LINGUISTIC POLICY EFFECTS OF THE EU ENLARGEMENT

1
YOUNG LEARNERS
2
Main policy trends

• Two foreign languages in the school system
• The early start for the first FL
• Lowering the starting age for the second FL
• Promotion of regional and ethnic minority
  languages
• Ensuring quality of language education

3
Socio-political reasons for the early start

• A message of educational importance
• A guarantee of the length of the language course
• A contribution to the place of language education
  in the school curriculum
• A response to educational aspiration of parents
• Pressure of interest groups ( local authorities,
  publishers, teachers)

4
FL in primary education

• Primary schools in Europe
• 46,4 English
• 6,5 German
• 3,2 French

5
The early start mandatory languages

• External communication
• English is mandatory e.g. in Germany, the
  Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark or Latvia)
• Internal communication
• French is mandatory in Belgium
• German is mandatory in Luxembourg
• Danish is mandatory in Iceland

6
Language education across age groups

• FL enters the curriculum for children aged 5 to
  10
• 5 in France
• 6 in Norway and in Luxembourg
• 7 in the Czech Republic, in Estonia, in Italy
• 8 in Greece, in Bulgaria and in Spain
• 9 in Hungary, in Slovenia, in Lithuania and
  Latvia, Belgium
• 10 in Estonia, in Poland and in Slovakia, but
  also Belgium, in Denmark, in Portugal, in Iceland

7
Languages in the curriculum

• Primary education
• time ranges from 2,4 in Lithuania, Latia and
  Belgium ( fr) to 8-10 in Italy and Estonia
• Secondary education
• time ranges from 10 in Poland and in the Czech
  Republic, Slovenia, Norway and Italy to 17-19
  in Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden and Iceland

8
Methods and approaches

• Educational philosophy in line with child
  psychology
• Oral, interactive, communicative approaches
• Attractive, motivation building methods
• Play and game based techniques
• Supporting child development
• Catering for individual differences

9
Qualitative measures ELL, CEF, ELP

• ELL
• small educational institutions, distant regions
• collaboration of teachers, parents, institutions
• promotion of CLIL, ICT, less widely taught FLs
• CEF
• upgrading syllabus and materials design
• assessment
• ELP
• learning to learn gtgt self-assessment
• impact on teachers and publishers

10
Difficulties

• Lack of continuity after the early start
• Late introduction of the second FL
• Uniformity of curriculum scenarios
• Low budget
• large classes
• too many Ls per computer
• not enough contact hours
• not enough stays abroad for prospective and
  active teachers

11
Issues to reflect on

• Efficiency problems is the younger the
  better?
• Do educational benefits compensate for efficiency
  problems in large groups and limited learning
  time?
• Acquisition / learning issues
• Is acquisition possible with limited input?
• Is it in in fact acquisition or learning?
• Is interaction possible in large groups of VYLs?
• Is the early start in kindergarten a valuable
  goal?
• Is repetition and producing labels worth it?
• Is production without comprehension worth it?
• Is there a road from vocabulary to syntax?
• Is there a road to spontaneous use of a FL?

12
Dilemmas

• To invest in the quality of one language teaching
  or to introduce a second foreign language
  earlier?
• To promote early start irrespective of continuity
  assurance or to limit it accordingly?
• To promote early start irrespective of the
  quantity and quality of input or to limit it
  accordingly?
• To start in kindergarten or in the primary?