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Teaching and Testing SLP 3: Variations on a Theme BSprA Presentation

Ann Beck, S 2 (1) NATO/PfP 2004 BILC Professional Seminar Riga, Latvia October 4 – 7, 2004. Teaching and Testing SLP 3: Variations on a Theme BSprA Presentation. Foreign Language Instruction within the Language Service of the Bundeswehr. LANGUAGE SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS Hürth BSprA,

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Teaching and Testing SLP 3: Variations on a Theme BSprA Presentation

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  1. Ann Beck, S 2 (1) NATO/PfP 2004 BILC Professional Seminar Riga, Latvia October 4 – 7, 2004 Teaching and Testing SLP 3:Variations on a ThemeBSprA Presentation

  2. Foreign Language Instruction within the Language Service of the Bundeswehr LANGUAGE SCHOOLS/INSTITUTIONS Hürth BSprA, Naumburg BSprA Berlin BSprA, Intermin FU Bonn BSprA, Intermin FU Strausberg Kombi WBV Ost Wiesbaden Kombi WBV West Tauberbischofsh. Kombi WBV Süd Koblenz Kombi BWB ARMY Bückeburg HFlgWaS Hannover OSH Münster USH Delitzsch USH Idar-Oberstein OSH Weiden USH Calw KSK Müllheim D/F Brig Feldafing FmS/FSHElT OTHER Flensburg SStratAufkl Hamburg FüAkBw Hamburg UniBwH Daun FmAufklRgt 940 Frankenberg EloKaBtl 932 Bad Ems ZNBw Donauwörth EloKaBtl 922 München-Neubib. UniBwM Sonthofen SFj/StDst Fürstenfeldbruck SWGeoPhys AIR FORCE Heide III./LwAusbRgt 1 Appen USLw Fürstenfeldbruck OSLw Kaufbeuren TSLw 1 NAVY Bremerhaven MOS Flensburg-Mürwik MSM

  3. What do we mean by SLP 3? LevelRequirements in accordance with STANAG 6001, 2003 : Good (Minimum Professional) For Listening (L), Speaking (S), Reading (R) and Writing (W) Competence within a general social and professional-specialist range including not entirely familiar subject areas

  4. SLP 3 Certification within the Language Service of the Bundeswehr • Pretest: General Bundeswehr Examinations(for English, French and Russian)or standardized diagnostic tests (for Czech, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)followed by • SLP exams (Listening,Speaking, Reading, Writing), or • Successful completion of a level 3 course, including SLP examinations

  5. Admission to an SLP 3 course • Pretests: satisfactory score on a general Bundeswehr examination or diagnostic testor • Valid certification of having completed a level 2 course within the last three years, or • SLP examinations conducted in home country for admission to German course in Germany

  6. What is a Level 3 Course?Basic grammar points have been covered Grammar on level 3 = brushing up • A course leading to SLP 3: needs-based curriculum, topics negotiated with participants from prescribed topic areas. Culminating in SLP 3 final examinations and certification. • A course requiring SLP level 3 skills, e.g. 2-week seminars for select groups – with background in subject matter. No final examinations.

  7. Types of courses • Language training as a component of a job-related/ mission-oriented military course • Intensive language courses of varying length (e.g. 3 months per level for English, all levels; 6 months for Russian 0 - 1) • "Kombi-Courses" • Language for special purposes

  8. How long does it take to reach SLP 3? The time allotted for attaining SLP 3 depends on the estimated level of difficulty of the language: I. Easy II. Moderately difficult III. Difficult to very difficult

  9. Level I: Easy(for the German student) • Afrikaans • Danish • Dutch • English (9 months) • French (9 months) • Italian (9 months) • Norwegian • Spanish (9 months) • Swedish Time to SLP 3: 7 – 9 months 20 – 25 hrs/week

  10. Level II: Moderately difficult • Albanian • Dari • Farsi • German as FL (12 months) • Greek • Hindi • Indonesian • Latvian • Slavic languages (Russian = 12 months) • Swaheli • Urdu Time to SLP 3: 9 – 12 months 20 – 25 hrs/week

  11. Level III: Difficult to very difficult • Amharic • Arabic • Chinese • Finnish • Georgian • Hebrew • Hungarian • Japanese • Korean • Thai • Turkish • Vietnamese Time to SLP 3: 18 – 21 months 20 – 25 hrs/week (written production often much lower than 3 and limited to Latin script )

  12. BSprA CurriculaTopic Areas Topic Areas for 3-month SLP 3 Courses(English and Romance Languages)and "Kombi-Courses"(En and Fr) alternating 2-week classroom phases with 3 – 6 mos. self-study(Military topics integrated as needed) 1. Education and Social Issues 2. Political and Economic Matters 3. Law and Administration 4. Culture and Communication 5. Science and Technology

  13. Examples of topics/topic areas emphasized during two-week classroom phases of SLP 3 "Kombi-Courses" in English 1. Crime 2. Mass Media 3. Family and Society 4. Environment 5. Multicultural Societies and Religions 6. Social Welfare 7. Science and Technology 8. Traffic and Transport

  14. BSprA Topic Areas, Level 3 Topic Areas, SLP 3 Courses Slavic Languages 1. Society and the State 2. Political and Economic Matters 3. Education and Social Issues 4. Culture and Communication 5. Science and Technology 6. Defence and Defence Policy

  15. BSprA Topic Areas, Level 3 Topic Areas, SLP 3 Courses German 1. Social Issues (Employment, Economics) 2. Culture 3. Science and Technology 4. Politics and History 5. Defence and Defence Policy dealt with by German military specialists from Army, Air Force and Navy and by "mediator", a language teacher with military background

  16. Level 3 Course: Russian*(0 – 1 = 6, 1 – 2 = 3, 2 – 3 = 3; 0 – 3 = 12 months) 1. Small classes, typically military attachés, often with Russian language training background 2. Team: lang. teacher and military specialist teacher (usually one native speaker, one non-native) 3. Military issues play greater role than on lower levels 4. Training based on needs of mil. attachés (* Similar for other Slavic languages: Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Macedonian, Polish, Serbian, Slovakian, Slovenian and Ukrainian)

  17. Level 3 Seminar:English for Special Purposes, e.g. Tax admin and auditors(SLP 3332 and background in subject area required) • 2-week seminar for investigation officers, internal company audits (usually 12 students/course) • One teacher: does research in specialist area, designs curriculum in cooperation with user agencies • Uses state-of-the-art media for student/teacher research and professional contacts • No final examinations; motivation sufficient

  18. Level 3 Course:German as a Foreign Language (0 - 1 = 3, 1 - 2 = 3, 2 - 3 = 6; 0 – 3 = 12 months) • Course for general staff officers, preparatory to attending command and staff college in Hamburg (ca. 60/yr) • Team of 3 teachers: lang. teacher, military adviser earmarked for general staff in appropriate branch (Army, Navy, Air Force), "mediator" • 6 months, 28hrs/wk for level 2 to 3: 12 hrs/wk mil. instruction; 3-weeks hands-on experience in German counterpart units • Personal counseling sessions as integral part of course

  19. Challenges • Conducting teacher and examiner training for all languages and locations • Improving curriculum design and coordinating curricula of various schools • Optimizing access to and use of media in all schools • Meeting the demand for specialized seminars (ESP and other languages)

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