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Improving Students
Speaking and Listening Skills
Through Work Experience
Research Report
Sue Barr
Gary ForrestGloria Sayer
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Introduction
1. Research project aims
1.1
This research project forms the first part of a project to identify how work experience can be
used to improve the speaking and listening skills of young people aged 14 to 19 from
disadvantaged communities. The outcomes of the research will clarify the needs of this group
of young people and pinpoint opportunities to put in place support for them to develop
speaking and listening skills. It will also recommend and outline some activities and materials to
be developed.
1.2
Employers value speaking and listening skills in their employees. In the report Time Well
Spent1, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) identified communication and literacy as one
of the seven key features of employability. The report specifically defines it as the application
of literacy, ability to produce clear, structured written work, and oral literacy including listeningand questioning. Our research used as a focus speaking and listening as defined in Teaching
Speaking and Listening, Key Skills Support Programme, 20072. This includes a wide range of
behaviours and skills which include:
A good speaker
is purposeful and clear
uses appropriate vocabulary
speaks with fluency
is confident and credible
is approachable and responsive
uses body language well
involves listeners
relates to the listener
is respectful of others
encourages trust
shows empathy
A good listener
is easy to talk to
shows respect and focuses on the speaker
makes supportive comments
moves conversation along
knows when and how to interrupt
concentrates and appears attentive
creates an atmosphere of trust
picks out the main points
reflects back and paraphrases
understands feelings
remembers
1Time Well Spent: embedding employability in work experience, CBI 2007
2Teaching Speaking and Listening: a toolkit for practitioners, DfES, 2007
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1.3 Field work was undertaken in twelve schools in three areas of England, including Tyneside,
Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire and Bristol and Bath (Appendix 1). Interviews were carried out
with 24 work experience coordinators and English teachers in these schools. Focus groups were
held with 59 Year 11 and 14 Year 12 students. In addition, ten employers were interviewed
(Appendix 2). Outlines of the interview schedules for each of these groups are in Appendix 3.
1.4 Desk research to supplement this information included contacting 210 schools and Education
Business Partnerships (EBPs) by email. 22 schools and three EBPs responded to this. We also
researched a wide range of publications, guidance documents and research reports relating to
both work experience and speaking and listening skills. We also posted on a number of LinkedIn
groups questions about work experience provision and development of young peoples
speaking and listening skills.
1.5 The purpose of the interviews, focus groups and desk research was to enable the team to make
recommendations of activities and materials, which could be used by schools and employers
before students go out on work experience, during the placements and as part of the debriefing
process back in school.
Interviews with teachers
2. Current work experience provision
2.1
Only half of the schools visited still have the whole of Year 10 undertaking one weeks work
experience. The placements take place in February in one school, March in one, June in one,
July in two and September in one. The schools now expect the majority of students to find their
own placements because funding is no longer provided to cover the high cost of using a
placement provider. Students who are unable to find their own are allocated placements either
from the schools own database of contracts or the work experience coordinator uses the local
Education Business Partnership (EBP) or careers service to top these up. Only three schools still
pay for the EBP or the local careers service to provide a substantial number of placements. Two
of these reported that they found the range of types of placement disappointing with a high
proportion of primary schools and care homes in the current offer. This had led to the more
proactive students setting up their own in order to get something which they perceived as more
interesting and/or appropriate to their aspirations. This practice does however, disadvantage
young people without the networks of family and friends working in sectors which are more
appealing to them. It also means that there is far less chance that work experience is able to
challenge stereotypes and broaden students career horizons.
2.2 In the main, the external providers carried out the health and safety checks, although at least
one school paid to train one of their non-teaching staff do this. This was not found to be cost-
effective in the long run, so the school reverted to having the checks done by the careers
service.
2.3 Four schools recently reduced their Year 10 provision and only offered them to students who
need work experience for their vocational courses or to clarify their career aspirations. In one of
the schools, around 20% of the cohort took a vocational course and work experience was part
of that programme.
2.4
One school did not offer work experience for Year 10 students at all and in another, Year 10
work experience took place on an optional basis and students organised their own placements
to go out outside of term time. This was the first year this model had been tried, so it was not
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clear what the impact will be in terms of which groups of students would continue to undertake
a placement. Both of these schools had work experience for all Year 10 students in previous
years.
