The London Language and Literacy Unit epitomises both the key words of this conference - innovation and professionalisation - not just in terms of the work it does, but in its very structure and evolution. The Unit was established in 1975 in the wake of national campaigns for adult literacy and English as a Second Language. It was the local government response to the emerging language and literacy needs of a typical inner city - social, cultural and economic diversity and disadvantage, changing technology, new opportunities and the demise of old ones, rising unemployment amongst those with low level literacy and language skills, waves of new arrivals and a background of changing legislation and funding restrictions.

The Unit 'team' initially comprised a specialist in adult literacy and one in teaching English as a Second Language. In selecting the specialists, emphasis was laid on practical working experience in these fields rather than on academic specialisation. (Indeed, the evolution in the U.K. of adult basic education as a profession and curriculum area has for the most part been outside of the world of academia). This unique approach to specialism continues, and though the Unit's team of specialists has grown over the last 20 years, all members of the team retain first-hand experience both of classroom practice as well as research and management skills. Each new addition to the team represents positive action to meet changing needs and innovations in provision, curriculum and qualifications. 10 years ago, the team consisted of specialists in literacy, numeracy, TESOL, Afro-Caribbean language and literature, and Adult Dyslexia Support. Today, the specialisms of the team reflect the reality in which single subject specialism needs to be complemented by generic or related subject skills. The present team consists of :

• The Director, whose specialism is TESOL and trainer training
  
• a TESOL specialist who has researched and developed approaches to diagnosing and dealing with dyslexia in second language learning
  
• a TESOL specialist who also develops educational projects to meet the needs of refugee groups and unemployed adults and youths
  
• a literacy specialist who is also a specialist in the field of parental and community involvement in learning
  
• a numeracy specialist who is also a specialist in literacy, TESOL and assessment methods
  
• a dyslexia specialist who is also a specialist in learning styles approach to curriculum design and delivery

Additionally, all the team members have expertise in design and delivery of teacher training , project development, consultancy and the preparation of publications. We are all also involved in national developments, in partnership with Government agencies, professional organisations and interest groups. Having all been in our posts for 10 years, we have gained sufficient experience in the field to be able to anticipate change and be proactive in drawing attention to new needs and to suggest appropriate solutions.

At the outset, the remit of the Unit was to provide organisational support, staff training and curriculum development for all the adult and further education institutions in the London Boroughs as well as the London prison and voluntary education sectors - in the areas of literacy and English as a second language. The approach was to professionalise the service through ensuring quality at each level of the provision : Borough-wide policy re provision for adult literacy and ESOL / local provision in adult education centres and further education colleges / voluntary schemes / prison education schemes. To achieve this, the Unit specialists worked with Borough language and literacy co-ordinators / centre language and literacy organisers / full-time and part-time practitioners / volunteers / students. Notably, it was - and still is the case - the same specialist who worked with senior management to devise policy as with students in the classroom, demonstrating good practice or developing materials.

This holistic, multi-disciplinary approach endures and it ensures that our involvement at any one level within an organisation reinforces the quality we are recommending at another, thereby facilitating a shared ethos and approach. In the early days of the Unit, each specialist managed a budget for development work undertaken by individual institutions. The role of the specialist was to support the development work through staff training, team teaching, materials development, etc. The priority for such work was that it should address a local need or problem. The Unit's pioneering work in London - in awareness raising, innovative approaches to teaching diverse groups and related publications - is now known and replicated all over the United Kingdom and abroad. A particular feature of such "projects" was the inclusion and professional development of part-time tutors and volunteers. Many of these now hold positions of seniority and continue to embed the good practice started by the Unit.

A further advantage of the holistic, multi-disciplinary approach is that it enables us, as trainers, to empower teachers, volunteers and students by "putting them in the picture" about the whole of which they are a part. By the same token, it means that our development work at policy and management level is better informed about the feasibility of what is being proposed. A distinctive feature of our way of working is that we are a team, and when seeking solutions, can see where change or improvement in one subject area has implications for another.

So how has the Unit responded to the changing needs of adults in inner city London?

Example: Adult Basic Education

In the 70's, the success of basic literacy provision resulted in the need to develop post-basic literacy options. There was at the same time an increase in the number of women returning to work out of economic necessity - and many of these, though literate, were neither qualified for work nor skilled enough to gain one quickly. The adult literacy provision thus expanded to become adult basic education provision which included literacy and numeracy (a basic skill for effectiveness in everyday life and at work), as well as a range of post-basic literacy/numeracy classes such as Improve Your Reading and Writing and Maths for Work. The aim of provision at post-basic level was to meet short-term work-related literacy and numeracy needs, but also to empower the neo-literate as a member of the community.

The Unit played an important role in developing methods and content, training teachers, raising awareness amongst students and collaborating with the world of work, community organisations and with further and higher education to ensure that post-basic literacy provision was properly linked to all possible progression routes. The approach was exemplified by the development of (1) the introduction of certificated courses in literacy and numeracy and (2) the introduction of access courses, creating pathways to mainstream qualifications, particular vocational training routes, higher education and work.

The Unit team were able to standardise the quality of new provision and practice because of their cross-London role. There was a formal network of all Basic Education Organisers in Adult Education within which policies were devised and staff development priorities were established. Staff training for teachers was at three levels: induction training for newly appointed workers, in-service accredited training for paid tutors, higher level training for organisers (linked to post-graduate qualifications).

Our expertise in the field of teacher training was acknowledged through our involvement in the development of national standards for teaching basic skills - the resulting qualifications are at two levels, pre-service and in-service, and are a requirement for working in the field of literacy and numeracy. However, we feel that the qualifications are out of date because the context of adult basic education has changed. Literacy and numeracy needs are most prevalent now amongst young people training for work and the adult unemployed. These needs have to be met within vocational training contexts and hence the urgency for literacy and numeracy tutors to retrain to provide learning support , a different discipline altogether. To address this issue we have been developing new professional qualifications aimed at upgrading literacy and numeracy teaching qualifications such as Integrated Language and Learning Skills Development.

Example: English as a Second Language

This is a context which in a continuous state of flux. From an initial need to meet the English language learning needs of immigrants from the Commonwealth, and to quickly access new arrivals to education, training and work opportunities, there is now the issue of insufficient English in second generation immigrants, the urgent language and access needs of refugees, the continuing issue of how best to teach a second language to those not literate in a first language, and most importantly, providing language and learning support to second language speakers on vocational training courses. To this end, the Unit has developed resources to support classroom practice as well as a new course: Supporting Bilingual Learners. The course is aimed at those teaching English as a Second Language students on vocational and academic courses.

In this field again, the Unit's role has had many facets - teacher training at three levels, professional updating courses and seminars, policy development, provision innovation and materials development. Provision across London has been responsive to changing needs and changing groups. The Unit has initiated action by developing relevant programmes which, as in basic education, have widened from straightforward ESOL provision at levels of complexity to linked skills programmes aimed at creating learning pathways to further education, training and work. Expertise has been developed in both specific as well as generic teaching skills and a particular feature of the London Language and Literacy Unit approach has been its attention to equal opportunities and anti-racism. This is manifest in the teaching methods promoted, the kinds of materials developed and the awareness-raising work done by the team at all levels of education provision. The Unit also convenes a highly regarded network for ESOL practitioners which hosts professional updating seminars and conferences as well as publications which meet current needs.

Langauge and learning support in vocational education and training

This has been a major area of development nationally. Recent years have seen the rise of vocational qualifications as an alternative to the academic track. They were developed in the wake of national concern about the lack of an adequately skilled workforce to meet the economic and industrial challenges of the new century. They have been further necessitated by the large numbers leaving school at age 16 without sufficient reading, writing and maths skills to access either work or higher education. Programmes have been developed which combine vocational education with continued development of the key skills of Communication, Application of Number and Information Technology.

Key to the success of such integrated programmes is the ability to design, deliver and assess progress and achievement in an integrated way. For many of the tutors concerned, they are on a steep learning curve, having to learn new subject skills and adopt an analytical approach to their work. The London Language and Literacy Unit has developed a course analysis approach to programme design and delivery which requires accurate and detailed analysis of the basic skills which underpin all other learning. In effect this means that all tutors must be able to deal with basic language and learning needs. The idea is still a revolutionary one in a professional world which attaches prestige to single-subject specialism!

The London Language and Literacy Unit has just launched a professional network for those working in the field of learning, with a view to developing this as a specialism.

