This study examined some of the implications for ITT placements of introducing Modern Foreign Language teaching throughout KS2 in England. The researchers identified five issues critical in support for trainees in school. Supported by a TDA Research and Development Award.
The DfES anticipates that the number of primary teachers trained with a foreign language specialism will have reached 6,000 by 2010: the year by which it is planned to introduce foreign language teaching into primary schools.
The study was based in the training partnership of one institution and used questionnaire, interview and a structured series of meetings with schools to investigate:
- Whether placement schools should be chosen for their expertise in PMFL and if this was currently feasible.
- Whether existing primary teachers had sufficient pedagogical knowledge in this specific curriculum area to enable them to act as effective school-based tutors to these trainees
- Whether existing primary teachers had sufficient subject knowledge in this specific curriculum area to enable them to act as effective school-based tutors to these trainees
- Which areas of PMFL school-based tutoring primary teachers felt most insecure about and how these areas could be addressed through mentor training.
All 47 trainees in the project had been able to observe good practice in their subject specialism. Half the trainees did not receive adequate formative guidance whilst on school experience and this was most marked in the cases where MFL was taught by visiting specialists. This arrangement strained the opportunities for teacher-training especially as some visiting specialists were not trained teachers but language assistants and, furthermore, support “at the point of need” was lost. The highest linguistic qualification of 47% of the trainees was at less than degree level and overall only two of the eleven school based tutors were both experienced as a school based tutor and co-coordinator of MFL in the school.
The researchers concluded that in order to deliver satisfactory ITT the following points must be taken as critical:
- Quality of school based placements
- Choice of school-based tutors to primary MFL trainees?
- Subject knowledge expertise amongst school-based tutors
- Pedagogical expertise amongst school-based tutors
- Training needs of school-based tutors.
These findings are of interest to ITT providers and trainers, and with further confirmation, to policy makers.
Work on MFL training for primary teaching in England would benefit from consolidation.
This work was supported by a TDA Research and Development Award. These awards were designed to contribute to the knowledge base in ITT and provide an opportunity for those new to ITT to collaborate with more experienced colleagues in research in areas relevant to their practice.
Keywords
primary MFL, mentors, primary curriculum
Authors :
Jan Rowe, Deanery of Education, Liverpool Hope University. Rowej@Hope.ac.uk
Publisher :
TDA
Article Id :
11981
Date Posted:
23/6/2005