Achieving High Grades at 'A' Level English Literature: An Investigation into Factors that Contribute to Schools' Successes

This article is drawn from a report produced for Suffolk schools concerning the factors that seem to underlie success at A level English Literature by able students. The report followed a small-scale survey in six schools which regularly do well in the proportion of high grades achieved, conducted as part of the ongoing monitoring of teaching and learning in English in the county. Through lesson observation, interview and the scrutiny of written work, a large number of possible factors explaining the success of these departments were considered. The factors of greatest significance included the subject expertise and commitment of staff, the balance of teaching methods used and pupils' experience of a challenging English curriculum at KS4. The report's conclusions and recommendations are of general interest to English departments and INSET providers nationally.     

Capturing variations in how spelling is taught in primary school classrooms in England

Mastering spelling is important for children to progress in writing. The National Curriculum in England details spelling lists linked to each year group in primary education. Assessment practices also emphasise the importance of teaching spelling. However, to date, little is known about how teachers feel about teaching spelling nor the instructional methods that they use in primary schools in England. This study addresses this gap by investigating approaches to teaching spelling. An online survey was distributed to primary-based teaching staff with roles in supporting teaching and learning. The survey asked for information about the respondents’ teaching experience and school setting, and about their attitudes and approach to teaching spelling. The survey was completed in full by 158 respondents. Approaches to teaching spelling were varied and over two-thirds of the sample highlighted that their school did not have a spelling policy. The importance of explicit teaching of spelling was supported by the majority of teachers. This judgement was more frequent and rated more highly by teachers supporting younger children. Teachers largely reported devising their own spelling resources, highlighted that the curriculum spelling lists lack guidance for teaching spelling strategies and questioned their suitability for pupils of varying abilities. A range of spelling programmes and strategies were recorded. The findings provide insight into universal instructional approaches. Practical implications for teacher training and professional development are discussed.     

Accounting for discrepancies in teachers’ attitudes towards evidence use and actual instances of evidence use in schools

While beneficial, the consistent and regular use of evidence to improve teaching and learning is proving difficult to achieve in practice. This paper attempts to shed new light on this issue by examining the question: ‘If using evidence to inform teaching practice is rational behaviour, why aren’t all teachers engaged in it?’ It first explores whether the evidence-informed practice (EIP) beliefs and perspectives of teachers align with their evidence-use behaviours; second it assesses what factors prevent teachers/schools that wish to engage in EIP from doing so. Using a Gradient Boosted Tree predictive model to analyse data from a survey of 696 practitioners in 79 schools, the findings suggest that, to increase EIP, school leaders need to: (1) promote the vision for evidence use; (2) illustrate how research enhances aspects of teaching and learning; and (3) establish effective learning environments. School leaders’ broader commitment to EIP, and the interplay between EIP and accountability are also explored.     

Developing a model on improving maritime English training for maritime transportation safety

Maritime services form an integral part of what regulatory agencies requires for the safe navigation and operation of vessels. Therefore, the maritime industry’s compliance with governmental regulations and international protocols has been essential for maritime safety management. As a basis to this aspect, the preparation of maritime students as the forthcoming maritime officers in the future has been a crucial point by the maritime educators in terms of maritime safety. Although English was adopted as the official language of the maritime industries by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW Convention) in 1978, many difficulties remain in the teaching and assessing of Maritime English at maritime schools. Some research has examined these difficulties; however, no successful models for improving. Maritime English have been adopted Parallel to the teaching and assessing problems, there have also been many difficulties in reaching a training and testing proficiency in English communication that meets the international standards of the STCW requirements in the maritime industry. This paper concentrates upon the difficulties of teaching and assessing the outcomes of the teaching of Maritime Transportation English at the member schools of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) from all over the world. As a first step in the methodology of this study, a survey of techniques used at member schools of the IAMU is conducted to solve some difficulties in assessing the teaching of Maritime English. Then a positioning model is developed to identify and measure the positions of the IAMU member schools in comparison to one another by using a multidimensional scaling technique to analyse the multivariate data received through questionnaires. This information provides the foundation upon which the model of this research is built. Consequently, some strategies based upon the results of the analysis are developed to reduce the problems and difficulties in this context.     

Iranian EFL teachers’ effectiveness of instructional behavior in public and private high schools

Over recent decades, educators have recognized the crucial importance of teaching environment and contextual factors in teaching and learning outcomes. Public and private schools are among those teaching contexts that have been in competition for teaching quality and effectiveness for many years. This study investigated the effectiveness of some English teachers in these two school contexts in a foreign language setting, Iran. Seventy-six public and private high schools in a small city in Iran were selected, and their English teachers’ performance was evaluated by an external observer and self-evaluation using a high-inference observation instrument and a questionnaire. The result of the data analysis showed that English teachers who worked in private schools were more effective teachers than their colleagues in public schools. The results also revealed that teacher effectiveness and their years of teaching experience and age were weakly but significantly related. Furthermore, it was found that teachers’ type of university degree and the location of schools (disadvantaged vs. privileged areas of the city) were not related to teachers’ effectiveness.     

