An investigation of key growth industry sectors in Wales using Multi-Sectoral Qualitative Analysis

This paper examines the problem of key sector identification in regional economies. Whilst the paper questions the desirability of policy focusing on the promotion of key sectors, it suggests that tools are generally underdeveloped to identify these sectors. The paper suggests that multi-sectoral qualitative analysis provides one means of forming conclusions on sector potentials.

Lesson Planning. Towards Purposeful Learning and Effective Teaching

My aim is to show that lesson planning is a key feature of effective teaching in that it is evidence of much deeper, reflective activity. This reflection focuses upon issues fundamental to all teaching which includes the aims, the delivery, the learning processes involved and evaluation mechanisms. I take many, but not all, of the important questions and interrógate them, with exemplification and justification. I conclude that lesson planning is a creative process which provides a framework for purposeful learning

Language teachers as natural researchers of their practice and potential agents of change

Teachers reflect on their practice on a daily basis in a quite informal and instinctive way. With encouragement, time and the opportunity to make their reflection more systematic, teachers can become teacher researchers and be well placed to give insightful and valid accounts of pedagogical processes and practices in their classrooms. Such research is valuable professional development for teachers. Furthermore, research empowers teachers in having a voice in classroomfocused research and making a contribution to knowledge from an insider position. I have taken four ‘telling cases’, two teachers in Spain researching aspects of their practice in their classrooms where they teach English as a foreign language amongst other subjects, and two teachers in England teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Each teacher carried out a small research project within the context of a Masters’ programme. I analyse their narratives in terms of the teachers’ ‘felt need’ to research, their research questions, their methodologies, their research findings and impact of their practice. I frame this analysis with reference to the extent of the transformation of the teachers’ mind sets and their practices when they had completed their research. I conclude that teacher research, which could be part of school professional development, offers rich personal learning, creates professional identity and enables teachers to develop self- agency to question and change practices to improve student learning.Los docentes suelen reflexionar sobre su práctica diaria de manera bastante informal e intuitiva. Con el estímulo, el tiempo y la oportunidad de convertir su reflexión en algo más sistemático, el docente puede convertirse en docenteinvestigador y estar en disposición de ofrecer datos interesantes y válidos a cerca de los procesos y la práctica pedagógica en su aula. Se trata de un desarrollo profesional valioso para el profesorado. Además, la investigación ayuda al docente a tener voz en la investigación centrada en el aula, aportando su contribución al conocimiento desde una posición privilegiada. Son cuatro los docentes que reflexionan en voz alta sobre sobre su investigación: En España, dos profesores que indagan sobre su práctica en el aula donde, entre otras asignaturas, imparten inglés como lengua extranjera, y otros dos profesores que enseñan español como lengua extranjera en Inglaterra. Cada docente lleva a cabo un pequeño proyecto de investigación en el contexto de un programa de máster. Se analizan aquí sus “narrativas” en relación con lo que el docente siente que debe ser investigado, sus preguntas de investigación, su metodología, los resultados de la investigación y el impacto de ésta en su práctica. El análisis describe la hasta qué punto cambia el modo de pensar del docente en relación a su práctica, una vez realizada la investigación, y concluye afirmando que la investigación docente, que podría ser parte del desarrollo profesional de la escuela, ofrece al docente un gran aprendizaje personal además de una identidad profesional y le capacita para modificar su práctica docente con el fin de mejorar el aprendizaje de sus estudiantes

Lesson Planning. Towards Purposeful Learning and Effective Teaching

My aim is to show that lesson planning is a key feature of effective teaching in that it is evidence of much deeper, reflective activity. This reflection focuses upon issues fundamental to all teaching which includes the aims, the delivery, the learning processes involved and evaluation mechanisms. I take many, but not all, of the important questions and interrógate them, with exemplification and justification. I conclude that lesson planning is a creative process which provides a framework for purposeful learning

Popular Education, Health Inequalities and Resistance to Stigma

Introduction A special issue of Concept in December 2018 celebrated the 50th anniversary of the publication of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and many contributors reflected upon the way his work retains relevance. This article echoes those sentiments by describing how his work continues to offer inspiration and hope for radical community development, particularly in today’s world which has seen marginalised populations 'pulverised beyond the ambit of established instruments of collective voice' (Wacquant, 2008)

Developing effective formative assessment practices in the primary modern foreign language classroom

La introducción de una lengua moderna en la Educación Primaria marcó el comienzo de un debate entre el profesorado (debate que aún continua) sobre la necesidad de evaluar o no dicha materia. La evaluación, como medio de comprobar el progreso del alumnado es, sin duda, parte integrante del proceso de enseñanza/aprendizaje. Teniendo en cuenta las diversas necesidades del alumnado y enfatizando la evaluación formativa del aprendizaje y sus principios, el presente artículo ofrecerá alternativas sencillas y practicas para abordar dicha evaluación. Se nombrarán estudios de caso que pondrán de relieve la evaluación de las cuatro destrezas y demostrarán como la evaluación puede contribuir al desarrollo del auto aprendizaje y de la autonomía del alumnado en lo relativo al aprendizaje de lenguas. Percibido y utilizado como una ayuda al aprendizaje, la evaluación puede sembrar la semilla de un aprendizaje para toda la vida.The introduction of MFL in primary school education marked the beginning of an ongoing debate among teachers about the necessity of assessing primary MFL – if at all. Assessment, as a means to monitor progress, forms, there is no doubt about it, an integral part of the learning and teaching process. This article will show manageable and sensitive ways of dealing with assessment taking into account the diverse needs of the learners. The emphasis will be on formative assessment and assessment for learning and its principles. Case studies will highlight assessments in all four skills and show how assessment can contribute to the development of self- learning and pupil autonomy in aspects of their language learning. Perceived and used as an aid to learning assessment sows the seeds of a life long learning capability

