ESB International’s Building Confidence in Communication products run from Entry 1 to Entry 3 and offer progression to learners who wish to develop their oracy and communication skills for independent living and social interaction, self-expression via the arts, and interviews and the workplace. These qualifications are designed for learners who have significant Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) at 16+.
Qualification Specifications
Communication for Independent Living and Social Interaction
ESB Entry Level Award in Developing Independent Communication Skills (Entry 1)
These Teachers’ Resources suggest ways of isolating and practising effective speaking and listening skills. There are three groups of activities: everyday interaction, giving a presentation, and fine-tuning the message. They can be adapted and differentiated for students working at different levels, and there are also some tips on inclusive practice in the classroom.
Everyday Interactions
Hello, Hello
Call and Response
Engagement
Questions and Answers
responding to greetings and farewells
initiating greetings and farewells
rehearsal of chunks of social language
focused listening
rehearsal of chunks of social language
awareness of syllables and rhythms
turn-taking and social interaction
checking audience is following
being an attentive audience member
making eye-contact
supporting others when they are speaking
responding to questions
asking questions (e.g. asking for clarification)
Students start by matching phrases (for greetings and farewells) to appropriate responses and then playing a card game with them.
Students listen and then repeat and clap the rhythm of short chunks of language modelled by the leader (teacher or nominated student).
The teacher gives a short talk (ca 1 minute) during which the students each have a role depending on ability (e.g. to maintain eye contact, to smile / nod, to listen and make a note, to formulate a question). The next time there is a short talk, roles change (if possible).
Start with a focus on question forms, and the difference between open and closed questions. Students suggest ways of starting answers, and then they work in pairs / small groups to create some questions for the other students to answer.
Giving a Presentation
Look Here
How Do We Know?
My Thoughts Exactly
using visual aids
connecting text to images
Recognising facts vs opinions
Listening for facts
Showing understanding of how to check for facts
Planning and structuring a talk
Phrases for opening / closing / moving on in a talk
Using visual aids
Students start by experiencing a short talk with and without visual aids and then discuss the role of visual aids, and how they are helpful. Phrases that connect the talk to the images are then suggested and used at appropriate points in the original talk.
Students discuss the difference between facts and opinions, and the different ways that facts could be established and verified. They then listen to a short talk and pick out 3 facts. In pairs they can decide how they could fact-check them (which source of information they might use).
Students discuss the different stages of a talk. They listen to a short talk and identify how they knew that they were moving from one stage to another. In pairs they can collect together phrases for signalling the structure to the audience, as well as drawing attention to visual aids to support the talk.
Fine-tuning the Message
Your Voice, My Voice
Say It How You Feel
My ‘Telephone Voice’
Differentiating dialogue from narrative in text
Using different voices to signify different speakers
Understanding the role of punctuation in text
Expressing emotions through volume, tempo, intonation and facial expressions
Telephone phrases
Strategies to compensate for not seeing the other speaker
Phrases for checking arrangements
In texts including dialogue, the punctuation that signals speech is highlighted. Students discuss who is saying these words, and what their voice would sound like. They can then prepare to read these short texts aloud, using different voices (or different voice quality) for the different characters, and the narrative.
Students listen to short clips of music that are louder, quieter, slower or faster and talk about how it makes them feel. They then transfer this to their own language, becoming aware of what emotions they are conveying, and matching facial expressions to reinforce the message.
Students discuss what is missing when they talk on he phone, how not seeing the other person makes communication more difficult, and what they could do to compensate. They collect together phrases for checking understanding and clarifying arrangements made, and then have phone conversations in which they have to arrange to meet their friends.
