Improving Students Speaking and Listening on WEX Phase One Report

8/11/2019 Improving Students Speaking and Listening on WEX Phase One Report

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Improving Students

Speaking and Listening Skills

Through Work Experience

Research Report

Sue Barr

Gary ForrestGloria Sayer


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Introduction

1. Research project aims

1.1

This research project forms the first part of a project to identify how work experience can be

used to improve the speaking and listening skills of young people aged 14 to 19 from

disadvantaged communities. The outcomes of the research will clarify the needs of this group

of young people and pinpoint opportunities to put in place support for them to develop

speaking and listening skills. It will also recommend and outline some activities and materials to

be developed.

1.2

Employers value speaking and listening skills in their employees. In the report Time Well

Spent1, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) identified communication and literacy as one

of the seven key features of employability. The report specifically defines it as the application

of literacy, ability to produce clear, structured written work, and oral literacy including listeningand questioning. Our research used as a focus speaking and listening as defined in Teaching

Speaking and Listening, Key Skills Support Programme, 20072. This includes a wide range of

behaviours and skills which include:

A good speaker

is purposeful and clear

uses appropriate vocabulary

speaks with fluency

is confident and credible

is approachable and responsive

uses body language well

involves listeners

relates to the listener

is respectful of others

encourages trust

shows empathy

A good listener

is easy to talk to

shows respect and focuses on the speaker

makes supportive comments

moves conversation along

knows when and how to interrupt

concentrates and appears attentive

creates an atmosphere of trust

picks out the main points

reflects back and paraphrases

understands feelings

remembers

1Time Well Spent: embedding employability in work experience, CBI 2007

2Teaching Speaking and Listening: a toolkit for practitioners, DfES, 2007


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1.3 Field work was undertaken in twelve schools in three areas of England, including Tyneside,

Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and Bristol and Bath (Appendix 1). Interviews were carried out

with 24 work experience coordinators and English teachers in these schools. Focus groups were

held with 59 Year 11 and 14 Year 12 students. In addition, ten employers were interviewed

(Appendix 2). Outlines of the interview schedules for each of these groups are in Appendix 3.

1.4 Desk research to supplement this information included contacting 210 schools and Education

Business Partnerships (EBPs) by email. 22 schools and three EBPs responded to this. We also

researched a wide range of publications, guidance documents and research reports relating to

both work experience and speaking and listening skills. We also posted on a number of LinkedIn

groups questions about work experience provision and development of young peoples

speaking and listening skills.

1.5 The purpose of the interviews, focus groups and desk research was to enable the team to make

recommendations of activities and materials, which could be used by schools and employers

before students go out on work experience, during the placements and as part of the debriefing

process back in school.

Interviews with teachers

2. Current work experience provision

2.1

Only half of the schools visited still have the whole of Year 10 undertaking one weeks work

experience. The placements take place in February in one school, March in one, June in one,

July in two and September in one. The schools now expect the majority of students to find their

own placements because funding is no longer provided to cover the high cost of using a

placement provider. Students who are unable to find their own are allocated placements either

from the schools own database of contracts or the work experience coordinator uses the local

Education Business Partnership (EBP) or careers service to top these up. Only three schools still

pay for the EBP or the local careers service to provide a substantial number of placements. Two

of these reported that they found the range of types of placement disappointing with a high

proportion of primary schools and care homes in the current offer. This had led to the more

proactive students setting up their own in order to get something which they perceived as more

interesting and/or appropriate to their aspirations. This practice does however, disadvantage

young people without the networks of family and friends working in sectors which are more

appealing to them. It also means that there is far less chance that work experience is able to

challenge stereotypes and broaden students career horizons.

2.2 In the main, the external providers carried out the health and safety checks, although at least

one school paid to train one of their non-teaching staff do this. This was not found to be cost-

effective in the long run, so the school reverted to having the checks done by the careers

service.

2.3 Four schools recently reduced their Year 10 provision and only offered them to students who

need work experience for their vocational courses or to clarify their career aspirations. In one of

the schools, around 20% of the cohort took a vocational course and work experience was part

of that programme.

2.4

One school did not offer work experience for Year 10 students at all and in another, Year 10

work experience took place on an optional basis and students organised their own placements

to go out outside of term time. This was the first year this model had been tried, so it was not


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clear what the impact will be in terms of which groups of students would continue to undertake

a placement. Both of these schools had work experience for all Year 10 students in previous

years.

