The National Curriculum for contemporary foreign languages was updated in 1999, and aims towards giving "teachers, pupils, parents, employers and the wider community a clear and shared comprehension of the skills and knowledge that young people will gain at school" (National curriculum, 2003:3).
The buildings of the National Curriculum enables teachers to use this working document in order to familiarize their long-term, mid-term and short term planning. Amongst general guidelines, it contains a Programme of Study defined in the 1996 schooling Act as "the matters, skills and processes that should be taught to pupils of different abilities and maturities during the key stage."(National Curriculum, 2003:6) contemporary Languages Departments have the responsibility to settle on how they want this programme to be implemented, and this has to be detailed in their schemes of work for the varied year groups.
Gauge Absolute Pressure
The Programme of study features five mains strands to address in Key stage 3 and 4: students should regain knowledge and comprehension of the target language, invent languages skills, invent language-learning skills, invent cultural awareness and have a breadth of study. These strands are sub-divided in more definite points, which are no longer topic based, such as "pupils should be taught the principle of interrelationship of sounds and writing in the target language" ( National Curriculum, 2003:16).
The National Curriculum also includes attainment targets and level descriptors which should help to assess the doing of students uniformly across the country. The 1996 schooling Act, section 353a, defines the attainment target for contemporary Foreign Languages as the "knowledge, skills and comprehension that pupils of different abilities and maturities are imaginable to have by the end of each key stage". Attainment targets across the curriculum consist of eight level descriptors, which impart the range of abilities and knowledge that students should have when they reach that level. For all the core subjects started in customary school, students have already been assessed using these levels; therefore, secondary schools are in case,granted with prior data for each trainee new to a school. However, as languages are not statutory in customary school, secondary contemporary Foreign Languages teachers are not in case,granted with any data about students' prior learning. This implies that in Year 7 students are in mixed quality groups, Amongst which some students have already practised languages, and some other have had no relationship with a foreign language. Planning the lessons to suit the needs and skills of each personel trainee within the group is very difficult to achieve.
The National Curriculum promotes cross- curricular teaching and studying in varied areas such as spiritual, moral and social and cultural development, key skills and reasoning skills. It stresses the point of the National Literacy strategy, a statutory strategy across the curriculum since 2000, as "Pupils should be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and appropriately and to read accurately and with understanding" (Literacy Strategy, 37:2000). Literacy has to be part of a whole school approach, and roles and responsibilities are clearly dispatched throughout the staff. The task of the director of studying is to monitor that the procedure is implemented, in each department, and he gives guidance to all the staff as how to teach literacy. Each agency is imaginable to recognize literacy skills to focus on, in their agency and consist of favorable strategies in the schemes of work. Indeed, contemporary Foreign Languages are directly connected with literacy skills, as pupils are taught a foreign language, in general through their knowledge of their native language. Besides, Hawkins suggests (1996: 21) that "one of the most effective ways of comprehension the buildings of a language is to assess it with the buildings of other language".
Schools have the promulgation to contribute a broad and balanced curriculum for all their students. This is one of the key general teaching requirements in England. All students must have equal studying opportunities. There are three main system for inclusion that teachers need to remember when planning their lessons: setting favorable studying challenge, responding to pupils' varied studying needs, and providing manageable assessments. Every child has to be treated as an individual, with his pace, needs and desire.
Researches have shown that "subject selection differs in single sex schools from that in mixed schools, and this may impart to boys' perceived susceptibility to peer pressure... In single sex setting, boys were more keen on languages than in their counterparts in mixed-sex schools" (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 133). If the boys are often achieving well in Year 7 and 8 in languages, it seems that they come to be disaffected in favour of subjects seen as more masculine, like sciences, from Year 9 onwards. Boys are normally more participating orally, during a lesson. The National Curriculum states that "to ensure that they meet the full range of pupils' needs, teachers should be aware of the requirements of the equal opportunities legislation, that covers race, gender, and disability" (National Curriculum, 2003: 21). The laws states that teachers should know about are The Sex Discrimination Act, 1975, The Race Relation Act, 1976, and the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995.
On the web site "Teacher Net" about equal opportunities and schooling it is said that "Schools must broaden the opportunities for all pupils to reach their personel potential. The objective is not equality in the absolute sense of every person achieving the same, but the removal of what are often referred to as "barriers" to educational success."
