Migrant language education in a Nation of Sanctuary

Abstract

Recent reports and research evidence on the organisation and provision of language education for migrants in the UK have illuminated numerous shortfalls. Challenges have been identified not only in the ability of providers to deliver enough English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes to meet need, but also in the way that ESOL classes are organised and delivered. This article argues that the adoption of a participatory pedagogy to the ESOL classroom can facilitate a syllabus that is closer to migrants' needs and provides examples of how such an approach can transform the way language education for migrants is currently realised. Drawing on reflections from a pilot course of teacher education in Wales, the article details how the inclusion of a multilingual, participatory pedagogy provides the tools for ESOL classrooms to be based around issues of relevance to those making a new home in Wales while at the same time providing space in the syllabus that frees participants from the pressure of exam or assessment preparation. First the author examines how the focus on evidencing linguistic progression, through the employment of a rigorous testing regime, often leaves little or no time to foster a sense of belonging or inclusion among migrants desperate to build new lives. Then, the Welsh context in particular is discussed, with specific attention to the role of the Welsh language and the Welsh Government's Nation of Sanctuary aspiration. To end, the author provides reflections from a course of teacher education grounded in participatory pedagogy. It details the benefits of moving away from an outcomes-focused, prescribed syllabus to one based on the learners' own needs, interests, motivations and backgrounds, and which, it is argued, can transform the parameters of how migrant language education is understood and enacted.