Creative Teaching & Learning

Anybody can learn a language!

All too often, learning a language in school means little more than reciting words and phrases learned by rote. Graham Simms believes there’s a better way.

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      string(356) "... input’, ‘activation’ and ‘consolidation’,and we find a module usually takes two to three weeks tocomplete. During ‘input’, the lessons are very teacher-ledand the language is introduced in English to the studentsin a very methodical way, building on prior learning. Thestudents don’t write anything but listen very actively ..."
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      string(4694) "deprived boroughs in the country but on our side is the learning culture thatwe have striven to create in our school over many years. Faculties are encouraged toinnovate and are given the time, space and resources to do so and are not performancemanaged to within an inch of their lives if things don’t work out. As professionals, weare asked simply to figure out what went wrong and why, and consider what to donext. We have worked hard under the leadership of Andy Raymer to create a climateof innovation and keep out a culture of fear which is prevalent in so many schools. Andit is under these conditions that the MFL Faculty was able toroll out the Michel Thomas method across the school andstart to make our next tentative steps forwards to the nextlevel.Input, activation and consolidationSo what are the lessons like? The modules fall into threedistinct phases: ‘input’, ‘activation’ and ‘consolidation’,and we find a module usually takes two to three weeks tocomplete. During ‘input’, the lessons are very teacher-ledand the language is introduced in English to the studentsin a very methodical way, building on prior learning. