Creating a curriculum for Language Awareness in Vocational Training – design, methods and findings

Author(s):

Katja Dippold-Schenk(presenting / submitting)Prof. Dr. Nicole Kimmelmann(presenting)Desiree Hirsch

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

31. LEd – Network on Language and Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

31 SES 06, Language awareness and meta-languistic knowledge

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-03

15:30-17:00

Room:

B006 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Ola Hendar

Contribution

Our paper focuses on integrating foreign professionals into the German job market, what implies an adjustment of adult vocational training. Being faced with the new challenge of teaching culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the concept of language sensitizing enables specialist teachers to successfully deal with the needs of heterogeneous learner groups. Integrating foreign professionals into the German job market implies an adjustment of adult vocational training. Being faced with the new challenge of teaching culturally and linguistically diverse groups, the concept of language sensitizing enables specialist teachers to successfully deal with the needs of heterogeneous learner groups. Language sensitizing in this context entails the raising of awareness of the crucial role of language in knowledge transfer and the equipping of specialist teachers with methods to integrate the acquisition of knowledge and language. Therefore the joint project Language Awareness in Vocational Training carried out by the universities of Bielefeld, Leipzig and the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg is currently working on a modular training program for specialist teachers. The project’s first two work packages consisted of assessing needs for language sensitizing in adult vocational training (first step) and developing a framework curriculum for language awareness in adult vocational training (second step). The presentation will briefly describe the empirical methods used in the first step followed by presenting and explaining the second step: the framework curriculum derived from the findings. Now the universities of Bielefeld, Leipzig and the Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg are currently working on a modular training program for specialist teachers.

With this project we want to generate answers on the following question: How can teachers in adult vocational training be sensitized and qualified for German language needs of their participants.

The project’s first two work packages consisted of assessing needs for language sensitizing in adult vocational training and developing a framework curriculum therefore. The presentation will briefly describe the empirical methods used in assessing needs for language sensitizing by presenting and explaining the framework curriculum derived from the findings of this first step.

Our approach was to develop language awareness in the context of pedagogical professionals who deal with migrants and other participants with language difficulties in the field of vocational training.

Method

In the spring of 2013 we started with assessing needs for language sensitizing in adult vocational training. Therefore we used a design based on the Triangulation of the following sources: Qualitative data analysis was used to assess linguistic demands in different vocational training programs. With analyzing a wide range of different materials and documents we tried to find out, what specific competence does a trainer need to sensitize a training. It included documents both from adult vocational training programs as well as from vocational schools. Those were analyzed using computer-assisted qualitative data analysis based on the *NCT* model (SEIDEL 1998; FRIESE 2012). Also curricula and documents describing different sorts of adult vocational classes and programs as well as learning and teaching materials (e.g. books, teacher-presentations) were analyzed. The latter were initially analyzed based on occurring types of texts, tasks and exercises before focusing on the contents of the texts and tasks found. Observations in adult vocational training classes were followed up by interviews with specialist teachers and also experts in the context of vocational training. Participants of adult vocational training were also integrated in this process by answering questionnaires about their language needs and experiences in their trainings. On the bases of these findings we developed a framework for language awareness in adult vocational training which afterwards was validated by an expert conference, held in November 2013 in Hamburg. Using this adapted framework it is possible to create nine units. The participating universities created a modular training program with three units for trial (beginning end of March 2014). The participants – teachers from the context of adult vocational training- learn how to entail the raising of awareness of the crucial role of language in knowledge transfer and the equipping of specialist teachers with methods to integrate the acquisition of knowledge and language. After the trial of the modular training program the framework will be evaluated again by conducting a mixed method study.

Expected Outcomes

We expect that this curriculum is adaptable to different contexts. Furthermore we expect that the benefit of the framework will be an expansion of the participants` perspective, the reflection of their own attitudes and behavior and the exchange of experiences. Additionally we expect that the participants are able to identify factors which influence the language sensitizing and will be supportive in their workplace. We expect that providing special in language awareness will help to have an influence on the vocational learning outcome.

References

FRIESE, Susanne (2012): Qualitative data analysis with ATLAS.ti. London: Sage. KIMMELMANN, Nicole (2010): Cultural Diversity als Herausforderung der beruflichen Bildung. Standards für die Aus- und Weiterbildung von pädagogischen Professionals als Bestandteil von Diversity Management. Dissertation. Aachen: Shaker. LATTKE, Susanne; POPOVIV, Katarina; WEICKERT, Jesco (2013): Curriculum Globale. Curriculum for Global Adult Learning and Education. NIEDERHAUS, Constanze (2011): Fachsprachlichkeit in Lehrbüchern. Korpuslinguistische Analysen von Fachtexten der beruflichen Bildung (=Sprachvermittlungen, 10). Münster: Waxmann. OHM, Udo (2010): Fachliche Schwierigkeiten sind sprachliche Schwierigkeiten. Müssen Fachlehrer und Ausbilder auch Sprachlehrer sein? In: CHLOSTA, Christoph; JUNG, Matthias (Hrsg.): DaF integriert. Literatur – Medien – Ausbildung. Göttingen: Universitätsverlag, S. 271-284 SEIDEL, John (1998): Qualitative Data Analysis. Online unter www.qualisresearch.com/DownLoads/qda.pdf [09.09.2013].

Author Information

Katja Dippold-Schenk (presenting / submitting)

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

Junior professorship for vocational competence development

Erlangen

Prof. Dr. Nicole Kimmelmann (presenting)

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

Desiree Hirsch

University of Bielefeld, Germany

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