education scotland foghlam alba raising the bar salt conference 2011 fiona a pate hmi

Education ScotlandFoghlam Alba

Raising the bar

SALT conference 2011

Fiona A Pate HMI


What was Curriculum for Excellence designed to do?

• ‘Future proof’ the learning: make it relevant to life and work now and in the future

• Provide breadth and depth of learning

• Encourage creativity and learning to learn

• Provide these things for all

• Raise the bar


CfE is about knowledge and understanding

Understanding involves:

•Applying learned concepts to create something new•Being able to explain your thinking•Making predictions and assumptions based on prior knowledge of how things work


CfE and modern languages

We need to provide a curriculum which is relevant to the needs of young people in the world they live in now

We need to teach them the skills of learning a language so that they can generate new language and feel confident about learning other languages in future


CfE and modern languages

AIMS•Depth and breadth of learning•Skills of talking and listening, reading, writing•Understanding of how language works

NOT –to cover as many topics as possible


CfE and modern languages: aims

By doing these things, we are aiming to increase the challenge and raise the bar for all.

Of course we want them to pass their exams – but we want them to be able to do more than that.


Third level in modern languages

•Most pupils to achieve third level or beyond by the end of S3. Most will progress into the fourth level in many aspects of their learning before the end of S3

•Fourth level is roughly SCQF level 4 – S General or Int 1


Third level in modern languages

But it means more than General level – more depth of skills development within a relevant and challenging curriculum.

This starts early!


How do we achieve depth?

It starts in primary school.

ML departments should know what, and how, their associated primary schools teach in MLPS lessons and should build on that in S1


MLPS…..by the end of Primary 7, the majority of children will have learned the skills necessary to:

– give a short presentation about themselves – take part in simple conversations and transactions – understand classroom instructions and personal

information – enjoy listening to a story, song or poem – read aloud a simple text – read and understand a short text – write a few sentences about themselves and others.

Principles and Practice


DISCUSSION: transition

How can we really build on pupils’ learning from primary when they enter S1?


An example of how ICT can be used appropriately in

transition.• S1 Third Level writing task where learners

prepare an autobiography using the all the vocabulary they have learned in primary and in their first few weeks of secondary school. They record this as a sound file and then in the Computing class download it and type it into a PowerPoint presentation that includes information about themselves from several areas of the curriculum. Computing teachers show learners how to insert accents and foreign language punctuation. Presentation are made available to parents via the school website.

Douglas Academy


Building up language skills through the Es & Os

Listening – for information…and talking – in conversations, role-play and

presentations

Reading – for information and enjoyment - alone and with othersWriting – about self and other things - giving opinions - checking accuracy


Building reading skills

Standard Grade General expects:

• Language may be in unfamiliar contexts

• Straightforward texts

• Familiar content

• Range of tenses


The Experiences and Outcomes expect

• More complex texts with some unfamiliar language More detailed texts, complex language, range of tenses

• Texts with cultural content

• Reading longer prose and poetry for enjoyment

• Working alone and with others


Aiming for fourth level readingSecond level - read and understand a short text

Fourth level• Use reading strategies to understand longer,

more complex texts with an increasing range of language and structures, some of which are unfamiliar.

• Through reading, demonstrate cultural awareness of the country or countries where the language is spoken


Progression: reading

• Make reading part of fun, warm up activities• Make sure the texts are interesting and relevant• Get pupils used to seeing ever longer pieces of

writing, with more complex language, from a variety of sources. ie the average textbook pieces are not enough to challenge pupils!

• Teach strategies for reading and make reading part of everyday work

• Make sure they know how to find things out


Il n’existe plus que 1000 pandas en Chine. Plus que jamais, cet animal est menacé de disparition. L’association WWF demande aujourd’hui plus d’argent pour les réserves à pandas. Il faudrait également créer des passages dans les forêts pour leur permettre de se rencontrer.

•Plus que jamais = more than ever•plus d’argent = more money•Il faudrait également créer= we also must make•se rencontrer. = to meethttp://www.worldanimalday.org.uk/

S1 groups Douglas Academy


‘J’ai quatorze ans et j’habite à Rabat au Maroc. L’école est obligatoire au Maroc pour tous les enfants jusqu’à l’âge de quinze ans mais je veux continuer à l’école jusqu’à dix-huit ans. J’ai l’intention d’aller à la fac parce que je voudrais être médecin.Je parle français et arabe et j’étudie l’anglais. On dirait que je m’intéresse aux langues et j’ai de la chance parce qu’il y a un laboratoire de langues pour perfectionner mon anglais.’

S2 groups Douglas Academy


Un Sac de Billes par Joseph Joffo – extract

• - Enfin - Enfin dit-il, il faut que vous sachiez une chose. Vous êtes juifs mais ne l’avouez jamais. Vous entendez : JAMAIS

• Nos deux têtes acquiescent ensemble.• -A votre meilleur ami vous ne le direz pas, vous ne le chuchoterez

même pas à voix basse, vous nierez toujours. Vous m’entendez bien : toujours.

• Joseph, viens ici.• Je me lève et m’approche, je ne le vois plus du tout à

présent.• -Tu es juif, Joseph ?• - Non.• Sa main a claqué sur ma joue, une détonation sèche. Il ne m’avait

jamais touché jusqu’ici.• - Ne mens pas, tu es juif, Joseph ?• - Non


Work together to summarise the extract in English in 40 words exactly (no more, no less). Be prepared to share your summary with the class.

