teresa rilley “national bilingual schools project spain”
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Teresa Rilley “National Bilingual Schools Project Spain”TRANSCRIPT
National Bilingual Schools Project Spain
Teresa Reilly Language Policy Dialogues:
Bilingual Schools Consultant
English for the Future
Colombia October 2012
Context
• Political will• Parental demand
• Successful bilingual British Council School
Summary 1996‐ 2012September 1996. Ministry of Education/British Council agreement‐
44 state schools
‐
44 supernumerary native speaker primary school teachers
‐
1,880 3 year‐olds
‐
6‐8 sessions per week
September 2012‐
90 primary schools
‐
60 secondary schools
‐
40,000 pupils between 3 and 16
‐
40‐
50% through English
Major achievements July 2012‐
External evaluation study: 90% of pupils reaching/superseding expectations
‐
IGCSE examinations in up to 5 subjects
‐
Standards in Spanish language remain the same, or are slightly higher
‐
Continuity from kindergarten through primary and secondary
Key StakeholdersWorking constructively with partners: ‐
‐
Ministry of Education and British Council
‐
Spanish regional governments
‐
Schools
‐
Parents
‐
Universities & researchers
‐
International links
Key Characteristics
Provision‐
Very early start – age 3
‐
Whole school ‐
gradual inclusion
‐
35‐50% through English
‐
Seconday schools identified from
start‐
Supported by special curriculum
‐
Supernumerary teachers
‐
Focus on teacher CPD
‐
Prestigious external examinations
‐
Independent evaluation process
‐
good ground level management
‐
Partnership funding secured
Process‐
Focus on literacy from early years
through to end of secondary‐
Focus on academic subjects with
tasks which offer learners
cognitive challenge across subject
areas‐
English language text books not
generally used‐
Language and discourse graded
only for appropriacy of age and
content‐
Dedication of school staff and
commitment to making it succeed
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Real Reading and WritingLiteracy Skills5 year‐olds
Caring for
the
environment
10 year‐olds
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Teaching through ArtKandinsky projectAge 9
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Looking at Different CulturesWhole school project
Focus on teachers
• Face – to ‐
face courses
• Curriculum encounters
• Contact seminars
• Study visits to UK• Preparation for secondary transition• Trainer training• Teacher as researcher
Challenges
• Political Change –
continuity ‐
Project ownership• Bureaucracy• Capacity building• Resistance• Harmonisation between curriculum, methodological approach and
assessment / examinations• Supernumerary teachers• Recognition of achievement• Challenge of being succesful over a fairly large number of schools• Challenge of being successful in an environment where English is
largely used only in the classroom• The 10% who don´t appear to benefit
Lessons Learned
• Success is not immediate ‐
no short‐term solutions – start with a long‐term & a short‐term plan – be flexible
• Shared vision: commitment of key staff long term• Secure budget• Work constructively with all partners• Starting points for change initiatives are the curriculum, methodology, assessment & evaluation
• Teachers are the linchpins• “Little by little”: resistance can sometimes be positive
• En un mundo globalizado como el actual , aprender el inglés es tan básico y necesario como aprender matemáticas o
lengua. Vamos a mejorar la enseñanza del inglés desde una edad temprana, el segundo ciclo de educación infantil, y hasta
el bachillerato, sustituyendo el viejo enfoque de estudiar inglés para pasar a estudiar en
inglés. Entendemos que es
mucho mas adecuado en la medida en que el inglés es una herramienta para la transmisión del conocimiento , por lo
que el mejor manera de dominarlo es precisamente de este modo: utilizando para aprender.
Ministro de Educación, Jose Antonio Wert, Febrero 2012
Bilingual Education
• Often viewed as being for “ élite” sector of society• Been around for centuries!• Focus is on the word “education”• Both languages are of equal importance ( often 40‐60% or even 50‐50%
divide)• Emphasis on a curriculum ‐
often a special curriculum, or an L1 curriculum
slightly adapted• Focus on continuity, consistency, challenge• Focus is on authentic content: language is secondary• Therefore there is no grading of structures, vocabulary• Generally not text book , graded reader book based (authentic materials)• Often find the word “early”
preceding bilingual education (2‐6 year‐old
start
Bilingual Education
• Approach is very similar to active‐based L1 teaching – learning by doing and imitation for young children: hands‐on science, geography ,art and craft
• Focus on social skills ,cultural knowledge and language acquisition to help develop comprehension and oral skills
• Attention dedicated to early teaching of reading and writing and
then development of “literacy”
skills
• L1 and L2 not mixed (though children often do!)
• Frequently leads to international non‐
EFL exams (focus on content, not language ‐
language is a “given”)
• Growing focus on assessment FOR rather than OF learning
• NB: “subtractive”
v “additive”
bilingualism
Features of MEC/ British Council Bilingual Project
• Operates in state schools : not selected on the basis of social or other privilege
• Whole school project• Very early start (age 3 years)• Supported by an officially approved curriculum• Between 40 and 50% of time allocated to the teaching in English
of
“challenging”
subjects• Reading and writing skills taught from a very early stage (literacy skills)• Agreement with secondary schools re. continuity• Supernumerary teachers ( maximum 4 per school in primary) support the
programme• Continuous Professional Development (CPD) an integral element• Liason with schools from both Ministry of Education and British Council
Can CLIL be a “stepping stone” towards Bilingual Education?
• Time factor: early start, 40% time, intensity of challenge
• Enthusiastic teachers understanding principles and willing to change practice
• High level of language competency• Whole school support : CPD for teachers• Parental understanding and support• Continuity and progression
Integrated learning
Focus on learners: Added Value
The children
show:• High
concentration
skills
and
good
listening
skills
in ALL
subjects• Evidence
of
higher
order
thinking
skills
(cognitive
skills) –
questioning, summarising, predicting, presneting
logical arguments
• Independent
learning
skills• Awareness
that
life
is
not
“
black
and
white”
• Personal confidence• Ability
and
willingness
to
confront
a challenge
• Knowledge
that
they
are part
of
a global world