Autumn issue 2020 - ISMLA
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
i S M L A
autumn issue 2020
1
2
In This Issue
__________________________________________________________________________________
P5 Notes from the Chair
P7 Editor’s Letter
P9 ‘Let’s Not Call It Outreach’
P10 Recruitment and Student Experience
P14 Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow
P17 Making the Most of a Vocabulary Book
P25 Ditching the Textbook
P26 Talking Technology in Modern Languages
P29 Being Bilingual is ‘Ard
P31 Native Speakers Sitting GCSE and A Levels
P36 Winners of the ISMLA Creative Writing Competition
P49 Competitions
P50 Webinars
P51 Publications
P52 ISMLA Notices
__________________________________________________________________________________
Edited by Bori Gannon
Proofread by Inge Skliros
Photographs by Aidan Huxford
aidanhuxford1066@outlook.com
Cover design and Layout by Bori Gannon
3
4
Notes from the Chair
By Davina Marie, Acting Chair
(Queen’s College, London)
__________________________________________________________________________________
I am writing this at a strange time for us all; it has been wonderful to return to school this term,
but the news remains bleak and uncertain. The Christmas holiday, usually a happy time for
many and a time to travel to see family, is in doubt. In introduction to this edition of the
newsletter, I would like to take inspiration from the title of my current Book Club read, Reasons
To Be Cheerful, by Nina Stibbe, to share some news with you that is keeping me upbeat:
ISMLA
o ISMLA has kept going with remarkable fortitude throughout this difficult year. Thank
you to so many of our member schools for renewing membership with us for another
year in such numbers. Thank you to the committee and to our inspiring speakers for
putting together such a brilliant series of subject-specific webinars this term and, in
particular, to our Conference Secretary, Kevin Dunne, for all of the administration
behind the scenes, and to our Treasurer, Peter Ansell, for balancing the books so that
we can offer these events to our members for free. Thank you to Andy Loughe for
setting up the ISMLA YouTube Channel, which is an exciting addition to our social
media. Whilst we are disappointed that our conference cannot go ahead as planned
next term, we will be bringing you a third series of webinars, this time looking at
language pedagogy and issues across all languages.
o Thank you to all of you and your students who took part in our first Original Writing
Competition last term. We were so impressed with (and inspired by!) the creativity and
sophistication of the responses you sent in and you too can enjoy some of the winning
entries in this very newsletter. The fact that all of these entries were completed at
home, without direct teacher input or impetus, is all the more reason to celebrate
these young people’s talent and engagement with their language learning. I am
delighted to say that we will be launching the competition again next term and thank
Adele Venter in advance for running this for us. Do look out for more information from
Adele soon!
Whilst we have all been faced with short-term issues as language teachers (not least the
grading scandal this summer and the uncertainty surrounding next summer’s
examinations), there are long-term issues that ISMLA continues to to address. I am very
proud of the committee for doing so at such a challenging time and share here just a few
examples with you. Justin Pinnells met in October with representatives from the German
Embassy and Goethe Institute to discuss ways to promote this language in schools and to
get the attention of headteachers. Oliver Hopwood continues to lobby for changes to our
5
GCSE curriculum and delivered a compelling presentation at the APPG British Council event
entitled ‘Modern Languages For All’ this month. Oliver is currently liaising with ALL about
the best way to address issues in our current provision.
RAINY WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT
o This second lockdown, whilst unwelcome, has coincided with some exciting releases. I
am really enjoying the fascinating ‘Following Franco’ by Duncan Wheeler. It is so wide-
ranging, with interesting and minutely detailed chapters on the monarchy, regional
identity, censorship and the city of Barcelona, among many others, and brings us
completely up to date. I am also really looking forward to listening to Duncan talk at an
upcoming webinar for my pupils this month. I would recommend this book for all
teachers of Spanish A Level:
Following Franco
o The antithesis to this academic read for me next weekend will be ‘L’Arabe du Futur:
Tome 5’ which I have been looking forward to since I finished the last page of Tome 4.
Released in France during its
‘reconfinement’, it is only available there,
as here, as an online purchase or via ‘un
système de click and collect’ (that one
seems to have got past the Académie
Française). However, I think that for many,
they have timed this just right.
o ‘La Vie Devant Soi’ is a wonderfully
moving novel by Romain Gary (that won
the Prix Goncourt in 1975 for Emile Ajar,
the pseudonym that Gary was using). I
think it is quite accessible for our A Level
student too and have used extracts in
class, both on the topic of ‘la famille’ and
‘la diversité’. I am excited to see the new
Italian adaptation directed by Edoardo
Ponti and starring his mother, Sophia
Loren, as Madame Rosa and Ibrahima
Gueye, as Momo. The film swaps Belleville
for Bari, in Puglia, and has just been
released by Netflix – another perfectly
timed release for a rainy November
afternoon indoors.
6
Editor’s Letter
By Bori Gannon
(St Mary’s School, Ascot)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Reader,
It is my absolute pleasure to hand to you the latest issue of our Newsletter. I must admit, it has
been in the pipeline for a while, and I sincerely apologize to all who expected to read the
publication much earlier in the autumn season. Let’s just say, this has been an unusual term.
I have thoroughly enjoyed editing the Newsletter for the past couple of years. It has given me
the perfect opportunity to try my hand at something that I have long contemplated as a
potential professional path before entering the teaching profession. Editing the Newsletter has
not only allowed me to experiment with the publication itself, creating its layout and deciding
its content, but, more importantly, it also brought me in contact with so many of You who work
in the world of Modern Languages. As editor, I have had a unique perspective exploring, if not
all, but at least a considerable segment of this transcendent cosmos of MFL; made up of
teachers, researchers, professors, translators, polyglots, internationally acclaimed language
experts, textbook and literary writers, students, politicians and so on. Naturally, I have found
this ‘place’ to be utterly intriguing, often perplexing, and at times, quite frankly, outrageous…
but never unexciting.
