National Teaching and Learning
Change Programme
Improving teaching and learning in Adult Learning

Residents of a certain village were tired of complaining to the council about the state of their streets, which were full of potholes and not scheduled for resurfacing for another eight years. A group meeting at the local community centre decided to do something about this. They learned how to use digital camcorders and then filmed the worst streets. They used digital sound recorders to interview some of the residents about the problems associated with living on such streets, and added a sound track to the film. At last they got their chance to send a deputation to a council committee meeting. The councillors were shocked by the group's audio-visual presentation. They instructed officers to develop a street improvement plan for their approval.

In a Spanish language and culture class, most learners were interested in visiting Spain itself, but Kim and Brian were interested in doing a motorbike trip along the Andes. Their tutor encouraged them to use the Internet to learn about the culture and history of the countries they would be passing through, while other learners focused on the Iberian Peninsula.

Immanuel was having a hard time coming to terms with the experience of being a refugee. The volunteer tutor who worked with him encouraged him to start a weblog. He wrote passionately and frequently about how he missed his children, the beauty of his country and the difficulty of life in the U.K. Gradually, he began to see that he could offer advice to other people in a similar situation, advice about how to cope, and the content of his writing changed. Now he's thinking of training to become a volunteer himself.