Engaging Young P eople

1. Engaging Young People

2. Aims and Objectives • Learner Retention • Engaging Learners • Sustaining learners’ involvements • Facilitating learners’ development and achievement • Why Traineeships?

3. Learner Retention

4. The Learning Environment(1 of 2) • Young adults are far more confident exploring learning, and their futures, in spaces where they feel relaxed and in control. • Schools and colleges can appear threatening or child-directed, but community centres can be just as threatening if the learning is too formal.

5. The Learning Environment (2 of 2) • Similarly, young adults feel more confident in their surroundings when they have a sense of ownership of the environment, for example helping with layout or creating a chill out area. • This signals a departure from the more formal education system.

6. Explore multi-agency working • Young adults on the margins of society are often involved with several agencies, each working with them in different areas of their lives. • Forging strong links between agencies can lead to earlier and more reliable identification of need(s), and a stronger support network for the young adult.

7. Recognise young adults’ life situation • Many young adults fall out of formal education because its arrangements do not take sufficient account of the demands and responsibilities they face in their lives. For example: young parents young carers financial problems homelessness

8. Engaging learners

9. Acceptance • Forming trusting relationships with young adults is essential in order to sustain their longer-term engagement. • This means accepting the learners’ communication style and language that they see as central to their identity.

10. Young Person’s Jargon Buster • Init Bait • Spitting bars What you sayin bro/sis • Feds Blessed • Grime Solid • Bless Sick • Safe • Sound Activity 1

11. Young Person’s Jargon Buster - answers • Init Yes or agree • Bait Obvious • Spitting bars Rapping free style • What you sayinbro/sis What are you doing • Feds Police • Blessed Goodbye • Grime Music genre • Solid Hard/difficult • Bless Goodbye/see you • Sick Cool/Clever • Safe Hello/Hiya • Sound Good

12. Consider the use of initialassessment • Practitioners use initial assessment in highly individual ways. • Informal approaches can often be more effective in painting a picture of the learner as a basis for diagnosis by the practitioner, and less threatening for learners than a ‘test’ or ‘assessment’. Activity 2

13. Design structured action plansand learning programmes • Initial and diagnostic assessments can be used to create structured learning plans and programmes, negotiated with the learner. • They also help to encourage learners to keep appointments, instilling good habits of reliability, punctuality and consistency early on.

14. Make learning relevant and ‘useful’ • It is important to demonstrate that the session or programme is relevant to learners’ lives at that time. • Learning which appears to young adults to be irrelevant is often felt to be ‘boring’, and results in swift loss of interest.

15. Functional Skills and Life Relevance(based on the hospitality industry) http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/food-drink-and-hotels

16. Build on learners’ interests • Most young adults tend to have different interests, some of which they are passionate about, for example sport or music. • Basing learning activities and programmes on these interests are effective in creating interest and enthusiasm, whilst allowing the group to share and respect each other; thereby reinforcing equality and diversity.

17. Offer ‘tangible’ and quick rewards • Young adults respond well to rewards and prizes, but it is important to know which kinds appeal to which learners. Some groups may respond to certificates, others to computer games. • The key is to make rewards swift, attainable and tangible.

18. Create a ComfortableEnvironment • It is crucial to create a friendly and supportive environment. • High quality relationships are central. • The following are all seen as important indicators of care and nurture: Making tea and coffee available. Making snacks or eating them. Being able to smoke in designated areas.

19. Developing the Correct Approach • Young adults need to feel that they can relate to tutors or leaders, and for most young adult learners, this means ‘not being like teachers’. • Tutors working with young adults need to be approachable and friendly, aware of the types of issues they may be facing and non-judgmental in their advice and support.

20. Using New Technology • Young learners are comfortable using technology, so keep up to date with new developments. The JISC RSCs are a good resource see http://moodle.rsc-em.ac.uk/course/index.php?categoryid=5 • Games Based learning exercise http://www.daces.org.uk/course/view.php?id=625 • QR Code treasure hunt http://www.classtools.net/QR/42-gkYQW

21. Scenarios Activity 3

22. Scenario 1 Male, aged 18 years old Homeless, legal high drug user Sporadic attendance Disruptive in class at times Falling behind in work targets Articulate and personable

23. Scenario 2 Male aged 18 years old Excellent attendance Has attended numerous providers since school Struggles to concentrate / retention of subject Eager to find employment Maths and English levels not improving

24. Scenario 3 Female aged 16 years old Family relationship problems Quiet in class Good attendance Achieving targets and outcomes

25. Sustaining learners’ Involvement

26. Explore Groups • Learners to explore what makes a successful learning environment. • Work out any sensitivities of group. • Deal with any territorial issues. • Address any concerns highlighted about any prior associations.

