Portuguese for archeologists, German for theologians, Italian for art historians

Transkript

1 Portuguese for archeologists, German for theologians, Italian for art historians Challenges in developing a pluralistic language strategy in high education Anne Holmen and Marta Kirilova University of Copenhagen Dias 1

2 Plan for the talk Introducing The Language Strategy background objectives Needs analysis Focus on students language needs, interest, motivation and investment Challenges for the Strategy During development and implementation In the long run

3 University of Copenhagen Founded in Medieval Copenhagen in 1479 Today a research-based, public university with six faculties: Health and Medical Sciences Humanities Law Science Social Sciences Theology 100 departments, more than 200 study programs students, employees

4 University of Copenhagen (Mortensen & Haberland 2012) Type of university Period Languages Organizing principle Medieval Until C16 Latin auctoritas Enlightenment C17-C18 Latin, other European languages (Danish) ratio National C19-C20 Danish nation state Postnational C201-C21 Danish and English market

5 Languages at the national university Danish-medium instruction Receptive multilingualism within Scandinavia and some knowledge of Danish in Iceland, Greenland, Faroe Islands Foreign language departments: European languages, philology Students in general: Some familiarity with European languages (English, German, French and to some extent Spanish) High school: 2 or 3 foreign languages

6 Languages at the postnational university Danish- and English medium instruction Weaker receptive multilingualism within Scandinavia and weaker Danish competence in Iceland, Greenland and Faroe Islands Foreign language departments: European language & literature & social studies. Area studies including a number of Southeast Asian, Middle East languages Students in general: Weak familarity with other European languages than English High school: high level English, other languages rarely chosen

7 University of Copenhagen s language strategy: More languages for more students Five-year research-supported project initiated by the university s Rector aimed at improving the language skills of the students across the University Tailor-made language activities aiming at Improving the language skills of the students in English, Danish as L2, German, French, Arabic, Spanish, etc. Providing the students with (new) relevant language skills (especially students outside the language programmes) Enabling students to individually organize and complete their specific courses of study Attracting and retaining highly qualified international students Contributing to the internationalization of education at the University of Copenhagen Improving the University s relations with the surrounding world Improving graduates opportunities in the national and international job markets

8 Examples of activities for language support Spoken/Written Arabic for students of Anthropology Danish study skills for first year students

9 Needs analysis is a complex ongoing activity Phase 1 Initial needs analysis: Tracing/identifying needs Phase 2 Task analysis: Setting up a pilot project Evaluation Phase 3 Task evaluation: Producing generic activities

10 Needs analysis is a way to include the participants perspective Students Teachers & Language Instructors Domain Experts The World Outside

11 Which way to go? Step 1. Talks and interviews with domain experts Step 2. Larger surveys among students Step 3. Minor surveys, interviews and focus groups among students Step 4. Participant observation in class Step 5. Evaluation of classes with focus on foreign language for specific purposes Step 6. Including experts from outside

12 3 wide-scale surveys Study abroad survey (N=434) Faculty of Social Sciences (N=953) Faculty of Theology (N=74)

13 Results from surveys 1) Foreign language learning and quality of education 2) Choice of study abroad destination & foreign language competences 3) Language skills in different contexts

14 Have you experienced difficulties because of limited proficiency in a foreign language? Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Theology Students on a study abroad programme

15 Example: Student at Social Science Jeg har KÆMPE problemer med de mange akademiske, engelske tekster på samfundsfag. Der er meget jeg ikke forstår og ikke får med. Som udgangspunkt synes jeg at når adgangskravet er matematik B fra gymnasiet, så er der INGEN sammenhæng mellem optagelseskrav og det der forventes. Teksterne bør derfor som udgangspunkt være på dansk. Ellers kunne man forlange af de studerende at de tog udlandsophold af en vis længde inden studiestart eller adgangsgivende sprogtests. I have HUGE problems with the many academic texts in English at Social Science. There is a lot I don t understand and I simply don t get. First of all, since the admission requirement is B level math, then there is NO connection between admission requirements and what is expected. The texts should therefore be in Danish. Otherwise, perhaps students should be required to spend some time abroad or complete a qualifying language test before embarking on their studies.

16 Example: Student of Theology Jeg synes man skulle højne forventningerne til de studerendes tyskkundskaber helt fra starten, således at man for eksempel ikke uddeler tekster af Nietzsche og Luther på engelsk. Som dansk luthersk teolog er det efter min mening en stor fattigdom ikke at have adgang til den tyske akademiske tradition. I think you should expect of the students German language skills to be at a much higher level from the beginning, so that texts by Nietzsche and Luther are not handed out in English. As a Danish Lutheran theologian, it is my opinion that it s a great loss not to have access to the German academic tradition.

17 German and French Det ville herligt, om KU gad udbyde tyskundervisning. Vi går glip af utrolig meget viden, når vi kun støtter os op ad engelsk. Det er en skam. Især muligheden for at kunne læse tekster på originalsproget (hovedsageligt tysk og fransk) ville have været en stor fordel. It would be great if KU offered courses in German. We miss out on a lot of knowledge by relying on English only. It is a shame. It would have been a great advantage to have had the possibility of reading texts in the original language (primarily German and French) (Student of Social Sciences)

18 Language skills in which foreign language(s) would improve the quality of your study area at the University of Copenhagen? N=69, Students from all faculties N= 195, Faculty of Social Sciences

19 Did you attend language classes after enrolling at the University of Copenhagen? Which language did you take classes in?