2.5 Most of the schools visited offered Year 12 students the opportunity to do placements or

internships. Some schools offered vocational courses to their post-16 students and workexperience was generally seen as a very important part of these as it provided students with an

opportunity to apply and extend their knowledge and skills in a real work setting. In one school,

students had work experience for half a day a week, as part of a level 2 BTEC course and in

another, the Year 12 BTEC students undertook two week-long placements, carrying out tasks to

complete their coursework. One school which had retained full work experience provision for

Year 10 also had a second opportunity, for everyone in Year 12. Two of the schools only

arranged placements for those post 16 students who could make a case for it and in one school

work experience was offered as part of the programme for those students who dropped one of

their AS courses.

2.6

Most schools provided each student with an information pack and diary to be completed.Though communication skills are often referenced, there was no evidence of direct reference

to speaking and listening skills, as defined in GCSE English. The only indirect references made to

speaking and listening in these diaries were: An employer expects you to listen and follow

instructions; and examples of what students might want to get out of work experience

included: try out your skills and develop new skills. The employer review pages listed ability

to follow instructions andcommunication.

2.7 Speaking and listening skills were highlighted in pre-placement briefings in some of the schools,

though this was not done with a specific reference to the GCSE criteria. Even where this did

take place, reference was more commonly made to communication in a generic way and was

linked to students employability development.

2.8 Activities undertaken to prepare for work experience varied in the schools. In one school all

students attend a WEXability Day held in the week before the placement. They take part in

three activities:

health and safety;

first impressions role play; and,

an interview with an employer volunteer.

Reference is made in these activities to personal skills but speaking and listening are not

specifically identified. Another school provided a similar day for Year 10 and Year 12 with the

emphasis being on CV writing and a mock interview. Employers were involved in these twoschools but these employer volunteers were rarely from the companies offering the work

experience.

2.9 Several schools used Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons in the term before

the placements. In most schools, these lessons were taught by form tutors and covered all

aspects of preparation for work experience. Three of the schools began preparation for work

experience with a whole year group assembly, either at the end of Year 9 or beginning of Year

10 but this approach was uncommon.

2.10 The degree of expectation on students to make contact with their employer before the

placement, either in person or by telephone, varied from school to school. Some insisted on itand others did not seem to encourage it to any extent. The expectations of employers also


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varied widely. Some interviewed the students quite extensively during a pre-placement

telephone call, while for others it was just to confirm time of arrival.

2.11 A small number of placement providers insisted on interviews before work experience (the

Police and the Army). Mock interviews were used in some schools to support work experience

preparation, or as part of the follow up. However, the employers carrying out the interviewswere generally not the ones the students would meet on their placements. In one of the

schools, students going on work experience were interviewed by a senior teacher and were

asked to explain why a placement would help them achieve their aspirations.

2.12 A small number of schools offered mock interviews to all Year 10 students before or shortly

after placements, as part of a general preparation for the world of work as well as for work

experience. In another all Year 11 students went through the application and interview process

with employers, using what they learnt on work experience to inform this process.

2.13

The north east schools all use a common work experience diary produced by the local careers

service provider and this makes reference to the need to telephone the placement beforehandand gives some hints about this. The only tip which is specifically about speaking and listening,

however, is that ringing an employer is different to calling your mates. A number of students

said that they were very nervous about ringing: one said that it was difficult to do when you

havent met someone before and one put it off until the last minute.

2.14

All schools acknowledged that briefing and debriefing of work experience was poor. Employers

feedback from the mock interviews indicated levels of studentscapability in interviews ranged

widely. However, no intervention work or further activities were offered if students had

interviewed poorly. Only about half of the schools offered debriefing sessions after the

placement and employers are not involved and no reference is made to speaking and listening

during this. Even when specific debriefing sessions did occur, no student was debriefedspecifically about speaking and listening skills, or related issues. In one school, work experience

takes place in the last week of the summer term. The coordinator stated that by the time they

return in Year 11 they had forgotten all about it so debriefing was tricky.

3. Teachers perceptions of young peoples speaking and listening skills

3.1

Initially, the work experience coordinators tended to refer to general communication or social

skills, rather than speaking and listening skills. In order to clarify our focus, we used a prompt

sheet (See Appendix 4).

3.2

Both the work experience coordinators and English teachers who were interviewed stated that

the speaking and listening skills of their students varied widely, with some being good and

others having real difficulty, both in lessons at school and while on work experience. They

identified lack of confidence as the main impact on speaking and listening. The following

comments were made:

They dont have the ability to push themselves forward.

They dont have the breadth of language to deal with people of all ages.

They are afraid of making a mistake.

Many of them are terrified when asked to phone their employer before the placement.

