Daniel is described as an inspirational tutor who is always looking for new and innovative ways of engaging and supporting a diverse cohort of learners. As an ESOL teacher, he says,
Taesar Matouk settled in Wales from Syria, he says, “I am learning English and about living in the UK with Daniel. He has helped me very much, he helped me to do a cooking demonstration for members of the community so that they were able to learn about Syrian food. I have now passed my driving theory test and I have got a part-time job.”
Daniel has worked at Coleg Menai for 13 years and during this time he has gained further professional qualifications, developing his role in the college within the TESOL teacher training team as well as leading on entrepreneurship workshops and developing innovation proposals. He offers weekly drop-in sessions where staff in the college can access support and training and in his own time delivers a weekly half hour mindfulness session open to all staff.
Exploring Virtual Reality in FE and Language Learning is an area of development which Daniel has pioneered. Daniel first starting using his own equipment to trial VR in the classroom, he’s created new resources and content for this platform, primarily for the use of ESOL learners. Learners can visit
the doctor or dentist virtually, preparing them for real life situations.
He says, “I believe this technology has the potential to engage people with education in completely new ways.
I hope this work will impact on learners who otherwise struggle with accessing training and education. Education is everyone’s birth right – but many have come to believe that doesn’t apply to them. Let’s help them re-engage with lifelong learning and change their minds.”