On Target. Progression in Modern Foreign Language Teaching and Learning

Pupils do not automatically progress in their foreign language learning. It is a process that needs to be carefully oriented and scaffoided by the teacher. My concern in this article is to explore the nature of such scaffolding that I relate to the definition of very precise learning objectives and the concomitant establishment of pupil learning targets. I suggest that motivation is a crucial feature in such a framework of goal-oriented teaching and learning.El progreso del alumnado de lengua extranjera no se produce automáticamente, sino que necesita una cuidadosa orientación y una planificación progresiva por el profesor. La preocupación de este artículo es explorar la naturaleza de esa planificación progresiva que relaciono con la definición de unos objetivos de aprendizaje muy definidos, así como el establecimiento paralelo de objetivos de aprendizaje de los alumnos. Considero la motivación una característica fundamental en este tipo de enseñanza y aprendizaje orientados a los objetivos

Towards a Whole-School Approach to Modern Foreign Language Learning

In this paper I will argue that a foreign language competence is most profitably developed when it is integrated into and contextualised within a wholeschool framework. I will define the parameters of 'the wfioie school_and discuss contributions and support mechanisms as well as identifying áreas of difficulty. Finally, I will propose policy guidelines and ways in which such a policy may be implemented. Whilst the most natural setting is the Primary school, this model has application in the Secondary phase

Issues for language teachers and pupils at the primary to secondary transition : talking about learning

There are many transitions during a pupil’s school career; the one that seems to have the most impact is at the transfer from primary to secondary school. The research on which this article is based aims to explore the misunderstandings and misconceptions of both primary and secondary language teachers around the transition period and consider to what extent secondary teachers are aware of pupils’ prior knowledge and have strategies in place to build on these. 26 primary schools in one Local Authority (LA) and its 8 secondary schools are covered in this research. Pupils and teachers were interviewed in each of the schools, language lessons observed and samples of work examined. A noteworthy feature was that the primary school pupils had benefited from a well embedded formative assessment and had developed effective learning skills to help them manage their transition to some degree. In this research, prominence is given to the pupils’ perceptions because of their important insights into the learning process. It was found that secondary teachers rarely took the pupils’ prior knowledge into consideration; they preferred a ‘fresh start’, often for purely logistical reasons. The majority of the primary and secondary teachers had no or little knowledge of the languages provision on ‘the other side’ and harboured a great many misconceptions. It became clear that a cross- phase teacher conversation was needed to discuss include how to build on pupils’ learning skills and engage the pupils as active agents in the process of progressing their own learning. Whilst this research was carried out in England, the issues raised have resonance in a great many cultural contexts. Only on the basis of a shared understanding can teachers from both levels ensure a coherent cross-phase learning experience and be agents of change as well as subject leaders in the transition process in whichever cultural context this takes place.Entre las muchas transiciones en el proceso educativo de un alumno la más impactante es el paso de la Educación Primaria a la Enseñanza Secundaria. Este artículo se basa en la investigación de las incomprensiones y falsas concepciones que los profesores de lenguas tanto en Primaria como en Secundaria tienen y en la consideración de hasta dónde son conscientes del conocimiento previo del alumnado y de las estrategias para trabajar a partir de dicho conocimiento.. Se han investigado 26 escuelas de Primaria y 8 institutos en un área de Local Authority. Se realizaron entrevistas a alumnos y profesores en cada centro, se observaron clases y se examinaron muestras de trabajo. Una característica destacada fue que el alumnado de Primaria había tenido una evaluación formativa muy asentada y había desarrollado destrezas de aprendizaje que hasta cierto punto podían ayudarles en la transición. En esta investigación se destacan las percepciones del alumnado por su importante comprensión del proceso educativo. Los profesores de Secundaria rara vez tienen en cuenta los conocimientos previos de su alumnado y prefieren comenzar de nuevo, a menudo por meras razones logísticas. La mayoría de los profesores de Primaria y Secundaria desconocen casi o totalmente las nociones lingüísticas de los alumnos del “otro nivel” y albergan una idea equivocada del mismo. Es evidente que es necesaria una fase en la que los docentes de ambos niveles puedan intercambiar impresiones para construir a partir de lo que sabe el alumnado y ayudarles a progresar en su aprendizaje. Los problemas originados por la transición no sólo son propios de Inglaterra sino también de muchos otros contextos culturales. Sólo sobre la base de un entendimiento mutuo podrá asegurar el profesorado una transición coherente además de ser los agentes del cambio en cualquier contexto cultural en el que tenga lugar la transición

Towards a Whole-School Approach to Modern Foreign Language Learning

In this paper I will argue that a foreign language competence is most profitably developed when it is integrated into and contextualised within a wholeschool framework. I will define the parameters of 'the wfioie school_and discuss contributions and support mechanisms as well as identifying áreas of difficulty. Finally, I will propose policy guidelines and ways in which such a policy may be implemented. Whilst the most natural setting is the Primary school, this model has application in the Secondary phase