We often have to stand beside them and even dial the number they are shaking so much. The students tend to think that they are good communicators they are not!

We should be doing far more with the students building up listening skills is vital.


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3.3

Teachers at some schools identified confidence in speaking and listening as being more of a

problem for boys, while others felt it was more of a problem for girls. One teacher was keen to

stress that the problem was not confined to any one socio-economic group: We have bright,

middle class girls who have difficulty in speaking to adults, as well as those from disadvantaged

backgrounds. However, several others did feel that students from more disadvantagedbackgrounds found much greater difficulty with speaking and listening.

4. Current practice in developing and assessing students speaking and listening skills

4.1 Most of the teachers interviewed felt there were already many opportunities to develop young

peoples speaking and listening skills in school, although these opportunities were not always

taken advantage of and, even when they were, this was not made explicit to the students.

4.2

As we know, speaking and listening is one of the assessed aspects of GCSE English, so the

English teachers were familiar with the specific aspects of these skills as set out in the Key Stage4 Programmes of Study. These include ensuring that students should speak confidently and

effectively, including through:

having opportunities to use Standard English in a range of formal and informal contexts

giving speeches and making presentations to argue, inform and entertain, using language

for emotional appeal and impact, taking account of an audience and adjusting intonation,

tone of voice and pace of delivery for effect

participating in formal debates and structured discussions on topics of interest and

contested issues, organising points compellingly

4.3

Speaking and listening is assessed as part of GCSE English where it counts for 20% of the finalgrade. Students are prepared for three assessment tasks: one personal presentation, one role

play in pairs and one piece of group work. Students contribution in class discussions and

asking/answering questions over the two year GCSE course can also be taken into account.

Whilst English teachers acknowledged that students are speaking and listening in all subject

areas there were no examples of other subjects collaborating or contributing to the

development or assessment.

4.4 In none of the schools was work experience used as a topic for speaking and listening

development or assessment in GCSE English. However, some schools had used work experience

in the past as the stimulus for an assessed presentation and several teachers thought this might

be possible in their schools. The barriers to this happening are:

the timing of work experience and the practicalities of organising teacher assessment at the

same time;

the fact that a small number of Year 10 students do not take part in work experience;

those who have a disappointing time, through no fault of their own, would be

disadvantaged in their assessment; and,

in one teachers view listening to 30 presentations about work experience is deathly for

the students.

4.5 There was no evidence of employers being involved in supporting GCSE English.


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5. Opportunities to develop speaking and listening in work experience programmes

5.1

All of the teachers interviewed felt that there were excellent opportunities to develop speaking

and listening skills through work experience but that they were underutilised. They were keen

to make more of the existing opportunities as the real lifecontext could be motivating as it

would help students to see the relevance to their future lives.

5.2

In the activities and materials designed to brief students before they go out on placements it

would be possible to refer to the same speaking and listening skills that they are familiar with

from their English lessons. This could be included as part of the support and preparation for

making a telephone call to the employer or attending an interview, as well as in any role play

activities.

5.3 There are lots of opportunities for employers to provide a focus on speaking and listening skills

when they are deciding on workplace tasks for students to do.

5.4

Teachers could build in reflection on the development of speaking and listening skills to thedebriefing process.

6. Collaboration in schools to develop students speaking and listening skills

6.1

There were no examples of collaboration with other subject departments, though where form

tutors are involved in preparation for work experience they were from a range of curriculum

areas. However, there is no formal recognition of any specific subject skills that these tutors

might bring to the preparation, e.g. English, drama.

6.2

Most teachers felt it would be good to have some connection made between English lessonsand work experience. Some future opportunities for collaboration were identified:

6.2.1 One school had an unusual pastoral structure where a faculty took the pastoral lead for

a whole year group. In September 2013 the English and Modern Foreign Languages

(MFL) Faculty are responsible for Year 10, who will undertake work experience in

February 2014. This model provides an opportunity for the Head of Year (also the Head

of English and MFL), and all the English and drama teachers who will be Year 10 form

tutors, to be directly involved in work experience. Staff at this school said that they

would welcome the opportunity to work with this team to create shared speaking and

listening development activities for use by English, drama and work experience staff. As

the senior teacher leading on work experience is head of science and technology the

collaboration model could also reach into that faculty in time.

6.2.2

Many of the English teachers interviewed would welcome the opportunity to use work

experience topics as a focus for the assessment tasks for speaking and listening. They

mentioned that this could be particularly appropriate for either the presentation or the

role play assessment task. One teacher suggested that the reason she had not done this

before is because she would not have the expertise to set out the topic in the context of

what students might experience or be expected to do on their placement, and so would

need help in writing the content.

