An inspirational tutor at Coleg Menai in Bangor, who is always looking for new and innovative ways of engaging and supporting his students, has been rewarded with a prestigious award.

At a glittering ceremony held in Cardiff last week, and hosted by television presenter Nia Parry, Daniel Dyboski-Bryant, who teaches English to Speakers of Other Languages, was named Inspire! Tutor Award winner 2019.
The Inspire! Awards are a celebration of the impact that tutors have in supporting adult learners to achieve their potential and transform their lives. They are co-ordinated by the Learning and Work Institute, in partnership with the Welsh Government, and are supported by NTFW, Colleges Wales, the National Centre for learning Welsh, Universities Wales, and Adult Learning Partnership Wales.

Each year, nominations are sought across Wales for those outstanding tutors and mentors whose commitment, knowledge and skills have given adult learners the encouragement to pursue their goals and dreams, and the confidence to transform their lives.

Kirsty Williams, Minister for Education, said: “The Inspire! Tutor Awards are a great way to thank people whose skills, time and commitment continue to support so many journeys in learning, often with life-changing results.”

Daniel has worked at Coleg Menai for 13 years and, during this time, 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. In addition to teaching, he offers weekly drop-in sessions where staff in the college can access support and training and, in his own time, delivers a weekly mindfulness session open to staff and students.

Manager Sharon Owen had no doubt in her mind about who she was nominating for the award, saying, “Daniel is passionate about giving learners the best opportunity to succeed, and works hard to ensure that all teaching and learning sessions are challenging, enjoyable and tailored to meet the needs of all. He cares for each and every one of his students, and does his utmost to support them in their studies and in their lives.”

Daniel said, “I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be a tutor to such an inspiring and warm group of learners, with such humbling life stories. Seeing my students go on to be happy, settled and successful with their families and lives is deeply rewarding. When everyone is learning and living well, we all stand to benefit. That’s the future I want to live in and raise my kids in.”

Daniel has also recently become interested in the use of Virtual Reality in Education, and has utilised his own equipment to trial VR in the classroom. From small beginnings, this has now grown into a pilot project that has the potential to influence teaching and learning across the whole organisation. Daniel has used his own time to develop expertise in this area and, in the last year, has addressed conferences in the Netherlands and San Francisco on the subject.

Daniel has also created new resources and content for this platform, and has worked collaboratively with staff and learners from the college’s Games Development department to prototype a learning environment, primarily for the use of ESOL learners.

On the innovative use of VR, Manager Sharon Owen added, “Daniel’s enthusiasm for this emerging technology is infectious and it has certainly contributed to the buzz around the place. Learners think that the use of VR in the classroom is fantastic, and there is no doubt that this provides excellent opportunities to develop language in a variety of real life situations.”

Daniel added, “I believe this technology has the potential to engage people with education in completely new ways, and will also help learners who otherwise struggle with accessing training and education. Education and training is everyone’s birthright, but many have come to believe that this doesn’t apply to them. Let’s help them re-engage with lifelong learning and change their minds.”

For more information on ESOL or Adult, Community and Evening courses at Coleg Menai, please visit www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/adult-and-community/

PHOTOS: Daniel with presenter Nia Parry.