Walsall for All’s successful English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Intelligence Unit hosted their first webinar on 19th August 2020, sharing best practice and learning with others in the delivery and marketing of community-based study.
The webinar looked closely at three distinct areas: the importance of learner feedback; the innovative online delivery model that the Unit has pioneered as a response to coronavirus restrictions; and the unique challenge of the marketing and promotion of community-based learning.
ESOL Coordinator, Harjinder Lal, who has more than a decade of experience in teaching ESOL, delivered a best practice guide to learner feedback and the importance of constructive criticism and a balanced approach. Sanjay Patel from the Hindu Forum, one of the initiatives key providers, gave a talk on the effective use of technology in ESOL and the future of Zoom classes post lockdown. And finally, Ana Tomulescu of Nash Dom CIC, a voluntary organisation supporting Central and Eastern European communities, spoke about recruitment and marketing strategy, having seen over 180 attendees participate in their ESOL provision since April 2019. Speakers were available for a Q&A session and whilst this was brief due to time constraints, questions posed were replied to by email after the event.
Attendees came from across the community, voluntary, local government sectors and the session was joined by a representative from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Zishaan Mohammed, ESOL Project Officer, who hosted the event said: “We’ve come a long way and learnt an enormous amount and it was a privilege for us to host this webinar today and share that learning and best practice with so many of our contemporaries in the sector.
“Coronavirus has forced us to make a step-change in our delivery and promotion of ESOL and the way that providers and learners have responded has been nothing short of exceptional. It’s clear that the online learning model we’ve developed is both accessible and, for many, a preferred option removing many of the barriers faced in returning to study.”
If would like more information on our ESOL provision or would like to book into one of our classes then please contact the ESOL Intelligence Team:
Harjinder Lal - Harjinder.Lal@walsall.gov.uk
Zishaan Mohammed - Zishaan.Mohammed@walsall.gov.uk
Natalia Balan - Natalia.Balan@walsall.gov.uk
You can also visit www.walsallforall.co.uk/learn-english-for-free.
The webinar can be viewed below.