COMMUNITY AND LESSER TAUGHT LANGUAGES

PROJECT - COLT

TEACHER SYMPOSIUM26 FEBRUARY 2009Sharon Handley (Consortium Director)s.handley@mmu.ac.uk

COLT – COmmunity and Lesser Taught languages project

Welcome

Introductions

Purpose of the session: Introduction to COLT Explore how COLT can support schools

COLT – COmmunity and Lesser Taught languages project

Consortium of five universities –MMU, Manchester, Salford, Bolton and UCLAN

Language choice determined by profile of urban area

Successful bid for funding through Routes into Languages

COLT IDEAL

Community Languages taught alongside European Languages (MFL) in schools and HE

No distinction (implied hierarchy) between Community and European Languages (MFL)

Model for other areas with replicable materials and structures

THE PROJECT AIMS:

Work with existing networks to promote Arabic, Mandarin Chinese, Italian and Urdu in schools and HE

Develop a support network for teachers and managers planning to introduce these languages

Build bridges between supplementary and mainstream schools

Build on existing research into attitudes to community languages

Develop HE provision in response to market trends

THE PRESENT

Supplementary schools

Mainstream schools

Pupils Dropping MFL/ LimitedCL provision/ Limited HEProvision in CL/Fragmented experience between SS and MS

Native speakers, cultural knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment –problems with premises, materials, training & funding

Premises, teaching resources, decline in MFL, limited potential for new languages and lack of resources in CL, community cohesion agenda

Events to promote

languages

Training and

materials

Partnerships between SS

and MS

COLT

THE FUTURE

Supplementary schools

Mainstream schools

HE: PGCE/accredited training for CL/new degrees in CL /new careers in CL

Trained teachers working in supplementary and mainstream schools (often in the same premises).

Offering Community languages alongside MFL through partnerships with supplementary schools and shared resources/database of qualified staff

Improved teaching and lang choice

increases demand for languages

CL and MFL offered at school & HE

Greater harmonisation

of language learning

experience How can we make this happen?

THE PROJECT SO FAR:

1. Promoted study of languages and cultures as positive experience

2. Needs analysis and provision of training as requested

3. Research into attitudes of parents and pupils towards CL language study

PROMOTE COMMUNITY LANGUAGES TO SCHOOLS

Language enrichment events on university campuses for 1000 Year 8 children in 2008.

Similar events for Year 8 and 9 pupils this year.

Language taster sessions in Arabic, Chinese, Italian and Urdu

Student ambassadors who speak these languages as role models

Multicultural markets and quizzes designed to promote intercultural understanding –and fun!

KEY ISSUES

Events provided positive images of the cultures associated with these languages

Events dispelled the myth that ‘everyone speaks English’

Events provided carefully planned language classes to show that these ‘difficult’ languages could be enjoyable and accessible if well taught

Teachers praised the events and children enjoyed the experience but we need to develop sustainability

TRAINING REQUESTED BY SCHOOLS

Materials development

Classroom management

Assessment

Curriculum design

FOCUS GROUPS WITH PARENTS FROM ARABIC AND CHINESE SUPPLEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Key issues:

All parents would welcome more connection between supplementary and mainstream schools

All parents want their children to learn Chinese or Arabic at school

Survey of Asian parents 70% of Asian parents surveyed regarded language study

as very important to their children’s education

50% wanted their children to learn Urdu and 50% wanted them to learn Arabic

COLT – making it happen

Cultural events in schools –ie ‘Breaking barriers’ event at Parrs Wood School

Film festivals/activities linked to these languages at the Cornerhouse Cinema

Partnerships between SS and MS schools

OPPORTUNITIES FOR SCHOOLS

Partnerships are a win-win situation

SS provides linguistic and cultural knowledge SS can provide support on intercultural

understanding and diversity issues OFSTED community cohesion agenda MS can provide premises, resources and

access to CPD Partnerships can attract funding under the

British Council global partnership scheme

GLOBAL SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

Provide grants to schools that are using a school partnership (between mainstream and supplementary school) as a means for embedding a global dimension within their curricula

Support partnerships between the UK and countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean

Two types of grants available

http://www.britishcouncil.org/globalschools.htm

GLOBAL SCHOOL PARTNERSHIPS

RECIPROCAL VISITS GRANTS (Up to £6,000)

Enable staff to visit their partner school to plan joint curricular activities with a global dimension theme.

The next deadline for applications is 1st May 2009.

GLOBAL CURRICULUM PROJECT GRANTS (Up to £6,000)

Enables well established partnerships to further develop joint curricular activities with a global dimension.

The funding helps cover travel costs of at least two teachers from each school to visit the partner school as well as project costs such as materials, training and supply cover.

The grants are renewable for up to three years. Global Curriculum Project grants are for well established partnerships that

are using their partnership to embed a global dimension in the curriculum. The next deadline for applications is 1st March 2009.

HOW CAN COLT SUPPORT SCHOOLS?

Free events hosted by five universities

Support from COLT for language clusters/clubs/events

Student ambassadors to help with language clubs and other activities

HOW CAN SCHOOLS SUPPORT COLT?

Allow a trainee teacher of one of these languages to observe some language teaching in your school

Host a supplementary school either for a modest rent or in exchange for teaching or cultural activities

OVER TO YOU!

We would welcome any advice on what more you think we could be doing to help schools develop these languages as part of the curriculum or as language clubs.

Discussion topics:

Partnerships: Do any schools have children who also attend a supplementary school? Is there any interaction between the two schools? What could these schools offer

each other? Could some of the cultural/linguistic knowledge taught in SS be kindled in the

mainstream school? Could there be formal partnerships with some of the supplementary schools so that

the pupils see a link between the two worlds? Research suggests that pupils and parents appreciate this sort of link.

Can COLT play a role to facilitate this?

Setting up language classes Do any schools have experience of developing these languages into the curriculum? Have any schools experienced difficulties with this agenda? How could these difficulties be overcome?

Community cohesionCould COLT/Supplementary schools help schools with the Community Cohesion agenda set by OFSTED?

TEACHER SYMPOSIUMAGENDA

Agenda

1. Welcome

2. Introductions

3. Introduction to COLT

4. General Discussion:

Partnerships between supplementary and mainstream schools: Do any schools have children who also attend a supplementary school? Is there any interaction between the two schools? What could these schools offer each other? Could some of the cultural/linguistic knowledge taught in SS be kindled in the mainstream school? Could there be formal partnerships with some of the supplementary schools so that the pupils see a link between

the two worlds? Research suggests that pupils and parents appreciate this sort of link. Can COLT play a role to facilitate this?

Setting up language classes in Chinese, Arabic, Italian and Urdu Do any schools have experience of developing these languages into the curriculum? Have any schools experienced difficulties with this agenda? How could these difficulties be overcome?

Community cohesion Could COLT/Supplementary schools help schools with the Community Cohesion agenda set by OFSTED?