Supporting language teaching and learning

1
Is English really enough?
Isabella Moore CILT, the National Centre for
Languages
2
Nuffield Inquiry Recommendations

• Designate languages as a key skill
• Drive forward a national strategy
• Appoint a languages supremo
• Raise the profile of languages
• Give young children a flying start
• Improve arrangements in secondary schools
• Reform organisation and funding of languages in
  Higher Education
• Develop huge potential of language learning in
  adult life
• Establish a national standards framework for
  describing and accrediting language competence
• Coordinate initiatives linking technologies and
  languages

3
Our starting point

• A languages deficit
• Low capability (35), but great enthusiasm (77)
• 9 out of 10 children stop learning languages at
  16
• Employers ambivalent
• Decline at university
• Accelerating drop out post-16
• Statutory 11-16 (but issues of motivation)
• Little or no primary provision

4
The 1990s paradigm of languages for all
Specialists (A-level)
Professionals (FLAW / BTEC)
16
GCSE (National Curriculum)
11-16
Sporadic
5-11
5
16 take up (GCE/CSE and GCSE)
6
A-level take-up
7
Languages at A level
Percentage of French, German Spanish A level
entries, as a proportion of the total number of A
level candidates
8
HE first degree courses French and German, 1996
to 2005
9
Use of Languages
10
Standards of Language Proficiency
11
Major Milestones

• Introduction of Comprehensive education (1970s)
  and the generalisation of languages for all 1114
• Development of Graded objectives in Modern
  Languages (1970 1990)
• HMI reports
• 1983 and 1987 consultations and 1988 statement of
  policy on MFL
• Introduction of a common examination (GCSE)
• Statutory National Curriculum in Modern Foreign
  Languages (1990)
• CILT/NCC non statutory guidance on languages and
  special educational needs (1992)

12
Vision

• Lifelong skill
• To be used for business and pleasure
• Open avenues of communication and exploration
• Instil broader cultural understanding

An essential part of being a citizen
13
Languages for All Languages for LifeA Strategy
for England

• Three overarching objectives
• To improve teaching and learning of languages
• To introduce a recognition system
• To increase the numbers of people studying
  languages

14
Priorities

• Balancing local, regional and national need
• Primary entitlement - capacity and quality
• 14 19 redefining the landscape

15
Sustainable change

• Models and multipliers
• Working in partnerships
• Dissemination
• Rationalising filed forces

16
A new paradigm
Specialist
Vocational
Personal
14
KS3 Framework
11-14
KS2 Framework
7-11
17
A new approach

• Primary focus
• workforce development
• curricular innovation
• building infrastructure and resources
• 2. Raising standards in secondary
• More SLCs
• KS3 Framework
• CPD and networks
• Support and coherence
• The Languages Ladder National recognition
  Scheme
• 4. Promotion and encouragement to all learners

18
The Languages Ladder is

• The National Recognition Scheme for Languages
• One of the three overarching aims of The National
  Languages Strategy
• Designed to endorse achievement in language
  skills at all levels of competence for all ages
  in a wide range of languages

19
The Languages Ladder - principles

• Made up of 6 stages each stage has graded steps
• Can do descriptors for each skill at each
  gradeSpeaking Grade 3I can ask and answer
  simple questions and talk about my interests
• Recognition of individual language
  skillsStand-alone qualifications for Listening,
  Speaking, Reading Writing skills
• Formal assessment available when the learner is
  readySeveral external assessment opportunities
  in an academic year
• Assessment as an endorsement of achievement not
  as an end of course hurdle the recognition of
  success

20
Timetable for development

• Autumn 2006
• Additional languages within the first 3 stages -
  likely to be
• Arabic, Bengali, Gaeilge/Irish, Gujarati, Hindi,
  Modern Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Russian,
  Somali, Swedish, Tamil, Turkish, Welsh and
  Yoruba.
• Advanced (stage 4) to be available in at least 3
  pilot languages

21
National Languages Strategy in Higher Education -
Recommendations

• Formal designation of certain Modern Foreign
  Languages as subjects of strategic national
  importance.
• Possibility of instituting a notice period of 12
  months before the closure of any language
  departments offering undergraduate teaching.
• HEFCE, in conjunction with RDAs, should take a
  more active role in examining the implications
  that falling languages provision may have for
  student access at the regional level

22
Policy development

• Tomlinson
• 14-19 Education and Skills White paper
• Every child matters
• Higher standards, better schools for all more
  choice for parents and pupils
• Skills getting on in business, getting on at
  work
• Apprenticeship Task Force

