Ministry of Education Language Immersion Awards

1. Ministry of EducationLanguage Immersion Awards MISSION To support the development of language skills considered necessary for New Zealand’s growth as a knowledge economy that is globally connected. Teachers develop their language proficiency skills and intercultural competence in authentic settings so they can apply the knowledge and skills they have gained to improve student language learning outcomes Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd gail.spence@xtra.co,nz

2. Priority Goals More learning languages More learning languages well Increasing teacher effectiveness The New Zealand Curriculum Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

3. LIA L2 adviser ROLE =work directly with awardees to focus their goals= =BEST VALUE= Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

4. I soon came to realise I needed to: • see their goals as unique • open up a two-way dialogue • challenge their thinking • separate the personal and the professional • link them to The New Zealand Curriculum • open up the “black box” of pedagogy • provide a planning structure • ask for achievable goals (i.e. measurable) • advise them on measures Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

5. STRUCTURED PLANNING TEMPLATE Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

6. LANGUAGE Example 1 Original goal I want to improve my spoken and written fluency in French Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

7. LANGUAGE Example 1 Reshaped goal I want to be able to speak confidently and fluently in any given situation during my stay in (...). I want to develop a rich repertoire of formulaic expressions and confidently use them in any realistic context. Principle 1 ...and Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

8. LANGUAGE I hope to measure this through personal observations and reflections. Using the base line data collected on the language assessment form that I completed before departure. Plus observations from my tutors and home stay family. I will do this by having a set of questions that people can comment on and I will record their responses. ...and Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

9. LANGUAGE The questions are : • Has my pronunciation improved? (Give an example) • Am I showing that I understand better? • Am I using more vocabulary and more language? • Am I talking the language more easily & hesitating less? • Can you understand more easily what I say? • Am I using formulaic expressions appropriately? NB: My aim is to ask these questions after approximately 2 weeks. Then to have examples of responses taken on a monthly basis over the 3 month period . Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

10. CULTURE Example 2 Original goal Develop an understanding of Chinese culture and customs. Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

11. CULTURE Example 2 Reshaped goal Develop an understanding of Chinese calligraphy and painting. Specific targets I aim to learn as much as possible about the history, values and practices of calligraphy and painting within the Chinese culture so I can confidently teach them to my students. ...and Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

12. CULTURE Outcomes My students will be able to explore the customs, history, values and mechanics of Chinese calligraphy and painting. This exploration will give students ‘a hands on’ experience of aspects of Chinese culture, and enable comparisons to be made with their own languages/cultures. It will also reinforce their understanding and use of Chinese characters. Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

13. CULTURE Example 3 Original goal Little bit stuck on this one…was thinking about something to do with cultural awareness and developing a Berlin Unit for juniors, extending on the unit that I already do…or simply a cultural sort of unit…or maybe a unit that I could do preceding the 1.2 assessment… Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

14. CULTURE My response Great that you mention an interest in culture. Why not broaden your thinking from culture as a topic to the new way of thinking about language teaching and learning (as in The New Zealand Curriculum) where it’s more about helping your students to understand the German world view, German values, the way culture is embedded in the language..... ?? You could collect examples of written texts, at different levels, and help your students to interpret (not translate) them from a “German “ perspective. ...and Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

15. CULTURE For example, the New Zealand attitude to education is full of talk about “opportunities” and “challenges” for our young people. This talk surprises German people who do not normally use “Herausforderungen” in an educational context. They more often focus on the “requirements” (Anforderungen) and  “performance” (Leistung). There are cultural differences in the way German people extend invitations (in spoken and written texts) – this would be a good field to investigate, as misunderstandings often occur across cultures here. There would be lots of other examples. This “culture-in-language” approach is where we are heading in New Zealand. It would be great to have you come back with this kind of knowledge to share with other teachers and to try out with your students. Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

16. PEDAGOGY Example 4 Original goal Gather a range of resources to use in my classroom teaching. Ultimately, my success will be evident within my teaching. If I am able to successfully achieve my chosen goals, my (...) lessons will improve. My lessons will become more diverse and interesting for students. Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

17. PEDAGOGY Example 4 Reshaped goal I aim to develop a pedagogy for my future teaching which incorporates my reflection on the elements of language instruction, and culture experienced during my immersion. This pedagogy will aim to develop the knowledge, skills and communicative competence of my students. ...and Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

18. PEDAGOGY Outcomes • Increase the quality of inputs (listening, reading, etc) to create an immersive environment within the classroom. • Increase students’ ability and confidence to output in Chinese (produce). Output to include: writing (pinyin and characters), speaking, etc. • Increase students’ knowledge of language and cultural practices (culture-in-language) so they may better relate to, communicate with and understand Chinese people, e.g. use of formulaic expressions; informal/formal language; politeness expressions; cultural behaviours. Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

19. PEDAGOGY Example 5 Original goal Observe how the host culture teaches a second language Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

20. PEDAGOGY Example 5 Reshaped goal • I am learning to: focus on how the host country incorporates Principle 1, Principle 6 and Principle 7 of Instructed Language Learning (Ellis, 2005) • Benefit for my students: develop a greater range of formulaic expressions and have more opportunities for input and output during language learning • Links to the Learning Languages Curriculum: Level 1 and 2 – selecting and using language Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

21. TEACHER RESPONSIVENESS • some grumpiness • willingness to engage • BUT need lots of reminding • thankful for detailed feedback • BUT many have own mentors • achieving shifts in thinking • using an L2 professional discourse • speaking with own voice Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd

22. How can we all help? • “twin” the personal and professional in our/teacher talk. • PLD goals must be measurable (narrow the focus). • pedagogy needs to be central to teacher talk, research-informed, and linked to learning outcomes. • pedagogy needs to enable students’ intercultural communicative competence (at defined levels). • resources support pedagogy, not the other way around. • cultural knowledge requires an intercultural orientation. • teachers speak with their own voices. • LANGUAGE – CULTURE - PEDAGOGY Gail Spence, Te Kauri Research Ltd