We woke up bright and early today to finish packing and check out of our rooms. Don’t worry, we’re not going home yet; tonight we’re heading to London! Before we left, we headed over to South City Center College, where we spent the morning. My first impression of the school was positive because there was a Subway right in the main lobby. When we first arrived, I got another visitor pass. This one did not have a violating photo on it like at JCC.
We headed upstairs to speak with Ghulam, the director of ELA classes. He gave us a background of their college. This college offers ESOL classes, which combine traditional theory with vocational skill. Some of the ESOL subjects offered are IT, design, childcare, plumbing, and construction. This college works to recognize that many students who come from other countries already have vocational skills, they just have a language barrier. Many teachers we spoke with said that bridging this gap is an important part of their job.
Ghulam shared that this college tries to encompass and include all students, regardless of race, age, culture, etc. We saw this to be true in many classes, which taught mostly adults from all backgrounds. This school has eight different campuses, including a women’s center. This is to meet religious and cultural needs in their area. At the women’s center, there are only female students, mostly due to cultural wants of the families. Teachers work to build soft skills to prepare students for interaction with the opposite gender. Another interesting fact Ghulam shared was that, in the UK, student loans do not have to be paid back if you make under a certain salary. You are also exempt from the remainder of your loans after thirty years.
After this we had the opportunity to observe a level three ESOL class focused on childcare. The vocational schooling has three levels, and after completing level three students can enter the workforce. I found this similar to vocational schools in the US, where students complete three years of vocational training to be qualified in their field. In the US, however, I don’t know of anywhere that combines the theory and skills classes in one school. Most technical schools I know of instruct students for half the day, then they return to their high school for theory classes. I think this combined approach is important for continuity of education, and it might be an area of improvement for the US.
The first class we observed was a level one childcare class. Students were working independently on making a leaflet. The leaflet was focused on the role of adults in supporting leisure activities for students. The project focused specifically on learning disabilities/difficulties. The teacher kept a calm classroom, telling students if they were too loud, but she also encouraged communication and helping one another. She let students work on their own, but walked around the class to provide individual help. Something I noticed was that the teacher didn’t just tell students what to do. She listened to their ideas first, then provided criticism. Something I liked about this class was that most of the students were adults. It’s very important that colleges like this provide opportunities for adults to continue their learning.
Next we visited an entry level plumbing class. In this block, they were focusing on English. They started by reviewing homework, then did a preposition worksheet. The teacher was encouraging and playful, but corrected students when needed. Most importantly, treated students like adults, which most of them are. She focused on having students practice speaking, especially using contractions. There was also emphasis formatting. Their assignment from the previous night was to write a formal letter responding to a job application. This helped them to practice the formal writing necessary for job applications.
We sat in on two more EAL English classes. The first used role play to practice conversation in real time. I really enjoyed this class because the students got very into the activity. This teacher also used online platforms like word wall to engage the students. The second classroom lectured and then did group work. They were focused on compound and complex sentence structures. We learned that English exams have four parts throughout the year. The final part, which is the written English exam, is taking place this week!
Another fact we learned was that students here can use their ID to access a variety of services, such as a gym, printers, and cafe. They can also check out up to eight books from the library for each month. One of the English instructors told us this is a great tool for EAL students. Reading in English helps them to practice the language and pick up on new words. This is the same reason EAL classes are taught entirely in English, because it allows for more exposure.
After a nice lunch, we were able to tour some vocational workshops. We saw the work areas for construction, plumbing, engineering, and many other subjects. We then headed back to the hotel to grab our bags. Even though the bus ran a bit late, we did make it to London!! The city is very beautiful. Even though I’ve enjoyed learning so much about nursing and education, I’m happy our last day and a half are for sightseeing. We were a little rushed to check into our hotel in London, but we did make it to our alumni dinner. I enjoyed fish and chips, because it seemed wrong to order anything else. We enjoyed chatting with some Pitt alumni. Emily and I spoke with one young woman who went to Pitt for undergrad, then went for her masters in England. It was interesting to hear her compare the education systems in both the UK and the US. All of the alumni were very nice, and I made some good LinkedIn connections.
I can’t wait for a day of tourism tomorrow! See you then!
