For those of you who saw John Humphreys’ BBC2 programme on the attainment gap between pupils from poor backgrounds and their richer counterparts, it was indeed very thought provoking. Despite massive investment in education over the past decade, the gap seems to be growing wider which will have drastic consequences on society in years to come.
However, the analysis fell into the trap of oversimplifying the relationship between poverty and academic achievement and their subsequent effect on social mobility. While the link between the two is essentially a “no-brainer” Humphreys’ analysis failed to pick up on two essential points.
Firstly, the fault does not lie with private education - there will always be people richer than you who can pay for private education, tuition or anything else for that matter. The quandary is that in modern Britain there shouldn’t be “good” schools or “bad” schools - every school should be a “good” school and as the BBC2 programme highlighted, funding is not the single determining factor. It falls to good leadership, good teaching and a desire to promote excellence. So the question that should be addressed is: Why are there not more “good schools”?
Secondly, the education system can only help break the poverty trap when parents come on board - something Humphreys ignored. A crazy comment was made by a primary teacher from Tower Hamlets, London - that despite living near a park there are “three year old children who have never set foot on grass let alone be taken to a museum or a cinema.”
Sorry, but this has nothing to do with poverty - it’s down to lazy, uninterested parents. It costs nothing to go to a park, library, museum or art gallery. Many of those same parents have no problem spending their cash on plasma TV’s and the latest mobile phones yet can’t afford a bus ride into town to take their kids to the local museum? Stop blaming poverty for what is nothing more than a can’t be bothered attitude! If parents took the time to engage their children more rather than sitting back and expecting the state or the school to do all the work, some of these kids would have a better chance to fulfil their potential.
Education can liberate people from a life of poverty and ignorance but only when it is valued.
Do you agree? If not, why not? let me know by leaving a comment.
Tuesday, 21 September 2010
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Languages develop, grow and die!
While many people imagine learning a new language to be a dull affair with dusty grammar books, endless vocabulary lists and rote learning, languages are actually more akin to living things than most people appreciate.
Languages develop and grow with time - and the English language is probably one of the best examples of this. Look back 20 years and we would never have used words like "blog" or "twitter" as we do today. In fact since Shakespeare's time over a million words have been added to the English language.
That's why learning a language requires constant effort - we will never know all there is to know about our mother tongue let alone a second or third language that we have come to master!
Sadly, by the same token languages also die out. There are many reasons why this is the case, some of which are politically, socially or ethically motivated. Regardless of the reason the death of a language represents the death of a cultural entity.
We talk of the world being like a global village, well the death of a language is like letting a historic building fall into decay and ruin. It might not seem important to some people but to linguists it's a tragedy.
Languages develop and grow with time - and the English language is probably one of the best examples of this. Look back 20 years and we would never have used words like "blog" or "twitter" as we do today. In fact since Shakespeare's time over a million words have been added to the English language.
That's why learning a language requires constant effort - we will never know all there is to know about our mother tongue let alone a second or third language that we have come to master!
Sadly, by the same token languages also die out. There are many reasons why this is the case, some of which are politically, socially or ethically motivated. Regardless of the reason the death of a language represents the death of a cultural entity.
We talk of the world being like a global village, well the death of a language is like letting a historic building fall into decay and ruin. It might not seem important to some people but to linguists it's a tragedy.
Monday, 5 July 2010
As the holiday season gets underfoot many Brits will be packing their sun-tan lotion and heading off to foreign lands. Sadly, we Brits have a terrible reputation abroad when it comes to language skills. Recently Irene Macías wrote about our apparent unwillingness to learn foreign languages recently in the Times Higher Education supplement*. For those working in the tourist industry it is a sad reflection on our desire (or lack of it) to give a good level of customer service.
Some say it’s because of our island mentality - all our neighbours speak English (of a sort!), while on the continent speaking a second or even a third language is not just common, it’s almost expected.
So let’s look at a couple of common misconceptions…
1. “Everyone speaks English anyway”
Wrong! If that were the case we’d have no problems abroad. While many people see English as the key to economic success - a better job, income or education - 75% of people in the world speak don’t speak any English**. In the future that might change as languages like Chinese and Spanish develop - Spanish is already the second language of the United States.
2. “I’m too embarrassed to try and say a few words in their language”
Actually you’ll find that people will warm to you and show you a lot of respect because you actually bother to say a few words - even if you’re pronunciation is a bit dodgy! It tells them that you are interested in their culture and lifestyle.
3. “I’ve tried to learn a few phrases but no-one understand me!”
That might happen, but don’t be put off! Remember - people everywhere have different accents - even when you visit somewhere new in the UK you might get some strange looks when you start to speak - so it’s not personal, don’t be put off.
So why not try brushing up your language skills before going on holiday. Some colleges and universities run language classes for holiday makers and you can find some free lessons on i-tunes or YouTube.
* http://timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=412280&c=2
** http://www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages.aspx
Some say it’s because of our island mentality - all our neighbours speak English (of a sort!), while on the continent speaking a second or even a third language is not just common, it’s almost expected.
