The main difference between teaching the NOCN course and a
traditional course is that it is virtually content free, meaning
that you are free to choose the context and lexical content for the
assignments to suit the learning group. This would be advantageous
to a sixth form (students must be 16+) looking for accreditation
alongside the normal sixth form curriculum for native speakers of
community languages. It also offers the flexibility to work at the
students’ own pace with continuous assessment.
It is a structured accredited course which can lead to
traditional qualifications such as GCSE and AS/A level, yet it also
lends itself to being taught outside the normal curriculum, in a
work-based setting. A trade union could, for example, request to
have a language taught within the work context and it could be
taught conveniently on site.
Kent offers primary school teachers across the county the
opportunity to gain or refresh modern foreign language skills to
gain a National Open College Network (NOCN) qualification whilst
continuing their role in the school. Further education colleges and
employers looking for a language element to accompany a vocational
course might find this qualification suitable. It also offers a
'non-threatening' alternative progression routes for adult learners
wishing to pursue, and be given credit for, their language
studies.
At the moment the only Applied Languages
GCSE is in French and is offered by Edexcel. NOCN is available
in 12 languages: Arabic, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German,
Modern Greek, Gujarati, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese,
Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish,
Urdu and Welsh.
Course structure and progression
The
qualification consists of four levels each containing units
covering the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and
writing. Students need to produce a ‘portfolio of evidence’ showing
achievement in either two or four skills. The portfolio is
internally and externally moderated. Checklists help to monitor
progress and achievements on a regular basis. Monitoring classroom
activities might include role-play, pair work, group work, checking
written tasks, homework, question and answer sessions, or feedback
sessions after activities such as listening exercises.
The suggested time allocation for guided learning, directed
assignments, assignments on the job, or supported study is 60 hours
for the full certificate, excluding private study. Candidates must
complete both units in their chosen language for a full
certificate. Although it is possible to offer one unit for an Award
qualification and bank that for conversion later into a full
certificate, students need to be prepared in all four skills as the
course progresses. There is no exam at the end of the course. As
long as students have satisfactorily completed the tasks set and
kept a record of how these were tackled, they will receive an Open
College Network Credit Certificate showing the language, number of
credits and the level achieved.
For more details on the content of each level: