Dear colleagues,
I forwarded part of the discussion on primary languages to Janet
Enever, a specialist on primary language teaching (and former
colleague), who has asked me to post the contribution below.
Best,
Klaus
Dear Klaus
Thanks for forwarding this interesting string to me. Maybe I could ask
you to post the following, since it may be of interest to your
network.
1 Data on school language choices at primary level is available on the
Eurydice reports. The next one due in September 2012, which will be
based on data collected in 2009. In my experience, school choices are
made on the basis of availability of teachers with specific language
expertise locally. However, recently with the jobs shortage, some
schools are selecting a language first, then inviting applications.
Assuming Gove's plans are implemented I would anticipate that we will
move towards a language GCSE as a pre-requisite for entry to primary
teacher ed.(Scotland has long proposed this,though I'm not sure if it
has been implemented). Nationally, overwhelmingly the choice remains
with French, with Spanish rising slowly towards the figures for
German. All other choices are below 3% nationally. The issue of
continuity across education phases is a serious one and very difficult
currently for SCED 2/3 phases to cope with - let alone HE
institutions.
2. Germanists might be interested to know of the small-scale pilot
project initiated by the DfE, exploring the potential for the
establishment of bilingual schools at both primary and secondary. The
school below is one of two nationally selected primary schools to
participate in this project. It would be great to see some research
initiatives on this!
Leighton School, Crewe English-German primary 1-way state primary pilot
Website: http://clc2.uniservity.com/Grouphomepage.asp?GroupId=56322
3. At the risk of self-promotion, I draw your attention to the
following (freely available to download) - if you are interested to
know more of the complexities of evaluating primary FL quality this
publication offers some insights, based on a four-year study of 1400
children, teachers, schools and parents across 7 European countries
(including England).
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/publications/early-language-learning-europe
Enever, J. (2011) (ed) ELLiE. Early Language Learning in Europe.
London, UK: British Council
ISBN 978-0-86355-675-3
4. A new report published by CfBT, authored by CILT experts Therese
Comfort and Teresa Tinsley should shed further light on the UK context
(referred to in the Independent, but no report yet visible on the CfBT
website!).
I hope these points might be of some interest. Sorry, I'm not a
Germanist - just a primary specialist keen that all young children
should have the experience of learning another language when they're
young enough to just think its 'normal'!
All the best.
Janet
Janet Enever
Professor of Language Teaching and Learning
Department of Language Studies / Institutionen för språkstudier
Umeå universitet, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden
tel: +46 (0)90 786 56 74
email: [log in to unmask]
On 13 June 2012 22:32, Martin Durrell <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear colleagues,
>
> Some of you may recall that I started a correspondence about primary
> languages when Gove initially floated it last October. At the risk of
> seeming repetitive (but encouraged by Steve Giles), I am re-sending my
> e-mails from then, which have some links which may again be interesting,
> together with a bit more detail.
>
> I see that Gove includes Latin and Greek among the languages which may be
> taught (ah, the Prep Schools of old!), but I notice that good pronunciation
> and spoken sentences will be required. I assume he has contacts to provide
> these - but that some of Catullus' racier stuff will not feature among the
> poems which kids will be learning by heart.
>
> ________________________________
> On 01/10/2011 I wrote:
>
> Dear colleagues
>
> Before we all get carried away with M. Gove's idea of languages for all from
> Year 1 of primary, it might be worth a cursory glance at experience
> elsewhere:
>
> http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute/inhalt/22/0,3672,8355158,00.html
>
> That more needs to be done for UK languages is beyond doubt, but it may need
> just a little more informed advice.
>
> Best, Martin
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
> On 04/10/2011 I wrote:
>
> Following my recent circular, David Midgley asked if I knew any recent
> research on the advisability (or otherwise) of primary languages which I
> could inform list subscribers about. As it happens, Jim Coleman (UCML
> president, at the OU) also got back to me pointing me in the direction of a
> recently completed ESRC project led by Florence Myles at Newcastle:
>
> http://www.esrc.ac.uk/my-esrc/Grants/RES-062-23-1545/read
>
> As she says: "This project will investigate the popular belief that young
> children are better at learning foreign languages, and are more like
> children learning their mother tongue than like older foreign language
> learners. The empirical evidence for this belief is at best ambiguous."