2.5 Most of the schools visited offered Year 12 students the opportunity to do placements or
internships. Some schools offered vocational courses to their post-16 students and workexperience was generally seen as a very important part of these as it provided students with an
opportunity to apply and extend their knowledge and skills in a real work setting. In one school,
students had work experience for half a day a week, as part of a level 2 BTEC course and in
another, the Year 12 BTEC students undertook two week-long placements, carrying out tasks to
complete their coursework. One school which had retained full work experience provision for
Year 10 also had a second opportunity, for everyone in Year 12. Two of the schools only
arranged placements for those post 16 students who could make a case for it and in one school
work experience was offered as part of the programme for those students who dropped one of
their AS courses.
2.6
Most schools provided each student with an information pack and diary to be completed.Though communication skills are often referenced, there was no evidence of direct reference
to speaking and listening skills, as defined in GCSE English. The only indirect references made to
speaking and listening in these diaries were: An employer expects you to listen and follow
instructions; and examples of what students might want to get out of work experience
included: try out your skills and develop new skills. The employer review pages listed ability
to follow instructions andcommunication.
2.7 Speaking and listening skills were highlighted in pre-placement briefings in some of the schools,
though this was not done with a specific reference to the GCSE criteria. Even where this did
take place, reference was more commonly made to communication in a generic way and was
linked to students employability development.
2.8 Activities undertaken to prepare for work experience varied in the schools. In one school all
students attend a WEXability Day held in the week before the placement. They take part in
three activities:
health and safety;
first impressions role play; and,
an interview with an employer volunteer.
Reference is made in these activities to personal skills but speaking and listening are not
specifically identified. Another school provided a similar day for Year 10 and Year 12 with the
emphasis being on CV writing and a mock interview. Employers were involved in these twoschools but these employer volunteers were rarely from the companies offering the work
experience.
2.9 Several schools used Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) lessons in the term before
the placements. In most schools, these lessons were taught by form tutors and covered all
aspects of preparation for work experience. Three of the schools began preparation for work
experience with a whole year group assembly, either at the end of Year 9 or beginning of Year
10 but this approach was uncommon.
2.10 The degree of expectation on students to make contact with their employer before the
placement, either in person or by telephone, varied from school to school. Some insisted on itand others did not seem to encourage it to any extent. The expectations of employers also
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varied widely. Some interviewed the students quite extensively during a pre-placement
telephone call, while for others it was just to confirm time of arrival.
2.11 A small number of placement providers insisted on interviews before work experience (the
Police and the Army). Mock interviews were used in some schools to support work experience
preparation, or as part of the follow up. However, the employers carrying out the interviewswere generally not the ones the students would meet on their placements. In one of the
schools, students going on work experience were interviewed by a senior teacher and were
asked to explain why a placement would help them achieve their aspirations.
2.12 A small number of schools offered mock interviews to all Year 10 students before or shortly
after placements, as part of a general preparation for the world of work as well as for work
experience. In another all Year 11 students went through the application and interview process
with employers, using what they learnt on work experience to inform this process.
2.13
The north east schools all use a common work experience diary produced by the local careers
service provider and this makes reference to the need to telephone the placement beforehandand gives some hints about this. The only tip which is specifically about speaking and listening,
however, is that ringing an employer is different to calling your mates. A number of students
said that they were very nervous about ringing: one said that it was difficult to do when you
havent met someone before and one put it off until the last minute.
2.14
All schools acknowledged that briefing and debriefing of work experience was poor. Employers
feedback from the mock interviews indicated levels of studentscapability in interviews ranged
widely. However, no intervention work or further activities were offered if students had
interviewed poorly. Only about half of the schools offered debriefing sessions after the
placement and employers are not involved and no reference is made to speaking and listening
during this. Even when specific debriefing sessions did occur, no student was debriefedspecifically about speaking and listening skills, or related issues. In one school, work experience
takes place in the last week of the summer term. The coordinator stated that by the time they
return in Year 11 they had forgotten all about it so debriefing was tricky.
3. Teachers perceptions of young peoples speaking and listening skills
3.1
Initially, the work experience coordinators tended to refer to general communication or social
skills, rather than speaking and listening skills. In order to clarify our focus, we used a prompt
sheet (See Appendix 4).
3.2
Both the work experience coordinators and English teachers who were interviewed stated that
the speaking and listening skills of their students varied widely, with some being good and
others having real difficulty, both in lessons at school and while on work experience. They
identified lack of confidence as the main impact on speaking and listening. The following
comments were made:
They dont have the ability to push themselves forward.
They dont have the breadth of language to deal with people of all ages.
They are afraid of making a mistake.
Many of them are terrified when asked to phone their employer before the placement.
