Ladies and gentlemen,



Subject “PIANO PLAYING” in the Primary Arts School Tišnov

integrated with communication in a foreign language

(English or German)

Zdeněk Vašíček

1. Multilingualism in Europe

The multilingualism is newly understood as a lasting part of the European identity and the European educational policy (compare in KRUMM, 2001, p. 1) and concerns Czech Republic as well (compare in TRIM, 1998, p. 78; KOTÁSEK and coll., 2001, p. 89). It is namely expected that the bilingual schools should be the rule in the 21. century (compare in FREUDENSTEIN, 1991, p. 414) using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) (compare in MARSH, 2001, p. 15).

2. Project of an integrated subject in Tišnov

As a teacher of the Primary Arts School Tišnov in the district of Brno-country in the South Moravian region I tried to integrate the standard subject “PIANO PLAYING” with communication in a foreign language (English or German). My two-phased project was approved as a means for this integration by the School office Brno-country in 2000.

3. Preconditions of the integrated subject

My project was based on the following facts:

• the pupils learned mostly English or German in Czech Republic and had a new chance to use their foreign-language vocabularies won on a primary or a grammar school

• the pupils could expand their foreign-language vocabularies with the expert music terminology

• the pupils had new opportunities to converse in the chosen foreign language

• the pupils were one hundred per cent interested in it

• the curriculum of the standard subject “PIANO PLAYING” – except for the way of verbal communication – was preserved (the school fees inclusive!).

4. Progress of the integrated subject

In the school year 2000 to 2001 the first and opening phase of the project was begun as a teaching trial under my management (compare in VAŠÍČEK, 2001). In the school year 2001 to 2002 I prepared materials for the second closing phase. The second phase of the teaching trial under my management began from April to June 2003 and continued in the school years 2003 to 2004 and 2004 to 2005. In the school year 2003 to 2004 began the new first phase. More than 700 lessons (from September 2000 up to January 2005) was taught, two thirds of it in English. The teaching trial undergone up to now 21 pupils, 13 in English, 8 in German.

The foreign language´s knowledge together with the communication ability was expected to be gradually improved both in case of pupils and teacher (= me). This special solution was possible (compare in SHEILS, 1993, p. 4) and almost recommended (compare in STONE, 2001, p. 102). I understood my own foreign-language learning as my longlife-learning together with my pupils.

5. Teaching method

As far as the foreign language (English or German) in the teaching trial is concerned: the first phase was largely receptive for the pupil and hence “easy” for him, the second phase was largely productive for the pupil and hence “more difficult” for him. The communication between teacher (= me) and pupil was conducted in two languages: in Czech and English or German. The lessons were also bilingual. The Czech language and the chosen foreign language were used to complement the teaching and musical needs. It was possible from the beginning

• to use the basic word “to play” and to develop it with a few substantives or adverbs. For example I gave the pupil the instructions “Play!” or “Play the scale!” or “Play quickly!” or “Play the scale quickly!” etc.

• to use the present very long time. For example I said: „I am playing now.“ Afterwards could I ask myself: “What did I play?” or (and this second possibility was easier for the pupil than the first one) “What am I playing?” because I was asking myself immediately after my playing

• to speak very simply, not to use too many expert terms. For example I gave the pupil the instruction “Play it more shortly.” I did not use the expert terms “articulation” or “articulate”. I did not give the pupil the instruction “Play it with a shorter articulation.” or “Articulate it more shortly.”

• to say a difficult sentence in Czech and an easy sentence in English or German

• to use easy synonyms: “good” or “right” or “correctly” or “accurately” etc.

The foreign-language (English or German) vocabulary increased slowly and gradually.

6. Teaching texts (dictionaries)

As a basis for the teaching trial served my own three-language (Czech – English – German) dictionaries. I used

• an introductory dictionary with about 80 lexical units in each language

• a small dictionary with about 300 lexical units, 64 model sentences and 4 short model dialogues in each language

• a middle dictionary with about 3.000 lexical units, 243 model sentences and 55 short model dialogues in each language.

The third above-named dictionary was based especially on Leuchtmann’s musical dictionary (compare in LEUCHTMANN, 1980) and on my own teacher’s experience. I prepared a new great dictionary with about 30.000 lexical units, too.

The first versions of these dictionaries were not organized clearly enough and contained mistakes. In present days (January 2005) I am finishing revising and will consult the dictionaries with native speakers.

7. Educational research

The teaching trial proceeded on the basis of my own plan of educational research. This research was field tested as an empirical, action, qualitative, interdisciplinary, longitudinal, (always with a concrete connection) descriptive, diagnostical and exploratory research. An observation sheet for real teaching and a questionnaire for pupils were used to record the data. The data was recorded in both succesful and unsuccesful cases (this standard compare in BROHY, 2002, p. 60). As a member of the Czech Education Research Association I discussed my teaching and research methods with many experts continuously.

8. School evaluation

The headmaster´s observations as well as the pupils’ interviews confirmed that

• the integration of the standard subject “PIANO PLAYING” with communication in a foreign language (English or German) was more motivating for the pupils then the standard subject (compare especially in VAŠÍČEK, 2004, p. 14-15)

• the foreign language communication was almost identical with the communication in Czech. This ment that the communication was succesful from the expert content.

