New Finnish core curricula- implementation

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Finnish language core curriculaCollaborative RD
Project 2006 -2009
Raili Hildén University of Helsinki,
Finland raili.hilden_at_helsinki.fi
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(No Transcript)
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Background

• New core curricula for language education
  2003/2004
• Content cathegories related to the CEFR
• CEFR scales gt illustrative scales for defining
  target levels of language proficiency in general
  school education

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Overall/crosscurricular aims of school
education
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Background

• Need to bring together systematic goal
  descriptions and the idea of language education
  as a modification process of culturally
  determined identity (good classroom and field
  practices )
• Need to monitor the implementation of the goals
• Long-term needs related to promoting oral
  proficiency and developing assessment procedures

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Theoretical foundations

• Communicative language study ( teaching
  learning) for intercultural competence and
  personal growth of identity
• Competences as presented in the CEFR
• Sociocultural theories
• Task-based language teaching
• Learner autonomy European Language Portfolio
  (ELP)
• Teachers professional development

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Aim of the project 1
IINTERNATIONAL LEVEL (UN, EU)
NATIONAL LEVEL
COMMUNITIES
P O W E R
C U L T U R E
COMMUNICATION
INSTITUTIONS
CLASSROOMS
Macro level
Mediational activities resources
TASKS
Micro level
reproduction
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Society and cultural context
CURRICULUM
Awareness Authenticity Autonomy
Communicative language competences
III Reflection Assessment
General competences
II Task implementation Interpretation gt
Activity
Development of student identity
Teacher professional growth
Learning to learn
Sosiolingvistic competences
Skills and know-how
I Planning Goals intentions
Linguistic competences
Pragmatic competences
Existential competence
Declarative knowledge
Task phases and processes
Teaching-studying-learning
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Properties of a type task in OSKU(integrating
TBLT, Sociocultural theory (Lantolf Thorne
2006), Experiental learning (van Lier 1996
Kohonen 2000) and theories of motivation (Dörnyei
2002)

• Type task as a dynamic unit for planning,
  implementing and assessing teaching and studying
• the primacy of language use and meaning in
  contrast to form (authenticity, motivation)
• focus on real-life language use (authenticity,
  motivation)

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Properties of a type task in OSKU (integrating
TBLT, Sociocultural theory (Lantolf Thorne
2006), Experiental learning (van Lier 1996
Kohonen 2000) and theories of motivation (Dörnyei
2002)

• focus on one of the four linguistic skills or
  their combination
• call for multiple levels of cognitive processing
  (corresponding real-life situations)
  (authenticity)

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Properties of a type task in OSKU (integrating
TBLT, Sociocultural theory (Lantolf Thorne
2006), Experiental learning (van Lier 1996
Kohonen 2000) and theories of motivation (Dörnyei
2002)

• opportunity of reaching shared agency and
  receiving scaffolding from experts and peers
  (autonomy, authenticity)
• clearly defined communicative goal (awareness)

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Properties of a type task in OSKU (integrating
TBLT, Sociocultural theory (Lantolf Thorne
2006), Experiental learning (van Lier 1996
Kohonen 2000) and theories of motivation (Dörnyei
2002)

• enables reflection on process and outcome
  (autonomy, awareness)
• possibilities for student choice and
  interpretations in putting the blueprint into
  practice (autonomy)

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Overview of research questions

• How are the goals percieved /interpreted by
  teacher educators, pre-service student teachers,
  teachers, students?
• What classroom practices are trialed to promote
  the attainment of the goals?
• To what extent are the goals attained?
• How could the curricula be improved in the next
  round?

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Research problems

• Problems and questions are guided by the
  curriculum and consonant to its goals
• Detailed reseach questions will be determined by
  the teachers/practioners and researchers in line
  with their personal interests
• See the Handout

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Elements to be considered in planning, action and
reflection

• Competences
• Linguistic
• strategic
• general
• Authenticity
• of learning context
• of purpose
• commitment to interaction

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Elements to be considered in planning, action and
reflection

• Autonomy
• Strategy use
• Freedom of Choice
• Control
• Ownership and voice

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Elements to be considered in planning, action and
reflection

• Awareness
• affective
• social
• cognitive
• performance related

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Elements to be considered in planning, action and
reflection

• Motivational orientation (at various phases)
• Reflection
• Self-assessment
• Peer assessment
• Retrospection
• Metareflection

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MethodAction research

• Integration of theory and practice
• ? The twin goal of AR
• Improving practice and transform ways of doing
• Nurturing theory grounded in practice

Zeicher, K. 2001. Educational Action Reseach. In
P. Reason H. Bradbury (Eds.) Handbook of
Action Reseach. Participative Inquiry and
Practice. SAGE, 273 - 283.)
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6. A new model stabilizes Itself to be
internalised in Its inherent ways and means

• Socializing
• and training to
• become competent
• In the activity
• as it is routinely
• carried out

5. A new model for the activity is designed and
implemented
EXTERNALIZATION gt TRANSFORMATION
INTERNALIZATION gtREPRODUCTION
2. Discrete individual innovations
3. Critical self-reflection on disruptions and
contradictions
4. Search for solutions to contradictions
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The project as activity system
MEDIATING CULTURAL ARTIFACTS Language curricula,
learning materials, technology, Meetings,
seminars
SUBJECTS Teachers/sutdent teachers Pupils/student
s Coordinators Researchers
OBJECT Goals of language education
Vygotsky 1978 Engeström 1999
DIVISION OF LABOUR Teachers teach Students
study Research investigate
RULES Laws, rules, Ethical conventions
COMMUNITY Language educators Researches
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Methods of inquiery 1
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Method of inquiry 2
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Practioners and researchers coming together
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Envisaged outputs
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Products
Teaching resources
http//virmo.jyu.fi/osku
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Aim of the project 2
transformation
INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
NATIONAL LEVEL
COMMUNITIES
P O W E R
C U L T U R E
COMMUNICATION
INSTITUTIONS
CLASSROOMS
Macro level
Mediational activities resources
TASKS
Micro level
reproduction
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Thanks for your attention!