One of the biggest challenges in education today is how to move beyond the academic approach. Degrees and certifications are on the rise but I constantly ask myself whether the knowledge behind the certificate has been truly understood and how it works out in the modern world.
The focus of education has moved from satisfying mankind’s curiosity and opening new horizons to industrial output. We have forgotten the basics – the beauty of experimentation, of trying new things and having the time to read a book about something completely alien to us.
Statistics show there have never been so many children in school. We manage to get them into classes but what’s the point of that if we don’t offer them something they can relate to, that excites them and helps them grow? We need a change in direction, which is why a different approach has been taken over the past four years.
One of the very first initiatives was the introduction of the Subject Proficiency Assessment (SPA) programme for foreign languages in secondary schools.
It had become increasingly clear that many students were leaving school at age 16 without basic certification in foreign languages or in English or Maltese. In 2012, 39.1 per cent of 16-year-olds did not sit for any foreign language at SEC level, 19.6 per cent did not sit for English language, while 24 per cent did not sit for the Maltese SEC exam. For the time being, SPA is focused on foreign languages only, however the challenges we are facing are not limited to these.
The SPA strategy is twofold: we needed to change the way students learn a language, making it relevant to everyday life; and we needed to have outreach initiatives with educators, parents and students to explain the importance of languages.
In 2014, after intensive work to make sure we offered a high-quality educational programme, we launched a pilot in the Italian language in two State schools from St Ignatius and Maria Regina colleges. A year later, the programme was extended to include German and French across four State schools and six Church schools.
As from this scholastic year, the programme is now being offered on a national scale. Having added Spanish, it is now being implemented in 12 State schools, nine Church schools and one independent school.
We needed to change the way students learn a language, making it relevant to everyday life
How is SPA different? The programme is based on subject proficiency at levels 1, 2 and 3 of the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) and seeks to provide a clear description of what individuals ‘can do’ with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening and reading in real-world situations, in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context.
The programme presents three levels of proficiency and describes what an individual can and cannot do with language at each level, regardless of where, when or how the language is acquired. To do this we moved away from the strictly academic approach and devised a programme that makes the languages more human and more relatable, taught in a way that is useful in real life.
Before SPA, the only option was learning a language in a very binary way, which was off-putting for some students. Instead of taking a rigid academic approach to elements such as grammar, we focused on students being able to connect with the language. The focus is on communicative competence (which is really why language is learned). We removed the half-yearly exam while introducing both continuous assessment and students’ self-assessment.
There are no set textbooks, while groups in class are smaller to encourage constant communication. We made sure the programmes are at par in terms of accreditation but, ultimately, we wanted students to fall in love with the language, to pique their curiosity and open their horizons.
The results obtained in the final exams exceeded our expectations. From a thorough evaluation of the programme involving all stakeholders, including students, teachers, heads of school and parents, it transpired that overall, the students’ motivation was very high and the innovative aspects of the programme were highly appreciated by all. Many suggested they should be introduced to other subjects.
A language is a little bit like a relationship. When you meet someone you like you don’t discuss how you would divide the chores if you lived together; the priority is to connect and achieve the right fit. The rest comes later. Languages are beautiful, mysterious, romantic, exciting and open new doors to amazing literature and experiences. Can you imagine Roberto Benigni with a voiceover?
A lot of work has been put into this programme and we’re starting to reap dividends. The boat is no longer sinking. The negative trend in the number of students obtaining accredited certification in foreign languages has been reversed. Apart from the fact that in 2016 the percentage of 16-year-olds not sitting for any foreign language at SEC level went down to 30.7 per cent, another 800 students are following the SPA programme at levels 1 & 2 (MQF).
We want to make sure that we widen the SPA programme as much as possible and include all students who would prefer this approach. The SPA is a success story, born out of need, that has inspired further policies down the line.
It shows that there is another way, that engaging students delivers much better results and that quality does not need to be secondary in this type of approach.
Evarist Bartolo is the Minister for Education and Employment.