A roadmap for schools to support the language(s) of schooling

Evaluation of the survey results
Sample school report

1. Presentation of the context

Our school wishes to support all our students to succeed. Therefore, we are looking for ways to help all learners and especially vulnerable ones (i.e. students depending on the school to develop the language of schooling), master the language used for teaching the various school subjects and for the functioning of the schools , i.e. "the language of schooling". This can only be achieved if we manage to develop, collaboratively, a specific language strategy that not only includes all school members but also the students and parents. Hence, if at all possible, it is necessary for everybody working in the school to be aware of the current state of the practice and to take part in the discussions in order to be able to commit to the different actions that should be implemented at different levels.

The evaluation of the survey results below represents only one element to help us set up our strategy plan. The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe (ECML) recommends analysing and discussing the survey results in order to identify the strengths of our school and the levers of progress. Based on the survey data, this report highlights two areas relevant for further consideration in our school.

NB: the terms "areas" and "dimensions" are terms frequently referred to in this report. Appendix 1 and 2 offer an overview and explanation of all terms.

2. General results

24 participants took part in the self-assessment survey set up by our school: 3 teachers, 18 students, 3 parents/guardians, evaluated the school according to a certain number of statements, organised according to nine different areas. The spidergram below highlights the strengths and levers of progress, taking into account all the answers from all the survey participants:

The spidergram enables us to have an overview of the results of ALL the stakeholders’ responses, thus evaluating the school according to the nine areas listed below. We can easily see where our strengths and levers of progress lay.
 

3. Our strengths

If we look at our strengths, we can see, for example, that the approaches and practices related to Language resources at school and Professional development have achieved a high level of implementation and need only a little additional work to be exceptionally proficient.

4. Our levers of progress

In order to start our discussion regarding the ways to help our school better take into account the language(s) of schooling, we could look into two areas, for instance Promoting informal language learning and Attitudes towards languages.

5. Areas that require our special attention

6. Conclusion

More data and charts resulting from the self-assessment survey are available online in the coordinator’s area. However, we have already become aware of some of our strengths and levers of progress and have been able to identify some discrepancies of opinions and perceptions between the main stakeholders in our school. Based on the main results of the survey summarised in this report we can now set up our own language strategy.

Appendix 1. List of areas and dimensions

Appendix 2. Explanations of the areas

Awareness of language dimension means putting an emphasis on language learning in general, understanding the importance of being language models (for the whole staff), and giving the students challenging activities

Developing language knowledge and skills means that the teachers focus on the specificities of language in their teaching, increase the students’ awareness of spoken and written language, and improve constantly their speaking/writing and listening/reading skills.

Metalinguistic awareness means taking into account the language dimension in subject teaching and exploring/learning language-related concepts, whatever the subject, to help learners understand and use content more easily.

Role of languages in learning means that the importance of language in subject teaching is recognised, and students’ language development is promoted. It means also using the advantages of plurilingualism during lessons, bridging languages for learning, and building upon students’ previous knowledge and experiences

Attitudes towards languages means valuing students' languages, and tracking their individual literacy development. This area also recognizes the importance of plurilingual approaches and the way languages are visible in the school environment.

Promoting informal language learning means supporting the opportunities for students’ informal language learning and their language development at home.

Language resources at school means knowing about the languages of the students, staff and families, and knowing when and how to use them to facilitate the students’ integration.

Orienting newcomer students and families means supporting the newcomers by using the language resources of the school environment, including both the professional and community resources for communication. This could be, e.g. producing the necessary key documents in different languages.

Professional development means having the structures for planning and reviewing the teachers’ competences, developing their awareness and cooperation, and creating and supporting professional learning communities inside the school. This area can, for example, include actionresearch, collaborative learning, etc.