6.2.3 One English teacher identified that the AS/A Level English Language provided an ideal

opportunity to link to work experience as there was a need for students to do a study

on the use of language in particular setting or context. She felt that it would be

excellent to use language in the workplace for this study.


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6.2.4 Two schools had introduced a cross-curricular literacy strategy, which included oral

skills. However, there was no identified connection with work experience. Both Heads

of English did feel that it would be valuable to make such a connection.

6.2.5 In many schools English and drama teachers are form tutors to students in Years 10

12. Those schools expressed an interest having advice/support to draw more on theskills of these teachers in the development of speaking and listening in preparation for

work experience.

6.3 One barrier to this sort of collaboration is that neither work experience teachers nor English

teachers knew what sort of speaking and listening tasks students are required to do whilst on

work experience. We dont know what the students are asked to do that involves speaking and

listening. If we had some examples we could work on this.There is also a lack of

knowledge/understanding of each others needs between subject areas.

6.4 All of the English teachers we interviewed were very positive about using work experience as a

context for developing young peoples speaking and listening skills. However, they felt that

there could be resistance to getting involved from some teachers if they were not convinced of

the value of work experience or understand how it might contribute to their own curriculum

area.

6.5 Most teachers interviewed admitted that they did not really know what sort of speaking and

listening opportunities students had on their placements, what activities they had been given

which might involve these skills, or any difficulties/successes they may have had. One said: the

onus needs to be on the student to ask questions and seek activities on the placement that help

them.

6.6 In some cases work experience had not presented the opportunity to extend young peoples

speaking and listening at all. In particular, this was the case with students who had organised

their own placements and were working with family members or friends in very familiar

surroundings. Others had two or more students from the same school on the placement. Also,

some placements were for groups of students from a number of schools in vocational

departments of colleges, which seemed to the students to be very similar to what they were

used to in school. Some primary and nursery schools gave students on work experience a

separate room for breaks, rather than allow them to use the staff room. In almost all of these

cases opportunities for interaction with other staff members was limited.

Interviews with students

7. Students perceptions of speaking and listening on work experience

7.1 Many of the students said they had little difficulty in either speaking or listening relating to

work experience, which appeared to be at odds with the teachers and employers who reported

that in their experience there was a significant number who found speaking and listening

difficult. Employers also indicated that there were problems with some students and that this

was more of a problem at the beginning of the week, due to the fact that they were unfamiliar

with the setting and lacked confidence. A number of teachers and employers felt that some

students who did have problems tended not to recognise them. Few students could remember

any reference being made to how they should speak or listen whilst on work experience prior totheir placement.


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7.2 Many of those who had pre-placement interviews had no preparation for this but were simply

told that in order to make a good impression they should speak up, make eye-contact and

answer all the questions. Many of the students were encouraged to telephone their placement

beforehand. Several teachers commented that students found it difficult to make the telephone

call to an employer and in one school the teacher sits down next to each student to help them

in another the work experience coordinator is available in drop in sessions to go through theprocess with students.

7.3

Some students found themselves in speaking situations that they did not know how to handle.

These included:

a fifteen year old asked to tell parents of a small child that they needed to give more

support at home;

a Year 10 girl spoken to in an inappropriate way by a group of customers;

a girl who wasnt sure whether she should get involved in an informal conversation with

young workers in case I was marked down and they thought I wasnt professional;

students who sat in on meetings where the language was technical or sector specific so

they did not understand what was going on but felt they would really think I was stupid if I

asked.

7.4 When probed during the focus groups, some students did identify some problems with

speaking and listening with employers both before and during their placements. Confidence

was mentioned by a number as being a problem in relation to speaking to adults other than

teachers. Several said that they found it hard to start a conversation or to ask questions,

especially at the beginning of the placement. One boy said asking questions is easier when you

have a hands-on joband thought that students in other jobs might not have the same

opportunities.

7.5

Some of the young people talked about the difficultly in speaking to other employees ininformal situations, particularly at break times. They felt that they did not know how to start

the conversation, although some did say that this got easier as the week went on.

7.6 Some students stated that not all teachers liked students going on work experience. Some

subject teachers just get cross when you are going on itthey should be encouraging us to

speak to them about it before and after.

