Committee for Linguistics in Education (CLIE)

Committee for Linguistics in Education (CLIE)

Minutes Meeting 98

1.30 – 4.45, Friday 20th May 2011
Room UG9, British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London, SW1A 2BN

http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/Images/home-spring-gardens-map.gif

Present:

Graeme Trousdale (Chair, LAGB) Dick Hudson (LAGB), Vivienne Rogers (LAGB), Caroline Coffin (BAAL), Esther Daborn (BAAL, CLIE secretary), Agneta Svalberg (ALA), Jonnie Robinson (BL), James O’Donahue (deputising for Ben Rockcliffe (TDA)), Jo-Ann Delaney (NATECLA), Keith Davidson (NATE), Adrian Odell (Deputising for Melissa Cudmore (BC)), Tim Shortis (co-opted), Catherine Walter (co-opted), Dan Clayton (UCL, Guest Speaker).

1.  Membership and apologies

The Chair welcomed those present and noted apologies from

Willem Hollmann (LAGB), Simon Coffey (BAAL), Kate Board (CILT), Charlotte Franson (NALDIC), Guy Cook (BAAL), Ian Brinton (EA), , Mahendra Verma (co-opted), Kate Saunders (BDA), Kersti Borjars (LAGB), Patricia Ashby (LLAS), Jonathan Gibson (ESC), Sue Ellis (UKLA), Sue Holley (DofE), Terry Lamb (ALL and LDDP), Urszula Clark (BAAL).

1.1.  Membership matters

i)  ALL representation

It is important to have someone representing ALL, but there appear to be difficulties with ALL funding attendance. Two steps were proposed, the second more favoured.

1) We might invite Terry Lamb to take on the role of co-opted member. CLIE has space for 4 co-opted members; we currently have three.

2) We might ask ALL if they would allow a CLIE observer? Or recommend a representative to attend CLIE?

Action: GT to contact TL to ask his views on who should represent ALL? Whether he would accept being co-opted? Whether he thinks ALL might allow a CLIE observer? Or whether they would name someone themselves?

ii)  BAAL Representative

With the end of Eddie Williams’ term, BAAL has selected Simon Coffey as new BAAL rep. Simon is a lecturer in modern languages at Kings College London, and brings a valuable mainstream Foreign Languages background to CLIE, as well as EFL experience. Simon was selected from a strong field of 7 candidates. He is unfortunately unable to attend Meeting 98.

iii)  Subject Centre representation

The future of Subject Centres is currently unknown. More will be clear in July. Jonathan Gibson will keep CLIE posted on the English Subject Centre. Patricia Ashby has offered to attend for another year, whatever happens to the Linguistics SIG in the LLAS subject centre.

iv)  ISMLA is the ALL for independent schools. It was suggested that we invite them to send a rep, as they are well funded and might contribute to UKLO.

Action GT

v)  TS suggests this is his last year as co-opted member as there are others who could talk to ALEL. TS will come to 100th party but will offer names to GT to approach for a replacement

Action TS/GT

2.  Minutes of Meeting 97

Minutes accepted subject to factual changes to text of Item 10 (UKLO Nos, UK location).

3.  Matters arising from Minutes of Meeting 97

i)  Item 4.2: GT read statement to be sent to government expressing CLIE concern over proposed ESOL cuts.

ii)  Item 7: CW reports that no account has been taken of CLIE submission on proposal for Phonics screening.

iii)  Item 14: GT reported that he had written to DfE to advise of CLIE’s readiness to be consulted on matters regarding the match between A levels in English and expectations of HE degrees, as CLIE has links with a number of other relevant bodies.

4.  Carried forward from meeting 97

4.1 Item 3.1 TDA website for new tutors of PGCE English (CLIE 96, minute 3.1)

DH reported that he had established from David Ashby of TDA that there is now a section on the TDA web site called the Teacher Development Hub . This section is new and currently only has links to archived resources from the TTRB, Behaviour4learning and Multiverse sites that were closed in March 2011.