I hope that you will enjoy reading this last edition from me, an edition that is the work of so
many, not only at ISMLA but at all sorts of institutions across the country. And as we approach
December by the time this edition is out, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year!
7
8
‘Let’s Not Call It Outreach’
By John Wilson
(Cheadle Hulme School)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Firstly, let’s not call it outreach! What message is that giving? But, just calling it partnerships
instead and carrying on as usual isn’t enough either! We’ll all have experience of a partnership
in life where it hasn’t felt much like a partnership. Whilst I don’t claim to be a relationship
expert, I do know that if one party feels they’re not getting anything from a partnership, that
partnership is doomed. And here’s another thing, partnerships are more important now than
ever before. If you’ve felt under pressure from your senior leadership team to come back to
partnerships only when the wind is blowing in our favour again, please think again.
So, I look forward to a time when we can collaborate on this and share the wonderful stuff we
do in languages at our respective schools. Here’s two things we do, as well as the mistakes we
have made.
Firstly, one member of the department has an afternoon per week to teach in one of our 4
partner primary schools.
Our first mistake (in my view) was that we chose state primary schools in the immediate vicinity
of the School; a leafy area of privilege in south Manchester. We were thinking first and
foremost about Admissions, I assume. This isn’t about marketing and if it is, any veneer of
altruism will be scratched away very quickly. So, we approached schools in less affluent areas
of our Stockport community. A by-product has been that some families now consider us as an
option for secondary where previously we wouldn’t have come onto the radar. We are slowly
doing something about the white, middle class privileged profile we carry around.
Our second mistake was that our model was that “we come to you for a five week block, give
the learners a brilliant experience and then we’ll come back the same time the following year
to work with a new group”. What was the impact? Yes, the students enjoyed their brief
language-learning experience and, yes, their usual teacher had some time to breathe. We
probably still haven’t got this right, but we have made some simple improvements. Firstly, we
have stopped spreading ourselves too thinly - we are working with just four schools. Secondly,
we provide follow-up resources for the teacher to use. Thirdly, we have an in-house event for
all the students involved at the end of the school year - last year was going to be the best yet
but it was hampered by COVID - The CHEurovision Song Competition and Spelling Bee.
9
Most importantly, we insisted that the classroom teacher is present in lessons and involved in
planning and reflection. In my first year of teaching in primary, it quickly became apparent
that I was in danger of underestimating the Year 4 students. Their knowledge of grammatical
concepts is a key asset I couldn’t ignore. This was going to be a key CPD experience for both
teachers and, for me that was the hidden value of the partnership. It has changed the way I
view the linguistic capacity of my new Year 7 students each year.
We work with two state secondary schools too, including them in co-curricular initiatives and
staff CPD, and collaborating on resources and sharing them regularly at all levels from
programmes of learning to a useful PowerPoint on pets and the like.
We’ve made mistakes though! Our big one was during the early days when we were giving the
sense that we were assuming that there was a need for what we could offer. We would come
up with a grand idea and serve it up, often overly branded as ours. Everything has worked
better when the ownership has felt more shared.
In our age of Zoom and Google Drive, this partnership seems stronger and more fruitful than
ever. The SCITT has been a great way to formalise this partnership. Many SCITT Hubs work the
other way where an independent school decides to form a SCITT and then sets about building
partnerships. It’s early days for us but I think it works better if those partnerships are already
established. The trust is already there, and you already know that you are basing the
collaboration on far more than just teacher training. Ultimately, if the SCITT partnership isn’t
based on more than teacher training, you can be one bad trainee away from the partnership
break up.
On the back of this relative success in partnerships in the context of my own school, I then
looked to a couple of simple ways in which ISMLA members could work together at a more
national level. These are not too grand but very achievable if we want them to be. I welcome
your thoughts.
1. Through becoming an ISMLA member school, your partner state secondary schools become
associate members and can benefit from access to ISMLA CPD they deem relevant.
2. Member schools can share our creative writing competition (launched during April) with
their state partner schools and include entries in their internal competition before passing
on internal winners to the national level competition. I piloted this in our inaugural
competition and our winner for French which we put through was from one of our partner
secondaries. The successful student’s teacher shared with me that this had been a
confidence booster before she began French at sixth-form college.
3. In the Spring Term interested members can attend a Zoom discussion to gather information
about the excellent partnership work across our membership. We can also look further at
more ambitious collaborative approaches across our schools.
Do get in touch if you want to talk about partnerships for modern languages at both local and
national levels. You can contact me. John Wilson (Director of Partnerships and Head of
Modern Languages, Cheadle Hulme School) @JohnWilsonML
10Recruitment and Student Experience
By Dr Philip Gannon
(The Abbey School, Reading)
__________________________________________________________________________________
I had the ‘pleasure’ of being a teacher at a state funded sixth form during the Gove era when
cuts were hitting and the transition from ASs to Linear A-Levels were creating challenging and
uncertain times in education. In particular, the outlook of the survival for small, ‘non-
facilitating’ subjects were a pessimistic one. Managers were convinced that a drop off in
students selecting smaller subjects such as Government and Politics, or Languages for that
matter, would increase as they look for safety in bigger subjects such as History & English. This
was not a view shared by myself and by many of my colleagues and surely enough, when the
College switched from 4 to 3 A-Levels, we maintained the amount of teaching groups and
students as we had in previous years while the ‘facilitating subjects’ actually lost classes. Our
confidence in the strength and survival of the subjects wasn’t a matter of pluck optimism, we
knew that students enjoyed the course and the teaching that was taking place in the classroom.
