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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?