improving english language proficiency in state schools...
TRANSCRIPT
Improving English language
proficiency in state schools: policy
and systemic implementation
Michael Carrier
Highdale Consulting
& UK ELT Working Group
Regional Policy Dialogue,
British Council, Guadalajara,
Sep. 2017
Outline
1. Context & impacts of English
2. Challenges & bottlenecks
3. Policy framework
4. Strategic framework
5. Teacher capacity building
6. Embracing digital
2
The Global
context
English changes lives, opens doors
Young people want access to education, jobs, mobility
Parents want kids to have wider opportunities
Employers need multilingual and global workers
Societies need multilingual & multicultural citizens
Government wants increased competitiveness
English becomes more ‘instrumental’
33
Economic role
of English
44
English targets for social goalsLearners:
• Reaching min. B1 at 18
• Reaching min. B2 at BA graduation
Teachers:
• Entering teacher training with min. B2 level
• Leaving teacher training with min. C1 level
Society:
• A bilingual workforce who can compete internationally
• Globally-oriented, multilingual citizens who gain access
to the world’s knowledge, employment and business
opportunities5
State of English in state schools
6
Challenges• Low learner outcomes at 18
• Low student graduation levels at BA degree
• Students unprepared for post-grad study
• Graduates unprepared for international company work
• Teachers demotivated and overstretched
• Teachers underpaid – linguists tempted to other jobs
• Teachers & unions resistance to change
• Lecturers/professors unprepared for EMI
• Insufficient investment in education & teachers
• Society suffers from under-investment from abroad
• Society suffers from under-employed young people
7
What doesn’t work so well?
• Classes of 50
• Short class hours
• Lack of English exposure outside school
• ‘Drip feed’ teaching eg 2 x 40mins per week
• Lack of online access
• Multiple choice exams for English grading
• Over-theoretical PRESETT
• Teacher language proficiency
• Lack of investment in teachers
• Short term planning focus
• Small scale solutions
• Lack of political continuity
8
OptionsWe can change:
• Policy
• Curriculum
• Entry exams
• Teacher certification
• Learning materials
• Exit exams
• Methodology
• Technology
• Social status
9
Language
Policy
Policy components include:
• Goals of English programmes
• Which standards are set
• Targets for learner outcomes
• When English begins
• How much time is spent
• How budgets are prioritised
• How teachers are trained
• Which content is taught
• How learners are measured
• How teachers are measured
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11
InterAmerican Dialogue
Policy framework
InterAmerican Dialogue
Policy framework
12
InterAmerican Recommendations
1 – Address policy bottlenecks
2 - Improve teacher training, while
also looking for innovative solutions
to address the teacher shortage
3 - Look beyond the K-12 educational
system for learning opportunities
4 - Towards a regional learning
community
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www.thedialogue.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/English-Language-Learning-in-Latin-America-Final-1.pdf
IAD key takeaways
• Lack of consistent assessment and standards – for learners and teachers
• Inadequate proficiency testing of teachers; need language upskilling
• Lack of government regulation of private ELT providers
• Lack of government influence on university training of teachers
• Insufficient innovation in blended learning and digital learning initiatives
• Insufficient engagement *beyond* classroom: self-learning, further ed.
• Lack of regional coordination & sharing
• Lack of teacher certification & accreditation
• Lack of evaluation of teacher development programme impacts
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Strategic &
systemic
change
process
Vision
Baseline Analysis
Strategic planning
Implemen-tation plan
Milestones
Evaluation
15
• Develop an achievable Vision for English in 20xx
• Conduct a Baseline Study to provide evidence of current
situation, to input into policy change
• Develop a Strategic Plan for English in 20xx
• Language Policy
• Curriculum Development
• Teacher Development
• Research Program
• Develop an Implementation Plan
to achieve the strategy
A five year national plan
16
Baseline studies
• Benchmarking of students’ English language ability
• Benchmarking of teachers’ English language ability
• Benchmarking of teachers’ Teaching ability
Situational Analysis:
• Review of current curriculum
• Review of teacher training
• Review of teacher performance
• Review of learning materials
• Review of assessment procedures/exam specifications
• Attitudinal surveys (qual/quant)
17
Sample Strategic plan
1. Conduct baseline analysis - assess the current situation and identify deficits
2. Revise language policy - set new outcome targets and standards
3. Revise curriculum standards
4. Revise assessment goals and instruments
5. Develop the new policies, structures and resources to facilitate reaching of these targets
6. Build teacher capacity & expand teacher workforce
7. Design or revise teaching and learning materials
8. Engage parents and society - communicate the need for change and how to achieve
change to all stakeholders
9. Develop Digital learning approach & provide online/blended learning out of class
10. Design an action plan and implement the plan
11. Evaluate progress through M&E
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Strategic
components
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Curriculum (high level content)
Syllabus (sequenced)
Scheme of Work (lesson by lesson)
20
Key:
Keep curriculum
textbook-neutral but
provide mapping
Provide teachers with
detailed guidance
through Scheme of Work
Curriculum
21
Implement-
ation
priorities
Prioritise
22
Teacher Training
Learning Content
Devices
22
Opportunity cost
Fast track:
• Baseline testing to get data
• Language upskilling for current teachers
• New school-leaving exams for English – with international standards/comparability
• Curated self-study - Online self-access for all citizens
• Focus on Upper Secondary English level improvement
Slow track:
• Higher level teacher methodology courses
• Primary level English
• New curriculum development
• New localised textbook
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“Better a bad curriculum and a good teacher”
Eduardo Andere
Teacher
Capacity
Building
Issues:
• Workforce shortfall
• Language proficiency
• Pre-service training
• In-service training
• Performance evaluation
• Access to resources