Their positive views of our subjects trickled down to those in the years below. It was through
these experiences that I began to appreciate the impact of positive student experience in
creating sustainable recruitment of students into a relatively small subject.
How can this advice be changed into practical approaches in teaching?
Firstly, we need to accept that students are very much in a buyers’ market when it comes to
selecting courses with one eye on what the next two years of study will look like and one eye
on what they might want to do after Sixth Form. For smaller subjects, this second outlook may
supersede the first and students will pick a subject that they think will get them on track for
what they want to do in the future.
I have found that creating a learning environment where students feel like they are in
partnership with the teacher, creates a much stronger impression for the student and one
where they feel ownership of the learning experience. This positive experience is the kind of
thing that students will look positively on and be likely to share when they discuss sixth form
options with younger siblings or friends in the years below. To reach this objective, it is
important to design lessons that allow students to interact with you and share their views
which are being treated with respect. Once they feel they have this respect, they are more
likely to look favourably on the lessons and the subject. When such approach is implemented
11strategically across teachers in one subject, it will positively impact on the recruitment
prospects for the entire department.
Now this is not to say that the classroom should not be an extension of the common room.
However, a student’s positive perspective does matter in terms of recruitment especially in
subjects that do not necessarily play a part in studies after Sixth Form and the more students
feel in partnership with you and enjoy the experience of coming to lessons, there is a greater
likelihood of passing on your subject to future years as one that is worth doing.
1213
Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow
By Guy Askew
(Aysgarth School)
__________________________________________________________________________________
In his first article since joining the ISMLA committee as the member responsible for prep and
junior schools, Guy Askew, Head of Languages at Aysgarth Preparatory School in North
Yorkshire, outlines his vision for the role and highlights how the world of primary languages is
alive and kicking.
In writing my first article since joining the ISMLA committee as the member responsible for
prep school liaison, I have found myself looking introspectively as to how I see the role
developing and unexpectedly inspired by my own school’s motto of ‘Ex quercu non ex salice’,
or - for the non-Latinists - ‘Of oak, not of willow’. Like some of you may now be thinking, I have
often found myself wondering what this means for the pupils, aged between 3 and 13, who
attend our busy boarding school on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales. However, as a passionate
advocate for language learning in the primary years, I will unashamedly usurp the motto as an
analogy for the theme of this article. In short, never before has it been more vital for us as
language teachers to inspire and motivate our youngest of learners (or ‘little acorns’ if you
prefer) in their first steps of the language learning journey. For some of us, like myself, this may
culminate in the hurdle of Common Entrance or academic scholarship but to limit our scope to
an examination taken by a minority of our young language learners in independent schools
would be a huge disservice to the dedicated and skilled practitioners working in this field, many
of whom do not work in 13+ schools. After all, amongst those boys and girls singing that French
greetings song, or playing that numbers 1-10 game in Spanish, there lies the next generation
of A-level linguists and language graduates who senior school colleagues covet so much in their
classrooms!
When joining ISMLA three years ago as one of only a handful of prep school members, I was
aware the association has understandably centred its activities on the 11-18 age range but,
nevertheless, I still found attending the annual conference and reading the termly newsletter
a worthwhile benefit of membership to help hone my teaching skills and widen my awareness
of developments beyond my KS3 classroom. £10 per annum well spent! However, the fact
remains ISMLA has often been seen as a senior school association but, with so much happening
in the primary Languages world, it is high time this changed! I passionately believe there is
huge untapped potential in how we can support our member prep and junior schools by
sharing and contributing to developments in modern language teaching, whether they are the
traditional standalone school teaching to CE or scholarship or part of an all-through school with
14transition at 11+. In short, mirroring the work ISMLA has long been associated with at a senior
school level, this will include:
• increasing collaboration between 11+ and 13+ schools via a prep school ‘hub’
supporting prep-themed workshops at conference and inter-school competitions
• showcasing resources and initiatives relevant to prep and junior languages (including
our role in the teaching of culture) with regular contributions in the termly newsletter
and member bulletins
• shaping the future direction of Common Entrance and scholarship and exploring new
and existing opportunities for assessment in modern languages at the end of KS2
• strengthening transition between prep/junior & senior schools
Of course, the recent ISMLA webinar on phonics, delivered by Suzi Bewell, was the first step in
developing this last aim and it was fantastic to see so many members attend and hear Suzi
share her passion and knowledge on how both prep and senior schools can establish and build
on such a vital foundation to language learning.
ALL's Primary Language Conference Online was another recent event that I have attended
which further highlighted the importance of and enthusiasm for primary languages. The first
session was delivered by Michael Wardle, subject lead for languages for Ofsted, which was
followed by a series of workshops led by well-known speakers on the circuit such as Sue Cave
at Cave Languages and Clare Seccombe at Lightbulb Languages. The conference was well worth
the £25 non-member fee, providing a wealth of inspiration and guidance on an eclectic mix of
topics, including the topical ‘hot potatoes’ concerning the teaching of grammar by Rachel
Hawkes and promoting ‘cultural capital’ by Suzi Bewell. Perhaps the most engaging for me was
the session delivered by Nathalie Paris, whose passion for the teaching of languages through
song, games and rhyme was infectious! In just 40 minutes, Nathalie did a super job at showing
how songs, stories and rhymes are all essential in our schemes of work and help to cover the
National Curriculum Programme of Study for KS2. For those teachers who may be less
confident with teaching at pre-prep/lower prep level, her pointers on how to choose resources
wisely, ensuring they demonstrate progress, was invaluable. Nathalie’s session then ended
with her exploring practical ways to incorporate songs, stories and rhyme into our teaching so
they can help develop all four skills, something I have often neglected in favour of speaking
and listening when teaching in younger classes. For those members located near Newcastle, it
is also worth noting Nathalie runs the ALL primary hub for Consett and Gateshead.
