Forced Migrant's Language Learning

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Courses - not ESOL

Who
What
Ahmed He also talks about the two different IT courses - One that he didn't continue, and one that he passed:

I want to study BTEC National. It's level 3 in IT. I did it four months. I found it hard. Why I found it hard is because it's lots of theory. Lots of theory. Nothing to do with practical. That was why it was my mistake. I didn't know what is computer. I did it for four months, I was okay, I had a few assignments, I did it, my teacher liked it. But, I didn't continue because I didn't like it, I found it boring. I had to do if for 5 years. Two years at college and three years at university. And after that I would get a degree but it was too long course. I continue ECDL. I did that in London.
Ayaz It was in 2003.

Before then, she had problems with homelessness, and benefits, and no status. She also didn't start an English course until 2001, and only started at the community college in 2002. By 2003 she was studying English at the community college and volunteering at the Refugee Organisation, and also doing an IT course. It was when she was doing these things combined that she felt she learnt the most.
Ayaz She also mentions a course in community development work that was helpful because many of her fellow students were native speakers.

"Even their written language was not good but their spoken language was very good. That was very helpful. And I've got friends that they work full time and they do this course, English people, I learnt a lot from them."
Azad He learned most at ............., when on a pre-access course to learn English. The classes before had been elementary English so had just been a reminder. It was academic so it was useful.

At the same time that e was doing the pre access, which included literacy and numeracy, he was also doing an NVQ in IT for 3 hours a week.

Azad:        I concentrated in my study. I was enthusiastic to learn. At that time the container was filling, it was not full... generally the environment was good although in the end it was not. I moved to another area I had to travel 2 hours each way.

Rebecca:   Did that have an affect?

Azad:        Yes. If it was more convenient I could learn much more. The teachers were great as well, and the fellow students were all good people actually. You like to go to college to see them. That means, it's very important actually your colleagues, that makes you always remember what you're doing, you don't get bored and you like to study.
Hardy He added some information, about a computer course he is now doing at a training organisation, he understands computers well from learning in his country but he is using Word for grammar and spelling and the computer course is helping him with his English:

Hardy:   I had a computer course in my country but because my English is not good...

Rebecca:   And are you still doing this? You find that okay?

Hardy:   Yes. They know I am not English, and they help me sometimes. My teacher especially explains to me.

Rebecca:   And the teacher, and IT teacher, understands the language side of it?

Hardy:   Yes, of course. First time I went and explained I am not English. I know how to use the computer but I am not English.
Sarah It was her son's idea to do the management course, and he encouraged her. She feels she controls what she learns at the moment, being strong and having patience.
Sarah She talks about the same management course, and how understanding the teacher was.

"I explain for her I am not keen to be a manager in here because I know this is difficult, because of the age. And she understood I am just keen about the language. She help me a lot."

The teacher understood Sarah's language needs and incorporated some support into class situations, for instance if Sarah needed something read out loud she would simply do this in a situation. Sarah felt that the teacher was doing it for her benefit, but not singling her out. She also took time to explain words which were too confusing to work out from the dictionary, helped her look for work after the course, wrote letters on her behalf, and was encouraging:

She start to explain for me and she encourage me all the time when I am writing my assignment. She just compare the first one with the second one, and she take me to one side and say how you improve, how many words you are learning, how your spelling becomes very good... she was a very nice teacher she was."
Sarah A specific time when she felt she learnt the most English was 2001/2002, when she was doing a management course and her family had joined her. She has had many housing problems all through her time here, and it has affected her learning, but at this time even though the housing was an issue she learnt a lot:

:   

Sarah:       Since my family moved in. I did a course in management, which helped me a lot. It was 2001/2. Since then I had a problem with homelessness I didn't improve. Just I improve with Iraq war. Some word which is using now in TV for Iraq war, because I am very keen to hear about Iraq. Those words which about, like, I don't know some words which I never hear before, and the people on the street are chatting the are not using those words. And I didn't improve really the situation make me very bad, with the house.

Rebecca:   You said since your family moved in?

Sarah:       My husband came in 2000.

Rebecca:   So you had your family with you, but obviously at home you spoke Kurdish.

Sarah:       Yes

Rebecca:   But you felt that you learnt more because you were more comfortable?

Sarah:       No I am not more comfortable, more problems...

Rebecca:   No, in 2000.

Sarah:       Yes. In 2000 yes, because when they came in they didn't give me a place. We lived four people in a room for 7 months.

Rebecca:   But you think then was the time that you learnt the most English.

Sarah:       Yes because I moved to that course because there was no foreigners. That course only mostly English, and the best thing to learn language is meet with the native people.

Rebecca:   Okay, so let me get this right. In 2000 your family came to live with you, you were living in a very small place, and you were doing a management course in English. That was the time you learnt the most because you were forced to speak English in that course.

Sarah:       Yes. Because they give me.... presentation. Which help me a lot because I have to answer my colleagues in the course, and my project which is about .........and the aim of .........., and how .......... it help, all this kind of stuff it needs studying. Sometimes I study really very hard. And I did pass. Sometimes until 6 o'clock in the morning, because you know management work is difficult, it's not easy.
Tania She mentions her brother being better than her now. He went to the same school as her, but since she left many aspects of the school have changed and he now gets more support. A teacher comes twice a week to help.
Tania She also places the people at the RCO higher than her Job search tutors, on a course she did at a further education college through the Job Centre in 2001/2002.

Oh my god, that was ridiculous... they were saying that I would do some English and I would look for a job. Basically I used to go there and do job search. What's the point of to do job search when you don't know how to read and to write?
Tania She is in a literacy class now, with a tutor who always seems to have time to help everyone in the class. She explained the system he seems to have and how she feels he divides his time fairly. He has taken time to find out about her situation and she feels like he knows now what her problems are.

She would place him much higher on the scale of people that helped than the teachers in her school, but quite a bit lower than the people at the RCO. This is because she has only been at that class for one month or so.

"But I think he will go up!"

"It's in a group. But you know the thing is he didn't say to me I haven't got time for you. There are a lot of people who can read already, and spell. But there is only 2 or 3 people in the class, who can't read and can't spell. And he helps a lot, what he is doing is like this week he will help me only, and then he will help another person and another person, and then the fourth week he will help me again. Or what he do is like half hour spend with me, half hour with another one."
Tania She mentions again that at school, she had interest in learning which wore off as she didn't get support. She seemed to be going backwards.

"I really was interested to learn to read and to write and to speak and understand and that kind of stuff, but people like worrying you in the school, especially the teachers... you lose this interest and when other people try to teach you you are like, no thank you"
Tania School is mentioned but only negatively. Not that much was learnt when in school.
Tania She also mentioned school - and the fact that it 'didn't help'. Everyone ignored her and one teacher said

"The worst thing was that they embarrassed me in front of the whole class, they said you can't speak English properly, you can't read, you can't write, and when I was standing up to myself and say what I mean, they used to put me in the corner!"

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