23
Local delivery of national strategy

• Co-ordination
• Retained funding
• People who make things happen
• Collaboration
• Local planning and networks
• LAs, Comenius/RSG, SLCs, HEIs
• Schools hubs and partnerships
• Sustainable Workforce Development
• Recruitment
• CPD for classroom teachers
• Teaching Assistants, HLTAs and FLAs
• Primary/secondary partnerships
• Resources
• QCA Schemes of work
• NACELL

24
Networks
SLC hubs
Pathfinders
LEAs
HEIs
Comenius Centres
ASTs
The National Languages Strategy
FLAs
ALL
Teaching Assistants
Non-specialist schools
Business
RLNs
RDAs
25
Implementation Mobilising and building the
networks
26
Specialist Language Colleges
27
Comenius Networks mission

• Consultation
• Building contacts
• Identifying and setting up key structures
• Facilitating delivery of National Language
  Strategy priorities
• Supporting policy development and implementation
• Leveraging funding

Intelligence gathering Language and capacity audit

• Action
• Information dissemination
• CPD to teachers
• Training of trainers

28
Early Language Learning Regional Support Groups
29
14-19 Learning Networks

• Comenius seminars
• Networking across the country
• CILT 14-19 National Conference

30
Primary LanguagesA Rationale for Early
Language Learning

• Learning a language is.Exciting! Fantastic!
  Magical! Useful! Stimulating! Really, really,
  100 x really FUN

• Enjoyment and creativity
• Support for literacy and oracy
• Learning gains
• International understanding
• Integral part of Primary Curriculum not
• bolt-on extra

31
Primary Entitlement
Every child should have the opportunity
throughout Key Stage 2 to study a foreign
language and develop their interest in the
culture of other nations. They should have
access to high quality teaching and learning
opportunities, making use of native speakers and
e-learning. By age 11 they should have the
opportunity to reach a recognised level of
competence on the Common European Framework and
for that achievement to be recognised through a
national scheme
32
Support for Primary Languages

• KS2 Framework for LanguagesProvides a national
  reference point learning objectives for KS2
  languagesAvailable in hard copy online
• Regional BriefingsIn all nine regions of England
  from February
• Training for Trainers18 funded training sessions
  for teachers across England
• Primary Languages - The Training ZoneOnline,
  supports the Framework with interactive materials
  for leaders, teachers trainers, including video
  audio examples of best practice

33
Support for Primary Languages

• Schemes of WorkQCA is producing Schemes of Work
  for Years 3-6 in French, German SpanishWill
  be freely available and onlineAdvisory not
  statutory can be adapted by schoolsFrench
  available from Oct 2006 German Spanish from
  Oct 2007
• Professional DevelopmentIntroductory training
  courses for Teaching Assistants Higher Level
  Teaching Assistants who already have language
  skillsMaterials free to download from the
  internet

34
KS2 Framework for Languages

• Five strands
• Oracy
• Literacy
• Intercultural understanding
• Knowledge about language
• Language learning strategies

• Principles
• Climbing frame, not cage
• Languages as integral part of primary curriculum,
  not bolt-on extra

• Support
• Guidance documents
• Planning and case studies (from 2006)

35
Early Language Learning in Specialist Language
Colleges The ELL-LC project

• Has been running since October 2002 and now
  involves190 SLCs and their primary partners
• Project support includes
• Annual launch and dissemination conferences
• National and regional face-to-face support e.g.
  seminars and workshops from CILT specialist
  advisers
• Electronic and telephone support from CILT
  specialist Language Teaching Advisers
• A comprehensive training trainers programme
• Straightforward reporting and feedback

36
Primary Progress to date
37
(No Transcript)
38
Proportion of schools making languages optional
39
Making Entitlement a Reality

• Setting a benchmark
• 50 minimum
• rising to 90
• Reporting to Ofsted
• Reporting to parents/school profile
• Monitoring

40
Factors affecting take-up

• Attitudes
• relevance
• progress they feel they are making
• enjoyment
• Senior Management support
• The option system
• Courses and qualifications
• Which languages?
• Promotion
• FE
• mainly optional element within vocational courses
• regional variations

41
Meeting the Challenge

• Advocacy Redoubled efforts to convince
• pupils, heads and governors
• parents, press and politicians
• Training and development for careers teachers
• Curricular reform
• Linking across curriculum
• New languages
• Meanings that matter
• Diplomas
• New modes and formats of delivery
• Content and language integrated learning
• Language days
• Links and partnerships
• Fast tracking
• Vocational courses employability

42
Innovation

• Fast tracking
• Vocational courses
• Level 1 courses
• New qualifications Asset languages
• New languages
• Content and language integrated learning
• New formats (eg language days)
• European projects
• Links and partnerships