15Other national initiatives relevant to or aimed at language teaching between KS1 and KS3 that
may interest members include:
BRITISH COUNCIL - the eTwinning programme is a free online community for schools in Europe
and some neighbouring countries, which allows you to find partners and collaborate on
projects within a secure network and platform. The International School Award also rewards
schools that have shown a commitment to embedding international awareness and
understanding within their class or school. The British Council supports schools in completing
collaborative, curriculum-based work with several international partner schools, involvement
of the wider community.
INSTITUT FRANÇAIS - the Primary French Project provides free teaching materials that aim to
train all who teach French at KS2. Suitable for all practitioners, including those who have no
prior knowledge of the language, and also specialist linguists who are new to teaching children
in KS2, the materials aim to train the teacher by providing the subject knowledge and
classroom methodology that are needed in order to meet the requirements of the Programme
of Study for Languages in KS2, as well as transition into KS3.
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE - a new blended learning programme for schools is currently under
development, ready to be launched in autumn term 2020. Past events have included KS2 film
days which have introduced pupils to short films from a range of Spanish and French-speaking
cultures through a variety of interactive activities.
I hope this article has just begun to lift the lid on the exciting opportunities that are available
for prep and junior schools and how ISMLA can become an integral part of this pivotal stage in
our pupils’ language learning journey. Please spread the word far and wide that we are actively
seeking new members. Membership will continue to remain at £10 per annum for prep and
junior schools and the more schools we attract, the wider the range our work can reach in
helping grow the ‘mighty oaks’ of the future.
16Making the Most of
a Vocabulary Book
By Danièle Bourdais
(FrenchMatters)
__________________________________________________________________________________
In my role of tutor of French, I am consistently asked by post-16 students in
one-to-one sessions, for help with “learning vocabulary” and “making
correct sentences”. Some are at a loss when the advice to learn vocabulary
by reading extensively or using technology does not work for them. For
many, the exposure to texts and the opportunities to manipulate new
language feel insufficient. I must say, with my course book writer’s hat on,
that I have too often been painfully aware of how much content we
expose learners to and how few opportunities we provide for them to
manipulate and recycle that content. I would like to explore here
whether there is a case for making more systematic use of a tool such as
a vocabulary book in class, in order to support vocabulary retention.
Research shows that vocabulary knowledge and performance in a
language are intimately linked. It also shows that intentional learning
through bilingual lists can lead to better recall1.
From the feedback I got from A Level and IB tutees, vocabulary work is often something they
are left to do independently, and some really struggle with it. They also complain about not
being able to use the vocabulary they manage to retain into grammatically and syntactically
correct sentences when writing essays.
From a survey I recently carried out on several online teachers’ fora, it appears that if some
rote-learning is expected from students (through apps such as Quizlet), bilingual vocabulary
books are rarely actively used in the classroom. Paul Nation’s research into vocabulary
acquisition indicates that they are useful tools. He says in a special issue of The Language
Teacher: “Forget all the criticism you have heard about rote learning and translation; research
has repeatedly shown that such learning is very effective”. 2
When compiling a recent vocabulary book for IB students, I thought it important to address
the issues that learners raise and provide them with a resource that would not only offer a
good selection of core language linked to the themes studied in class, as was currently
available, but one which would go beyond a mere topic-by-topic list of words and phrases, one
17which would help with grammar and syntax by modelling specific features through sentences.
(The hardest part of writing that book was selecting from the huge collection of items I had
gathered from reading up-to-date texts from various sources!)
I divided each topic-based section into subsections and would strongly encourage students to
do the same when compiling their own lists:
• core and high frequency words and phrases (often noun-noun or noun-adjective
collocations, and synonyms)
• verb collocations
• simple sentences
• complex sentences with specific linguistic features which can be used across topics,
such as sentence starters, specific grammar points, etc.
I thought it might be of interest to go one step further and think of practical suggestions for
how students could maximise the use of their vocabulary book, vocabulary lists or resources,
at home and in class to help with vocabulary retention.
I made a list of tasks which require no technology and no preparation from teachers (students
are the ones doing the work – and rightly so!). These tasks also aim to:
• create opportunities to constantly revisit the book or lists, allowing for greater recycling
which is crucial to retention, and this in the four skills of reading, writing, listening and
speaking
• increase exposure to and manipulation of language through meaningful chunks or
complete sentences, rather than individual words
• develop students’ awareness of specific linguistic features (lexical or grammatical)
which can be used across topics
• encourage fluency development by reusing known language and multiplying the
opportunities to increase speed of retrieval
• involve students in the making of the tasks, which they prepare independently at home.
By doing so, it engages them in their own vocabulary learning as they are required to
make decisions about language (e.g. inserting errors). It also increases their exposure
to the language and gives them a vested interest when the task is then performed in
class. Paul Nation stresses that we need to encourage learner autonomy: “Encourage
students to take informed responsibility for their own vocabulary learning. If students
know what vocabulary to learn and how to learn it, their learning can be much more
effective than if they are reliant on teacher prepared exercises and material. Students
also need to be motivated and encouraged to make their own vocabulary learning
decisions.” 1
18Although the suggestions that follow are illustrated with extracts in French from the vocabulary
book which I recently developed 3, they can be adapted to any vocabulary lists, with model
sentences.
