Unreasonable pressure from my tutor at college. Help please!

sw-nw

ceridwen wrote: »

I am glad you understand the need to improve your English.

As regards your thoughts about only teaching Chinese children or teaching in a "multicultural" context - I don't know what the availability of jobs is in your chosen field and how much specialisation is possible. I would have said that, even working in a "multicultural" context, it would be necessary to speak good English - as English will be the language in common of everyone there.

Also - if you are looking to working in that sort of context - then I imagine you will be restricted to only working in the largest of British cities - ones like London, Birmingham, Liverpool, etc. Reason - you wouldn't find much along the lines of Chinese or "multicultural" type contexts anywhere else in Britain. Elsewhere in Britain the local population will vary somewhere between 100% British and the vast majority being British. So - you would be very restricted as to what locations you could work in and I imagine your tutor would have concerns that you might decide to move to a less "multicultural" part of the country than you are currently in (with the resultant likelihood of disappointed expectations of both yourself and any groups you worked with).

You need to speak good enough English to be able to work at any location in Britain - and it's advisable to "brush up your language skills" whatever type of job you eventually do.

I know I need to improve my English language all the time. I just don't believe it is as bad as that. I understood that from the replies, for education, I should have much higher level of English language. However, it's why I am studying and making progress.

I may have problem to speek good English. I never felt any diffiucltities to understand what others said and asked me to do.

My tutor said her comments were based on my supervior. Would you think it's a good idea to confirm with my supervisor, and if she said she couldn't remember, should I speak to headteacher?

sw-nw

slummymummyof3 wrote: »

I think there are a number of problems here op - if as a tutor I had concerns about a student, I would not award a certificate regardless of whether they told me they only wanted to teach Chinese children or not - providing someone with licence to practice when they are unsuitable could be opening up a potential can of worms.

From one of your posts earlier on, it sounds to me as if your tutor is concerned that you may be plagarising work - she has asked you to write her an essay in front of her.....need I say any more on that point? She is giving you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability - if the previous assignments have been all your own work then you have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, if you have received input from friends etc then this is plagarism.

(All were my own works. My friend only helped me to check grammers and some words.)

It is likely that there is a combination of concerns from your tutor and placement which build a complete picture together. These people hold the qualifications and have to make reasoned judgements about whether you are suitable to work in the environment you are currently training in. The placement obviously had concerns if the lady changed her plans so that you didn't read the story.

(When I asked the lady about that, she just said she couldn't remember.)

I think you should request a meeting with your personal tutor and the course leader to get a clearer picture.

(My tutro has arranged a meeting for me with her and course leader. It's why I was under pressure now.)

Savvy_Sue

sw-nw wrote: »

There were 2 comments I disagreed but signed. The first one said I didn't understand what staff aske me.

but if staff at your placement have told your tutor that you don't always seem to understand what they have asked you, what's your tutor supposed to do, ignore them?

I'm not sure I agree that ANY help with essays equals plagiarism, by the way. That's when you copy chunks of work wholesale. However, if friends are going through your work and improving the English significantly, that would be of equal concern. You need to be able to spot (most of) your own mistakes and write reasonably fluently without that intensive input, and in any UK setting you would be expected to provide your lesson plans / reports in English, even if you were teaching in your own language.

Also, if your written English appears to be much better than your spoken English, your tutor may have concerns about that. Personally I feel that may not be fair: I can write almost faultless French (as long as I have a dictionary to hand for vocabulary) but my comprehension of the spoken language is not so good, and my accent is fairly dire. But your tutor obviously feels that she needs to check that you're not getting someone else to re-write your essays in better English.

Savvy_Sue

By the way, I did once type a final year student project up, and stopped at least once a page to say "This doesn't make sense, what do you MEAN?" She would say what she meant, and I would say "But that's not what you've WRITTEN." So we would agree a different form of words. And that was a native English speaker ...

ceridwen

This is the thing - re your tutor wanting you to write an essay in front of them. It may well be the case that it's not so much the content of the essay that concerns them - but it could be the case that your written English is a higher standard than your spoken English and there is the obvious concern that your written English has been "helped".

When you are actually out on placement - then it is your spoken English that is being judged too.

This is also a matter of concern - and you could have got help in phrasing the posts you put on MSE for all we aware from the other end of a computer screen.

I am afraid I am getting the impression that you are trying to find a way to get through the course and receive the qualification at the end of it - whether you are the appropriate standard to do so or no.

Help we can - and are - giving. You do, however, have to rightfully merit any qualification at the end of the course - and it is not fair on potential employers if someone they took on hadn't passed their course "fair and square" in the proper way (they would lose face in front of parents for having taken on an unsuitable person to be in charge of their children).

Passing a course is NOT a case of "How do I fiddle things/arrange things/who do I see about it? - there is a way through and I just have to find it". Passing a course is about doing all the work on time and correctly and to a high enough standard and (in your case) being able to speak good enough English to work with young children (of any nationality).