We often have to stand beside them and even dial the number they are shaking so much. The students tend to think that they are good communicators they are not!
We should be doing far more with the students building up listening skills is vital.
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3.3
Teachers at some schools identified confidence in speaking and listening as being more of a
problem for boys, while others felt it was more of a problem for girls. One teacher was keen to
stress that the problem was not confined to any one socio-economic group: We have bright,
middle class girls who have difficulty in speaking to adults, as well as those from disadvantaged
backgrounds. However, several others did feel that students from more disadvantagedbackgrounds found much greater difficulty with speaking and listening.
4. Current practice in developing and assessing students speaking and listening skills
4.1 Most of the teachers interviewed felt there were already many opportunities to develop young
peoples speaking and listening skills in school, although these opportunities were not always
taken advantage of and, even when they were, this was not made explicit to the students.
4.2
As we know, speaking and listening is one of the assessed aspects of GCSE English, so the
English teachers were familiar with the specific aspects of these skills as set out in the Key Stage4 Programmes of Study. These include ensuring that students should speak confidently and
effectively, including through:
having opportunities to use Standard English in a range of formal and informal contexts
giving speeches and making presentations to argue, inform and entertain, using language
for emotional appeal and impact, taking account of an audience and adjusting intonation,
tone of voice and pace of delivery for effect
participating in formal debates and structured discussions on topics of interest and
contested issues, organising points compellingly
4.3
Speaking and listening is assessed as part of GCSE English where it counts for 20% of the finalgrade. Students are prepared for three assessment tasks: one personal presentation, one role
play in pairs and one piece of group work. Students contribution in class discussions and
asking/answering questions over the two year GCSE course can also be taken into account.
Whilst English teachers acknowledged that students are speaking and listening in all subject
areas there were no examples of other subjects collaborating or contributing to the
development or assessment.
4.4 In none of the schools was work experience used as a topic for speaking and listening
development or assessment in GCSE English. However, some schools had used work experience
in the past as the stimulus for an assessed presentation and several teachers thought this might
be possible in their schools. The barriers to this happening are:
the timing of work experience and the practicalities of organising teacher assessment at the
same time;
the fact that a small number of Year 10 students do not take part in work experience;
those who have a disappointing time, through no fault of their own, would be
disadvantaged in their assessment; and,
in one teachers view listening to 30 presentations about work experience is deathly for
the students.
4.5 There was no evidence of employers being involved in supporting GCSE English.
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5. Opportunities to develop speaking and listening in work experience programmes
5.1
All of the teachers interviewed felt that there were excellent opportunities to develop speaking
and listening skills through work experience but that they were underutilised. They were keen
to make more of the existing opportunities as the real lifecontext could be motivating as it
would help students to see the relevance to their future lives.
5.2
In the activities and materials designed to brief students before they go out on placements it
would be possible to refer to the same speaking and listening skills that they are familiar with
from their English lessons. This could be included as part of the support and preparation for
making a telephone call to the employer or attending an interview, as well as in any role play
activities.
5.3 There are lots of opportunities for employers to provide a focus on speaking and listening skills
when they are deciding on workplace tasks for students to do.
5.4
Teachers could build in reflection on the development of speaking and listening skills to thedebriefing process.
6. Collaboration in schools to develop students speaking and listening skills
6.1
There were no examples of collaboration with other subject departments, though where form
tutors are involved in preparation for work experience they were from a range of curriculum
areas. However, there is no formal recognition of any specific subject skills that these tutors
might bring to the preparation, e.g. English, drama.
6.2
Most teachers felt it would be good to have some connection made between English lessonsand work experience. Some future opportunities for collaboration were identified:
6.2.1 One school had an unusual pastoral structure where a faculty took the pastoral lead for
a whole year group. In September 2013 the English and Modern Foreign Languages
(MFL) Faculty are responsible for Year 10, who will undertake work experience in
February 2014. This model provides an opportunity for the Head of Year (also the Head
of English and MFL), and all the English and drama teachers who will be Year 10 form
tutors, to be directly involved in work experience. Staff at this school said that they
would welcome the opportunity to work with this team to create shared speaking and
listening development activities for use by English, drama and work experience staff. As
the senior teacher leading on work experience is head of science and technology the
collaboration model could also reach into that faculty in time.
6.2.2
Many of the English teachers interviewed would welcome the opportunity to use work
experience topics as a focus for the assessment tasks for speaking and listening. They
mentioned that this could be particularly appropriate for either the presentation or the
role play assessment task. One teacher suggested that the reason she had not done this
before is because she would not have the expertise to set out the topic in the context of
what students might experience or be expected to do on their placement, and so would
need help in writing the content.
