- English Speaking Board (International)
Transcription
- English Speaking Board (International)
2015/2016 Centre News Spring issue 1 Contents A message from our CEO 3 ESB meets CBI’s North West Director 4 ESB judges at Young Enterprise Final 6 ESB talks pre-drinks and presentations 8 Sixty Second Shakespeare Challenge 10 Young Speaker of the Year is a Hit 12 Qualifications in Debating 13 In the Spotlight: Brushstrokes 14 EAL for Young Learners 15 Inspiring Confidence in Employability 16 Meet the staff 18 What does each team do at ESB? 19 ESB has installed a new database 20 ESB is launching a research project 21 Cover photo Wet Fish, Young Enterprise’s North West Start Up Finalists Designed by Francesca Garforth (Publicity and Marketing) Contact Francesca marketing@esbuk.org 2 A message from our CEO CEO Peter Wren, English Speaking Board’s CEO pens his final message to you before he retires in May. Although I am aware of and often involved in the work which we undertake at ESB, it is still impressive to look back over the last few months to see how much we have achieved. What we cover in Centre News is merely the highlights of our work; behind the scenes, we are carrying out tens of thousands of exams both in the UK and overseas, producing certificates, taking enquiries and carrying out information visits and training sessions. It is good to hear about the work of Brushstrokes in Smethwick. We pride ourselves on being a liberal nation which welcomes immigrants and asylum seekers so it is with great pleasure that ESB supports a project which helps integrate so many people into society. This sort of work is helped by our recent development of a new qualification for EAL for Young Learners. Meanwhile, for another disadvantaged group – SEND learners – we are developing a progression route at Entry 2 and Entry 3 for our Inspiring Confidence in Employability suite. In this edition, we have concentrated much of the newsletter upon our three year partnership with Young Enterprise, culminating in judging the Best Presentation category of the North West Start Up Final. We have been fortunate through our link with Young Enterprise to secure an interview with the CBI Director for the North West, Damian Waters. In the interview, he not only shows great support for ESB but also explains how he has benefitted from undertaking one of our exams. To support you we have introduced a new telephone system and database. Please turn to page 19 for more detail about this, and links to tutorials to assist you with online bookings. Finally, we have drawn attention to the research we are carrying out in collaboration with Plymouth University on the impact of taking ESB oral communication examinations. We look forward to presenting the findings publicly. As part of our outreach work, we are launching a brand new Sonnet competition for all schools in the UK with a fantastic prize of an overnight stay in Stratford-upon-Avon and two tickets to see a RSC production. We are looking forward to watching the readings. As a footnote, I have to announce that on 31 May 2016 I will be retiring as the CEO of ESB. I have, over a period of 28 years, worked in examination boards and led no fewer than 5 of In a similar vein, we organised Young Speaker of them so it will be quite a wrench to “call it a the Year for centres who undertake our Graded day” but my many other interests will continue Examinations in Speech. In November 2015, we to keep me busy. By the time of the next Centre held the prize-giving event with Matthew News a new CEO will be Burton of Educating Yorkshire as guest speaker. in place and, I am sure, We are pleased to announce that the will be as warmly competition is running again this academic year welcomed to the ESB and the prize-giving will take place on Saturday fold as I have been. 12 November 2016. Invites will be sent out in Farewell and good luck. September and places will be limited so please PETER WREN RSVP as soon as possible. Chief Executive Officer 3 Industry ESB meets CBI’s North West Director We caught up with Damian Waters, top businessman and ESB alumnus. ESB: Please introduce yourself and tell us about your background and current job. My name is Damian Waters and I am the Director of CBI in the North West. CBI is Britain’s largest business organisation, representing 190,000 companies of all shapes and sizes. I was born and raised in Birkenhead, on a large council estate and attended the local comprehensive, Birkenhead Institute. ESB: Tell us about how you felt when you found out ESB was supporting the Young Enterprise North West Start Up final. I was really pleased to hear that ESB was supporting Young Enterprise. I have a long (over 20 years) relationship with Young Enterprise and have acted as host for the regional finals on a couple of occasions. I know from experience