Ii. 2. The National Strategy for England; Languages for all: Languages for life
Ii.2.a. Rationale
"In the knowledge community of the 21st century, language competence and intercultural comprehension are not elective extras; they are an requisite part of being a citizen. For too long we have lagged behind as a nation in our quality to contribute fully as multi-lingual and culturally aware citizens. Likewise, in the global cheaper too few employees have the requisite skills to be able to engage fully in international business, and too few employers withhold their employees in gaining further language skills as part of their jobs" (Dfes, 2002:5). This statement made by the agency for schooling and Skills certifies their knowledge and comprehension of their countries rocky relationship with contemporary Foreign Languages. Their respond to this issue is "The National Strategy for England; Languages for All: languages for life" was published on the 18th of December 2002. This document sets out the Government's plans to transform the countries abilities and views about languages.
The Nuffield Languages Inquiry, ordered by the Government in 1999, has established, as explained earlier, that the Government did not have a coherent approach to languages, and that there was no continuity in the initiatives about contemporary Foreign Languages from customary school to university.
It is to address this issue and any others raised in the Nuffield Inquiry Final report that the Government published primarily a Green Paper 14-19 entitled "Languages Learning: Extending opportunity, raising standards" in February 2002. This Green Paper lays the foundations to the National Languages Strategy published later that year. The proposals in this text focus on varied concerns that the Government proposes to work upon; entitle students in customary school to study a language by 2012, increase the whole of Languages Colleges, augment the whole of people studying languages in further and higher education, increase the whole of persons teaching languages, and work towards recognition of languages by community in England.
Ii.2.b Aims and strategies
The audit that the Government made in December 2002 embraces many issues and is very straightforward. They are fully aware of the urgency that languages have undergone in the former 30 years. Their purpose is to convert the perception that the nation has about languages and they are conscious that this will not be an easy challenge.
They decided to focus on creating an entitlement to languages for all pupils at Key Stage 2. "Every child should have the opening throughout Key Stage 2 to study a language and invent their interest in culture of other nations. They should have access to high quality teaching and studying opportunities, development use of native speakers and e-learning. By age 11 they should have the opening to reach a recognised level of competence in the coarse European Framework and for that achievement to be recognised through a national scheme." (Dfes, 2002:15). This involves many constraints which are already listed in the National Strategy, but the Government also suggests pathways to perform this long term project, which should be operational nationally by 2012. To deliver these lessons, customary school teachers who show interest in contemporary Foreign Languages will be trained.
Furthermore, incentives will be given for language specialists to train for the customary level. Schools could also share a scholar teacher within a catchment's area. Furthermore, the Government advises to use members of the wider community demonstrating abilities in languages, and train them to teach at Key Stage 2 level. scholar Languages Colleges should share best practice with their customary school colleagues, by doing outreach work. As the results obtained for National test by students' attending scholar Languages School prove to have improved tremendously, the National Strategy advocates expanding the whole of schools having this scholar status from 157 in 2002 to 200 by 2005. This also means that these schools, as they offer a varied range of languages have more staff within their contemporary Foreign Languages department. One of the consequences which, is directly connected to the Strategy is that these schools are able to offer their competences to the local community. This can improve the perspective that a whole area has about languages.
Likewise, advanced Skills Teachers are teachers who have been identified by Local schooling Authorities, as outstanding pro within their scholar subjects will be complex in helping customary schools colleagues. Their role consists already in providing withhold to schools where whether the exam results are very low, or in departments undergoing structural difficulties.
In order to increase the whole of students taking up languages after 16, the Government insists on enhancing teaching and studying at Ks3 and Ks4. Students need to invent great abilities, and perform great in order to be willing to carry on studying a language at a higher level. The curriculum needs to be increasingly flexible and the range of routes for studying language during the 14-19 phase should expand. The decrease in the whole of pupils studying one language or more at A level has obviously had an impact on the provision for languages at universities. However, the National Strategy puts on emphasis on new courses offered which are joined degrees in a language and a more practical skill. Sixty new degrees which embed a language and business, administration or tourism have been advanced in the past few years. The objective of this definite part of the National Strategy tailors to the needs expressed by industries. Indeed, professionals admit that they lack of competent linguists on their rolls. Often, the proficiency that employees have, does not allow them to carry out a company conversation with a inherent European partner. Some clubs even admitted that they lost some company opportunities due to the incompetence of their staff in languages.
To motivate adults and to give reputation to people for their languages skills, the Government wants to invent a national, voluntary recognition system, to supplement existing qualifications. They plan for the general social to be able to self-assess and report their achievements by using Ict. The Nuffield Feasibility Study commissioned in 2001 suggested the improvement of "Learning Ladder for Languages" which could be used to recognise and define language proficiency. However, there would be a possibility to take a test for people who would like to gain a certification.
