Business and Professional Communication and BCALS Lecture: Jenny Coppard
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck 30 Russell Square
No booking required
Hosted by: Professional & Business Communications & BCALS Lecture Series
Speaker: Jenny Coppard
Abstract
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in the UK is in crisis. Supply is diminishing, demand is increasing, and there is little prospect of changes in policy to address this. Jenny will talk about the issues facing asylum seekers and refugees learning English in the UK, based on published research in the field and her teaching experiences. Some of the key issues are: experiences of trauma; inadequate and fragmented provision of classes; lack of opportunity to speak English outside the classroom; accessibility issues due to caring roles or finances; and insufficient quantity of classes to enable integration or employment.
A background to Jenny's current role and the charity where she works will be provided along with how she has applied her linguistic training to her work.
Biography
Jenny recently graduated from Birkbeck, with a First Class BA Honours in Linguistics and Language. She decided to study linguistics at Birkbeck because she wanted a qualification to enable her to teach English to asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. She started doing so for a charity in Norwich in October 2015 and continues to teach there and write funding bids for additional classes. Prior to gaining her degree at Birkbeck, Jenny completed the CELTA (Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults) and taught English on a voluntary basis in Thailand and Laos.
Contact name:
Linguistics
Contact phone:
2076316499