Tallaght ARP Programme Overview
Tallaght Adult Education Service has been a consistent provider of ESOL training for Refugee and Asylum Seekers since the 1990s. Ourexperience in this area has meant that being offered an ARP group in Sept. 10 has greatly enhanced our capacity to deliver effective and relevant programmes to this vulnerable group. Our current group includes Rohingyan (Burmese), Congolese, Somali, Kurdish, Iraqui, Kuwaiti and Cechyan.
Our classes aim to create a sense of community within the classroom establishing trust, respect and friendship, which will be conducive to promoting learning and socialisation skills. The methodology is purposely varied to take into account the variety of levels and cultural learning styles of participants. Lingua Franca, Collaborative Writing and Reading, and Discovery methods are combined with a Literacy and Communicative Approach to assist participants to cope with daily life in Ireland.
Participants are encouraged to share previous learning experiences, formal and informal, as well as information about their cultures and languages to promote intercultural learning between participants and tutors. This approach also affords an opportunity to acknowledge the students’ lifelong learning and to welcome contributions at all levels. FETAC Language levels 3 and 4 are introduced and tied into Functional English (asking for directions, phoning a landlord, etc.) and Socialisation Skills (asking for help, repetition, interrupting, etc). Apart from gaining a qualification, FETAC offers a concrete goal for students and helps to maintain motivation. In summer months, IELTS-type learning/training is offered to students who expect to embark on PLC courses.
Trips to the library, museums, Dublin Castle, the Chester Beatty Library, a summer trip to Howth and local educational establishments also form part of the course to expose students to wider learning about Irish life and culture and help them to form a realistic image of life outside their classroom and homes.
Students are given assistance from tutors and the guidance service in planning their future learning goals, to help them enter the workplace, or to undertake further study (PLC courses). Goals are negotiated with each learner and constantly reviewed as learners gain greater confidence and review previous learning goalposts.