Talking the Talk​​​​​​​

Following a long period of virtual learning, learners have settled back into in-centre sessions with humour, patience and ease. It has been wonderful to see learners interacting freely with their classmates and relishing being able to collaborate on projects.

Jessica, the English tutor, has been capitalising on this return by encouraging learners to practice the skills required for their formal Speaking and Listening assessments. In order to create a calm and non-judgemental classroom environment, learners set their own ground rules to complement those set by the exam board.

In Entry 3, Alex and Leyton followed turn-taking conventions when discussing their dream jobs. Alex demonstrated his active listening skills when asking relevant and thoughtful questions. Meanwhile, during Leyton’s explanation of his desire to live off the land in Alaska, he demonstrated that he can articulate his opinions clearly and confidently.

In Level 2, Ryan, Kristian, Jordan, Liam and Lee spoke for 27minutes(a record!)on their chosen subject: Black Lives Matter Protests and American Gun Laws. Ryan used persuasive language techniques such as rhetorical questions and statistics to emphasise his viewpoint whilst Lee and Jordan argued politely and respectively over the fairness of cases such as George Floyd and Makiyah Bryant. Kristian and Liam spoke honestly and in detail about their belief that the violence in America is linked to their right to bear arms, and therefore that the government should not introduce these laws in the UK.

In the coming weeks, learners will be delivering presentations to their peers and taking part in Q&A sessions. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and determination they have shown this term.