Imagine that you are Joseph on the evening that the scene happens. Write a short diary entry about what happened that day. Include your feelings and thoughts.

S3 Douglas Academy


Building listening and talking skills: third into fourth level

Standard Grade expects:• Listening to straightforward texts going beyond

basic information with a range of tenses • Coping with longer conversations/talks• Can express opinions and reasons• Can cope with additional developments• Reasonable range of vocabulary, tenses and

structures. More accurate.


The Experiences and Outcomes expect:

• Listening to mainly familiar language more complex, less predictable, unfamiliar context/language

• Respond in more extended conversations, with opinions and reasons less predictable, extended conversations. Extended range of language

• Ask for help sustain a conversation. More open-ended

• Realistic contexts• Group individual talk/presentation


Aiming for fourth level: L & TSecond level - understand classroom instructions and

personal information, enjoy listening to a story, song or poem. Give a short presentation, take part in simple conversations and transactions

Fourth level • Understand longer and more complex texts with an

increasing range of language and structures. Some unfamiliar language. Range of aural stimuli eg poems, DVDs

• Longer, more detailed conversations and transactions in a variety of contexts. Sustaining more detailed conversation.

• Greater level of accuracy and awareness of language rules.


Progression: T & L

• Make talking a constant part of classroom activity. Interact in the target language.

• Ensure pupils engage in conversations, moving from simple, familiar language to adding in the unexpected.

• Do not just use rote learned talks and conversations for assessing. It’s boring and tests little beyond memory.


Building writing skills

Standard Grade expects:

• Longer pieces of writing

• Express ideas and opinions

• Reasonable range of vocabulary and structures with more accuracy

• Attempt at a range of tenses


The Experiences and Outcomes expect:

• Using a range of support

• More extended writing about self/experiences/topic Wider range of topics, variety of structures, tenses, linking words

• Opinions and reasons

• Checking accuracy


Aiming for fourth level writingSecond level - write a few sentences about self and others

Fourth level • Longer, more complex and more accurate pieces of writing, in relation to a range of topics. Evidence of structured writing

• Use a greater variety and complexity of vocabulary and structures

• Give opinions and reasons for them• Use references and draw on prior learning to create new pieces of writing


Progression: writing

• Writing should be part of what pupils do to learn• Writing activities can be fun but also challenging,

especially with support eg writing frames• Writing does not always have to be a formal

piece – eg use blogs, emails• Do not use rote learned pieces of writing for

assessing. It’s boring and tests little besides memory


Examples of making writing part of learning

• S1 and S2 make a daily note in the target language of the weather in a foreign country by looking at an online “weathercam” at the start of the lesson.

• S3 given a word at the start of the lesson and asked to make a sentence using it, as a warm up.


Normalement le matin, je mange des céréales et du pain grillé avec du beurre et de la confiture. J’ai un verre d’eau. Pour le dîner, c’est ma mère qui choisit. Le soir, j’aime aller au cinéma avec mes copains, mais je n’aime pas les films tristes. Un jour, je voudrais aller au théâtre à Paris. Mais Paris, c’est loin!

J’habite un village loin de la ville. Quelquefois je prends le bus pour aller au ciné. Hier, j’ai vu le dernier Harry Potter! Mais c’est cher donc souvent, je regarde mes films à la télé.


Raising that bar!

All of the above depends on having higher expectations of what young people can achieve. Examine closely –

•Content•Activities giving practice in all four skills•Balance of active learning against passive work•Grammar


Raising that bar !

• Challenge and progress mean different things to different pupils

• Support the needs of all learners

• Cannot rely solely on a textbook or over simple worksheets


Monitoring progress

•Working with new areas of content and context

•Increasing confidence in taking the initiative and in being creative.

•Learning from ‘having a go’.


Challenge also comes from the way they learn…..

AifL

Do young people know why they are doing these activities?

Do they understand what they have to learn and how they will get there?

Do they know how well they are developing the four skills and what they need to do next?


Challenge also comes from the way they learn…..

Active learning which makes them think


CreatingCreatingGenerating new ideas, products, or ways of viewing thingsDesigning, constructing, planning, producing, inventing.

EvaluatingEvaluatingJustifying a decision or course of action

Checking, hypothesising, critiquing, experimenting, judging

AnalysingAnalysingBreaking information into parts to explore understandings and relationships

Comparing, organising, deconstructing, interrogating, finding

ApplyingApplyingUsing information in another familiar situationImplementing, carrying out, using, executing

UnderstandingUnderstandingExplaining ideas or concepts

Interpreting, summarising, paraphrasing, classifying, explaining

RememberingRememberingRecalling information

Recognising, listing, describing, retrieving, naming, finding


Share your thoughts

What sort of language learning activities provide ‘higher order’ thinking experiences?


How will you assess?

• range of evidence: formative assessment and formal tests – not against each outcome!

• build up a profile: but it must be manageable!

• gather evidence of progression in language skills from a range of activities over time. Value learners’ responses in discussions.

• use moderation well to ensure consistency across the department and authority


Reporting on progress

Consolidating

•Breadth-many Es+Os

•Applying in familiar

•Beginning challenge

The Learner…

SECURE

•Achieved a level

•Range of evidence across b, a, c

•Holistic, overall judgements

Developing

•Starting

•Beginning

•Increasing no. of Es + Os

education scotland foghlam alba raising the bar salt conference 2011 fiona a pate hmi

Documents

bar slide

future slide

s1 slide

possible slide

practice slide

depth of learning

modern languages

general level