Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages Working Group

1. Indigenous, Minority and Lesser-Used Languages Working Group Conference on Adult Education Provision Holiday Inn Cardiff City Centre 17-18 January 2008 The Learning Continuum Adult Language Learning in Northern Ireland – Eugene McKendry, Queen’s University Belfast Director Northern Ireland CILT

2. Indigenous, Minority andLesser-Used Languages,British-Irish Council Meeting, Galway October 2007 • The Ministers agreed that whilst the approach adopted and the support for adult education provision will vary from one Administration to another, there are valuable opportunities to be gained in continuing to share and exchange experiences in this area.

3. EC: A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism (22-11-2005) • It is this diversity that makes the European Union what it is: not a ‘melting pot’ in which differences are rendered down, but a common home in which diversity is celebrated, and where our many mother tongues are a source of wealth and a bridge to greater solidarity and mutual understanding (§1.1) • http://ec.europa.eu/education/policies/lang/languages/langmin/conference_en.html

4. EC: A New Framework Strategy for Multilingualism (22-11-2005) • the ability to understand and communicate in more than one language is a desirable life-skill for all European citizens. • It encourages us to become more open to other people’s cultures and outlooks, • improves cognitive skills and strengthens learners’ mother tongue skills, • enables people to take advantage of the freedom to work or study in another Member State.

5. EU: The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-2013 • The Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) is a European funding programme which supports education and training across Europe. The LLP provides funding for all stages of lifelong learning; for activities at school, at college, at university, in the workplace and in the community. The LLP is made up of several different programmes offering a variety of opportunities • http://ec.europa.eu/education/programmes/llp/index_en.html

6. European Approaches • CEFR (Common European Framewok of Reference • ELP (European Language Portfolio)

7. The National Languages Strategy Update for key partners Dept for Children, Schools and Families (July 2007)

8. www.cilt.org.uk

9. Netword for AE and FEhttp://www.cilt.org.uk/publications/bulletins/netword/index.htm

10. Language Trends research surveys • Language Trends 2007 - Adult learners • Language Trends 2005 - Adult learners • http://www.cilt.org.uk/research/languagetrends/index.htm

11. 2007 FE College Reorganisation

12. 2007 FE College Reorganisation • Belfast Metropolitan College •  Northern Regional College •  North West Regional College •  Southern Regional College  • South Eastern Regional College  • South West College 

13. Education and Training Inspectorate:Report on provision for Modern Languages in FE in NI. 2005 A parallel development is the revival of interest in the Irish language, and to a lesser extent, Ulster-Scots. This has resulted in a growth in adult, part-time evening and day classes provided in a wider range of locations. Many adults who enrol for conversation classes do not seek formal accreditation for their efforts

14. Education and Training Inspectorate:Report on provision for Modern Languages in FE in NI. 2005 • Strengths • Good relationships and strong, supportive ethos characterised by the sense of camaraderie among the learners. • High levels of learner motivation. • Comprehensive lesson and course planning. • Good response of the learners to the challenging lessons and linguistic situations presented. • Good teaching observed in several lessons and the examples of good practice. • Commitment of the hard-working lecturers. • Satisfactory standards achieved. • Increasingly flexible, organisational approaches and responses to the changing needs of the learners through, for example, community outreach. • Effective formal links with partner institutions in Europe.

15. Education and Training Inspectorate:Report on provision for Modern Languages in FE in NI. 2005 • Main Areas for Improvement • Expand provision in modern languages, and increase the number of full-time learners. • widen the range of teaching approaches and resources. • use the target language more consistently in lessons. • Integrate more fully ICT into the learning and teaching of modern languages. • develop further meaningful links with partner colleges throughout Europe. • apply more systematic and robust quality assurance and self-evaluation procedures to language learning and teaching. • Improve the quality of leadership in modern languages in colleges. • provide further continuous professional development and contact across colleges for part-time lecturers. • Improve accommodation in order to take account of new technologies.

16. Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) Annual Report 2005/06www.ali.gov.uk/publications • an absence of local language strategies. • insufficient co-operation between providers. • insufficient specialist curriculum leadership. • poorly qualified tutors. • wrongly applied accreditation. • insufficiently individualised learning. • insufficient opportunities for language learning in vocational and work-based programmes.

