Learning Lessons

Volume 3 Issue 7 December 2012

Author: J Breen Editor: J Breen

The Research Publication of King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford www.kegs.org.uk

Why are European football teams so much more successful than England? Is there a specific football gene that enables you to play more skilfully, with breathtaking panache, a football gene our European neighbours inherit that means they play exciting football? Are they born better footballers, or is it just that they approach the whole football business differently?

Thirteen years experience with the German Exchange at

KEGS has often prompted a similar question: what makes the Germans think they are better linguists? Is there something in the soil on mainland Europe that drives a desire to become proficient in English? Do European teenagers study harder or have a much better strategic vision of their own working future and educational needs – or is it that other countries approach the whole language learning business differently?

A study of the OECD statistics (Figure 1) comparing

language learning in the EU makes dismal reading. Only 5.5% of students in the UK studied 2 or more foreign languages at level 3 (A level) in 2010. That makes the UK 2nd

from bottom (26th /27) in the league tables. If we look at what is happening in the other EU states, though, we see that in 50% of countries more than 80% of students study 2 foreign languages at A level while in 65% of countries 75% or more of A level students are studying 2 foreign languages. Now let’s consider the PISA

report 2012 and UK rankings here. In reading and mathematics students in the UK scored “average” but science scores placed the UK statistically significantly above the average. Just imagine, though, what would happen if the UK standing in the OECD stats comparing language learning were to be reflected in the PISA rankings: UK would be 2nd from bottom globally (a position currently occupied by Azerbaijan) only marginally better than bottom of the table Kyrgyzstan. There would be national outrage, the like of which we have never seen before. It would be a national emergency demanding serious measures.

So what is happening to improve UK language learning

statistics? The government is reconsidering the Primary Strategy. But how will an hour a week of a range of possible languages, frequently taught by non-specialists, in a nationally adhoc and uncoordinated programme ever hope to have serious impact and effect lasting change? This is merely tinkering with problem solving. Our attempt at Primary language learning is rather like a drop in the ocean when you compare 1 hour (at best) a week here for 10 year olds with nearly 4 hours in Germany. Sadly our education system is denying students the same opportunities to compete and succeed globally afforded to the students in EU partner states. The government introduction of the E-Bac is a welcome recognition of the importance of language learning for all, but it is not enough. Students in UK schools deserve better. We need a national and fundamental rethink of language learning not mere lip-service to change.

Why England can‘t win the World Cup.

Figure 1: language learning in EU member states.

Source: Eurostat and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), OECD.

Students studying 2 foreign languages at

A level

UK 5.5%

50% of EU Partners 80%

65% of EU Partners 75%

Winning Teams

Germany

Italy

England

It is not fair to compare the success of language teachers and language learners in the UK with our counterparts in Europe because it’s not a level playing field. Language teachers in the UK do a tremendous job, working against the odds to promote their subject and engage students, trying to give students the language, cognitive and communication skills they need to compete globally in the 21st century. They are trying to reach the same outcomes as our European partners in a fraction of the time. It’s not fair. Something has to change. If you are Chelmsford City Football club with a stadium capacity of several thousand it’s lunacy to expect you can compete equally, either financially or in terms of winning, with the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City or Chelsea.

The KEGS story This is where the KEGS story begins; a story where

World Cup victory isn’t a blip every half century, but a real, achievable and sustainable dream. For when KEGS became a Language College in 2008 we revolutionised the landscape of

language learning. As a result, over the past 2 years typically 70% of students in each year group have gone on to study French or German at AS level. Languages has lost its elitism and we now have boys who have embraced the challenge of AS study with a B grade at GCSE. Previously at KEGS that was unheard of; languages wasn’t seen as a subject all students would need in the future and was generally the preserve of those teenagers with an (unnatural?) fascination with all things subjunctive. Now the benefits of language learning—rigorous application of academic skills, better communicative skills, greater cultural insight and hence heightened interpersonal awareness, code-breaking competency as well as reflective insight into mother tongue language—are open to far more students. We have recognised that language learning is important for a range of students, not just those aspiring to gain A or B grades at A2. In addition, our number of double linguists has also increased, to just under a 3rd of the year group and our language provision options have also expanded to include Russian and Mandarin. There is an energy and dynamism about language learning that we didn’t have before.

