Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2009, Page 109

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Are national Curriculum objectives
for teaching English being met in
icelandic compulsory schools?
Samúel Lefever
Háskóli Íslands, Menntavísindasvið (University of Iceland, School of Education)
This article looks at recent research on English language teaching at the compulsory level in Iceland
with regard to National Curriculum objectives. Three main issues are discussed: types of teaching
methods used, the use of English during instruction, and the types of assessment methods used.
The National Curriculum for foreign languages follows the principles of communicative language
teaching and emphasizes the teaching of all four skills (reading, listening, writing and speaking)
and integrating grammar and vocabulary with skills-based instruction. Teachers are encouraged to
use a variety of techniques, activities, and materials that take into account diverse learning needs,
use English as much as possible during instruction, and assist students in becoming autonomous
learners through goal-setting and self-assessment. Assessment should be constructive, informative
and include a variety of methods. Formal assessment (written tests) is not considered appropriate
for learners in grades 1-5. An analysis of studies of English teaching at the compulsory level
shows a discrepancy between communicative teaching methods recommended by the National
Curriculum and those used in English instruction. Traditional methods of teaching and assessment
are predominately used in schools. On the whole, instruction is teacher-directed and text-book
bound and innovative approaches towards more holistic, learner-centered teaching do not seem to
have gained ground. Teachers are not fulfilling their role of using English for classroom interaction
and communication, and students are not provided with ample opportunities for authentic and
creative use of English. Finally, traditional assessment methods based on written tests are used by
most teachers, particularly in the upper grades, and little progress has been made in introducing
alternative assessment methods recommended by the National Curriculum.
Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 6. árgangur 2009, 107–128
Hagnýtt gildi: Í greininni eru teknar saman niðurstöður íslenskra rannsókna á enskukennslu
á grunnskólastigi. Fjallað er um kennsluhætti og námsmat með hliðsjón af nýjum straumum
í tungumálakennslu og markmiðum Aðalnámskrár grunnskóla. Greinin veitir innsýn í stöðu
enskukennslunnar og nýtist sem innlegg í umræður um stefnumótun í enskukennslu og eftirfylgni
með kennslu á grunnskólastigi.
During the last twenty years the use of English
throughout the world has increased both in
magnitude and nature. It now has a special role
in many countries and has emerged as perhaps
the world’s first truly global language (Crystal,
2004; Graddol, 2006; McKay, 2002). The
number of non-native speakers of English has
rapidly expanded and millions of individuals
are learning English as an additional language.
Over 100 countries now prioritize English
as the chief foreign language to be taught in
schools (Crystal, 2004).
The growing importance of English can
also been seen in Iceland. There is abundant