COALA 27 October 2010 Curriculum for Excellence

1. COALA 27 October 2010Curriculum for Excellence

2. Partnership working for CfE HMIE are working with colleagues from: • SCILT – outreach input • LTS – NARs, materials • SG: ML Excellence Group • SQA - eg CARG • SCEN

3. Curriculum for Excellence support visits Programme of over 400 visits 8 visits re modern languages requested 6 EA visits 2 individual schools

4. Requests for input • Relevant, motivating learning, including IDL, aspects of literacy, numeracy. • Planning courses/moving away from the textbook/ courses outwith level 3 • Assessment/ recording/ moderation

5. Key points: learning experience • Relevance: tasks and materials/use of ICT/ links • Motivating and challenging: active learning using language skills and generic skills • Place of culture • Use of the ML

6. Relevant to what? • Globalisation and global citizenship • Sustainability • Changing demographic balance • Increasing health inequalities • Impact of technology • Generic and soft skills demanded by employers • Connections with the local community • Selecting content and making links with the pupil’s experience, prior learning and interests

7. Key points: learning experience • Interdisciplinary learning: relevance, challenge and progression • Literacy: language skills and language awareness • Numeracy: naturally, as appropriate (Health warning re level of numeracy)

8. Key points: curriculum planning • Relevant programmes of work • Building on prior learning • Planning to branch out from the textbook • Resources • Not assuming all will cover third level outcomes by the end of S1

9. Pace and ChallengeBy the end of primary, pupils should be able to: • give a short presentation about themselves • take part in simple conversations & transactions • understand classroom instructions & personal information • enjoy listening to a story, song or poem • read aloud a simple text • read & understand a short text • write a few sentences about themselves and others • script a simple conversation or transaction

10. Key points: assessment • Planning for assessment as part of the curriculum (AiFL) and building on prior learning • Formative/ summative/ variety of assessment types. The B,C,A of assessment. • Record-keeping • Standards • Moderation: departmental/ school/ EA/ national

11. Challenge (and CfE levels) Higher order learning skills Consolidating Applying

12. Place in the curriculum ‘‘All children and young people in Scotland have an entitlement to a curriculum which will develop knowledge and understanding of society, the world and Scotland’s place in it, so that they can develop well-informed views and act responsibly.’’ Building the Curriculum 3

13. Place in the curriculum “I believe that it’s vital that young people…..have a truly international education, and the chance to develop the cultural insight, confidence, and linguistic skills that will help you to understand, and seize opportunities, in a rapidly changing world.’’ Rt. Hon Alex Salmond, First Minister, October 2007

14. Place in the curriculum ‘’Within HMIE, we see MLs playing a vital role in achieving the overall purpose of creating a more successful Scotland and central to our aspirations for Curriculum for Excellence.... For young people to benefit fully from all that a modern globalised society has to offer, they need to appreciate other cultures, have an understanding of how language works, and develop communicative competence in other world languages. Moreover, by learning about another country and another language, they gain a deeper understanding of their own language and culture.’’ Bill Maxwell, Languages: unlocking the potential, SCILT Conference, May 2010

15. Place in the curriculum "Some schools are mistakenly making the study of modern languages optional, saying they want to reinforce the idea of personalisation of the curriculum. That should not be done at the expense of providing a broad general education and we see modern languages as part of that." HMIE would be critical of schools which did not ensure that all pupils had that entitlement in the first phase of secondary, he (Bill Maxwell) warned. Bill Maxwell, quoted in TESS, 4 June 2010.

16. Entitlement trumps choice!

17. Place in the curriculum Schools should not assume that those who are low-attaining or have additional support needs do not study a ML. Informed consultation should have taken place with parents before any such decision was taken.

18. Earning our place To what extent do modern languages contribute to the wider work of the school such as literacy, numeracy, HWB, enterprise and sustainability? Are modern languages helping to raise the awareness of international education and global citizenship across the school?

19. Earning our place in the curriculum Does the department offer any innovative opportunities to encourage pupils to continue with the study of a modern language into the senior school? (eg SQA Modern Languages for Work Purposes units, Mandarin units or courses).

20. Myths and facts • Yes, there is work involved. All curriculum development involves extra work. • Yes, we have to offer all young people a positive learning experience. That is not new. • Yes, we have to ensure that they know how to be successful (AiFL). That is not new

21. Myths and facts • Yes we have to ensure pupils are at the right standard to achieve a level. We are used to doing this but need to check our understanding against exemplars. • We already know what a good performance is at different stages. That is not new. But we have to aim higher.

22. Myths and facts • Yes, we have to make sure we are all assessing to the same standards. That is not new. • We share the standard by working on examples as a department and cross-checking. That is not new. • We can share the standard with colleagues in other schools or EAs. That is not new but EAs and schools have to enable these activities.

23. Myths and facts • We have a unique opportunity to revamp and raise our profile. That is new.