantage of these matrices is that they canbe analysed in a statistical way (for example, 70% answered that it helpedthem a lot to understand the UK education system).

15


There are national Reflect networks orforums developing in many countries.Some of these are loose, informal groupsof people; others are more formal involvingmany organisations and holding regularmeetings. They are spaces forpractitioners to share experiences andproblems about using Reflect, to cometogether for further training, or to apply theReflect approach to national level issues.These national networks are also part ofsub-regional or regional networks, as wellas the International Reflect Circle (CIRAC).CIRAC brings together Reflectpractitioners from across Africa, Asia, LatinAmerica and Europe, providing a spacefor the continuing spread of innovation, forcritical reflection and analysis and for thedevelopment of common resources. If youare not presently in contact with otherpractitioners we urge you to seek out thatcontact. The CIRAC website (www.reflect-action.org) offers a list of contacts.

Linking Reflect groups

From the very start it is important toconsider the links that can be madebetween participants in different groups,so that their analysis and actions are notreached in isolation. Groups may be pairedor clustered so that they visit each other or have some regular points of contact.There may be ‘participant forums’ whererepresentatives from each Reflect group in an area come together to identifycommon threads in their analysis, commonobstacles or opportunities for action.Wider meetings or social events mightalso bring participants together. Thishelps to ensure that groups feel part of a wider process. At key moments theymay be able to call on a wider source of support, and benefit from a sense of solidarity.

If the participants are enthusiastic, it may be possible for a Reflect group tocontinue to meet beyond the end of astructured ESOL course, especially wherethe participants are able to come togetherin a community group. At this point theymay decide to select a member of theirown community as facilitator and perhapsto invite other community members to join the process. Especially where Englishis the common language of the groupmembers, language learning will continueeven without the formal ESOL structure.

Networking


Why?The concept of education can mean verydifferent things for different people. In theUK, the word ‘education’ is usually used to refer to formal schooling and training.Some ESOL students may be highlyqualified, but their skills are not recognisedin the UK, whilst some others may havelimited experiences of education. This isespecially the case for refugees andasylum seekers, who may have either non-formal training or a formal education thathas been severely disrupted by conflict ornatural disasters. As a result, their skillsand qualifications can go unrecognisedand undervalued in the UK context.

Exploring the term ‘education’, anduncovering its various meanings, can beimportant for recognising and validatingpeople’s different experiences orunderstanding of learning and training. It is also important for helping participantsto realise their ambitions and make plansfor the future. Discussion and analysis canhelp participants to address the issues thatsurround access to education and trainingopportunities in the UK. Importantly,participants’ prior knowledge and skillsshould also be highlighted and valued, as this can be very helpful in developingstrategies to seek out opportunities toexpand them further.

How?Photographs/pictures

1. Photos or pictures can be a good wayto challenge participants’ perceptions ofwhat is meant by education and learning.Start by selecting a number of picturesthat are education related. It is importantthat these show education in a variety offorms and contexts. For example,pictures of school children, classroomsand schools in a formal setting need tobe contrasted with informal work-basedtraining, adult non-formal basic educationgroups and informal learning that occursin social settings. The context of learningneeds to be emphasised too, andtherefore education-related pictures takenin developed and developing countries,as well as pictures of learning in secularand religious institutions, are needed.Ideally you will need 10-15 pictures.

2. Start by sticking the pictures aroundthe walls of the room. Then give theparticipants the opportunity to circulatearound the room to view all the pictures.Once they have looked at all the pictures,ask them to choose the three pictures,which they feel best represent education.

3. The participants can then be dividedinto small groups of three or four, inwhich they explain to each other whythey believe some pictures representeducation better than others.

1.1

REFLECT ESOL | RESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

Adult educationRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This section seeks to explore issues surrounding the participants’

education, including aspects such as definitions, expectations and

experiences of education.

Present continuous;The children are working in a classroom.The students are sitting under a tree.The trainer is talking to a group of women.

Questions for discussion:• What is education?• What is the difference between education

and training?• Where does education take place?• Why is education important?• When should education start?• Who is education important for, and why?• Who should be responsible for education?• Who makes decisions in education?• What choices do we make with respect

to education?• In what ways do these pictures represent

education?• Do any of these pictures not represent

education?• What are the benefits of formal education?• What the benefits of non-formal

education?• What are the ingredients for quality

education?

‘Wh’ questions;Who is this person?What is this happening in this picture?Where are these people?

4. Then, as a group they should choosethree pictures that they feel bestrepresent education. The facilitator canalso ask the participants to explain whythey think that some pictures do notrepresent education.

5. The facilitator should then ask thegroups to go back to the same picturesand decide which best representlearning. Are they the same pictures asthose that represent education for thegroup? If there are differences, why isthis? Following on from this each groupshould then present their arguments tothe rest of the group and open them todiscussion. This should help participantsto analyse concepts of education andlearning and to recognise that learningcan take place in many contexts and thateducation can take many forms.

Timeline

1. A timeline is a useful means ofexamining participants’ educationalexperiences. This is an activity that can becompleted individually and then followedup with small group feedback sessions. If some participants have includedinformation about less formal learningactivities, then others will be encouraged toinclude similar information in their timelines.The process of working collectively shouldlead to a more powerful experience andproduce more discussion.

2. Depending on the resources available,the graphic could be constructed in anumber of ways. One suggested meansis to stick a number of large sheets ofpaper together and then to draw a long

line to represent a period of time. Thisline needs to be divided into years, sothat time up until the present is covered.If there are older participants within thegroup the line may need to be quite long.An alternative to using paper might be touse sticky tape along the floor or wall.

3. Having done this the facilitator can givethe participants coloured pieces of card orpaper to write down different types ofeducation that they have experienced. Forexample; primary, secondary, and highereducation, informal training, valuable lifeskills, language learning. It is important atthis stage that the facilitator does not makeany suggestions on what to write on thecard, as it will be interesting to see whatthe group perceives as education. Thecards are then placed on the timelinewhere they occurred in the participants’lives. For example, if they started primaryschool at the age of 8, then this is where itgoes on the timeline, alternatively if theystarted English classes at 47, then the cardwill be placed accordingly. Participants canalso vary the size of their cards to showthe length of time that they spent studyingin that particular form of education. This isimportant as it highlights the length of timespent in education.

4. Participants may be given differentcoloured cards according to their sex orage. This can help the group to highlightinter-generational issues, as well asdifferences between men and women,the value placed on boys and girls’education, or educational opportunitiesfor different ethnic groups. The timelinecan be as detailed as the group want tomake it. They can add in other eventsthat they feel are relevant to education.This might include feelings such asfrustration and happiness that are bornout of positive and negative experiencesof education.

5. Once the graphic has been completedthere will be opportunities to discusswhat constitutes education and theinfluences and barriers to education. The participants could use this opportunityto revise their timelines to include informallearning. They can also look forward tothe future and examine the groups’aspirations. This might be particularlyempowering for students, who cancollectively develop plans of action thatbring their hopes to life. By alsoconsidering the barriers that have beenfaced in the past, they can developstrategies that prevent others falling intothe same trap. This could lead to furtherdiscussion around educationalachievement in the UK, looking at issuessuch as which sex performs bestacademically, and the reasons for this,which is something quite different frommany other countries

1.2


Questions for action:• What skills have you gained from your

education that you had not previouslyrecognised?

• Where do you access learning and trainingopportunities that you did not previouslyrecognise?

• How do you access these educationalexperiences?

Questions for discussion:• What is education?• What is the difference between education

and training?• Why is education important?• Who is education important for?• Which other forms of learning are

important outside formal learning?• What influences have helped your

education?• What barriers have you faced in accessing

education?• Why did you leave school?• Where have you received further training?• Is education more important for boys than

girls, or vice versa?• If so, why?• How does age affect attitudes towards

education?• How can education help you?

Past simple;• I started school when I was ten.• I left school in 1989.• I went to secondary school after I finished

primary school.

Past continuous & past simple;• I was going to school when the war

started. • I moved to the UK when I was studying.

Other ideas and graphics

■ A matrix could be used to examine the varying levels of education within adultESOL groups. Often adult ESOL learners in the same group will have very differentexperiences of education and these willproduce divergent attitudes towards it. By using different coloured cards,additional material can be added to the matrix that examines participants’children’s levels of schooling. This can help with making inter-generationalcomparisons and produce discussionaround the importance of education, agesfor leaving school and the reasons forthis. For example, the need for paid workor lack of value placed on girls’ education.This analysis might also provide a good link into the themes of children’s education and the family.

■ A tree might be a valuable tool toexamine the barriers that participants havefaced in their efforts to access education ortraining in the UK. The group could workindividually or collectively. If working as agroup each member could be given an A4sheet of paper to write or draw symbols torepresent what is needed for them to gainaccess to education or training. Thesesheets might be placed as the roots, withthe branches being represented by theperceived benefits of education, whilst the fruit represent the group’s futureaspirations. Through discussion,participants will identify barriers that theyface and develop strategies to cope withthese. Another adaptation might be to usethe tree to look at the barriers to havingprior education and qualifications

recognised and valued in the UK and theimpact of this.

■ A chapati diagram could be used for examining the power relations ineducation. For example, makingcomparisons between western formalmodels and more informal learningcircumstances. This can be constructedby forming two different graphics, onerepresenting formal models of educationand the other informal learning. Thedifferent graphics can examine who fundsand houses the learning programmes,who attends them and what theoutcomes of the learning programmesare. This can help groups to examinewhat is perceived as acceptable and valideducation. It could also be used to lookat which subjects are valued more, andwhy this is, as well as examining theperceived ‘masculinity’ and ‘femininity’ of some subjects.

■ Mobility maps can be used to depictthe barriers that adults face when tryingto access further education here in theUK. This might include factors such asthe cost of travel, their working hours,the time of classes, their immigrationstatus, the cost of the course, orchildcare. As a group, participants canshare information and develop strategiesto help overcome these barriers toaccessing education and training.

■ Education resources could be identifiedon a community map. Participants coulduse the graphic for identifying informalplaces of learning, such as libraries andcommunity centres, as well as collegesand schools. Participants may decide thatthey want to visit the different educationproviders within the community and collectinformation about entry requirements,enrolment and course content. Otheroptions might include inviting a speakerfrom an organisation to come and talk to the group, or organise a group visit.

Potential action and learningoutcomes

There are a number of issues that mayarise out of the discussion, which theparticipants may want to address. Someparticipants may want to get recognitionfor pre-existing qualifications and skills.Therefore, they might identifyorganisations, such as RETAS (RefugeeEducation and Training Advisory Service),that can help them with re-training. Theycan then practise, either telephoning orwriting to them, requesting informationabout their courses. This might give riseto the opportunity to bring real applicationforms for courses into the group, givingauthentic reading and writing practice.

Participants may also wish to researchcourses within formal educationalinstitutions that can help them gainformal qualifications for skills that theyhave developed in informal situations.For example, NVQs in subjects relatingto childcare, housekeeping and socialcare skills.

If participants see their lack of languageskills as a barrier to registering forcourses, then they might like to use role-plays to practise the relevant languageskills. Registering for courses at a collegemay involve a certain level of languageskills, and meeting face to face withsomeone may be an intimidatingexperience. Performing role-plays thatcontrast how participants feel whenregistering for a course with how theywould like to feel, can give opportunitiesfor participants to describe and analysetheir feelings, as well as practising therelevant language skills to help them insuch a situation.

1.3


Questions for action:• Who can help you to access other

education courses?• Where do you go to register for courses?• Where can you find out more information

about education courses?• Who can help you overcome the barriers

to accessing education that you haveidentified?

1.4


If participants have been using pictures or photosthere is a lot of opportunity for practising descriptivelanguage and asking questions about the pictures.

What can you see?Who is in the picture?What are they doing?What does s/he look like?

Potential language outcomes:

At lower levels this may involve giving a shortdescription of the picture that uses present tenses anddescriptive adjectives.

It is a school. There is a smart teacher and somesmall children.

At higher levels participants may focus more ondescribing and comparing the different pictures.

In the first picture there is a teacher with some children, whereas in the second there is ateacher with men and women. The children in thesecond picture are older.

If the participants decide that they want to find outmore information about training or retraining, they mightwish to use the Internet. Their use of search enginesand ICT texts will be important, as well as practisingusing organisational feature systems to locate texts andinformation. The skills that they develop here are alsoeasily transferable to other scenarios.

Hyperlinks, menus, search engines, filing systems,indexes and contents pages.

There are also a range of other potential reading skills,including obtaining specific information from texts byscanning for main events or skimming to get the gist.

Further reading skills might deal with relating imagesin pictures to print and using the picture to helpidentify meaning.

If participants decide that they wish to apply forcourses, then they have the opportunity to practisetheir writing skills when filling in forms. This is the sortof practise that can take place on a variety of levels.For low-level students it may be only using andspelling some personal key words correctly.

Spelling names, ages.

At higher levels participants may record more detailedinformation and follow conventions around forms.

Date of birth, address, nationality.Circling, deleting.

In more advance levels more complex features suchas filling in open responses and additional comments.

Sc/E2.2f

Sc/E2.3f

Sc/L1.3e

Rt/L2/6a

Rt/E2.1b

Rt/E3.9a

Ww/E1.1a

Wt/E2.1b

Wt/E3.5a

Why?Budgeting is an essential element indeciding individual or group priorities.Looking at budgeting strategies andmethods is therefore important for newlyarrived refugees and asylum seekers. Theyoften may have to survive on low incomes,whilst also adapting to a new currency,different price structures and spendingneeds. A budget can help individuals orgroups to plan with the medium or longterm in mind.

By examining individual or householdbudgets, which are familiar to participants,learning and discussion can be maderelevant to participants’ lives. Using ahousehold budget, with real local prices,participants can analyse how income andexpenditure decisions are made and theirimpact on different family members andhouseholds. This is important whenconsidering the power dynamics thatsurround spending in a family. Furthermore,budgets hold information about planningchoices and spending patterns.

Participants may wish to broaden theiranalysis. Through examinations of budgetsof organisations that impact upon theirlives, they can gain awareness of thepower dynamics that exist aroundspending. Such analysis could give rise toimportant discussion around prioritisationof spending in certain areas and theimpact this has on individuals and differentsocial groups. This can help groups torecognise the choices they have regardingthe services they access.

Importantly, through analysis anddiscussion of budgets, participants canstrengthen their numeracy and languageskills, whilst also developing valuable lifeskills that relate to planning andidentifying potential income sources.

How?The following are suggested graphicsthat might be useful for promotingdiscussion and analysis of issues thatsurround budgeting.

Pie chart

1. A pie chart is an excellent means ofanalysing the different ways in whichindividuals within a group are spendingtheir incomes. The first step is to ask thegroup to individually consider how theyspend their income. Then, collectivelythe participants can make a list ofdifferent areas of spending. Suggestedcategories might include; children, food,travel, education, housing, electricity,gas, water, entertainment or clothing.

2. Having done this, the participants canthen start creating individual pie chartsthat represent their incomes. Participantsstart by drawing a large circle. The circleis then divided up into sections. Eachsection will represent a pre-agreedcategory, the size of which will reflect theamount of income that is spent everymonth or week on that particular category.

2.1


BudgetsRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This sheet seeks to explore some of the issues that surround thecontrol of money and budgets, as well as allocation of funds andthe impact on individuals and social groups.

Calculators can be used to demystifymathematical operations, thus allowingparticipants to focus on the meaning behindnumbers without getting caught up in complexarithmetic functions. They also help to providelinks between computers, arithmetical figures (+ - ÷ x =), and short cut keys (%).

3. Once the participants have completedtheir individual pie charts, they canpresent them to the rest of the group.The facilitator can ask the participants to explain why they spend more money on certain areas and which areas they feel are the most important. The presentationscan then be used as a basis for furtherdiscussion. This could include how muchflexibility and choice there is aroundspending, as well as times of the month oryear when participants worry about money.It also may look at credit and non-financialinputs such as support from your family orpeers. The facilitator may encouragecomparisons to be made between differentpie charts. The questions below might beuseful for this.

4. A pie chart and work around budgetsoffers excellent opportunities for groupsto work on numeracy skills. As well asarithmetic, the group may choose to look at the concepts of percentages and division.

5. After discussion participants may like to create an additional pie-chart thatcontrasts the ideal situation with the real.Separate pie charts might also be createdas a means of analysing family incomes.

River

1. A river is a useful tool for exploring thevaried social security entitlements thatdifferent participants have. It can be usedto explore the period of time betweenimmigrants’ arrivals in the UK until thepresent.

2. Participants might work individually, or as a group, although the experience of constructing a graphic collectively willpromote more language practice andlead to a stronger experience.

3. The group should be given pieces ofcoloured card or paper to write downtheir different sources of income. Thiscan include money they receive throughsocial security, for benefits such as childsupport and job seekers allowance,assistance with travel and childcarecosts, free healthcare and education, as well as money from employment.Different coloured cards could be useddepending on the immigrant status ofindividual participants. This will help todraw attention to the differences inentitlements between refugees, asylumseekers and those with work visas.

4. Participants can draw rocks, waterfallsor rapids, as visual representations of thedifferent barriers that they face now, orhave faced in the past, when claimingdifferent benefits. Positive factors thathave helped them might be marked asadditional tributaries, boats or people.

5. In subsequent discussion participantscan examine the issues that surround thedifferent entitlements that participantshave, how fair they are and the impactthey have on their budgets.

2.2


Questions for action:• What would you like to change about the

way your income is budgeted?• How might you save yourself money?• What have you learnt from the group?• How might you change your spending

patterns to make them more cost effective?• Where might you get advice or information

to help you with budgeting / obtaining extrafunds / grants?

• Who might you approach?

Questions for discussion:• What are your main sources of income?

• What are your main outgoings?

• How do you prioritise your spending?

• What areas would like to spend moremoney on?

• Who controls how your family income is spent?

• What is a good use of resources? And why?

• What is a bad use of resources? And why?

• How much influence do you have over the budget?

• Who contributes to / benefits from thefamily budget?

• How have spending patterns changed sinceyou arrived in the UK?

• How does spending differ according togender within the group?

• What factors cause your spending patternsto change?

• What services do you pay for in the UK,which you did not have to pay for in yourcountry of origin (and vice versa)? (e.g.childcare, healthcare, education, thenumber of dependents in a household.)

Questions for discussion:• What social security entitlements do you

have?

• When did you receive them?

• How regularly do you receive them?

• How easy / difficult was it to register forthese benefits?

• What were the barriers you faced inaccessing benefits?

• How are you paid your benefits?

• What do you think of the benefits system?

• What assistance do you receive in the UK,which you did not get in your country oforigin and vice versa? (e.g. childcare,healthcare, education.)

Vocabulary;Numbers 1 – 100, cardinals, ordinals,percentages, approximate numbers.

Adverbs (frequency);I occasionally buy my children clothes.I regularly buy cigarettes. I frequently pay my bills on time.

Would + infinitive (suggestion);I would spend more on my children.I would not spend money on cigarettes. I would spend less on going out.


■ An income/outcome calendar is a usefulmeans of examining sources of individual,or family income and expenditure over atime period. There are opportunities here to analyse income and spending patternsaccording to sex, as well as for using it as a tool for planning family budgets.

