Mary Flanagan M. Ed., coordinates family learning work in Co. Clare since 2006 as part of LCETB literacy provision. She uses an interagency approach working with schools and organisations in the community. She has written and developed publications and published articles on family learning. Mary provides training at national level in the area of Family Learning/Literacy and lectures on both B. A. and Higher Certificate WIT Family Literacy Module. She is interested in reaching adults using innovative methods who are least likely to engage in education provision.

1. Diversity:
Working in an Intercultural Way
Mary Flanagan M.Ed.
Clare Adult Basic Education Service
June 19th 2017
Kilfinaghty Public Library, Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare.

2. Diversity: Cambridge
Dictionary
 The fact of many different types of
things or people being included in
something; a range of different
things or people:
 Does our
curriculum adequately reflect the
ethnic and cultural diversity of
the country?

3. Clare Adult Basic Education
Service
 Supports those who left school early
or
◦ those who never attended school
 Building confidence through success
 Small groups
 Learner centred
 Adult Guidance service available
 Progression routes provided

4. Clare Adult Basic Education
Service
 Basic Skills: Reading, Writing, Maths,
ICT
 One to one confidential tuition
 English Language Programme
 Family Learning Programme
 Skills for Work Programme
Five Centres
◦ Ennis, Kilrush, Ennistymon (Library),
Shannon, Scariff

5. Welcome sign created by
students
Main languages used in Ennis
Centre

6. Ennis FET Campus
(Further Education and Training)
 80 nationalities 10.5% migrants in Clare
 Many are multilingual Most common language is Polish
 All levels of education and none
All want to learn English – different levels are assessed and
classes provided to suit
For example:
 Tanzanian may have not attended school
 Brazilian may have attended some second level
 Polish may have third level qualifications
 Cultural differences respected
◦ (Map of the world in Ennis canteen area)

7. Irish Refugee Protection
Programme
Set up by Government September 2015 in response to
migration crisis.
 Under this programme 4,000 people will be accepted
into the State from areas of conflict in the Middle East
and other areas.
In Clare
 6 families Sixmilebridge
 9 families Shannon
 9 families Ennistymon
◦ 4 members average per family
◦ All Syrians
◦ 16 members arrived under family reunification process in
Kilrush
◦ Somali

8. Inter-culturalism
 Involves moving beyond the fact of
multiple cultures existing within a
society and instead promotes
interaction and dialogue between
cultures.

9. Barriers to learning
Institutional:
 Difficult to access/ understand
 Attitudes/ lack of support/time
 Lack of information in local language
Personal:
Poor self esteem, low confidence, disability,
stress, gender, peer pressure, literacy levels
Cultural:
Lack of time, language, jargon,
misunderstanding,
no family support, no value placed on learning

10. Working with
bilingual (multilingual) families
 Value other languages
 Make links with home culture
 Check what interests people have e.g. Syrians
very interested in soccer in Ennistymon
 Differentiate activities for different levels of English
language.
 Encourage interaction between different cultures:
music, food, stories, family life, customs and celebrations.
 Ensure resources reflect different cultures: sample
books
 Ambitious for children and themselves (many want
info)
 Establish ground rules, link to community groups,
 Get to know stories of bilingual families locally

11. Tips for meeting ESOL
learners
 Speak slowly (not loudly). Repeat.
 Be patient and give yourself time to
explain
 Give people time to respond
 Demonstrate
 Write or draw
 Keep it simple - English is a difficult
language
 Seek feedback to check if
understood/misunderstood

12. Interagency approach
 Listen to the needs of the learners
 Work with many
groups/agencies/employers to reach
learners and respond to their needs
 Develop curricula to suit groups
Suggestion for libraries:
 Provide easy dictionaries in common
languages English/Arabic, /Polish,
/Portuguese.

13. Literacy Provision
In 2017
 249 courses are scheduled with an
estimated 2,209 places for learners
across Co. Clare

14. Migrant Integration Strategy 2017-
2020
 Factual material for migrants to learn
about Ireland
 English for Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL) classes reviewed
 Schools encouraged to support parent
involvement
 Fostering positive attitudes to diversity
and celebrating difference (DES)
 Provide migrants with language for work
THE MIGRANT INTEGRATION STRATEGY : THE FRAMEWORK FOR
GOVERNMENT ACTION ON MIGRANT INTEGRATION FROM 2017 UNTIL 2020.

15. LCETB wide: Working with libraries
-1
 Provides venues for classes: Group and
One to one classes
 Hosts meetings
 Hosts events – annual Limerick City
Learner Writings launch
 Hosts taster sessions – provided space for
a 3 week Confidence Building course, Fun
Science, Launch of Adult Learners Week
 Shows class groups around and explains
how library works regularly

16. Working with Libraries -2
 Hosts book clubs for adult literacy
learners
 Library service has provided inputs on
World Book day in Ennis centre
 Hosts EU project visitors
 Willing to bring vulnerable classes in and
show them around when library is closed
– likewise in Limerick City when library is
open
 Willing to buy children’s books to support
families with other languages

17. Working with Libraries -3
 Hosted one book, one town (Ennis) for
DEIS schools and parents event
 Has Easy Reads section
 Some other languages section for
learners.
 Community Education provides
funding in Limerick for computer
tuition in Library

18. What can LCETB do?
Make connections:
Point 46. ‘Adult Literacy staff should participate
in networks and partnerships with other
organisations’. Adult Literacy Operational Guidelines
 Embed library visit into every literacy
course
 Connect with library on specific topics

19. Tom Crean: One town one
book
Traveller
men
created
life sized
Emperor
penguins
and
replica
model
boat.

21. Stories in a box
A way of valuing home literacies – not just
“school literacy”
“Literacy exists in artifacts, in that artifacts tell
stories that can then be written”
(Artifactual Literacies, K. Pahl & J. Rowsell, 2010)
Clare Family Learning 2017

22. Story in a box
Displayed in Clare Museum

23. Storybag / Storysack

24. Fun Science
How the body works – parent and child

25. Fun Science Experiments
Games, Gadgets and
Machines
My Baby and Me –
Starting reading with
baby everyday

26. Things we have in common
 Help children to do well in school
 Want to get on in life
 Find work and job satisfaction
 Do the best you can with what you
have

27. Large art work in canteen

28. Translate posters into main
languages

29. Writing Stories
 All our learners are invited to write a
story each year
 This is published in the annual Simply
Said learner book in June

30. Create a book for your child

31. Creating
puppets

32. What did you
find most
useful?
Thank you for
listening
This is really
interesting!