Friday, August 24, 2007
Decline in numbers for Modern Languages
Around 600,000 pupils have just received their GCSE results. According to the Times, the number of 16-year-old pupils taking French and German has plunged below 300,000. The figures will renew debate over the Government’s decision to stop making languages compulsory for children aged 14 to 16. [Times] [Guardian] [BBC]
Cllr.John Beanse - who is a Modern linguist - commented:
"We never seem to get it right in this country. Forcing recalcitrant teenagers to continue with a foreign language until the age of 16 can of course bring problems for teachers and can put at risk the success of class teaching. However, the situation now is that we have tilted the balance too far the other way and many pupils who would really benefit from and could succeed in carrying on with languages do not do so because of the pressure to get very good results. Languages - despite their usefulness and importance - are too often dismissed as a harder option.
Other countries do things so much better and it is often embarrassing to observe how well many foreigners speak English, whereas a "little Englander" mentality still prevails in this country where sometimes people arrogantly just expect everyone else to speak English. We really do need to have a more positive and enlightened approach in these matters."
Cllr.John Beanse - who is a Modern linguist - commented:
"We never seem to get it right in this country. Forcing recalcitrant teenagers to continue with a foreign language until the age of 16 can of course bring problems for teachers and can put at risk the success of class teaching. However, the situation now is that we have tilted the balance too far the other way and many pupils who would really benefit from and could succeed in carrying on with languages do not do so because of the pressure to get very good results. Languages - despite their usefulness and importance - are too often dismissed as a harder option.
Other countries do things so much better and it is often embarrassing to observe how well many foreigners speak English, whereas a "little Englander" mentality still prevails in this country where sometimes people arrogantly just expect everyone else to speak English. We really do need to have a more positive and enlightened approach in these matters."
# posted by John Beanse @ 9:46 AM 