Ii.2.c. Languages at Key Stage 4
The Green Paper "Languages Learning: Extending opportunity, raising standards" takes also a route that seems to be contradicting all the other educational reforms proposed to improve the status of languages in the United Kingdom within this definite document. "We do intend to amend the statutory requirements at Key Stage 4 so that schools will no longer be required to teach contemporary Foreign Languages to all pupils. All schools will be required to ensure as a minimum that they are available to any pupil wishing to study them" (Dfes, 2002: 26).
This statement was the first step in which the Government revealed its intention. It was followed by the creation of a Working Group for 14-19 Reform, chaired by Sir Mike Tomlison. A final report was published in October 2004. The Working Group set out a whole new foresight for the hereafter of languages studying in Britain, beginning the studying process early, by teaching contemporary Foreign Languages at Key Stage 2 and entitling students to more flexibility and choice, especially for the 14 to 19 years old.
This decision implies that contemporary Foreign Languages becomes a requirement as schools have to cater for each personel student, but also an option. All students in the United Kingdom are given the opening to settle in Year 9 whether they want to carry on studying a language. It is not longer a core field alongside Maths, Science, and English. The status that contemporary Foreign Languages had since the 1996 reform "Languages for All" has been wholly transformed. This governmental decision has had a huge impact on the contemporary Foreign Languages teachers' community.
The Government is prone to invent the vocational seashore of education, and for students to undertake work connected studying during Key Stage 4. contemporary Foreign Languages are also part of this process, as some new qualifications are advanced and currently tested in pilot school. An alternative to the customary Gcse French is worked upon by the examining body Edexcel. This new generation exam is called Gcse in applied French. The objective of this qualification is to enable students to invent skills which can be applied to pro context such as business, tourism, media and communication. Students are assessed by sitting external examination, which are in general Ict based. There are 60 pilot schools across the United Kingdom testing this revolutionary exam, and the first formal test will take place in 2006.
Ii.2.d. Implementation
Most of the aspects of the National Strategy for Languages are an on-going process that should have reached its climax by 2012, when all customary schools will be imaginable to contribute languages lessons to their pupils. However, in order to kick off this Strategy the Government invested £1.2 million to start a contemporary Foreign Languages pilot. This was to contribute a Framework of teaching objectives and guidance, training and network meeting. An further venture of £10 million was planned by 2005/2006 to withhold the Strategy. The funding is to be allocated to introduce the customary school entitlement, to increase of the whole of contemporary Foreign Languages teachers, to contribute staff training and development, to promote best practice and to invent international partnerships.
A National Director for Languages was appointed to overview, enlarge and deliver the Strategy. The Centre for data on Language Teaching and research lead by Dr Lid King plays also a major role in the implementation of the Strategy. Their knowledge of the evolution of the educational system and also their link with pro makes them a requisite source of data and advice. Local schooling Authorities should withhold the Government in the application of the Strategy. They are closer to schools and communities and are able to regain more unquestionably feedback about how the decisions are perceived and implemented.
The success of the "Languages for All: Languages for Life; a Strategy for England" is to be measured against a set of outcomes Amongst which, whether the needs of businesses are met, and whether the standards of teaching are great at all Key Stages. Other factors that will validate the fulfillment of the task are the increase of the demands for adults' language learning, the flexibility of the routes into studying a contemporary Foreign Language, and more importantly the quality of the entitlement in case,granted at Key Stage 2.
Ii. 3. Framework for Teaching contemporary Foreign Languages: Years 7, 8 and 9
The Framework for Teaching contemporary Foreign Languages is designed to withhold most languages taught at Key Stage 3. It is built on a similar pattern to the framework for customary Schools, which is a new task to improve the level of achievement of students in English at customary School level by creating a Literacy hour. This Hour consists in teaching the whole class for 75% of the time, and is shared in 10 minutes of reviewing, consolidating and introducing new objectives, 15 minutes of work on the word level, and 15 minutes on reading and writing. The remaining 25% of the time is dedicated to group work on guided tasks or independent work. The episode ends up by a plenary session which is included in the time dedicated to the whole class work. This way of managing time appears to set a disposition and makes it easier for pupils to make the transition from one year group to the next. A similar framework exists for English at Key Stage 3, which means that the government wishes to bridge the gap in the middle of customary and secondary school education.
The National Framework for contemporary Foreign Languages is a non statutory document published in spring 2003 and was available nationally from September 2003. The Government in case,granted training for all contemporary Foreign Languages colleagues from autumn 2003. In order to perform this necessity to train all teachers the government in case,granted money to contribute cover teachers.
