lunes, 30 de junio de 2008
viernes, 27 de junio de 2008
viernes, 6 de junio de 2008
Most teachers lack degree in their subject
The proportion of lessons being taught by teachers with no relevant post A-level qualification has increased in the past five years by four percentage points to 21%.
Most damaging for ministers, who yesterday claimed this generation of teachers was the best-qualified ever, the report found schools in the most disadvantaged areas were least likely to have teachers with relevant qualifications. Across all state schools only 43% of teachers have a degree in the subject they teach.
The National Foundation for Educational Research surveyed more than 14,000 teachers in nearly 330 secondary schools in England. It also found there had been an overall 10 percentage point rise in the proportion of teachers with degrees in their specialist subjects.
viernes, 30 de mayo de 2008
Media studies GCSE gets Hollywood revamp
From 2009, teenagers will be tested on their analysis and response to a short, previously unseen extract from an action adventure film.
Students will be assessed under exam conditions, and expected to apply their knowledge of techniques such as mise en scène, effects such as those created by the use of soundtrack or editing, and themes or roles within the genre.
The film extract is selected two years in advance, so students studying the new GCSE media studies qualification, taking their exams in 2010 could study and be examined on the blockbusters of today, such as Indiana Jones, which debuts at Cannes this week.
Bridget Jones, Madonna, Hollyoaks and Super Mario Brothers are also listed as possible examples for schools to use, though they are encouraged to develop their own.
The language used in the media and the representation of issues is studied, not actually the celebrity or content of the TV programme itself, OCR insists.
Parool Patel, former media regulator and British Academy of Film and Television Awards member, and now head of GCSE projects at OCR, said: "For example students are asked to look at the representation of race in Madonna's Like a Prayer video, or how men and women are represented in Bridget Jones's Diary".
"UK films make up 8.5% of global cinema takings and provide global career opportunities for media students," he said. "Films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull are great examples of the action adventure genre."
He said the proposed qualification would provide students with a sound basis to understand key concepts and understand a broad range of media.
OCR has updated topics across its 43 GCSEs.
The changes are unveiled as rival exam board, Edexcel, said 20,000 pupils in 400 schools would take part in trials of science and maths mock tests ahead of taking their GCSEs this summer.
Under the scheme, pupils can sit up to 10 multiple choice-style online tests for each subject, which contain about 25 questions each and are designed to help assess pupils' grasp of concepts behind their GCSEs so they know where they need to improve.
The scheme, called ResultsPlus Progress, covers foundation maths, higher maths and science GCSEs, with another eight subjects set to be included from 2009.
Edexcel's managing director, Jerry Jarvis, defended the move but accepted that it was likely to lead to more allegations of schools drilling pupils for their exams.
He said the board would be accused of "teaching to the test", which the Commons schools select committee warned last week was distorting children's education.
A spokesman for the Department for Children, Schools and Families, said: "The only tests which the department requires schools to take part in are key stage tests at 11 and 14, and then GCSEs or their equivalent, and beyond."
lunes, 19 de mayo de 2008
FCE/CAE updated
Detailed information on all the changes and the rationale behind them can be found in the review Bulletins which can be downloaded at the same time. As part of the update to the exams, the Statements of Results will also be enhanced to provide greater clarity. In addition to the grade awarded and the graphical profile showing the relative strengths and weaknesses of the candidate’s performance, the enhanced statements will show a standardised score out of 100 for the examination.
We are running a series of seminars around the world to outline the changes and what they mean for teachers and candidates. Dates and venues of the seminars can be found at: www.CambridgeESOL.org/support/seminars
If you would like to organise a seminar for your area, please contact us at: ESOLseminars@CambridgeESOL.org
viernes, 16 de mayo de 2008
Does learning a second language translate into business success?
It is said to be the universal language of business, but there are pros and cons for teaching MBAs in English.
So, should students learn a second language on their MBA programme so they can offer a well-rounded set of management skills?
At Cranfield School of Management, in Bedfordshire, a working knowledge of a second language is compulsory for all MBA students.
