Job Discussion Forums

Will. · Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 783 Location: London Uk

Anyone delivering Skills for Life exams this term?

I need a little feedback from tutors/DoS/team leaders re: reasons for selecting speciific exam boards
Cheers

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

Hi Will,

I managed to avoid the issue at the college where I do some part-time work, and as it's only a 30 week course (usual funding issues) I finish next week, apart for my Monday evening class due to Bank Holidays.

That's not particularly helpful I'm afraid. I attended the afternoon at a local training day some months ago where in the morning there was a presentation by the various exam boards. Judging by informal comments in the afternoon by people from other colleges reservations were expressed about the readiness of the C&G offering. The biggest college in the county seemed to have chosen the Cambridge version, but I have no actual insight into why that was.

If you do find out anything then I'd be interested, even though I'm pootling off to Italy in the autumn.

sue

Will. · Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 783 Location: London Uk

Thanks Sue,
Many colleges chose Cambridge 'cos we know them'... at present there is a dearth of examiners so these colleges are not able to hold exams on the dates they wished as Cambridge cannot furnish enough examiners.
My area of interest is the motivation that caused the selection of one exam board over another. Readiness was a common thread in respect of Trinity. Familiarity for Cambridge, internal marking for Edexcel etc..

SueH · Joined: 01 Feb 2003 Posts: 1022 Location: Northern Italy

Well, if there'd been a programme manager for the last 6 months or if little part-timer me had've been motivated to get the college registered for ESOL it would have been C&G.

Motivation? The college already does C&G for all the other SfL, and it was assumed by default.

For some of my students the whole issue of 'examinations' and 'progress' (after 12+ years in the country) on, at best, a 2 hour per week/30 week course is moot. Classes do serve a purpose for these students but it's not the one defined by the authorities.

Will. · Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 783 Location: London Uk

Yerah what is it with the colleges are ther no management level people available in ESOL their seems to be a few around in colleges i have visited. they appear to have two jobs, as well as the one they are suppodsed to have tken responsibility for...maybe that's where they are.

"had enough"