STAR Alliance MFL Meeting Minutes

19.10.16.

Present:

Stéphanie Sismondi (SS) / Sherburn High School
Jenny Pinder (JPI) / Tadcaster Grammar School (TGS) / St Joseph’s RC Primary
James Tucker (JT) / Athelstan Primary
Katya Kingham (KK) / Tockwith Primary
Freya Hall (FH) / Sherburn Hungate Primary
Val Law (VL) / Monk Fryston CE Primary
Dawn Cooper-Noble (DC) / Saxton Primary
Liz Robertshaw (LR) / South Milford
Rebecca Bland (RB) / Riverside
Emma Grant (EG) / Appleton Roebuck
Jess Kinsley (JK) / Kellington
Pen Dobson (PD) / Kirk Fenton
Rowena Kasprowicz (RK) / University of York

Apologies:

Nieves Sadullah / Brotherton and Byram Primary
Kath Temple / Long Marston

Not represented:

Barkston Ash
Drax
Tadcaster East

1. Interactive Language Learning.

Rowena Kasprowicz from University of York presented the ‘Gaming Grammar’ project. They are developing a game which can be used in the classroom to teach grammar with a key element being fun and enjoyment. Attendees were invited to give RK their email addresses if they are interested in supporting the research for development of this resource.

2. Actions / Feedback from previous meeting.

- Questionnaire has not been sent to primaries from TGS re: MFL. ACTION POINT: JPI will find out if this is likely to happen in the near future and if not, will assess the need before any further action takes place.

- European Day of Languages: Celebrated in some schools. JT recommended a visit he arranged by Red House Theatre Company (approx. £395 for one and a half days – workshops and theatre performance). EG held a class assembly.

3. Feedback on iLanguages.

People feel positively about this resource on the whole. Positive: easy to use for non-specialists, engaging for learners. Negative: Start of Y3 scheme is fairly slow (some people have bunched the lessons up). Some feel it needs supplementing, so have used N. Yorkshire scheme, Accès Studio (published by Pearson), Sparkle Speak’s Bonjour Milo! for Y2/3 and resources on Twinkl (need a password for this).

4. Assessment.

Assessment in iLanguages has old levels, not the new requirements.

KK used the SHS entry French test with Y6 last year. Assessments at Tockwith test specific vocab knowledge and language ability.ACTION POINT: SS to send out the SHS entry test to all members of the group.

FH uses beginning, developing and secure (red, amber, green). Students rate themselves, then the teacher also rates them (privately) based on evidence.

Can-do statements based on language learning key skills are used in some schools. A mix of both was thought to be a good course of action.

ACTION POINT: All: Consider developing age-related level assessments in the next meeting. Please bring ideas and current assessments with you.

5. Budget.

Currently stands at £5822 (supply costs for this meeting yet to be taken out).

Each school has £150 to spend on MFL resources, anyone yet to do this can make purchases then ask your school to invoice Liz Tuddenham () for reimbursement from the STAR account. Please feedback what you have spent the money on.

Money spent since the last meeting:

-FH: Bonjour Milo!, Talking Tins, role play resources.

-KK: French story book and dictionaries.

-DC: Y5 iLanguages.

-LR: dictionaries.

6. School / classroom displays.

FH asked what people use for displays. JPI has no display – focus on teaching and use occasional visual stimulus appropriate to the lesson (otherwise students become reliant on vocab which is readily available and don’t bother to learn it). DC prints off slides from iLanguages. JK uses display resources from Twinkl. JT has working walls (MFL display changes regularly according to current work). JT also suggested Ikea Tolsby frames (drop current vocab / grammar support into the frames which stand on student desks).

ACTION POINT: SS to email display ideas used at SHS.

7.i. MFL day

This will take place at Sherburn High School, February 17th 2017, 9:30am – 2:30pm. Lunch will not be provided, please bring packed lunches. There will be a number of workshop style sessions.

ACTION POINTS:

All: 1. Ask permission to attend from your school.

2. Email exact numbers of Y5 students (except KK, Y6 instead) and staff hoping to attend to SS () by Friday 4th November.

3. Get a transport quote (possibly speak to neighbouring schools to share) and email to Liz Tuddenham () for approval.

Further details / information etc. will be sent out by SS.

7.ii. A.O.B

- JK and RB (new) expressed their thanks to the group for the helpful, supportive nature of today’s meeting. Everyone was very positive about the usefulness of the sessions, particularly as an opportunity to share ideas and work together.

Date of next meeting:

Friday 17th March 2017.

9am – 12pm.

Tadcaster Grammar School.