Languages ICT: ICT news update

Lord Dearing’s Languages Review

In October 2006, two years after the government decided to make languages optional at KS4, Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education and Skills asked Lord Dearing to carry out a review of the teaching of MFL in England's schools following widespread concern over the drop in numbers of pupils studying a language at the age of 14.

Lord Dearing, working closely with Lid King, DfES National Director for Languages, key partners and stakeholders, produced his findings in an interim report in December 2006 which was then followed by his full report three months later.

The final report includes many references to the value of teaching and learning languages using ICT such as:

Young people’s familiarity with ICT offers a great opportunity to language teachers. It seems to us that a determined commitment to use this world, which is so familiar to young people, is a key to increasing the engagement of young people of all ages with languages. New technologies can facilitate real contacts with schools and young people in other countries. They can also provide stimulus for creative and interactive work.

The report recognises the need to continue to train staff appropriately through such organisations as Becta and CILT so that they are highly skilled in the use of information technology, and in integrating its use in their lessons. It also highlighted the potential of ICT to provide pupils with resources outside of the classroom (the so-called Open School concept) to access language in their own time and without the pressure of peer observation ... to support both flexibility and greater learner autonomy.

Likewise, it underlined the importance of e-Twinning for developing links with schools abroad:

the use of ICT also becomes a major support for communication between pupils (e-mail links), for joint curricular work (on line and video-conferencing ... for the exchange of data and to underpin real exchanges between pupils.

The report includes a case study which specifically refers to the power of technology to enhance language learning and encourage learner autonomy. Engaging pupils through ICT mentions how Year 10 pupils at Brinsworth Comprehensive School in Rotherham used ICT to create interactive exercises for each other, shoot video clips with their mobile phones and research ideas on the theme of healthy living on the Internet.

Each group was free to research and develop their own ideas on a sub-topic of the theme of healthy living, while still working within a clear set of agreed objectives. A resource booklet containing essential vocabulary and grammar models and examples was issued to each pupil. The pupils used the Internet to identify suitable text and used their mobile phones to create video clips, along with other material, to incorporate into the activities. Pupils demonstrated their final products, which were peer-evaluated using criteria based on the linguistic, technical and pedagogic merits of the materials. All pupils then completed the carousel of activities, consolidating their knowledge of the topic.

You can read more about this project, developed by Fiona Hilton, in the Languages ICT Action Research Archived projects 2005-06 download. Fiona also presented her work at this year’s Language World conference.