■ A chapati diagram provides a goodopportunity for analysing who controlsspending within a family and whichorganisations have an impact onindividual spending. This gives a goodopportunity to consider the impact of sexand age on power relations. It could alsobe used to explore the power dynamicsthat exist around spending on refugeeand immigration services.

■ Participants can use an income/expenditure tree as a means of analysingfamily or individual budgets, as well as forexamining variations in the cost of goods.It encourages participants to shareinformation on the cost of goods locallyand through discussion they can explorereasons for discrepancies in prices, andconsider what causes prices to vary.

■ A matrix could be used for examiningboth formal and informal budgets.Possibilities include household, school,community groups, and local or nationalgovernment budgets. By using a matrix,the group can examine the effects thebudgets have on different groups orindividuals. Participants could alsocompare different budgets, as a meansof examining the influences, decision-

making power and links between differentgroups, individuals and organisations. Itmay be particularly pertinent to examinebudgets from a gender perspective.

■ Alternatively, a matrix might be used forexamining different forms of credit andloans. Analysis can be used to introducediscussion on people’s reasons for takingout loans, what interest is, and theimplications of interest on budgets.Participants might also wish to considerhow they feel when they borrow money,where they can borrow money from, andthe (dis)advantages of different sources,as well as the repayment process.

■ The facilitator can bring in real budgetsfor the group to analyse. These couldcome from a variety of sources, but it is important that they relate to theparticipants’ lives. Appropriate budgetsmight be budgets for ESOL classeswithin an FE college or communitycentre, or local government spending on refugee services. Discussion aroundwho is involved in producing, approving,controlling and contributing to thebudget, as well as deciding how it isallocated, will lead to important analysis.

■ Flow charts might be used as asimplified and more visual means ofillustrating how budgets are allocated.After discussion the group can add inadditional information about the importancethey attach to the different sources ofspending and compare this to reality ofthe allocation.

Action and learning outcomes:

Having analysed family budgets,participants may decide to examinedifferent ways of paying for services suchas gas, electricity or council tax. Groupscan consider the benefits and drawbacksof different methods of paying. Forexample, paying more in monthlyinstallments compared to paying a one off lump sum, the convenience of using

direct debit, or the drawbacks of havingelectricity on card-operated meters. Auseful real life exercise could be createdusing forms for setting up a direct debit.

If participants have been examining familybudgets and have been looking for waysto improve their family income, they maydecide to make a ranking matrix thatlooks at different incomes from differenttypes of work.

If participants have been using income /expenditure trees, or calendars, then theymay decide to bring pay-slips to thegroup. This could provide a valuableopportunity for participants to look atissues around tax and NationalInsurance. As well as the opportunity topractise numeracy skills, participants canalso hold discussions around how muchtax is paid, what services it contributesto, different types of tax, how we benefitfrom taxes and how they might influencethe council to provide more relevant andappropriate services.

Participants may decide that they want to challenge the public perceptions ofrefugees and asylum seekers. In order todo this effectively they need reliable andcredible statistical information. Participantscan further practice their numeracy skills,by researching statistics on issues affectingrefugees and asylum seekers. Forexample, they may look for informationabout numbers in work, their financialcontribution to the UK economy, or thenumbers coming to the UK on workingvisas versus refugee numbers. The HomeOffice and Refugee Council websiteswould be a good source of information.Such work would provide a good link intothe theme of prejudice and discrimination.

2.3


Questions for action:• Where might you get further advice or

information to help you with making benefitsclaims?

• Who might you approach for help? • What actions can you take to make yourself

less reliant on social security?• What have you learnt from other group

members that might improve your situation?

2.4


With discussion around family budgets there is a lot ofopportunity for lower level participants to practicenumeracy skills. This might be reading skills that includerecognising digits and understanding the symbols thatgo with them.

£,$,€Different date formats.


Participants may practise making clear statements offact that use suitable grammar for expressing quantityand numbers.

Numbers, dates, times.Some, any, many.

Listening activities could involve extracting keyinformation when following instructions around weights,places and times.

Writing skills at low levels may be practising formingdigits.

0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9

Forming letters correctly can also be practised whenwriting numbers in their word form.

One, two, three, etc.

The process of creating a graphic and the subsequentdiscussion will lead participants to practise a range of skills that require them to interact with otherspeakers. For example, indicating (dis)agreement,asking others for their opinions.

That’s true.I don’t agree.Yes, but …What do you think?

Participants will also practise expressing their ownviews and opinions.

I think.… I believe.…

At higher levels participants may use more advancedlanguage skills, such as demonstrating the turn takingprocess.

After you.Can I say something?May I come in here?

This could involve more advanced ways of expressing(dis)agreement to other speakers.

You’re right.I’m not sure.Maybe, but...

Also participants can use more complicated means ofintroducing opinions and views such as expressinghypothetical meaning and probability and possibility.

If I was paid more, then I would spend more on my children.They could spend more on refugees in London.

Rw/E1.3b

Sc/E1.4a

Lr/E1.2e

Ww/E1.2b

Ww/E1.2a

Sd/E2.1e

Sd/E2.1d

Sd/E3.2b

Sd/E3.1g

Sd/L1.2a

Why?The issue of migration and displacementis an important topic for many ESOLstudents. Immigrants may have arrived in the UK for a variety of reasons; someparticipants may have migrated in orderto join up with family members, whilstothers may have married, or come to findemployment, or in search of a better life.Yet for many refugees and asylumseekers the reasons are more sensitive.Many may have been forcibly displaceddue to conflict, war or poverty andconsequently this topic is a sensitive one, as it may bring up unhappymemories for those concerned.

Nonetheless the topic is an importantone, which should be addressed. Theprocess of examining the reasons behindparticipants’ migration can be beneficialon a number of fronts. First, the sharingof experiences can, in a supportiveatmosphere, be therapeutic in itself. The experience can also help to foster anatmosphere of trust and support withinthe group. Also, importantly, it can helpparticipants to produce the languageskills necessary for expressingthemselves on issues arounddisplacement and migration.

How?The following are suggested graphicsthat might be used to generatediscussion and action around the issuesthat affect migration and displacement.

Displacement map

1. Start by asking the participants to statefrom which country they came to the UK.Some groups may like to refer to a realmap, if one is available, to show othergroup members where they are from.

2. Having done this, the group can cutout a shape to represent the UK andplace it on the floor or wall. There is a lotof scope for creativity here. The groupcan decide collectively how it wishes torepresent the country. The map can beconstructed around this initial object andthen later transferred onto paper.

3. The next stage is for the participants to add circles (or other shapes) thatrepresent their countries of origin. Initiallythese should be made from card or paperrather than drawn directly onto the paper.

3.1


Migration &displacement

RESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This sheet seeks to examine some of the issues that surroundparticipants’ decisions to migrate and the effect that migration and displacement has on their lives.

Daily routine:This tool is a great way to learn time and numbers and learn about eachother’s daily activities. We also use this tool to compare gender roles in thehome, monthly routine, strategies and solutions for helping the family workbetter together and how to free time for the woman etc.Carla Dubon - CIWA, Canada

This allows the group to easily move thecards around and to make adjustments. If there is more than one participant fromthe same country in a group, then theycan work together.

4. The shapes are placed on the paperat varying distances. These may roughlycorrelate to the distance of theparticipants’ country of origin to the UK.The group should collectively agree onthe positioning of each object.

5. Once this has been done, participantsuse pieces of string or tape to show theirindividual journeys to the UK. Differentcolours can be used to identify differenttypes of transport. Participants may alsowant to add additional information aboutthe length of their journey and thenumber of people they travelled with. The group can discuss other types ofinformation that it would like to add.

6. When the map is complete, theparticipants take turns to present theirjourney to the rest of the group,describing the route they took, themethods of transport and their travellingcompanions, etc. Another interestingfollow up to this activity could be tocompare the group’s displacement mapwith one in an atlas.

River

1. For this particular graphic it issuggested that the participants shouldwork individually. The first step is forparticipants to consider which factorsinfluenced their decision to leave theircountry of origin. These should be addedto the start of the river to represent thetributaries.

2. The participants should then use therest of the river to depict their journeyfrom their country of origin to their currentlocation in the UK, with their arrival beingrepresented as the mouth of the river.They should include important eventsthat occurred during their journey. Thesemight be the barriers that they faced,which could be either written or drawn as natural barriers such as waterfalls andwhirlpools, or manmade barriers like adam. Other features, such as additionaltributaries or people, could be used torepresent more positive events.

3. Once the graphics are complete, thefacilitator can ask participants to split intosmall groups, and to make presentationsof their journeys to the rest of the group.The above questions might be useful inhelping to promote discussion.


■ A chapati diagram might be used as ameans of analysing the power relationsthat surrounded the decision to migrate.There may also be links into powerrelations that exist within the family,providing a good link between the twothemes of family and migration anddisplacement. Issues in participants’country of origin, such as economic,social and political climates, as well asrestrictions on travel between the UK andother countries could be discussed.

■ A tree could be a useful tool foranalysing the reasons why participantsleft their country of origin and the effectsthat migration has had on their family.The causes of migration can berepresented in the roots, whilst thebranches are the effects.

■ Personal life story pictures could bedrawn to represent the experience ofmigrating to the UK. These could befollowed up either by presentations orshort written texts that explain thedrawings’ content.

3.2


Country names, adjectives and people;Pakistan Pakistani PakistaniAlgeria Algerian AlgerianSerbia Serbian SerbSudan Sudanese Sudanese

Questions for action:• Who else might be interested in hearing your

story?• Who might be influenced by your story? • How could you use your story to influence

others?• How could you share it with different people?

Questions for discussion:• Why did you leave your country of origin?• How did you travel to the UK?• Who helped you?• What barriers did you face in trying to

reach the UK?• How did you feel when you left your

country of origin?• How did you feel when you arrived in the

UK?• What effect did leaving have on your

family?• What forms of transport did you use on

your journey?

Past simple;I travelled for 3 weeks.I arrived in the UK at Heathrow.My journey started in Iraq.

Prepositions of time;I left Vietnam in 1983.We often travelled at night.My mother stayed from May until September.

Questions for discussion:• Where is your home country?• What caused you to want to leave your

country of origin?• Why did you come to the UK?• How did you reach the UK?• How long did your journey take?• What barriers did you face on your journey?• How did you overcome the barriers that

you faced?• How has your situation changed since

arriving in the UK?• What barriers did you face entering the UK?

■ Participants might be asked to bringphotographs, articles, or brochures abouttheir country of origin. These could providea valuable source for discussion. Theycould be used to help participants tellstories of their lives in their home country. If the group has access to a camera,photographs might be used as a means of documenting their life in the UK.


A group might decide that it wishes todispel myths about refugees and asylumseekers and to consider ways that thismight be done. If the group has beenworking with photographs they mightdecide to hold an exhibition or create a display to put up in their college orcommunity centre. These could beaccompanied by written texts. Graphicssuch as maps and rivers produced bythe group could also be included.

Such an exhibition could beaccompanied by talks in whichparticipants tell people about their livesprior to arrival in the UK. The location forsuch talks will depend on the levels ofconfidence of the participants. For some,talking to members of another classmight be appropriate. Whilst others maywant to take their talks outside theclassroom and speak at local schools orother events to educate the wider public.

Another potential action could involveparticipants writing to local or nationalnewspapers to educate the public abouttheir experiences, or writing to an MP torequest support and assistance for anasylum application. Responses to suchletters could then be brought into the class and used for reading practice.

3.3


Questions for action:• Who else might be interested in hearing

your story?• Who might be influenced by your story? • How could you use your story to influence

others?• How could you share it with different

people?

Because/due to;• I travelled to the UK due to the problems

at home.• We left home because we didn’t support

the government.

3.4


The nature of this particular theme means that there isa lot of scope for discussion of past events. At higherlevels this gives participants the opportunity to use arange of past tenses to narrate their past experiencesof migration.

We had tried to leave when it was dark. The night was quiet. I was carrying a heavy bag and my small son.


At lower levels there are also opportunities to usetenses relating to events in the past when makingstatements of fact.

I fell ill when I was on the boat.I have lived in the UK for 5 years.

As lower level groups start to build up short personalaccounts of events there will also be opportunities topractise using time markers to structure theirnarrative account.

I left Morocco ten years ago. First, I took a boat,then I travelled by car.

If participants decide that they want to write a letter totheir local MP or councillor, then there are opportunitiesto practise a range of writing skills. At high levels thismight include choosing different types of paragraphstructure and linguistic features to aid sequencing andcoherence, so that their letters are more persuasive.

At lower levels, participants who choose to write a lettermay want to focus more on the importance of accuracyof spelling.

There will also be opportunities for the facilitator tostress the importance of legible handwriting.

Correct punctuation is another area that will beimportant when trying to create a good impression.

Groups may choose to examine their rights as asylumseekers and refugees in more detail. Therefore, theymay want to bring leaflets published by governmentor refugee organisations into class to use for readingcomprehensions. A range of reading skills might bepractised depending on the participants’ levels. Newlearners may initially like to focus on relatively simpletasks such as identifying the letters of the alphabet inupper and lower cases.

Leaflets and the Internet will be important.

More proficient learners prefer to scan different partsof texts to locate information.

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Rw/L1.2a Advanced learners can seek to recognise andunderstand the different vocabulary associated withdifferent types of text.

Specialist vocabulary relating to, migration anddisplacement as well as computers and Internet.

Why?Arriving in an alien environment withoutthe traditional support networks of family and friends can have a hugelydisempowering impact on people’s lives.When this is coupled with poor languageskills the impact is even greater. Gettingto know the local community is vitallyimportant for new arrivals, and theprocess of sharing knowledge of it can be of great value to participants.

Finding one’s way around the localcommunity is likely to be one of the firsttasks that newly arrived refugees, asylumseekers and immigrants face. Whilstmany participants, will have someknowledge of the area in which they live, this is likely to limited. Through the process of discussing the localcommunity and analysing the issues that affect it, participants share theirknowledge, and are better equipped to participate more actively in the wider community.

It is important to consider the dynamicsof group when working with this topic.The sense of community and belongingwithin a group will vary, depending onwhether it is meeting in a FE college, orin a community outreach centre. Sometools are better suited for analysingissues that affect the local area, whilstothers are more effective for examiningwhat participants feel is meant by theterm community.

How?These suggested graphics might be usedto analyse the local community and theissues that affect it.

Community map

1. This graphic may work well early onwith a group, as it provides a means forthe participants to find out more abouteach other without revealing informationthat is too sensitive. Participants canbecome aware of fellow group membersthat live close to them and this canprovide a valuable source of support andencouragement.

2. To start with participants, eithercollectively or in small groups, discusshow they get to class and the distancethey travel. As a group they need toagree on different symbols to representthe type of transport that they use.

3. Using the meeting place as the centreof the graphic they start to construct amap of the local area. Rather than drawingstraight onto paper, it is suggested thateither string or tape on the floor might beused to represent routes of travel as thiscan be easily moved. Different colouredstring could be used to identify individualparticipants or methods of travel.

The mapping process should be donethrough a process of negotiation, witheveryone being encouraged to participate.One means of encouraging this, with theadded benefit of it being less chaotic,might be for participants to go eitherindividually, or in pairs, if they come fromthe same area. Agreement should bereached on the direction of the routes,the names of roads and the number ofbuses, etc.

4.1


The local community


This sheet seeks to examine some of the issues that may affect participants’lives in their local community and for the group to consider strategies toaddress these issues and bring improvements to their lives.

Questions for discussion:• Where do you live now?• How do you reach the college/community

centre where you attend ESOL classes.• What difficulties/benefits are there

regarding travel in your area?• What is good/bad about the surrounding

area? • Which services do you use most regularly

in the area?• Where do you go to access these

services?• How easy is it to find out information and

access these services?• Which do you think are the most important

and why?• Which places do you go to for help and

which places do you visit to relax?• What does community mean to you?• How different do you think the sense of

community is in the UK compared to inyour home country?

Prepositions of place;I get my benefits at the post office.I play football in the park.My flat is on an estate.

4.2


4. Once the participants have mappedout their routes to where the ESOLgroups meet, they should also add inimportant landmarks. These could bedrawn or written onto a card.

5. Next the facilitator can ask the groupwhich places in the area that provide aservice are most important to them.These should be marked onto the maptoo. If more than one person in the groupuses a particular service or place thenthis could be noted on the piece of cardrepresenting it.

6. When complete, the houses of all theparticipants and facilitator, as well as theroutes and services that are used byparticipants, should be marked onto themap. The above questions might be usedto promote discussion. Following analysis of the situation, it is important to thenconsider what actions might be taken topromote change. The below questionsfor action may be useful for this.

Matrix

1. As a group the participants may decidethat they wish to examine some of theproblems within the area. These mightinclude issues such as crime and anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping and litter,racism, lack of integration, and domesticor sexual violence.

2. These can then be written down onpieces of card and placed upon thevertical axis of a matrix.

3. Having identified problems they mightwant to refer back to a community map,if one has already been created, toidentify the specific areas where theseproblems are occurring.

Questions for action:• What have you learnt from the discussion

that is of use of you?• What areas or issues would like to change?• Who might help you to bring about these

changes?• What can you do as a group / individually

to tackle these problems?• Where might you go to get more

information?

Comparisons between pastand present time;In England I live in a city.In Pakistan I lived in a village.

“I started by asking the students to think about which services wereimportant to them in theirneighbourhood. I also producedsome supporting materials thatwere designed to encouragediscussion. Initially the studentswere unsure what was expected of them, but they soon caught onand this stage was, I felt,successful. It resulted in thestudents producing a list of placesthat were important in their eyes.The areas that were flagged upwere Banks and Post Offices, andmoney. This influenced the topicsthat my colleague taught the groupin her classes. I also taught somemore traditional lessons alongsideReflect-based ones, whichintroduced adjectives and verbs to discuss their neighbourhood.

There were a number of languageoutcomes that came out of theexercise. These included relevantvocabulary and spelling, simpleprepositions of place andinfinitives of purpose.

The students have more recentlystarted drawing together the workwe have been doing through writingand presenting short descriptions oftheir neighbourhood. I intend thatthe students will then practicedialogues for settings that they seeas being important. The aim of all of this is to increase confidence,fluency and accuracy for eachstudent depending on his or herneeds in terms of language and life.”

Kay Rodbourn – Bristol City College

Questions for discussion:• What are you (un)happy about in the area?• Which areas of the community do these

problems occur in?• What times of day do these problems

occur? • What causes these problems?• Who are the community leaders in your

area?• Are they male or female, young or old?• How representative of ethnic groups in the

area are they?• Which services within your area are

(in)effective?• What are the reasons for services being

(in)effective?• How do these problems differ from the

type of issues that were faced in yourcountry of origin?

Conditional (if + would);If the park was tidy, I would use it more.If someone listened to me, I would complain

Adjectival order;My street is run down and old.The community is friendly, new and mainlySouth Asian.The community centre is modern and large.

There might be a number of possibleopportunities to build upon a communitymap graphic with a group in futuresessions. For example a map could beused to look at particular types of servicethat are available in the local area.Housing, health or education serviceswithin the community might be explored.

