MA Adult Literacy, Numeracy & ESOL
SEARCH using keywords/tags or full text search.
The Department is not currently recruiting to the MA in Adult Basic Literacy and ESOL.
Student Profiles
Martin Buck
Why are you taking the programme?
I
was keenly aware of the need for continuing professional development at work
and decided that the MAALNE would be the best course to take. I wanted something
at Masters level which would allow me to follow the wider subject areas around
what I do, namely ESOL Skills for Life. I liked the range of modules offered
and although the learning style was completely new to me, it fits in well
around job and home life.
What have you enjoyed about studying with us at Lancaster?
Reading other students' postings and comments is always thought provoking, amusing at times and I find it reassuring to know that others are wrestling with similar challenges at work and on the course. I think there is a great atmosphere of encouraging students to bring their own experiences to the discussions and postings.
How do you think the programme has helped you in your career?
I hope that the programme will help me move on and progress in my future career and I believe this qualification will be very important when applying for future jobs. I would say each module I have taken so far has fostered a really positive view of what we as Literacy, Language or Numeracy professionals do and how we can keep improving our practice and challenging assumptions about our learners.
What about the online side of the course and the work?
This was a bit of a worry for me at the beginning, especially the online live discussions. However it didn't take long to get the hang of it and the hands on IT session at the induction days help a lot. I like the way you can read and respond to posts in your own time and check the site for references or comments made in much earlier sessions. I think the MAALNE site has evolved well so far.
Finally, what advice would you give to someone who said they were thinking of doing this at course at Lancaster?
I would say don't be put off be the online side of the course. The course is well organised, flexible and surprisingly enjoyable. Try a stand-alone module and see how you get on. You may suddenly find yourself on module five pondering your final module and dissertation!
Linda Etheridge
I
have recently completed my MA dissertation in Adult Literacy, Language, Numeracy
and ESOL at Lancaster University. I began studying in October 2002 initially
for a Post Graduate Diploma but after completing 4 modules realised that I
was two thirds towards completion of an MA so decided to study two more modules
and to complete a dissertation. Initially I began studying to enhance my own
understanding of literacy, the part it plays in people's lives and how to
make literacy learning more accessible and acceptable in today's society and
in communities. I wanted to advance my own professional development in this
area.
I have thoroughly enjoyed studying at Lancaster and the variety of topics - some of which were new to me. Although a distance learning degree, the online aspect enabled me to feel part of a learning community. The technology and support from the programme team were invaluable. All the tutors and programme team were enthusiastic about their specialist subjects and that these could be studied successfully online. This encouraged me in my studies and I was given full training in how to post up discussions on to the programme website and how to take part in the live discussions (in a chat room) every two weeks. These were very lively, entertaining and were a rich source of information and learning. They gave me the opportunity to discuss topics with my peers as I would have in a classroom.
I particularly enjoyed the research element of the programme and have acquired and practiced a variety of research techniques. I have developed new learning programmes based on people's social practices including those in the workplace. It has given me more confidence in articulating the issues people face in practicing and developing their own literacy to policy makers and learning stakeholders. It has also enabled me to work on a variety of Skills for Life projects at a regional and strategic level.
As with any academic study, it has required discipline and diligence, however I managed to complete my work in spite of working full time and looking after a large family. Writing my dissertation was a particularly significant learning journey which pulled together my experience as a practitioner, researcher and educational commentator.
I am now working at Wirral Metropolitan College as Additional Learning Support Manager. My studies at Lancaster helped me to secure the post. My job involves teaching and organising support for students with a variety of barriers to learning often related to disability or learning difficulties in association with literacy, language and numeracy. The Additional Learning Support Team endeavours to promote multi sensory approaches to learning and if I was inspired to embark on a PhD, I would be interested in researching multi sensory approaches to literacy learning. So who knows, perhaps in several years time I may be writing another piece for the newsletter promoting PhDs in the subject........!
Linda Pearce
Why
are you taking the programme?
I ended up on the programme at Lancaster by a series of fortunate 'accidents' almost 4 years ago.
Setting the scene
At that time I was working in Family Learning and had started off my life in that department as a Family Learning Facilitator. We then as a team moved into the teaching of Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy programmes as well as the broader Family Learning programmes we were originally recruited to work on, so we all had to do the good old City & Guilds 9281.
Enter Skills for Life
By the time the Skills for Life Strategy kicked in I was no longer teaching but was responsible for the co-ordination of Family Literacy, Language and Numeracy programmes in Plymouth, a role which included tutor support and curriculum development. It was at this point that the new qualifications framework was introduced with its requirement for people working in our field to have Level 4 subject specific qualifications. My dilemma was that I didn't qualify to do the Level 4 as I was no longer teaching and my current Level 4 qualification wasn't relevant.
Enter Lancaster
I had been trying to find a CPD programme that took my current working practice into consideration but was also interesting and stimulating. Like many people working in this field I didn't want to have to jump through any more hoops just for the sake of a piece of paper. If I was going to do yet another course it had to be one that I could engage with in a meaningful way.
At this point a forwarded e-mail from Kathryn James landed on my PC via the Plymouth Basic Skills Network. As I read through the module specifications for the Post Grad Dip/MA at Lancaster I became more and more excited. Here was a programme of study covering topics that were relevant to my work but from a critical perspective - YES!
Three and a half Years Later
So as I'm sure you will have guessed, I enrolled on my 1st module then and there and that was my downfall...I became hooked! Having only intended to go as far as the post grad diploma I am now in the final phase of the MA working on my dissertation. So be warned once you start this programme it is difficult to stop!
Has the programme helped my career?
I don't see myself as having a career as such. My working life post having my children has been more a series of roles around the margins of education working with and on behalf of those people whom the system has failed, whether that be children with behaviour difficulties or special educational skills, adults with few if any qualifications or asylum seekers and refugees.
BUT this programme has been absolutely central to the development of my theoretical understanding of those things that I seemed to instinctively do in practice. It has been like a series of 'pennies dropping' over the last few years.
The programme has also been central to the area I'm now working in as an
educational researcher. Being able to work on a project, which is seeking
to feed back to policy makers the experience of learners on the ground in
Skills for Life is both a privilege and a challenge. A privilege in that I've
been meeting a diverse range of learners across a broad range of settings.
A challenge in that being able to formulate those learners' experiences in
a way that makes policy makers take notice is an ongoing dilemma.
The theoretical & critical perspectives developed on this programme have
also been central to my work on the CPD programme for ESOL teachers at Plymouth
University.
My advice to you
It's hard work but rewarding and is certainly not jumping through hoops, you'll have to think, and think hard. You will need to make time for it.
The on-line nature of the course is an excellent way of learning for busy people but does take time to get used to. There is however excellent technical support in the shape of Hennie Yip (thank you Hennie), which in the early days of the programme is essential.
The termly induction weekends at Lancaster are stimulating both academically and socially. It's so good to be able to get away from normal routine and share with like-minded people from all over the UK. It's been very illuminating to realise that things are done differently in other places for example, Scotland (thanks Jim!).
The administrative and organisational support is excellent, which is a very important necessity for learning at a distance.
Finally, for me this programme has opened up and developed areas of work that I didn't even know existed and has been hugely rewarding. So be warned, once you start this programme there's no guaranteeing where it will end so watch this space...
See Also:
| Research & Publications | News and Events | Resources for current Students |
Save this page:
Del.icio.us
Digg It
Reddit
Facebook
Stumble It!