6.2.3 One English teacher identified that the AS/A Level English Language provided an ideal
opportunity to link to work experience as there was a need for students to do a study
on the use of language in particular setting or context. She felt that it would be
excellent to use language in the workplace for this study.
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6.2.4 Two schools had introduced a cross-curricular literacy strategy, which included oral
skills. However, there was no identified connection with work experience. Both Heads
of English did feel that it would be valuable to make such a connection.
6.2.5 In many schools English and drama teachers are form tutors to students in Years 10
12. Those schools expressed an interest having advice/support to draw more on theskills of these teachers in the development of speaking and listening in preparation for
work experience.
6.3 One barrier to this sort of collaboration is that neither work experience teachers nor English
teachers knew what sort of speaking and listening tasks students are required to do whilst on
work experience. We dont know what the students are asked to do that involves speaking and
listening. If we had some examples we could work on this.There is also a lack of
knowledge/understanding of each others needs between subject areas.
6.4 All of the English teachers we interviewed were very positive about using work experience as a
context for developing young peoples speaking and listening skills. However, they felt that
there could be resistance to getting involved from some teachers if they were not convinced of
the value of work experience or understand how it might contribute to their own curriculum
area.
6.5 Most teachers interviewed admitted that they did not really know what sort of speaking and
listening opportunities students had on their placements, what activities they had been given
which might involve these skills, or any difficulties/successes they may have had. One said: the
onus needs to be on the student to ask questions and seek activities on the placement that help
them.
6.6 In some cases work experience had not presented the opportunity to extend young peoples
speaking and listening at all. In particular, this was the case with students who had organised
their own placements and were working with family members or friends in very familiar
surroundings. Others had two or more students from the same school on the placement. Also,
some placements were for groups of students from a number of schools in vocational
departments of colleges, which seemed to the students to be very similar to what they were
used to in school. Some primary and nursery schools gave students on work experience a
separate room for breaks, rather than allow them to use the staff room. In almost all of these
cases opportunities for interaction with other staff members was limited.
Interviews with students
7. Students perceptions of speaking and listening on work experience
7.1 Many of the students said they had little difficulty in either speaking or listening relating to
work experience, which appeared to be at odds with the teachers and employers who reported
that in their experience there was a significant number who found speaking and listening
difficult. Employers also indicated that there were problems with some students and that this
was more of a problem at the beginning of the week, due to the fact that they were unfamiliar
with the setting and lacked confidence. A number of teachers and employers felt that some
students who did have problems tended not to recognise them. Few students could remember
any reference being made to how they should speak or listen whilst on work experience prior totheir placement.
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7.2 Many of those who had pre-placement interviews had no preparation for this but were simply
told that in order to make a good impression they should speak up, make eye-contact and
answer all the questions. Many of the students were encouraged to telephone their placement
beforehand. Several teachers commented that students found it difficult to make the telephone
call to an employer and in one school the teacher sits down next to each student to help them
in another the work experience coordinator is available in drop in sessions to go through theprocess with students.
7.3
Some students found themselves in speaking situations that they did not know how to handle.
These included:
a fifteen year old asked to tell parents of a small child that they needed to give more
support at home;
a Year 10 girl spoken to in an inappropriate way by a group of customers;
a girl who wasnt sure whether she should get involved in an informal conversation with
young workers in case I was marked down and they thought I wasnt professional;
students who sat in on meetings where the language was technical or sector specific so
they did not understand what was going on but felt they would really think I was stupid if I
asked.
7.4 When probed during the focus groups, some students did identify some problems with
speaking and listening with employers both before and during their placements. Confidence
was mentioned by a number as being a problem in relation to speaking to adults other than
teachers. Several said that they found it hard to start a conversation or to ask questions,
especially at the beginning of the placement. One boy said asking questions is easier when you
have a hands-on joband thought that students in other jobs might not have the same
opportunities.
7.5
Some of the young people talked about the difficultly in speaking to other employees ininformal situations, particularly at break times. They felt that they did not know how to start
the conversation, although some did say that this got easier as the week went on.
7.6 Some students stated that not all teachers liked students going on work experience. Some
subject teachers just get cross when you are going on itthey should be encouraging us to
speak to them about it before and after.