4. Then across the horizontal axis theparticipants add a number of columns. Thecontent of these should be negotiated bythe participants. A suggestion for the firstcolumn is for the group to rank theimportance of each problem. If eachparticipant ranks the problems individually,a group consensus can be reached bytotting up the individual scores. Furthercolumns might look at what the groupwould like the situation to be, what mightbe done to achieve this and, who toapproach for help. This provides a goodmeans of looking at issues and thinkingabout practical actions that might be takento address them.


■ The participants might have theopportunity to leave the classroom andtake photographs of important servicesand areas within their community. Thesemight be added onto a community map orused to make up a storyboard of the area.The group could then use the photosalong with their own text, to create eithergroup or individual representations of thearea. Analysis of photos and looking atdifferent ways in which people interpretthem may also provide interesting insightsinto the community.

■ Chapati diagrams might be used to examine the power of differentorganisations and individuals in the areathat affect the lives of the participants.

■ Maps might be used to explore issuesaround mobility. They can look at differenttransport options. Problems anddifficulties that people experience aroundtransport might be explored.

■ Timelines might be used to look atdifferent members’ arrival in the area. Aretheir experiences affected by gender, age,religion, or ethnicity and how easy is it tointegrate into British society. There is alsopotential for interesting discussion aroundthe power dynamics of choices made byparticipants when selecting the area theyhave settled in. Those that have been inthe area for longer will be able to sharetheir knowledge with others with lessexperience.

■ A brainstorming activity would be aninteresting way for participants to explorewhat constitutes a community. Thefacilitator can ask participants to writedown what they see as the importantingredients for a community, thinkingabout physical as well as social elements.Participants should be given theopportunity to explain their choices, andthis can be followed up with discussion.The group could then go on to form aranking matrix to identify the factors thatthey felt were most important.

Potential action & learningoutcomes

Having analysed some of the issues thegroup may decide that it wishes to takesome further action. There may be a desireto communicate with the local communityor organisations in the area on issues theyhave identified. For example, they maywish to link up with local organisations tohold talks or workshops in local schools inorder to counter racism. Another possibilityis to invite local representatives to attend agroup in order to talk to the participantsabout issues in the area. The group canprepare questions to ask the visitor.

Further action on issues in thecommunity might include participantswriting to their local councillors or MP toask them for their support in action. Thismay mean that the participants need togo away and practice using researchskills; first, to find out who these peopleare and second, how to get their contactdetails. This might mean having ahomework activity or class trip to visit alocal library to find out information, andthen e-mailing or writing to an MP orcouncillor. Some group members mightwant to go to a monthly MP’s orcouncillor’s surgery. Participants couldprepare questions as a group and role-play scenarios first in class. If the group is happy with a particular service in thearea then they may wish to write to localrepresentatives and recommend that thatparticular service is replicated elsewhere.

The participants may be relatively new tothe area and feel that they do not haveenough information. Therefore, they maydecide to conduct some research to findout more about the area’s history and theservices within the area. There are a rangeof places that they can accessinformation, ranging from local communityorganisations and the internet, toconducting interviews with local people,and visiting citizens’ advice bureaus andtourist information centres. This is anexcellent way to take the classroomoutside into the community, as well astying in with one of the other themes inthis booklet, accessing information.

If a group has been focusing on thequestion of what makes a community,then they may wish to approach localcommunity leaders with suggested waysof developing community spirit. Thegroup could draw up a charter containingsuggested activities to develop a sense of community participation. For example,greater consultation with residents oncommunity planning, or organising local events.

4.3


Questions for action:• How important is the issue to you?• Who might you approach to solve these

problems?• What organisations exist within the

community that might want to address theproblem?

• What knowledge is there within the groupthat could be used to tackle the problem?

• Where can you go to get more informationabout it?

• What actions might you be able to takeeither individually or as a group?

A good contrast is to draw up a matrix thatexamines what the participants like aboutthe area. This highlights the positiveaspects within the community, which canhelp participants focus on real andachievable aims for change.

4.4


Drawing on the work done around a community map,there are excellent opportunities for the group to practisegiving and following instructions. This is a valuableexercise for a variety of levels. At lower levels asking fordirections and location.

Excuse me, where is the bank?Excuse me, where is the Job Centre?Where is the post office?


Listening skills can also be practised with theparticipants following instructions.

Take the next left, then go right.

These skills that surround directions can be built uponat higher levels too.

How do you get to the bank?

They can also listen to more complicated responsesaround the topic of directions.

When you reach the roundabout go right, go straightover the lights and it is on your left.

At higher levels participants can develop language skillsaround describing the area they live in. This can becompared to where they lived in their country of origin.The descriptive language that is produced will helpparticipants with creative writing, as well as expressingtheir feelings about being a refugee or immigrant.

My neighbourhood in the UK is tidy and modern.There are lots of tall buildings. In India the buildingsare smaller and I lived in a village.

Analysis of the community is also very useful inbuilding up vocabulary that relates to housing and thearea in which one lives. Again this can be useful at avariety of levels. At low levels participants can practiceusing common adjectives to describe places.

Modern, old, (un)friendly, beautiful, ugly.

Participants may use the verbs be and have in thepresent tense to describe a place.

There is …We have …

They also can practise asking each other to describethe places where they live.

Could you describe your neighbourhood?Tell me about your street?

If a group decides that it wishes to write to a housingassociation, landlord, or local community leader there areample opportunities to practise their reading and writingskills. At higher levels they should be demonstrating anability to structure their writing correctly in paragraphs.

They will also have the opportunity to use morecomplex sentences.

Subordinate, conditional, and relative clauses,appropriate conjunctions.

Participants can look at selecting appropriate formatsand structure for formal letters and more informal e-mails.

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Why?For many refugees, asylum seekers andnewly arrived immigrants the topic offamily is sensitive. Many people have fledtheir country of origin due to politicalpersecution, war or conflict, which maymean they have been forcibly separatedfrom their own families, or in some casesthat family members have died or beenkilled. It may be advisable to wait totackle a topic like this until participantsare more comfortable with one another. Itis important though, to also acknowledgethe positive role of the family. It can be animportant source of comfort, which givessomeone the confidence to embrace lifein the UK.

Displacement may also have ramificationsfor families, as it can impact on familyroles and power dynamics. Differinglevels of linguistic ability can alter thedynamics of family relations and increasethe levels of disempowerment amongstsome family members. This mayespecially affect women, who may haveless opportunity to participate in Englishlanguage learning. Conversely childrenoften speak better English than theirparents. There also may be clashes ofculture and religious practice that canimpact on family cohesion.

How?The following are suggested graphicsthat might be used as a means ofpromoting discussion around the issue ofthe family.

Chapati diagram

This particular graphic can be used torepresent power relations within families.It will work more effectively with eithersmall groups or with participants workingindividually.

1. The easiest way of explaining thisactivity is for the facilitator to demonstrateto the group the creation of a chapatidiagram for his/her own family.

2. A large circle is drawn to represent thefamily or household. Each family memberis represented by a piece of colouredcard cut into a circle; the more powerfulthat person is perceived to be, the biggerthe card. A useful starting point is forparticipants to consider the differenttypes of power. For example; economic,emotional, physical, age, sex, etc. Thenask participants to consider who is themost powerful person in the family.Following on from here you can thenthink about who the next most powerfulperson is and so on.

3. Photos, pictures or a written namecan be used to represent the person andtheir power. Different coloured card maybe used to represent different types ofinfluence and power.

5.1


FamilyRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This section looks at the topic of family, and seeks to exploreissues that affect family life and structure.

Questions for discussion:• Who is the most powerful person in the

family?

• Why are they powerful?

• How do they use their power?

• What stops the different family membersfrom being more powerful?

• What are the differences between men andwomen, and boys and girls?

• What makes certain individuals morepowerful than others?

• Have some family members become morepowerful since they have been in the UK?

• What factors have impacted on familypower?

• Which family members are powerful insituations outside the family?

• How do traditional family values affectrelationships within the family?

• How do traditional practices affect powerin the family?

• What are the differences in beliefs betweenyounger and older generations in thefamily?

• What differences do you see as beingpositive, and which do you see as beingnegative?

• How do your traditional family values differfrom those in the UK?

Personal pronouns;My brother, my sister, his father, her cousin,your mother, their relations.

5.2


4. Other family members or friends whoare influential, but don’t share the familyhome, may also be included outside thecircle if wished. This could be furtherextended to wider influences on the familytoo. The group or facilitator may choose a number of other symbols to include inthe chapati diagram. For example, differentcoloured card might be used for male andfemale. Information about age, ethnicbackground, economic status oreducation levels may also be representedon each card.

5. Family members are placed accordingto how closely they relate to each other.For example, the circles for a mother and a newborn baby would be placedextremely close together, if not overlapping.Two family members who barely speakmight be placed on opposite sides of thecircle. String or coloured lines may alsobe used to illustrate different dynamicsbetween individuals or groups in the family.

6. Following the completion of thegraphics, participants can discuss andexplain the choices they have made bycomparing their individual graphics. Thisis a good opportunity to practice oralpresentation skills. The above questionsmight be useful for promoting discussionand drawing attention to the impact ofdisplacement upon family dynamics andlinking the two themes. Following analysisof the situation, it is important to thenconsider what actions might be taken to promote change. The questions foraction below may be useful for this.

Daily routine charts/timetable

This graphic might be used as a meansof analysing how different family membersactually spend their day. It has thepossibility of raising awareness amongstfamily members of other family members’daily activities, as well as drawingattention to the value of unpaid, domesticwork. It also could provide a good linkinto the theme of work, throughexamining the constraints to ‘paid’ work.

1. Participants should start by drawing agrid divided by 24 columns to representthe ‘24 hour’ clock. If you decide to workas a group and the group size is not toolarge, there could be a row for each classmember, which is then divided furtherinto different family members. It is betterto separate family members by sex, asmale and female routines might be quitedifferent due to prescribed gender roles.Alternatively students could also workindividually and then make presentationsto the rest of the class or in groups.

2. As a group, or individually, the classcan decide how they wish to representthe different family members, whichfamily members they want to discuss,and what symbols they will use torepresent the different activities donethroughout the day. Participants maywant to bring photographs of familymembers to class, so they would need to be forewarned.

Questions for discussion:• What do you during the day?

• What activities are you expected to do?

• How do these activities differ according tohusband, wife, children, boys, girls, and age?

• Which activities are more social?

• Which activities do you enjoy the most?(And why?)

• Which activities do you least enjoy?

• How do your traditional customs and valuesinfluence your daily routine?

• How much have your daily routineschanged since arrival in the UK?

• How have the changes affected differentfamily members?

• Which roles and activities could be sharedmore equitably amongst family members?

• Which roles and activities cause somefamily members to become isolated fromlocal community / civil society?

• What external factors have influenced theway your family operates and relates?

• How did events leading up to your move tothe UK change your family structure and life?

Comparatives and superlatives;My brother speaks the best EnglishMy father is the most powerful because he isthe head of the family.My sister looked after me more than my Mumbecause she worked.My father is stronger than me.

Questions for action:• Which issues would you like to change?• How can you change the issues to help you?• Who can you approach to help you?• What knowledge do you already have that

you can use to bring about change?• What do you need to do to be able to

affect change?• Where do you need to visit to find

information?

Chapati diagram:This graphic lends itself very well toan analysis of changing dynamicsover time. Once the participantshave completed a diagramrepresenting their current familysituation you may ask them to dothe same for the family before theyleft their home country or whenthey were children. This can helpthe participants to analyse how themove to the UK has affected familypower dynamics and their own rolewithin the household.

Or you may chose to switch theorder and ask the participants tocreate a chapati diagram for theirchildhood and then do one showingthe current situation. This can beparticularly powerful in gettingparents to question their ownpower. Someone who remembersbeing bullied and belittled as a childmay then be shocked to considertheir current power in relation totheir own children.

3. The participants then need to fill in thegrid with the different activities carried outby each family member. The group coulduse different coloured card to representdifferent types of activity. For example onecolour for paid work related activity, onefor childcare, one for rest, leisure, etc…

4. Once the students have filled in thechart, individual participants can explainthe individual routines of their differentfamily members. In doing this participantsmight look at the similarities anddifferences between different families and types of family members.

5. An interesting variation might be tolook at how the family routines havechanged since arrival in the UK, byconstructing two tables. The first wouldlook at the period prior to arrival in theUK, and the latter would examine timesince arrival in the UK.


■ A river can be used to illustratedifferent events in family histories. Thismight also be used to show how eachperson would like to see their family rolesdevelop in the future.

■ Following analysis of the family,participants may then wish to use a bodymap to examine parenting. A body mapcould be used to look at the qualities thatare needed as a good parent, and thencompared with how parents feel in reality.For example some participants may wishthey were better able to help their childrenwith their homework, or that they couldcommunicate more effectively with theirchildren. Discussion could also examinethe reasons for the gap between the idealand reality.

■ A pie chart could be used to show thevarious skills that family members have,including traditional skills i.e. weaving,baking, carpentry and modern skills i.e.using a computer, new language skills etc.This might help to examine how differentskills influence power within the family.

■ Family stories, drawings or photoscould be used to remind children of theirpast traditions and family members, whomthey may not have met. It links with dance,song and poetry about the family. Thesecould be translated and used to highlightindigenous knowledge and aspects ofculture from home countries.

■ Drama or role-plays – could be usedto show family issues looking at the pastand present. Working in groups, studentsmight wish to act out situations they faceand the effective coping strategies thatthey have identified. If confident, theymay wish to take these out into the widercommunity and act them to an audience.

■ A tree would be a useful tool to examinethe difficulties within the family. This isgenerally used to highlight cause and

effect. So, if examining the effects ofdisplacement on the family, the roots mightrepresent the reasons for moving, whilstthe branches are the effects on the family.

■ Personal life story pictures can be usedto examine different periods and the effectthat these have had on family life. This hasbeen used widely in the CIWA programme.


Participants may wish to continue workingon the theme to address some of theemergent issues. Some of the best actionsthat might be taken will be strategiesalready used by some group members. It is important to recognise participants’prior knowledge and experiences.

Again there may be opportunities to breakdown the classroom walls. Participantsmight be given the opportunity toinvestigate the sources of help and adviceavailable locally, whether this is fromgovernment agencies, or from communityorganisations. They may wish to createtheir own support groups based around acommon factor such as sex, discriminationthey have faced, or nationality.

Learning to use the Internet may beanother means of linking with familymembers or issues in their home countriesthat would also enhance participants’literacy skills. They may choose to use theirnew skills to research how to help otherrelatives to come to the UK.

Alternatively, participants may havedeveloped action plans based on theirvision of their ideal future family unit. In thiscase, the services or advice required maynot be strictly related to family relations, butinclude training opportunities for differentfamily members, immigration advice relatingto absent family members, or contact withcultural or language associations, as well assupport services for refugees and victimsof domestic violence.

5.3


Phrasal verbsI wake up at 7 o’clock.I get up at 7.30.After dinner I wash up.At the weekend I go out with my friends.

Questions for action:• Which issues would you like to change?

• Who can you approach to help you?

• What knowledge do you already have that you can use to bring about change?

• What do you need to do to be able toaffect change?

• Where do you need to visit to findinformation?

• How can the family members support each other integrating into UK society?

Present simple (daily routine); We work nights and start at 20.00.I come home at 6 p.mMy wife collects the kids from school atthree o’clock.

5.4


The participants and the facilitator may decide theywant to be able to express more clearly the reasonswhy they are not able to do certain activities. Thisgives the facilitator the opportunity to look at howthey might express cause and effect. The facilitatorcan then refer back to examples of barriers and theireffects that arose in the graphic creation, to helpteach the linking of clauses.

I can’t come to class on Monday mornings because I have to work.My husband goes to the Mosque on Friday thereforehe can’t help.


The daily routine chart creates an ideal opportunity forbeginners to practise using the present simple tensefor making simple statements of fact.

I wake up at…I get up at…I take a shower at…I have breakfast at…

At higher levels, when participants want to expressstatements of fact, they may choose to use the pastsimple and present simple to contrast their past and present lives.

In the UK only my daughter is with me.In my country all my family was with me.

The facilitator can get participants to present theirdaily routines to the rest of the class or in groups.This can help to develop other participants’ listeningskills as they listen and extract key information.

At higher levels they can listen for greater detail in theparticipants’ narratives.

Another area that might be addressed followinganalysis of the family with a chapati diagram, iswriting. Students can use their analysis to write shortdescriptions of their families following on from thediscussion. During this they could practise usingcompound sentences using common conjunctions.

My father is a nurse and my mother is abusinesswoman. My father earns money, but mymother earns more. My sister goes to secondaryschool. I go to English classes at college and I wantto study computers or engineering.

More advanced groups may seek to ensure greateraccuracy in their use of grammar and spelling.

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Why?The theme of ‘health’ is extremelyimportant in relation to the lives of refugeesand asylum seekers who have fled theirhomelands due to war, political repression,torture, natural disasters and poverty. Manymay arrive in the UK with a number ofhealth problems. Government healthstatistics consistently show that, in termsof ratio per population, refugees andasylum seekers suffer more acutely fromphysical and mental health problems. Ontop of this their lack of language skills canfurther compound their problems byhindering them in accessing appropriatehealthcare.

A Reflect-based group gives theopportunity for participants to develop aframework of language skills and actionsthat enable participants to make themost of the health services available tothem, whilst also making the most oftheir pre-existing and indigenousknowledge for treating illnesses. Thetheme of health can also cover issuessuch as diet and exercise, food andnutrition, on top of disease and generalailments, as well as examining mentalhealth. Mental health is an importantarea, because of its impact on physicalhealth. The suggested ideas that followaim to aid participants with acquiringvocabulary specific to the topic of healthand also build their confidence in talkingabout health issues, which in somecases, for socio-cultural reasons, may be difficult or alien to them.

It should be noted that some illnessesthat people have suffered from mightpotentially be embarrassing or hold someform of stigma. Facilitators, therefore,should be wary around such topics and itis recommended that you should use thistopic once a good rapport has beendeveloped within the group.

How?The following are suggested graphicsthat might be developed as a means ofpromoting discussion and analysis ofhealth issues that affect participants.

Body map

1. To start with one participant lies eitherdirectly on the floor or on top of paperwhilst another group member drawsaround them with a pen or chalk.

2. Following on from this, the participantsadd in the physical features of the bodysuch as facial features, as well as internalorgans. At this stage of construction thebody map graphic has a lot of use forlanguage work around parts of the body.Depending on the dynamics and size of the group the facilitator may wish

to divide the group by sex. Someparticipants may feel more comfortableworking in same sex groups. Throughmale and female participants workingseparately the opportunity to examinespecific differences between men andwomen may arise.

6.1


HealthRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This section seeks to examine a variety of issues around health,ranging from accessing health services, to personal and familyhealth matters and care for the sick.

Vocabulary; parts of the body, illnesses, treatments,emotions, qualities.

Questions for discussion:• Which illnesses have you suffered from

since arriving in this country?

• What illnesses did you used to suffer from in your country of origin?

• What parts of the body do these illnessesaffect?

• Where do you go to get help if you are ill in the UK?