Ii.3.a. Aims and objectives
"The framework and its objectives are designed to give teachers a reasoning map of languages studying over Key Stage 3. The framework should not be seen as a dry menu of linguistics. The grammar is not a detach heading but is to withhold work at varied levels. A key function of the contemporary Foreign Languages Framework is to encourage a rethink of where the emphasis should be in languages teaching and learning." (Dfes, 2003:16). The purpose of this framework is to raise standards by enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.
The teaching has to be focused by planning lessons according to objectives and ensure pupils are fully aware of those. Students need to be challenged and teachers therefore have to set high expectations so that students try to surpass their current level of achievement. The studying needs are to be structured with lessons beginning with a starter activity to catch students' attention as soon as they enter the classroom. Then, they should be a collection of activities delivered with pace. The episode should end up with a plenary to ascertain whether the objectives have been met and contribute formative assessment in order to familiarize the planning of subsequent lessons. The studying needs to be motivating and inviting by integrating fun activities where appropriate. Teachers should seek students' quality to do independent studying by providing frames and studying strategies. It is also requisite to build pupils' reflection by teaching them to think about what they learn and how they do so. They have to be complex in setting themselves targets whilst they enlarge their learning. Pupils have to be more aware of the curriculum. It needs to be more accessible so that students are engaged in their learning, and come to be independent in doing so.
There are five main strands within this Framework which are a focus on the word level, the sentence level, reading and writing, listening and speaking and cultural knowledge and contact. It moves away from topic dependence to join on the skills students need to invent in order to apprehend a language and to scholar it.
The Framework systematically builds progression and is designed to give the teaching and studying focus for each year; Year 7: foundation, Year 8: acceleration and Year 9: independence. The training programme provides guidance to teachers and Heads of contemporary Foreign Languages departments on planning schemes of work, which should be amended and strengthened but not necessarily rewritten.
In the United Kingdom, teachers at different stages of their vocation are complex in writing schemes of work. This enables them to have a great knowledge of the curriculum. Using the Schemes of Work published as a guidance by the agency for schooling and Skills, and merging them with the ones produced by publishers, teachers conduct to originate a working document that is favorable to their agency needs, but which is also respecting the governmental guidelines about the Key Stage 3 Strategy and Programme of Study.
Ii.3.c. Cross curricular themes
The framework strongly recommends a link in the middle of school subjects in order to contribute students with transferable skills and effective studying strategies. Numeracy, Literacy, Citizenship, and a coherent assessment procedure are to be advanced in the varied subjects in order to increase each student's potential.
"Numeracy is a proficiency which is advanced in general in Mathematics but also in other subjects. It is more than an quality to do simple arithmetic. It involves developing confidence and competence with numbers and measures. It requires comprehension of the whole system, a repertoire of mathematical techniques and an inclination and quality to solve quantitative or spatial system in a range of contexts. Numeracy also demands comprehension of the way in which data is gathered by counting and measuring, and presented in graphs, diagrams, charts and tables." (DfEe 2001a: 1.9)
Teaching a contemporary Foreign Language includes teaching the culture of the countries where the language is spoken. There are varied ways in which Numeracy and cultural dimension are merging, as for instance, request students to read the 24-hour clock, which is the tradition in continental Europe. Often, in role plays, pupils are asked to tell their phone number, which works in pairs in France, and this implies a lot of concentration, as plainly they would be tempted to read the numbers one by one. The postcodes as well are built up differently. Talking about the weather can come to be an opening to use maths, as you can ask the pupils to convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
"All secondary school teachers have a responsibility to teach key skills in expanding to their own subject" (Tanner, Jones and Davies, 2002: 189). If the bridge to be made in the middle of Numeracy and contemporary Foreign Languages does not appear sure at first, a accepted knowledge of the curriculum and schemes of work prove the link that contemporary Foreign Languages departments managed to build in their teaching. Therefore they respect the government guidelines, but also fulfill their responsibilities as teacher, that is not only teaching a field but also teaching studying tools.
Literacy is integral to all learning. Every school in the United Kingdom is supposed to have its own Literacy policy. It has to be part of a whole school approach, and roles and responsibilities are clearly dispatched throughout the staff. The task of the director of studying is to monitor that the procedure is implemented, in each department, and he gives guidance to all the staff as how to teach literacy. Each agency is imaginable to recognize literacy skills to focus on in their agency and consist of favorable strategies in the schemes of work.
Most school policies group four main skills, that is to say speaking, listening, reading and writing, which form the foundation to explain system and strict targets in working upon literacy. For example, pupils should be taught in all subjects to express themselves correctly and to read accurately and with understanding.
