English in Primary School: Historical Overview and Models

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the historical waves, pedagogical goals, and organizational models of teaching English to young learners as described by Jun.-Prof. Irene Heidt.

$1960s$ and $1970s$ Wave

The first attempts to introduce English in primary schools, based on the assumption that an early start leads to better language proficiency, though research did not lead to clear results at the time.

$1980s$ and $1990s$ Wave

A period marked by the 'Europeanization of starting early' and the opening of borders, where the European Commission and Council of Europe supported early language learning through approaches like language awareness.

$2000$ until today Wave

A period where early language learning became a 'global phenomenon' and English was introduced as a mandatory subject in German primary school curricula, usually starting in grade $3$ or grade $1$.

Language awareness approach

A method where children are sensitized to languages in their local context, such as comparing the word for 'fish' in various languages like German (Fisch), Danish (fisk), and French (poisson).

Intercultural communicative competence (ICC)

The ability of children to become citizens of a multicultural and multilingual Europe by developing tolerance, respect, and positive attitudes towards otherness.

Bildungsplan Englisch Grundschule ($2025$)

The curriculum framework that sets foundations for lifelong foreign language learning and competent engagement with multilingualism and cultural diversity.

Plurilingual competence

An individual's ability to use their communicative experiences with various home languages and dialects to handle different communication situations.

Model $1$ (Materials-based)

The most common model in Germany where students have roughly $1$ hour per week (often $2$ lessons in federal states like BaWü) based on a specific course or set of materials following a curriculum.

Model $2$ (Begegnungsunterricht)

A flexible approach where an additional language is embedded into other curriculum areas like science or math, focusing on fostering a joy of learning and spontaneous interaction.

Model $3$ (Language awareness specialization)

An approach exemplified by 'Lerne die Sprache des Nachbarn' in Rheinland Pfalz, seeking to sensitize children to the variety of languages in the local community, specifically neighboring cultures like France.

Model $4$ (Bilingual programs)

An intensive model where content is taught through the medium of a foreign language, divided into immersion and Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL).

Immersion

A bilingual model where several subjects are taught entirely in the foreign language to promote fluent and confident L2 use.

CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning)

A bilingual model where selected subjects or specific topics are taught in the foreign language to integrate both content and language learning.

Provision (Bedingungen)

The specific conditions of language instruction, such as time of exposure, teacher qualification, and resource quality, which determine the success of foreign language outcomes.