• Where did you go if you were ill in yourhome country?

• What experiences do you have of the UK health system?

• How does it differ from your experiences in your country of origin?

• What social networks do you use to help if you are in the UK?

• How do these differ from your country of origin?

• What problems do you face in accessinghealth services?

• Have you ever used the emergencyservices?

• If so, what kind of experience did you have?

• How does being ill affect other areas ofyour life (such as work, family life, etc.)?

• What stigma is attached to certainillnesses (HIV/Aids, mental illness, etc.) ?

• How do you tackle these issues?

6.2


3. Having completed the drawing, thegroup can label the different parts of thebody using their collective knowledge.Where necessary, at lower levels, it issuggested that participants’ first languagemight be used. With higher-levelparticipants the facilitator might ask themto think of verbs that are associated withthe different body parts. For example, thinkwith the brain, listen with the ears, anddigest with the intestines.

4. Having labelled the graphic, ask theparticipants to draw or write the namesof illnesses that they have experiencedsince arriving in the country ontocoloured card or paper. You may wish toallocate a particular colour to a particulartype of illnesses.

5. These pieces of card are then placedonto the graphic in relation to the parts ofthe body they affect the most. You maywant to have multiple cards for illnesses thataffect more than one region of the body.

6. Following on from here, the group cancollectively discuss the positioning of thecards, and if in agreement makeadjustments. Through this analysis, theparticipants can share information andknowledge on treating these illnesses.Importantly the facilitator shouldencourage participants to shareindigenous knowledge, as well asknowledge of modern medicine.

7. A follow up activity could be for thegroup to repeat the exercise, except thistime to think about illnesses that haveaffected them in the past, when theywere living in their countries of origin. Inthe resulting discussion the group mightexamine the differences in the type oftreatment and the access they had to it.

Matrix

1. This activity starts by the groupbrainstorming the different kinds of illnessthat either they or someone that they knowhas been affected by. It is important thatparticipants know there is a degree ofanonymity. This will hopefully make themmore prepared to talk about stigmatisedillnesses. They write the names of theillnesses onto pieces of card or paper.These are then arranged into a column thatforms the vertical axis of the matrix.

2. Having done this, the participants addother columns across the horizontal axis.The contents of these should be decidedby the participants. There are a number of possibilities depending on howcomplicated you wish to make the matrix.Some suggested headings for columnsinclude; the symptoms of the illness, theareas of the body affected by a particularillness, the different responses taken whentreating different illnesses, and differentlocations of treatment centres. Lower levelgroups might initially draw onto cards, andlater add the words.

3. To keep the matrix simple it issuggested that it is created with differentailments on the vertical axis and on thehorizontal axis the different actions thatparticipants might take if they weresuffering from a particular ailment. Possiblecategories might be; do nothing, selfmedicate, go to a pharmacy, visit thedoctor, use a traditional remedy, or go tohospital. The content of the columnsshould be decided by the group.

4. Having created the matrix, the nextstep is to fill it in. This can initially bedone using small moveable objects.Dried beans, buttons, or small pebblesare useful. Ask the participants toconsider each illness and then to placea button in the column that isdesignated for the treatment that theywould most likely use. Once everyonehas added their objects, the groupshould discuss their choices. Analysis of the issues can be helped by countingup the number of buttons allocated todifferent treatments. Importantly, thefacilitator should encourage participantsto explain their reasons for choosingeach particular action.

Questions for discussion:• What illnesses have you suffered from

since arriving in the UK?• Which parts of the body does it affect?• How do you treat illnesses normally?• Who usually treats you when you are ill?• How has being in the UK affected the way

in which you treat illnesses?• Can you still use traditional ways of

treating illness?• What have your experiences of the UK

health system been?• Are you registered with your GP?• How did you communicate with the doctor

/ pharmacist / nurse?• Where are your local health services

located?• Who cares for you when you are ill in the

UK?• Who used to care for you when you were

ill in your country of origin?• What happens about your job when you

are ill?• What do you know about the links

between health and nutrition?

Indirect speech;She said she hasn’t had the flu.They said they had no one to help themwhen they were ill.I said I had malaria once.

Questions for action:• Where can you find out more information

about health services in your area?• Which are the closest health facilities to

where you live?• What have you learnt from other group

members that might help you if you get ill?• What can you do to counter some of the

problems that you face?Present perfect;I have had malaria before.He has broken his leg.They have had the flu.

Should / ought to (suggestion);When you have the flu, you should go to the pharmacy.If you have a serious accident you shouldring 999.

5. A further extension that might provideinteresting discussion is asking participantshow their responses might differ dependingon whether they were in the UK or in theircountry of origin. It is important for thefacilitator to draw attention to the factthat indigenous knowledge need not be discarded because of a participants’location.


■ A tree can be used to examine thesymptoms, causes and treatments fordifferent illnesses. The tree roots can beused to represent the symptoms, thebranches the causes, and the fruitsdifferent possible treatments.

■ Another matrix could be formed to givea brief description of the function of partsof the body.

■ A community map, which looks at thehealth services within the area, is anexcellent means of raising awareness ofthe different healthcare facilities available.This is a particularly effective way ofsharing knowledge between those thathave been living in the UK for longer andrecently arrived participants.

■ Role-plays can be used as an effectivemeans of highlighting issues aroundhealthcare. The participants can base theirrole-plays on real experiences they have

had, and then use these to generatefurther discussion. They might, forexample, look at problems of finding adoctor, or communicating with a healthworker. They could also contrast theirexperiences with role-plays of visiting thetraditional healer in their own country.

■ Many parents worry about their children’shealth. A matrix that lists the different typesof food that children eat could be created.The participants can then have additionalcolumns that analyse how (un)healthyfoods are. There might be additionalcolumns that explain why foods are(un)healthy. Finally foods might be rankedaccording to their health value. An alternative might be to look at commonchildhood ailments and the possibleoptions for treatment. For example, lookingat modern versus traditional treatments.

■ In an all female group a chapati diagrammight be used to analyse issues aroundchildbirth. It can be used to examine thedifferent influences on childbirth, such asdifferent family members, local healthfacilities, midwives and children. Anotherway in which a chapati diagram might beused is to examine the power relationsaround consent to sex and safe sex. This might work well with youth groups.This could provide a good lead in todiscussion around HIV/AIDS and STDs. For groups wishing to explore this in moredetail there would be potential to usefurther participatory practices (see http://www.talcuk.org/, or contact [email protected] regarding STAR).

■ A timeline might be used as a meansof examining individuals’ and groups’experiences of illness. These could beused in a variety of ways. One might beto analyse the impact of the time of yearon the health of individuals or a group.Another might be to look at participants’health over their lifetime and to examinethe impact of age.

■ A brainstorming activity could be aneffective way to explore what participantsconsider illness to be. This could be agood way to challenge the participants’perceptions of what is meant by illness andto introduce the different perspectives andthe idea of stigma around illness.

Potential actions & learningoutcomes:

There are a number of potential follow upactivities that a group might decide uponas a means of building upon the analysisthey have done through the graphic.These should seek to make the most of the knowledge that exists within thegroup, whilst also seeking to tap intoresource pools of information that existwithin the community.

One possible approach might be to try to create pamphlets about exercise anddiet. These might be accompanied bydesigning posters to be displayed aroundthe classroom, college or communitycentre. The group might wish to conductsome research by picking up leaflets from a hospital, health centre or doctor’ssurgery. They may wish to think of ways of making existing leaflets moreappropriate to themselves and othercommunity members.

Another idea that helps to transcend theclassroom walls, is for the group to thinkabout inviting health workers into theirclassroom to talk to them about relevanthealth issues. Through liaising with aspeaker, the facilitator can turn the talkinto a listening activity with worksheets.

Participants may not feel confidentenough in their language skills to book anappointment at their doctor’s surgery onthe telephone. Through practising suchsituations within a role-play scenario,participants can identify the areas thatthey wish to work on. Alongside this,listening skills can also be practised byusing recordings.

6.3


Questions for action:• How might you change your actions to get

more effective health care?• Where might you get more information

about health services in the area?• What have you learnt from other group

members that might be useful in the future?• What areas of traditional knowledge are

useful for treating illness in the UK?• How might you prevent illness through

good nutrition?• What would you like the health service

to provide?• Who might you approach to help you

when you are ill?

6.4


Participants might decide that they would like to workon developing their understanding of instructions formedication. This gives the opportunity for the facilitatorto look at numeracy skills and the language that isassociated with them. The participants will have tomake simple statements of fact using grammar that is suitable for quantities and numbers.

These tablets contain 500mg of Paracetamol and50mg of Codeine Phosphate.You take 2 tablets.


The facilitator might ask the participants to bringmedication packaging to the group. By looking atinstructions that centre on quantity and dosage as a starting point, the facilitator can expand into moregeneral work around numbers and students will bepracticing recognition of digits.

Directions for use: Two tablets not more than every 4hours or as directed by your doctor. Do not take morethan 8 tablets in a 24 hr period. Do not exceed thestated dose. Please read the enclosed leaflet closely.

In addition participants will learn to recognise anumber of limited words, signs and symbols aroundthe topic of health. There is also important vocabularyaround warnings and precautions on packaging.

Adults; take 2 x 200 mg tablets 3 times daily with meals.Warning: Do not take if pregnant or breastfeeding

In discussion following the construction of a matrixwhere participants have been considering what actionto take, there may be good opportunities to practisemaking suggestions using the modal verbs ‘would’and ‘should’. This demonstrates participants’ ability to make suggestions and to give advice.

You should take some Paracetamol.I would go to my GP.If you have the flu, you should stay in bed.

In discussing previous illnesses, participants maypractise using a range of verb tenses as statements of fact. At higher levels the passive voice might be usedto talk about who treated someone for an illness.

I was treated by a doctor at the hospital when I hadmalaria in Bangladesh.I was cured by the herbalist.

At lower levels using the past simple to talk about pastevents will be common. The present simple might alsobe used to make comparisons between participants’present situation and the past.

I caught malaria in Addis Ababa.My mother died from typhoid in 1987.I have asthma. He gets the flu every winter

The group might wish to write a problem page thataddresses issues that are relevant to their community.This gives them a chance to practise their writingskills at a range of levels depending on their ability. At lower levels the group would be practisingconstructing simple and compound sentences.

Whilst at higher levels these might be developed sothat participants improve the structure of their writingby using paragraphs correctly.

Participants may also choose between different typesof paragraph structure and linguistic features to aidwith sequencing and coherence.

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Why?Where we live and the type of housingthat we live in has a huge impact on ourdaily lives. It can affect our physicalhealth and mental wellbeing. Ensuringadequate housing is of utmost importanceto all ESOL students, especially as it hasramifications beyond the individual andimpacts on whole families. The majorityof refugees and asylum seekers live inrented accommodation that is eitherprovided for them by the government ora housing association, or privately rented.Therefore, being able to communicateeffectively with landlords andrepresentatives of housing providers, andhaving knowledge of one’s legal rights isof great importance for ESOL students.

Housing is also important because of thebenefits of having a permanent address.It is often necessary for tapping into othersupport services that are vital for thosetrying to settle and integrate in the UK.Services such as benefits, training,regular healthcare and school places forchildren are important for everyone, butespecially impact disadvantaged groupsof immigrants such as women,unaccompanied children, and those withdisabilities and mental health problems.In addition to this, housing-relatedsupport workers also act as key linkswith health, education, training and otherservices. There are also issues aroundthe lack of control that many refugeesand asylum seekers have over theirhousing situations. Through the process

of analysing the issues that impact uponhousing, participants are able to shareinformation and knowledge so that theycan learn from one another.

How? The following are suggested activities that will help participants to analyse theircurrent housing situations, and todevelop strategies that might helpimprove their housing.

House visioning map

1. A possible way to build upon acommunity map could be to look athousing in more detail. This graphic couldthen be added onto the map of thecommunity, to supplement informationabout where people live.

2. Participants create a house-visioningmap by, firstly, drawing a picture of theirown home. Then they mark onto this allthe things that they like about their home,followed by the things that they dislike. A colour code system could be used todistinguish between the two categories.This will lead participants to identifyproblems with their current housing. Thediscussion around aspects of housing willgenerate a lot of vocabulary that is relevantand useful to the participants’ lives.

3. As a means of exploring the powerdynamics that exist around the problemswith participants’ current housing the groupcould colour code the labels according totheir power to change the problems. Thiscould then be linked with either a chapatidiagram or a ranking matrix. Some issuescould be addressed by participantsthemselves (or perhaps members of thegroup could share their skills), whilst othersmay be the statutory responsibility of thecouncil/landlord and so can be resolvedthrough a complaints procedure. Othersmay require a group to come together tocomplain, or the problems may be so badthat a request for re-housing is the onlyoption. The questions for action will thenlead directly from the graphic.

7.1


HousingRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This sheet aims to examine some of the issues that surroundthe provision of housing and the way it is serviced.

Vocabulary;House, flat, tower block, bed-sit, apartment,room, kitchen, bathroom, lounge.

Questions for discussion:• What kind of house do you live in?• What do you like about your house?• What do you dislike about your house?• Where is your house located?• How many people live in your house?• What facilities does your house have?• What are the differences between your

housing here in the UK and in your countryof origin?

• Is your house rented or owned?• If you are a tenant what is your relationship

with your landlord like?• Does your house feel like home?• What is the difference between house

and home?• How is the space inside your house used?• Who controls the different spaces in your

house?

7.2


4. Additional discussion and analysis couldcentre on the concept of what makes ahome. This could be done by the groupcomparing their houses in the UK with theirhomes in their country of origin. Thisanalysis could help participants identifythings they could do to make their housesmore homely as well as potentiallyhighlighting improvements in their housingsituation.

5. A further extension might involve theparticipants (either individually or as part ofa group) drawing a picture of a house, thatrepresents what they perceive as beingideal accommodation. If working as agroup, this will need to be negotiated.Importantly, the facilitator would need tokeep the group focused on a realistic ideal.

Chapati diagram

1. Start with the group seated in a circle.Then ask them to think about whichindividuals, organisations and partiesimpact most on their housing situations.These might include landlords, housingofficers, the government, immigrationservices, family members, etc. Then askthem to write these down onto pieces ofpaper or card and to place them on thefloor or table between them.

2. Once this has been done, ask theparticipants collectively to group togetherany of the cards which are the same orsimilar. Having done this, the facilitatorcan ask the group to rank the differentinfluences according to their perceivedimportance. The repetition of factorscould be useful for the group in helpingto identify which factors are collectivelyimportant. It is important that theparticipants reach a group consensus.

3. The next stage is for the facilitator toask the participants to cut out a circularpiece of card to represent each factor.The size will be used to identify eachfactor’s relative power, so the largestcircle will represent the most powerfuland the least powerful will be thesmallest. If the group feels some factorsexert equal amounts of power they wouldbe the same size.

4. The group can then arrange thefactors according to how they interactwith one another. If they are closelyinterlinked it might be that a small circle isplaced within a larger one or so that thetwo circles overlap. If two factors have aclose relationship or some sort of tie toeach other, the participants might decideto link the two using string or tape. It isimportant that the group should discussthe positioning and links, and come to afinal decision collectively.

5. Having completed the construction ofthe graphic, the participants might wishto have a discussion around the differenttypes of housing that they live in as agroup. For example those living in councilhousing, housing association, rented,private, etc.


■ A matrix/forcefield diagram could beused as a means of analysing thepositives and negatives aboutparticipants’ housing situations. Start byasking participants to make a list of thepositive and negative issues with theircurrent housing situation. These can thenbe placed in the first column. Then insubsequent columns the group caninclude their reasons for choosing the

Questions for discussion:• Is your house provided by the government,

rented, owned, etc…?• Which factors have the most influence

over your housing situation?• What kind of house do you live in?• Who decides where you live?• How does this make you feel?• What responsibilities do you have for

your home?• What decorating and renovating are you

allowed to carry out on your house?• Were you a homeowner in your country

of origin?• What land rights did you have in your

country of origin?• How do your rights around housing

compare to those of you had in yourcountry of origin?

• How are these different factors exertinginfluence over your housing situationinterlinked?

Modal verbs (could, can);You could repair the bathroom door.I can clean the windows.He could get some plants or flowers.

Questions for action:• What might you change in your house?• Who do you need to approach to get

action on changes to your housing?• How might you approach them?• Where might you get advice / information

on your housing rights?

Present simple;NASS decides where I live.My landlord repairs my house.I complain to the housing association.

Past simple & past continuous;Past simple and past continuous;I had a small house when I was living inSierra Leone.We were living in the countryside, when welived in India.

Questions for action:• What have you learnt from other group

members about housing issues that mighthelp you in future?

• Whom do you need to approach to getimprovements to your housing situation?

• From whom / where can you get adviceand support on housing related issues?

• How might you approach them?

issues, decide whether they are positiveor negative issues, what their idealsituation would be, what participants cando personally to either improve thesituation or replicate it, and from whomor where they can get assistance.

■ A matrix could also be used toexamine who is responsible foraddressing housing problems. This couldbuild upon the analysis of a mappingexercise. The problems could be placeddown one side and the various partiesinvolved across the other. Then the groupcould identify which of the various bodiesare responsible for, or impact on change.

■ A tree could be used for identifyingissues around housing. Participants couldstart by identifying problems they havewith their housing. These are then writtenon cards and used to represent theroots. A similar process is then used toconsider the ways to improveparticipants’ housing situation, this timeplacing the cards in the branches. Ripefruit could then be used to depict thebenefits of having a good housingsituation, whilst unripe fruit could be usedto depict the negative effects.

■ A tree could also be used in a similarway to analyse a different aspect ofhousing. Instead of focusing onimproving the housing situation, thegroup might like to examine the benefitsof having a permanent address. This timethe roots section of the graphic can berepresented by what is needed toachieve a permanent address, with thebranches section as the benefits ofhaving one, and the fruit as theparticipants’ future aspirations.

■ Calendar budgets (see budgets themefor more details) would be an effectivemeans of examining issues aroundhousehold expenditure. Participantsmight be asked to list their monthlyoutgoings for expenditure on goods andservices like rent, gas, electricity, council

tax, water, repairs, phone bills, etc. Thiscould help to raise awareness amongstparticipants of budgetary planning, aswell as identifying areas where groupmembers can get support.

■ A household income/expenditure treewould be a useful tool for identifying thedifferent forms of income that exist withina group, and for examining how incomeis allocated against the outgoings ofdifferent households. This can be doneby using the roots of the tree to representthe household income, whilst thebranches represent the outgoingexpenditure. The group could be dividedby sex, to examine differences betweenincome and expenditure between menand women, and the impact that this hason the household. The discussion thatarises from such an activity would beuseful in raising awareness aroundbudgeting and prioritising spending.

Action and learning outcomes

For a group that has been analysing the issues around housing, there are anumber of potential actions that thegroup might like to take. If the group is keen to broaden its knowledge of itsrights around housing, then the facilitatormay decide to invite speakers to come toaddress the group. Guest speakers mightbe invited from organisations like localhousing associations, refugeeorganisations or local government. The group could prepare questionsbeforehand, or make presentationsbased on their analysis from discussions.