that the ability to communicate to an audience is one of the great lessons that young people can learn. ESB: Which ESB examination did you undertake? Describe your experience. I took the ESB exam when I was 12, so over 30 years ago, and I don’t remember the exact title. I do remember, however, that I had to make a speech to a panel of examiners and other pupils from my school and recite a poem that was committed to memory. I can still remember the poem today! ESB: What skills did you gain from undertaking an ESB qualification? I can clearly remember the feedback I received from the examiners on the day; they spoke about the importance of being myself, engaging with the audience and presenting in a professional manner. I make dozens of speeches each year and I still try to stick to those words of advice. ESB: Do you feel like ESB gave you employability skills? Most definitely. My ESB examination was my first experience of public speaking, but I think one of my key strengths now is public engagement and presentations (so much so that I have appeared on every major news channel in the UK and even some in the US). ESB started me off on the right track and gave me that initial confidence to find my voice. ESB: What words of advice or support would you give to students undertaking their ESB examinations? From your experience, how will the qualification help them in the future? My words of advice would be – prepare properly, but don’t learn a script as it can come across as a bit fake. Always remember that the audience wants to enjoy the experience – they are willing you on! An ESB qualification is great to have and to show employers that you can engage with colleagues, clients and customers. But remember to listen to the feedback and act on it. To find out more about how ESB’s qualifications can help get your students into employment contact Mark Wynne. 4 Industry 5 “An ESB qualification is great to show employers that you can engage with colleagues, clients and customers.” Students ESB judges at Young Enterprise Final ESB judged the Best Presentation category at the prestigious Young Enterprise North West Start Up Final last month. Alison Coates, Elaine Rudduck and Francesca Garforth attended the event at Liverpool Hope University on Wednesday 24th February to celebrate their contribution to the programme. Alison said: “The Young Enterprise Start Up programme gives students the opportunity to set up their own company. ESB runs presentation skills workshops at various participating universities in the North West helping them to refine their business pitch. We really enjoy delivering the courses and feedback from the students at the final indicated that they enjoy them too!” The cards show a variety of random questions and the players vote for who they think the card applies to. Elaine added: “It was really difficult to pick a winner for the Best Presentation category but Wet Fish from Edge Hill University stood out for their entertaining, informative and original pitch.” Andrew Firr who manages the Start Up programme for Young Enterprise said: “The impact made by ESB’s involvement with Young Enterprise cannot be underestimated. The sessions led by ESB have all been well planned, The winning team, Wet Fish, who had benefitted resourced and delivered.” from an ESB training session, also won Best If you are interested in our presentation skills Overall Company. Wet Fish’s product was a workshops please contact Alison Coates. unique card game of the same name. L-R Alex Parry-Brown, Dominic Bird, Jack Hardacre, Cameron Gill, Alison Coates, Jack McElhinney and Jamie Griffiths 6 Students 7 Student ESB talks pre-drinks and presentations We caught up with Wet Fish after the Young Enterprise Start Up Final. ESB: How did you get involved with Young Enterprise? Dominic: Young Enterprise is an optional module at Edge Hill. Jack Mc: It looked like the best one! Dominic: We all thought we’d rather do something where we are in charge. ESB: It sounds like you had a lot of freedom to launch a Start Up that interests you. Dominic: Money was the only thing that could hold you back; you could launch anything you want. Jamie: The content hasn’t been censored. Our tutors haven’t looked through it! Dominic: I think they have an idea now! Cameron: It’s probably a good thing that it hasn’t had to go through anything too official because it allows us to be creative and do whatever we want. ESB: What makes Wet Fish so successful? Jamie: Our product is unique. Dominic: Younger people are interested in the product and the older, more-business type people tell us we have a great brand. Alex: People think we are just a group of lads who want to have a good time but we have had a good idea and there’s a gap in the market. Jack Mc: The idea is to play the game with drinks before a night out. I think we are