As TDA is not hosting materials, this new Development Hub aims to link to other sites. TDA is happy to look at available resources and link to them, providing they are suitable.

Members discussed the purpose of hub and suitable resources. DH mentioned resources CLIE has commissioned. CC suggested that categories would help to streamline the organisation.

Action: All to send any suggested resources to DH to co-ordinate and pass on.

4.2 Item 3.3 PGCE database (CLIE 96, minute 5) It remains a goal to explore the possibility of a PGCE database to act as a central contact point for new PGCEs. It is important that new teachers know about TDA. NATE now has a database; UKLA has a primary database. Hard to know how to make a list if the future of teacher training is unclear, in terms of either policies or implementation. We will revisit this topic in November.

Action: ED to put on agenda for November meeting.

4.3 Item 5. New GCSE requirements for the Study of Spoken Language: materials, quality of guidance (TS).

4.3 Item 5. New GCSE requirements for the Study of Spoken Language: materials, quality of guidance (TS).

TS outlined the new curriculum requirement for study of spoken language in the UK GCSE English specifications. This came into force at the start of the 2010 academic year: 10% of the total marks awarded in GCSE English Language are now given for student engagement with an aspect of spoken interaction. GCSE English is studied by over 500,000 students every year so the inclusion of this topic could be seen as evidence of the impact of HE research by applied linguists, which appears to have percolated down from GCE A level to compulsory education level. This change in the school curriculum presents opportunities and responsibilities which member associations may wish to consider.

Apart from the 10% awarded for the study of ‘Spoken Language’, ‘Speaking and Listening’ also contributes 20% of the assessment of GCSE English Language with the consequence that a total 30% of GCSE assessment is now focused on dimensions of talk. TS differentiated between Speaking and Listening and Spoken Language. Whilst Speaking and Listening tends towards an instrumental focus on the perceived quality of effective oral communication, ‘Spoken Language’ treats all kinds of talk and interaction as potential objects for study. In this regard, Spoken Language has more affinities with Applied Linguistics encompassing areas such as attitudes to language, idiolect, and multi-modal talk (digitally mediated interaction.

There are also clear differences especially in the context where GCSE may be studied by students in Year 9. Senior examiners and moderators comment that study of spoken language works best in schools (11-16) when the approach is open and investigative: playful approaches which begin with students’ tacit knowledge and insight appear to work best with younger students (cf. the approach taken in LINC).

Spoken Language is not an entirely new topic for study at GCSE. Following the Kingman Report (1998), the Language in the National Curriculum project (LINC 1989-1992) and the introduction of both the national curriculum and GCSE qualifications, students studied a mandatory course component in KAL) which might include study of spoken language. KAL and the LINC project which supported it were both stopped following direct intervention by politicians in 1992 .

Awarding bodies have taken divergent approaches to Spoken Language as compulsory requirement. Some have emphasized familiar school study approaches dwell on formal rhetoric in high status speeches (for example, those by Martin Luther King). Others have looked at a wider range of material including unplanned talk, multilingual settings and study of new media. AQA, the awarding body with the largest cohort of GCSE students, has taken this more wide-ranging, approach.

GCSE moderators have commented in reports, meetings and in interviews that ‘Speaking and Listening’ tends to be under-taught because students are assessed by evaluations of their performance ‘doing it’. There is often less attention paid to the principles which might inculcate more effective communication (e.g. Mercer 2000). In some schools it appears there is not much teaching input though some academic studies might by adapted to inform such activity: for example those by Mercer, Littleton and colleagues.

Moderators and teachers have also commented on a lack of embedded study of the new spoken language topic in secondary English 11-19, leading to approaches at GCSE which restrict focus on the spoken to the minimum compulsory assessment opportunities.

Given this is a new requirement in the assessed curriculum, there are few resources to teach spoken language and some of what is available can be seen as too expensive for some schools. Photocopy packs devised by the English Media Centre and by CGP cost around £100.. The Pearson photocopy packs used for Edexel are similar.