Another potential course of action mightbe to ask participants to bring applicationforms from housing associations to class.The process of sourcing out informationuses useful research skills, as well aslinking to the theme of information andcommunity. Through this processparticipants could also gather leaflets,which can be cut up and used for

reading activities. Such activities areimportant for empowering participants byreducing their reliance on others.

Through analysis of the power structuresthat affect housing, participants maydecide that they wish to write letters tothe appropriate bodies or organisationsto get assistance on an issue relating totheir housing situation. Some participantsmay be in such a bad housing situationthat applying for re-housing is the onlyoption. They could look into what theirrights are in such a situation and write a letter applying for re-housing.

It would be useful to look at the respectiverights and responsibilities of landlords andtenants. For example, tenants’responsibilities for the upkeep of propertiescompared with landlords’ responsibilitiesfor repairs and maintenance ofaccommodation. Where problems havebeen identified that are the responsibility of the landlord, the group could practicetheir letter writing skills.

If a participants are unhappy with aspectsof their present housing situation, thenthey may wish to practice learning tocomplain politely and assertively. This willmean looking at role-playing situationsand focusing on specific language skills.These might include looking at structuressuch as ‘I would like …’, specificvocabulary and practising languageconventions around using the phone.

7.3


7.4


If the group has decided that it wishes to be betterequipped for making complaints about housingsituations, then the participants will need to practisemaking requests. This can be done in a variety of waysdepending on the participants’ level. Participants should be able to use ‘can’ and ‘could’ for asking for requesting action.

Can you please repair the fridge?The roof is leaking. Could you fix it?


Higher level participants might demonstrate a greaterrange of modal verbs for asking for something to be done.

Would you mind coming now?Can I speak to your supervisor?

During discussion between participants, learners will have to ask each other about their feelings and opinions.

What about you?What do you think?Do you agree?What’s your opinion?

If the group has decided to gather information aroundhousing rights, then leaflets and forms are an excellentway to transcend the walls of the classroom. At lowerlevels, if the group has been looking at leaflets, thenparticipants can practise obtaining information fromillustrations, simple maps, diagrams or captions.

At higher levels participants can practise recognisingand working out the meaning of vocabulary that isassociated with specific types of text.

Another reading skill that can be practised when reading leaflets is relating an image to print and using it to obtain meaning.

Form filling is an important part of many refugees’ andasylum seekers’ lives, and through using real formsthat relate to housing, groups have the opportunity to practise life skills, as well as language skills. At lowlevels this might merely be composing a simple textthat shows awareness of the basic conventions andlayout of a form, by using short answers

NameAddressTelephone numberSignature

As participants’ levels become more advanced, thismay progress to showing awareness of form-fillingconventions.

Circling or deleting information.Ticking boxes.

Participants can practise completing forms with morecomplex features and open responses

Open answers and additional comments.

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Why?Discrimination and prejudice exist at alllevels of society, and for many refugeesand asylum seekers are a commonexperience. Some might have beenforced to flee their home countries as aresult. They also face increasing hostilityin the UK because of negative portrayalsin the media. Unfortunately discriminationand prejudice can take on many forms,ranging from verbal or physical personalattacks, to political or institutionaldiscrimination through governmentlegislation, or social prejudice asdemonstrated in the media.

Discrimination and prejudice againstrefugees and asylum seekers can belinked to misinformation. Being labelled a ‘refugee’ or ‘asylum seeker’ canautomatically be disempowering becauseof the negative connotations circulatedwithin the media and wider society. Whilstthe labels ‘refugee’ and ‘asylum seeker’are meant to accord individuals certainlegal rights, such as the right to protectionand the right to stay in the country, theyalso carry negative connotations. Theseascribed labels mark people out as ‘other’and outside of the accepted community.Importantly, refugees and asylum seekerswho need to attend ESOL classes are alsooften ignored and marginalised because oftheir poor English language skills.

Using Reflect techniques to analysesome of the issues that surrounddiscrimination and prejudice can beinstrumental in helping participants

understand why others may discriminateagainst them and to think of actions thatcan be taken to challenge discriminationand address negative perceptions.

How? Once the group has decided that theywish to focus on the topic of prejudice anddiscrimination, they will need to choose aspecific issue to address. The following aresome suggested ways of analysing someof the issues that surround the topic.

River

1. The river is an excellent means ofexamining experiences over a period of time and it allows the participants to explore and eventually share theirindividual stories. The sharing of suchstories can be a very empowering andrehabilitating experience in itself. However,this is a sensitive topic so it is importantto create a secure and safe environmentwithin the classroom. It is important forthe facilitator to emphasise how peoplehave overcome the barriers they faced sothat the exercise is a positive one, ratherthan merely focusing on the negative. As with the other graphics, the facilitatorshould also take part, creating and sharinghis/her own river of life.

8.1


Prejudice &discrimination


This section aims to address many of the issues that are behindthe prejudice and discrimination that have been and are sufferedby refugees and asylum seekers.

Questions for discussion:• Were you discriminated against in your

country of origin? If so, why?

• Have you been discriminated against sinceyou arrived in the UK? If so, why?

• Who discriminated against you?

• How did you feel when you werediscriminated against?

• Have you ever discriminated against otherpeople? If so, why did you do it?

• Which elements of UK culture andcommunication do you find particularlydifficult?

• How are women treated differently frommen in your traditional culture?

• How are older people treated compared toyounger people in your country of origin?

• How does power affect discrimination andprejudice?

• How have you overcome barriers createdby discrimination and prejudice?

• How have you benefited fromdiscrimination or prejudice?

‘Wh’ questions;Who discriminated against you?When were you discriminated against?Where were you discriminated against?Why were you discriminated against?

8.2


2. Participants are first asked to considerdifferent types of prejudice that they haveexperienced during their lives and why theywere discriminated against. These mightinclude factors such as age, gender, race,ethnic background, nationality, religion,caste, political affiliations, or physical orsexual orientation.

3. Once these have been discussed theparticipants can start to fill in their rivers.The source of the river is the start of theirlives. It is worth remembering that somepeople face discrimination from birth onaccount of their sex, race, ethnicity, class,etc. The participants can use imagery(such as rapids, waterfalls, dams, orwhirlpools) to represent the various formsof prejudice and discrimination they havefaced. Positive elements, such as a goodteacher, or a kind relative, should also beincluded. They might be represented asboats or bridges. Encourage theparticipants to be as creative as possible.

4. Importantly, the facilitator should alsoencourage participants to include ways in which they may have benefited fromdiscrimination, and prejudice. For examplethey may have gained opportunitiesbecause of their economic or socialstatus, gender or education.

5. When the graphic is complete theparticipants can talk through their rivers.The facilitator should help to guidediscussion at this point. Some of thesuggested questions may be of use.After the discussion, the group membersshould consider possible actions thatthey might take in order to combatprejudice and discrimination that theyhave experienced in their lives or mayface in the future.

Tree

1. A tree provides an excellent means ofexamining the causes and effects of anissue, and can be used to build onanalysis from a river. The group shouldselect a particular form of discriminationidentified during discussion (e.g.discrimination faced upon arrival in theUK) and use the tree to gain a greaterunderstanding of it.

2. To start with, ask the group to think ofexamples of discrimination or prejudicethat they or someone they know havefaced. These can be written onto piecesof card and placed at the bottom of thetree. Once this is done, participantsshould group similar cards together. Aproliferation of cards about a particularissue will highlight the importance of thisissue for the group. Once they haveagreed on the position of the cards, theparticipants can stick them down anddraw in the roots.

3. The second stage is to fill in thebranches, following a similar process.The participants write down the effectsof the prejudice and discrimination thatthey have experienced. Again the groupshould reach collective agreement on the position of the cards, and fill in thebranches once this has been done. It isworth emphasising that sometimes withtrees it is easier to start with the effectsand to work backwards to the causes.

4. The final stage is to fill in the fruit atthe end of the branches. The group shouldconsider what actions could be taken tocombat prejudice and discrimination.These might include things like speakingout, or writing a letter to a local newspaper,or contacting local support organisations.A potentially useful exercise would be forthe group to think about positive actions,and to depict these as healthy fruit, whilstcontrasting these with negative actions(e.g. becoming violent), which can bedepicted as rotting fruit.

Questions for action:• What lessons can be learnt from the

group’s stories about prejudice anddiscrimination?

• What strategies can we use in our futureactions to challenge prejudice anddiscrimination?

• How might you change or challengepeoples’ perceptions? (e.g. through themedia, talks in schools, plays)

• Which organisations or institutions canyou approach for help?

Passive voice;I have been shouted at by a group of boys.He was taken away by the police.

Questions for action;• What lessons can be learnt from the

group’s stories about prejudice anddiscrimination?

• What strategies can we use in our futureactions to overcome prejudice anddiscrimination?

• How might you change peoples’perceptions?

• Which organisations can you go to gethelp from?

Should (recommendation);You should say something.You should ring the police.You should tell your family.

Questions for discussion:• What kind of discrimination have you

faced in your life?

• Why do you think you were discriminatedagainst?

• Who discriminated against you?

• What impact did this discrimination haveon your life?

• Have you ever discriminated against otherpeople? If so, why?

• Why do people treat each otherdifferently?

• What are the factors that influencediscrimination and prejudice?

• How does power effect discrimination andprejudice?

• How have you overcome barriers createdby discrimination and prejudice?

• How have you benefited fromdiscrimination or prejudice?

5. The group can also include factorsthat have an outside influence on prejudiceand discrimination, such as the media orgovernment, as external factors such asthe weather conditions or soil nutrients.


■ Select photographs of differentsituations and ask the participants todiscuss what is happening in them. You can then compare the participants’perceptions with the reality. This canbring out the differences between aninterpretation of a situation and what isactually happening and thus illustratehow wrong initial assumptions can be.

■ A similar stereotyping analysisexercise could be used with higher-levelparticipants analysing newspaper articles,official documents, political propagandaand schoolbooks. After reading the text,participants could discuss at the kind ofstereotypes that are being enforced. Thiscould be followed by discussion of thelinks between stereotyping and prejudice.

■ A discrimination walk can be useful for sharing personal experiences ofdiscrimination. The group stands at oneend of the room and the facilitator thenasks people to cross the room if theyhave ever been discriminated againstbecause of a particular characteristic(race, sex, sexual orientation, language,political beliefs, appearance, class,refugee status, etc). It can be verypowerful to observe that even in asuperficially homogenous group, somepeople are repeatedly crossing the room,while others may leave their position onlyonce or twice. This is a very sensitiveactivity and some participants may find itintimidating and uncomfortable. You maywish to adapt it by asking participants totake a pace forward instead. Thefacilitator should also join in the activity.Participants can then share specificexamples and recount their feelings

(How did you feel when you crossed theroom / watched others cross the room?).

■ A group may wish to dramatiseexamples of prejudice and discriminationthey have experienced through role-playsor drama. This can be a great way tobring participants’ experiences out intothe open, and to provide a forum todiscuss ways of tackling discriminationand prejudice.

■ A chapati diagram is a useful tool forexamining the issue of power in relation toprejudice and discrimination. The graphiccan be used to promote discussion aroundwho or what influences the ways in whichrefugees and asylum seekers are perceived.

■ The label game is another useful way toget participants to consider the feelings ofthose who are experiencing prejudice anddiscrimination. The facilitator starts byasking all the group members to think ofpositive and negative qualities. These arethen written onto pieces of sticky sidedpaper and stuck on participants’ backs.The group can then mingle, greeting eachother differently, depending on what iswritten on their label. This can be followedup with discussion on how the participantsfelt during the exercise.

■ Traditional songs and dances are agood way for group members to shareelements of their culture. This might bedone along with presentations aboutaspects of life in the participants’ homecountries.

■ A lack of language skills is often a cause of discrimination in a predominantlymonolingual society such as that of theUK. A tree provides a good means ofexamining the cause and effects of a lackof language skills, with potential actions for improving the participants’ English. It could be combined with a graphic thatexamines why participants want to studyEnglish, and might be a useful startingpoint for a group.

Potential actions & learning outcomes

The participants may decide that theywish to take some action to break downmisconceptions that others have abouttheir culture and status. Possible actionsmight include holding cultural eveningsopen to the wider community. Thesemight involve talks, storytelling, photo orart exhibitions and the performing oftraditional dances or songs. This couldhelp to develop cultural understanding.

Participants may choose to write letters to the local or national media. By speakingout about social status and culturalpractices, participants can attempt todispel some of the myths that surroundrefugees and asylum seekers. It may bepossible to collaborate with a localnewspaper, newsletter or radio station to have a regular feature based on thegroup’s personal histories and experiencesas refugees and asylum seekers.

Importantly, if participants wish to try todispel some of the myths about refugeesand asylum seekers, they need to be ableto counter some of the misinformation thatexists. Therefore, they may choose toexamine some of the media attention givento the subject. This could be done byasking participants to analyse newspaperstories, as well as looking for sources ofinformation that counter inaccurateinformation. A good source of soundinformation, is the ‘Myth Busters’ section of the Refugee Council website(http://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/news/myths/myth001.htm).

Other groups may decide that they needmore support in coping with issues ofprejudice and discrimination. They mightundertake research into local supportservices that can give assistance andadvice to refugees and asylum seekers,e.g. Refugee Action, Refugee Council,Migrant helpline, local communityorganisations.

8.3


8.4


Following on from the analysis of a graphic or activity,participants may decide to work on their ability to askquestions. During the label game activity, an ability toform ‘wh-‘ type questions would be important.

Why are you rude?What is wrong?Who are you?


At higher levels questions may be more complicatedand use a range of question words, as well asdifferent tenses and comparative questions.

Who discriminated against you?Why were you discriminated against?When were you discriminated against?Which is worse … or …?

Through the process of searching for local groupsthat provide support, participants gain valuableexperience in accessing information, as well aspractising their reading skills. During the researchprocess participants may need to use dictionaries toobtain the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Using recognition skills for familiar words andcommon spelling patterns will also be important.

At higher levels the valuable research skills of skimmingand scanning texts for meaning can be introduced.

By asking the participants to discuss and share pastexperiences, a range of past tenses can be practiseddepending on the group’s language level. At lowerlevels this may be using only the past simple.

The police beat me at home.

Whilst at higher levels the present perfect may be needed.

The government has not helped me because I am anasylum seeker.

Also the past perfect and passives may be used too. I was beaten by the police at home.He had helped me before.

If the group has decided to write to a local newspaper,they may want to tell their personal stories as to howand why they came to the UK. There are a whole rangeof different skills that they may need to use. At higherlevels they need to choose the correct style of writingdepending on their purpose.

Sc/E1.3a Sc/E2.2c

Sc/E3.3b

Rw/E2.4a

Rw/E2.2a

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Sc/E2.3a

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Sc/L1.3d

Participants will also use a range of sentencestructures that suit the purpose.

At lower levels greater importance can be attached tothe spelling of common words and special interestvocabulary correctly, along with clear punctuation.

By using the tree or river, the causes and effects ofprejudice and discrimination will be examined. Thisprovides an excellent opportunity for participants topractise using constructions that demonstrate causeand effect.

As I am an asylum seeker, I can’t work.She stays at home because she looks after the children.

Why?On arrival in the UK many long termimmigrants, refugees and asylum seekersface a very different education system to that of their home country. For manyparents their children’s education is ofgreat importance, but for those who need to attend ESOL classes, there are anumber of potential problems they face infully participating in it. As well as dealingwith cultural barriers, they are alsohampered by their weak language skills.

By examining issues around the provisionof education in the UK, such as choosingschools, communication with teachers,the indirect costs of schooling and thebarriers to access, participants are betterequipped to fully participate in theirchildren’s education.

How?Having decided with the participants whattopic they wish to discuss, there are avariety of graphics that might be used toexamine the issues that surround children’seducation and schooling.

School visioning map

This graphic works along similar lines to the body map and gives participantsthe opportunity to explore how they feelabout the schools that their childrenattend. It would work particularly effectivelyfor parents who attend ESOL classes intheir children’s school. For groups thathave children who attend different schools,the participants may work on individualgraphics or divide into small groupsaccording to the school/s their childrenattend. Those without children couldexplore their own experiences of school in their country of origin, highlighting thepositives and negatives, and comparingthis to the UK.

1. Start by asking the group to map out or draw a picture of their children’s school.Depending on the level of the class,varying amounts of detail can be added. If the focus is a single school the map maybe quite literal. If groups are from mixedcommunities and have children at differentschools they could either create individualmaps, or you could allocate differentcoloured card for different schools. Thesecan then be added onto the same graphic,which will be a representative rather thanliteral map of the schools concerned.Participants should write or draw thequalities, such as friendly, helpful, orintimidating, and issues, like lack of sportsfacilities, poor school dinners, or weakacademic achievement, on coloured cards,which are then placed on the map. Their positioning should be decided by groupconsensus.

2. The facilitator can then ask theparticipants what they consider to beideal qualities and facilities of a school.Using different coloured card they couldplace these on the corresponding areasof the original school maps. Participantscould work in small groups or pairs andbrainstorm ideas together.

3. The group may wish to focus onparticular areas. The following aresuggestions, which might be used toprompt discussion. They can be builtupon and wherever possible participantsshould choose the criteria themselves.•Relationships with parents and

accessibility of teachers andheadteacher

•Physical facilities and school equipment•Relationships of staff with pupils•Parental involvement in the school•School’s academic performance•Cultural sensitivity

9.1


SchoolsRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This section seeks to explore the issues surrounding children’s education byfocusing on issues such as participants’ expectations of their children’s schools,their relationship with staff and their own early experiences of education.

Vocabulary;classroom, playground, playing fields,library, computer lab, science laboratory,teacher, head teacher, form tutor,textbooks, exercise books

Questions for discussion:• What do you know about your

children’s school?• Which members of staff have you

spoken to?• Who would you like to meet in the school?• What would you like to talk them about?• What do you like about your children’s

school?• What do you not like?• What difficulties do you have in accessing

the school?• What positive efforts does the school

make to involve you?• How do schools communicate with you?

E.g. letters, e-mails, newsletter, noticeboard, etc …

9.2


•School meals•Out of school and after school activities•Links with the wider community•Atmosphere•Additional costs of schooling (milk,

snack / lunch money, school trips)•Homework•Uniform• Inclusion of children with learning and

behavioural problems•PTA and school governors•Discipline•Bullying

4. Next the groups need to feedback toone another, and agree as a group, whichare the most important qualities andfacilities that are needed in a school. Thiscould be organised in a ranking matrix.

5. Having done this, the participants canexamine the similarities and disparitiesbetween the ideal school and the reality.This could be done by writing the realityand the ideal onto the same cards oradding extra columns to the matrix. Thismay lead the group to focus on specificareas for further action. Having analysedthe topic, the participants should thenconsider what actions might be taken topromote change. The questions belowmay useful for this.

Chapati diagram

1. For the creation of this graphic theparticipants should work in small groups.Start by asking them to each think aboutwhich factors influence their children’seducation and what they learn.

2. Having done this, participants shoulddraw a circle that represents them. Thesize of this circle will depend on how muchinfluence the participants feel that theyhave over their children’s education. Itwould also be possible to do this exercisefor the participants’ own education,especially if working with younger groups.

