Policy and reform
Flexible curriculum 14-19
Papers & recommended reading | Editorial reviews | Task for traineesBuilding bridges to Europe:
languages for students of other disciplines (pdf document)
Plasberg, U. (1999) Language Learning Journal, 20, pp 51-58
This papers argues the case for “vocationally relevant” language courses for non-specialists in Higher Education.
More and more HE institutions offer languages and foreign exchanges as part of their undergraduate courses. But the integration of the study of a language within such courses remains problematic.
Using the example of a BSc in Architecture with Languages, the author shows that the content of the language component has to be made relevant, with two objectives: students need to be able to function as architects in the foreign country and have the socio-linguistic skills to survive there for two years. The language teachers need to have a good understanding of the architectural world. Advice is also given about developing valid teaching materials and assessment schemes.
Subject-specific or vocational language courses can be really worthwhile,
but they need to be developed with care. Questionnaires returns from the
Architecture students showed a high level of satisfaction with the language
course in terms of preparation for their placements but also as a way to
enhance their career prospects.
The International baccalaureate
French Language B pilot project (1991-1995) (pdf document)
Poulet, G. (1994) Language Learning Journal, 13, pp 45-50
The article introduces the International Baccalaureate and its language components, before going on to describe the Language B pilot project.
The International Baccalaureate (different from the French baccalaureate) was created after the second world war in a drive to “broaden the base of educational scope for the post-war generations” and provide an international education. Nowadays the IB is available in 60 different countries including the UK where 30 schools and colleges offer it.
The author describes the review of the Language B programme and its findings, as well as the reasons for the curriculum and examination changes that followed it.
The reviewing process was itself interesting and the programme still retains four general features: “communication and interaction, responsibility and transparency, language skills and contents related to the aims, integration of programme and assessment”. Language B at Higher Level can be compared with A-level.
Lessons from a secondary/sixth-form - HE consultative forum for language teachers (web article) Wyburd, J., University of Manchester Language Centre, Chicken, C., Withington Girls' School, Doherty, J., St Augustine of Canterbury High School, Oldham (2006)
The University of Manchester has hosted meetings between tertiary and secondary language teachers with the aim of facilitating student progression between the two. Participants have been surveyed to assess the impact of the dialogue process on them and their practice and to start to identify issues of broader relevance to the sector as a whole. One of the more striking matters to be raised is that the curricula of the two sectors do not seem ‘joined-up’ in terms of the demands they make of students either in terms of language skills or knowledge; there is an implicit call for reform of the 14-19 curriculum, and, by extension, for attention to be paid to transition from every key stage to the next.
