Ways of creating an information gap

As I gradually sift through pre-microsoft / word documents and convert them to a digital format which I can store, I plan to use this blog as a place to share them.

In the mid-1980s I went to a wonderful course in Southampton which introduced me to the term 'information gap'.  I think the speaker was Ann Miller.  (Apologies - I did not write her name on the sheet - if anyone can confirm / correct me, I'd be grateful!).  She demonstrated how every single stage of the learning process could be made more 'authentic' by creating or exploiting 'information gaps'.

Ways of creating an information gap.

Presentation

1) of grammatical items and functions

• hide it

• partially obscure it

• show range of items from which class must guess your choice

• remove it change it

• offer information so surprising as to require verification

2) of spoken texts

• mystery to be clarified

• décalage between spoken and written text, pictures different information different sequence, missing information etc

3) of written texts

• anticipation of content

• comparison of more than one text 

• shock information

• interesting narrative

Practice

(Replication of above activities in teacher/class, pupil / class,  pupil /pupil format

Ways of using cards

• face down/up 

• one partner only has information other has to guess draw etc 

• pelmanism principle [e.g. 

• number of items from which one partner makes secret choice

• ‘Cherchez la femme’ principle

• partial information to each partner

• collect set

• sequencing

• find person with same information

Ways of justifying giving information people already have

• in role: famous people, panellists swap roles

• displacement of time or place

• official demands

• teen magazines

• yes / no interlude,

• personality tests

• how much do you know about your partner?

• add in an emotion: anger, remorse, etc

• surveys

Suggestions for exploiting various types of texts

(what would normally be the readers way of processing the information?)

Information texts

• what do pupils already know?

• what do other texts say?

• compare partners choice at most important sentence in each paragraph, subheadings etc

• diagram of chronology,  cause-effect

• role play take point of view and justify

Jeu-test

• relate information to pupils, self famous people etc

• do on behalf of self and partner

• make up more answers/questions

Daily routine

• what do you expect her to do?

• things she does/ doesn't do

• pleasure/ work

• order of priority

• act out dialogue

• relate answers to questions

• manifesto of candidate

• account of week as apology

• angry husband

Cosmetic advert

• what adjectives would you expect to describe a lipstick?

• give the adjectives- what is the product?

• give list of some adjectives in the ad, some not

• put adjectives in order of effectiveness

• write advert for aftershave

• turn into a video

Before/ after

• whose improvement the greatest?

• invent more dramatic before and afters

• different product

Carte d’identité

• some information to each partner

• memory test

• which one do you like best?

• surmise other categories

• apply to self, partner et cetera

DfE GCSE MFL proposals - urgent message from the APPG

 

It is great that over 800 people have signed the All Partly Paliamentary Group statement.

The APPG MFL calls on the DfE (a) to work with stakeholders to build a consensus on a way forward and (b) to delay any changes until this has taken place.

If you have signed, you will have received the message at the end of this post from the APPG.

It is essential that as many people as possible answer the consultation.  The DfE has chosen not to include bodies which represent language teachers in the preparation of its proposals, and has ignored representations from exam boards, indicating to what extent they value them, so the fact that so many high profile organsations have signed this, and the fact that both AQA and Edexcel have published statements criticising the proposals will not be enough to halt them.  Please get the message to as many teachers and school leaders as possible to  fill in the consultation .. a simple yes/no would be enough!

1. Complete the DfE consultation online:  Link here.  
2. Complete the OFQUAL consultation: Link here.  
3. If you wish to ask for a halt to the process, add your name to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) page here.  Link here.

Message from the APPG:

Subject: Important message from the APPG MFL

Dear colleague, thank you for supporting the APPG's statement on the MFL GCSE review, this is now registered.

Important follow-up message from the APPG to you as a teacher or school leader:

Please consider taking a few short minutes to respond to the Department for Education's consultation on the proposals before the deadline of 11.59pm this Weds 19 May (if you have not already done so) as the consultation is the official mechanism for feedback and schools' views are vital. 

• There are just 15 short questions and you can skip any you don't wish to answer
  
• You can answer each one with a simple 'yes' or 'no' if you wish
  
• The important thing is to send in a response, as the DfE is particularly attentive to the views of individual teachers and school leaders.

*Please go to the following website to respond (click on 'Give us your views'):

https://consult.education.gov.uk/ebacc-and-arts-and-humanities-team/gcse-mfl-subject-content-review/

For further info/guidance:

• PDF of the DfE's consultation questions: https://consult.education.gov.uk/ebacc-and-arts-and-humanities-team/gcse-mfl-subject-content-review/supporting_documents/GCSE%20MFL%20subject%20content%20consultation.pdf
  
• PDF of the DfE's MFL GCSE subject content review (6 pages + Annexes): https://consult.education.gov.uk/ebacc-and-arts-and-humanities-team/gcse-mfl-subject-content-review/supporting_documents/GCSE%20MFL%20subject%20content%20document.pdf
• Guidance from the Association for Language Learning which represents teachers with a range of views: http://www.all-london.org.uk/site/index.php/issues/2021-dfe-gcse-mfl-subject-content-review/
  

Many thanks and best wishes,

Sent by:

Secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages

Chair: Nia Griffith MP (Lab)

Co-Chair: Baroness Coussins (Crossbench)

Vice Chairs: Tonia Antoniazzi MP (Lab); Lord Dykes (Crossbench); Baroness Garden (Lib Dem); Lord Sherbourne (Con).

APPG MFL website: http://bit.ly/APPGMFLhome

--

Philip Harding-Esch - MA Oxon, DipTrans IoL(ET)

Update on DfE GCSE MFL Proposals

Further to my blog of Friday 30th April on the DfE GCSE MFL proposals  (https://helenmyers.blogspot.com/2021/04/dfe-proposals-for-gcse-mfl-subject.html )today, Friday 7th May, ASCL has issued this email briefing:

Consultation on Modern Foreign Languages

The DfE consultation on very significant changes to the content for Modern Foreign Language (MFL) GCSEs closes on 19 May. ASCL has produced a draft response to the consultation, which can be viewed here and a video here, which express a number of serious concerns. These concerns are supported by the results of teacher polling by the Association for Language Learning. Similar concerns are expressed in the commentary produced by AQA, the largest provider of MFL GCSEs in England.
 
These proposals, if implemented, would have a major impact on the way GCSE MFL is taught and assessed. We would encourage you to share this information with your Head of MFL and MFL teachers, and encourage them to respond to this consultation, as well as the corresponding Ofqual consultation.

I hope that because ASCL has so many members this will help to raise awareness widely amongst senior leaders and in turn onwards to HODs and MFL departments.

I understand that other organisations are also working on responses to express their concerns.

I do hope that in view of the significant changes proposed that colleagues will take the time to inform themselves and to respond to the consultations.