So let’s look at a couple of common misconceptions…
1. “Everyone speaks English anyway”
Wrong! If that were the case we’d have no problems abroad. While many people see English as the key to economic success - a better job, income or education - 75% of people in the world speak don’t speak any English**. In the future that might change as languages like Chinese and Spanish develop - Spanish is already the second language of the United States.
2. “I’m too embarrassed to try and say a few words in their language”
Actually you’ll find that people will warm to you and show you a lot of respect because you actually bother to say a few words - even if you’re pronunciation is a bit dodgy! It tells them that you are interested in their culture and lifestyle.
3. “I’ve tried to learn a few phrases but no-one understand me!”
That might happen, but don’t be put off! Remember - people everywhere have different accents - even when you visit somewhere new in the UK you might get some strange looks when you start to speak - so it’s not personal, don’t be put off.
So why not try brushing up your language skills before going on holiday. Some colleges and universities run language classes for holiday makers and you can find some free lessons on i-tunes or YouTube.
* http://timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=412280&c=2
** http://www.cilt.org.uk/home/valuing_languages.aspx
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Spanish Language Day - Saturday 19 June
Spanish is spoken by over 450 million people in 21 countries worldwide; it is the second most spoken language in the USA (after English) and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations!
To celebrate this remarkable language, Spanish Language Day is being celebrated this Saturday, but for now here are some quirky facts about our closest Spanish speaking neighbour - España.
1. Spain has the longest coastline in Europe.
2. Real Madrid Football Club was the first team to win the European Cup in 1956.
3. Christopher Columbus is buried in Seville Cathedral.
4. One of the first every lotteries was held in Spain in 1763.
5. On New Year’s Eve crowds gather in city squares, and as the clock strikes 12, you are supposed to swallow a grape for every chime!
6. The German car designer Benz was married to a Spanish woman - they had a child called Mercedes - and the name of the car was born!
7. The Moorish palace in Granada - the Alhambra - is Spain’s most popular tourist attraction. The name means ‘red castle’ after the colour of the clay used to build the walls.
8. Paella is eaten all over Spain but the classic recipe comes from Valencia. For an easy-to-follow recipe check out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/the-ultimate-paella-recipe/index.html
More details about Spanish Language Day can be found at: http://londres.cervantes.es/en/culture_spanish/spanish_language_day.htm
To celebrate this remarkable language, Spanish Language Day is being celebrated this Saturday, but for now here are some quirky facts about our closest Spanish speaking neighbour - España.
1. Spain has the longest coastline in Europe.
2. Real Madrid Football Club was the first team to win the European Cup in 1956.
3. Christopher Columbus is buried in Seville Cathedral.
4. One of the first every lotteries was held in Spain in 1763.
5. On New Year’s Eve crowds gather in city squares, and as the clock strikes 12, you are supposed to swallow a grape for every chime!
6. The German car designer Benz was married to a Spanish woman - they had a child called Mercedes - and the name of the car was born!
7. The Moorish palace in Granada - the Alhambra - is Spain’s most popular tourist attraction. The name means ‘red castle’ after the colour of the clay used to build the walls.
8. Paella is eaten all over Spain but the classic recipe comes from Valencia. For an easy-to-follow recipe check out: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/jamie-oliver/the-ultimate-paella-recipe/index.html
More details about Spanish Language Day can be found at: http://londres.cervantes.es/en/culture_spanish/spanish_language_day.htm
Wednesday, 2 June 2010
Summer's coming...ice-cream and exam results!
Well as another summer brings about a flurry of flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and white legs-turning-pink, thousands of youths will be receiving their exam results, planning graduation parties and starting out down new career paths.
Fortunately many of them will have studied languages and we’re not just talking about A-Levels or Scottish Higher results, but up and down the country thousands of graduates will soon be the proud owners of a language degree.
Congratulations to every one of them, even if the results didn’t quite meet their expectations. The truth is that having a language qualification is more important that the level of that qualification. Why?
1. Languages are alive - they constantly change and develop, and that means you will always have more to learn. If you’ve studied maths, for example, you’ll have had to learn methods and formulas that you can apply to specific problems - but once you understand those methods you’ve got it cracked! Languages are different - you can spend all your time studying but you’ll always come up against new words, phrases or expressions.
2. Language skills - even if they are imperfect, basic or rusty - will always be useful because no matter where you go in the world (perhaps with the exception of France!) people always appreciate the fact that you are willing to try and speak their language.
3. Language skills are desperately needed - without them businesses can’t function, and governments would be stuck. Translators, interpreters and teachers might be the best examples of language professionals but what about other jobs where languages can be useful - administration, sales, hospitality and tourism, logistics, engineering, telecommunications - language skills are highly valued, and employees with language skills often command a higher salary.
So whatever your result, be a happy linguist and use you skills, develop them and let other people know you have them. You never know where those skills will take you!