• Motivation
• Social status
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Teacher capacity building - keys
• Build a research-based professional competence framework
• Design language up-skilling - Teacher language improvement courses to raise classroom
standards
• Provide context-sensitive UK teacher training qualifications – eg CiSELT (British Council),
CELT-S (Cambridge)
• Re-evaluate current teacher qualifications and training model
• Advise university training providers
• Provide national cascade training with Master Trainers
• Provide a range of in-service development courses
• Build a bank of innovative & free teaching and learning resources (eg British Council) on
National Resource Platform website
• Build an Online Community for teachers to join on the National Platform
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Teacher capacity designs
SachsenAnhalt – British Council ‘sandwich’ course:
Stage 1
• Face-to-face language development in home city
• Optional language proficiency test – which carries eligibility for
selection to study abroad
Stage 2
• Online language development to support F2F hours
• F2F & online methodology seminars on key issues
Stage 3
• Study Abroad 4 weeks in UK: teacher development course, tailor-
made with partner to include language and methodology
Stage 4
• Post-study Abroad group – online followup after return
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Teacher language proficiency improvement
Language For Teachers:
• Online and face-to-face course
content
• 100 hours+ content study
• Audio & video materials
• Focused on the teacher’s professional
school context
• Focused on improving level from A2
to B1 and then to B2
• Cambridge ‘Language For Teachers’
Certificate
• Customisable to local needs and
conditions
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State school-specific qualificationsBritish Council
• CiSELT
• CiPELT
Cambridge English
• CELT-P
• CELT-S
• ICELT
Less urgent:
• Masters, CELTA, DELTA, TKT
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Secondary school teachers
CELT-S Cambridge Certificate
• Online and face-to-face course content
• 100 hours content study + observation,
reading, reflection
• Video lesson observation & evaluation
• Focused on Secondary school context
• Focused on language level A2 to B2
English teacher shortfall
Strategies:
• Shift qualifications (eg accept CELT-S)
• Remote teachers
• Non-degree teachers with high
language levels
• Volunteers (local & overseas)
• VSO, Fulbright etc
• BC CELTA scholarships
• Question assumptions on teacher
background & role
• Classroom assistants with lesser
qualifications
Greece: ‘Frontisteria’ teacher
model:
• no degree required
• min. 18 years old
• passed Cambridge Proficiency
(C2) exam
• local / school-specific methods
course
• only allowed in language
schools
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www.teachingenglish.orgCurating teacher resources
30
Teacher
competence
frameworks
Cambridge CPD Framework
31
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Digital learning competences
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Innovation & disruption
Learning:
• In-country intensive programmes
• Facetime Pals with English-speaking schools
• One-day Language Immersion in-school
• Tablet loan sets
Teacher development
• English Summer Town for teachers
• National MOOCs
Resources:
• National ELT Platform (LMS)
• Curated online content – by level, aim, task, theme
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Digital
Classroom
• E-learning / Online learning
• Virtual Classroom
• Blended / hybrid learning
• Social Learning
Digital Learning models
35
Digital Learning ecosystem
Face-to-face
classroom
eTutors
Phone-Tablet-PC(device agnostic)
LMS-based
PracticeMyPortfolio
(& social media
community)
Blended Course
via LMSVOIP FaceTime
The Learner
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1:1 learning, OLPC
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Plan Ceibal – Remote teaching, local support
Remote teacher
using video-
conference
Students with
Classroom
laptops
Local class
teacher managing
activity
Local classroom:
TV screen
showing remote
teacher
2-way video
& audio
Joint
lesson
planning
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In-class vs Out-of-class models
Before Class
In Class
After Class
Activities:• Writing
• Comprehension Qs
• Online workbook
• Vocab practice apps
• Formative
assessment
Activities:• Reading & Listening
activities
• Study text
• Learn vocab online
• Grammar in Use
activity with Apps
Activities:• Speaking activities
• Pairwork
• Concept questions
• Communication
activities, games
storytelling
• Mentoring
39
Do you speak digital?
Reflection• BYOD
• VLE
• Flipped
• Blended
• IWB
• VR
• AR
• MOOC
• SPOC
• Bluetooth
I speak
Geek
Score yourself
out of 10 for
concept
recognition
40
Digital
Media
Strategy
TV, radio, apps, platforms
• TV shows in English for students
• TV shows for teacher training
• Radio phone-in discussions for students
• Radio chat shows for teachers and experts
• National apps for English practice – linked to curriculum
• National Online Platform for interactive and/or tutored
practice
41
Beyond the Classroom: curated content
42
Digital
Assessment
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Writeandimprove.com
44
Speech-enabled activities
Speech-
enabled
technology
(ASR)
45
Speech to Text
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Speech-enabled translation
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Low resource
technology
Power & connectivity
48
Infrastructure:
• Solar power - LifePLayer
• Offline server – RACHEL project,
Guatemala
Partners for
reform
UK partners:
• ELT Working Group
• British Council
• Cambridge English, OUP
• Trinity, Pearson, Macmillan etc
• NILE, Bell, TransformELT, IATEFL
US partners:
• TESOL, State Department
• mEducation Alliance
• IDB, OAS
• World Learning
• InterAmerican Dialogue49
5 key actions• Focus on teacher spoken language proficiency
• Focus on getting large scale data on:
• language of students & teachers
• teacher performance
• Focus on exposure to language, & time on task, via Digital Learning
• Focus on entry/exit assessment tied to international comparability
• Focus on long-term sustainability & continuity of programme design &
teacher support50
Thank you!
email: [email protected]
PDF: http://www.michaelcarrier.com
InterAmerican Dialogue:
http://www.thedialogue.org
Digital Framework:
http://thedigitalteacher.com
TIRF/Routledge book:
http://www.tirfonline.org
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