slowly changing perceptions of what pre-drinking is. It is not just about getting drunk. It is about having a chat and a laugh with your mates. Dominic: We were going down a very businessorientated route for our presentation but when ESB came in they told us we should tell a story and be a bit more spontaneous… Cameron: That’s the word! Spontaneous! Jack Mc: ESB taught us not to care about what other people are going to think. Dominic and I had to get up to do an improvisation exercise on our knees; I think it was at that point that we realised we could be as silly as we like! Jack H: Our presentation was in the middle of the final and everything so far had been pretty similar. People were getting a little bit bored, thinking not this again and then we came on and woke everyone up! ESB: It stood out for that! Jack Mc: We had the same content as everyone else really, we did say the same things… Dominic: It was just the delivery. ESB: So was it the English Speaking Board workshop that helped you to see that there were other possibilities? All: Definitely Dominic: It gave us a framework to build our presentation around. ESB: English Speaking Board came to Edge Hill to deliver a presentation skills workshop as part of the Young Enterprise. What did you take away from that? Wet Fish is a new and original card game 8 Student “I struggled to do a pitch in front of five people and then to go and speak in front of 300 people is just amazing.” Cameron: It gave us a completely different perspective on how to present. Usually when we do presentations, even at university, we just go through slides and we talk. Now it’s a bit more professional we thought, how can we up our game? Jamie: It was a bit of a risk really. You are going to the finals, presenting in front of 300 people and the judges. It would have been so easy to play it safe, our presentation could have gone either way. Dominic: ESB told us that passion was very important in a presentation and I think the fact that we were jumping on stage to interrupt the last person conveyed our passion. Jamie: And when we shouted “Wet Fish!” at the end! the most fun sessions that we had. Jamie: ESB got us up on our feet and made us do something that we weren’t prepared for, like talking for a minute about something we had never heard of! Alex: I think the timing of the lecture really helped, it was just before the final so we could remember everything ESB had said and really put it into practice. Dominic: It gave us a checklist. When we were planning we could say let’s include a pause there to let people digest the information. ESB: And finally, what advice would you give to people who are nervous about presenting? Jack Mc: Don’t care! Cameron: It’s true! We would say practice lots and don’t care about what other people may ESB: How do you think your presentation think of you. If you do that you will just stiffen skills will help you in your future lives? up. Alex: I think the idea of spontaneity will really Jack Mc: Our tips would be practice, don’t care help with my presentations in future. and have fun. Jack Mc: We have discovered by doing Jamie: Every presentation you make, even if it is something a bit different you stand out, and in just a small one at school or university, try and an interview, even if you are not the best put some of your personality into it so the candidate, if you are memorable you will stick in audience remembers you. And don’t be a sheep; the recruiter’s mind. don’t do what everyone else is doing otherwise Dominic: I feel I have gained a lot of confidence you will just get lost in the crowd. through doing this. When I came to university I Alex: A key thing we learnt to do is engage the struggled to do a pitch in front of five people audience somehow, even if it’s just asking them and then to go and speak in front of 300 people a question, it keeps them awake! Cameron: Do you encourage slang at the is just amazing. English Speaking Board? ESB: Do you think ESB’s Presentation ESB: We could make an exception! Workshop was valuable? Cameron: We would just say YOLO! All: Yes Jack Mc: To be completely honest, when we To find out more about Wet Fish check out came into the lecture and saw that it was being their Facebook page. run by ESB we thought what is this going to be like? We thought they were going to tell us how to annunciate or something! But when we started to listen we though OK, we can pick up some tips here and then when we got into the session we really enjoyed it. It was easily one of 9 Sixty Second Shakespeare Challenge Prizes ESB is launching an exciting new competition to commemorate 400 years since Shakespeare’s death. Our assessors are lucky enough to regularly hear homage paid to The Bard, with both monologues and sonnets being presented at our exams. With this in mind, we decided that it was time for us to throw down the gauntlet to all UK Schools, and so it is with great pleasure that we present to you The Sixty Second Shakespeare Challenge! 