Indeed, contemporary Foreign Languages are in direct link with literacy skills, as pupils are taught a foreign language in general throughout their knowledge of their native language. Also Hawkins suggests (1996: 21) that "one of the most effective ways of comprehension the buildings of a language is to assess it with the buildings of other language". Examples of elements studied in a language classroom should highlight this idea: basic and advanced grammar skills, grammatical terminology, parts of speech, sentence construction, listening for gist and detail, guess the meaning of a word thanks to the context, quality to use a dictionary and glossaries. In expanding pupils are encouraged to read for their own delight from Ks3 onwards.
Most of these activities are included in the Programme of Study for contemporary Foreign Languages. Furthermore, the National Curriculum for contemporary Foreign Languages says plainly and clearly that "Since accepted English, spoken and written, is the paramount language in which knowledge and skills are taught and learned, pupils be taught to recognise and use accepted English", even if on other hand, target language should be used as often as possible. Also, in the same source, there are definite references to the English programme of study in the areas of grammar, drafting written work and knowing the technical vocabulary of a language (DfEe / Qca, 1999: 16 17).
"Citizenship gives pupils the knowledge, skills and comprehension to play an effective role in society, at local, national and international levels. It helps them to come to be informed, thoughtful and responsible citizens, who are aware of their duties and their rights... It also teaches them about our cheaper and democratic institutions and values; encourages respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities; develops pupil's quality to reflect on issues and take part in discussions." (DfEe / Qca, 1999:183)
The Programme of Study for Citizenship divides in three strands, which are:
- Knowledge and comprehension about becoming informed citizens.
- Developing skills of enquiry and communication
- Developing skills of participation and responsible actions.
Each school decides to deliver the statutory and/or non-statutory guidelines for Citizenship, Careers schooling and Pshce in a way that suits them best. In contemporary Foreign Languages, any topics can lead to conversations about citizenship. In Year 7, it is already inherent to consist of the concept of "citizen of the world", when pupils are taught Nationalities. In Year 9, pupils learn about the environment. It can lead to a moot about what they should do to "save the planet". In Year 13, pupils talk about global matters like politics and racism. They are about to be allowed to vote, and establishment them to the topic "Crime and Punishment" for instance, is a good opening to make them think about their own country, through comparing it to France or Germany.
"Assessment is a crucial part of the teaching process... It enables the teacher to gauge whether what has been taught has in fact been learnt by the students. It provides data for the trainee on his/ her progress. It provides data for the parents". (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 107).
At the start of a lesson, pupils need to be set clear objectives, in order to know and understand the purpose of their learning. At the end of the lesson, teachers have to check whether these objectives have been met. Plenary activities are beneficial in this matter, as it is often a way of reinforcing the studying but also evaluating pupils.
The teacher training in case,granted in The United Kingdom advises teachers to set differentiated studying outcomes in three different strands. There are to be expectations for "some students", which recount more or less the top third of the pupils in a class, and the goals are higher. The group labelled "most students" are the median pupils in term of achievement. Teachers should be more lenient for some pupils experiencing difficulties in studying a new language, or pupil having special educational needs. They belong to the last group entitled "all students" on a episode plan. "Formative assessment is an ongoing assessment, conducted at regular intervals by the classroom teacher. It enables the teacher to take stock of what the students have learned". (Morgan and Neil, 2001: 107).
Four main ways of assessing have been listed in Teaching contemporary Foreign Languages, Morgan and Neil, 2001: 108 "diagnostic assessment...used normally to recognize single areas requiring work....evaluative assessment is based on feelings and sense rather than objective criteria... Motivational assessment is designed to contribute learners with short-term achievable goals...summative assessment is the final stage assessment and the term is normally applied to end of key stage tests or Gcse."
Assessment is vital to ensure an effective studying for pupils. Formal written assessment seems the easiest to handle as it leaves to the teacher more time to think about the doing as he marks the paper. Listening and speaking appear to be more difficult to assess. Every school has its own marking procedure and tries to be consistent across the subjects. In school X, students' book have to be marked every 2 weeks, giving a grade for attempt which can be excellent, very good, good, unsatisfactory or weak; and awarding a mark for the content in the middle of 1 and 5, 1 representing 90% or more of the task completed accurately. This way of assessing students' work is used to grade their homework or class work. This enables teachers, alongside with end of unit assessment, to give students a level of achievement, and to set for them long and short term targets.
Teachers are in case,granted with loads of prior data about each trainee in their groups. Students in the United Kingdom take varied formal assessments, and schools are in case,granted with Software which manages to infer imaginable grades for test such as Gcse thanks to the results students obtained at these tests done in Year 7. These predictions are said to be rather strict and students are aware of them.
Teaching and learning modern Foreign Languages in the United Kingdom - Statutory and Non - Statutory