How has this been achieved? We have done this by introducing an intensive,

immersion course in Yrs 7-9 (Figure 2). There used to be 4 hours of language learning on the curriculum (2 hours French + 2 hours German), but now half the year group learns

French for 4 hours a week and half the year group learns German for 4 hours a week. This pattern continues in Yr 8, when students also pick up 1 hour of Latin a week. In Yr 9 students have 3 hours a week of Language 1 and 1.5 hours a week of Language 2.

We believed that the only way to increase numbers at A

level was to limit the breadth of language learning opportunities initially – reduce the numbers of languages students learned - and go instead for depth and rapid progress and then offer a wider choice of languages (Figure 3). At KEGS this model was easy to achieve as we had previously had French and German on the curriculum from Yr 7. Schools that have prioritised their curriculum differently need to rethink. Solutions can be found. What’s needed is the will to change.

What was the rationale behind this model?

One source of inspiration was the European model. The other came from years sitting through my son’s violin lessons and noting the regular practice and real graft needed to become proficient. A bonus of this effort, however, was his ability to pick up other instruments and play very well with minimum effort. This made me think: if we want students to become accomplished musicians it’s probably not a good

Figure 2: KEGS language learning structure at KS3

Yr 7 L1L1

Yr 8

Yr 9

Latin

Latin

L2

L1 L1

L1L1L1L1

L1L1L1

+

+

Figure 3: diversity and depth of language provision

L1

L2

KS4 Pathways

French or German

French German Mandarin

AS in L1 GCSE in L2 GCSE in Russian

70% students study languages at AS level

33% of students are double or

triple linguists at KS4

idea to start them off on 2 or 3 different instruments at once. Is it not far better to invest the time mastering one instrument before moving to others with a far greater degree of independence and autonomy? Really good musicians are always multi-instrumentalists. The same is true of languages. If we want more students to speak more languages then we need to introduce timetabling structures that enable them to become rapidly proficient in one language and transfer their skills at a later stage.

Outcomes So what happened and what have been the outcomes of

this new curriculum structure? Anecdotally, responses from Yr 7 parents at the induction evening in September and information morning in November are overwhelmingly positive: “I wish I had been taught like that at school”; “I can see why my son likes French/German so much”; “it’s a great opportunity for him to learn”. It’s not rocket science. Four hours a week gives students the time and space to actually practise speaking, gives them a feel-good factor about languages, allows them to prove to themselves and everyone else that they can speak and communicate, and transforms languages into something they perceive themselves to be good at. They feel like this, not because they are able boys, but because the curriculum structure allows them to become decent linguists. The pupils from our exchange schools aren’t startlingly good at English really. The difference is they are not scared to use it and have a go. This cannot be solely explained by the attraction of American culture. Rather, I believe, it’s because the curriculum system has given them enough time to practise speaking in lessons. We had a break through on our exchange programme last year. German teachers and parents alike were amazed at how confident KEGS students were at speaking German. One German teacher tried to speak to our students in English and was told “Englisch ist verboten!”. These students weren’t any brighter than students we had taken before, but they didn’t suffer from the insecurities in language learning that had plagued students in previous years, students who didn’t have enough time in school to practise and improve speaking.

The immersion approach is so effective because to be a

successful linguist you need short but regular exposure to language learning – the kind of exposure generated by 4 single, one-hour lessons.

Results Over the past 2 years we have been able to compare the

performance of students learning through the immersion model – 3 or 4 hours a week over three years – with Yr 11 students who studied languages for 2 hours a week over 5 years. Even given their lack of maturity, the Yr 9 students still managed to out-perform Yr 11 students.

In the first year (Figure 4) the difference, as expected,

was not huge. Not only were we grappling with a completely new exam, we were feeling our way through a whole new

experience of teaching intensively. In year 2 (Figure 5) of the new framework, however, we were able to learn from previous experience and improve outcomes for students even further, with a significant difference in attainment. We can

see that the same kind of students learning under a different structure resulted in an 18% - 20% increase in A/A* grades. That’s significant.

