It's Book Week Scotland!

Ever thought about reading something, but never quite got round to it?

Or do you love reading but would like to make more time for it?

Now's the time! It's Book Week Scotland and there's lots going on.

You could go to events at your local library - find out what's on here https://www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/libraries/events.aspx

You can also check out the Scottish Book Trust website here http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-scotland for lots of ideas and events, you can download their free book "Rebel" or even stream some book week events straight to your computer.

Go on - get the heating on and curl up with a book, what better way to pass a cold evening!

Do you?

New Computing Drop In times

Starting next week we are extending the availability of PC drop in times. 

The new times are:

Monday from 10 - 12

Tuesday from 2 - 4

Wednesday from 2 - 4

Thursday from 2 - 4

Friday from 10 - 12

You can come in to use the computers for anything (within our acceptable use policy) such as online shopping, checking your e-mails, applying for jobs or practicing what you have learned in your IT class, if you attend one.

The sessions are open to anyone.

There will be a tutor on hand at each of these sessions to help with the basics and to help you find out anything else you need to know.

There's no need to book, just pop along to the Adult Learning Room in the 

John Pollock Centre at one of the drop in times!

Get help with Universal Credit at Lochside Learning Centre

         

We have started a new drop in session at Lochside Learning Centre to give support with Universal Credit. This is on Monday mornings between 10am and 12 noon. We can help you learn how to  apply for benefits, log your job search activity and update your account.

You don’t need an appointment, just pop in and ask for Gail,  and we’ll see what we can do to help you!

 

ESOL Family Learning

ESOL Family Learning Summer Provision

Over the summer we had a summer ESOL family learning programme.  Families attended ESOL provision at Newton Primary school in Ayr and at the Walker Hall in Troon.  The sessions focused on topics such as sleeping patterns for children, places to visit in Ayrshire and healthy eating habits.  Parents and children used their language skills to learn all about each topic.  The topic on visiting local places, highlighted an interest in visiting Dumfries House.  Therefore, on the 1st of August we were all taken to Dumfries House and each family brought a picnic. As you can see in the image, we are all sharing our picnics!


By Ann Gentilomo

Adult Learner's Week Celebrations!

Adult Learning were the proud hosts of an evening to celebrate the achievements and commitment of our learners and tutors. From literacies pairings to IT groups, ESOL learners to job searchers, all were invited to join with us in celebrating their own and each others' progress.

We were delighted that some of our students and tutors had the confidence to stand up and talk about their experiences with Adult Learning at this event. 

Well done to all of our learners, we are proud of your achievements!

Are you ready for Adult Learners Week?

 

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Get involved and learn new skills

Adult Learners week is coming to South Ayrshire 19-25 May so get ready for a feast of learning activities.

This national campaign is a reminder that we are never too old to learn and South Ayrshire Council is hoping that even more adults take this opportunity to learn new skills.

From job searches and cookery courses to art classes and English language workshops, there's something for everyone. New parents will appreciate the PEEP parenting programmes which encourage parents and children to learn together and there are even infant massage courses.

Don't miss the Living Life to the full course in Girvan or the Job Match Group taking place at Lochside Community Centre in Ayr. There are also IT courses for beginners as well as tips and tricks on how to protect against scammers.

Councillor William Grant, Lifelong Learning Portfolio Holder for South Ayrshire Council said: "The Council wants to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to improve their lives through learning. These activities are an opportunity to learn new skills but they can also help with social isolation which can be an issue as we get older.

"I would encourage people to check the website and pick an activity that's right for them; it really could change their lives."

If you want more information about any of the learning activities or opportunities in your local area go to www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/adult-learners-weekExternal link  or email CLD@South-ayrshire.gov.ukExternal link  

You can also phone:

Girvan – Pauline Vause – 01465 716600

Maybole – Alison Wales – 01655 882105

Ayr – Jean Barclay – 01292 559389

Troon and Prestwick – Carol Pritchard - 01292 319357

Adult Literacy – 07907847870

Adult Learners' Week is on the way!

Adult Learners' Week 2018 will run between 19th and 25th May. Both Adult Learning and Community Learning and Development will be providing many varied learning opportunities throughout Adult Learners Week and beyond. More details to follow!

ESOL ACCREDITATION:  PARTNERSHIP PROJECT IN SOUTH AYRSHIRE 

‘I Can’t Write!’

Working with refugees and other learners with low levels of English is challenging for ESOL practitioners.  Many of these learners may have had little or no education in their first language.  Changing mind sets from ‘I can’t’ to ‘I can’ is something we are doing.  In partnership with Ayrshire College, we offer SQA accreditation at ‘ESOL:  Preparation for Literacies’ level. 

ESOL lecturer Orsyla Dunn from Ayrshire College and Susan Wilson, Adult Learning, presented a workshop at the recent Community Learning and Development Standards Council Conference in Dundee, to showcase this best practice model. 