8. Opportunities to develop speaking and listening during work experience placements
8.1
Students reported a number of examples of speaking opportunities including:
carrying out transactions with customers (pharmacy, clothes retailers, sandwich shop,
dance studio, sportswear outlet, gym, garage, graphic design, vet, architect)
speaking and/or teaching young children and speaking to their parents (nursery/primary
schools)
speaking to older people (residential care home)
speaking on the phone to clients for information (events company, PR company, design
company, sports equipment retailer)
booking rooms by telephone and speaking informally to patients (local hospital);
interviewing new interns (House of Lords)
informal time spent with fellow workers (most placements)
asking for help or clarification on tasks being given (most placements).
8.2
Examples of listening opportunities given by students included:
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taking the minutes at a meeting (law company)
carrying out spoken instructions given by colleagues/trainers (Metropolitan Police, Under
16 Spurs Football Club, Army, garage, school)
attending meetings/debates (chemical engineering, school staff meetings, House of
Commons)
carrying out technical or scientific tasks where measurements and details are important
(pharmacy, chemical engineers)
listening to phone calls (events company, design company, sports retailer)
listening to children or older people (primary/nursery schools, residential care home)
Interviews with Employers
9. Current Work Experience Provision
9.1 Ten employers were interviewed from a range of different types of businesses, including:
manufacturer
car body workshop
hairdresser
restaurant
primary school
supply teacher agent
YMCA centre
work-based learning provider, specialising in engineering and science
two nursery schools
9.2 All offered a number of week-long placements to Year 10 students each year and some offered
additional placements to post 16 students and/or undergraduates. Some of the employers also
offered extended placements for one or two days per week. In previous years, most of them
offered their placements through the local careers service or EBP, although now most worked
with individual schools. This appears to be a trend which could be as a result of the fact that
there is no longer any funding for work experience which has led to a reduction in the number
of local providers.
9.3 Some employers reported that there was a tendency for gender stereotyping, with the majority
of students attending nursery and primary schools being girls and the car body shop only being
approached to take boys on placements.
10. Employers Perceptions of Students Speaking and Listening Skills
10.1 Employers on the whole spoke about communication rather than specifically about speaking
and listening and they felt that students had a wide range of ability in this respect. In some
cases, students were described as being like rabbits in headlights, or standing around a lot, in
a dream world, not participating, being nervous and quiet, self-conscious and say very little or
fooling around to cover up nervousness. Students with better developed speaking and
listening skills were described as interested, asking questions for clarification, understanding
instructions and getting on with the work. A key factor was felt to be the confidence of theyoung person, rather than other factors such as gender or background.
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10.2 However, some employers felt that there was a link between their ability to communicate and
their background and said that those who experienced difficulty did tend to come from
disadvantaged backgrounds and that students from affluent backgrounds tend to be the
articulate ones. Oneemployer mentioned a student who had extreme difficulty in speaking and
listening while with them. Part way through the week they found out that he had Aspergers
Syndrome and once they realised this, were able to put measures in place to provide structuredactivities to develop his speaking and listening. This was only possible since, as a supply teacher
agency, they had a member of staff with experience of working with young people with this sort
of disability. Some employers mentioned that it would be helpful if the school provided them
with information in advance about the students ability and any particular disabilities.
10.3 Some students who experienced difficulties with speaking and listening were able to overcome
them within the placement. Employers tended to refer to students becoming more confident
and familiar with the workplace and improving their ability to speak to employees as the week
progressed. Some of them felt that it would be more beneficial to have students on a one day a
week basis over a longer period of time, to enable them to improve their confidence.
10.4 Quite a few employers suggested that difficulties with speaking and listening were exacerbated
if the student was not happy with the placement: Some of them just dont want to be here,
which means they are not interested in talking to us. There were positive reports that schools,
in some cases, seemed to be making more effort to make sure the right students were placed
with them.
11. Employers Views of Opportunities to Develop Speaking and Listening on Work
Experience
11.1
The types of activity undertaken by students tended to be fairly practical and all employerstalked about a fairly wide range of tasks that they expect students to take part in. Some
placements offered more opportunity to undertake a range of technical tasks, while with others
students were only offered general tasks. In some cases there was a degree of negotiation
beforehand about the sort of things that students would do during the week, but on the whole,
the emphasis appeared to be on the employer to make the decisions about what students
would do.
11.2
Most of the employers we spoke to expected students to either telephone beforehand or visit
the placement in person. In some cases this visit included an interview and in others it was used
as an induction and opportunity to inform the student about the tasks they would be doing
during the placement. In a few cases it also included meeting a mentor or supervisor whowould be the young persons contact throughout the week.