We do an audit of language skills at the beginning of Yr 7

and ask students “what do you hope to gain from your language learning experience”. By far the largest response is to become fluent in French or German. This is not possible for most students on only 2 hours a week. Two hours a week of language learning is like having PE lessons that are never long enough to allow you to actually DO the sport. Lionel Messi can have all the innate talent in the world - but it’s no good unless he has time to practise. KEGS has pioneered a curriculum which has been shown to impact positively on learning outcomes. KEGS students are fortunate because they are learning differently. But we must ask: why as a nation do we insist on making it so much more difficult for our young

Figure 5: Year 2 Comparison

Figure 4: Year 1 Comparison

Results Yr 2 2012

2012 Yr 9 German

Yr 11 German

Yr 9 French

Yr 11 French

A*/A 72% 54% 88% 68%

B 21% 29% 10% 21%

C 7% 12% 2% 10%

D 3% 1%

E 2%

At GCSE the same kind of students learning under a different structure resulted in an 18% - 20% increase

in A/A* grades.

2011 Yr 9 German

Yr 11 German

Yr 9 French

Yr 11 French

A*/A 57% 38% 59% 52%

B 34% 35.5% 25% 36%

C 9% 20% 16% 8%

D 4.5% 4%

E 2%

Results Yr 1 2011

people? Students in other EU countries don’t become proficient in one or even 2 languages with only 1.5 or 2 hours a week. Top performing countries don’t have students with a better aptitude for learning languages – they have a different learning structure and they dedicate far more time to language learning than the UK. If we want to improve national performance then curriculum structures have to change.

I am going to finish with optimistic words from the

Education Minister, Elizabeth Truss (figure 6).

Every four years we hear how England is going to make it to

the World Cup final this time. But, let’s be brutally honest. England is never going to achieve this unless someone recognises that the structure and organisation of grassroots as well as league football, talent spotting systems and youth development change considerably. If, as the Education Minister claims, we are serious about giving our young people the skills they need in a competitive global jobs market then the structure and content of language learning has to change considerably too, because national statistics are a disgrace.

2014?

What will be the state of play in 2014? At KEGS we are still very much on a learning trajectory. The first cohort of AS students under the new learning structure does their exams in 2013. For them, as for any successful language learner, the graft doesn't get easier since language learning at any level demands regular and sustained effort and intense personal discipline to keep going and to organise time successfully. Following on from the success of the immersion model at KS3

maintaining momentum with only 2 hours a week in Yr 10 is also a challenge. The AS course demands stamina and resilience on a massive scale, not least of all because students are balancing the needs of 12 or 13 subjects and not just another 3 AS subjects. But what we have to remember at all times is that the KEGS Language College plan was about democratising the study of languages and accessing a far wider range of ability learners (who will have a wider range of learning outcomes) to skills that will put them on an equal footing with EU counterparts when competing in a global market. Innovation in education is discovering change that impacts positively on learning. In our new language learning structure at KEGS we have boldly gone where others have yet to tread. As with any exploration of frontiers unknown there will be further challenges along the way we will have to face and overcome. Yet whatever we encounter, we know that our journey calls into question the wisdom of persisting with a model, just because it is tradition. For other schools with a different learner profile to KEGS early entry GCSE in Yr 9 will not be appropriate but the KS3 immersion model, such as that successfully implemented at KEGS, would help give students the confidence and competence in language learning to achieve more highly at KS4 and beyond—and surely that’s a national aspiration?

However, a word of caution. Success is not purely about

contact time. Crucially it’s what you do with that time and that’s where Zest for Learning Languages comes in; the fusion between structure, content and methodology. But more about Zest for Languages in the next on-line Learning Lessons (Volume 3, Issue 8).

And will England make the final in 2014? I think that’s

best left to the football pundits to debate.

Adapted excerpt from a keynote speech given by Jane Breen at the SSAT National Languages

Conference 2012 (Aston University).

References European Commission (2008) ‘Multilingualism: an asset for Europe and a shared commitment’ (COM(2008) 566 final). http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Foreign_language_learning_statistics

Figure 6: Education Minister, Elizabeth Truss

“We must give young people the opportunities they need to compete in a global jobs market—fluency in a foreign language will now be another asset our

school leavers and graduates will be able to boast.”

Two hours a week of language learning is like having PE lessons

that are never long enough to allow you to actually DO the sport.

Even Messi needs to practise.