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ALA CONFERENCE 2014, HEDMARK UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, HAMAR NORWAY
PRESENTER:
ELI MOE, UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN, NORWAY
Language requirements in
history and mathematics
Language descriptors for migrant and minority
learners' success in compulsory education2012-2013
http://www.ecml.at/F6/tabid/696/language/en-GB/Default.aspx
Project report is soon available via the web pages of the European Centre for
Modern Languages (ECML).
Project group
Project hosted by the European Centre for Modern Languages,
2012 – 2015 program.
Five project members
Eli Moe University of Bergen, Norway
Marita Härmälä Finnish National Board of
Education, Finland
José Pascoal University of Lisbon, Portugal
Meiluté Ramoniene Vilnius University, Lithuania
Paula Kristmanson University of New Brunswick, Canada
Overview of presentation
• Aim of the project
• Background - Language of schooling
- What has been done earlier?
- What is new in this study?
• Process of developing language descriptors
• Project output
• How can these language descriptors be used?
Aim
• to indicate one or several CEFR levels of language competence
that young migrant or minority learners (at the ages of 12/13
and 15/16) need to have in the language of schooling in order
to do well in mathematics and history/civics, i.e. minimum
standards
• to raise an awareness of the challenges young language
learners meet when learning subject matter contents by
means of a language, which is not their first language
Project focus
The language of schooling
Developing language descriptors for listening, reading, speaking
and writing (in order to support students)
Students: Migrant and minority students
Age groups: 12/13 and 15/16 year old students
Subjects: History/civics and mathematics
Language scale: The common European Framework of Reference
(CEFR), A2 – B2 (C1)
Language situations students need
to cope with in school
Language use in school
Relating to school rules, regulations,
requirements
Aquiring knowledge
in non-languagesubjects
Socialinteraction in
school
First, foreignor secondlanguagelearning
Research on the language of
schooling• Cummins (1979, 1980, 1981) – BICS and CALP
• Beacco (2010), Vollmer (2010), Pieper (2011), Linneweber-
Lammerskitten (2012) – identify important discourse functions
15 – 16 year old students need to cope with in history, science,
literature and mathematics *
• New:
Language descriptors’ project: Links the findings of Beacco et
al (discourse functions) and levels of the CEFR
Norway: history/civics - exampleExploring
• Curriculum goal 7th grade: Read texts about people living under
different conditions, and discuss why they think, act and see
events differently
Language skill/function: Reading/Understand factual
information and explanations; Speaking-Writing/Express
opinions, discuss)
• Curriculum goal 10th grade: Use statistical sources to calculate
and describe trends and variations in social science discussions
and evaluate whether the statistics give reliable information
Language skill/function: Reading/Read and analyse graphically
represented information in tables, graphs etc.; Speaking-
Writing/Describe, Evaluate, interpret)
Norway: mathematics - exampleGeometry
• Curriculum goal 7th grade: Describe and implement mirroring
(flipping), rotation and parallel displacement Language
skill/function: Speaking-Writing/Describe)
• Curriculum goal 10th grade: Explore, experiment with and
formulate logical lines of argumentation using geometric ideas
and explain geometric relationships that have significant
impact in technology, art and architecture
Language skoll/function: Speaking-Writing / Explain, Express
opinions, discuss, prove )
• h grade:
Language descriptors - example
Reading: Read and analyse graphically represented information in
tables, graphs, maps, charts, as well as photographs, paintings and
drawings
B2 Can analyse tables, graphs, maps and charts and make
inferences about the data.
B1 Can understand specific information and identify facts from
tables, graphs, maps and charts.
A2 Can identify basic information communicated in simple
tables, graphs, maps, charts.
Process of developing descriptors
Developing
descriptors
- The CEFR / research on thelang. of schooling
- Curriculum goals for history/civics and maths (Finland and Norway)
- Feedback from lang. and cont.
experts
Validating
the CEFR
level of the
descriptors
Collecting
feedback on
required
levels
- Online Questionnaire 1
- 78 language / CEFR experts assigned 163 descriptors to CEFR levels
- Online Questionnaire 2- 229 teachers of
history/civics and mathematics answered yes/no to whether their students need the skills indicated in each descriptor
Analysing
data,
reporting
results
- Summing up results of the two question-naires.
- Deciding which descriptors to keep.
- Reporting the results.
Overall results
Required CEFR levels
History/Civics Mathematics
12/13 15/16 12/13 15/16
B1 B2 B1 B2
Project outputs
• 144 validated descriptors targeted at levels A2-B2 in six
languages (English, Finnish, French, Lithuanian, Norwegian and
Portuguese)
• CEFR levels, indicated by teachers, as minimum standards for
12/13 (B1) and 15/16 (B2) year old students in history/civics
and mathematics
• Practical examples of how the descriptors could be used
• Guidelines (and ideas) on how to describe minimum language
standards in other subjects and for other age groups
• A project report in English and French (in press)
In which ways are «required levels»
for the different age groups useful?Generic descriptors could
• encourage stakeholders to reflect upon necessary language skills
(awareness raising)
• encourage teachers to be concrete and prepare students for the kind
of language they have to cope with (receptive and productive skills),
i.e.
- assist students in developing their reading and listening strategies
- assist students in developing their speaking and writing skills, i.e.
how to express comparison / arguments etc. when speaking and
writing
How can such descriptors be used?
By teachers
• to raise awareness of the language-related aspects of various school subjects and tasks
• to determine language objectives for lessons
• to use as formative assessment criteria
• to use as self-assessment criteria for students
By researchers/ teacher trainers / teachers – a starting point for
• developing descriptors for other subjects and age groups
• developing teaching materials
ReferencesCummins (2011). Putting the evidence back into evidence-based policies for underachieving students. Council of Europe.
Beacco, Coste, van de Ven and Vollmer (2010). Language and school subjects – Linguistic dimensions of knowledge building in
school curricula. Council of Europe.
Beacco (2010). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching history
(end of compulsory education): an approach with reference points. Council of Europe.
Hasselgreen, Kalèdaitè, Martìn, Pizorn (2011). Assessment of young learner literacy linked to the Common European Framework
of Reference for languages. ECML / Council of Europe.
Little, D. (2010). The linguistic and educational integration of children and adolescents from migrant backgrounds. Concept paper.
Council of Europe
Linneweber-Lammerskitten, H. (2012). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for
learning/teaching mathematics (at the end of compulsory education). An approach with reference points. Language Policy
Unit, Directorate of Education, DGII. Council of Europe
Pieper, I. (2011). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching
literature (end of compulsory education). An approach with reference points. Strasbourg: Council of Europe
Vollmer (2010). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching
sciences (end of compulsory education): an approach with reference points. Council of Europe.