Living language

1. Living language Teaching beyond the test Dr Jon Berry University of Hertfordshire Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

2. Who are ya? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

3. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

4. The dilemma of the 21st century teacher in England (and some other parts of the world) • How do I make my teaching, and students’ learning, lively, enjoyable and, occasionally, creative when I live in a world of high-stakes testing and measurable outcomes? • Could I possibly have the best of both worlds? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

5. The diary of Usain Bolt • Today I trained to win the 100m. • Got up. Had breakfast. Ran 100 metres. • Had a break and ran 100 metres. • Rested for a bit and then ran 100 metres. • Had my tea and ran 100 metres… …you get the picture. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

6. The bad guys A toxic mixture of nostalgia, populism and ideology – with a tinge of racism Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

7. What the bad guys do • Uphold standards -and demand proof that they have been attained • Insist on rigour • Stand up for common sense and decency • Understand the needs of ordinary people • Remind us of the need for value for money • Uphold the notion of a meritocracy • Defend us from lunacy in whatever guise it comes to threaten us Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

8. And so the notion of accountability manifests itself in: • OFSTED • League tables • Performance-related pay • Over-zealous internal scrutiny and observation • A discourse of catastrophe Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

9. The good guys (NB – bad guys and good guys do come in other colours and genders) Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

10. What the good guys do • Attempt to provide a sense of perspective • Use research and scholarship to do the above So, with thanks to all of these three good guys, let’s look at some examples of how they do this: Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

11. Key Stage 2 grammar test Q 16. Complete the sentence below: The sun shone_______________ in the sky. The mark scheme reads ‘Accept any adverb, e.g. brightly, beautifully’. The sun shone bright in the sky Right/Wrong? Wrong. Because……. ……..bright ‘is not an adverb’. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

12. So Shakespeare was wrong, then? She doth teach the torches to burn bright. Romeo The moon shines bright. Lorenzo (Merchant of Venice) I say it is the sun that shines so bright. Kate. (Taming of the Shrew) Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

13. Much to be deprecated is the growing notion that every monosyllabic adjective, if an adverb is to be made of it, must have a –ly clapped on it to proclaim the fact. 1926! (And what about dutifully as an answer to the question?) And, yes, I know that I’ve now started two sentences with ‘and’. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

14. Grammar. A set of rules or patterns to shape meaning? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

15. There are nouns and verbs and pronouns and prepositions. What could be simpler? • A ghost says….. I walk through a wall. • A dancer says…. I walk through my routine . (What’s ‘walk through’? A verb and a preposition?) It’s a phrasal verb when the dancer uses it. You can replace a noun with a pronoun. Rule. So the ghost and the dancer can say: I walk through it. But only the dancer can say…. I walk it through. What use is a ‘rule’ here? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

16. Quiz time! • The government are doing a rotten job? • The government is doing a rotten job? • Too many cards in my wallet makes me worry. • Too many cards in my wallet make me worry. • Jalfrezi is completely different to Madras. • Jalfrezi is completely different from Madras. • Hopefully we’ll be going there tomorrow. • I hope we’ll be going there tomorrow. • There’s a Standard English answer to all of the above – but does it matter? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

17. And just one more for the moment…… • Great Britain hopes to medal in five events. • I medalled in my main event. medal – vb. I AM OUTRAGED!! medal – n. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

18. Most teachers become constructivists , even if by default • We know that learners learn through active engagement with what they are doing. • Learning grammar as rules rather than structures that have contextual meaning militates against this. • Becoming an active agent in language use gives a learner a better chance of understanding different language use in different contexts (including tests and exams). • Which is exactly why Russell Brand and Dizzee Rascal – players with language - are important additions to the curriculum. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

19. But how does that really help me with results? Let’s start with what the research shows: • Contextualized grammar teaching can improve the writing of some students – particularly more able writers. • The greatest areas of improvement were made in Composition and Effect…. • ‘…suggesting that the impact of grammar teaching was not simply at the syntactical level of the sentence but had an effect on overall effectiveness’ (Jones et al, 2013). Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

20. Other observations from the research • The use of the meta-language of grammar is a barrier rather than a support for many learners. • Teachers’ subject knowledge and understanding of grammar is uneven – although not necessarily age-related! • Teachers using ‘learnt’ grammar can lead to the perpetuation of myth and ignorance. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

21. What the bad guys appear to be saying is…. • There’s an accepted way of doing things. (Our way). • There’s an acceptable body of knowledge. (Validated by us). • Practise (vb) makes perfect. • That they believe in ‘strong doses of English grammar as a cure for… educational ills’ (Elley et al, 1975:3). • Deliver the goods or face the consequences. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

22. And the good guys say…… • Don’t accept notions of a golden age. • Contextualized, constructivist teaching of grammar – and most other things- has a more beneficial effect than exercises, drills and prescriptive notions of grammar. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

23. But wait! Rejoice at the redemption of a sinner. What Ofsted says (sic) ….if we choose to believe it. • What appears to characterise (satisfactory) lessons ….is an emphasis on the GCSE skills of analysis at the expense of personal response even in the early stages of Key Stage 3. Inspectors noted little attempt in these lessons to encourage an exchange of views about ideas in the text or to explore students’ reaction to what they had read. Strategies that seek to engage students with the text were neglected in favour of approaches that were directly aimed at developing those skills needed for the type of analytical, literary-critical essay required in the GCSE examination. Inspectors believe that teachers often try to teach these skills before students have had the opportunity to become confident, independent and mature readers. Inevitably, this leads to learning that is heavily reliant on the authoritative, teacher view. Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

24. And they criticise: ‘teachers’ assumptions – frequently mistaken – about what inspectors “want” to see in a lesson or what constitutes effective teaching’. Along with: • Confusing pace with speed • Too many activities • Over detailed lesson plans • Inflexibility within lessons • Constant review of learning Ofsted: Moving English Forward Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

25. Implications When we work in a system dominated by ‘the fallacy of universally measurable performance ….the logic of punitive quantification’ (Collini, 2013)…… • Can we afford to abandon practice and rehearsal? • Can we take our eye off Assessment Objectives? • Can we afford to make leaps of faith? Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014

26. References Collini, S.(2013) Sold Out. London Review of Books. Vol.35:20 pp 3-12 Crystal, D. (2013) Blogspot. Available at : http://david-crystal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/on-not-very-bright-grammar-test.html Elley, W., Barnham, I., Lamb, H. and Wylie. M. (1975) The role of grammar in a secondary curriculum. Educational Research Series, No. 60. Wellington. New Zealand. Fowler, H. (1926) A dictionary of modern English usage. Oxford. Jones, S., Myhill, D. and Bailey, T. (2013) Grammar for writing? An investigation of the effects of contextualized grammar teaching on students’ writing. Available at: https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/4481/2012GrammarforWritingReadingWriting.pdf?sequence=5 OFSTED (2012) Moving English Forward: actions to raise standards in English Rosen. M (2012). Blogspot. Available at: http://michaelrosenblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/grammar.html Jon Berry. University of Hertfordshire. 2014