21st Century Skills in English Academic Year AM

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Future Learning offers a range of innovative adult courses for the 21st-century learner which focuses on the development of their language skills through communication, collaboration, creative problem solving and digital skills. Courses take place at the Future Learning campuses in Dublin or Athlone. It is an opportunity for participants to experience Future Learning’s high-quality teaching which promises to foster development and progression as well as discovering Ireland, which has been famous as a centre of learning since it sent monks to bring the written word and the Christian religion to pagan parts of Britain and northern Europe.

Project-Based
This means that in our classes learners will work over several days individually or in groups to explore a topic and create a digital product (a blog, website, video or animation) that describes their experience understanding, opinion and/or interpretation of the topic. These projects set the students the challenge of working to discover what their topic is about, plan how they will show it, solve any technical problems and produce something that they are proud to publish. Technology is a tool in these projects, but it is in describing their plans and the process of realising them that their language skills are developed. The group projects mean they work in collaboration with others from different places and different cultures meet the challenges they are set and solve the problems they encounter. The skills that they develop in the course of doing the group project is the key outcome that we recognise along with technology and communication skills.

Technology Enhanced
This means that we only use technology when it can help to improve learning outcomes; to engage, inform and motivate learners, as well as to provide them with an authentic context for language practice. We see technology as an essential element of modern communication skills which are our main focus. We do not teach programming or coding, we are simply recognising in our courses that technology is now an inescapable element of our learners’ lives, which is why we ask them to bring their own devices to use in our classes. Having learned how to use them for an educational purpose they can take those skills home with them, so that it is not just something they did in class. We are also conscious that incorrect use of technology can get in the way of communication, which is why devices need to be put away at times or shared to ensure learners work effectively together.

Content Integrated
Content integration in language learning, usually known as CLIL, is the idea that learners benefit by being exposed to the language across different subject areas, making their lessons much more than an English class. We also link these afternoon activities to the morning classes wherever possible so that learners are helped to describe and understand what they see in the city around them. We recognise that our adult students come with a background of previous studies and professional experience and we aim to give them a chance to communicate that through English and to be the expert in something in the class apart from the language itself.

21st Century Skills in English
The following is an outline of the 21st Century Skills in English courses that Future Learning runs at both Dublin city and Athlone campuses available to all international students. We believe that all learners choose to study English for a purpose and our courses are designed with a sense of that purpose; personal, social, professional and academic. We also emphasise the importance of learner autonomy, and our courses invite the learner to take responsibility for their progress, help them to develop their learning skills and the ability to develop themselves. Our adult course is divided into three main stages according to the English language level. At each stage, the exit criteria are those specified in the relevant Integrated Skills Exam (ISE) set by Trinity College London.

Stage 1: Life Skills Through English
Levels A2 to B1
The initial stage of our course is designed to help people to make a life in Ireland through English and deal successfully with all the situations that will arise at home, socially and work if taking a part-time job. It aims to help develop communication skills that consider the cultural as well as the linguistic challenges to successful communication in English.

Stage 2: English for Professional Communication
Levels B1 to B2
The second stage is designed for professionals who are interested in developing their spoken and written communication skills in an international and technology-enhanced environment. The aim is to equip participants to communicate effectively in English in order to be able to progress professionally. Living as a global citizen many opportunities can arise in international technology companies who employ multinational teams to service global markets in the first language. The language of coordination and management in these companies is majority English. However, in order to progress in your career, you need to be able to present yourself well and communicate effectively in that language. Effective communication is about more than just the language, it is about engagement with the culture of the company in an appropriate way.

Stage 3: Foundation for Study through English
Levels B2 to C1
The third stage is designed to equip people to make a success of studying in an English speaking country. The aim is to equip participants to communicate effectively in English in order to be able to progress academically. Effective communication is about more than just the language, it is about engaging with the educational culture in an appropriate way. It aims to help develop communication skills that consider the cultural as well as the linguistic challenges to successfully studying in an English-speaking institution.