 |
LLU+, based at London South Bank University, is a consultancy
and professional development centre for staff working in the
areas of literacy, numeracy, dyslexia, family learning and
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). It has specialists
in learning support, language and maths, and the application
of learning styles approaches to teaching and learning. LLU+
acts as a resource centre and also has a long experience of
working with parents and carers to help them support their
children's learning effectively.
LLU+ provides a range of professional development opportunities
for staff engaged in the field of family learning, covering
both Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy and wider family
learning. This training is offered centrally and can also
be bought in locally. It includes:
- Working with bilingual families
- Using a learning styles approach to teaching and
learning in family learning
- Materials development
|
- Setting up family learning provision
- Developing family learning provision for Sure Start
- Embedding basic skills in wider family learning
provision
|
| LLU+ is also working towards developing accredited training
in family learning. |
LLU+ welcomes all parents onto its first level courses, regardless
of their level of education, so any course may include parents
who have a university education alongside those who find reading
and writing very difficult. Parents learn together and share
experiences. The courses are free and are accredited at all
Open College Network levels. They include sessions in which
parents can make materials such as books and games, which
they are encouraged to try out with their children at home;
they are also encouraged to talk about children's responses
to the books and activities. The basic skills content of all
the courses is not overt but is covered in the context of
children's learning.
Provision forms a continuous cycle of short modules throughout
the year, and are flexible in terms of punctuality and attendance.
This means that parents can rejoin courses even if they have
to drop out for a while, for example if their child is ill.
Many parents continue into a second year to consolidate their
learning and catch up on what they have missed and, as a result,
the progression routes offered are wide in their range and
scope: for example, pre-GCSE and GCSE English, Level 2 basic
skills qualifications, Peachers (Parents as Teachers of Parents),
and classroom assistant training. All project tutors are trained
to work with adults; most are peachers, who started by joining
one of the courses and subsequently trained at LLU+ to teach
courses for other parents. This has been particularly effective,
as the tutors understand the position of the learners.
- Developing Language Skills in the Under 5s
- Educational Book and Game Making
- Family Numeracy Project
- Helping My Child with Reading and Writing
- ICT & Family Learning
- Understanding Nursery Education
|
- Peachers
- Volunteers in the Primary Classroom
- Volunteer Literacy Tutors in Secondary Schools
- Teaching Assistants' Training
|
Other recent courses have included Family Learning for Refugees
and Asylum Seekers, Families and Museums, and Parents of Children
with Special Educational Needs. Courses are developed continuously
as a response to parental interests. This approach, being
centred on and developed by learners rather than imposed "from
above", is credited by staff as one of the reasons for
LLU+'s success in engaging learners.
LLU+ runs provision in a variety of venues, including community
centres, schools and health centres, and works with professionals
from fields including health, education, complementary medicine
and fitness. The provision is funded through the London Development
Agency, Sure Start, and the Learning and Skills Council. In
addition, various sponsors have contributed to different aspects
of the provision: for details see www.lsbu.ac.uk/lluplus/about/sponsors.shtml
On the Road - Journeys in Family
Learning edited by Shan Rees, Foufou Savitzky and Attilah
Malik, 2003
This book is a collection of interviews with course participants
detailing the benefits they have identified as a result of
attending family learning courses. It is available priced
£7.50 from Avanti Books Ltd, Tel: 01438 747000, Fax:
01438 74113. Email: orders@avantibooks.com
For other resources and publications by LLU+ follow the link
below.
For more information visit www.lsbu.ac.uk/lluplus
or contact LLU+, London South Bank University, 103 Borough
Road, London SE1 0AA Tel: 020 7815 6290 Fax: 020 7815 6296
Email: lluplus@lsbu.ac.uk
| |
80px.gif)
Related issues