The 4 Learning Outcomes for the Preparation for Literacy assessment are:

• ·        Understand basic classroom language in English
• ·        Identify and form basic numbers in English
• ·        Identify and form letters of the English alphabet
• ·        Identify and name the sounds and letters of the English alphabet. 

The audience was invited to evaluate the assessment and consider its effectiveness in measuring success.  

Receiving accreditation for their learning is highly motivating for ESOL literacy learners.  It is a move away from deficit centered thinking and can provide hope and opportunities for progression.  

The workshop will be presented nationally, at the NATECLA (National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults) Conference in Birmingham in July.

Susan Wilson

ESOL Chat Cafe

Our first ESOL Chat Cafe has opened!

On the 24th of March at Riverside Church Hall we served tea, coffee and cake to ESOL learners and local members of the community.

The Chat Cafe is open on Saturdays from 10am to 12pm.  Come along and enjoy meeting new friends.

Computing Learning Opportunities

At Adult Learning we provide a variety of Basic IT learning opportunities in various locations across South Ayrshire.

Our Ayr classes include:

Monday 9.30 - 10.30 Basic IT at Lochside Learning Centre

Tuesday 2 - 3.30 IT for Job Search (with literacies) at Lochside Learning Centre

For Lochside classes:

Give your name to Sammy or Gail or call 0800 3898 320

Monday 1.30 - 2.30 Basic IT at John Pollock Centre (Adult Learning Room)

Wednesday 10 - 11 Basic IT at John Pollock Centre (Adult Learning Room)

Friday 9.30 - 11 and 11.30 - 1pm Basic IT for speakers of other languages at JPC (ALR)

For John Pollock Centre classes:

Give your name to the Adult Learning Room reception or call 0800 3898 320

In Girvan we have:

Wednesday 11.45 - 12.45 Basic IT at Carrick Opportunities Centre, Girvan

Thursday 11.30 - 12.30 Basic IT at Carrick Opportunities Centre, Girvan

For Girvan classes:

Give your name to Carrick Opportunities reception or call 01465 716600

And in Maybole:

Tuesday 12 - 1 and 1 - 2 Basic IT at the CLD Room, Maybole Library

For Maybole classes:

Give your name to CLD reception in Maybole Library or call 01655 882105

Nailed it @ Newton

In January 2017, the Nail Bar project started in Newton Primary.  The aim of the project was to provide ten young mums, with children attending either Newton Nursery or Primary School, with an opportunity to develop new skills and gain a recognised qualification.  The course was delivered by a lecturer from Ayrshire College and  literacy support was provided by Lesley Shepherd from the Adult Leaning Team. Ten learners now have a SCQF Credit Level 4  Creative Nail Finishes to Hand & Foot.  Considering that some of these mums have experienced various barriers to education throughout their lives, and therefore have no previous qualifications, nor any experience of this subject area, this is a fantastic achievement. Not only that but six of the mums have applied to progress on to the next level of this course, or will be starting a  different college course in August.  It was undoubtedly this opportunity and the positive learning experience of participating in this project which fuelled their desire to continue their learning.

At the beginning I banned the phrase “ I can’t do this” and encouraged them to think “ how am I going to do this”.  They were a great group of learners to work with throughout and ‘gelled’ as a group very quickly. When asked for their comments on how this experience had been for them, they stated that:

“I discovered that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve it”

“ (I) gained more confidence working with others”

“...the other students.  We kept each other going and we’ve been a great group”

And when asked what they were going to do now, they replied:

“I want to learn more. Take this further”

“ I want to go to college”

“ I want to keep building on my skills”

Lesley Shepherd

Another successful learner!

English as my third Language.


I am a 37year old Latvian lady who wanted help with writing and reading English.

I walked into the John Pollock Centre and requested an appointment. I was introduced to Ann who was able to arrange for me tutor.
A plan of my learning was discussed and a day for me to see my tutor. I have been working now for 5 months and I feel that my spoken and written English has greatly improved.

Conclusion

“I am now very much more confident and I am able to converse with people from many different walks of life.
This has also helped my family.”

Another Adult Learning success!

The team at Adult Learning don't just support single learners, we can provide group support too.

The recent Let’s Get Started course at Lochside Learning Centre was delivered in collaboration between Scott from CLD and Gail from Adult Learning. It was predicted that students attending this group may be in need of literacy support, however the approach in the group was initially one of co-delivery, with our different roles emerging later as the participants got to know us.

One learner requested scribing help early on, though this was mainly due to lack of confidence, so the learner was helped and encouraged to write on her own at various times within the course.

Although other learners didn’t require literacy support in order to complete this course, five of the seven participants did request separate literacy support in a range of subjects including reading, writing, numeracy and IT.

The collaborative approach trialled with this group allowed the literacy team to become known to another group of potential learners, building a rapport with them and developing the links between Adult Learning and CLD at Lochside.

If you would like to know more about future plans for Adult Learning groups or Community Learning at Lochside, call us on 0800 3898 320.