4) Voice: We want to see appropriate variation of pitch, pace and tone, without this impinging on the interpretation and sensitivity to the text. What are the prizes? The winner will receive an overnight stay for two in Stratford-upon-Avon, with 2 tickets to an RSC production! Two runners up will receive a hardback copy of Shakespeare’s Complete Works What is it? A sonnet should take a minute to speak (give or take a few seconds). We are challenging you to How do I do it? send us video footage of your pupils reciting The effective delivery of a Shakespearean any of Shakespeare’s sonnets. sonnet relies on a number things. Not only is it vitally important to observe the structure of the How do I take part? verse, but the speaker must also use vocal Schools must pre-register their interest by techniques that will reflect the original intention Friday 3rd June by completing the of the poet – this requires great sensitivity to pre-registration form on our website. If you are the text, in order to ensure that the sonnet is a student please tell your teacher to register on not over-played. The Shakespearean sonnet is your behalf. All videos must be submitted by comprised of three quatrains, and a concluding Friday 1st July. couplet, in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Here How will it be judged? is a video of the late Alan Rickman delivering We will be looking at four main areas: Sonnet 130. 1) Introduction: Entrants will give a short Pre-register your interest now and get involved using the hashtag introduction (up to 30 seconds) that demonstrates their understanding of the sonnet #60SecondShakespeareChallenge. (this is in addition to the time allowed for the speaking of the sonnet). 2) Form: Observation of the structure of the sonnet form. 3) Interpretation: In delivery and sensitivity to the text. We want to see that the meaning can be conveyed as well as understood. “The winner will receive an overnight stay for 2 in Stratford-upon-Avon with 2 tickets to an RSC production!” 10 Prizes 11 YSY Young Speaker of the Year is a Hit Channel 4’s Educating Yorkshire star Matthew Burton took part in ESB’s Celebration of Excellence. ESB’s ‘Young Speaker of the Year’ Awards were presented to eight youngsters from around the country, in recognition of their outstanding spoken language skills. The students, selected from thousands of candidates, delivered their presentations at the prestigious awards on Saturday, 7 November 2015. Matthew, who enthralled TV viewers with his inspirational approach to helping Musharraf Asghar overcome his debilitating stammer, was also recognised as ESB’s ‘Speaker of the Year’. ‘Mushy’ was reunited with Matthew to see his former teacher receive his award and to collect the inaugural ‘Spirit of ESB’ Award. Mushy said: “I feel honoured to have been recognised by ESB. Receiving this award is something I would never have dreamt of.” about ESB since I began working with them. It has been very humbling and inspiring to be involved with Young Speaker of the Year. I am very proud to have been selected for this award.” ESB’s Chief Executive Officer, Peter Wren, said: “ESB is so special because it builds confidence in young people. It fosters the ability to stand, speak and listen openly to their peers.” Award recipient, Grace Hart echoed Peter’s sentiments: “ESB has given me the ability to be comfortable and confident in front of large crowds. I can project a calm image now and enjoy presenting.” It could be your students this year! Get involved with Young Speaker of the Year 2016 using the hashtag #YSY2016. Matthew added: “I have become passionate L-R Martha Stewart, Jennifer Cyffin-Jones, Alisar Tabet, Sharon Daniel, Musharaf Asghar, Matthew Burton, Tom Collier, Karanjit Singh Dhadwal, Peter Wren, Grace Hart, Theadora Steadman Jones, Orla Drury 12 Debating Qualifications English Speaking Board Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 www.esbuk.org 13 In the Spotlight: Brushstrokes ESOL Jane Alsop, ESOL Coordinator told us about the invaluable work ESB centre, Brushstrokes Community Project in Smethwick does. “Based in a parish centre in Smethwick Brushstrokes first opened our doors in 2000 with the aim of seeking out and helping the hidden poor in the area. Initially engaging with asylum seekers, the people coming to our centre have increased in number and diversity; over the past 15 years we have welcomed people from over 100 countries. “ESOL classes are a big part of what we do. Since government funding cuts to FE, which has seen ESOL provision reduced drastically, we have seen a huge increase in numbers coming to Brushstrokes to learn English. Over the past four years we