Effective ITT / ITE
Subject enhancement
Papers & recommended reading | Editorial reviews | Task for traineesMeeting the needs of PGCE
students wishing to teach their second/subsidiary foreign language
(pdf document)
Phillips, G. (2001) Language Learning Journal, 23, pp 26-32
The article's starting position is that PGCE partnership schools with regard to school experience placements and a significant majority of job advertisements require MFL teachers to be able to teach two languages. The net result of these requirements and the typical degree content of cohort intake is that there is a perceived need to enhance the subsidiary language (FL2) of the majority of student teachers. The article then tackles the practical aspects of implementing this policy: making the time for, and finding the best ways of providing, FL2 tuition on the PGCE course; establishing minimum levels of proficiency for teaching purposes in terms of accuracy, fluency and coping strategies; the language content required by teachers; evaluating the FL2 tuition and revising the course; and establishing the role of the tutor and school-based mentor in sensitive error correction.
The conclusion points out the constraints particularly imposed by time
in the PGCE year to carry out this FL2 enhancement effectively, but supports
the view that in the light of the Nuffield Inquiry's call for diversification
of taught languages, that it is the duty of ITE institutions to implement
similar language enhancement programmes.
Maintaining language skills
in the initial training of foreign language teachers (pdf document)
Barnes, A. (1996) Language Learning Journal, 14, pp 58-64
The article's starting position is that PGCE student teachers language skills are variously in need of maintenance, refreshment, or improvement. The author argues that provision must be made, mainly within the HEI-based part of the PGCE course for practical reasons, to ensure their linguistic competence. In the author's particular institution this has taken the form of introducing the cohort to access not only to independent learning via a dedicated MFL resource centre, but also to differentiated language lessons. These two forms of learning have been evaluated by both staff and students, and the findings are reported in the paper. The content of this course element has subsequently been revised as a result particularly of student teacher recommendations. The concluding remarks emphasise the importance of the inclusion of language for the classroom, and in strategies to enhance student teacher confidence in their ability to spontaneously communicate in the target language.
Lingua and Erasmus: circumventing
the constraints (pdf document)
Chambers, G.N. (1994) Language Learning Journal, 10, pp 39-41
The article aims to help ITT tutors maximise the benefits of a residential experience abroad for their student teachers, and to recommend the inclusion of such ventures in MFL ITT.
It does so by analysing the challenges presented to a particular student cohort visiting Germany in 1992 to enhance their understanding of vocational education in the target language country and create their own multi-media resources for their future career in-post. Thus the experience addressed language, intercultural understanding and cross-curricular skill enhancement issues. The challenges related to funding the visit via EU grants are historical and may no longer apply in the detail, but serve as a reminder that visit organisers need to understand the evolved funding procedures for the various sectors of education, now under the umbrella of the Socrates programme. However, still of relevance are the points made about preparation and planning of such a visit.
The article concludes with a challenge to UK governments to play their
part in ensuring continued funding for such ventures if they are serious
about preparing teachers to teach the European dimension as a cross-currcular
issue and better prepare our pupils for work in a wider cultural and linguistic
framework; in the light of the findings of the Nuffield Inquiry, it is questionable
whether this challenge has been taken up.
Working in tandem: peddling
an old idea (pdf document)
Calvert, M. (1992) Language Learning Journal, 6, pp 17-19
The 'tandem' approach has a simple principle: "You help me learn, I help you learn, and we learn to understand each other better." It has clear links with authentic interpersonal communication, intercultural understanding and autonomous and motivated language learning. The author points out that 'tandem' has a long history, its effectiveness supported by much research. The idea goes back to the early 1800s, though the more recent development into its present format began in the late 1960s. It is therefore unsurprisingly alive and thriving at the time of writing this review some 12 years after the writing of this article.
The article describes the possible approaches and analyses one particular
joint venture between the Universities of Bochum and Oviedo, exploring the
practical benefits and challenges in helpful detail. The idea of low-cost
residential visits and courses and continued post-course contact with the
network of friendships must be appealing to MFL teachers wishing to enhance
their own language and subject knowledge skills via enjoyable and affordable
INSET.
Subject knowledge and skills audit and update (pdf), Hellyer, R. (2004) Links, 30
Is the initial audit of subject knowledge a mere formality for PGCE students? The author argues that it is not and that student teachers need a framework to help them carry on developing as linguists throughout their PGCE course.
She explains how she designed an audit to use at the beginning of the PGCE course and how this helped student teachers to devise an action plan to develop their skills. They were given the opportunity to attend in-house language courses and during their placement weekly targets for language development had to be discussed with their mentor.
The author hopes that the system she has put in place will ensure that
student teachers ‘see the award of QTS as being the beginning of their career
as a linguist as well as a teacher’.
Developing PGCE students skills in MFL (pdf), Jones, J. (2004) Links, 29
The author describes the ways her ITE institution is helping students to continue developing their language skills once they are on the PGCE course.
It is a requirement of QTS standards to continue developing one’s subject knowledge.
The author explains how the PGCE team working in collaboration with the Modern Language Centre devised a grammar course enabling the students to work on their own language skills while reflecting on and developing their approaches to teaching grammar to school pupils.
The PedGram course (pedagogical grammar course) was received very favourably
by the student teachers and raised interest amongst mentors in partnership
schools.