Sean Rickard, director of the full-time MBA programme, says: “We made it a requirement because we believe that in an increasingly global world we should encourage our students to communicate in at least one language other than their own.”
However, he points out that with 72 per cent of Cranfield’s students coming from abroad, many already have a second language: English.
“These aren’t obliged to attend the classes, but they’re encouraged if they want to learn a further language.”
However, Bob Berry, director of MBA programmes at Nottingham University Business School, has reservations about insisting on a second language as part of the MBA.
“Ideally for those who can only speak their native language, it would be useful to acquire another one, but there are time constraints on fitting language classes into a crowded curriculum. Language skills can be acquired in other ways,” he says.
Some European business schools assume that their students are proficient in English even if it is not their first language. Monaco is a trilingual principality and at its business school, IUM, all classes are in English although it is not the native tongue for most of the students.
IUM’s Professor of Economics, Dr Ingo Böbel, says: “We find that students coming from new EU countries wish to become fluent in French or Italian so they can relocate to Europe after graduation, so we offer free courses in these languages.”
German Belyave, a student from Moscow, is improving his French at IUM. “I speak Englishbut even though lots of people in Eastern Europe speak Russian, this opens up further opportunities for me.”
ESC Lille’s MBA has been taught fully in English since it was launched in 2002, attracting students from 17 countries, and SDA Bocconi in Italy will be switching to all-English classes for the next programme, while ICN Business School, in Nancy, delivers 80 per cent of courses in English and has a rigorous requirement of knowledge of the language.
Dr Krista Finstad-Million, ICN’s director of executive programmes, says: “The French condone the poor results of their education system in mastering English and some even claim that as a nation they have no gift for foreign languages.
“But ICN considers that language skill-building is crucial for senior managers, who have to pass a recruitment interview in English and write case studies, analysis and presentations in English.”
So, which languages are most important for tomorrow’s global manager? English first, then it depends on where you plan to work, says Rickard.
“Spanish is the most popular at Cranfield and is valuable for most of South America; German or French is useful for Europe or – if you are very brave – you could tackle Mandarin.”
Chris Wert, the dean for accreditation at INT School of Management (Evry, near Paris), has firm views about the choice of languages: “I would encourage students to learn Mandarin or Hindi, or a rare exotic language such as Estonian or an African dialect. It will give them a niche advantage in the job market. It’s important, however, that they learn a language that interests them.”
Cass Business School offers beginners courses in Mandarin, Spanish and Japanese, and opens language courses to students’ partners.
Rickard says: “Twelve years ago Japanese was a popular option at Cranfield, while 20 years ago, when oil prices quadrupled, there was a craze to learn Arabic, which demonstrates the danger of anticipating a future business language.”
Rather than trying to predict what tomorrow’s business world will be speaking, you might be better off just picking a language relevant to your plans – or at least useful for holidays.
Foreign students see the benefit of lifting language barrier
“It's quite common for Germans to have a good knowledge of English,” says Thomas Richter, a student from Frankfurt. “But I felt it was a weakness to speak just two languages and wanted to expand my language knowledge.”
When he discovered that he could learn Spanish during his MBA programme at Lancaster University Management School, Richter grabbed the opportunity.
“The language class is very specific to business needs and, although I don’t expect to be able to negotiate in Spanish, it will help me get around and do business in a Spanish-speaking country.
“My advice to MBA students when considering another language is to choose one which is widely used around the world.”
Ferenc Csoke, meanwhile, is fluent in English and German, thanks to the education system in his native Hungary where pupils start learning these languages at the age of six. Now he spends six hours every weekend studying Mandarin with 14 other students at Cass Business School in London.
Their first opportunity to use their new-found skills will be when they visit Shanghai next month to learn about the Chinese stock market.
About 60 per cent of Cass MBA graduates will either work in China or for Chinese companies.
Csoke admits that the language is very challenging. “I can have a basic conversation and it’s always beneficial in business to be able to communicate, however simply, in the other person’s language.”
However, he does not think learning a language while doing an MBA should be compulsory. “I spend every Saturday studying Mandarin, but that’s my choice. But everyone should at least be given the opportunity to learn another language during their studies.”
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