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Derrin Kent ( Links: BLOG / BUSINESS )

Manager / Trainer / Linguist / Geek

In addition to his Free Software knowledge and skills, Derrin Kent is a professionally qualified and highly experienced Trainer, and Trainer Trainer, in the teaching of English as a Foreign Language to Adults.

Why do Adult Learning providers need to worry about ESOL?

...because ESOL needs are not the same as Literacy and Numeracy needs.

Derrin has identified a skills gap in the way WBL providers ESOL teachers fail to embed their ESOL teaching into practical Work-Based Learning programmes. Derrin believes he can convert WBL ESOL trainers, within a matter of hours, to using a healthier approach to ESOL teaching for learners in workplace learning settings... and is keen for interested providers to make contact with him for support in this respect.

Most WBL providers have long-standing experience in providing literacy and numeracy key skills support, but few have a background in training ESOL. Similarly many ESOL providers have little background in providing ESOL training within practical workplace settings.

While there are many excellent language teaching institutions out there, few of these are excellent at preparing people to perform better in the workplace. While there are many excellent WBL providers out there, few of these employ ESOL teachers who can competently fuse their ESOL teaching into a good Work-Based Learning programme.

This is where Derrin fits in. Derrin can quickly and efficiently refocus and retrain your ESOL staff to practically embed ESOL teaching into really effective, practical and clearly vocationally-oriented work-based learning programmes.

Derrin says: "You really learn best how to do something when you have to teach others to do it. My twelve years spent as an ESOL teacher trainer and teacher developer and my six years spent in in-company training contexts have equipped me to prepare Work-Based Learning providers to deal with learners in the workplace who have ESOL needs."


For many years now (scroll down to read the write-up of Derrin's talk at this 2002 conference for an example) Derrin has had an interest in approaching the teaching of English language from the perspective of langauge being seen as lexical chunks which re-occur and re-occur within spoken and written texts. Many of these "texts" get recycled day after day, year after year.

Derrin is equally as critical of those language teachers who overemphasise the, often rather dull, teaching of grammar as he is of those who overemphasise the, often rather pointless, freewheeling speaking practice activities where little correction and language focus is taking place.

Instead, Derrin encourages both teachers and learners to become increasingly linguistically aware, within their practical everyday communication... and to pause the communicative flow sometimes to reflect on what is going on linguistically. Derrin helps teachers to notice both which texts we most regularly recycle at work and also which particular errors most impede our ESOL learners communication skills.

When langauge learning is given a practical slant like this it becomes fun, enjoyable and practical to learn.... and becomes always a hit when embedded into practical work-based learning contexts.


Derrin's published work

As well as editing the IATEFL Teacher Trainers and Educators' Special Interest Group Newsletter for 3 years, Derrin has published a few books on ES(O)L-related topics and also some articles in professional journals. Some of these articles are still available for purchase or download:

...and you will see some of Derrin's other articles mentioned in the International House author index.

Derrin has also been published twice in IATEFL Selections (2002-York & 2005-Cardiff)- a publication carrying print resumes of selected presentations from the International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) Annual Conference.