Valuing bilingualism: a challenge to the monolingual framework

1
Valuing bilingualism a challenge to the
monolingual framework

• Sanchia Pearse and Indra Sinka
• ESRC Research Seminar Series
• Newcastle University 9-10 November 2006

2
Introduction

• Media focus on hundreds of languages spoken in
  some schools
• Initial teacher training and linguistically
  diverse classrooms
• Gap in policy and practice
• Understanding bilingualism
• Standards for QTS
• S3.3.5 They are able to support those who are
  learning ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE with
  the help of an experienced teacher where
  appropriate

3
Pupil Language Data

• DfES School Census 2007
• Action required by all schools for the first time
• First language the full picture?
• Two or more first languages
• Determining first language
• Monitoring and cross-referencing of data
• Lost opportunity and lack of clarity

4
Research Background

• Two research projects funded by the Teacher
  Development Agency
• Research forming part of a doctoral thesis

5
Research Aims

• Why are the Standards relating to bilingualism
  frequently perceived as problematic?
• To what extent does initial teacher training
  prepare trainees to teach bilingual pupils in
  secondary schools in England?
• How do policies, beliefs and strategies underpin
  this training?

6
Methodology

• LITERATURE
• National, regional and local policies
• Academic research
• DATA COLLECTION
• 11 partnership secondary schools (11-18)
• School coordinators, mentors, EAL coordinators
• 4 local education authorities
• 4 higher education institutions
• 100 teacher trainees
• Face-to-face
• semi-structured interviews
• focus groups
• Telephone interviews
• Questionnaires
• Lesson observations
• Diaries

7
Negative perceptions

• I suspect, because bilingualism isnt actually
  addressed in the standards that, um, that its
  not, its not a term that we use.We need to
  deliver the standards, which determine the
  discourse used. (Director, HEI)
• These are possibly questions that we havent
  thought of asking. It doesnt affect day to day
  life that much that it tends to be a burning
  issue.... Actually, issue isnt the right word,
  is it? In some ways, it is an issue here
  because, actually, it is not in the forefront.
  (School Co-ordinator)
• Are we talking about bilingualism here? Are we
  talking about children with a language
  acquisition issue here? Or are we talking about
  a celebration of, of the multi-cultural nature of
  British society? I dont know which one its
  actually related too or are they all related
  together, because actually, they are not
  helpfully defined enoughIf you do start to
  unpack them in that way, then actually it becomes
  such a massive issue that nobody in ten months of
  training could possibly ever hope to meet.
  (School Co-ordinator)

8
Negative perceptions cont.

• They need to know something about the
  theoretical background of learning a 2nd
  language, 2nd language acquisition, bilingualism.
  It helps if they know about literacy in the
  community how to look at the language demands of
  the curriculum. (EAL specialist)
• there hasnt been any debate on EAL or
  bilingualism. I havent actually ever counted
  the number of bilingual pupils in the school.
  (School Co-ordinator)
• I dont have any involvement with initial
  trainees. I have done some EAL presentations to
  the staff in the pastbut I am not on the regular
  induction programme. (EAL specialist)
• Most had data based on ethnicity rather than
  linguistic groups

9
Monolingual framework
10
National Deficits

• Missed opportunities in National Curriculum
• Lack of National Survey for linguistic diversity
• Focus on EAL in National Standards for Initial
  Teacher Training
• Lack of specific training for trainers and
  trainees
• Preconceived ideas of bilinguals

11
Positive perceptions

• We did a lot about pupils and communities with
  different languages and cultures at
  university.... It made me more aware of the terms
  I was using. I was lucky too in my first school
  experience as the teachers there helped me. It
  was a school with lots of different languages and
  cultures. (Trainee teacher)
• We are always trying to raise EAL and bilingual
  pupils achievement. (School Co-ordinator)
• There are four categories that we break students
  up into 1. fluent bilinguals 2. other bilinguals
  3. speakers of English as a second or third
  language 4. speakers of EAL with little or no
  English. (EAL specialist)

12
Positive perceptions

• We are a multi-cultural society and I would
  like to see that reflected in teacher training.
  (EAL Specialist)
• If I had experienced the buzz of being in a
  multicultural school when I was a PGCE student, I
  may not have taken the same jobI may have had
  the confidence to look at some other schools
  (School Co-ordinator)

13
Multilingual framework
14
Conclusions

• Policy makers and practitioners can learn about
• Language use
• Language variation
• Visibility of switching
• Complex interactions from storage and
  simultaneous processing of several languages in
  one human brain
• General features of language structure

15
Conclusions

• Current invisibility of bilingualism
• Change in attitude from problem to resource
• Shift in focus from EAL to the full spectrum of
  bilingualism
• Move from deficit to positive model
• Global citizen

16
Faculty of Education and Language StudiesThe
Open University in the South Foxcombe HallBoars
HillOxfordOX1 5HR

• sanchiap_at_yahoo.com i.r.sinka_at_open.ac.uk