Improving English Learning in National Education Systems John Knagg English for the Future Policy Dialogue Cartagena de Indias. October 2012. john.knagg@britishcouncil.org All images Š Mat Wright
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The Nature of Educational Reform
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British Council – National Projects
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English - one part of a big system Outperforming - underperforming
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Three Purposes of Public Education Systems
1.Competitiveness 2. National Identity 3. Equity (after Byram)
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Assessing the validity of the argument The country needs to operate internationally So it needs to be able to use the global lingua franca So it needs to speak English So the future citizens need to learn English
How many future citizens ? How much English ? Other languages ?
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What is achievable ? How to balance equity, resources,and need ?
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European Survey of Language Competences
Measures learner achievement around 14-15 y.o. Compares contextual factors Matches achievement to contextual factors www.britishcouncil.org
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European Survey of Language Competences
Bulgaria Croatia Estonia France Greece Malta
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Netherlands Poland Portugal Slovenia Spain Sweden
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European Survey of Language Competences 13 Contextual Factors:
Early Learning
School FL Specialism
Diversity of FL offer
ICT use
Informal LL opportunity
Intercultural Exchange
Native-speaker staff
Methodology – approach
LL for Immigrants
Quality TT (Pre- and In-)
Teacher visits to TL country
Use of EC Assessment
Teacher Experience
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European Survey of Language Competences Contextual Conclusions
An earlier onset is related to higher proficiency Positive relation between proficiency and parents’ knowledge Positive relation between proficiency and exposure through media Students who think language is useful have higher proficiency Students who find language difficult show lower proficiency Greater use of language in lessons relates to higher proficiency
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Lesson 1: All the Stakeholders
Teachers – directly affected and others Teacher Managers – Principals, Inspectors… Parents Policy-makers (who are they ?) Students ?
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British Council Teacher CPD Framework
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Big Global Trends
Teacher Shortage Teacher Language Improvement Teacher Continuing Development Earlier Learning New Technology
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Lesson 2: All the elements
Good Teachers Good Curriculum and Materials Good Assessment Good Environment Good Quality Assurance
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Politicians vs Educationalists Understanding the different time-frames Activities vs Results
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Lesson 3: the Power of Piloting
Available resources focussed Competition to participate Faster results Risks contained – lessons learned
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Lesson 4: the Power of Decentralization
Ownership, Accountability Time to take decisions Contexts accounted for Central focus on high-level issues
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What makes B1 English learners ? Healthy children
Helpful parents
Internet access
Comfortable classroom
Learner centred approach
Communicative methodology
Relevant curriculum
Range of materials
Appropriate assessment
Effective QA
Enthusiastic children
Amount of exposure
Well-trained teachers
Updated teachers
Learning not teaching
Teachers with good English
Supportive colleagues
Aware principals
English on TV
Sharing best practice
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British Council English Partnerships
Wisdom Ethics Adaptability Curiosity Integration
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Improving English Learning in National Education Systems John Knagg English for the Future Policy Dialogue Cartagena de Indias. October 2012. john.knagg@britishcouncil.org All images Š Mat Wright
www.britishcouncil.org
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