ALA CONFERENCE 2014, HEDMARK UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, HAMAR NORWAY

PRESENTER:

ELI MOE, UNIVERSITY OF BERGEN, NORWAY

Language requirements in

history and mathematics

Language descriptors for migrant and minority

learners' success in compulsory education2012-2013

http://www.ecml.at/F6/tabid/696/language/en-GB/Default.aspx

Project report is soon available via the web pages of the European Centre for

Modern Languages (ECML).

Project group

Project hosted by the European Centre for Modern Languages,

2012 – 2015 program.

Five project members

Eli Moe University of Bergen, Norway

Marita Härmälä Finnish National Board of

Education, Finland

José Pascoal University of Lisbon, Portugal

Meiluté Ramoniene Vilnius University, Lithuania

Paula Kristmanson University of New Brunswick, Canada

Overview of presentation

• Aim of the project

• Background - Language of schooling

- What has been done earlier?

- What is new in this study?

• Process of developing language descriptors

• Project output

• How can these language descriptors be used?

Aim

• to indicate one or several CEFR levels of language competence

that young migrant or minority learners (at the ages of 12/13

and 15/16) need to have in the language of schooling in order

to do well in mathematics and history/civics, i.e. minimum

standards

• to raise an awareness of the challenges young language

learners meet when learning subject matter contents by

means of a language, which is not their first language

Project focus

The language of schooling

Developing language descriptors for listening, reading, speaking

and writing (in order to support students)

Students: Migrant and minority students

Age groups: 12/13 and 15/16 year old students

Subjects: History/civics and mathematics

Language scale: The common European Framework of Reference

(CEFR), A2 – B2 (C1)

Language situations students need

to cope with in school

Language use in school

Relating to school rules, regulations,

requirements

Aquiring knowledge

in non-languagesubjects

Socialinteraction in

school

First, foreignor secondlanguagelearning

Research on the language of

schooling• Cummins (1979, 1980, 1981) – BICS and CALP

• Beacco (2010), Vollmer (2010), Pieper (2011), Linneweber-

Lammerskitten (2012) – identify important discourse functions

15 – 16 year old students need to cope with in history, science,

literature and mathematics *

• New:

Language descriptors’ project: Links the findings of Beacco et

al (discourse functions) and levels of the CEFR

Norway: history/civics - exampleExploring

• Curriculum goal 7th grade: Read texts about people living under

different conditions, and discuss why they think, act and see

events differently

Language skill/function: Reading/Understand factual

information and explanations; Speaking-Writing/Express

opinions, discuss)

• Curriculum goal 10th grade: Use statistical sources to calculate

and describe trends and variations in social science discussions

and evaluate whether the statistics give reliable information

Language skill/function: Reading/Read and analyse graphically

represented information in tables, graphs etc.; Speaking-

Writing/Describe, Evaluate, interpret)

Norway: mathematics - exampleGeometry

• Curriculum goal 7th grade: Describe and implement mirroring

(flipping), rotation and parallel displacement Language

skill/function: Speaking-Writing/Describe)

• Curriculum goal 10th grade: Explore, experiment with and

formulate logical lines of argumentation using geometric ideas

and explain geometric relationships that have significant

impact in technology, art and architecture

Language skoll/function: Speaking-Writing / Explain, Express

opinions, discuss, prove )

• h grade:

Language descriptors - example

Reading: Read and analyse graphically represented information in

tables, graphs, maps, charts, as well as photographs, paintings and

drawings

B2 Can analyse tables, graphs, maps and charts and make

inferences about the data.

B1 Can understand specific information and identify facts from

tables, graphs, maps and charts.

A2 Can identify basic information communicated in simple

tables, graphs, maps, charts.

Process of developing descriptors

Developing

descriptors

- The CEFR / research on thelang. of schooling

- Curriculum goals for history/civics and maths (Finland and Norway)

- Feedback from lang. and cont.

experts

Validating

the CEFR

level of the

descriptors

Collecting

feedback on

required

levels

- Online Questionnaire 1

- 78 language / CEFR experts assigned 163 descriptors to CEFR levels

- Online Questionnaire 2- 229 teachers of

history/civics and mathematics answered yes/no to whether their students need the skills indicated in each descriptor

Analysing

data,

reporting

results

- Summing up results of the two question-naires.

- Deciding which descriptors to keep.

- Reporting the results.

Overall results

Required CEFR levels

History/Civics Mathematics

12/13 15/16 12/13 15/16

B1 B2 B1 B2

Project outputs

• 144 validated descriptors targeted at levels A2-B2 in six

languages (English, Finnish, French, Lithuanian, Norwegian and

Portuguese)

• CEFR levels, indicated by teachers, as minimum standards for

12/13 (B1) and 15/16 (B2) year old students in history/civics

and mathematics

• Practical examples of how the descriptors could be used

• Guidelines (and ideas) on how to describe minimum language

standards in other subjects and for other age groups

• A project report in English and French (in press)

In which ways are «required levels»

for the different age groups useful?Generic descriptors could

• encourage stakeholders to reflect upon necessary language skills

(awareness raising)

• encourage teachers to be concrete and prepare students for the kind

of language they have to cope with (receptive and productive skills),

i.e.

- assist students in developing their reading and listening strategies

- assist students in developing their speaking and writing skills, i.e.

how to express comparison / arguments etc. when speaking and

writing

How can such descriptors be used?

By teachers

• to raise awareness of the language-related aspects of various school subjects and tasks

• to determine language objectives for lessons

• to use as formative assessment criteria

• to use as self-assessment criteria for students

By researchers/ teacher trainers / teachers – a starting point for

• developing descriptors for other subjects and age groups

• developing teaching materials

ReferencesCummins (2011). Putting the evidence back into evidence-based policies for underachieving students. Council of Europe.

Beacco, Coste, van de Ven and Vollmer (2010). Language and school subjects – Linguistic dimensions of knowledge building in

school curricula. Council of Europe.

Beacco (2010). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching history

(end of compulsory education): an approach with reference points. Council of Europe.

Hasselgreen, Kalèdaitè, Martìn, Pizorn (2011). Assessment of young learner literacy linked to the Common European Framework

of Reference for languages. ECML / Council of Europe.

Little, D. (2010). The linguistic and educational integration of children and adolescents from migrant backgrounds. Concept paper.

Council of Europe

Linneweber-Lammerskitten, H. (2012). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for

learning/teaching mathematics (at the end of compulsory education). An approach with reference points. Language Policy

Unit, Directorate of Education, DGII. Council of Europe

Pieper, I. (2011). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching

literature (end of compulsory education). An approach with reference points. Strasbourg: Council of Europe

Vollmer (2010). Items for a description of linguistic competence in the language of schooling necessary for learning/teaching

sciences (end of compulsory education): an approach with reference points. Council of Europe.