I have to say that if I were your tutor I wouldn't believe you when you said you only wanted to work with Chinese children. I would think "Either she doesn't realise that the chances to work with only Chinese children are low to non-existent OR there may be a few chances to do so and she might get one of them for a bit of experience and she is then likely to try and say she is qualified to work with other nationalities in the future".

Either way - your tutor would be "putting herself on the line" if she said that you are more capable than you are and would lose face in front of others for having done so.

liney

So you didn't understand the tutor, but argue that the Nursery was wrong when they said your difficulties were due to your standard of English?

zzzLazyDaisy

sw-nw wrote: »

I know I need to improve my English language all the time. I just don't believe it is as bad as that. I understood that from the replies, for education, I should have much higher level of English language. However, it's why I am studying and making progress.

I may have problem to speek good English. I never felt any diffiucltities to understand what others said and asked me to do.

My tutor said her comments were based on my supervior. Would you think it's a good idea to confirm with my supervisor, and if she said she couldn't remember, should I speak to headteacher?

OP did you write the first paragraph of this reply?

I ask because the use of the English language and grammar in the first paragraph shows a much greater understanding and fluency than the next two paragraphs (and your earlier posts). If your essays show similar inconsistencies then this may explain your tutor's concern.

I don't know what qualification you are studying for but I think you said it is a two year course? This indicated that the course is a recognised qualification (NVQ or NNEB, perhaps?). If so being awarded the Certificate requires you to reach the required level of competence in all areas of the course. This is assessed (in part) on your performance in your practical placements, which I am presuming are in English speaking schools and establishments. These are external requirements of the course provider and/or examining board.

Your Tutor simply does not have the authority to change the course requirements because you intend to work with Chinese children as this is not the focus of the course or the Certificate.

I think that you would have a much better chance of passing the course if, instead of trying to persuade your Tutor and supervisor to change their minds, you cooperate with them to identify your areas of weakness and focus on addressing those concerns.

I speak as someone who has worked in a nursery school as a teacher's assistant, so I do understand something of the working environment and its demands. In particularly, it is vitally important, when working with young children who are learning to read and write, and to develop their vocabulary, that you are able to communicate clearly and accurately.

I suspect that may be part of the problem, and in my view your English Language skills should have been assessed BEFORE you commenced this course, to ensure that you had the relevant skills, instead of leaving it until this late stage to address these issues.

I suggest that you go back to your tutor and try to agree exactly where the problem areas are, so that you can work on improving these areas.

Sorry for the long post.

Daisy

flossy_splodge

ceridwen wrote: »

This is the thing - re your tutor wanting you to write an essay in front of them. It may well be the case that it's not so much the content of the essay that concerns them - but it could be the case that your written English is a higher standard than your spoken English and there is the obvious concern that your written English has been "helped".

I am afraid I am getting the impression that you are trying to find a way to get through the course and receive the qualification at the end of it - whether you are the appropriate standard to do so or no.

Passing a course is NOT a case of "How do I fiddle things/arrange things/who do I see about it? - there is a way through and I just have to find it".
I so agree, unfortunately that is no longer the case in English Education. My father taught introductory level IT at our local college. Now he is REAL old school.
He failed a number of students that he felt were simply not up to standard.
He was then told by the 'management' that he either passed a given percentage or his appointment would not be continued. TRUE.
So he lost his job as he thought the whole thing stank.

In the schools I have taught in, up to recently, the students KNOW they will be 'helped' to do well enough to 'pass'. And they ARE helped and they DO 'pass'

Either way - your tutor would be "putting herself on the line" if she said that you are more capable than you are and would lose face in front of others for having done so.

As I explained above, I wish your last paragraph was true.
There is a truly shocking state of affairs in our education system today.
I could tell you stories would make your toes curl in horror - including the involvement of the Head teacher!!

Oldernotwiser

flossy_splodge wrote: »

As I explained above, I wish your last paragraph was true.
There is a truly shocking state of affairs in our education system today.
I could tell you stories would make your toes curl in horror - including the involvement of the Head teacher!!

I've been out of teaching in FE for 15 years and it was like that even then. When you link a college's funding with its course pass rate, what else could anyone expect?

zzzLazyDaisy

But that depends on whether the course is internally or externally assessed.

If it is an NVQ or an NNEB there will be external assessors involved, and it isn't then as easy for the college to fudge the pass rate.

Also a lot of basic literacy and numeracy tests/exams are done on-line, which gives no room for discretion by the tutor, the student either attains the required pass rate, or doesn't pass.

So it does depend what sort of certificate OP is studying for and OP hasn't told us that. But to some extent that is irrelevant - in THIS case the tutor has decided not to pass OP (for whatever reason) and she needs to work on attaining the level of competence required to pass, rather than relying on finding ways to challenge her tutor and supervisor (although I do agree that if she feels she is being unfairly treated she should use the college's appeals procedure, which would give her an opportunity to have her work looked at by someone impartial)