43
14-19 Specialised Diplomas

• Phase I in schools/colleges September 2008 Phase
  1 Specialised Diplomas will all include languages
  
• Built Environment, ICT, Engineering, Health
  Social care, Creative/Cultural/Media
• Sector Skills Agreements
• Sector Qualifications Strategies
• Diploma Development Partnerships
• Employer consultation, draft content, Awarding
  Bodies

44
Languages Work
45
Making the case for languages

• To Heads and Governors
• To Parents and the local community
• To other staff
• To pupils

46
Business language champions
47
14-19 Learning Networks

• all sectors
• all students
• all abilities

• using e-learning
• replicable models
• expanding choice

• in each of the nine government regions

• impacting locally, regionally and nationally

• focussing on all forms of language provision
  14-19

48
Languages and Sport Loughborough College
A network of FE Colleges developing language
content for Sports course
Linking with Youth Sports Trust to help
specialist Sports and Language Colleges to work
together
National programmes for languages and sports
49
Co. Durham schools developing e-learning AS/A
Level course with video conferencing
Liaison with other regions to develop model for
replication
TEESDALE SCHOOL
50
Tile Hill Wood School and Language College,
Coventry

• Working with local consortium
• Regional conference 28 June

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)
51
Growth in use
52
Language policy in Wales

• The policy document for MFL in Wales is Languages
  Count.
• MFL is compulsory in maintained schools from
  11-14.
• There are no binding targets for KS4 take-up
  within schools.
• Welsh is compulsory, either as a first or second
  language, in all maintained schools in Wales from
  age 5-16.
• At GCSE level provision can take the form of a
  full or half course, with both First and Second
  language exams being available.
• Post-16, MFL or Welsh form a small  part of the
  compulsory core of the Welsh Baccalaureate
  Qualification, which is currently being piloted
  in a number of schools and colleges around Wales.
• The only formal requirement for MFL and Welsh
  from KS2-3 is teacher assessment at the end of
  KS3.
• League tables have also been abolished.

53
Language policy in Scotland

• Strategy for modern languages strongly influenced
  by the report Citizens of a Multilingual World
  (2000)
• The Scottish Executive response (September 2001)
  was generally favourable and included special
  funding for further languages innovation in
  schools.
• Partly as a result of this encouragement, numbers
  continuing to take a modern language to age 16 at
  school have generally remained high, though the
  numbers proceeding beyond that age to take a
  Higher and beyond remain only approximately half
  of what they were in 1976.
• Since 2001, some concerns have been raised
  concerning the extent to which a modern language
  will be taken by the majority of students to the
  end of S4 (age 16).
• This is because a greater degree of flexibility,
  as in England, is being encouraged within the
  school curriculum as a whole.
• This could well lead some headteachers to favour
  languages as an optional rather than compulsory
  subject from the end of S2 or even S1.

54
Language policy in Northern Ireland

• No Language strategy yet in Northern Ireland
• Ideas from Wales may be taken on board to provide
  for Irish Medium (Immersion ) education.
• There is no entitlement to primary languages, but
  a recommendation has been included in current
  curriculum review.  
• All pupils do a language at Key stage 3.
  Languages will be optional at KS4
• Grammar schools are likely to retain a compulsory
  language for most or all pupils at KS4. Secondary
  schools are likely to drop the compulsory
  language at KS4, in some cases altogether.
• Schools must currently offer one of French,
  German, Spanish or Italian before they can offer
  Irish.
• There is a growing Irish medium (Immersion)
  sector.
• Numbers have remained fairly stable at GCSE.
  German is declining rapidly, Spanish increasing.
  French, Irish stable.

55
Reasons for losing business
56
Barriers to Trade Language Culture

• These findings are broadly comparable across all
  parts of Britain England and Wales (language
  46 and culture 20) Scotland (language 50
  culture 17 although the sample is small) and
  Northern Ireland (language 38 and culture
  24). They also concur with the findings of the
  Metra Martech language study, where 44 of
  exporters viewed languages as at least a partial
  barrier to trade.

57
The British Chambers of Commerce analytical
framework

• Opportunists, who just respond to approaches from
  foreign clients rather than initiate business
  developments, most often failing to adapt and
  localise their product to their market and
  communicating only in English.
• Developers, who tend to adapt their products and
  services more readily to foreign markets but
  remain reactive towards export development and
  communicate in English.
• Adaptors, who make an effort to adjust their
  products and services to their foreign markets,
  have sales literature in the customers languages
  and have penetrated a wide range of markets.
• Enablers, who are proactive in their exporting,
  consciously select markets and adapt their
  products, services and literature to meet the
  markets. They place a great deal of importance on
  staff within their business having foreign
  language skills.

58
Talking world class