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  3. How English teachers can crack the code

How English teachers can crack the code

06/04/2023

From a single word to a whole sentence, we have all come across language learners at all levels who frequently switch between different languages when they speak. This is an example of code switching and it has been traditionally frowned upon in the English language learning classroom, but Cambridge’s Graham Seed asks: should we be looking at this differently?

Why do we code switch?

Code switching is a very natural thing to do and commonly found in everyday life. It happens amongst learners and bilingual speakers but it’s not exclusive to them. For example an English learner could code-switch if they don't know a word in English, by using a word from their home language. Another common example is when bilingual speakers code-switch when they feel a particular word or phrase is better expressed in the other language than the one they started off in.

What does code switching mean for the English classroom?

Traditionally the English classroom is a place where languages have been segregated. It’s common for English teachers to insist students can only use English when they step foot in the English classroom. However, recently in language education, and in education more generally, there has been a shift to look at this differently and consider the benefits other languages bring to the classroom. We need to look at code switching as an enabler rather than a stumbling block. When students find themselves stopping and stumbling because they don’t know a particular word – code switching can be a great way to maintain fluency because it allows communication to flow more naturally, rather than having to stop to look up new words. Finding out these words in English can be a classroom activity for later. Or alternatively, students might be able to use another language they know to help guess at what the English word might be. Even if they are wrong, they have been using their knowledge of other languages to help overcome a communication breakdown.

Why has code switching not been encouraged in the past?

The traditional approach is that if you’re immersed in the language you are learning, you will get better at it. Of course I agree with this, but sometimes it’s too strict. We need to ask ourselves: what is going to enhance learning and communication best in the classroom?

I strongly believe that teachers have to be open to the fact that using other languages beyond just the one you’re targeting can be advantageous.

What are the challenges for teachers?

Code switching presents challenges for English teachers. Teachers want their students to learn English and use English, so they don’t want to allow other languages in. However, in classes where all students share the same home language, teachers feel it is too great a temptation to resort back to using the home language. In multilingual classes, teachers often feel that English has to be the only way to communicate and learn. While both fears are sometimes valid, it's worth considering whether the same home language is actually a strength. For example teachers can develop activities where students can check how the grammar works in the home language and contrasting how it works in English. And, in a multilingual classroom, can sharing phrases in different languages stimulate interest and motivation? I think ultimately it is all about getting the balance right and understanding how best to bring in other languages as a resource to enhance learning.

Three tips for teachers

Here are a few tips for teachers who want to try to embrace code-switching in their classroom.

  1. Encourage the class to look at a sentence in English and compare it to a home language. It can be quite a fun and worthwhile exercise to spot grammatical patterns and compare and contrast.
  2. If you have a multilingual class encourage students to talk about themselves and their home cultures. Topics such as cooking, and culture are great ways to encourage students to use their own expressions and ideas.
  3. Don’t force them to use English 100% of the time as it might not be the most efficient way of teaching real-life communication skills. It will also increase rapport and motivation.

Where is Cambridge on the code switching journey?

We are right at the beginning of this particular journey. We’re fortunate in Cambridge because we have access to world class expertise and data. For example we work with ALTA, a virtual institute in the University of Cambridge that brings together interdisciplinary teams from computing, engineering, linguistics and language assessment to investigate new ways of using technology to enhance language learning and develop cutting edge approaches to assessment.

One of the areas we work on with ALTA is machine learning, in order to provide automated feedback and assessment. An area I’m interested in is how these machines deal with code-switching. For example let’s think about the impact code-switching could have on assessment and in particular automarking functions. Automarking technology uses AI to mark candidates’ work without any human intervention. Currently, the automarker cannot deal with foreign language words and considers them a mistake. However we need to find ways to help English automarkers deal with words spoken or written in another language and give appropriate feedback to learners. This could be either recognising a word in another language that is meant to be there (such as a name of a dish) or providing feedback to help learners who have code-switched for a strategic point of view.

What is the future for code switching in English assessment?

At the moment in Cambridge we’re looking into how we recognise code switching in our learning and assessment products. In the short term a lot of this work revolves around how we can support teachers in this area. Further down the line we’re looking at how automated technology can enhance the personalisation of learning and assessment so we can give better feedback.

That’s what we’re working towards.

Find out more

Picture of Graham Seed

Graham Seed was lead author on a piece of research that looks at the current thinking on code switching, how English teachers can embrace this growing phenomenon and how technology can enable a more sophisticated approach. Read it here.

Watch a previous Facebook Live session that Graham Seed featured on that looked at Using Other Languages to Learn English.

About the author

Graham Seed is a Senior Research Manager at Cambridge University Press and Assessment, as well as the Secretariat Manager of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe). He holds a Master's degree in Language Testing from Lancaster University. His current research interests include the operationalisation of the CEFR in language assessment, including mediation and cross-linguistic mediation. He holds Delta and CELTA, and before working at Cambridge, taught in different schools in the UK and Europe.

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