1 / ZAPPING Switch over!
AT HOME students learn a section of the book which you have selected in order to prepare for
work on a new topic or to recycle a topic previously visited.
IN CLASS, divide the class into two teams. Each team plays for X minutes then you switch over
to the other team.
Start with team A: you read out words/phrases/sentences from the book section in French and
students translate them into English. Stop after e.g. 5 minutes and note the number of correct
translations and give points. Keep a note of which sentences were not translated correctly.
Then switch over to Team B: read out the same words/phrases/sentences but this time,
students translate them into French (team B will do well to listen to what you say with Team
A!). Stop after the same amount of time and note the number of correct translations given.
Read the words/phrases/sentences that were not translated correctly and students from both
teams can race to translate them to increase their score.
This can be played differently, with switching from one team to the other each time a
word/phrase/sentence is translated incorrectly.
2 / L‘IMPOSTEUR Interloper
AT HOME: ask students to study a specific section in the book, ideally on a theme you would
like to revisit. They then write down sentences from that section, changing one element in
each.
IN CLASS: students read out their sentence and the class (in teams) spot the difference from
memory.
e.g topic: L’identité culturelle: la francophonie
Le français est valorisé aux dépens des langues maternelles et cela crée du ressentiment.
Students write → Le français est valorisé aux dépens des langues maternelles et cela crée de
bons sentiments.
Class finds the imposteur (de bons sentiments) and provides a replacement.
3 / TOILETTAGE DE PHRASES Sentence grooming
AT HOME students review specific pages of the book which you have selected from any topic
previously covered. They then take or make up a few sentences using language from those
pages inserting one error in each sentence. They could focus on specific grammar features, like
pronouns or tenses, the use of connectors, etc.
19IN CLASS students write their sentences for the class to see. Students (in teams) then spot and
correct the errors.
e.g. topic: L’importance de l’éducation
A student writes → Il est crucial que tout le monde peut recevoir une éducation de qualité,
surtout les personnes les plus défavorisées.
Class finds the error and corrects it (peut is incorrect, it has to be the subjunctive puisse)
e.g. topic : Le choix d’un métier
The student writes → Je voudrais gagner ma vie en faisant un métier utile aux autres et
gratifiant pour moi ; par conséquent, je voudrais travailler près de chez moi pour limiter les
déplacements.
Class finds the connector is wrong and suggests another (par conséquent should change to
qui plus est or synonym)
4 / FOIRE AUX QUESTIONS FAQ
AT HOME students create questions which correspond to a selection of phrases or sentences
from the section of the book you have asked them to look at.
IN CLASS students ask their questions. The class provide answers, adjusting the model
sentences from the book as needed.
e.g. topic: Les avantages d’une société diverse
Je suis d’avis que s’intégrer à la société du pays dans lequel on vit ne doit pas impliquer oublier
ses origines étrangères.
Possible question on that sentence → Faut-il s’intégrer à tout prix /oublier ses origines quand
on s’installe dans un nouveau pays ?
5 / SUITE LOGIQUE Follow-up
IN CLASS (work on collocations) select phrases/ sentences from sections of the book with which
students are already familiar. Read out the beginning of the phrase/sentence and ask them to
say or write (using whiteboards) what they think will follow. Accept all possibilities that make
sense.
e.g. topic: Les communautés expatriées
You say: avoir le mal students say : e.g. → du pays
les citadins aiment faire un retour → aux sources
on se sent déraciné et on perd indent → ses repères
6 / BOUCHE-TROU Stopgap
AT HOME select a couple of sections for students to work on. They then create sentences
using the vocabulary from those sections, gapping a word or two in each sentence.
20IN CLASS students read out their sentences. The class divided into groups write what they think
the missing words are. The group with the greatest number of correct answers wins. Accept
any option that makes sense.
e.g. topic: Vacances/ Voyages
On préfère profiter [ ? ] des vacances pour se détendre et se la couler [ ?] à la maison.
Possible answer → pleinement or à fond and douce (idiom)
7 AU SUIVANT! Next!
AT HOME students work on a section of the book, preferably on a theme which needs
revisiting.
IN CLASS divide the class into two teams. The aim is to make sentences that are relevant to the
topic, using the vocabulary revised. A student from team A says the first word, a student from
team B must then follow with another word, then back to team A for a third word, and so on
until a whole sentence is made. The team with the last word wins (this encourages students to
make extended sentences)
e.g. topic : Les avantages d’un monde connecté
team A : L’internet → team B : permet → team A : de → team B : travailler → team A : à →
team B : domicile → team A: et → team B: de → team A: communiquer → team B: avec →
team A: ses → team B : amis → team A : et → team B : sa → team A : famille.
8 PHRASES AUX ENCHERES Sentence Auction
AT HOME (working on rephrasing and using synonyms) students have to rephrase as much as
possible a selection of sentences you select for them. A useful site for finding French
synonyms/antonyms. This is great activity to practise registers for instance.
IN CLASS students share their sentences (orally or in writing) and, in groups, bid for sentences
they think are good or which they can improve, the aim being to “collect” as many correct
sentences as possible.
e.g. topic: La vie politique
La politique, moi, je m’en fiche complètement (fam.)
Possible rephrasing → Personnellement, je ne m’intéresse absolument pas à la politique.
9 SOLEIL DE PHRASES Sun sentences
AT HOME students revise a selection of phrases from the list of “show off” or “wow” phrases.
These are phrases/expressions which are transferable across topics, such as sentence starters,
opinion phrases, or special advanced grammatical features.
