Pedagogical challenges of foreign language teaching in mixed-age primary school classrooms

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomáš Kos
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
School Level ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
The Right ◽  
Mixed Age

Abstract An increasing number of primary schools, mainly in western European countries, have established mixed-age (M-A) classrooms due to the belief of the teaching community in the pedagogical and social benefits of this approach. In the area of foreign language teaching, the M-A approach has gained popularity, particularly at the primary school level. However, despite the increase in the number of M-A foreign language classrooms, the benefits of this approach remain unclear. This lack of clarity might be caused by the lack of research on M-A teaching practices in foreign language classrooms. In this article, I first describe what M-A classrooms are and address relevant research findings on M-A teaching. At the heart of the article, I address in detail some important pedagogical challenges of M-A teaching. Specifically, I consider in what ways and to what extent differentiated instruction is possible in these classrooms. Later, I discuss the issue of the “right” approach to M-A teaching and provide some pedagogical suggestions.

Teaching of culture within foreign language teaching and its relationship to nationalism

2001 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-73
Author(s):  
Akemi Dobson
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Native Speaker ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Boundary Maintenance ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Communication Needs

Abstract This paper argues that the teaching of culture in second/foreign language classrooms involves more than equipping learners with the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate with native speakers. In the past few decades, the emphasis in second/foreign language teaching has shifted from acquisition of linguistic forms to enhancing communicative competence. In that process the native speaker has been seen as a source of "correctness" in communication behaviour and the target culture, monolithic and homogeneous. Such practice enforces the current nationalism-dominated worldview and may contribute to boundary maintenance between nations as much as, or possibly more than, to cross-cultural understanding and tolerance. This argument is based on the recognition that second/foreign language classrooms act as a location where more than two nations intersect, contributing to formations of cultural identities: both Us and the Other. In the current world of ever-increasing globalisation, national identity, which is embedded in our language and discourse, is more vigorously formed than ever in order to maintain national boundaries. Therefore, it is necessary for the second/foreign language profession to address the implications of cultural contents beyond communication needs and to foster critical attitudes in language learners.

scholarly journals ZMIERZCH BILINGWIZMU I JEGO SKUTKI

Neofilolog ◽  
2016 ◽  
pp. 9-19
Author(s):  
Halina Widła
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
European Population ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Linguistic Interference ◽  
Language Classrooms ◽  
Foreign Language Classrooms ◽  
Cultural Baggage

The purpose of this article is to show different approaches and trends in foreign language teaching in Polish schools over the last two decades. Emphasis will be placed on changing the skills and competencies needed to succeed to transition from the bilingual to the multilingualcitizen. European population is becoming more and more multicultural, with a growing diversity of cultures, races, values, and languages. The article also presents some examples of research with regard to attitudes and stereotypes. It is observable that this phenomenon exerts impact on the effective classroom management. Taking into account the new context of work in foreign language classrooms, the author focuses on strategies and key challenges encountered by teachers such as: differences in motivation or interests, individualization resulting from the biography of a language, cultural baggage, linguistic interference, and implementation of new technologies.

scholarly journals Digitally-supported language exchanges in primary school: The AlpConnectar project

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-843
Author(s):  
Luca Botturi ◽  
Daniela Kapler ◽  
Lucio Negrini
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Primary Schools ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
The Third ◽  
Swiss Cantons ◽  
Silver Bullet

This article presents the design, implementation and outcomes of AlpConnectar, a Swiss project that exploits technologies for digitally-supported language exchange (LE) in primary schools. Launched in 2013, the project involves three Swiss cantons where different languages are spoken (namely German, French and Italian) and respectively taught as foreign languages since the third grade of primary school. In the first section of the paper the linguistic composition of Switzerland is briefly presented and the current methodologies and approaches in foreign language teaching in the country are introduced. After a literature review of online LE practices, the AlpConnectar project is presented, along with a LE example to illustrate how it works. The final sections present the results of the project, based on data collected from both pupils and teachers. The results seem to suggest that while digital technologies offer significant benefits for LEs, they are no silver bullet, and their impact depends on a number of contextual variables.

scholarly journals Primary school inclusive foreign language teaching features

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-50
Author(s):  
Olha Datskiv ◽  
Sofia Datskiv
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Learning Environment ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
English Teachers ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Teaching Methodology ◽  
Peer Evaluation

An integral part of the formation of the New Ukrainian School is an inclusive component, which forms a new philosophy of society based on the understanding of diversity and equality for all. Involvement in education and constant support of children with special educational needs should take place at all stages of receiving complete secondary education, especially in primary school. The paper discusses the features of inclusive foreign language teaching in primary school. Based on the research analysis, pedagogical observation of the educational process in English lessons in inclusive classes, the conclusion is made that it is important for primary school English teachers to use clear and comprehensive instructions before doing exercises and tasks, introduce and maintain the learning routine (greeting, a permanent place for writing homework, questions at the beginning and at the end of the lesson, etc.), change the types of tasks frequently, adapt previously used exercises to the new learning conditions, use scaffolding strategies. The article presents a set of exercises and tasks to use in English lessons when studying the topic “My home” in an inclusive 3rd grade of a general secondary education institution, as well as checklists for self-and peer evaluation of the inclusiveness of the learning environment for English teachers. The exercises and tasks of the set were tested in the 3rd-B grade of Ternopil schools No. 16 and No. 7. The final assessment of the educational achievements of students in English in the second semester of the 2020 / 2021 academic year confirmed the effectiveness and appropriateness of using these exercises and tasks in the English lessons. Checklists for self-and peer evaluation of the inclusiveness of the learning environment were tested and approved by English teachers and recommended for use in the educational process by foreign languages teaching methodology groups.

scholarly journals Grammar in primary school EFL textbook activities: a corpus-driven study of their teaching nature and related cognitive implications

2017 ◽  
pp. 57-72
Author(s):  
Joaquín Gris Roca
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Implicit Knowledge ◽  
Lower Number ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Young Learners ◽  
School Teaching ◽  
Efl Teachers ◽  
Explicit Teaching

One of the fundamental goals of Foreign Language Teaching might be the attainment of implicit knowledge, which underlies oral and written fluency. Textbook activities reflect different explicit and implicit teaching loads following the type of knowledge they are targeted at (explicit, implicit or both). EFL teachers’ implementation of activities can thus help or become a hindrance for the development of implicit knowledge. This study aimed to explore the explicit and implicit teaching nature of 100 activities taken from 10 EFL textbooks used in Spanish primary school teaching. The ultimate goal was to examine whether activities are designed taking into account young learners’ idiosyncratic way of learning. Findings revealed that most primary school EFL textbook activities tend to contain a lower number of activities mostly focused on explicit teaching.

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