Today is our the last time in Birmingham. We woke up, checked out of the hotel, and got breakfast. We started the day at South and City College Birmingham. They have 8 campuses across the city. When we arrived we went into a room where they provided biscuits and tea. We then spoke to some of the staff about their college. There Ofsted score was “good provider” which is one of the top ratings.
We learned from the staff that they have many learning support teams including dyslexia team, pastoral mention, mental health team, and more. They have a lot of students from migrant communities, refugees, and asylum seekers. They also have a women centered campus building to make women feel comfortable because of the many different religions in this school, some women feel uncomfortable in mixed gendered classes. Eventually they do mix the students to help them become comfortable, but they really support women and making sure their preferences are met. They offer a broad range of learning opportunities that are very inclusive. An interesting fact is that this college has no age limit, so they have someone who is 60 and one who has been 70. This really emphasizes the importance of allowing people to receive a quality education no matter age, ethnicity, gender, etc.
The college focuses on improving english, numeracy, and digital skills to help learner progress onto vocational or work ready courses. They work with the community to connect students with employment. One of the heads spoke about how they have had some challenges with reduction of funding for lower level courses. This is similar to the USA and is a problem because these courses are important to help those lower level students reach the standard of higher level and are not left behind. At this school 75% of the learners are below entry level 3, so they work really hard to prepare and support the students for work. They have level 1 ESOL (english as a second language) with plumbing, fashion and design, ICT, construction, and ESOL with care. Their curriculum includes 50% practical and 50% theory, so the students get a lot of hands on experience.
One thing I find interesting is that if they get a certain score on maths and english on GCSE, they do not have to take it, but instead they take a skill build class to keep these skills intact. I think this is something that our high school and University’s could use because many students including me loose some
math and english skills that are important for life.
After the introduction and background on this college, we were split up and went to a few different classes to observe. A quick fact I learned which I find to make a lot of sense and we could use in the states, is that for student loans you only have to pay back the interest (9% of loan) if in your occupation you hit that threshold of your loan. If you do not hit that threshold you must pay it back.
The first class my group went to was an IT class, but they were also preparing for there exams. Not one of the students where from the same country. They were from Syria, Bangladeshi, Italy, Morocco, Sweden, and more. Also, the teacher spoke 5 languages fluently herself. As well as some students were mothers and wife’s, showing how this college gives the opportunity for all ages to learn. This was really amazing to see so much diversity and how they were all learning from eachother. When we came into the classroom they were practicing narrative writing and working on descriptive words.
We then went to a Caring for children entry level class and the teacher and students where very kind. The teacher said she expects a lot from her students, and she pushes them to answer the questions very detailed even though the exam will except a simple answer. Finally we went to a math level 1 class. The teacher uses a lot of different pictures and activities to help the students learn. She also used learning from their peers as a technique that helps the students learn better sometimes. The teacher does most assessment and grading in the class with the students to help and show them what they did wrong and how to fix it. This is a really good technique to help the students struggling more land to learn where specifically they may be struggling in.
We then had a delicious lunch at the college and we observed one more class. It was an english level one class for adults, so it is similar to an introductory class to the language. When we walked in they were taking a spelling test. They also where practice e when you use a period (which they called it a “full stop”) and when to use capital letters. The teacher was very interactive with the students, making eye contract, using Q and A, and using hand motions. I think this is a really good technique of teaching to keep students engaged listening, and understanding especially with ESL students.
We then took a tour of the school, which it is very big. We saw the construction building where they have break layers and plastering courses. We also saw students working on buses, engineering work shops, gas engineers, and more. It was really neat how they have all these different type of vo-tech courses where they get a great amount of hands on training.
After the day at the college it was time to head to London! We go out luggage at the hotel and hopped onto the bus. After arriving, we had an alumni dinner with past Pitt alumni. I ordered fish and chips and of course it was delicious. After dinner we walked a bit around London, then headed back to hotel to get some rest for are long day in London tomorrow! I cannot wait!
Pretty London Neighborhood
mmm fish and chips
night out in London