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Reaching out to teachers: INSET and CPD at university
Kevin Watson
Department of Linguistics and English Language
Lancaster University
INSET at Lancaster
Rationale (1)
– teachers feel they lack knowledge (/confidence) in particular areas of EL
– they don’t get to hear about new research until it is published
– they don’t have time to find & read new journal articles
INSET at Lancaster
Rationale (2)
– allows the Dept to make connections with the FE community
– cost neutral– we find out what students are taught before they get
to us– we create potential allegiances for research
INSET at Lancaster
What we do: in brief
– conference for teachers of A Level English Language– talks in schools/colleges– MA in English Language– online resources for teachers
What we do
Conference for teachers of A Level English Language
– runs every two years, at end of June– 5 x 1 hour sessions– lectures and workshops by members of the
department– panel/discussion session at end of day– focus on providing resources– …and sharing ideas
What we do
• Talks in schools & colleges
– To teachers and pupils– Relevant areas of the EL syllabus– Present some work in progress with some
background/extract of data analysis/provide some data/description of the state of the art
– Remove the ivory tower
What we do
• MA in English Language
– Started in 2005: full time, campus based MA– To start in 2008: part time, distance version
Online resources
• Fast access resources• Pre published material• Point of contact for teachers and pupils• www.englishdialects.co.uk
Benefits
• For A level teachers
• For A Level students
• For HE depts
• For HE students
Co-ordinated effort
• Distance of travel– (teachers generally don’t travel too far from
home)
Co-ordinated effort
• Distance of travel
• Areas of expertise– (even if same broad area is covered in
multiple places – e.g. accents and dialects – the focus will likely be different)
What there needs to be
• A co-ordinated effort
• Schools & FE to tell HE what they want
• HE to be receptive to it
• An awareness of the mutual benefits of this kind of collaboration
