10. Curriculum 10.1 As noted earlier, learners of English for speakers of other languages are a particularly diverse group who will have different aptitudes in their general level of education, their language skills and their motivation and a wide range of cultural backgrounds that may differ significantly from those of most learners of basic literacy. This has significant implications for the curriculum and teaching methods. 10.2 The London Language and Literacy Unit has developed an ESOL curriculum which has now been published for consultation. This curriculum addresses each of the four skills of listening/speaking and reading/writing and: includes specific references to the learning requirements of those who do not speak English as their first language; recognises that ESOL learners bring a wealth of cultural, linguistic and educational experience which should be fully utilised in the course of teaching and learning; recognises that ESOL learners bring with them a particularly wide range of different learning styles, which need to be taken into account; recognises that many learners also bring an in-depth experience of other literacies; recognises the learner's first language as a positive basis for acquisition of English, which can be 'scaffolded' on to existing language and literacy skills; takes into account theoretical and practical strategies for second language acquisition; takes into account that time required for learners to acquire a whole new spoken and written language. 10.3 The draft basic skills curriculum emphasises the importance of accurate diagnostic assessment leading to the development of learning plans, a detailed skills based scheme of work with relevant but transferable contexts for learning and regular opportunities for formal assessment. ESOL approaches to curriculum planning must follow a similar broad outline. 10.4 We recommend that all ESOL courses should be based on a group learning plan, syllabus and scheme of work and should include individual diagnostic, formative and summative assessment. Class sizes may make it very difficult to manage individual learning plans but we believe that these should be compiled wherever possible. Recommendation 7: Curriculum There should be an independent evaluation of the ESOL curriculum in practice, linked in with the proposed review of the national basic skills standards framework in 2003/4.

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