(They are modelled in sentences throughout the vocabulary book I compiled. They could be
equally useful to A level and IB Diploma students of French and a list is free to downloadable
here.
21IN CLASS draw a sun on the board (the number of rays corresponds to the number of topics
you want covered). Students in pairs or groups write a sentence for each of the rays using the
“show off” phrase you wrote in the centre of the sun.
e.g C’est inadmissible que l’on puisse envisager le clonage humain. / C’est inadmissible que
tant de gens doivent compter sur l’action de bénévoles pour se nourrir. etc.
10 BREVE DE COMPTOIR Off the cuff!
AT HOME divide students in pairs and give each pair a different topic from the book to revise
at home. Ask pairs to prepare a conversation using the vocabulary they revised: they must
ideally try and avoid making the topic too obvious as the conversations in class will be timed
and the pair able to perform the longest conversation will win!
IN CLASS ask one pair to hold their conversation: the rest of the class eavesdrop and work out
which topic they think is being discussed. They write it on their whiteboards and show their
answers. If they are correct, the conversation stops. (You could list the selected topics on the
board. for support).
e.g. topic: L’importance de l’éducation
A : Selon moi, c’est une des clés de la réussite.
B : C’est vrai, ça forge le caractère !
A : Effectivement, et ça permet de développer ses compétences.
A : Tout à fait d’accord, c’est pour cela qu’il faut lutter contre l’échec scolaire.
B : Oui, et c’est essentiel de faire reculer l’analphabétisme dans certains pays.
I hope that these few suggestions may prove helpful to students who struggle with
remembering vocabulary from word lists, by engaging them and providing them with ways to
boost their recall through meaningful fun.
22Danièle Bourdais, FrenchMatters author, consultant and tutor
Language Matters on Facebook
Danièle on Facebook
FrenchMatters on Twitter
FrenchMatters on Linkedin
References
For a useful list of research papers linked to vocabulary acquisition click here
The Language Teacher July, 2005/ Volume 29/number 7 – ISSN 0289-7938
(The Japan Association for Language Teaching)
A-Z French for Language B by Danièle Bourdais a Free downloads here
…
“Vocabulary related to coronavirus and its impact” + translation worksheet and model
answers
“Show-off phrases for IBDP French B” + worksheet and model answers
2324
Ditching the Textbook
By Louise Clarke
(George Watson’s College, Edinburgh)
__________________________________________________________________________________
I was delighted to deliver a workshop at the recent SALT Conference, outlining the steps my
department has taken to introduce the sentence builder approach inspired by the work of
Conti, Smith and many others.
It is impossible to underestimate the importance of the shift from the classic ‘can’t do it’
response to Modern Languages to the self-efficacy facilitated by Extensive Processing
Instruction. It provides a motivating and stimulating learning experience where pupils enjoy
success in every lesson. Lessons are interactive and participation levels high. Furthermore,
pupil feedback is positive, and since ditching the textbook we have the freedom to shape our
own curriculum.
Lexicogrammar is embedded and language taught in chunks so that grammatical complexities
do not put some learners off at an early stage, and time spent explaining rules is not required.
After a few lessons on the first Spanish food sentence builder pupils understand the rules
around me gusta/me gustan, es/son, definite articles and adjective agreements. Once each
rule is assimilated, a pop-up grammar segment is used to consolidate.
When you start on this journey you need to be flexible and reflective. We have had to make
many adaptations along the way in terms of timing and content as we have discovered how
long needs to be spent on certain elements and experimented with different activities in the
MARS EARS cycle. Quality over quantity must be your mantra. Racing through things to cover
more content will defeat the purpose and your pupils will not get the benefits. When it comes
to constructing the sentence builder, less is definitely more. Every single one that we have
designed has been stripped back, to a certain extent, in order to maximise its effectiveness.
Repetition is also essential, both in terms of interleaving and recycling previously visited
structures and using the same activities time and again. Pupils enjoy being reminded of what
they can already do and can start familiar activities with minimal explanation because the
instructions have become second nature.
This approach does, however, require a change in mentality, worrying less about covering
content and thinking more about the skills we want our pupils to develop. Colleagues’ core
professional beliefs over how and what to teach are challenged, and this can be tricky to
navigate. Why do we start straight away with ‘I like bananas because they are tasty’ without
learning all the components separately first? It is a steep learning curve and adjusting takes
time, but there is no doubt that it is worth the effort.
I hope that this short note might inspire more teachers to take the plunge with this
methodology. Do get in touch with me if you would like to find out more.
25Talking Technology
in Modern Languages
By Peter Ansell
(ISMLA)
__________________________________________________________________________________
A review of a webinar chaired by Joe Dale and given by David Binns of Sanako on 16 th September 2020
Regulars at ISMLA Conferences will know David Binns as the friendly, cheerful exhibitor for
Sanako at the exhibition. David has worked for the same company for some 41 years and as
such is something of a permanent fixture for those of us interested in the development and
use of technology in Language teaching. When I saw this webinar advertised by Joe, I signed
up along with 218 others from all around the world and listened from start to finish.
David started by outlining the company’s philosophy which is to help people to teach and learn
languages by judicious use of technology. Their starting point is to listen to teachers’ needs and
then develop simple, user-friendly products to save us time while improving pupils’ speaking
and listening. The aim is to build a lasting relationship between provider and the school.
David thinks in terms of blended teaching rather than blended learning and as such when in
pre-COVID times the teacher might do part of his class by teaching from the front of the room
and the other part on computer in the language lab, now with some pupils at home and others
in school the teacher can move his teaching on line and either synchronously or
asynchronously deliver his lesson using Sanako software.