8. Opportunities to develop speaking and listening during work experience placements

8.1

Students reported a number of examples of speaking opportunities including:

carrying out transactions with customers (pharmacy, clothes retailers, sandwich shop,

dance studio, sportswear outlet, gym, garage, graphic design, vet, architect)

speaking and/or teaching young children and speaking to their parents (nursery/primary

schools)

speaking to older people (residential care home)

speaking on the phone to clients for information (events company, PR company, design

company, sports equipment retailer)

booking rooms by telephone and speaking informally to patients (local hospital);

interviewing new interns (House of Lords)

informal time spent with fellow workers (most placements)

asking for help or clarification on tasks being given (most placements).

8.2

Examples of listening opportunities given by students included:


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taking the minutes at a meeting (law company)

carrying out spoken instructions given by colleagues/trainers (Metropolitan Police, Under

16 Spurs Football Club, Army, garage, school)

attending meetings/debates (chemical engineering, school staff meetings, House of

Commons)

carrying out technical or scientific tasks where measurements and details are important

(pharmacy, chemical engineers)

listening to phone calls (events company, design company, sports retailer)

listening to children or older people (primary/nursery schools, residential care home)

Interviews with Employers

9. Current Work Experience Provision

9.1 Ten employers were interviewed from a range of different types of businesses, including:

manufacturer

car body workshop

hairdresser

restaurant

primary school

supply teacher agent

YMCA centre

work-based learning provider, specialising in engineering and science

two nursery schools

9.2 All offered a number of week-long placements to Year 10 students each year and some offered

additional placements to post 16 students and/or undergraduates. Some of the employers also

offered extended placements for one or two days per week. In previous years, most of them

offered their placements through the local careers service or EBP, although now most worked

with individual schools. This appears to be a trend which could be as a result of the fact that

there is no longer any funding for work experience which has led to a reduction in the number

of local providers.

9.3 Some employers reported that there was a tendency for gender stereotyping, with the majority

of students attending nursery and primary schools being girls and the car body shop only being

approached to take boys on placements.

10. Employers Perceptions of Students Speaking and Listening Skills

10.1 Employers on the whole spoke about communication rather than specifically about speaking

and listening and they felt that students had a wide range of ability in this respect. In some

cases, students were described as being like rabbits in headlights, or standing around a lot, in

a dream world, not participating, being nervous and quiet, self-conscious and say very little or

fooling around to cover up nervousness. Students with better developed speaking and

listening skills were described as interested, asking questions for clarification, understanding

instructions and getting on with the work. A key factor was felt to be the confidence of theyoung person, rather than other factors such as gender or background.


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10.2 However, some employers felt that there was a link between their ability to communicate and

their background and said that those who experienced difficulty did tend to come from

disadvantaged backgrounds and that students from affluent backgrounds tend to be the

articulate ones. Oneemployer mentioned a student who had extreme difficulty in speaking and

listening while with them. Part way through the week they found out that he had Aspergers

Syndrome and once they realised this, were able to put measures in place to provide structuredactivities to develop his speaking and listening. This was only possible since, as a supply teacher

agency, they had a member of staff with experience of working with young people with this sort

of disability. Some employers mentioned that it would be helpful if the school provided them

with information in advance about the students ability and any particular disabilities.

10.3 Some students who experienced difficulties with speaking and listening were able to overcome

them within the placement. Employers tended to refer to students becoming more confident

and familiar with the workplace and improving their ability to speak to employees as the week

progressed. Some of them felt that it would be more beneficial to have students on a one day a

week basis over a longer period of time, to enable them to improve their confidence.

10.4 Quite a few employers suggested that difficulties with speaking and listening were exacerbated

if the student was not happy with the placement: Some of them just dont want to be here,

which means they are not interested in talking to us. There were positive reports that schools,

in some cases, seemed to be making more effort to make sure the right students were placed

with them.

11. Employers Views of Opportunities to Develop Speaking and Listening on Work

Experience

11.1

The types of activity undertaken by students tended to be fairly practical and all employerstalked about a fairly wide range of tasks that they expect students to take part in. Some

placements offered more opportunity to undertake a range of technical tasks, while with others

students were only offered general tasks. In some cases there was a degree of negotiation

beforehand about the sort of things that students would do during the week, but on the whole,

the emphasis appeared to be on the employer to make the decisions about what students

would do.

11.2

Most of the employers we spoke to expected students to either telephone beforehand or visit

the placement in person. In some cases this visit included an interview and in others it was used

as an induction and opportunity to inform the student about the tasks they would be doing

during the placement. In a few cases it also included meeting a mentor or supervisor whowould be the young persons contact throughout the week.