Example: Family learning and community involvement in school education

This is a classic example of both a London Language and Literacy Unit approach as well as of models of provision. The LLLU has been working in the area of parental and community involvement in education for the past twelve years. Most of the current work is designed and piloted in inner city areas. Over the years, the motivation for improving basic skills has shifted from work goals to wanting to help children with their learning. For many others (particularly amongst the ethnic minority communities) the motivation is more about the need to know about the education system and the content of learning. The Unit has developed a range of linked programmes aimed at informing teachers, parents and other agencies about each others' roles and responsibilities as well as creating opportunities for parents and children to learn together. All the programmes celebrate diversity and individual strengths. These innovative projects have been widely recognised as effective models for increasing participation in continuing education opportunities. The models pay particular attention to specific needs: eg

Help Your Child with Reading and Writing - a course for parents

Developing Language for Maths Learning - a course for nursery teachers and parents to recognise the importance of first and other languages in a child's concept development and to share ideas for learning activities

Learning Maths Together - an activity based project in the workplace, to encourage fathers to share maths learning with their children.

Example: Business and Education Partnerships

Our work in supporting vocational tutors in their requirement to integrate literacy and numeracy into "meaningful vocational contexts" made us aware of the fact that vocational education was proceeding in a vacuum of ignorance - no shared information between industry and education and training providers about basic education and the vocational track, no understanding of the need for dialogue between the providers of skills training and the users of such skills. We undertook research into how maths skills are used in the workplace, and whether those involved in vocational education and training are familiar with these. We also investigated whether teacher training prepared teachers for the "application" of number skills. Not surprisingly, our low expectations were confirmed. We are now trying to address the issue in a small way through seeking sponsorship and involvement of industry in our teacher training work, as well as undertaking awareness-raising for business managers re basic education needs of the workforce as a whole.

Example: Educational needs of ethnic and linguistic minorities

Minority groups are a common feature of all urban areas including economic migrants from out of town, immigrants of diverse ethnic origins and refugees. London is no different. Its commitment to meeting the need has been exemplified in its policies for multicularism, equal opportunities, anti-racism and English language entitlement. From its inception, the role of the Unit has been to support the implementation of these policies in adult basic and further education. It remains our aim.

It is impossible to describe the many innovative approaches developed over the years. However, two are worth noting as especially effective.

(1) The Afro-Caribbean Language and Literature Project was set up in 1984 with a brief to effect change and improvement in the handling of Caribbean language issues in London colleges, based on the recognition that whilst a large proportion of students in adult and further education were of Afro-Caribbean origin, this fact was not reflected in either the make-up of the tutor population or in the design of appropriate curriculum.

One of the aims of the project was to promote awareness of varieties of English and to help students recognise and value their lnguistic origins as a first step to improving their performance in Standard English. All the work of the work of the project has been in equal partnership with students and teachers and this is reflected in the many project reports, materials and publications developed over the years.

(2) The Somali project

The recent arrival of large numbers of political refugees from Somalia has prompted education authorities to pay attention to their particular learning and educational needs. The situation is complex and and as such requires a a multi-faceted response.

The LLLU has taken up the challenge to resolve some of the educational issues in one inner city area. Through negotiation within the community, it was decided to tackle demotivation for learning through the setting up of a football club under the leadership of a respected community member. The football club has now extended into a football and homework club, and attendance is at record levels! Local schools report improved levels of achievement. At the same time, the women are attending childcare classes, with the opportunity for language development work.

Linked to these initiatives with the Somali community, the Unit has developed training for education and social workers aimed at educating them about the languages, cultures and circumstances of the peoples of Somalia.

Example: The diagnosis and support of dyslexia in adults

Again, this work evolved out of Unit literacy initiatives. The Unit has an international reputation for its teacher training and publications in this field. Over 10 years and more, the specialist concerned has developed a whole area of professionalism - from diagnosis of dyslexia in adults, to strategies for supporting such students in education and the establishment of a professional network of trained dyslexia experts. The most recent level of development in this field is the Training the Trainers course which awards a licence to run the Unit course on a franchise basis.

From the expertise gained through experience, as well as through research and involvement in national initiatives, the Unit is currently engaged in a nationwide project investigating the link between criminality and dyslexia - the project includes work with the prison and probation service as well as with the judiciary and agencies working in the field of disaffection and truancy.

Conclusion

As can be seen from the examples above, the work of the Unit, though conceived in the context of one city's needs, has been shown to have national and international relevance. Its unique composition and its context-based, practical approach have facilitated development across institution, community and interest group boundaries.

We continue to work in partnership at all levels just as we continue to analyse present and future needs in basic education and develop innovative responses to them. It is our hope that we can collaborate with you in your initiatives to innovate and professionalise in this field.

Contact Info:

Noyona Chanda
Education Consultant and Trainer
London Language & Literacy Unit, UK