He then went on to highlight several features that people have found useful. Most striking was
the audio voice insert facility, where a pupil can listen to a video or audio file and then when
she answers, the program inserts a gap for the time of her reply. Teachers have found this a
great time saver for question and answer practice or independent oral assessments.
Another popular piece of software is Sanako Pronounce Live which allows a teacher to copy a
text from any source, paste it into the programme and then a computer-generated voice will
play it back. The pupil sees the original text, hears the voiced version of it and then repeats it.
The program generates an accuracy score whilst also highlighting in different colours on the
sentence how close the pronunciation was to the original (Yellow shows you are close, green
is correct, red some way short. It is impossible though to score 100% as we all have an
individual inflection when we speak). One of the original features of this programme is that not
only does it give instant feedback to the pupil, but it will also generate a report as a pdf for the
26teacher giving the amount of time the pupil spent on the exercise and their percentage
accuracy score, potentially a quick way of giving an evidence-based score for pronunciation.
Apparently, boys have been particularly taken with Pronounce Live and its competitive element
so much so that David has ended up sponsoring a prize for a national competition!
David then went on to demonstrate the software and talked us through, step by step how the
different pieces of software looked both to the teacher and the pupil, showing us how to set
exercises and the different options available.
I have barely scratched the surface of what he said, not mentioning for instance the pilot
projects for primary and prep schools, nor the Language Ambassadors Scheme, nor the using
of artificial Intelligence or virtual tours of different countries that Sanako are developing, but
for anyone who is interested I recommend watching the whole webinar to see the range and
depth of exercises and possibilities that the technology offers.
Link to watch the webinar
Sanako Pronounce Live
2728
Being Bilingual is ‘Ard!
By Estelle Anglada
(St Mary’s School, Ascot)
__________________________________________________________________________________
I have always found it funny when going back to my hometown from university and interacting
with friends and relatives. University offers such an international academic setting where I
would usually be surrounded by people who are also proficient in more than one language or
who are bilinguals. When going back home, I feel like I am some sort of alien. While most of
my friends are studying engineering, math, biology, economics, law…
I chose to study languages. I often find myself in a tricky position where I cannot take part in
some technical conversations and would like to initiate some that, I know, would not be
particularly interesting to a non-linguist. I usually get asked questions like: Can you say
something in English really fast to sound like a native? Are you truly bilingual? In which
language do you dream? Right now, are you thinking in French or in Spanish? Can you say
something in Mandarin? Yes, these questions do come back all the time!
Leaning a new language is about going out of your comfort zone; and plugging your brain to
some sort of new channel. It is also about being opened to the unknown and discovering new
things every day, about the language but also the culture. The convictions you had so far will
definitely be shaken and that is the beauty of it.
For example, as a native French speaker, I struggle a lot with pronouncing some sounds like
the “h” at the beginning of words. In fact, in French an “h” placed at a beginning of a word is
silent. I never noticed that I was mispronouncing some words until I moved to the UK. After
interacting with native speakers, I realized that I would tend to pronounce “h” when there is
no need to and forget about pronouncing it when it should be heard. I am pretty sure that I
terrified my flat mate when I said that I wanted to ‘get my ‘air cut’ and we had a good laugh
the day I told her that all I wanted was ‘a comfortable hair mattress’. Speaking about going out
of our comfort zone, I just remembered a funny story. A few years ago, I went to a Chinese
restaurant with my family. At that time, my Mandarin was very basic, and I never had the
chance to practice with a native speaker before. It was a language I only practiced in a
classroom and did not associated with a possible – on the field - practice. Right before ordering,
my mum started acting surprisingly excited. She asked me if I could demonstrate my Mandarin
skills and order in Mandarin or just have a chat with the waitress. At first, I was not feeling
comfortable doing it mainly because I was not sure that the waitress could speak Mandarin
and initiating a conversation would lead to pure embarrassment. I finally accepted mainly
because a part of me wanted to show off and when you learn a new language, any opportunity
29to practice is welcomed. So, I ended up having this surprisingly vivid discussion with the
waitress about literally tout et n’importe quoi in Mandarin.
They could not understand a single word of what I just said to the waitress, nonetheless they
were amazed and so proud of me for being able to make myself understood and interact in
such a complex language. This experience was a turning point in my learning journey. I finally
had the opportunity to practice outside of the classroom. I forgot for few minutes the fears
that I had before about not mastering the tones, not having enough vocabulary or making a
fool of myself.
I recently read somewhere that at the current rate half our languages will be extinct by the end
of the century. How would the world look like if we end up speaking a unique language? I really
hope that languages will remain studied and learned by many whether it is in an academic
setting or as a personal hobby. Despite living in such a globalized and interconnected world,
there is, still, so much diversity, and languages embody this precious diversity that we have to
protect.
30Native Speakers Sitting GCSE and A
Levels: Where do We Stand?
By Davina Marie
(Queen’s College, London)
__________________________________________________________________________________
How do we define a native speaker?
If you are filling in your CV, being able to write ‘native speaker’ or ‘mother tongue’ next to
more than one language can only ever be a positive thing. We are all at our most fluent in our
mother tongue and anyone who is lucky enough to have more than one mother tongue can
enjoy many advantages such as greater cognitive abilities, communication skills, open-
mindedness and cultural awareness, an increased propensity for further language acquisition
and wider access to artistic output and employment opportunities.