Professional attitudes to the use of pupil performance data in English secondary schools

This paper presents findings from an exploratory survey of teachers' perceptions, understanding, and use of pupil performance data in English secondary schools and examines the extent to which these are associated with school-level performance and a range of factors, including teachers' positions of responsibility. The survey was supplemented by a series of in-depth interviews. Use and availability of pupil performance data was found to be widespread, but classroom teachers reported significantly lower levels of use and understanding. The research also reveals a data-use hierarchy in schools, with many indicating that some data are accessible only to school leaders or provided pre-interpreted. Most teachers make regular use of their own sources of pupil data, which is seen as at least as useful as “official” data, which poses challenges for policymakers in raising levels of use and creating a “mixed economy” of sources.     

Spelling development: Fine-tuning strategy-use and capitalising on the connections between words

English spelling, as well as in many other languages, consists of three elements: morphology, etymology and phonology. Spelling instruction, however, focuses primarily on phonology and there is a dearth of intervention studies that examine the effect of explicitly teaching all three elements to children. We report two studies, which examined 5- to 11-year olds' spelling strategies and the effect of a spelling intervention. The intervention groups, in both studies, significantly outperformed control groups on all spelling measures. The benefits of teaching children about morphology and etymology are discussed.     

立足语篇推进高中英语词汇教学研究

文章结合英语教学实践,分析语篇的概念及其在推进高中英语词汇教学中的意义,对立足语篇推进高中英语词汇教学策略进行理论阐述,并结合具体教学案例展示语篇在词汇教学中的应用,强调从导入环节、名词教学、动词教学方面提高学生的词汇学习效率,立足语篇焕发英语词汇教学的活力。     

Flexible phonics: a complementary ‘next generation’ approach for teaching early reading

We describe the rationale for- and content of- a freely available, novel, theoretically driven and evidence-based approach to improving the teaching of word reading in reception classrooms called ‘Flexible Phonics’. Flexible Phonics (FP) adds measurable value to-, rather than wholly replacing, existing synthetic phonics programmes. The rationale underpinning the FP approach concerns the need for multi-componential, maximally efficient, and truly generative approaches to allow early independence in reading for all children that apply to all words in the opaque spelling system of English. Building from these three principles, contemporary reading theory and evidence from cognitive science, linguistics and scaled educational implementation research, FP embodies a 5-element intervention differentiated to children's current attainment levels. FP augments mandated synthetic phonics through use of quality real books allowing ‘Direct Mapping’ of taught grapheme-phoneme correspondences, targeted oral vocabulary teaching, strategy-instruction on ‘Set-for-Variability’ and targeted preventative intervention for the most at-risk readers to then access wider FP content. Implications for policy and enhanced professional practice in English schools are considered.     

基于核心素养理念的初中英语阅读教学实践研究

素质教育的不断发展,引起了教师的思考,教师的教学理念发生了转变,培养学生的核心素养开始进入教师视野。而英语教学中最能有效培养学生核心素养的方法就是英语阅读,而如何利用英语阅读培养学生的核心素养,就是我们需要共同探讨的问题。本文首先分析初中英语阅读教学现状,然后探讨基于核心素养理念的初中英语阅读教学实践方法。     

一项少儿英语培训机构师资状况调查带来的启示

师资问题是关系到当前我国小学英语教学成败的关键性因素之一。在短期内,怎样在保证师资质量的前提下解决目前小学英语师资短缺的问题在教育界引起了广泛的关注。文章通过调查研究发现,社会少儿英语培训班的师资状况呈现出健康发展的态势,他们中间不乏有英语专业素质过硬、掌握先进教育理念并富有教学经验的儿童英语教学的专业人才,这些优势都是可资利用的现成资源,可以此缓解小学英语师资紧缺的燃眉之急。     

Learning to spell: raising standards in spelling and independent writing

This paper considers evidence from an intervention designed to raise standards in spelling and independent writing. The Complete Spelling Programme (McMurray and Fleming, 1998) is designed to ensure that all processes involved in learning to spell are activated and that the interaction between them is facilitated. In addition, a number of innovative features within the programme's design allow sources of spelling knowledge to be presented in a developmental sequence, allowing all children to learn together, regardless of their ability. The programme provides day‐to‐day spellings and an extensive range of follow‐up activities, clearly differentiated, linking spelling to wider literacy teaching, e.g. grammar, language understanding, punctuation. The impact of the programme on progress, not only in spelling tests but also in spelling accuracy and quality in independent writing, was assessed by means of a longitudinal study with a 2 × 2 quasi‐experimental design. The two independent variables were (i) experimental school (intervention) or control school (no intervention) and (ii) high or low social disadvantage. A sample of 81 children aged 5–6 years across the four schools was followed for three years from Year 2 to Year 4 (Northern Ireland). A range of quantitative measures was used for baseline assessment and to establish the quantifiable outcomes for children in both the experimental (N=43) and the control schools (N=38). Qualitative measures were used to illuminate the processes involved in the programme in the experimental schools (McMurray, 2004). At the end of the study pupils who had been taught using the programme had made significant improvement in spelling and independent writing. On the basis of the findings it is argued that spelling needs to be seen as an integral tool in raising standards in literacy and that it should not be taught in isolation from other literacy skills.     

