Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2009, Síða 124

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Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 6. árgangur 2009
National Curriculum recommends the use of
pair and group work, teachers did not use
it much for cooperative learning purposes.
Considerably more emphasis was placed on
working individually rather than in pairs or
groups (Helga Sigurjónsdóttir, 2006). Although
teachers in grades 5-7 were more likely to use
songs and games in their teaching than teachers
in grades 8-10, the focus on creative and active
language use found in the National Curriculum
Guide was generally lacking.
The data also show that the use of spoken
English is limited in many classrooms, despite
its clear emphasis in the National Curriculum
Guide. Pupils are not actively using the
language for communicative purposes in the
classroom and teachers are not providing the
English-speaking role model that is expected of
them. 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.
These findings concur with those found
by Hafdís Ingvarsdóttir (2004) in her study
of English teaching at the upper secondary
level. She reported that National Curriculum
guidelines did not seem to have the desired
effect of bringing about changes in teaching.
On the whole, the teaching was teacher- and
textbook-centered and out of touch with
students’ reality or everyday life.
Conclusion
The National Curriculum Guide for foreign
languages is based on the principles of
communicative language teaching with the
primary aim of increasing learners’ abilities
to use languages for communicative, real-life
purposes. Teaching should focus on the skills
of reading, listening, writing and speaking,
and grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and
cultural understanding should be integrated
into skills-based instruction. Importance is
also placed on encouraging and maintaining
positive attitudes towards learning languages
and providing learners with challenging
opportunities for active and meaningful
language use. In addition, the curriculum guide
puts emphasis on increasing pupils’ awareness
of learning styles and strategies and teaching
them to take responsibility for their own
learning. This review of the research looking
at the teaching and assessment of English in
compulsory schools in Iceland uncovers a
number of discrepancies between the National
Curriculum objectives and classroom practices.
Most serious is the apparent lack of emphasis
on communicative activities and speaking
English in the classroom. The studies did
not provide data regarding other National
Curriculum objectives such as the teaching
of cultural understanding and awareness of
learning styles and strategies. Likewise, more
research is needed to investigate teaching
approaches such as cooperative learning,
learner autonomy, differentiated instruction
and learner strategies, and how they are being
implemented in Icelandic schools.
It should be noted that most of the studies
were self-report studies and were not followed
up with classroom observation or other research
methods; thus caution must be taken in making
generalizations from the data. Nevertheless,
the studies show a strong tendency towards
traditional teaching and assessment methods in
the schools that were surveyed. On the whole,
instruction is teacher-directed and textbook-
bound and innovative approaches towards
more holistic, learner-centered teaching
and assessment do not seem to have gained
ground in Icelandic schools. These findings
are consistent with those found in other studies
conducted at the compulsory level in which
whole-class instruction, workbook use, written
assignments and written tests are the most
common forms of instruction (Hafsteinn
Karlsson, 2007; Kristín Aðalsteinsdóttir,
2002; Kristín Jónsdóttir, 2003; Kristrún L.
Birgisdóttir, 2004; Rósa Eggertsdóttir, 1993;
Rúnar Sigþórsson, 2008).
New regulations governing basic education
in Iceland were passed in spring 2008 (Lög
Samúel Lefever