However, the ability to converse fluently in a language does not tell the whole story; the term
‘native speaker’ covers a huge range of experiences. Let’s take the following four individuals
as examples, all of whom can claim to be bilingual:
1. Sofia was born in the UK and speaks Spanish with her mother, Italian with her father
and English at school and with friends and neighbours. She spends every summer in
Spain and speaks Spanish with family and neighbours there. She speaks to her Italian
grandparents sporadically in Italian. Sofia speaks English and Spanish fluently and,
whilst Italian is a mother tongue, she speaks it well but not fluently.
2. Lukasz was born in Poland and moved to the UK with his Polish parents at the age of
10. As a teenager, he attends Polish Saturday School. He speaks Polish at home and
with his Polish friends and family, whom he visits frequently. He speaks Polish and
English fluently.
3. Anna is British and moved from the UK to Spain with her English parents at the age of
10. She attends an international school in Spain and wants to go to university in the
UK. She is fluent in Spanish and English.
4. Marc was born in France but grew up in London with his two French parents. He
attended a bilingual French-English prep school before joining an English boarding
school. He speaks French and English fluently.
All four of these individuals are blessed with native proficiency in more than one language
and will no doubt see the benefits of this in adulthood. However, their experience at school
might not always be positive. Being a learner with English as an Additional Language (EAL) in
a UK school can be a challenge, especially when studying English language and literature or
other essay-based subjects. Perhaps Sofia wasn’t eligible to study Spanish or Italian at
secondary school, as these languages were her mother tongue, so she had to take German
instead, bringing a fourth language into the picture and overwhelming her. Lukasz has to
devote hours each weekend to maintaining his proficiency in written Polish, alongside the
31demands of his UK secondary school curriculum. Marc had to sit in beginners’ French lessons
for two years before he was allowed to drop it, bored but lacking the independence to
complete the ‘special assignments’ his teacher gave him and feeling left out of his classmates’
learning experience. Anna may not have been a natural linguist and had to work hard to learn
Spanish but then wasn’t eligible to take Spanish or English as a ‘language acquisition’ course
for the IB and had to take up a new language ab initio. Our education system and schools,
perhaps the independent sector more than any other, have an enormous amount of
flexibility, but we cannot always take into account everybody’s needs all of the time.
So, where does this leave our diverse native speakers in the specific context of public
examinations? The situation is far from straightforward.
Native speakers at GCSE
Let’s imagine that Sofia sat Italian and Spanish GCSE, Lukasz sat Polish, Anna Spanish and Marc
took French and all of them took these exams at the end of Year 10 separately from their
peers.
What are the advantages to these pupils sitting these exams at the end of Year 10?
• All of these pupils gain the useful experience of sitting a public examination a year
before their other subjects.
• Anna may have gained in confidence in her Spanish, although it was quite easy for her
and Sofia feels much more confident in her written Italian post-GCSE as she had to
work for it although the Spanish was too basic.
• Some EAL pupils may struggle in other subjects and this ‘easy’ GCSE for them goes
some way to redress the balance, freeing up time for them to focus on English
Literature or History, for example.
• Sofia and Anna already feel stretched keeping up the languages they already speak,
and this means that they don’t have to take a new language, such as German, for GCSE
as well.
• In sitting the exam without mainstream lessons, they are not studying the language in
a class full of non-native speakers who might be intimidated by their ability or self-
conscious about their own accent.
• Their schools and parents are delighted with the pupils’ grade 9 results.
What are the disadvantages to these pupils sitting these exams at the end of Year 10?
• Lukasz and Marc have not actually learnt very much, as their Polish and French
respectively are far too advanced for the GCSE.
• Lukasz and Marc might be less motivated to put the effort into another new language
with this ‘easy way out’ and not fully achieve their potential as a linguist as a result.
32• The GCSE is not really fit for purpose for any of these pupils; whilst Sofia did learn
some written Italian, nobody has not been sufficiently challenged by the speaking or
listening components.
• In sitting a GCSE designed for non-native speakers, these native speakers skew the
situation for exam boards and schools. Exam boards do not know which candidates
are native speakers and will simply use data such as the number of candidates who
achieve full marks on a difficult reading question to inform future examinations. By
entering our native speakers for non-native public examinations, we are unwittingly
making the exams more difficult for our future pupils. Likewise, grade boundaries are
adjusted each year based on the number of candidates that do so well that the
examination appears ‘easier’ than in previous years. The number of native speakers
entered each year skews these statistics.
• The perception from other pupils that they are competing against native speakers for
top grades is contributing to the decrease in uptake of modern languages that we are
experiencing.
Native speakers at A-level
Let’s imagine that Lukasz sits Polish A-level outside of school and Sofia sits Italian and Marc
French after a two-year course at school with their peers. Anna went on to sit Spanish as
language A and Mandarin Chinese ab initio as her language B for the IB.
What are the advantages to these pupils sitting these A-level exams?
• These pupils will gain an in-depth knowledge of the target culture. They will learn
about political moments, historic events and key figures in Italian, Polish and French
life respectively. They will gain a critical understanding of two noteworthy texts or a
text and a film and will learn to write discursively in the target language. It is very likely
that they will learn a great deal of new content and will learn a lot of new grammar
and discursive language.
• These pupils will find some aspects of the A-level more straightforward than other
pupils and will be more likely to achieve a top grade which is good news for them,
their university applications and their schools
• These pupils, all resident in the UK, will enhance their bilingualism. Our country has a
worrying dearth of good linguists yet an increasing bilingual population. It makes
sense to harness these young people’s linguistic ability and encourage them to go on
to use it in further study or in the workplace off the back of a strong A-level result.
What are the disadvantages to these pupils sitting these A-level exams?
• Sofia’s and Marc’s teachers will have to plan and differentiate carefully whilst
teaching them alongside their non-native peers.
33You can also read