11.3
All employers provided a full health and safety briefing which covered information about any
hazards the young person may encounter, procedures to be followed for fire or injury and
expectations on them with respect to their own responsibilities. In some cases this briefing also
included a code of conduct covering, for example, how to speak to children or young people in
the nursery, primary school and youth work setting, speaking face to face or on the telephone
with clients and customers, e.g. at the restaurant, hairdressers, supply agency and work-based
learning provider.
11.4
All of the above activities provided rich opportunities for focusing on and developing speakingand listening skills. A number of the employers also spoke about an emphasis on speaking and
listening when they are deciding on the programme of activities and tasks for young people to
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undertake. For example, the hairdresser said: In the salon there is a need to form relationships
with clients. Speaking and listening is the main way we form our relationships. However, some
young people on work experience think that because the atmosphere is friendly and chatty that
is all they are there to dochat to the clients. Our recent training session with trainees on
communication made us realise that there is a speaking and listening process that grows our
business: form a relationship
ask questions about what the client wants
identify options and solutions
evaluate their satisfaction
repeat this so they will come back.
Other placements had an emphasis on speaking and listening to various degrees. For example,
in the nurseries and primary school it is an essential part of what the students learn, especially
for those who are doing the placement as part of their vocational courses, where an
understanding of the use of language for different purposes is an important aspect. The
restaurant manager also felt that speaking is at the heart of young peoples development while
on placement with them. He helps them to build their confidence by talking over the menu with
customers and just saying hello. If they can do that, they can progress to having more
interaction with customers.
11.5 None of the employers had any involvement in the briefing or debriefing of young people for
work experience and this was felt to be a missed opportunity.
Analysis and scoping of next phase
12. Analysis of Teachers, Students and Employers Responses
12.1
Teachers, students and employers acknowledged the importance of developing speaking and
listening skills on work experience but it was felt that opportunities to do this were not
exploited fully.
12.2 Students generally thought that they did not need trainingbut did need guidance on what
kind of speaking and listening activities they might be asked to carry out and how to deal with
unusual situations.
12.3
There was no consistency in quality or quantity of the preparation for placements anddebriefing was acknowledged as poor in most of the schools. Little or no reference was made to
the development of speaking and listening on the placements and any references were lost in a
range of other skill descriptors such as communication skills, or employability skills. Speaking
and listening preparation activities never progress further than a pre- or post-placement
interview where feedback is general and there were no improvement interventions for
students who did not interview well.
12.4 Most teachers had little knowledge of what the students would be asked to do on their
placements, let alone when they will need to speak and listen with levels of confidence,
language ability and professional manners.
12.5
Employers had no involvement in school-based preparation or debriefing. They had little
understanding or experience of how students could be encouraged to develop speaking and
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listening skills. However, some teachers felt that to expect this would put most employers off
providing work experience.
12.6 Employers views on students ability to fulfil speaking and listening tasks were at odds with
students perceptions and they felt that a significant number of students had difficulty with
speaking and listening tasks while on their placements.
12.7
Teachers and employers felt there was a need for information, ideas and guidance on the range
of speaking and listening tasks students might carry out whilst on placements.
12.8 English teachers and work experience organisers would like guidance on how they might
collaborate to develop these skills pre- and post- work experience. In particular it would be
helpful if work experience co-ordinators had details of GCSE English speaking and listening skills
and methods of assessment.
12.9
All groups suggested ideas of materials that could help students, teachers and employers
before, during and after placements. Teachers in the majority of the schools, and a significantnumber of the employers, said they would be willing to contribute to development work on this
project. As there are time limitations for all groups, they would welcome all this information in
the form of templates, case studies, top tips, activity sheets and video clips which teachers
could use with students and employers.
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Scoping Support Activities and Materials
12.10
The research showed that teachers, employers and young people felt that there was a need for
materials and ideas for activities which would support the development of young peoples
speaking and listening skills. Below is a diagram showing what we would like to produce. In
order to do this, we would work with work experience coordinators and English teachers in six
schools. We would also work with three employers to develop the materials and ensure that
they would work well in the context of the placements.
Preparation
Guidance
Resources
Student
Teacher
Employer
policy background
preparing students
links to GCSE English
informing other teachers
debriefing students
case studies
suggested tasks, activities & opportunities
questions
case studies
ideas for activities
checklists
Log Book
support for for development
recording speaking & listening skills
Debriefing
linking to assessment in English
linking to employability
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13. Support Ideas from Teachers, Students and Employers
13.1
Teachers, students and employers provided some specific ideas of things that they felt would
be particularly useful to include in the support and guidance. These are listed below and when
developing the materials, we would consider the merits of each of their ideas, working with the
teachers and employers to develop those which we felt would be helpful to include.