11.3

All employers provided a full health and safety briefing which covered information about any

hazards the young person may encounter, procedures to be followed for fire or injury and

expectations on them with respect to their own responsibilities. In some cases this briefing also

included a code of conduct covering, for example, how to speak to children or young people in

the nursery, primary school and youth work setting, speaking face to face or on the telephone

with clients and customers, e.g. at the restaurant, hairdressers, supply agency and work-based

learning provider.

11.4

All of the above activities provided rich opportunities for focusing on and developing speakingand listening skills. A number of the employers also spoke about an emphasis on speaking and

listening when they are deciding on the programme of activities and tasks for young people to


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undertake. For example, the hairdresser said: In the salon there is a need to form relationships

with clients. Speaking and listening is the main way we form our relationships. However, some

young people on work experience think that because the atmosphere is friendly and chatty that

is all they are there to dochat to the clients. Our recent training session with trainees on

communication made us realise that there is a speaking and listening process that grows our

business: form a relationship

ask questions about what the client wants

identify options and solutions

evaluate their satisfaction

repeat this so they will come back.

Other placements had an emphasis on speaking and listening to various degrees. For example,

in the nurseries and primary school it is an essential part of what the students learn, especially

for those who are doing the placement as part of their vocational courses, where an

understanding of the use of language for different purposes is an important aspect. The

restaurant manager also felt that speaking is at the heart of young peoples development while

on placement with them. He helps them to build their confidence by talking over the menu with

customers and just saying hello. If they can do that, they can progress to having more

interaction with customers.

11.5 None of the employers had any involvement in the briefing or debriefing of young people for

work experience and this was felt to be a missed opportunity.

Analysis and scoping of next phase

12. Analysis of Teachers, Students and Employers Responses

12.1

Teachers, students and employers acknowledged the importance of developing speaking and

listening skills on work experience but it was felt that opportunities to do this were not

exploited fully.

12.2 Students generally thought that they did not need trainingbut did need guidance on what

kind of speaking and listening activities they might be asked to carry out and how to deal with

unusual situations.

12.3

There was no consistency in quality or quantity of the preparation for placements anddebriefing was acknowledged as poor in most of the schools. Little or no reference was made to

the development of speaking and listening on the placements and any references were lost in a

range of other skill descriptors such as communication skills, or employability skills. Speaking

and listening preparation activities never progress further than a pre- or post-placement

interview where feedback is general and there were no improvement interventions for

students who did not interview well.

12.4 Most teachers had little knowledge of what the students would be asked to do on their

placements, let alone when they will need to speak and listen with levels of confidence,

language ability and professional manners.

12.5

Employers had no involvement in school-based preparation or debriefing. They had little

understanding or experience of how students could be encouraged to develop speaking and


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listening skills. However, some teachers felt that to expect this would put most employers off

providing work experience.

12.6 Employers views on students ability to fulfil speaking and listening tasks were at odds with

students perceptions and they felt that a significant number of students had difficulty with

speaking and listening tasks while on their placements.

12.7

Teachers and employers felt there was a need for information, ideas and guidance on the range

of speaking and listening tasks students might carry out whilst on placements.

12.8 English teachers and work experience organisers would like guidance on how they might

collaborate to develop these skills pre- and post- work experience. In particular it would be

helpful if work experience co-ordinators had details of GCSE English speaking and listening skills

and methods of assessment.

12.9

All groups suggested ideas of materials that could help students, teachers and employers

before, during and after placements. Teachers in the majority of the schools, and a significantnumber of the employers, said they would be willing to contribute to development work on this

project. As there are time limitations for all groups, they would welcome all this information in

the form of templates, case studies, top tips, activity sheets and video clips which teachers

could use with students and employers.


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Scoping Support Activities and Materials

12.10

The research showed that teachers, employers and young people felt that there was a need for

materials and ideas for activities which would support the development of young peoples

speaking and listening skills. Below is a diagram showing what we would like to produce. In

order to do this, we would work with work experience coordinators and English teachers in six

schools. We would also work with three employers to develop the materials and ensure that

they would work well in the context of the placements.

Preparation

Guidance

Resources

Student

Teacher

Employer

policy background

preparing students

links to GCSE English

informing other teachers

debriefing students

case studies

suggested tasks, activities & opportunities

questions

case studies

ideas for activities

checklists

Log Book

support for for development

recording speaking & listening skills

Debriefing

linking to assessment in English

linking to employability


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13. Support Ideas from Teachers, Students and Employers

13.1

Teachers, students and employers provided some specific ideas of things that they felt would

be particularly useful to include in the support and guidance. These are listed below and when

developing the materials, we would consider the merits of each of their ideas, working with the

teachers and employers to develop those which we felt would be helpful to include.

