An early Start: Young Learners and Modern

THE PROFILE OF
PRIMARY LANGUAGE TEACHER
Mariola Bogucka
Warszawa, 29.9.2011
Cross European Studies –
quality FL teaching & learning for YLs
Nikolov M., Curtain H. (2000) An early Start:
Young Learners and Modern Languages in
Europe and Beyond. Strasburg: Council of
Europe.
Edelenbos P., Johnstone R., Kubanek A.,
(2006) The main pedagogical principles
underlying th eteaching of languages to very
young learners. Languages for the children of
Europe.
Main focus
• The benefits of an early start;
• What is good practice?
• The comparison of educational systems and
their deficiencies;
• Primary language teacher - qualifications;
• The contents of methodology courses.
• Are there any teacher-focused studies?
Types of teachers providing
foreign language instruction
• specialist foreign language teachers
- high language proficiency
- with\without preparation to teach Yls
• primary class teachers
- sufficient\inssuficient language proficiency
- with\without skills of teaching a foreign
language
Participants
The graduates of Gdaosk University who
obtained MA degree at the Department of
Social Studies in Early Education and the
Teaching English to YLs in 1998 (an
experimental course) and in years 2002 2009.
The five-year MA course had operated before
Bologna Proces was implemented at the UG
in 2004.
Research questions
• What is the impact of university education
and qualifications on the professional life of
the graduates?
• What is the relation between university
education and the demands of the changing
work market?
Methodology
• quantative research of professional life
stories of the graduates in question:
- questionnaire: closed/open questions,
rating scales, rank ordering
• qualitative:
- classroom observation
- interview: interview guide approach
Quantitative research–
being a teacher
Nie
11%
Tak
89%
Qualifications to teach English
as an oppotunity of getting a ‘better’ job
Nie ma znaczenia
20%
Nie
2%
Tak
78%
Being a teacher: place of work
60
50
48
Liczebności wyborów
Szkoła podstawowa
40
Szkoła językowa
Przedszkole
Gimnazjum
30
Inne
Szkoła wyższa
20
18
Technikum/Liceum
16
10
10
8
3
0
Miejsce pracy absolwentów
2
Being a teacher :
primary school
Nauczyciele nauczania
zintegrowanego
i
języka angielskiego;
13 osób
Nauczyciele języka angielskiego;
35 osób
Being a teacher:
pre-school
Nauczyciele nauczania
zintegrowanego
i
języka angielskiego;
6 osób
Nauczyciele
języka angielskiego;
10 osób
Being a teacher:
the valued areas of knowledge & skills
50
znajomośd języka angielskiego
45
wiedza nt. metod i technik nauczania
40
znajomośd psychiki i potrzeb dziecka
Liczebnośd wyborów
35
umiejętnośd twórczego myślenia
30
umiejętności interpersonalne
25
umiejętnośd krytycznego myślenia
20
umiejętnośd wykorzystania technik
komputerowych
15
Inne
10
wiedza teoretyczna
5
wiedza nt. krajów anglosaskich
0
Wiedza i umiejętności zawodowe
Being a teacher:
the most valued areas of studies
600
555
527
531
500
436
451
Suma ocen
400
kształcenie
ogółno-humanistyczne
kształcenie
pedagogiczne
kształcenie
językowe
metodyka nauczania
jęz. angielskiego
metodyka nauczania
jęz. angielskiego dzieci
300
200
100
0
Obszary kształcenia
Being a teacher:
do you intend to work at school
in the future?
Nie
20%
Tak
80%
The profile of the graduate –
the highest score for each answer
• The graduate works as a teacher of English
both in grades I-III (lower primary) & IV-VI
(upper primary).
• Due to demographic changes, there are very
few vacacies for early education teachers.
• Additionally, the graduate takes up a job of an
English teacher in language schools.
• The qualification to teach English improved
her employability.
• The most valued competences at work:
subject knowledge-English, professional
knowledge – methods and techniques of
teaching English and child psychology.
• The most highly evaluated areas of
professional training: English language
component, methodology of teaching English
to YLs.
• The graduate possesses high level of
proficiency C1/C2.
• The graduate does not recognise informal
education as a form of teacher development.
• The graduate is planning to continue working
as a teacher.
• The university diploma enables the graduate
to teach at pre-school and lower primary level
both as an early education and English
teacher.
• Yet, in order to have a secure position at
school she needs to have English teaching
qualifications for upper primary level as well.
Qualitative researchbeing a teacher
• Good teaching involves passion, pleasure,
challenge and creativity;
• Teaching is considered to be mission–high level
of moral accountability to one’s pupils/parents;
• Personal & professional development merges
into one entity;
• Job satisfaction and the acquired competences
provide grounds for empowerment.
Issues important
for quality assurance
• Adequate system of providing quality
in-service teacher development;
• Adequate training of how to deal/ cooperate
with parents;
• Provision of additional training to secure
employability within the educational system.
• Recognition of informal education as
professional development.
Quality enhancement
Further international research into YL education
focused on teachers as well:
• implementing reflective model for teacher
development;
• setting up models for effective parent-school
cooperation;
• international teacher exchange to upgrade
linguistic/intercultural competences.
Thank you 