ESOL PATHFINDER PROJECT

Language and Cultural

Awareness Training

Session Plan

Produced by
Liverpool Community College
Part 1

Aims
 To raise awareness of the issues affecting refugees and asylum
seekers in the UK
 To dispel some of the myths relating to refugees and asylum seekers
 To raise awareness of the needs of clients who are asylum seekers or
refugees
 To provide participants with factual information

Part 2

Aims
 To raise awareness of the issues involved in communicating with
individuals whose first language is not English
 To introduce some techniques for checking you understand someone
whose first language you don’t speak
 To reflect on the experience of cross-linguistic / cross-cultural
communication
 To consider the impact of ineffective communication on the client

Compiled by Christina Griffiths – revised by MKR/JL

[with acknowledgements to Refugee & Asylum Seekers Support Materials and National
ESOL Project]
TRAINING PLAN [Part One = 1hr 30]
time & participant activity trainer activity rationale
materials
 Raise issues they would like to have  Ask what issues they would like  To ensure that people
Flip chart addressed in the session the session to address feel their needs will be
 List the issues for later reference met during the session
5 mins  State the aims of the session and or through follow-up
say how other issues raised will information
be addressed  Raise interest in the
session

5 mins  Say what contact they have or have
had with refugees/asylum seekers
flipchart  Identify the main issues these clients
present to staff and how these have
been dealt with
 Ask what contact everyone has
socially/through work with asylum
seekers
 Get groups to share good practice
and list main issues in common
 To establish in more
detail the extent of their
awareness, experience,
knowledge of the issues
 To share good practice
 To identify problems
 To give information on
linguistic and cultural
norms and expectations
of non-native and first
language speakers

Quiz
(h/out 1)  Complete the quiz individually or in  Set up the task  For individuals to
groups (or can be put on tables for identify gaps in their
5 mins people to work on as they arrive) knowledge and perhaps
challenge own
assumptions
 time & participant activity trainer activity rationale
materials
Powerpoint  Discuss the FAQs and use  Present and discuss key FAQs  To respond to issues
OHTs on FAQs information to review quiz answers which should correspond to raised at the start of
10 mins as relevant issues raised at the start of the the session
session  Give people a chance
Quiz answers  Raise any queries re information  Provide feedback on to
and info for outstanding quiz questions, question/discuss/clarify
trainer expanding info where  Provide factual
appropriate information which may
FAQs (h/out 2)  Give the summary of FAQs as a be used in the final
handout for information activity

Handout (3)  Brainstorm in groups to identify the  Set up the activity and monitor  Focus on the clients
10 minutes plus differences in needs of asylum to identify points for follow up and identify issues they
feedback seekers and other second language and to check timing have to face
speakers  Organise plenary discussion
Handout (4)  Feedback in plenary session  Give out handout 4
WB/Flip chart  Collate ideas on cultural variables  To enable participants
 Encourage group to contribute
to range of cultural variables to explore and share
info on ‘cultural
variables’
(List for trainer  Compare English  To extend basic
 Elicit and extend knowledge of
use norms/customs/behaviour with knowledge on cultural
differences in e.g. body
Examples for known norms/customs from other behavioural differences
language, personal space need,
trainer use cultures eye contact and cultural
20 mins)
differences e.g.
queues/appointment times etc.
(lots of info  Consider range of assumptions held  To ensure that
available on e.g. gender issues/body language  Facilitate discussion on cultural participants understand
Internet) assumptions – stereotyping - that misinterpretations
judgement may lead to discomfort
(and each party
misjudging the others
motives and attitudes)
– breakdown in real
communication

Handouts -  Raise queries re any further local  To provide practical

contacts sheet needs/info  Give out ‘Contacts’ sheet useful information for
(local + national  Identify needs for further referral purposes
info from information to be circulated as
Refugee/Asylum follow up from the session
Seeker support  Signpost useful web-sites and
materials) literature

BREAK BREAK BREAK

BREAK

PART 2 PART 2 PART 2

 PART 2
time & participant activity trainer activity rationale
materials
Role cards  One volunteer role plays interview  Identify volunteer who does not  To observe poor
basic form in situation as cued. Other participants speak target language practice in initial
target language observe and complete feedback (German) interview situation
sheet  Set up role play  To enable volunteer to
share feelings of
discomfort

5 mins video +  Watch video and work through  To observe good

5 mins observation tasks  Set up the video task practice and identify
observation  Volunteer returns to role play. Other  Trainer returns to role play using strengths of a good
discussion 10 participants observe and note good practice communicator
mins changes  Manage feedback from the  To give participants a
interview video  Discuss the interview as a group observation task useful checklist for
+ handout  Ask for clarification on any issues  Summarise useful techniques future reference /
‘facilitating raised so far for checking comprehension. record of useful
cross-lingual Give out handout. techniques
communication’

Flip chart  Brainstorm factors which might  To encourage

10mins participants to identify
influence ‘performance’ at initial  Set up activity
interview  Elicit and record contributions barriers to
and facilitate discussion communication for
customers
5+5-10 mins 
 Attempt to fill in forms in a non- To attempt to convey
3 foreign some of the feelings
familiar language with a range of  Set up the form filling task and
language forms (powerlessness,
difficulty – using Roman + non- then organise feedback
(Welsh, Farsi, frustration etc) which
Roman scripts
Spanish) clients may experience
 Feedback on how it felt
 Expand to refer to clients’ in such situations
 experience at JCP
5-10 mins  Discuss the impact of ineffective  Summarise the session,  Focus again on the
flip chart from communication on the client and focusing on the client client
start of session how this can best be avoided  Identify whether there’s a need  Re-cap on main points
for any follow-up from session of session – refer back
to expectations
Evaluation form  Complete evaluation form  Encourage participants to give
honest evaluation and to identify  To give participants
future/further needs opportunity to express
further training needs
and views on
effectiveness of
session