Loose pages that can be inserted into work experience logs/diaries so that students can gather

evidence of speaking and listening tasks that they have undertaken and employers can verify

and/or comment.

Lists/ideas of work experience speaking and listening opportunitiesgeneral and sector

specific.

General and sector specific top tips, dos and donts (use of swearing, slang, formal and

informal language, confidentiality, inappropriate sector specific words, listening and clarifying

instructions in technical and scientific language).

Case studies of good practice in the development of speaking and listening whilst on work

experiencehow other schools have developed collaboration between English, drama and

work experience.

Sample GCSE English speaking and listening assessment tasks set in the workplace for

individuals, pairs and groups.

A copy of GCSE English speaking and listening assessment criteria with examples of how work

experience can contribute to the process.

PSHE style package with speaking and listening activities that can be delivered by form tutors in

a lesson setting, ideally visual and stimulating activities that can go on the whiteboard.

Guidance for teachers who visit students on work placements, to help them discuss their

speaking and listening skills.

Ideas and activities relevant to post 16 students, as increasingly it this age group which is the

focus for many school-organised programmes.

Short activities and self-assessment tools that focus on both speaking skills and listening skills in

the context of work experience.

Guidance for employers on how to ask questions and how to frame activities to maximise the

learning from the placement.


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Appendix 1

A total of 12 schools were visited and interviews undertaken with 12 work experience coordinators and

12 English teachers. Focus groups were carried out with 59 Year 11 and 14 Year 12 students.

Schools

St Marys Church of England VA High School, Cheshunt, Herts

Mixed 11-18

John Warner School, Hoddesdon, Herts

Mixed 11-18

Sir Frederic Osborn School, Welwyn Garden City, Herts

Mixed 11-18

Sandy Upper School, Sandy, Beds

Mixed 14-18

Beechen Cliff School, Bath

Boys 11-18 (mixed 6th

form)

Hayesfield Girls School, Bath

Girls 11-18 (mixed 6th

form)

Ralph Allen School, Bath

Mixed 11-18

Redland Green School, Bristol

Mixed 11-18

Heaton Manor School, Newcastle

Mixed 11-18

Walker Technology College, Newcastle

Mixed 11-18

Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy, GatesheadMixed 11-18

Cardinal Hume School, Gateshead

Mixed 11-18


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Appendix 2

12

employers were interviewed from the following businesses:

Rotork, Bath

Planet Pizza, Bristol

Rye Street Group (car body workshop), Broxbourne, Herts

Talents Hairdresser and Beauty Salon, Letchworth, Herts

Toy Box Nursery, Sandy, Beds

Vision for Education (teacher supply agency), Newcastle

Tyneview Primary school, Newcastle

Monkchester Nursery and Family Centre, Newcastle

YMCA, Newcastle

TDR Training (work-based learning provider), Gateshead


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Appendix 3

Interview schedules

Teachers interview template

Interviewees:

One teacher responsible or involved in work experience or work-related learning

One teacher responsible or involved in teaching GCSE English

Time: 30 minutes maximum

Areas of discussion

1

Work Experience Provision: What is your schools current work experience provision for Key

Stage 4 and/or Post 16? When does work experience take place? For how long? Who finds the

placements?

2 Speaking and Listening in English: What is your schools current provision for the development

of speaking and listening skills within GCSE English? What difficulties do young people have in

using and developing their speaking and listening skills in GCSE English? How is speaking and

listening assessed? Are other subjects such as drama involved in contributing to opportunities

for speaking and listening development and assessment? Are employers involved in any aspect

of the teaching of GCSE English?

3 Work Experience: How are your students prepared and briefed for work experience? How much

time is given to considering the skills of speaking and listening whilst on work experience? Do

some students find it more difficult to use/develop their speaking and listening skills on their

placement? Are employers involved in the preparation and/or debriefing process? If so, how

are they involved? Do any employers provide specific opportunities for students to develop

their speaking and listening skills during the work placement?

4 Collaboration: Are there examples of how the English department and work experience

programme collaborate? What opportunities are there? What barriers/difficulties are there?

(Timing of activities and assessments, lack of knowledge/understanding of each others needs)

5

Support: What support materials would be helpful/useful to both areas of learning? For

teachers? Students? Employers? Either just have this as a general discussion or use Pages 3

below as a prompt to identify speaking and listening skills and opportunities or Pages 4 and 5 to

discuss whether this is the kind of activity that could be used in collaboration and what other

support they might like to see.