The foreign-language communication between teacher (= me) and pupil should represent ideally all the spoken teaching time, also a high exposure (compare in MARSH, 2001, p. 17). The goal for the teacher (= me) and the advanced pupils is to learn finally about 30.000 words – especially expert music terms – and to master a middle grammar book. (It is not so easy!)

The headmaster Mgr. Jaromír Škára, the deputy headmaster Mgr. Jan Beránek and I hope that the second phase with the (initial?) complex evaluation will be finished in spring 2005. In order to finish this evaluation we will be probably using testing, too (compare in DOUGLAS, 2002, pp. 1-23) as well. The Primary Arts School in Tišnov is expecting participation of experts (especially evaluators) interested in this teaching trial.

9. Doctoral dissertation

To facilitate the complex evaluation I am preparing since 2001 up to now (January 2005) my own doctoral dissertation (in Czech) on the theme mentioned in the headline of this contribution. This dissertation will be involving all the necessary materials and the newly extended corrected versions of my three-language dictionaries as well. The above mentioned dissertation will be defended probably in spring 2005 on Ostrava University.

Literature and sources:

BROHY, C. (2002): Zwei- und mehrsprachiger (Sach-)Unterricht. In: SCHNEIDER, G. – CLALÜNA, M. (Hg.): Mehrsprachigkeit und Deutschunterricht. Thesen, Beiträge und Berichte aus der Sektionsarbeit an der XII. Internationalen Tagung der Deutschlehrerinnen und Deutschlehrer IDT-2001 in Luzern. Bulletin VALS-ASLA – Sonderheft. Neuchâtel : Institut de linguistique de l´Université de Neuchâtel, pp. 55-60. ISSN 1023-2044

DOUGLAS, D. (2002, reprinted): Assessing languages for specific purposes. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-58543-0

FREUDENSTEIN, R. (1991): Fremdsprachen in der Schule im Jahr 2000 und danach. In: Praxis des neusprachlichen Unterrichts 38/4, pp. 409-414

KOTÁSEK, J., and coll. (2001): Národní program rozvoje vzdělávání v České republice: Bílá kniha. (National programme of the educational development in Czech Republic: The White Book) Praha : Ústav pro informace ve vzdělávání – nakladatelství Tauris. ISBN 80-211-0372-8

KRUMM, H.-J. (2001): Der Mensch ist mehrsprachig



LEUCHTMANN, H. (Chief Red.) (1980): Polyglottes Wörterbuch der musikalischen Terminologie: Terminorum musicae index septem linguis redactus 2. Auflage. Budapest : Akadémiai Kiadó, Kassel : Bärenreiter – Verlag. ISBN 3-7618-0553-5

MARSH, D. (compiled and authored) (2001, delivery 2002): CLIL/EMILE (Content and Language Integrated Learning) : The European Dimension : Actions, Trends and Foresight Potential. UniCOM : University of Jyväskylä (Finland)

SHEILS, J. (1993, reprinted): Communication in the modern languages classroom. Strasbourg : Council of Europa Press. ISBN 92-871-1552-4

STONE, F. (2001): Not macht erfinderisch oder Vorrat an Sprachlehrern? Neue Lösungen braucht das Land. In: Clalüna, M. (Hg.): XII. Internationale Tagung der Deutschlehrerinnen und Deutschlehrer: Konzepte und Thesen. Luzern : Der Internationale Deutschlehrerverband, p. 102. ISBN –

TRIM, J. (ed.) (1998): Language learning for European citizenship. Final report (1989-96). Strasbourg : Council of Europe Publishing. ISBN 92-871-3237-2

VAŠÍČEK, Z. (2001): Deutsch als Kommunikationsmittel im individuellen Klavierunterricht In: CLALÜNA, M. (Hg.): XII. Internationale Tagung der Deutschlehrerinnen und Deutschlehrer: Konzepte und Thesen. Luzern : Der Internationale Deutschlehrerverband, pp. 95-96.

Full text too in:

. akdaf.ch/fachprogramm/sektionen/beitraege/Sekbeitr9/9Vasicek.doc 6 pp.

VAŠÍČEK, Z. (2004): Předmět HRA NA KLAVÍR na ZUŠ integrovaný s komunikací v cizím jazyce (anglicky nebo německy): Autoevaluace průběhu první a druhé fáze pokusného vyučování (Subject PIANO PLAYING in the Primary Arts School integrated with communication in a foreign language [English or German]: Autoevaluation of the courses of the first phase and the second phase of teaching trial) In: Profese učitele a současná společnost : 12. konference ČAPV : Sborník referátů [CD-ROM]. Ústí nad Labem : Univerzita Jana Evangelisty Purkyně, Pedagogická fakulta, 15 pp.

Full text too in:



Author - Contact:

MgA. et MgA. Zdeněk Vašíček, Ph. D.,

an expert teacher of music,

a member of the German Scholar´s and German Teacher´s Association in the Czech Republic,

a member of the Czech Education Research Association

Addresses:

Primary Arts School: Privat address:

Dvořáčkova 316 Vrchlického 449

666 01 Tišnov I 666 01 Tišnov I

Czech Republic Czech Republic

E-mail:

Primary Arts School: Privat address:

zus.tisnov@worldonline.cz zdenek.vasicek@c-box.cz

Phone:

Primary Arts School: Privat phone number:

+420 549 410655 +420 549 413269

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