What can the Covid exam crisis teach us about policy making?
Based upon the article, Knowledge, expertise and policy in the examinations crisis in England
Ernesto Macaro is Emeritus Professor of Applied Linguistics and a Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College, University of Oxford.
Ernesto was Director of the Department of Education from 2013 to 2016.
Before becoming a teacher educator and researcher Ernesto was a language teacher in secondary schools in the UK for 16 years during which time he obtained an MA in Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. During this time he was asked by Warwickshire Education Authority to design and organise professional development courses for language teachers. This led to an interest in teacher education and he obtained a post at the University of York and subsequently at the University of Reading. It was at the latter that he obtained a PhD whilst teaching on that institution’s PGCE course.
Ernesto joined the Department of Education at Oxford in 1999 and soon after introduced the area of Applied Linguistics by designing the Masters in Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition. A further, largely online course, aimed at practising language teachers followed a few years Later (Msc. in Applied Linguistics For Language Teaching).
Ernesto’s current research focuses on second language learning strategies and on the interaction between teachers and learners in second language classrooms and in those where English is the medium of instruction (EMI). He has published widely in these areas and is now considered one of the leading experts on EMI. His 2018 book published by Oxford University Press is considered a landmark publication in the field.
Ernesto continues to be highly research active and is frequently called upon to give keynotes, plenary lectures and workshops in many parts of the world as well as providing consultancies on language policy. The following are a selection of research projects that he has recently been involved in or are on-going:
EMI IN TURKEY: A COLLABORATIVE EXPERIMENT
The research investigated the extent to which it is feasible and beneficial for English language specialists in Turkish universities to collaborate with academic subject specialists teaching through the medium of English in the preparation and delivery of content lessons or lectures.
Funding body: part funded by Oxford University Press
EMI IN CHINA: REFLECTING ON THE ANALYSIS OF INTERACTION
This research involved EMI content teachers audio-recording their classes. These were subsequently analysed by a language specialist according to pre-defined language features. The aim was to encourage the content teachers to reflect on their teaching (particularly on their interaction with students) and subsequently modify their pedagogy.
THE CERTIFICATION OF EMI TEACHERS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
The study sought to establish the feasibility of certifying the teaching competence of teachers teaching academic subjects through the medium of English in non-anglophone contexts. Specifically, it investigated teacher attitudes towards the kinds of competencies needed and whether it was possible and/or beneficial for the certification to be awarded at an institutional, national, or international level.
Funding Body: Fell Fund (University of Oxford)
TRANSITION FROM SECONDARY CLIL TO TERTIARY EMI IN ITALY
The research investigated the challenges faced by students transitioning from an upper secondary school CLIL classroom to EMI in Universities. Specifically, it measured the lexical knowledge needed to adequately understand lectures in the L2 (English) and the strategies that students might use to compensate for lexical deficiencies.
Funding Body: The British Council
Hamish is the Course Director of the MSc Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching (ALLT). He lectures and supervises on the MSc Applied Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition (ALSLA) and the MSc Applied Linguistics for Language Teaching (ALLT).
He is director of the International Database of Education Systematic Reviews (IDESR.org), a database of published systematic reviews in Education and a clearinghouse for protocol registration of ongoing and planned systematic reviews. He convenes the REAL (research in EAL) group at the Department. He is co-director of the Oxford Education Deanery.
Hamish’s research interest centres on evaluation of pedagogical approaches to teaching children who use English as an Additional Language (EAL). In particular, his research focuses on the use of the first language as a pedagogical tool for multilingual learners in English medium classrooms. His methodological interest is in randomised trials and systematic reviews. He is also an advocate for user engagement in research and public understanding of science.
Hamish welcomes expressions of interest for doctoral study in the field of EAL, bilingualism and bilingual schooling, international schooling, and instructed language learning. He is particularly keen to hear from prospective students wishing to conduct systematic reviews and experiments in these areas.
Publications
Books
- Chalmers, H. (Ed.) (2022). The researchED guide to English as an Additional Language. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational
Journal articles
- Chalmers, H., Brown, J., & Koryakina, A. (2023). Topics, publication patterns, and reporting quality in systematic reviews in language education. Lessons from the international database of education systematic reviews (IDESR). Applied Linguistics Review, doi: 10.1515/applirev-2022-0190
- Chong, S-W., Bond, M., & Chalmers, H. (2023). Opening the methodological black box of research synthesis in language education: where are we now and where are we heading? Applied Linguistics Review, doi: 10.1515/applirev-2022-0193
- Jitpaisarnwattana, N. & Chalmers, H. (2022). Can I MOOC to Catch up? The Effects of Using an LMOOC as a Remedial Tool for EFL Students in Thailand. English Language Teaching, 15(1), 37-52. doi: 10.5539/elt.v15n1p37.
- Müller, L., Morris, A., Sharples, J., Chislett, J., Rose, N., Chalmers, H. (2020). How to assess claims about cognition and learning: The ACE concepts. Impact, Issue 8, Spring 2020, 60-63.
- Chalmers, H. (2019) Why all the fuss about Randomised Trials? researchED Magazine, February 2019, 13-14.
- Chalmers, H. and Crisfield, E. (2019). Drawing on linguistic and cultural capital to create positive learning cultures for EAL learners. Impact, Issue 5, Spring 2019, 40-43.