27. Develop Good QualityRelationships • Developing good quality relationships based on respect is key to sustaining engagement with young adult learners. • Some can fall back into the ‘child’ or ‘pupil’ role by default, so it is important to break the pattern of unhelpful and authoritarian child/adult relationships in which they may have been trapped. • Mutual respect should be based on shared responsibility and negotiation about boundaries and ground rules. Activity 4

28. Allow Learners to Develop atOwn Pace Young adult learners are likely to arrive at learning programmes with a wide range of abilities, aims and aspirations. Encouraging ownership of the learning programme and allowing learners to lead the learning can again promote motivation and confidence in the learners’ abilities.

29. Encourage ‘Reverse’ Teaching Young adults respond to practitioner interest in their experiences, pastimes and skills, particularly where they are encouraged to ‘teach’ practitioners. Situations where practitioners and learners can learn together are also effective at developing relationships, building trust and breaking down barriers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5zu8hBZlE Activity 5

30. Facilitate Team Meetings • Encourage ‘team meetings’ with learners to negotiate boundaries of mutually acceptable behaviour and explore and record feelings and issues. • This also promotes confidence in working as a group.

31. Facilitating learners’ development and achievements

32. Gear programme towardsintended outcome • Programmes should be planned to achieve the anticipated outcomes. • For example, if progression into an apprenticeship is the intended outcome, strong links should be built with the local providers/businesses from the outset. • Learners are more likely to respond positively to expectations when they are specified from the start. For example, introducing accreditation at the end of an otherwise informal or relaxed learning programme can result in learners refusing to engage with it.

33. Tailor Learning • When contact with learners has been sustained, and relationships built, it is easier to tailor learning programmes and activities to individual needs. • Young adult learners respond best to 1:1 approaches, where their aims and interests are prioritised and incorporated into their own learning. Practitioners have most success where they treat learners as individuals and move away from whole group teaching styles and approaches.

34. Consider and assess learning styles • Learning style questionnaires can be very effective in developing learning programmes for young adults. • It is important to recognise that the preferred learning style for many young adults is likely to be kinaesthetic. Activity 6

35. Approach English, maths andemployability skills positively (1 of 2) • If a tutor dislikes or is negative about English language and maths, young adult learners will be too. • Treating English language and particularly maths as something to be endured alongside the more attractive elements of the learning programme is a common but negative approach.

36. Approach English language andmaths positively ( 2 of 2) • Practitioners can sometimes wrongly assume that ‘confiding’ in learners that they too hated maths at school or found English boring will develop greater trust or respect.

37. Embed, but don’tdisguise or deceive • Young adult learners respond more positively to English, language and maths when they are embedded in a subject of interest. • This approach is most effective when the English, language and maths elements can be drawn out of sessions, highlighting achievements made.

38. Recognise Achievement • Young adults’ achievements and progression in learning can often be rewarded by involving them in the planning and evaluation of their projects and programmes. • This develops a sense of ownership and applies learning to activities. Where appropriate, young adults may also respond to certificates that recognise attendance, team working, supporting others or completing the programme.

39. Traineeships What is a Traineeship? • A Traineeship is an education and training programme with work experience that is focused on giving young people the skills and experience that employers are looking for. • Traineeships are an initial stepping stone to future success for young people, businesses and the wider economy.

40. What’s involved? Traineeships can last up to six months and include: • Work preparation training. • English and maths support - if required. • A work experience placement of six weeks to five months with an employer.

41. Who are Traineeships for? • 16 -24 year olds. • Young adults that have been identified as NEET (Not in education, employment or training). • Young adults who don’t have the experience, confidence or relevant English and maths qualifications needed for employment or undertaking an apprenticeship.

42. What are the benefits of offering Traineeships? • Traineeships have been developed in response to research showing that young people frequently lack the knowledge and experience employers require in the workplace. • A traineeship offers the chance to develop existing skills, experience new skills, improve English and maths skills and strengthen the chance of getting an apprenticeship or employment.

43. Your role as a Functional Skills Tutor • Ensure trainees develop English and maths skills. • Develop your teaching style to accommodate young learners. • Embed English and maths into vocational areas. • Provide a high quality learning experience. • Develop work ready skills.

44. Developed by Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service as part of the Traineeship Staff Support Programme.Commissioned and funded by The Education and Training Foundation