Fortunately many of them will have studied languages and we’re not just talking about A-Levels or Scottish Higher results, but up and down the country thousands of graduates will soon be the proud owners of a language degree.
Congratulations to every one of them, even if the results didn’t quite meet their expectations. The truth is that having a language qualification is more important that the level of that qualification. Why?
1. Languages are alive - they constantly change and develop, and that means you will always have more to learn. If you’ve studied maths, for example, you’ll have had to learn methods and formulas that you can apply to specific problems - but once you understand those methods you’ve got it cracked! Languages are different - you can spend all your time studying but you’ll always come up against new words, phrases or expressions.
2. Language skills - even if they are imperfect, basic or rusty - will always be useful because no matter where you go in the world (perhaps with the exception of France!) people always appreciate the fact that you are willing to try and speak their language.
3. Language skills are desperately needed - without them businesses can’t function, and governments would be stuck. Translators, interpreters and teachers might be the best examples of language professionals but what about other jobs where languages can be useful - administration, sales, hospitality and tourism, logistics, engineering, telecommunications - language skills are highly valued, and employees with language skills often command a higher salary.
So whatever your result, be a happy linguist and use you skills, develop them and let other people know you have them. You never know where those skills will take you!
Friday, 2 April 2010
Do you say what you mean?
Do you say what you mean? It might seem a strange question, but a huge amount of human communication takes place when people say the opposite of what they actually mean.
No, we're not talking about the "men are from Mars and women are from Venus idea", an idea based on the fact that men and women communicate differently. We're talking about the fact that most human communication is a co-operative effort where we deduce meaning, as much from what isn't said as from what is said.
It might seem a bit confusing at first, but think about it: you walk into a room and say "It's hot in here!" What do you expect other people in the room to do?
a)Turn the heating down?
b)Open a window?
c)Reply "Yes it is isn't it" and continue doing whatever they are doing?
In most cases we would expect someone to suggest a) or b) or at least explain why it is so hot in the room, and that's probably why we said "It's hot in here!" in the first place. So our comment was designed to elicit a response on the basis that our listeners can work out what our intention is.
In linguistics this is described as:
1. The locutionary effect - the literal meaning of our utterance
2. The illocutionary effect - what we actually mean by the utterance ie. will someone open a window please
3. The perlocutionary effect - what we want our listeners to do ie.get up, go to the window and open it.
So, what about you, do you say what you mean?
No, we're not talking about the "men are from Mars and women are from Venus idea", an idea based on the fact that men and women communicate differently. We're talking about the fact that most human communication is a co-operative effort where we deduce meaning, as much from what isn't said as from what is said.
It might seem a bit confusing at first, but think about it: you walk into a room and say "It's hot in here!" What do you expect other people in the room to do?
a)Turn the heating down?
b)Open a window?
c)Reply "Yes it is isn't it" and continue doing whatever they are doing?
In most cases we would expect someone to suggest a) or b) or at least explain why it is so hot in the room, and that's probably why we said "It's hot in here!" in the first place. So our comment was designed to elicit a response on the basis that our listeners can work out what our intention is.
In linguistics this is described as:
1. The locutionary effect - the literal meaning of our utterance
2. The illocutionary effect - what we actually mean by the utterance ie. will someone open a window please
3. The perlocutionary effect - what we want our listeners to do ie.get up, go to the window and open it.
So, what about you, do you say what you mean?
Thursday, 25 February 2010
Glaswegian Interpreter - shocking to some?
It was interesting to see that Jonathan Downie, a graduate of Heriot Watt is now the worlds first "official Glaswegian interpreter" - see http://news.stv.tv/scotland/west-central/157749-parliamo-glasgow-meet-the-worlds-first-glaswegian-interpreter.
For some, the news that visitors to Glasgow need an interpreter is not surprising but for others it's a crying shame that "badly spoken English" is being promoted. (That's for those who see Scottish English as a variety of British English.)Interestingly, the concept of "good" or "bad" English tends to hold little ground in modern linguistics and is seen as a throwback to the complaint tradition where a prescriptive approach to language was the norm - telling people what they should and shouldn't do with language.
These days linguists tend to follow a descriptive approach - they try to describe what actually happens in real-life language rather than what "should" take place according to some textbook.
Personally it's a far more practical approach to language study, after all language is a vehicle for social identity, social change and individual expresion, and it's something that lives, grows, changes and develops.
For some, the news that visitors to Glasgow need an interpreter is not surprising but for others it's a crying shame that "badly spoken English" is being promoted. (That's for those who see Scottish English as a variety of British English.)Interestingly, the concept of "good" or "bad" English tends to hold little ground in modern linguistics and is seen as a throwback to the complaint tradition where a prescriptive approach to language was the norm - telling people what they should and shouldn't do with language.
These days linguists tend to follow a descriptive approach - they try to describe what actually happens in real-life language rather than what "should" take place according to some textbook.
Personally it's a far more practical approach to language study, after all language is a vehicle for social identity, social change and individual expresion, and it's something that lives, grows, changes and develops.
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