3. The next step is to consider whichpeople or organisations influence theirchildren’s education the most. For exampleteachers, headteachers, parents, localeducation authorities, government, etc. A circle should be cut out of card torepresent each one. Depending on thegroup’s language level the participants caneither write or draw a symbol on the cardto represent that factor. The size of thecircle will depend on the perceived powerof that person or organisation in relation tothe participants. The circle’s position on thepage depends on how close the factor isto the participant.

4. The process is repeated for all thefactors that the participants feel haveinfluence over their children’s education.Participants may decide that they wish toshow links between different factors bydrawing lines between them or linkingthem using string or tape.

5. Finally the participants should look ateach person or organisation and decidewhat makes them so powerful/powerless.Each group should present their chapatidiagram to the rest of the participantsexplaining some of the reasoning behindtheir choices. Participants may improvethe current situation and then go on tolook at how they can gain a greater sayin their children’s education.

Questions for action:• Which areas of the school would you like

to see improved?• What needs to be done to bring about

these changes?• Who can you approach to help you?• What knowledge of schools and education

do you have as a group that can be usedto help your situation?

• What could you do as an individual or as a group to bring about change?

• What do you know about the school thatyou did not before?

• What else would you like to find out aboutthe school?

• How could you find out this information?

Because’ to link clauses;• The school is important because my

children learn at school.• The government is important because

it chooses what children learn.• The teacher is important because they

teach my children.

Verbs expressing preferences;like dislikelove hateadore detest

Would + like;I would like the school to have bettersports facilities.We would like to meet teachers regularly.

Questions for discussion:• How did you get your children into

a UK school?

• How easy / difficult was it?

• Who helped you?

• How did you choose the school?

• Why do you think your children’s school is good or bad?

• What does your child like / dislike aboutschool?

• How are the schools different from schools in your home country?

• Who runs the school?

• Do you feel confident to complain, speakto, ask about your child’s school / teacherif there is a problem?

• Why do some children go to school andothers do not?

• Why is education and schooling importantfor all children?

• Why do you think this?

• What do you see as the main purpose of your child’s education?

• How many years of education shouldchildren have and why?

• What subjects should children learn at school?

• What differences are there in terms ofacademic achievement and truancybetween boys and girls?

• Why is this?

• Does the curriculum or teacher reinforcegender stereotypes?

Questions for action:• How do you help your children with their

homework?• How can you become more involved in

your child’s education or schooling?• What have you learnt from the other group

members that might help you with yourchildren and their education?

• Where can you find out more information?• How can you communicate more

effectively with your children’s teachers?• What organisations or individuals might

help you better understand the UKeducation system?


■ A body map of an “ideal parent” wouldbe a useful tool for exploring a number of aspects of children’s schooling.Participants could be asked to considerwhat makes a good parent. By identifyinggood parental qualities, participants maydiscuss aspects of their children’seducation. For example how they areexpected to participate in their children’seducation; helping with homework,getting their children into good schools,or dealing with problems at school suchas bullying. Making comparisons withsuch expectations in their home countrywould also be a valuable complimentaryexercise. A body map could be used in asimilar way to explore expectations ofteachers and students.

■ Community maps could be a goodmeans of increasing knowledge about theschools in the group’s local area. Throughgroup discussion experiences can beshared around issues like catchment areasand the different provision provided bydifferent schools (for example, facilities forchildren for whom English is not a firstlanguage). This may lead participants tolook at the admissions procedures forschools in the area, what choice isavailable to parents, how to decide whichwould be the best school for their childand how to appeal if they feel they havebeen let down by the system.

■ A mind map might be a valuable tool toexamine participants’ attitudes to school.The facilitator might ask the participants towrite down their feelings about school.These will be influenced by theirexperiences as children and by their role asparents. These can be grouped by similarthemes and discussed individually.Attention can be drawn to viewpoints thatare widely shared by the group and are ofgreater importance to them. Someperceptions may be specific to olderparticipants, to women or those from aparticular country. This activity can beparticularly useful in breaking down someof the preconceptions participants mayhave about schools. For example, theirexperiences as children may mean thatthey are reluctant to question teachers or

challenge authority. They may feel unableto get involved in their children’s educationif they feel disempowered as parents.

■ A pie chart might be a useful way oflooking at issues that surround the hiddencosts of children’s schooling. It givesparents the chance to share informationabout the cost of school-related outgoingsand to consider as a group the importanceand impact of education on their budgetsand expenditure. It might be useful tocompare it against other areas of spendingand could also include work on numeracy.This could result in participants contactingschool governors or head teachers tohighlight the hidden costs of schooling and the problems faced by people on low incomes.

■ A daily routine chart could be used toexamine how childcare changes betweenterm time and the school holidays.Participants might wish to look at whatservices are in the area that offer childcareor provide activities for children duringholiday time.

Potential action and learningoutcomes

If the group has been using a graphic toanalyse their children’s schooling, thenthey may decide to write a letter to theschool governing body or PTA about anissue that has arisen in the group.Alternatively, if the group is based in aschool, it may well be possible to get thehead or a teacher to come to speak tothe group and to answer questions.Other participants may wish to becomemore involved with helping their childrenwith homework. They might want to bringin examples of their children’s homeworkso they can analyse the type of languageskills that are required for such tasks.

Having discussed “What makes a goodschool” the group could look at how theyfind out about different schools and thedifferent sources of information availableto them. These might include talking toother parents, visiting the school, orusing the Internet to look at OFSTEDreports. Some might actually be in the

process of deciding which schools toapply for and this could be a usefulexercise because of the extra supportthat might be needed for their children if the do not speak English. This, forexample, may give them more power to look outside their catchment area.

Another area where the group may wish to take action is communicating with theirchildren’s teachers. Due to a lack oflanguage or cultural barriers, some parentsmay lack the confidence to approach theirchildren’s teachers. Through groupdiscussion the participants can identifyissues that they might want to discuss orare concerned about. As a group theycould make a list of questions for teachersabout their children and prepare role-playsaround the scenario of a parents’ evening.Through this sort of practice they mightgain in confidence and self-belief. Moreconfident participants may wish to joinParent Teacher Associations, where theycan be more actively involved in therunning of their children’s school.

A further means of examining the issuesfaced by parents in communicating withteachers and schools could involve usingrole-plays or short dramas to highlightsome of the problems that exist for non-native English speaking parents. By askinggroups to perform complimentary role-plays that show the differences betweenthe reality of their interactions with teachersand how they would like the interactions tobe, the linguistic and cultural barriers canbe highlighted. This could help toencourage parental participation ineducation, by helping to increase theirconfidence and their ability to questionaspects of their children’s education.

9.3


9.4


Through practising role-play scenarios that deal withformal situations such as meeting a teacher, ortelephoning to ask for information about a course,participants will be taking part in a formal interaction.

Hello, I’m ….Pleased to meet you.Could you please tell me how to register for …I wondered if you could help me.


Simultaneously, they will also be developing the abilityto function in formal situations, as well as to makerequests for something or action.

I’m sorry to bother you, but please could you helpme.Would you mind if I leave a message?

At lower levels participants may wish to focus ondeveloping their ability to ask for clarification.

Can you speak more slowly, please?Please can you repeat that?

Participants might wish to practise recognising how torespond to greetings and requests for information withinthe context of formal exchanges. Such skills would beinvaluable for parents when communicating withschools and teachers.

For example;Take a seat.What can I do for you?Come in.How are you?

Writing skills might be developed at a range of levels.For example, if the group decided that it wanted towrite a letter to a school to request information or topractise writing a sick note for children, then theywould be practising composing a simple text, anddeveloping the understanding that texts sharecommon features; layout, structure, and language.

At higher levels the structure and layout of thecomposition will be more complicated with participantsdemonstrating appropriate formats and structure forcertain scenarios.

There is also scope for practising reading skills byasking students to bring letters from schools into class.At lower levels participants might be asked to practisescanning texts for specific or main events.

For example;Establishing the purpose of the letter.Establishing appropriate responses to a letter.

At higher levels learners can use scanning foridentifying the purpose of letters.

Participants can also practise reading andunderstanding more technical vocabulary that is ofparticular relevance to schools and education.

School reports.OFSTED inspection reports.

Sd/E3.1b

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Why?For many new arrivals to the UKaccessing reliable information is hugelyimportant for starting a new life. Knowingand understanding how UK systemswork, where to access information andadvice, as well as how to determine itsreliability are crucial to the processes ofsettling and integrating.

The ability to access reliable information iskey to identifying and making the most ofrights, entitlements and opportunities.However, the issue of access toinformation goes beyond simple availability.To be able to understand and make use ofinformation requires confidence and thecapacity to communicate, as well as criticalanalytical skills. Therefore, information isinextricably linked to communication.

Importantly, information is not neutral. It is clearly linked to power and thereforediscussions need to centre on participants’experiences of using information and thebarriers they have faced in accessing andunderstanding it. Information needs to be considered from a variety of angles,taking into account participants’ sex, age and ethnicity. Through sharingexperiences, participants discuss howthey have used information to exploitopportunities and to improve and makethe most of their situation. Throughoutthe discussion, links between information,communication and power need to bedrawn out.

How?Below are suggested graphics foranalysing issues that surround the topic of information.

Matrix

1. Start by asking the participants toconsider where they obtain information.This could include newspapers, television,radio, friends, family, community centres,local organisations, immigration officers, or the Internet. They can then write theseonto pieces of card. Similar cards shouldbe grouped together.

2. Once this has been done, the cardsshould be placed vertically, to form thefirst column of a matrix.

3. The next stage is for the facilitator toask participants to consider what criteriathey would use to judge a source ofinformation. Again these can be writtenonto cards. Participants can group cardswith similar criteria together. The groupwill then need to collectively decide onheadings to represent each grouping.These headings are then used torepresent additional columns across thehorizontal access. Possible headingsmight include reliability, usefulness,affordability and accessibility.

4. Once the group has collectivelydecided on the framework for the matrix,the final step is to fill it in. The group canrank the information sources by allocatingobjects to the different columns. Buttonswould make suitable objects, with thegroup either using different colours ordifferent amounts to indicate theirdegrees of preference.

5. Once the participants have completedthe matrix, they can explain the reasoningbehind their choices and discusspossible actions they can take to improvetheir access to reliable information.

10.1


InformationRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This sheet seeks to explore some of the issues that surroundaccess to information, its reliability and the power attachedto those holding information.

Comparatives with ‘than’;Radio information is more reliable thaninformation from my friends.The radio is more accessible than the Internet.

Questions for discussion:• Why is information important?• What criteria can you use to judge the

value of information?• What do you use information for?• What information is not accessible? • Why is some information not accessible?• Where do you go to get information?• Who helps you obtain information?• Whose information do you trust?• Whose information do you not trust?• Why do you trust / not trust some

information?• What are the benefits of good information? • What are the effects of poor information?• How do you feel when you don’t have

access to information?• Which sources of information are more

affordable?

10.2


Role-play

1. Role-play is an effective means ofparticipants gaining different perspectiveson certain situations, and this is animportant step for challenging andchanging relationships of power. It isimportant, though, that role-plays arebased on the real needs of the students,and avoid inauthentic situations.

2. The facilitator can break theparticipants into small groups of two,three or four. Having done this, theparticipants can be asked to each thinkof examples they, or people they know,have experienced of the use, misuse, orabuse of information.

3. As a group they should then discussthese stories. This would give participantsthe opportunity to practice their narrativelanguage skills. Once they have discussedthem, they should choose one to act outto the rest of the group.

4. During the role-play participants couldbe either re-enacting or simulating asituation. After the discussion the groupcan discuss why different charactersacted in the way they did, and thefeelings they experienced. The facilitatorcould use some of the above questionsto help promote discussion. As part ofthe discussion the participants should re-visit the role-play and discuss alternativeresponses and outcomes. This is centralto the exercise and what distinguishes itfrom a standard role-play. Where groupshave role-played a less than idealsituation, replaying it after discussion, sothat a more desirable result, is achievedcould really empower the participants.

5. It is recognised that the activitydescribed above may well work moreeffectively with a more advanced group.For a beginners group the role-play mayneed to focus on something simpler,such as identifying an information need.The role-play can then be practised inanticipation of a real-life situation.Following on from the role-plays there will still be opportunities for discussionaround the power dynamics ofinformation, and possible alternativeresponses and outcomes.


■ An information map (see sheet onCommunity theme for further details) thatanalyses different information sourceswithin the local community could provide agood means of highlighting issues aroundaccess to information. The mappingprocess can help to share informationwithin the group, identify areas wherethere are gaps in knowledge, and identifyopportunities for change.

■ A chapati diagram would be a usefulway to analyse the power dynamics thatexist around controlling information. Itcould be used to highlight the importanceof different types of information, as wellas the barriers that exist in accessinginformation.

■ A ranking matrix could be devised toidentify the information needs of thegroup. The group could identify differentareas of their lives that they needinformation for. These can be placed in thevertical axis, whilst on the horizontal axis

Cause and effect (because, as, since);• I cannot get good information because

I speak bad English.• Since we went to the community centre,

we got good information.• I feel sad as I don’t know who to trust.

Questions for action:• How can you judge the reliability of

information?• What have you learnt from other group

members that might help you accessreliable information?

• can help you with accessing reliableinformation?

• Where can you access reliable and usefulinformation?

• What information do you want find out?

Questions for discussion:• What examples of use, misuse, or abuse

of information can you think of? • Why did the group choose each particular

role-play?• Why did each character react to the

situation in the way they did?• How do you think the other people in the

role-play felt?• What differences are there in reaction to

the situation within the group? • How does good / poor information impact

people’s lives?• How do you feel if you have been given

good / poor information?• How do you feel when you don’t have

access to information?• Why is information important?• What criteria can you use to judge the

value of information?• What do you use information for?• Who helps you obtain information?• Why do you trust / not trust some

information?

Questions for clarification;Can you explain … ?Could you repeat that?How do you spell it?

Sequence markers;Then, when, next, before, after, once, first.

Questions for action:• What can you do to ensure information

is accurate?• In what ways would you change the

responses of different characters? • What would have been a more positive

outcome?• What alternative responses might have been

taken to ensure more positive outcomes?

they can have columns with differentindicator criteria. Possible indicators mightbe social, economic and overall impact. ■ An information tree could be created toshow the links between the causes andeffects of good and bad information. Theroots can be used to represent what isneeded for acquiring good information,whilst the branches could symbolize thedifferent places where information can beaccessed, and the fruits can represent theeffects of good or bad information. Anyoutside influences might also be includedas weather or soil conditions. The groupmay want to focus on a particular type ofinformation, such as information aroundwelfare rights, housing, employment oreducation. This can help to provide a linkto other themes.

■ Individual participants could completespider diagrams to show the differentinformation networks that they are partof. These could show the participants atthe centre, surrounded by the differentindividuals and organisations that theyuse, as well as those that are reliant onthem for information. Participants caninclude additional information about thetypes of information exchanged andpower relations between them.Presentations and group discussionshould then be used to share informationbetween group members.

■ Real life TV, radio and newspaperclips could be brought into a group bythe facilitator and group members. Ideallythese would be chosen by participants to ensure that they relate directly toparticipants’ lives. Through using thesedifferent forms of media, participants canlook at different types of information andconsider the impact of different forms ofmedia on communication. During theanalysis participants can examine clipsfor bias, as well as considering whichforms of communication are trusted and the reasons for this trust.


Participants, aided by the facilitator, maydecide to research reliable sources ofinformation, based on their analysis. Byusing criteria to judge the reliability ofinformation sources, they can look atinformation from a variety of sources.These could include leaflets, benefitforms, newspapers, radio and televisionshows, and the Internet.

As group members’ confidenceimproves, they might be encouraged tovisit relevant agencies or offices in pairsor small groups to find out information ontheir rights and entitlements. When theyhave gathered all of this informationtogether they can feed this back to theclass, discuss the difficulties that theyencountered and how they managed to negotiate them.

A further means of following up on thisresearch work could be for the group to produce a short booklet aboutinformation services in the local area. It could list details such as contacts,location, directions, reliability, as well asthe language services available. Thiscould then be distributed amongst theclass, or even more widely.

10.3


10.4


Through research, participants will be able to practiseasking for information. At higher levels, asking forinformation might include participants practising askingpeople to explain how things work and are organised.

Can you explain where I find more information?How is it organised?Can you repeat that please?


At lower levels the group may want to focus more ontaking part in social interactions.

Hi, Nice to meet you.Please can you help me?

Another important skill that is integral for ensuringinformation is accurate is asking for clarification andexplanations.

How do you spell that?What does … mean?

Listening skills can also be incorporated. If the groupdecides to examine different forms of media like radio orTV, then they can practise skills like listening for gist.

Participants may also need to be able to followdiscussions without participating.

E.g. on TV or radio.

If participants have used a role-play activity there isplenty of opportunity to use their oral skills whengiving a short account about the use, abuse, ormisuse of information.

At higher levels the past tenses can be incorporatedinto narrating events.

I read the newspaper everyday. I found informationabout home. I was looking for news about Bangladesh.

This can be further complicated by the introduction oftime and sequence markers, conjunctions andsubordinate clauses.

I went to work and the office was closed. The nextday when I went back I asked why the office hadbeen closed. They told me it was a bank holiday. I didn’t know what this was.

Participants will also have the opportunity to practisetheir reading skills whilst researching different types ofinformation. For beginners this may focus on usingthe format of a text to help identify its purpose.

For example; common signs and symbols.

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At higher levels different reading skills could beworked on, such as using organisational features, likecontents, index and menus to locate information.

Learners may also like to work on practising readingand understanding technical vocabulary.

For example; computers.

If the group decided to produce a booklet oninformation sources in the area they could practice anumber of valuable writing skills. At lower levels thefacilitator could get participants to fill in gaps withcorrectly used and spelt key words.

As participants progress, their level of contribution canincrease, so that other skills are used, such as writingsentences that use basic sentence grammar accurately.

At higher levels they can focus on selecting structuresthat are appropriate for the format.

Why?Many ESOL students cite a desire to find paid work as their main reason forattending ESOL classes. They perceiveimproving the quality of their English asbeing essential for this. ESOL classesthough, also provide the ideal platform for students to consider the issues thataffect employment and, to developstrategies to tackle them. As well as this,there is the opportunity to empowerparticipants by drawing their attention totheir pre-existing skills and experiences,and to consider how these might beused to their advantage. By focusing ona mixture of participants’ aspirations andtheir pre-existing knowledge, skills andexperiences, students are better placedto access employment. Alongside this,through consideration of the issues thatsurround employment, participants areable to identify the areas of language thatthey need to improve their situation, andare thus further empowered.

How?Ideally participants should choose whichgraphic and what area of discussion theywish to tackle. The following are suggestedgraphics that might be used as a meansof promoting discussion around the issue of work.

Body map

This was an idea conceived during a Reflect ESOL training workshop forESOL tutors. A body map might be usedto explore the different qualities thatparticipants perceive as necessary forfinding employment and draw attention to the skills and experience that theyalready possess.