Influence of home-related factors in Numeracy performance of fourth-grade children in Mauritius

The research reported in this paper is based on a survey carried out jointly by UNESCO and UNICEF with the collaboration of the Government of Mauritius. This survey involves 1800 fourth-grade pupils who were taken from 60 primary schools. The main purpose of this paper is to explore the home-related factors, which influence Numeracy performance at primary level in Mauritius. It is found that the level of education of parents, availability of reading materials at home, home possession, parental support in education at home and familiarity with English at home are the major factors causing variation in the children's Numeracy achievement.     

初中英语阅读教学对教师文体知识的要求

阅读教学是中学英语教学的主要内容和形式。学生的词汇、语言知识和阅读技能的获得主要是在阅读中进行的。因此,初中英语教师要具备文体知识,并且在阅读教学中使用文体分析方法培养学生对英语篇章的观察、理解、和欣赏能力,帮助学生了解各类不同文体的特点,学会运用阅读技能更快、更全面地获取文中信息,并最终提高英语表达能力。     

五年制英语教学存在的问题及其对策

五年制高职学生文化基础相对差,给教学带来了较大困难。针对目前教学中存在的问题,教学内容、教学方法、教材的选用等应根据学生的实际考虑。在教学中应重视学生的情感因素,改进教学手段,充分开展课外教学活动,构建英语学习的校园环境。此外,还应加强师资队伍建设,定期举行教学研讨会,加强教师之间的交流。     

Variables affecting teachers' attitudes towards inclusive education in Bangladesh

Inclusive education is a worldwide reform strategy intended to include students with different abilities in mainstream regular schools. Evidence from previous research shows that success in implementing effective inclusive teaching practices in the school is contingent on teachers' positive attitudes towards inclusive education. This study was conducted in the context of primary education in Bangladesh aiming to examine variables influencing teachers' attitudes towards inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms. Data for the study was collected from 738 teachers working in 293 government primary schools in Bangladesh. The results indicated that perceived school support for inclusive teaching practices and a range of demographic variables including previous success in teaching students with disabilities and contact with a student with a disability were associated with more positive attitudes of the teachers towards the inclusive education. The results are discussed with possible implications for educators, policy‐makers and international organisations working on the implementation of inclusive education.     

Developing attitude to science education scales for use with primary teachers

This paper reports the development of attitudes to science and science teaching scales for primary teachers. The investigation is part of a project intended to improve pupil achievement in science in 16 English city schools. The baseline performance of the attitude scales is reported with 76 teachers, half of whom formed a control group. The 49-item attitudes to science teaching scale of Cronbach-alpha reliability 0.96 has sub-scales of practical science teaching and professionalism. The project teachers were less confident of teaching science than teaching the English language. They particularly lacked confidence in teaching physical processes, 'guided discovery' investigations and planning lessons within the National Curriculum as required in English schools. Attitude findings suggest appropriately focused in-service might be successful. Being a promoted teacher with some subject or administrative responsibility tends to lower certain attitudes to effective science teaching. This 'regression upon promotion effect' is speculated to be a consequence of the demands of the English school National Curriculum.     

Beyond phonics: Integrated decoding and spelling instruction based on word origin and structure

In this paper, the relevance of word structure knowledge to decoding and spelling instruction is discussed. An explicit, discussion oriented, direct approach to teaching decoding and spelling based on word origin and structure results in improved reading and spelling. This instruction leads students to a comparison and contrast of letter-sound correspondences, syllable patterns, and morpheme patterns in English words of Anglo-Saxon, Romance, and Greek origin.     

初中英语综合实践课背景下的语言项目学习

语言项目学习既是以项目为中心组织学习活动的一种语言教学模式,也是促进学习者综合实践能力和综合语言运用能力发展的有效学习方式。本文根据我国初中英语综合实践课的特点及初中生的英语学情,基于Stoller所开发的语言项目学习的教学模式,构建了适合我国初中英语综合实践课使用的语言项目学习的教学模式,并为初中英语教师实施语言项目学习提供了若干建议。     

英语教学中扩充词汇的有效途径

词汇是语言的内核,是交际的基础。词汇教学是英语教学中的重要环节。词汇量不足历来被高校学生视为英语学习的绊脚石。本文针对学生英语词汇学习的特点,提出在词汇教学中,通过音标,拼读规则运用的示范教学、词的讲解、词汇练习、词的文化因素教学,口语与写作表达训练等环节中相应的教学方法操作来积极帮助学生扩充词汇量,进行有效的英语词汇教学,提高英语词汇的教学效果,进一步提高学生的听,说,读,写,译综合能力。