have averaged 150 students a year. Since September 2015 we have already had 179 learners. As ESOL Coordinator, I manage a team of committed and experienced volunteer teachers without whom we simply could not meet the need of so many. exam before were very scared but the ESB assessors are encouraging and friendly and students always come out smiling. When you hear laughter coming from the exam room you know your students will be relaxed and able to do their best. We are part funded by the Big Lottery and one of our outcomes is 50 exam achievements per year - ESB have made that target a positive experience for our students and volunteer teachers. “The most rewarding aspect of teaching ESOL at Brushstrokes is seeing people gain confidence in their ability to communicate. Student comments include ‘now I can go to the doctor on my own,’ and ‘now I can talk to my children’s teachers’. We have seen students go on to college, to university, find employment and become integrated and confident members of their community. An ESOL teacher is so much more than just a teacher. Students ask for help with “In 2013, we had a lot of enquiries from women problems and issues in their lives; they tell us with babies or pre-school children. Mums were stories about their past, some of which are desperate to learn English but there was heartbreaking. Our relationship with students is nowhere in the area offering childcare. I set up a built on mutual trust and respect. It’s probably a small family learning class in a room which had cliché but the Brushstrokes community really is been used as a créche. In the beginning it was like a big family. One of my students recently noisy, chaotic and disruptive but gradually the introduced me to a member of her family, 'This children settled and the mums began learning is my friend, Jane', she said.” English. There are still lessons which dissolve into chaos but I’ve learnt to use everything that To find out more about ESB ESOL Skills for happens as a means for learning the language. Life contact Jackie Johnson. “An ESOL teacher is so much more than just a teacher.” “Through ESB ESOL exams, which we began in 2013, many students have achieved in learning for the first time in their lives. For someone who has never been to school, receiving a certificate for learning is an enormous achievement. Initially some students, having never done an 14 English Speaking Board Assessments are evidence of good EAL practice EAL Language in ESB EAL is relevant for everyday life ESB offers accredited qualifications in Spoken English for EAL learners Suitable for ages 5-18 Entry 1Level 2 available Based on ESOL Core Curriculum and CEFR AVAILABLE NOW 15 External assessors give pupils personalised reports SEND Inspiring Confidence in Employability The icing on the cake: a progression route for Inspiring Confidence in Employability is coming soon. ESB’s Inspiring Confidence in Employability (ICE) increases their awareness of the world of work; qualification will soon be available at Entry 2 shows them how to job search and encourages and 3. enterprise, self-advocacy and confidence.” Last year, Carole Hille, ESB’s former Entry Level Foundation Manager and Elaine Rudduck, ESB’s current Deputy CEO wrote an Employability Skills qualification to prepare learners for the world of work. Dawn added: “The assessment criteria will continue to be realistic, practical and achievable. The tasks will be generic, matching a range of vocational areas albeit personalised to individual learners. At Entry 2 and 3 the unit criteria outcomes will require evidence of simple Following the publication of the government’s problem solving and working with others in Green Paper, which stipulated that students with team situations.” learning, physical or sensory difficulties should enter into employment where possible, and “Creative evidence in portfolio building consultations with employers including including witness statements, photographs, and Sainsbury’s, Costa Coffee and Marriott Hotels, video will be welcomed by ESB Assessors. Carole and Elaine were inspired to create ICE at Successful completion of the three levels will Entry 1. not be reliant on increased literacy or numeracy skills. ESB Assessors of the Mandatory Spoken Although feedback was overwhelmingly positive Skills Unit will instead be supportive of the we quickly realised, although there was a real learner in their ability to give simple spoken demand to have an employability qualification information and conduct the examination at this level, there was a need for a progression process within the ESB tenet of a positive, route to give students a real opportunity to personal and practical experience.” break into the world of work. We are delighted to inform you that Dawn Smith, ESB’s Qualifications Development Manager and Ian