Loose pages that can be inserted into work experience logs/diaries so that students can gather
evidence of speaking and listening tasks that they have undertaken and employers can verify
and/or comment.
Lists/ideas of work experience speaking and listening opportunitiesgeneral and sector
specific.
General and sector specific top tips, dos and donts (use of swearing, slang, formal and
informal language, confidentiality, inappropriate sector specific words, listening and clarifying
instructions in technical and scientific language).
Case studies of good practice in the development of speaking and listening whilst on work
experiencehow other schools have developed collaboration between English, drama and
work experience.
Sample GCSE English speaking and listening assessment tasks set in the workplace for
individuals, pairs and groups.
A copy of GCSE English speaking and listening assessment criteria with examples of how work
experience can contribute to the process.
PSHE style package with speaking and listening activities that can be delivered by form tutors in
a lesson setting, ideally visual and stimulating activities that can go on the whiteboard.
Guidance for teachers who visit students on work placements, to help them discuss their
speaking and listening skills.
Ideas and activities relevant to post 16 students, as increasingly it this age group which is the
focus for many school-organised programmes.
Short activities and self-assessment tools that focus on both speaking skills and listening skills in
the context of work experience.
Guidance for employers on how to ask questions and how to frame activities to maximise the
learning from the placement.
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Appendix 1
A total of 12 schools were visited and interviews undertaken with 12 work experience coordinators and
12 English teachers. Focus groups were carried out with 59 Year 11 and 14 Year 12 students.
Schools
St Marys Church of England VA High School, Cheshunt, Herts
Mixed 11-18
John Warner School, Hoddesdon, Herts
Mixed 11-18
Sir Frederic Osborn School, Welwyn Garden City, Herts
Mixed 11-18
Sandy Upper School, Sandy, Beds
Mixed 14-18
Beechen Cliff School, Bath
Boys 11-18 (mixed 6th
form)
Hayesfield Girls School, Bath
Girls 11-18 (mixed 6th
form)
Ralph Allen School, Bath
Mixed 11-18
Redland Green School, Bristol
Mixed 11-18
Heaton Manor School, Newcastle
Mixed 11-18
Walker Technology College, Newcastle
Mixed 11-18
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy, GatesheadMixed 11-18
Cardinal Hume School, Gateshead
Mixed 11-18
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Appendix 2
12
employers were interviewed from the following businesses:
Rotork, Bath
Planet Pizza, Bristol
Rye Street Group (car body workshop), Broxbourne, Herts
Talents Hairdresser and Beauty Salon, Letchworth, Herts
Toy Box Nursery, Sandy, Beds
Vision for Education (teacher supply agency), Newcastle
Tyneview Primary school, Newcastle
Monkchester Nursery and Family Centre, Newcastle
YMCA, Newcastle
TDR Training (work-based learning provider), Gateshead
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Appendix 3
Interview schedules
Teachers interview template
Interviewees:
One teacher responsible or involved in work experience or work-related learning
One teacher responsible or involved in teaching GCSE English
Time: 30 minutes maximum
Areas of discussion
1
Work Experience Provision: What is your schools current work experience provision for Key
Stage 4 and/or Post 16? When does work experience take place? For how long? Who finds the
placements?
2 Speaking and Listening in English: What is your schools current provision for the development
of speaking and listening skills within GCSE English? What difficulties do young people have in
using and developing their speaking and listening skills in GCSE English? How is speaking and
listening assessed? Are other subjects such as drama involved in contributing to opportunities
for speaking and listening development and assessment? Are employers involved in any aspect
of the teaching of GCSE English?
3 Work Experience: How are your students prepared and briefed for work experience? How much
time is given to considering the skills of speaking and listening whilst on work experience? Do
some students find it more difficult to use/develop their speaking and listening skills on their
placement? Are employers involved in the preparation and/or debriefing process? If so, how
are they involved? Do any employers provide specific opportunities for students to develop
their speaking and listening skills during the work placement?
4 Collaboration: Are there examples of how the English department and work experience
programme collaborate? What opportunities are there? What barriers/difficulties are there?
(Timing of activities and assessments, lack of knowledge/understanding of each others needs)
5
Support: What support materials would be helpful/useful to both areas of learning? For
teachers? Students? Employers? Either just have this as a general discussion or use Pages 3
below as a prompt to identify speaking and listening skills and opportunities or Pages 4 and 5 to
discuss whether this is the kind of activity that could be used in collaboration and what other
support they might like to see.
