Gee MacroryInstitute of Education

Manchester Metropolitan University19 November 2009

Promoting diversity in language learning: the role of

teacher education

COLT teacher training 2007- 10Gee Macrory : g.macrory@mmu.ac.ukPura Ariza: p.ariza@mmu.ac.uk

Outline Role of teacher education Training the trainers: - Course structure and content for teachers- Supplementary school teachers- Initial teacher education Training the trainersFindings Conclusions Issues to consider

Role of teacher education Teacher education: opportunity or barrier?Place of ‘community’ languages and ‘MFL’ Who educates the teachers?- From classroom to higher education

(Wright, 2008)- Appropriate knowledge base (Fedick, 2005) • Training the trainers

Training the trainers

Appointment of trainers for Mandarin, Urdu and Arabic

Identification of teacher audience (course participants)

- Teachers from complementary schools (yrs 1,2,3)

- Trainees in initial teacher education (yrs 2,3)

Basic course structure and workshop content for teachers

Course structure for teachersNeeds of participants (see Minty et al,

2008)Teachers in complementary schoolsTrainees in initial teacher education

Teachers in complementary schoolsCourse structure: 4 parts:- Workshop 1 at university - Visit to a mainstream school- Workshop 2 at university- Visit by trainer to teaching context

(observation and feedback opportunity)

Initial teacher trainees• 4 part course structure: :- Workshop 1 at university - Visit to a complementary school- Workshop 2 at university- Visit by trainer to teaching context

(observation and feedback opportunity)

University workshops Workshop 1

- Characteristics of a good teacher- Language analysis: characteristics; learner

perspectives- Role of target language- Teaching activities (skills, grammar)- Planning a school visitWorkshop 2- Debrief from school visit- Planning and assessment - Place of culture - Preparation for a visit from trainer

Follow up day for all PlanningAssessment Professional progressFuture needs

Attendees Complementary school:44 teachers on the

autumn 2008 course and 28 on the spring 2009 course;41 currently on autumn 09 course

ITE :1538 people attended the top-up workshop.

Certification and accreditationCertificate of attendance for 4 part courseAccreditation at 20 CAT points against

award

How did we train the trainers?Two full day workshops (June 2008) prior to

4 part courseReview and development meeting (Jan 09)Additional day’s training (April 09)prior to

follow up day in June 09Two further training day for trainers (Oct 09

+ March 2010)Content and process

Content A parallel processNeeds analysisThe good teacher trainerAnticipating participant needs Subject knowledge for teachingMethodological issues Assessment Planning a training sessionPreparing teachers to observeObserving and giving feedback Accreditation

Process: principles and pragmatism Some guiding principles (see Wright &

Bolitho, 2007)Modelling a teacher education pedagogyMaking choices about contentA training plan as an outcome

What was the impact on teachers and trainers?Teachers (complementary; ITE trainees) Trainers

Findings: teachers from complementary schools

Year 1

Overall results

Excel to Good Average PoorTraining days 1 & 2 average score 83% 14% 3%School visit average score 69% 20% 12%Observation average score 89% 7% 4%

Findings: teachers from complementary schools

Year 2

Overall results

Excel to Good Average PoorTraining days 1 & 2 average score 85% 15%School visit average score 85% 8% 7%Observation average score 81% 10% 9%

Follow up day June 09  Excel to good average  poor

materials 94% 6%

delivery 94% 6%

relevance 94% 6%

opportunities for discussion 94% 6%

What was useful?Learning teaching methods from others and sharing

experienceActive discussions and plenty of useful and practical

informationOpportunity to observe teaching in local schoolsVery clear and enthusiastic deliveryClassroom management skills gainedFeedback on observationsGuidance of where to obtain help and resourcesInformation about asset languages and the language

ladder as a way to encourage pupilsTeaching through action to engage pupilsIdeas for integrating games and activities into the

classroomTechniques for teaching grammar

ITE trainees 83% of the trainees reported to be very satisfied

with the overall workshop, the material, delivery, relevance and opportunities for discussion with colleagues.

Techniques found most useful: Learning where to find resources and how to use

them Practical tips to keep students engaged How to include culture points into lesson plan Techniques to encourage use of target language in

the classroom and in other subjects such as maths 67% of the trainees declared that the school visit has

been extremely useful as it enabled them to see how languages are taught outside the mainstream school

Feedback from trainersUseful and appropriate contentDiscussion valuedOpportunity to develop training skills and

to train colleagues as colleagues rather than students

Improved professional practiceMade me more reflective and focused as a

trainerAn effective model of training

Conclusions Enriching opportunity for allFirst training opportunity for manyOpportunities to observe in other contexts

valuedClear desire to make further progressHigh interest in gaining QTS

Some issues to considerCourse structure and contentMeeting QTS needs of teachers from

complementary schoolsDeveloping the profile of community

languages in teacher education, initial and CPDLonger-term impact of training Differential training needs for different

community languagesTraining trainers: modelling practice or co-

operative development?Synergy and sustainability

References Minty, S., Maylor, U., Tözün, I., Kuyok, K. and Ross, A. (2008)

Our Languages: Teachers in supplementary schools and their aspirations to teach community languages. Institute for Policy Studies in Education, London Metropolitan University.

Naldic (2009) Developing a bilingual pedagogy for UK schools. Naldic Working Paper No.9

Partnerships in Language and Culture: A toolkit for complementary and mainstream schools working in collaboration. www.ourlanguages.org.uk

Tedick, D.J. (2005) Second language teacher education: international perspectives. Mahwah, N.J : Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Wright, T. and Bolitho, R. (2008) Trainer Development. www.lulu.com

Wright, T. (2008) “Trainer development”: Professional Development for Language Teacher Education. In: Burns, A. and J. Richards (eds) The Cambridge Guide to Language Teacher Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.