Moving away from the noun-centric approach in MFL and promoting creativity
Course attended by Carol Rushton run by Network for Languages
at Bridgewater Academy
1st February 2013
Please consult Training School weblink for CPD support materials and other useful booklets www.bhbs.hereford.sch.uk
Other useful resources to consider:
1. www.brilliant.publications.co.uk (free sample pages), books mini-plays, phonics book with DVD, grammar books, French culture, songs, speaking booklets.
2. www.revilolang.com (can send for free samples), reading, listening / on-line resources.
3. www.goldendaffolils.co.uk ‘J’écoute et je lis’. Class pack - ~DVD (13 video clips), class readers, powerpoint, sound files for Year 7.
1. Reflection on the nature of “the topics”.
2. Discussion of the importance of phonics.
3. Exploration of a variety of ways to introduce language.
4. Sharing for further approaches to effective learning of new material.
Current Climate
English Baccalaureate
- Boost for language uptake at KS4
- Impact on KS5 uptake?
Awaiting review – levels look due to disappear. Levels do not lend themselves to teaching of languages. MFL learning is not linear.
Programmes of Study will be there but greatly reduced. Grammar will have a higher profile. Grammar exposition integral part of lessons.
Coursework ‘to go’.
Future Primary languages. Will know about this shortly. Possibly statutory KS2 with certain languages.
“Traditional” Year 7 MFL Topics
Topic
1. Age, pencil case
2. School
3. Family
4. At home
5. Free time
6. Local area / Structure
‘To have’
Adjectives, Present Tense, there is
Possessives, ‘to be’
More Present Tense
Irregular verbs, simple future
Justifying, recaps
With this approach – not imparting ‘new knowledge’. More like expensive ‘Translators’, ‘Interpreters’. Words are new but items in pencil case are ‘known quantities’.
“Traditional” Year 7 Geography Topics
Topic
1. Global divisions
2. Using OS maps
3. Housing investigation in local area
4. What is the UK?
5. Moving goods and people
6. British scenery and protecting it
7. Shopping: past, present, future
8. Climate and personal choices / If you compare the skills involved here with Year 7 French topics – lots of new information is imparted
Evolution / Revolution?
Ballena / - Presenting material in different way.
- Put them in gender?
- Cognates?
- Patterns?
- Move away from flashcards / powerpoints / write it down. Explore the words first. Let them discuss them.
This is not a waste of time – it is an investment for future learning skills leading to independence.
Cobaya
Vicuña
Viscacha
Llama
Flamenco
Give Phrases Earlier On
Example: - Opinions - Fillers etc.
So, if you have a map – discussing weather in pairs – pupils are using them at an early stage.
Using Ordnance Survey
Start the topic of local area using ‘Hereford’.
This is in context and real to them
Categorising
Target Language Words
A town
A mountain / A river
The capital / A hill
A bridge / A stream
A beach
Man-made / Natural
Reading Texts
With a text and question in English. Read the questions first.
1. Highlight in text the words you know / don’t know.
2. Discuss in pairs – vocabulary expansion.
3. Then groups of four.
4. Group presentation.
* Give them words and phrases – just a few to get them going.
www.clil4teachers.pbworks.com
Have a look at this – cross curricular and languages.
Go in, teach something else but using target language e.g. a French speaking island – population, weather, food, schools.
Residential / workshop possibility for pupils.
www.glic - Global Language Immersion Centre. In Gloucester. 11 rooms – transfer automatically to target language. Animation rooms etc.
There are open days and courses. Although technology used, it is not the answer to all. You can have a residential here. 11 twin rooms, so can take 18 pupils and 2 adults.
www.linksintolanguages.ac.uk/linkedup
This exists as a legacy website - Drama, Music etc.
Phonics
Use this weblink: www.rachelhawkes.com
French phonics – resources, German phonics – resources, Spanish phonics – resources
Embed phonic sounds
Work with vowels and combinations – sound them out:
ei, ie, ou, eu, ue, etc
Underlying vowel combinations in words. When they are speaking / writing it helps them to remember them, e.g. ein, die, soeur
Storybird
www.mfl-storybirds.wikispaces.com
- Google this – can be used for pupils to build up on knowledge
How many items of vocab should we introduce?
- Beyond 7 words – will not all stick.
- Then build constructions / structures around the words.
- Pupils will not remember extensive lists out of context
Creative Use of Language
Déjeuner du matin
Jacques Prévert
Il a mis le café
Dans la tasse
Il a mis le lait
Dans la tasse de café
Il a mis le sucre
Dans le café au lait
Avec la petite cuiller
Il a tourné
Il a bu le café au lait
Et il a reposé la tasse
Sans me parler
……………….
(pupils guess end to poem
before you show them) / - Do not feel you have to stick with textbook. Find creative ways e.g. just been studying Perfect Tense – in pairs, study poem, underline Perfect Tense, underline any words you are unsure of, act out if you wish.
- Homework, create end to poem or own poem. Can do this with any year group – just modify task.
Dominoes
Dominoes are still very effective for pair / group work.
Structuring Learning
www.bubbl.us
Google this – could be useful
The Power of Deduction
Reading games to encourage deduction?
- blend of cognates with old and new vocab.
- English and TL texts side-by-side
- Find the phrase / word in the text
- Card sorting exercise /
Recording Boards for Class Use
TTS Educational Ltd. Supplies small boards to record / talk into. Can also be used as mini-whiteboards.
TTS Talktime - 1- x 30 second boards - A6 - cost about £60.
I was impressed by these – instant interactions
Thinking of the Space
Does your classroom have to be all rows / all sets of 2 tables?
Maybe experiment?
Just do this with one teaching group to start with?
Support
What instant support do pupils have access to?
- your walls
- on their tables
- in their books / files
- learning mats
- any more?
Diamond 9
www.classtools - Google - will provide some useful on-line class activities e.g. Diamond 9
Les passe-temps (categorise according to importance) and rearrange in rôle play.
Group Talk
Focus on:
- pupils work in groups of 4+
- Discuss a given stimulus / give opinions
- No right / wrong answers, all equal
- Colloquial
- Discussion skills planned in SoW
Languages of Speculation
What do our pupils want to be able to express?
- Capacity to disagree and justify
- Can be colloquial
- Developing during the years
- Needs planning into SoW
Reading Images
In groups – key words related to structures needed.
Lower ability – pupils given alternatives to build up story and they choose.
In appropriate language – still a useful thing to do and then categorise
Depth of thought:
Metacognitive Verbs
Introducing verbs e.g.
Reflection
- penser
- réflêchir
- examiner
- considerer
Listening to others and being flexible
- écouter
- évaluer
- adapter
PLTS Wiki
Personal Learning and Thinking Skills
www.pltsinmfl.wikispaces.com Google - Some useful roads into plts for MFL
Storytelling
Northumberland Grid for Learning
http://ngfl.northumberland.gov.uk/languages/Fables/default.htm
Look at this site. It is excellent.
www.domo.goanimate.com Another interesting site
- laptops / group work / whole class.
www.storybird.com Can take a while to fathom out but then good.
de Bono’s Thinking Hats (something to consider)
1. White hat – we learn to use facts and figures about the environment.
2. Black hat – what are the problems to do with the environment?
3. Yellow hat – what are the positive things you do now?
4. Red hat – what are your opinions / feelings about the environment?
5. Green hat – use the future tense to say what you are going to do.
Assessment = letter to the European Commission.
On the writing frame there are different coloured hats next to each few lines to encourage the students to write a paragraph about each hat, therefore giving different points of view.
Blue hat – teacher’s reflections on how to improve!