Language Teachers Digitally Create Their Course by Choosing CEFR-Goals and the Resources They Want – DEM09

Wim de Boer, Afûk Institute for the Frisian Language, The Netherlands

 

Introduction

Teaching requires a lot of teachers in primary education. The curriculum, in general, is overloaded and teachers indicate that they find it difficult to design resources and textbooks. Rather, they rely on quality textbooks of editors. The current Frisian textbook is not sufficient, differentiation keeps being problematic (Oosterloo, De Boer & Bangma, 2014). Teachers need better solutions and support. The language situation is complex, since some pupils speak Frisian as a mother tongue and others learn it as a foreign language. Digital solutions can contribute to a more useful and effective approach for Frisian language learning, which may also be of interest to other multilingual schools. An interactive and digital presentation of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) can be a powerful tool for teachers to organize and evaluate language learning. ICT can also help language teachers who use a Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) approach for language teaching. An online environment (eduFrysk) with a multimedia library containing resources can be used as a starting point for a more meaningful way of teaching and learning a language.

 

Language learning

The teacher should be able t have ownership of the curriculum, but in reality, textbooks and tests determine the curriculum (SLO, 2015). According Walsweer (2015), current language teaching is often supply-driven, which means language itself is not central and a lot of attention is given to the more technical skills. Interactive language didactics (Oosterloo, De Boer & Bangma, 2014), genre didactics (Van Norden, 2014) and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL, De Graaff, 2013) offer opportunities to work with language in a more meaningful way. For the Frisian language a curriculum was developed based on the European Framework of Reference (CEFR; Meestringa and Oosterloo, 2015). It provides opportunities for teachers to plan learning and evaluation. Earlier, De Boer (2008) explored opportunities for the teacher to obtain more curricular ownership with an electronic learning environment, which facilitates the creation of curricula owned by teachers, based on their pupils’ needs. The main question of this project was to define how an electronic learning environment for teachers in multilingual education can be effective to put together curriculum packages for interactive language learning.

 

Designing solutions with teachers

Using a design research approach (Reeves, 2011) our project team has started the identification of innovative examples of ICT and language learning, explored visions of language education and multilingualism, and looked at Frisian language teaching and innovative pedagogical approaches (Oosterloo, De Boer & Bangma, 2014). Also, observations of lessons and interviews with teachers and pupils were organized. Design groups were assembled, in which editors, teacher training faculty members, researchers, curriculum specialists, educational counselors and teachers participated. The design group worked on (examples of) the curriculum and learning platform. The Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR; Council of Europe, 2001) was used, as it is a valuable and popular curriculum to organize and evaluate language learning. It was digitalized in the educational platform eduFrysk. The platform was designed so that teachers were enabled to search for any topic and as a result related texts, videos and other educational resources were presented. Furthermore, suggestions to have language learning activities related to these materials were developed and presented with the resources. These activity suggestions were related to the “can-do”-statements of the CEFR. An example: a video about the Closure Dike could be used for a group discussion about what would happen if the Netherlands would not have dikes. This relates to CEFR: ‘Spoken interaction– discussion- I can take an active part in discussion in familiar contexts, accounting for and sustaining my views (CEFR-B2)’. Finally, the teacher is provided with extra teaching assistance (e.g.: how to make a to a research question), and pupils will be able to make use of support materials, such as “how to make a presentation”.

 

Conclusion

It has often been claimed that teachers would get better instruments to digitally arrange learning and learning materials, and to create their own curricula. In reality this is not the case in the Netherlands, and probably in many other parts of the world as well. To be more flexible with learning materials and learning activities also means that teachers have to let go of their textbooks with predefined curricula. ICT can help teachers with creating a curriculum based on their needs and with monitoring their teaching and their pupils’ learning.

References

Boer, W.F. de (2008). Use, possibilities and future of Course Management Systems in secondary education. Proceedings van de Online Educa Berlin 2008. Berlijn: ICWE GmbH.

Council of Europe (2001). Common European Reference Framework for Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Graaff, R. de. (2013). Taal om te leren: Didactiek en opbrengsten van tweetalig onderwijs (Language learning : Teaching and revenues of bilingual education). Oratie. Utrecht: Universiteit Utrecht.

Oosterloo, A., Boer, W.F., de, & Bangma, I. (2014). Research for the redesing and digitalisasation of the Frisan learning package for primary education. Leeuwarden: Afûk.

Oosterloo, A. & Meestringa, Th. (2015). Referinsjeramt Frysk (Frisian Framework of Reference). Leeuwarden: Afûk.

Norden, S. van (2014). Iedereen kan leren schrijven. Schrijfplezier en schrijfvaardigheid in het basisonderwijs (Anyone can learn to write. Have fun with writing and writing skills in primary education). Bussum: Uitgeverij Coutinho.

Walsweer, A. (2015). Ruimte voor leren (Room for learning). RUG: Groningen

 

 

Wim De Boer

Dr. Wim de Boer is the manager for educational projects within the Afûk Institute for the Frisian Language. Currently he works on the de development of a new and innovative package of flexible and (partly) digital learning materials for Frisian language learning within primary and secondairy education.

He graduated in Educational Sciences and Technology’s from the University of Twente in 1998. He completed his Ph.D. at that same university in 2004 on the use of ICT for flexible learning.

In recent years he worked within the Netherlands, Africa (Mozambique) and South America (Ecuador) on projects within primary, secondary and higher education, always focused on educational change and innovation. His interest lies in competencies of teachers, teacher networks and the role of ICT to enhance learning strategies and organization.

Wim participated in many international conferences, has published in books and journals and is responsible for a number of websites.