In response to this situation, TS and JB have obtained BT sponsorship for a first year of funding to make up a free curriculum resource to support teaching about spoken language at GCSE with some applicability across the 14-19 age range. ALL TALK, the DVD will be available to go to schools between the end of September and end of November. All content will be available from the BT website (www.bt.com/alltalk)

Current planning gives coverage of talk in recordings with accompanying transcripts along with additional sections on attitudes to talk genres, and the development of communications technology over time. Support from academics in Higher Education would be useful although it is not yet clear what form this will take.

Material could be put on the TDA website

Comments

i) It was established that this is compulsory for English Language and desirable for English. The English Baccalaureate is likely to include it. If a student chooses Eng Lang, they have to do Eng Lit.

ii) 10% is the minimum that makes any difference to grading (KD).

iii) GCSE English might be compulsory up to the age of 19 for all students, to replace ‘functional skills’ (JAD).

iv) It is good to see diversity in materials, as we are reminded of the concern expressed in Meeting 96 over a conflict of interest because exam boards were commissioning their own materials for their exams (GT). Exam board AQA keen that there is diversity in the materials: AQA has now bought ‘Teachit.’

v) It was suggested that BAAL could put together an activity from a spoken corpus – some of Cancode is now out of copyright; LAGB also has corpora (VR) that might be a source for a 30 minute activity, e.g. Talkingheads (a video dictionary of 30 items with heads providing definitions); something could go on the TDA website (DH); ‘Open learn’ at the Open University could be useful (CC).

Action: TS to send out a 4 page briefing document by the end of the month to invite materials and activities to go on the DVD.

4.4 Item 6. Ethics and confidentiality in language investigation for A Level English language fieldwork (TS/GT). This arose from concern over teachers’ lack of awareness of ethics issues. It is suggested that CLIE offer guidance to teachers in the form of a précis of the BAAL guide – reduced to 4 pages. This could go on the TDA website too.

Action CC to précis BAAL ethics.

5.  Chair’s business. GT reported that the response to the National Curriculum proposals had been submitted. He thanked everyone for their contribution.

KD wished to minute his dissent from last two bullet points in the CLIE suggestions, viz

o  'Distinguish grammatical analysis, as a curriculum subject [sic], clearly from grammatical skills...'

o  'Recognise "grammatical analysis" as a separate strand of subject knowledge at all key stages, which needs to be taught systematically.

Referring to his NATE Note on Debra Myhill at the NATE Conference, KD takes the view that grammatical analysis should not be a separate subject. The Curriculum should recognise this strand in broad outline [as in the present Curriculum], but should not spell out either the fine details of what should be taught or how grammatical concepts should be used in teaching other parts of the English curriculum.

6. Reports from member organisations for information: BAAL, LLAS Linguistics Specialist Group, NATE notes, NATECLA, UKLA news.

6.1 In response to the BAAL report VR and DH were keen to know the BAAL decision on further UKLO funding. CC stated that a further £1,000 has been agreed. In response to DH’s question of whether the grant could be secured for more than one year, CC stated that it might be worth requesting a 3 year grant.

Action: DH to write to BAAL for September meeting to request 3 yr grant.

6.2 NATE: KD wished to record that NATE appreciated the co-operation of the British Library in hosting the recent NATE conference.

6.3 JR tabled a report providing an impact summary of the ‘Evolving English’ exhibition at the British Library. The statistics demonstrate a very good level of public interest in all areas. JR was congratulated on the success of the exhibition.

7 UKLO update. The UKLO, for secondary schools students between the ages of 11 and 19, now in its 2nd year, has a newly designed website. It is streamlined to handle bigger numbers of applications and marking.

Text will be ready for June and publicized by ALL, Routes into languages, Links into Languages, and CILT. The publicity is aimed at Foreign Language teachers, but many students get it through their Maths Teachers. VR is also keen to get contacts for A level English Language teachers.