20 Foreign language proficiency vs. choice of study abroad destination Jeg ved der er nogen der vælger udveksling fra fordi de føler at deres engelsk ikke er godt nok til at kunne bestå en eksamen på engelsk I know there are [students] who choose not to go on exchange because they feel that their English is not good enough to be able to pass an exam in English. Student of Economics Hvis det ville have været muligt at tage en spansk sprogkurs, ville jeg måske ansøge til ophold i Sydamerika Had it been possible to take a Spanish course, I might have applied for a stay in South America Student of Law, Scotland Manglende sprogkundskaber i andre sprog gjorde dog, at jeg fravalgte at søge om at komme til lande, hvor undervisningen ikke foregik på engelsk Due to lack of knowledge of other languages, I opted out of applying for [a study abroad programme] in countries in which English wasn t the language of instruction. Student of Ethnology, USA

21 Where do the students go for a study abroad? ( ) USA 81 AUSTRALIA 47 ENGLAND 38 CANADA 35 GERMANY 30 FRANCE 17 SCOTLAND 14

22 Speaking and writing in an academic context Det er svært at deltage aktivt i undervisningen, da ens kommentar som oftest først er færdigkonstrueret i hovedet når emnet er forbigået. It is difficult to participate actively in class because the focus has already moved on by the time I m done constructing a comment in my head. (Student of Religious Studies, about German) At holde oplæg foran de franske studerende på fransk To give an oral presentation in French in front of French students (Student of Social Sciences) Det var lidt svært at komme ind i det akademiske sprog, englændere bruger særligt i essays og det på trods af, at jeg var på KUs engelske sprogkursus It was difficult to acquire the academic language that [native] English speakers use especially in essays, despite having attended KU s Academic English course. (Student of Sociologi )

23 General English vs. Academic English Jeg følte mig klart mest utilstrækkelig når det kom til det talte sprog, og faktisk mest i forhold til helt uformel samtale om ikke faglige ting. Det er som om jeg har fået bygget et ordforråd op på studiet omkring mit fag, men at den dagligdags kommunikation var noget mere rusten. I felt most constrained when it came to spoken language, and actually mostly in informal exchanges about non-academic issues. It is as if I ve built a vocabulary around my area of study, but everday communication was somehow more rusty. Jeg er flydende på "almindeligt" engelsk, så det var ikke et problem. Men ved faglige opgaver kunne det være sværere, da det jo er fagsprog, der kræves. I m fluent in general English, so that wasn t a problem. But academic assignments were more difficult as they require academic language. (Student of Law Studies) (Student of Social Studies)

24 Is English sufficient? Det var et problem da jeg var på udveksling, at jeg ikke talte bedre fransk. Både fagligt og socialt. Det opleves særligt som problematisk at det virker til at uni tror at sprogkompetencer kun er engelske. Der er altså ingen der bliver imponeret over at en kandidat taler engelsk -det er en forventning, at vi kan det. Fremmedsprog i dag er andre sprog end dansk og engelsk. My limited French was a problem while I was on an exchange. Both academically and socially. It is problematic that the university seems to think that language competencies include English only. No one is impressed by the fact that a graduate student speaks English we re expected to. Foreign languages today goes beyond Danish and English. Hvis man ikke ville udfordres, kunne man bare tale engelsk. Der var reelt ikke behov for andet end engelsk - resten var for egen udviklings skyld. If you didn t want to be challenged you could just speak English. There was really no need for anything else but English except for one s own benefit.

25 More languages for more students? There is a clear interest in acquiring relevant academic skills in a number of foreign languages among students at the University of Copenhagen - To cope with academic difficulties during their core studies - To fully benefit from academic activities abroad - To increase the range of study abroad options and to prepare themselves for an international labour market

26 Language needs: Subdividing the concept of language Language is traditionally seen as a unitary phenomenon the whole package developed to train high school teachers in foreign language & literature Now seen as part of a register, contextdependent and dynamic, distinguishing between receptive and productive skills, oral and written language, basic/everyday academic subject specific language Language of, for and through learning

27 Coyle et al. 2010: CLIL terminology Language of learning: the language needed for learners to access basic concepts and skills relating to the subject theme or topic Language through learning: the language developed while focusing on deeper level of subject learning Language for learning: the language needed to participate in social learning processes through a foreign language, e.g. skills for pair work, for asking questions, debating, for metareflection on language etc.

28 Language and Content Languages across disciplines Content and language integrated learning (CLIL) English Medium Instruction (EMI) A continuum: Language instruction Content-based language instruction Language-based content instruction Area studies/culture courses

29 Why teach languages? To focus on the relevant subdivision of language To develop needs and motivation To provide tools for (self) assessment To build up reflexivity connected to language use Globalization results in a surplus, rather than a homogenization of meanings, and foreign language, literature, and culture classrooms are one of the privileged spaces where the processes of communication can be slowed down and made into objects of inquiry (Warner (2011: 7):

30 Challenges for the Strategy During development and implementation: Identifying complex language needs In study programs Among students What does LANGUAGE mean? Why LEARN languages through TEACHING? In the long run: Intelligent ways of integrating language with content Awareness of language for quality study abroad and internationalization at home Exams

31 Portuguese for archeologists, German for theologians, Italian for art historians Dias 31