Patterson, Examiner and Learning Disability Subject Specialist at Belfast Met are collaborating on the promotion of the Inspiring Confidence in Employability Programme to Entry Level 2 and 3. Ian told us: “The aim of the ICE programme, across the three levels, is to build workplace understanding for the learner. The qualification Learners from Belfast Met who are currently undertaking ICE 16 STAY IN TOUCH /EnglishSpeakingBoardUK English Speaking Board UK English Speaking Board 17 @ESBUK Meet the staff Peter Wren, CEO Elaine Rudduck, Deputy CEO Matthew Hannaford, Finance Manager Lesley Waring, Finance Officer Dawn Smith, Qualifications Development Manager Suzanne McKittrick, Qualifications Development Officer Mark Wynne, Business Development Manager Alison Coates, Business Development Adviser (Speech) Jackie Johnson, Business Development Adviser (ESOL) Francesca Garforth, Marketing Officer Adam McCooey, Customer Service Manager Carlene Cantrill, Senior Customer Service Officer Rebecca Watson, Customer Service Officer Leoni Stanton, Customer Service Officer Liam Vaughan, IT Officer Fiona Rushton, Executive PA/ HR Manager Sheena Singleton, Examinations Coordinator Jacqui Lee, Examinations Officer 18 ESB What does each team do at ESB? ESB We want to put you in touch with the correct person as soon as possible. Here is a handy guide to each department. Customer Service (Option 1) customer@esbuk.org Responsible for: Candidate names and any changes Approval of Reasonable Adjustments Approval of reports and results Certification, enquiries and complaints Finance (Option 2) accounts@esbuk.org Responsible for: All finance related queries including invoices Examinations (Option 3) exams@esbuk.org Responsible for: Assisting centres with exam bookings Allocating examiners to exam bookings Making changes to examiners IT (Option 5) online@esbuk.org Responsible for: Technical support for centres Business Development (Option 6) businessdevelopment@esbuk.org Responsible for: Securing new centres Communicating with existing centres Training and information visits Qualifications Development (Option 7) qualifications@esbuk.org Responsible for: Development of new qualifications Qualification reviews 19 ESB ESB has installed a new database Examination bookings are now completed online. We want to thank centres for their continued support during the transition. As most of you will be aware, ESB launched a new online system in September 2015. Our new online system enables you to: Book exams Register candidates for exams Request Reasonable Adjustments Track the progress of an examination Make candidate changes up to 2 weeks before the exam. Here are some handy user guides to make sure you get the most out of the new online system. If you need further assistance, please contact the relevant office staff who will help you. Database User Guide This is a step by step guide showing you how to use the online system for the very first time. How to apply for Reasonable Adjustments This is a tutorial video showing you how to apply for reasonable adjustments. How to book Examinations This is a tutorial video showing you how to book examinations including how to enter candidate names. If you need any advice or want to suggest ideas for support videos please contact: online@esbuk.org. 20 Research ESB is launching a research project The project will assess the impact of ESB’s Graded Examinations in Speech at certain Key Stages. Building upon a study published in 2006, evaluating the impact of ESB Oral Communication Courses in HM Prisons, the purpose of the project is to build a picture of the effect that ESB’s qualifications in Speech have on those who undertake them versus those who do not. Areas for investigation will include achievement in other areas of the curriculum; progression into further education and employment. Research methods will include questionnaires, interviews and case studies. As an ESB centre, your experience is invaluable to our study. Please complete this short questionnaire; it is our first evidence-collecting We are aiming to find out whether teachers believe the current National Curriculum exercise and will only take a few minutes of your develops learners Spoken Language; explore time. We will keep you updated at every stage whether ESB’s Graded Examinations in Speech of this study and look forward to sharing the are a factor in performance at certain Key Stages results with you. and to discover if ESB’s Graded Examinations in If you would like to be involved with this Speech act as a vehicle to enhance learners’ project please contact Elaine Rudduck. overall progression. 21 English Speaking Board 9 Hattersley Court, Burscough Road, Ormskirk, L39 2AY T. +44 1965 573439 | E. admin@esbuk.org | www.esbuk.org Registered in England Company no. 01269980 Registered as a Charity no. 272565 22