Primary PGCE Modern Languages (ML) Specialism 2009-2010 French, German, Spanish
The Primary Languages Entitlement
'Every child should have the opportunity throughout
Key Stage 2 to study a foreign language and develop their
interest in the culture of other nations. They should
have access to high quality teaching and learning
opportunities, making use of native speakers and
elearning. By age 11 they should have the opportunity
to reach a recognised level of competence on the
Common European Framework and for that achievement
to be recognised through a national scheme.
The Key Stage 2 language learning programme must
include at least one of the working languages of the
European Union and be delivered at least in part
in class time.'
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/languagesstrategy/
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/languagesstrategy/pdf/DfESLanguagesStrategy.pdf
Introduction
The National Languages Strategy (DfES, 2002) proposed a radical restructuring of the way languages are taught in schools in England, and its most significant proposal was the introduction of modern languages into the primary curriculum. Modern Languages will thus become a statutory entitlement in the primary curriculum in 2010, with a recommended minimum of one hour language instruction per week in curriculum time.
The Primary PGCE Modern Languages Specialism at Manchester seeks to equip beginning primary teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills and confidence to support their first appointment school in the delivery of a programme of either French, German or Spanish appropriate to Key Stage 2. We will extend the programme to include the Spanish language where the pool of candidates is sufficient and has appropriate language skills.
Programme Overview
The programme comprises four main teaching and learning elements:
- campus-based training sessions across the year
- observing and teaching languages at KS2 during teaching placement
- a four-week placement in a primary school in Belgium (main language French), Germany (main language German), and Spain (main language Spanish)
- multi-lingual language workshops
Additionally, we use Blackboard/Moodle as both a meeting point (via discussion forum, debating key issues in early language learning) and as a document library, where trainees are able to access key documents relating to languages in the primary curriculum. We also host a virtual meeting space for trainees to meet with their overseas counterparts prior to and after exchange, to share ideas, lesson plans and general information about primary education, pedagogy and language teaching methodology in our respective countries.
The campus-based contact hours will focus on language teaching methodology appropriate to KS2, with particular emphasis on planning for learning and progression across the four year groups. We will look at how to embed both formal and informal assessment into short and longer-term planning, with reference to listening, speaking, reading and writing skills, transferable literacy and numeracy skills and cross-curricular opportunities. We will also explore the role of the school Modern Languages Subject Leader, and how transition to KS3 may best be managed. Additionally, we will look at the developing role of the Modern Languages Subject Mentor. We will also respond to your individual developing interests in this field, and your suggestions throughout the year are welcome.
Overarching learning objectives are:
- to link primary pedagogy with approaches to teaching ML at KS2
- to understand the place of ML in the primary curriculum
- to develop the ability to plan appropriately for the primary ML classroom
- to demonstrate ability to design a languages curriculum appropriate to local context
- to understand links at KS2 between ML, the Primary Strategy and the National Curriculum for English
- to understand and embed cross-curricular approaches into the primary ML classroom
- to demonstrate ability to include elements of cultural awareness in teaching and learning
- to understand notions of linguistic progression across KS2 and 3
- to demonstrate ability to plan for transfer from KS2 to KS3
- to build a repertoire of teaching and learning activities across the four skills appropriate to KS2
- to continue to develop competence in the target language
- to engage in collaborative and reflective practice
Teaching Languages during Professional Placement
You will be able to observe language classes and take responsibility for a number of lessons during your North West-based teaching placements. You will keep both a teaching file and a reflective journal during your teaching placements, focusing on how your school(s) are approaching the implementation of languages into the curriculum, identifying key planning, teaching and delivery issues. Observing teachers at work will inform your own teaching and help you to identify and characterise best practice in the primary languages classroom. The reflective journal is a key tool enabling you to do this, and you will be given guidance in how to write one. Similarly, you will be given a classroom observation protocol to follow. The Course Leader will visit you in school to discuss and evaluate your progress as a primary languages teacher.
The Overseas Professional Placement
Our current overseas partners are in Berlin (German), Brussels (French), and Extremadura (Spanish). You will spend a period of four weeks in a primary school, where you will have opportunity to observe teachers at work and to deliver some areas of the curriculum yourself in the target language. You will have a key contact person in your target country, whilst a Professional Tutor or Course Leader from the School of Education will visit you during the four-week period. Additionally, both a Professional Tutor and the Course Leader from the School of Education will remain in close contact with you throughout the visit via email, telephone or Instant Messenger. You will be familiar with your counterparts before you go abroad via a web-based discussion forum and information exchange. You will also keep a reflective journal during your time abroad, which will form the basis of a 10-minute presentation (target language English) you will make to members of your tutor group and staff towards the end of February.
Multilingual Language Workshops
The trainee-led workshops are held at luncthimes, and dates are negotiated as a group. We meet at least once fortnightly during campus-based training, 12.00-1.00pm. Guidance is given on how to structure the workshop tasks.
The overarching objectives for our workshops are:
- develop target language skills in presentation, listening, speaking, reading and writing to a specific audience
- increase confidence in the use of the target language (TL) to a peer group (if you can perform in front of peers, KS2 classes will be far less daunting!)
- begin to engage with, and reflect on, a range of language teaching and learning notions and concepts
- begin to develop an understanding of reasonable learning objectives and appropriate challenge
- begin to develop an understanding of 'time allocation' in lesson planning
- begin to engage with the concept of teaching a mixed ability grouping
- build baseline competence in languages other than your Specialism area
- develop awareness of what it means to be a language learner, and to reflect on implications for our practice as primary languages practitioners
- begin to build a repertoire of successful teaching and learning activities
- develop an understanding of constructive criticism in the context of peer assessment
- self-evaluate - reasonably, not harshly! Our questions will be 'what worked well, and why? What worked less well, why, and in what ways could this be improved?'
- to work collaboratively and to build a supportive group ethic
We will focus on language appropriate to both KS2 and 3. You will have access to the QCA Schemes of Work for French, German and Spanish at KS2 and 3, and also with the KS2 Framework for Languages.
Student Support
Pastoral care professional development of trainees is supported by both the Course Leader and a Professional Tutor. The Professional Tutor or Course Leader will visit trainees during the overseas professional placement, and likewise during UK-based professional placement to observe, discuss and evaluate progress your progress as primary languages teachers. Tutors are available via IM (normally Skype), email or telephone to discuss any other issues you may have.
Applying to the Modern Languages Specialism
We are able to accept a maximum of 5 trainees per language. You should have a minimum of an A-Level qualification or equivalent in your target language. In exceptional circumstances, trainees may be accepted to the programme without formal language qualifications. To assess your current language skills, consult the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages at http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/Source/Framework_EN.pdf. Go to Page 24 where you will find the level descriptors we normally seek the equivalent of a minimum B1.
At this stage, we are collecting expressions of interest only. If your application to the Primary PGCE is successful, we will then contact you to invite you to apply to the Specialism. Please note that where we are not able to offer a place on the specialism pathway, this will not affect your successful application to the primary programme.
If you would like more information on the programme, please contact the Course Leader on: angela.mclachlan@manchester.ac.uk.