1. The group will initially decide whetherto work individually, or collectively. Ifworking individually, the participantsshould use the graphic to explore thequalities needed for a specific job orprofession. This should be chosen by theparticipant and be a job that they wouldlike to do in the future. If working as agroup, participants could think about thegeneric qualities that are required forgetting a job. This may work moreeffectively if the group is part of anembedded ESOL course with specificaims in mind. For example on an ESOLand Childcare course.

2. Once the decision has been made onthe dynamics of the graphic construction,one student lies on the floor on top ofpaper and another student draws anoutline of a body around him/her. Ifparticipants are not comfortable with this,then they can draw an outline of a body.

3. Then, as a group, students considerwhat they see as the qualities of an idealcandidate for employment. This is done by first, either drawing, or writing wordsonto coloured card or paper. The cardsare then placed onto the areas of thebody they feel are most closely associatedwith those qualities. The different colouredcard can be used in a variety of ways to represent different aspects of thediscussion; for example participants’ sex,or pre-agreed criteria, such as qualitiesrelating to personal traits or differentphysical skills.

11.1


WorkRESOURCE PACK SECTION TWO

This sheet looks at the topic of work, and gives some suggestions as to ways in which Reflect tools might be used to examine issuessuch as barriers to work, the impact of work and the working day.

Need/ought +infinitive (obligation);• You need to be keen.• You ought to be helpful.• I need to get qualified.

Questions for discussion:• Which qualities are the most important for

finding paid work?• What skills are the most important for

finding work?• What skills and qualities that you used in

your home country can you use in the UK?• What are the barriers that are stopping you

from accessing paid work?• What experience do you already have?

(e.g. unpaid work, volunteering, childcare,managing the household budget, patience,multitasking, etc.)

• If you are already working what is it thatyou like / dislike about the job?

• How are the qualities needed for a jobdifferent in the UK different from yourhome country?

• What differences in skills and attributes are there between paid and unpaid work (if any)?

4. Once the group has finished placingthe cards, the participants should discussand agree on their positioning. Certainqualities will be identified as being moreimportant through the concentration ofcards in one area, or the repetition ofqualities. A possible follow up activity is for the students to individually orcollectively rank the qualities by theirimportance.

5. The second stage is to draw anotherbody map, this time representing theskills, qualities and experiences that theyalready possess. This time differentcoloured card should be used torepresent individual students. Followingthis there should be discussion amongststudents in which they compare the twographics. The questions in the box couldbe used to promote discussion.

Tree

This graphic might be used to explore thebarriers that prevent people fromaccessing work and looking as a group athow these barriers might be overcome.

1. Students use a tree to represent theissues on three different levels. They startwith the roots, which represent thebarriers to paid work that are faced byparticipants. For example participantsmay have problems getting adequatechildcare, or with it’s cost, or they maysee the jobs available to them as beingpoorly paid and with low status.

2. Participants write, or draw the differentbarriers they face on coloured card. Differentcolours might be used to disaggregate thebarriers by sex. This will give an opportunityto see if the barriers faced differ accordingto sex, and to consider if the actions thatare required to address them should bedifferent too. Prescribed gender roles mayrestrict women’s ability to find paid work. They may also constrain men’s choice ofwork too. For example if they wished towork with children.

3. The placement of the cards, and their grouping by similar themes shouldbe agreed by group consensus. Insubsequent discussion the differentbarriers might be disaggregated further to examine which barriers are faced onlyby women, which are faced by men onlyand which are shared, as well as thedifferences amongst men and women.For example, the differences betweenwomen and girls and men and boys.Once the cards positioning is agreed the roots can be drawn in.

4. The trunk represents the overarchingtheme of work, and the second stage is to consider the content of the branches.These are used to represent the differentskills, qualities and experiences that arerequired for students to overcome thebarriers they face in accessing work. A similar approach of using differentcoloured, moveable cards should beemployed, with their positioning once againbeing negotiated by the group. Again,once consensus has been reached, thebranches can be drawn onto the graphic.

5. The final stage is to depict the fruits onthe tree. These can be used to show thebenefits of gaining employment for thedifferent students. The students candiscuss how these benefits relate to thedifferent issues highlighted in the branchesand place them accordingly. The groupmight want to include further positive andnegative influences visually through usingsoil and climate conditions. For example,the government, immigration services, etc.

11.2


Questions for discussion:• What is work? (paid / unpaid, etc.)• What (un)paid work did you do before you

came to the UK?• If you didn’t work, why not?• Do you work now?• If so, what do you do? • How does looking for work or working differ

in this county to your country of origin?• What kind of work would you like to do?• Where can you look for work?• How might you improve your chances

of finding work?• What are the main barriers to finding work?• What experiences do you have looking

for work in the UK?• What positives and negatives can you take

from these experiences?• How do these experiences differ from

those in your home country?• How do you value work?• Why do you want to work?• How is your choice of career determined

by your sex?• Why is this?

a’ and ‘an’ (occupations);A doctor An architect A farmer An electrician A driver An optician

Can;• I can work.• I can’t work because I am not qualified.• I can work in a nursing home but I cannot

work in the hospital.

Questions for action;• Who can help you retrain or upgrade

your existing skills?

• Where do you need to go to upgrade or retrain?

• How can you gain more experience?

• What have you learnt from other groupmembers that may help you with findingpaid work?

• How can you overcome the barriers that you face in finding work?

• How can you match the skills that youalready have to ones that are needed?

• What different words can you use todescribe what you already know?

Would + like + infinitive(aspirations);I would like to be a lawyer.I would like to be a teacher.I would like to work in the hospital.

6. Discussion should then take placeamongst students about the topic. Againthe questions in the text box could beused to promote discussion. Experiencesand knowledge amongst the group shouldbe shared. Students should be encouragedto describe their experiences around jobseeking, especially those that are already inemployment, who should be encouragedto share their stories around findingemployment. Through this process ofsharing information, the group can deviseeffective strategies for finding employment.


The topic of work is one that links throughto many other areas that are of importanceto ESOL students, and this should beconsidered before addressing the topicand when deciding which issues specific to work that the group is going to examine.For example, for many female students theissues of childcare may well need to beexamined prior to considering employment,or in the case of asylum seekers thereare issues around the right to work thatneed to be addressed too. The followingare further ideas for graphics that may be useful.

■ A matrix might be used to examinedaily routines and how work impacts onthe participants’ lives. This may drawattention to potential barriers to work orhow work can affect other areas of theparticipants’ lives.

■ A river of life would be a good tool to use for drawing attention to the life skillsand other experiences that participantshave gained in non-formal situations. By getting students to reflect on theirlives when they were outside the formaleducation system and work, the facilitatorcan draw attention to the different skills thatthey have developed that may be useful inemployment and how these complimentmore formal skills. This can have a veryempowering effect on participants, whilstthe process of sharing experiences canhelp to bring the class together.

■ Community maps might be used to lookat the resources within the local area thatcan aid students with finding employment.These should include a variety oforganisations, ranging from education and career-counselling services, to thevoluntary and community-based sectors,government organisations and schemes.The sharing of knowledge and experiencescan be of real benefit to participants.

■ A chapati diagram could be used as ameans of examining the power attached todifferent occupations and skills. It could linkinto a similar graphic that examines powerrelations within a family. Further genderanalysis could centre on the value of paidwork versus unpaid work and theimplications this has for gender roles.

■ Dramas or role-plays could potentiallybe used to highlight the issues and barriersthat are faced by participants whensearching for employment. By followingthese up with group discussion, the groupcan devise strategies to cope withsituations and give advice to other groupmembers.


Through the discussion, participants maywish to discuss ways to improve theirchances of finding employment. It isimportant that these actions should makeuse of all possible resources available tothe students and therefore actions shouldtranscend the classroom walls, with theoutside being brought into the classroom.

This might be done in a variety of ways,including encouraging students to bring jobadverts into class and writing jobapplications. The conducting of role-playjob interviews and using video to analysethem is a potential means of preparing theparticipants for job hunting. As a group,they may decide that they want to producea leaflet or a poster with advice on it as tohow to improve their chances of findingwork. This might be put on the walls of theclassroom, college, or community centre,or distributed to other groups.

Another means of breaking down theclassroom walls could be to invitespeakers from local community andgovernment organisations that runschemes to get people into work orprovide work experience, to visit thegroup. Making contact with organisationsthat can help with getting recognition ofpre-existing qualifications and re-trainingis an especially important service.

11.3


“A tree made by a group of 16-18year old men, as part of a social andpersonal deprivation programme foran Entry Level 2 employment basedcourse, for the NEET target group.The trainees welcomed the chanceto work with an artist and the treewas apt as their work experienceis alongside Horticulture.”Juanita Azubuike - Bromley by Bow Centre

Questions for action• Who can help you retrain or upgrade your

existing skills?• Where do you need to go to upgrade

or retrain?• How can you gain more experience?• What have you learnt from other group

members that may help you with findingpaid work?

• How can you overcome the barriers that you face in finding work?

• How can you match the skills that youalready have to ones that are needed?

• What different words can you use todescribe what you already know?

11.4


There are a number of potential language outcomesfor students that will arise from discussion around thetopic of work. A great deal of vocabulary relating tothe topic will arise. Leading on from the body mappingexercise, the group may decide to focus on usingadjectives for describing characteristics. Dependingon the level, these will gradually become more wide ranging.

Hard-working, industrious, helpful, patient, organised,conscientious, skilled, qualified, analytical,professional, etc.


The construction of a tree is particularly good atdemonstrating the process of cause and effect.Participants and the facilitator may wish to focus onhow to make statements that explain the causes andeffects of the barriers to work.

I cannot work because my qualification is notrecognised.We cannot work in the evening since we look afterour children.As I can’t work, I am depressed.

If the group decides to look at job adverts as a followup activity, then they can bring real life adverts to thegroup. Not only does this get participants practisingjob seeking skills and thinking about where they mightlook for jobs, but it can cultivate reading skills.Recognising and understanding relevant and keywords within a text is a key skill here.

At beginner levels the texts could be broken downand used for identifying individual letters and thechanges in case.

As a writing activity participants can complete jobapplication forms for the adverts that they have beenlooking at.

Learners can practice writing whole sentences andshort paragraphs, as well as giving short answers. At lower levels this might centre on composing asimpler text and ensuring the correct format.

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REFLECT ESOL | RESOURCE PACK SECTION THREE

Why?Maps can be used to present basic localinformation in a revealing new light andare a useful tool to structure analysis. A basic map of an area can be overlaidwith information relating to any pertinentlocal issue, such as education or healthservices. On another scale, internationalmaps may be used to trace theparticipants’ journeys to the UK. Or mapscould be made of the classroom, localschool or or participants’ homes. Mapscan be developed to show changes overa period of time or to anticipate changesor expectations for the future.

When?At any time. Maps can be particularlyuseful at the beginning of a process,helping the participants to look in moredetail at their community, perhapsfocusing on a particular aspect such ashealth, education or information services.

How?Maps and models are flexible tools andthere are no definitive steps to theprocess. However, some keyobservations are useful.

Initially, a map should be created on a large scale on the floor or any largesurface, so that all participants canactively contribute and clearly see what isgoing on. The first things to be put downshould create a basic framework for thespace. The community centre or collegewhere the group meets could be used asa starting point, for example. Importantfeatures such as main roads and publicbuildings help people to orient themselvesand therefore participate more actively.The group may wish to begin the exerciseby taking a walk around the area to note key features they wish to representand analyse.

Many different materials can be used torepresent the various elements on themap. These could be anything that is easily available and easy to move, such ascoloured card, pictures or photos, drawingpins, thread, sticky tape etc. The meaningsof the symbols should be selected andagreed upon by the whole group - forexample, a particular colour of card couldrepresent residential housing and anothermight be used for public buildings such aslibraries and schools. Movable objects arecrucial, as everyone needs to be able to go back, change and add elements as themap develops. Less assertive participantsfind this particularly helpful.

Once all the physical things relevant tothe purpose of the map are in place,more qualitative judgements can beconsidered, for example to indicatepositive or negative perceptions of what

TOOLS MAPS

RESOURCE PACK SECTION THREE

Maps are an effective way of presenting local information– problems and opportunities – in a clear, visual way.

Below: Participants at a Reflect workshop in the Netherlands construct a displacement map.

1.2


is represented. Participants may chose tohighlight their favourite places on a mapor indicate problem areas, such asperceived ‘no-go’ areas, for example.

Then the group can reflect on the map asa whole, drawing out insights orconclusions to stimulate discussion. Thecompleted map often enables people tosee issues or phenomena in a new light –as they are removed from daily realitywhilst simultaneously gaining newperspectives of it. In some cases the“real” map may then be used as astarting point for developing an “ideal” or“visioning” map, showing future changes,whether practical and achievable, oridealistic and visionary. In some casessuch maps can become practicalplanning tools.

For the map to be recorded on paper orcard, participants need to identifypictures, symbols or words with which tolabel key elements on the map. Oncedown on paper, participants may wish tomake their own, smaller copies.

TOOLS MAPS cont.

Suggestions for use■ A health map is an excellent means of raising awareness of the

different healthcare facilities available in an area. This is a particularlyeffective way of sharing knowledge between those that have beenliving in the UK for a long time and more recently arrived participants.

■ An information map that analyses different information sources withinthe local community could provide a good means of highlighting issuesaround access to information. The mapping process can help to shareinformation within the group, identify areas where there are gaps inknowledge, and identify opportunities for change.

■ A displacement map showing where all the participants are from andhow they got to the UK would be a useful way of helping participantsto share their experiences as immigrants to the UK and of promotingunderstanding between different groups.

■ A school visioning map could be made of the school/s attended bythe participants’ children. Participants write or draw on cards toindicate the qualities (friendly, helpful, intimidating) and issues (goodsports facilities, poor school dinners, weak academic achievement) ofthe school. These are then placed on the corresponding areas of themap. They may then go on to construct a map of their ideal schooland look at ways of improving the current situation.

2.1


Why? Body maps can be used to learn aboutand discuss the parts of the body andinternal organs, as well as related issuessuch as health, nutrition and pregnancy.The body map can also be used todiscuss abstract qualities; likes, dislikes,skills, emotions and characteristics.

When? Any time.

How? Draw the outline of a person on a largesheet of paper. A quick way to do this isto ask one of the participants to volunteerto lie down on the floor and draw aroundthem. Depending on the focus of theexercise, participants may then be askedfill in the names of parts of the body orinternal organs. This is best done bywriting or drawing on bits of card thatcan be moved around if necessary.Additional cards may then be introducedto to look at specific issues such ashealth, nutrition, pregnancy, etc.

If the body map is being used to discussabstract notions such as qualities, skillsor emotions, the participants will need todiscuss how to place the cards - therewill not necessarily be a correct position.For example, some may feel that a cardrepresenting fear would be best placedon the head while others might chose toplace it on the stomach.

TOOLS BODY MAPS

“Using this tool really helps to discuss oneself. We build confidence togetherby talking about what we like and the things we like about ourselves.”Carla Dubon - CIWA

“We were just starting a unit on health, and I wanted to use the body map to practise body parts... The students are all Muslim, so did notwant to draw around a body, so I just drew an outline. Fortunately theydid not mind drawing body parts. Once we got underway it was hard tostop them. I had to keep cutting up more bits of card. We spent maybehalf an hour either drawing the body parts or writing out the words andplacing them on the outlines. I told them not to worry about spellingand we would work on that later. I was amazed and impressed at howmany body parts they knew. At that level students often know far fewerbody parts.

“After we finished putting the cards down we went through to compare the two different bodies we had produced, agree placement and drillpronunciation. We also checked spelling, putting accurate spellings on the board for any words misspelled or not written out (but put on theoutline as a picture). This was done in a friendly supportive way (‘Whoknows the spelling?’) not a ‘Look how many words are WRONG’ way,and it went quite well. The students then spent ages practising theirspelling, and we ended with a spelling test.

“It was a very productive and enjoyable activity. Students who tend to be very quiet and hard to draw out got just as involved as the others. The class is the next level up from absolute beginners, with quite a range of abilities.”

Lisa McDermott - Tower Hamlets College

In an all female, low-level literacy group, the body map was usedeffectively as a means of examining body parts in relation to differentcosmetics and toiletries. Having labelled the body parts, participants then matched them to the different things that they might buy from a pharmacy. For example, a toothbrush and toothpaste were matched to the mouth and teeth.

Desiree Lopez - CIWA, Canada

2.2


Suggestions for use■ A body map could be used to look at the various health problems

associated with the different parts of the body. Participants may go onto discuss issues of prevention and cure as well as possible sourcesof information and help. A specific health issue may be chosen as thefocus of more detailed discussion.

■ Focusing on a woman’s body, the group could discuss issuessurrounding pregnancy. What should the woman do / not do? Whatshould she eat? What kind of support and advice is available?

■ A body map could be used to explore the different qualities thatparticipants perceive as being necessary for finding employment anddraw attention to the skills and experience that they already possess.

■ The group could use a body map to analyse the qualities thatrepresent for them the ideal citizen, parent, teacher or student, forexample. They may then go on to contrast this with a body maprepresenting the reality of the situation. How different are the two bodymaps? How easy is it to live up to the ideal model? Is it evendesirable? What help is available in each situation?

Participants at a Reflect workshop in Cardiff prepare to construct a body map of the “ideal ESOL teacher”.

TOOLS BODY MAPS cont.

3.1


Why? Time is an important dimension of mostissues: looking at how something cameabout, learning from experience, oranticipating what might happen. Manyproblems are experienced in a veryimmediate way – but responding to themeffectively requires a long-term perspective,recognising the factors that led to thesituation in order to ensure sustainablesolutions. Visualising these in the form of acalendar or timeline can be very effective.

Examination of routine uses of time canclearly show differences in individuals’patterns of work or behaviour, encouragingshared analysis, debate and in many casesassisting planning for change.

When? A time dimension is useful for analysis ofnearly any issue or situation, and can beintroduced at any point.

How? Three main graphics can be used to adda time dimension to analysis. Calendarscan be used to map and analyse monthlypatterns and variations, for example,tracking household expenditure over aperiod of time or looking at how childcareneeds vary over the school year.Timelines are an effective way of trackingchanges in relation to a particular issueover time and predicting future events onthe basis of past experiences. Both bringout powerfully associations betweencause and effect, and can be used toimprove planning and preparedness.

In contrast to the longer view ofcalendars and timelines, daily routinecharts can help participants to focus on the micro use of time, allowing forshared analysis of patterns in work-loador behaviour. By highlighting thedifferences, or convergences, in workroutines and household tasks, the chartsare useful for encouraging debate aboutthe division of labour between sexes oropportunities for collaboration. This typeof individual graphic is particularly powerfulwhen examining gender issues andpower relations.

As with any visualisation exercise,calendars and timelines should be usedto deepen analysis of an issue arisingfrom group discussion. Common themesinclude work, health, education, incomeand gender relations, although a long-term perspective of any situation can beuseful. Depending on the issue or situationto be analysed, different units of time willbe appropriate, whether hours, days,months, years or decades. In some cases,this will relate to a specific period, and inothers it will be general: months of theyear or hours of the day.

Once the time units have been determined,a basic calendar or timeline can be drawnup. This can either be done individually oras a group. Participants then placesymbols or words representing relevantevents in the appropriate place on thegraphic. If done as a group, the decisionsabout which events are relevant, andwhen they occur, may in itself be causefor revealing debate. Group analysis anddiscussion of the resulting calendar canform the basis for drawing up strategies for coping with, or preventing, regularlyoccurring problems.