If the response from teachers has been positive, find out, without making any commitment, whether
they would be interested in participating in further stages of the project.
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Employers Interview Schedule
Interviewees:
Employers involved in work experience involving 14-19 students.
Time: 15 minutes maximum
Areas of Discussion
1. Work experience
How many work placements do you offer each year (pre- and post-16)? How long have you
been involved in offering work placements? What types of placement do you offer (e.g.
block/sandwich, admin/technical)? What tasks and activities are students given? Is there an
induction programme? Do you (or the students supervisor) meet with the young person to
discuss their progress, either during or at the end of the placement? Do you get involved in any
preparation/follow up activities with the school before the placement?
2. Views about speaking and listening skills (use the What are speaking and listening skills?
document as a prompt sheet)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of young people you have on work placement? How
have you found their speaking skills during the placement(with you, with customers, on the
telephone, with other employees)? How have you found their listening skills? Are some
students better than others at speaking and listening?
3. Improving speaking and listening skills through work experience
In what ways could teachers and employers support the development of speaking and listening
skills on work experience programmes (before, during, after)? What tasks/activities couldemployers give students on work placement to develop their speaking and listening skills?
What support materials might help teachers, employers and students?
Student focus groups template
Focus groups should be made up of 5-6 students in years 11, 12 or 13 who have recently undertaken
work experience.
Time: 20 minutes
Areas of Discussion
1.
Information about work experience undertaken: (When did it take place? How long was it?
What sort of organisation did it take place in? What sort of things did you do?)
2. Opportunities for speaking and listening on work experience:
Speaking:
What opportunities were there to speak to a supervisor and/or other workers during your work
experience? How did you find talking to your supervisor or to other workers?
What sort of contact did you have with customers/clients/members of the public? How easy or
difficult did you find talking to them?
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Did you have to telephone the employer before your work experience? How did you find this?
Did you use the telephone as part of your work experience? What sort of things did you use
the telephone for? How did you find this?
Did you have any opportunities to speak to a group of peoplemaybe at a meeting or to makea presentation? How easy or difficult did you find speaking in this type of situation?
Listening:
Was there an induction programme at the start of your work experience? How easy or difficult
was it to take in all of the information during induction? Was there an opportunity to ask
questions? How easy or difficult did you find this?
To what extent did you have to take instructions from your supervisor or other workers during
work experience? Was it easy for you to understand what they wanted you to do? Did you
experience any problems with this?
If your work experience involved customers or members of the public, were there any problems
in understanding what they wanted from you?
If your work experience involved attending meetings with a number of other employees were
there any problems in understanding what the meeting and conversation within them were
about?
3.
Improving speaking and listening skills through work experience: Was there anything that you
could have done in school beforehand that would have helped you to develop your speakingand listening skills on work experience? Was there anything that employers could have done as
part of an induction programme to help you with speaking and listening? Were there any other
things that you could have done which would have helped you develop your speaking and
listening skills while you were on work experience?
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Appendix 4
What AreSpeaking and Listening Skills?
Some people might refer or include speaking and listening skills under the headings of social or
communication skills. Lets clarify what we mean by speaking and listening skills.
Skills for Life: Make it your business (DfES 2004) lists the top 10 speaking and listening skills needed in
most places of work.
1 Respond to questions from colleagues and customers.
2 Follow verbal instructions.
3 Ask questions.
4 Greet colleagues and customers appropriately.
5 Talk to colleagues and customers, using appropriate and polite language.
6 Take verbal messages and pass them on to colleagues.
7 Use technical language.
8 Give verbal instructions or other information.
9 Contribute to meetings.
10 Contribute to training sessions.
Are there others that you might want to add to this list?
What do good speakers and listeners do?
(Extract from Teaching Speaking and ListeningKey Skills Support Programme 2007)
Spoken communication involves a wide range of behaviours and skills.
The list below is not exhaustive! You might want to add more.
A good speaker
Is purposeful and clear
Uses appropriate vocabulary
Speaks with fluency
Is confident and credible
Is approachable and responsive
Uses body language well
Involves listeners Relates to the listener
Is respectful of others
Encourages trust
Shows empathy
A good listener
Is easy to talk to
Shows respect, focuses on the speaker
Makes supportive comments
Moves conversation along Knows when and how to interrupt
Concentrates and appears attentive
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Creates an atmosphere of trust
Picks out the main points