17. Findings from CRAMLAP Project(ab initio University Courses)www.cramlap.org • Small numbers of students for many languages • Mostly taught by individuals, rather than departmental teams • Varied class contact times • Teachers are academic subject specialists, with an academic research background, or Post-graduate tutors often on short-term foreign lector contracts (1-2 years) • Limited teacher training • Inadequate or inappropriate textbooks and resources; however, the range of resources is considered to be improving • Considerable reliance on teacher-prepared resources • Limited use of ICT • Dissatisfaction with transactional functional/notional approach • (Journal of Celtic Language Learning, vol 11, 2006)

18. Belfast Metropolitan College 07-08Irish Courses (all Part-time) • Irish for Business – Bespoke Course • Irish AS • Irish GCSE • Irish for Parents (Meánrang) • Irish Steps 1-4, CCEA • Irish for Administrators

19. FE colleges: Courses offered in: • Conversational Irish • Irish for Beginners • Irish for Improvers • Irish for Leisure • Holiday Irish • Steps/ GOML Irish • GCSE; AS; A-level Irish • Languages for Business • Diploma in Irish Language (UU)

20. QUB • Inst. of Lifelong Learning • September 2007 :12 Courses • 11 in outcentres; 1 in QUB. ca 115 students • Semester 2: Similar numbers • August: Féile summer school • Language Centre • IWLT Institution-wide Language teaching

21. ETI Inspection BIFHE (2001) • 1.7 The Institute provides courses in eleven modern languages for its part-time day and evening students. Nearly 2000 students are enrolled in 250 classes organised in main and subsidiary sites and in many of the outreach centres across Belfast. Less than one-tenth of the students take GCSEs. In an appropriate response to the heavy demand from adults wishing to speak modern languages rather than take a formal GCSE, the Institute has devised its own graded levels approach to the learning of modern languages. Students taking these graded level courses choose whether they wish to take tests leading to accreditation. Overall, the demand for modern languages is heavy in West Belfast, satisfactory in North and South Belfast but weak in East Belfast and in the Greater Shankill Area. There is widespread provision for Irish within the greater Belfast area, particularly to meet the growing demand in West and North Belfast.

22. ETI Inspection Bifhe • 2.15 The outreach provision for modern languages is strong and participation by adults who wish to speak a modern language fluently is increasing year by year, particularly in Irish. Access to modern languages has improved significantly by offering 15 week and 30 week courses in a range of venues and at times to suit the adults. • 4.2.2 …. The Institute has responded well to the growing demand from adults who wish to speak modern languages and has developed internally a sound provision based on graded levels. In particular, it provides an extensive range of 15 week and 30 week courses in Irish.

23. Drop-off? • Motivation? • Expectations too high, unrealistic; (fluent by Christmas)? • Methods? • Needs analysis?

24. Foras na Gaeilge : Scéim Phobail Gaeilge 2008-2010 • An Droichead Teo  •  Cumann Cultúrtha Mhic Reachtain    • Cumann Gaelach Chnoc na Rós • Cumann Gaelach Chnoc na Rós • Gaelphobal an tSratha Báin • Glór na Móna     • Ionad Uíbh Eachach • Pobal an Chaistil 

25. Language OrganisationsCommunity/ Intercultural • Gael Linn (Meas/Szacunek) • Ultach

26. Language Provision:www.cramlap.orgDocumentation • (All documents below link to Microsoft Word or Microsoft PowerPoint files.) • Celtic Studies in Higher Education in Europe • Overview of Language Provision in Partner Institutions • Celtic in Higher Education Provision • The Study of Celtic Languages Abroad • A Survey of Celtic Languages in Europe • Celtic in Poland • Other Regional and Minority Languages in Higher Education in Europe • Regional and Minority Languages in Higher Education Abroad • Case Study of RML in German Higher Education • Conserving Linguistic Diversity in Europe/Improved Language Learning • The Teaching of Sámi • Emerging Forms of Assessment in Regional and Minority Languages • Testing Language Skills and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages • A1 Syllabus for Irish • A2 Syllabus for Irish • Principles of Good Practice and Exemplars • Language Centres and Assessment • Theory and Practice in Language Teaching and Learning • An Overview of Second Language Teaching Methods and Approaches • Task-based Language Learning • Research in Practice: Lightbown and Ellis • Good Practice in Higher Education Teaching and Learning • 'Good' Practice in Higher Education Learning and Teaching: a UK Perspective • Reflective Practice

27. Good Practice • Informed Methodology • Reflective Practice • Needs Analysis; Feedback etc. • (ÉÓD: Abair Leat! • Ultach Trust: Official Irish)