If the response from teachers has been positive, find out, without making any commitment, whether

they would be interested in participating in further stages of the project.


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Employers Interview Schedule

Interviewees:

Employers involved in work experience involving 14-19 students.

Time: 15 minutes maximum

Areas of Discussion

1. Work experience

How many work placements do you offer each year (pre- and post-16)? How long have you

been involved in offering work placements? What types of placement do you offer (e.g.

block/sandwich, admin/technical)? What tasks and activities are students given? Is there an

induction programme? Do you (or the students supervisor) meet with the young person to

discuss their progress, either during or at the end of the placement? Do you get involved in any

preparation/follow up activities with the school before the placement?

2. Views about speaking and listening skills (use the What are speaking and listening skills?

document as a prompt sheet)

What are the strengths and weaknesses of young people you have on work placement? How

have you found their speaking skills during the placement(with you, with customers, on the

telephone, with other employees)? How have you found their listening skills? Are some

students better than others at speaking and listening?

3. Improving speaking and listening skills through work experience

In what ways could teachers and employers support the development of speaking and listening

skills on work experience programmes (before, during, after)? What tasks/activities couldemployers give students on work placement to develop their speaking and listening skills?

What support materials might help teachers, employers and students?

Student focus groups template

Focus groups should be made up of 5-6 students in years 11, 12 or 13 who have recently undertaken

work experience.

Time: 20 minutes

Areas of Discussion

1.

Information about work experience undertaken: (When did it take place? How long was it?

What sort of organisation did it take place in? What sort of things did you do?)

2. Opportunities for speaking and listening on work experience:

Speaking:

What opportunities were there to speak to a supervisor and/or other workers during your work

experience? How did you find talking to your supervisor or to other workers?

What sort of contact did you have with customers/clients/members of the public? How easy or

difficult did you find talking to them?


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Did you have to telephone the employer before your work experience? How did you find this?

Did you use the telephone as part of your work experience? What sort of things did you use

the telephone for? How did you find this?

Did you have any opportunities to speak to a group of peoplemaybe at a meeting or to makea presentation? How easy or difficult did you find speaking in this type of situation?

Listening:

Was there an induction programme at the start of your work experience? How easy or difficult

was it to take in all of the information during induction? Was there an opportunity to ask

questions? How easy or difficult did you find this?

To what extent did you have to take instructions from your supervisor or other workers during

work experience? Was it easy for you to understand what they wanted you to do? Did you

experience any problems with this?

If your work experience involved customers or members of the public, were there any problems

in understanding what they wanted from you?

If your work experience involved attending meetings with a number of other employees were

there any problems in understanding what the meeting and conversation within them were

about?

3.

Improving speaking and listening skills through work experience: Was there anything that you

could have done in school beforehand that would have helped you to develop your speakingand listening skills on work experience? Was there anything that employers could have done as

part of an induction programme to help you with speaking and listening? Were there any other

things that you could have done which would have helped you develop your speaking and

listening skills while you were on work experience?


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Appendix 4

What AreSpeaking and Listening Skills?

Some people might refer or include speaking and listening skills under the headings of social or

communication skills. Lets clarify what we mean by speaking and listening skills.

Skills for Life: Make it your business (DfES 2004) lists the top 10 speaking and listening skills needed in

most places of work.

1 Respond to questions from colleagues and customers.

2 Follow verbal instructions.

3 Ask questions.

4 Greet colleagues and customers appropriately.

5 Talk to colleagues and customers, using appropriate and polite language.

6 Take verbal messages and pass them on to colleagues.

7 Use technical language.

8 Give verbal instructions or other information.

9 Contribute to meetings.

10 Contribute to training sessions.

Are there others that you might want to add to this list?

What do good speakers and listeners do?

(Extract from Teaching Speaking and ListeningKey Skills Support Programme 2007)

Spoken communication involves a wide range of behaviours and skills.

The list below is not exhaustive! You might want to add more.

A good speaker

Is purposeful and clear

Uses appropriate vocabulary

Speaks with fluency

Is confident and credible

Is approachable and responsive

Uses body language well

Involves listeners Relates to the listener

Is respectful of others

Encourages trust

Shows empathy

A good listener

Is easy to talk to

Shows respect, focuses on the speaker

Makes supportive comments

Moves conversation along Knows when and how to interrupt

Concentrates and appears attentive


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Creates an atmosphere of trust

Picks out the main points

Improving Students Speaking and Listening on WEX Phase One Report

Documents

Transcript of Improving Students Speaking and Listening on WEX Phase One Report