>
> It seems to me that these results deserve to be made as widely known as
> possible, especially to those involved with formulating policy. Jim's
> recollection of a conference paper with the results was as follows:
>
> "As I understand the results of comparing the impact of teaching French to
> absolute beginners at ages 5, 7 and 11 (Years 1, 3 and 7, KS1, KS2, KS3),
> Year 7 was least motivated and performed least well on receptive vocabulary,
> but best on syntax where greater cognitive maturity is more important,
> especially for longer utterances. Both working memory and literacy (i.e.
> coping with school) are significant, and Year 1 has less developed working
> memory. The trick will therefore be to recreate early motivation and
> enthusiasm in Year 7 when pupils are better ready to learn structures."
>
> The project website now has a bit more than it did in October, when the
> project had only just been completed.
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
> On 14/10/2011 I wrote:
>
> I got further interesting responses, not least from colleagues who were
> dissatisfied with the primary language experience their own children were
> getting. All, including Peter Downes who had been one of the authors of the
> Nuffield report, would agree with us, although one colleague did forward me
> a message from Janet Enever in Umeå (Sweden) (formerly London Met) who
> wrote:
>
> "Over the past 4 years I've led the ELLiE project, looking at the
> introduction of early FLs across 7 European countries (including England) -
> see: www.ellieresearch.eu for many of the reports and articles published.
>
> The data (n= 1400 children and their parents, school principals and
> teachers) indicates that an early start is very worthwhile, assuming a
> number of conditions are met (teachers with good competency,
> age-appropropriate methodology, suitable teaching materials, supportive
> school context, supportive parents, etc.). However, an important finding
> relating to the sample from England indicated that the lack of exposure to
> the FL outside the classroom and the degree to which parents supported it at
> home, together with the amount of use of computer games, etc. in the FL and
> undubbed TV/films, etc. were highly significant factors in making a
> difference for the children in England (whose language achievement and
> motivation was significantly lower than children in other countries).
> Children in all the other countries were learning English - also a key
> factor in personal and wider societal motivation of course."
>
>
> Personally, I am a little sceptical about this, because much other research
> I have seen points in the other direction. But, as we all know, the most
> important determiner of progress in FL acquisition is motivation.
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
> Peter Downes, a Huntingdon councillor and Lib Dem education spokesperson who
> was one of the authors of the sadly ignored Nuffield report (and who Steve
> Giles and I know from school), replied to me on 04/10/2011 saying:
>
> "As you have seen from today's Guardian, I am still plugging away at trying
> to implement Eric Hawkins' ideas for language awareness and foundation
> learning rather than specific early one language learning. I doubt whether
> Gove will listen - he and Nick Gibb seem intent on reproducing their own
> public school/grammar school curriculum from 40 years ago.
>
> I was interested to read the German article [...]. The article seemed to me
> to be making several points, criticising pushy parents in general as well as
> early learning of a foreign language. I think it broadly supports my thesis,
> as, incidentally, does the Newcastle research which I have also seen.
>
> The snag is that the MFL establishment, CILT and co, have put their eggs
> into the basket of training up more and more teachers to teach Primary
> French and they have regarded me and the Discovering language project as an
> inconvenient maverick. This year I even had to pay to get a slot in the
> Language World programme of seminars. If you want to look it up, it can be
> found on www.ascl.org.uk/discoveringlanguage
>
> XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
>
> It strikes me most of all that, once more, education policy is being driven
> by the prejudices and idées fixes of enthusiastic amateurs who get
> themselves into ministerial posts and who, because they have that authority,
> assume they know better than any mere professionals with vested interests,
> and cherry-pick research findings to fit in with their ignorant assumptions.
>
> Of course, at my age, I am good at the Victor Meldrew stuff.
>
> Keep up the good work - all the very best,
>
> Martin
>
> Professor Martin Durrell
> School of Languages, Linguistics & Cultures
> University of Manchester
> Manchester
> M13 9PL
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
Professor Klaus Fischer
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
London Metropolitan University
Companies Act 2006 : http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/companyinfo
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