The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
Issue link: https://thelinguist.uberflip.com/i/1035089
STUDENT MOTIVATION @Linguist_CIOL OCTOBER/NOVEMBER The Linguist 15 Shifting priorities Is there a link with how negative some of the discourse around education has recently become? Ivelin Sardamov's argument, based on neuroscientific evidence, is that chronic dopamine overload (caused by technological saturation and sensory overstimulation) has contributed to warped brain plasticity and a crisis of curiosity and motivation, even among 'the brightest and best'. 9 Bryan Caplan argues that education, far from being about equipping learners with skills, is all about signalling – a way of providing employers with information about their employees' potential productivity and compliance. 10 So is it time to shift the focus from assessment to the acquisition of skills? In some ways this is a false binary. The assessment procedures of IoLET (the Institute of Linguists Educational Trust) for the Diploma in Translation – the 'gold standard' in translation qualifications – points to an important truth. On the one hand, the diploma has been criticised for restricting access in its exams to printed dictionaries (as many as you can carry!) and not allowing access to the internet. On the other, it recognises that, to translate a passage in the field of science, technology or social sciences, you need to have a certain amount of subject-specific knowledge, over and above linguistic proficiency. Now this subject-specific knowledge is not specifically tested, but without it (or without the ability to acquire it), the exams cannot be passed. In other words, it is important to realise what exams can do – and what they can't. Similarly, the rapidly changing world in which language is used (most notably developments in technology) means that educators will have to move away from seeing themselves as 'gatekeepers' and instead understand themselves as 'facilitators'. Thanks to technology, the genie of language is out of the bottle. Now it's possible to follow events in other countries in real time and to interact with other people in those countries through social media. The real power of language is something that can never be assessed. At a time when the UK is exiting the EU, how does one strike the right balance between teaching adjective endings in German courses at university and helping students understand the enormous political implications of the referendum decision and what it means for how we see Germany – or how the Germans (or French, Italians etc) see us? Does the current emphasis on assessment really help us to remodel languages as global communication and equip young people with the skills they will need to live, work, reflect and think in the economy of the future? One might disagree with Simon Jenkins when he claims that "reactionary educators fetishise languages because they are easy to test", but is he right to suggest that "the obsession with measuring comes at the expense of true education"? In other words: is it time to examine the exam? Notes 1 Jenkins, S (25/8/17) 'Ignore the Panic: There's little point learning languages at school'. In The Guardian 2 Durrell, M (2017) 'Mündlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit im schulischen Deutschunterricht'. In Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 5.3, 131-141 3 Weale, S (26/5/18) 'Bristol University Faces Growing Anger after Student Suicide'. In The Guardian 4 (1/5/18) 'More University Students are Cheating – But it's not because they are lazy'. In The Guardian 5 Weale, S & Holme, M (22/6/18) '"Panic Attacks and Crying": How the new GSCEs affect pupils'. In The Guardian 6 Press Association (2/8/2018) 'P1 Standardised Testing Criticised by Teachers and Parents'. In Evening Express 7 Bodde, D (2004) 'Chinese Ideas in the West'. Asia for Educators, Columbia University; bit.ly/2Nng9Ax 8 Freyenhagen, F (16/12/15), 'Think About It: Why budding philosophers shouldn't sit exams'. In The Guardian 9 Sardamov, I (2017) Mental Penguins: The neverending education crisis and the false promise of the Information Age, Arlesford: iff Books 10 Caplan, B (2018) The Case Against Education: Why the education system is a waste of time and money, Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press © SHUTTERSTOCK