Book Chapters
- Chalmers, H. & Murphy, V. (2022). Multilingual Learners, linguistic pluralism and implications for education and research. In Macaro, E., & Woore, R. (Eds.) Debates in Second Language Education. Abingdon: Routledge. DOI: 10.4324/9781003008361-6.
- Murphy, V. & Chalmers, H. (2022) The impact of language learning on wider academic outcomes. In K. McManus & M. Schmid (eds.), How special are early birds?: Foreign language teaching and learning, pp. 165-188. Berlin: Language Science Press. Doi: 10.5218/zenodo.6811470
Reports
- Murphy, V. Arndt, H., Briggs Baffoe-Djan, J., Chalmers, H., Macaro, E., Rose, H., Vanderplank, R. & Woore, R. (2020). Foreign language learning and its impact on wider academic outcomes: A rapid evidence assessment. London: EEF.
- Chalmers, H. (2019) The Role of the First Language in English Medium Instruction. Oxford:OUP.
Jenni Ingram is Professor of Mathematics Education at the Department and Fellow of Linacre College.
Jenni is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the Royal Statistical Society. She is a member of the Mathematics Expert Group for the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and is Chair of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education (ERME) Language and Mathematics working group.
Her research focuses on mathematics education with a particular interest in classroom interaction and language, and mathematics assessment both internationally and within classrooms. Her current research projects focus on language- responsive mathematics teaching in secondary schools including an intervention study in classrooms in England and an international study of mathematics teacher expertise in teaching linguistically disadvantaged students in seven countries. Jenni is also the research lead for PISA 2022 in England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Jenni is Editor for the international journal Research in Mathematics Education and is also on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Mathematical Behaviour and the Journal for Mathematics Teacher Education.
Funded Research Projects:
PISA National Centre for England (Department for Education)
Developing Language-Responsive Mathematics Classrooms (Nuffield Foundation)
Global Teaching InSights TALIS Video Study (Department for Education)
After obtaining a degree and PhD in chemistry at the University of Birmingham, Ann Childs taught science in secondary schools in the UK and West Africa for eleven years, seven of these as a head of chemistry and head of science.
Since 1995 she has been involved in science teacher education at Oxford University where she is a fellow of Lady Margaret Hall.
Ann would welcome informal contacts from prospective doctoral students interested in the following topics:
- Explaining science/chemistry in secondary science classrooms – what makes an effective explanation?
- Interaction between teachers and students in second language classrooms in science where English is the medium of instruction
- Developing teacher education in science of both pre and in-service science teachers
- Educating the teacher educators – what is the knowledge base of a teacher educator in mathematics and science?
Heath Rose is Professor of Applied Linguistics, with a specialisation in language teaching research. He is Director for People at the Department and Vice-Principal of Linacre College.
After completing a PGCE in 1997, Heath started his teaching career in Australian and Japanese schools. He eventually moved into teaching in higher education, while completing a PhD in Education from The University of Sydney. Stemming from this professional background, Heath’s research interests are situated within the field of language teaching and language learning. His research has included self-regulation and language learner strategies, Global Englishes, teaching English as an international language, and English Medium Instruction. Publications include a number of books on Global Englishes, including Introducing Global Englishes (Routledge) and Global Englishes for Language Teaching (Cambridge) in addition to books on research methods, including the Routledge Handbook of Applied Linguistics (Routledge) and Data Collection Research Methods in Applied Linguistics (Bloomsbury). He is series co-editor of Cambridge Elements in Language Teaching.
He has published numerous research articles related to language education in journals such as Higher Education, Language Policy, Applied Linguistics, ELT Journal, TESOL Quarterly, System, and Modern Language Journal. Heath is the coordinator of the English Medium Instruction Research Group, and runs the wider EMI Oxford Research Network
Victoria Murphy is Professor of Applied Linguistics and Director of the Department of Education, University of Oxford.
Victoria’s research focuses on understanding the inter-relationships between child L2/FL learning, vocabulary and literacy development. Her work examines cross-linguistic relationships across linguistic systems in the emergent bilingual child and how foreign language learning in primary school can influence developing first language literacy. Her work has been funded by ESRC, The Leverhulme Trust, The Nuffield Foundation and the Educational Endowment Foundation, among others, and she has published two books on the topic of young language learners, as well as numerous refereed journal articles and book chapters. Victoria was Chair of NALDIC (National Association for Language Development in the Curriculum) between 2018-2021 and has worked closely with teachers across the UK and internationally in support of Language in Education programmes.
Qualifications
- B.A.H. Linguistics/Psychology – Queen’s University, Kingston On, Canada
- M.A. Educational Psychology – McGill University, Canada
- Ph.D. – Second Language Education – McGill University Canada
Current Funded Research Projects
- Learning for Families through Technology with Rebecca Eynon and Sandra Mathers
- Supporting the development of Indian primary school children’s reading comprehension skills: A scaffolding-based intervention”. CI with I. Tsimpli (PI) & L. Mukhapoadhyay. British Academy – Humanities and Social Sciences Tackling Global Challenges
- “Improving the oral language skills of children with English as an Additional Language through a drama-based intervention” CI with Faidra Faitaki. CreATE Research Group