Proud to be tvmbo - Kortlopend Onderwijsonderzoek

Results: online surveys for students, and 6.4 Results: online surveys for teachers.
These results also coincide with the literature study, which indicates that teaching
methods other than reading are effective, and that connections to real life and scaffolding
(see glossary) are important (García and Tyler, 2010).
Importance of speaking skills
It is important to work a lot, particularly at the start, on students’ speaking skills, in
order for them to feel confident in using English and for them to improve their speaking
proficiency. This involves, for instance, using a lot of interaction: effective pair
and group work and encouraging English, both inside and outside the classroom (Verspoor
et al, 2010). Teachers should also use as much English as they possibly can, ultimately
aiming for 100% English for themselves.
Teachers’ English proficiency
From the literature study, it appears that the teachers’ own proficiency in English is
vital in order for tvmbo to be successful (e.g. Pandian & Ramiah, 2003). The students
in our study would like their teachers to use English (nearly) 100% of the time, and
their teachers need to be proficient enough in English. This is important so that teachers
can explain concepts and ideas in different ways and find and design their own materials
at a suitable level for tvmbo learners. Some teachers in our study indicated that
they sometimes felt unsure about their own level and accuracy in English, so it seems
important to invest time in teachers’ English language development.
English first, methodology second
Linked to the point above, teachers need firstly to work on their English language proficiency.
Only when they feel confident enough about their English can they start
thinking about and working on their CLIL methodology skills. Teachers do need to be
trained in becoming more aware of the language element in their lessons (e.g.
Vollmer, 2006): it does not happen automatically. Only then can they help their learners
with their language skills.
7.3 Recommendations for tvmbo
This section describes the practical recommendations for tvmbo which emerge from
this project, for school policy, for EIO, for teachers in the classroom and for in-service
training.
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