TOOLS CALENDARS,TIMELINES & DAILY CHARTS

Time visualisation tools such as calendars and timelines can be used to trackchanges, document histories and processes or analyse routines.

Social/Cultural Calendar: “This calendar is a great way tocelebrate all the important eventsand celebrations that we all havethrough out the year. Also, to talkabout the different cultures withinthe group and all that makes them unique.”Carla Dubon - CIWA, Canada

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Suggestions for use■ An expenditure calendar could be used to analyse issues around

household expenditure. Participants might be asked to list monthlyoutgoings such as rent, gas, electricity, council tax, water, phone bills,etc. This could help to raise awareness of budgetary planning, as wellas identifying areas where participants can get support.

■ A health calendar or timeline might be used as a means of examiningindividuals’ experiences of illness. For example, a calendar might beused to analyse the impact of the time of year on the health ofindividuals or a group. A timeline could be used to look at participants’health over their lifetime and to examine the impact of age.

■ An education timeline could be used to look back at the participants’educational history. They can look at the influences and barriers facedin the past or look forward to the future and examine the groups’aspirations. It may also be interesting to examine differences inschooling between generations.

■ Migration timelines might be used to look at different participantsarrival in the UK. How are the participants’ experiences affected bygender, age, religion or ethnicity and how easy is it to integrate intoBritish society? There is also potential for interesting discussion aroundthe power dynamics of choices made by participants in selecting thearea they have settled in.

■ A family routine chart could be used to analyse how different familymembers actually spend their day. It can raise awareness amongstfamily members of other family members’ daily activities, as well asdrawing attention to the value of unpaid, domestic work. It also couldprovide a good link into the theme of work, through examining theconstraints to ‘paid’ work

■ A childcare routine chart could be used to examine how childcareneeds change according to the age of the child and between term timeand the school holidays. Participants might wish to look at localservices offering childcare or providing activities for children duringholiday time.

TOOLS CALENDARS,TIMELINES & DAILY CHARTScont.

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Why? A river is a powerful symbol for manypeople and visualising any process in theform of a river can produce creativeinsights. The most common use is forpeople to draw rivers representing thecourse of their own life – but many otheruses have emerged.

When? Any time. Personal rivers can generatetrust within a group, enabling participantsto see each other as full and complexhuman beings. However, it is important torecognise that the process of constructingand “telling” a personal river can be veryemotional. The facilitator should ensurethat there a good level of trust and mutualsupport within the group.

How? The characteristics of a river: its changingwidth, current and direction as well asfeatures such as whirlpools, islands, rapids,waterfalls and forks, can representchanges and events in our own histories.In richly illustrated rivers the surroundinglandscape can represent the environmentthat forms us. If being used to map anindividual’s personal journey, it will beconstructed individually. However, it mightbe used to represent the history of acommunity or organisation, in which case the process would be communal.

Personal rivers:Each person need only include in theirriver those events or situations whichthey feel comfortable to share with thegroup. A useful way for people to focus isto sit quietly together with eyes closedwhile the facilitator prompts them to thinksilently about different moments in thecourse of their lives, from birth to thepresent moment, with suggestions oropen questions. Then each person drawsthe journey of his or her life in the form ofa river. This can be done on large sheetsof paper or (if it is possible to workoutside) directly on the ground, usingchalk and locally available materials suchas pebbles, sticks, etc. The facilitatorshould also construct their own river –throughout the Reflect process, theyshould never expect the participants tocommit more of themselves than they areprepared to do.

When everyone has completed their river,they can discuss them in small groups.Each person chooses the level of detailthey wish to relate: they may wish tofocus on a particular time or current, ortake people briefly through the wholejourney. It is useful to note that the firstperson to tell their river often sets thetone for the rest of the group, so if theyare prepared to be open and honest,those who follow will feel morecomfortable to do the same. Thefacilitator may wish to start the processher/himself or to ask someone who theyknow will be happy to share. At the endof each person’s story, other participantscan ask questions if they wish, alwaysrespecting the privacy of the person.

The aim is not just to hear stories, butalso to find a link between our personalexperiences and attitudes, and the ways

TOOLS RIVERS

A river, constantly flowing and changing, is an image which people canuse to map their own life experiences, or other ongoing processes.

A personal river made by a participant at a Reflect workshop in the Basque Country.

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in which we are influenced by theenvironment in which we have grown up and live. The facilitator may wish todirect discussion and analysis to considerissues of power and control, cause andeffect, to draw out patterns or majorinfluences. Comparisons might be drawnbetween people of different social classes,cultural contexts, sexes or ages in orderto uncover influences and analyse theenvironmental forces that shape us all.

Group rivers:Where a river is used to map the turningpoints and key events in the history of anorganisation or community, participants willwork together, negotiating the points to berepresented and the symbols to be used.In this case, the process of constructingthe image will in itself be the cause ofmuch discussion and debate, as differentperceptions of the significance of situationsand events become apparent. Where theexercise is done in small groups, feedbackand discussion of the process should be facilitated.

TOOLS RIVERS cont.

Suggestions for use■ A river could be used to examine events in a family history. Individual

streams might be used to represent the members of the family, movingapart and coming together at different points. It could also be used toshow how each person would like to see their family roles develop inthe future.

■ A river of life could be used to analyse the various forms of prejudiceand discrimination that participants have faced throughout their lives.This might take the form of images like rapids, waterfalls, dams, orwhirlpools. More positive aspects, such as a good teacher or a kindrelative, should also be included. They might be represented as boatsor bridges.

■ A river of life could be used to draw attention to the life skills andexperience that participants have gained in non-formal situations. By asking participants to reflect on their lives outside the formaleducation system and work, the facilitator can draw attention to the different skills that they have developed that may be useful inemployment and how these compliment more formal skills. This can have a very empowering effect.

■ A river could be used to look at an organisation’s history, looking at how it was founded, the various influences on its development over the years and plans for the future.

Below: In the global Reflect conference in India in1998 participants constructed huge rivers on thebeach to explore the evolution of Reflect indifferent parts of the world.

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Why? A tree is a universally recognised symbolwith clear metaphorical meanings, whichpeople can use to explore issues orprocesses from a new angle.

When? Any time.

How? The various elements of a tree workingtogether in a cycle are a basic metaphorfor almost any situation to be analysed:■ The trunk usually represents the

situation to be studied;■ The roots represent inputs, whether

that be causes of a situation, pastevents leading up to it, or thingsnecessary for its existence, or income;

■ The branches are the consequencesor outputs of the situation, orexpenditure;

■ Fruits or flowers may be added torepresent possible solutions or actions.

The first time that the technique is used,it might be useful for the group to study areal tree and discuss its various parts andhow these could be used to discover,compare and analyse an aspect ofcommunity or family life.

Once the basic idea has been established,participants can develop rich analysis in anumber of directions, often with muchartistic expression, representing complexconnections and relationships in a relativelysimple image. As long as participantsdevelop the image in consultation witheach other, it will be linked to a seriousstructured discussion about the situationbeing addressed - of the causes andeffects of what we are studying, ofimplications and comparisons.

In practice, participants often continuethe metaphor to add other elements tothe tree, such as:■ threats or limitations to a situation

represented by weeds, fungus or pests;■ fundamental damage or major risks

shown for example as lightening;■ environmental factors, represented by

the quality of the soil, nutrients thatcan be added, or the climate;

■ different living creatures in the treewhether positive or negative forces,within or outside of the participants’control.

Analysis of the full tree highlights the factthat problems cannot be addressed byconcentrating on the branches, oreffects, alone - the roots are key.Participants might consider whether theresulting tree is sustainable, or whetherthe weight of all the branches and fruit istoo much for the roots to bear. Finally, theimage is copied onto flipchart paper sothat a permanent record remains of thework and the collective conclusions.

TOOLS TREES

The image of a tree, with roots, trunk and fruits, can be veryeffective to draw out relationships, such as cause and effect or inputs and outputs.

An income and expenditure tree madeby Reflect participants in El Salvador.

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Suggestions for use■ A tree could be used to examine the causes and effects of

displacement on the family. The roots might represent the reasons for moving, whilst the branches represent the effects on the family.

■ A tree could be used to look at the issue of housing. The roots couldbe used to represent problems, with suggestions for improving theparticipants’ housing situation placed in the branches. Ripe fruit couldbe used to depict the benefits of having a good housing situation, withunripe fruit to depict the negative effects of a poor situation.

■ A household income / expenditure tree would be a useful tool forlearning about budgeting. The roots of the tree could represent thesources of household income, whilst the branches representexpenditure. The group could be divided by sex, to examinedifferences between income and expenditure between men andwomen, and the impact that this has on the household.

■ A tree could be used to explore the barriers that prevent people fromaccessing work and looking as a group at how these barriers might beovercome. The roots could represent the barriers to paid work that arefaced by participants.

■ The dual images of a healthy tree and an unhealthy tree could be usedto encourage analysis of health issues. The healthy tree would illustratethe factors promoting good health (as roots) and the consequences ofgood health (as branches), whilst the unhealthy tree would show thefactors influencing poor health and the consequences of it.

TOOLS TREES cont.

TOOLS MATRICES

A matrix can help to structure discussions on a complex issue: usefullyconsolidating information and comparing items in a systematic, visual way

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Why? When dealing with a complex issue it canbe difficult for a facilitator to structure aserious discussion without gettingsidetracked. As discussions get moredetailed, the big picture can be lost.Matrices help to ensure a systematicapproach, in which all details are coveredand the big picture becomesprogressively clearer.

When? On any occasion when a complex, multi-dimensional issue arises, or there is a danger that discussions may losecoherence.

How? A matrix is a table or graph, which showsa set of elements across the top, andanother set of criteria or classificationsdown the side. Matrices can beconstructed on almost any topic. Theycan be used to represent systematicallythe wealth of information or knowledgeheld in the group around a particularissue or topic. Alternatively, they can begiven a stronger analytical role, wheredifferent elements or items are evaluatedas they are entered onto the matrix.

Matrices can be constructed to comparethe value of different items in a preferenceranking. The same list of items is placedacross the top and side axes of the tableand each pair of items is compared. Thisexercise can then be deepened withanalysis of the reasons given for preferenceof particular items, or simplified with aranked list of preferences.

As with many visual tools, once the grouphas grasped the basic idea of a matrix,they can structure the discussion forthemselves and the facilitator can take aback seat. It is important to do all matriceson a large scale so that everyone can joinin – and to use movable objects, symbolsor cards so that new items, categories orcriteria can be added and scores adjustedin relation to one another. The matrix isonly transferred to paper once complete.

A matrix used by a Reflect group to analyse keyissues in their community.

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Suggestions for use■ A matrix could be used to identify and prioritise the main problems

that exist within the community. These might include issues such ascrime and anti-social behaviour, fly tipping and litter, racism, lack ofintegration, and domestic or sexual violence. These would be placedon the vertical axis. Across the horizontal axis the participants couldrank each problem. Further columns might look at what the groupwould like the situation to be, what might be done to achieve this and,who to approach for help.

■ A matrix could be used to look at illnesses and health problems thathave affected the group. On the horizontal axes they could includedetails such as the symptoms of the illness, the areas of the bodyaffected by a particular illness, the different responses taken whentreating different illnesses. Possible categories of response might be;do nothing, self medicate, go to a pharmacy, visit the doctor, use atraditional remedy, or go to hospital, for example.

■ A matrix could be used as a means of analysing issues aroundparticipants’ housing situations. A list of positive and negative factorsmight be placed in the first column. In subsequent columns the groupcould include their reasons for choosing the issues, decide whetherthey are positive or negative, what their ideal situation would be, whatparticipants can do personally to either improve the situation orreplicate it, and where they can get assistance.

TOOLS MATRICES cont.

TOOLS CHAPATI ORVENN DIAGRAMS

This tool can be useful for exploring relationships between things – particularlythe relative importance, influence or power of people, organisations or groups.

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Why?The analysis of power is central toReflect. Chapati diagrams can be veryhelpful in structuring the analysis ofcomplex dynamics or relationshipsbetween people, groups or organisations.They can also be used to explore therelative importance of different influenceson a person or process.

When?At any time.

How?Chapati diagrams are made up of avariety of circles, each representing adifferent actor or influence in a situation.The size and position of each circle isused to indicate the relative power andthe links between the differentactors/influences.

As with the other graphics, movableobjects are used for an initial, large-scaleversion developed by the whole group.Alternatively, individual participants mayconstruct their own chapati diagramsusing coloured card.

Personal power:One powerful use of the chapati diagraminvolves individual participants drawingdiagrams of power relations within theirfamily. Each person in the family, includingthe participant, is represented by a circle.The size of each circle indicates therelative power of that person.

The circles are then placed at differentdistances from each other to show thenature of relations between them, andlines or symbols added accordingly.Alternatively, the figures can be placedonly in relation to the person making the diagram.

Participants should agree on furtherdetails to be added to each circle and onsymbols to represent them. These mayinclude factors such as age, sex,ethnicity, economic or social background,

educational achievements, languagesspoken, etc. These may all come intoplay when analysing the power relationsthat exist in the family.

Participants often start by constructing a chapati diagram that represents theirchildhood (it is usually helpful to focus on a particular year or age). When this is complete, they may go on to constructa second diagram illustrating powerrelations in their present homeenvironment. This can be a particularlygood way of getting people to look attheir own power. Someone who feltpowerless as a child may be shocked toconsider their own power in relation totheir children or partner. Discussion andsharing of stories might focus on whycertain people are attributed significantpower, how it feels to be powerless orpowerful, whether patterns changed

A chapati diagram constructed at a workshop in the Basque Country. The diagram on the left representsthe participant’s childhood and on the right his current situation – he placed himself outside the familycircle as he is separated from his wife and children.

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across generations or with the move tothe UK, and whether similarities can bedrawn between families.

This same process can be used toanalyse relationships between people in many other contexts, including theReflect group itself, or the community in which it operates. The diagrams maybe constructed individually and thenshared/analysed or a single diagram mayseek to capture the consensus of thewhole group (though conflict should notbe avoided in the process).

Influences within a community:Chapati diagrams can also be used tolook at different power dynamics withinand between groups and organisations.This type is constructed collectively.

This mapping of organisations can yielda rich analysis, helping participants toshare information and opinions in astructured way and enabling them to seegaps or identify opportunities for change.The visualisation can be extended, forexample to add different “values” to eachorganisation – indicating which are allies,which are neutral and which areantagonistic – or by developing ‘ideal’versions and exploring how to get there.As always there will be systematicdiscussion and analysis in the process of constructing such a graphic, and afurther layer of discussion and analysisonce it is complete and the wholepicture can be seen.

TOOLS CHAPATI ORVENN DIAGRAMS cont.

Suggestions for use■ A chapati diagram could be used to analyse the power relations that

surrounded the decision to migrate to the UK. Issues in the participants’country of origin, such as economic, social and political climates,family relations, as well as restrictions on travel between the UK andother countries could be discussed.

■ A chapati diagram could be used to analyse issues around children’seducation. It could be used to examine the different influences on achild’s education, including the parents, teachers, education authoritiesand other children.

■ A chapati diagram could be used to look at the different individualsand organisations that impact on the participants’ housing situations.These might include landlords, housing officers, the government,immigration services, family members, etc.

■ A chapati diagram is a useful tool for a group to examine the issue of power that surrounds prejudice against refugees and asylumseekers. It can depict different elements of power that exist withinsociety and the local community through large and small circles. The graphic can then be used to promote discussion around who or what influences the ways in which refugees and asylum seekers are perceived.

TOOLS FLOW DIAGRAMS

There are countless ways to use diagrams to help make senseof different processes or complex systems – to explore cause,effect and inter-connections.

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Why?To help capture complex processes or systems in an image that can beanalysed in its parts and as a whole –exploring, for example, how change inone element may have effects on others.

When?A basic level of literacy in English is helpfulin using these tools, as it is often difficult to represent all the information in a purelyvisual form.

How?Flow diagrams are a means of exploringcausal relationships between events –following the process as each eventcauses another event to occur and soon. They are particularly helpful foridentifying negative cycles and actionsthat can break them.

To begin constructing a flow diagram,place a card representing the centraltheme in the middle of a large, emptyarea. Participants can then start toidentify the causes and effects of thisphenomenon, making a card for eachsuggestion using words or symbols andplacing it in relation to the central theme.These might be of different colours tocapture different categories or types ofevent. It is essential to use moveablecards, as flow diagrams can get verycomplex with new connections identifiedduring the process, leading to radicalrestructuring. Threads of different colourscan be used to make links with differentmeanings between cards.

The facilitator then urges participants toconsider the effects of each effect (and if relevant the causes of each cause) andthe flow diagram starts to expand. Eachtime a new card is laid attempts are madeto link it to any others that are already thereand gradually concentrations of cards arelikely to occur around certain key cards.At some point the group will have todecide to end the exercise, steppingback to review the overall picture anddiscuss where action or interventionmight be most effective.

Process diagrams:Similar to a flow diagram, a processdiagram shows different stages involved ina process. It can be elaborated to includemany details such as roles, time or costsinvolved at each stage. A process diagrammight be constructed to analyse the stepsinvolved in accessing a certain governmentscheme or entitlement, making a legalclaim or producing something.

Process diagrams can be started at thebeginning or at the end of a process: for example it may start with a goal andwork backwards to determine the stepsnecessary to achieve it; or it may startwith the current situation and workforwards. Each stage is set out on aseparate card, and the more detail thatcan be included the better, including theprecise actions, those responsible formaking them happen, times and dates,materials needed and so on. The result is often an effective action plan.

Systems diagrams:Another similar diagram explores theinterdependence of different elementswithin a system. It may be used todemystify the workings of a specificgovernment system such as socialsecurity, an organisation/small businessor a household economy.

The aim is to map out roles, activities andoutcomes within a given system, usingthe same technique of movable cardsand links as described above. Once thediagram is complete, questions can beasked about how to improve the system,where it is failing and what actions wouldmost effectively change it, as well asmaking key points of leverage clearer.

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Suggestions for use:■ A flow diagram could be used to examine the different factors that led

the participants to migrate to the UK. This could be done on an individualbasis or as a group.

■ A flow diagram could be used to examine and analyse the causes andeffects of disillusion and alienation amongst young people in the localcommunity. The group may go on to look at possible ways of improvingthe situation.

■ A systems diagram could be used to help the participants to map outtheir access and entitlements to different government schemes. Thiswill allow participants to learn from each other’s experiences, to demystifygovernment bureaucracy and make sure that they are accessing fullsocial security entitlements.

■ A process diagram could be used to look at the application process for housing. If participants are unable to complete the diagram basedon their own experience, they may turn it into a mini research project,bringing in leaflets, looking on the Internet and perhaps inviting a localhousing officer to speak to the group.

TOOLS FLOW DIAGRAMS cont.

Documents

RESOURCE PACK SECTION ONE Reflect for ESOL · 2020-04-29 · English are often ignored and marginalised. A Reflect-based approach to learning English can help equip participants with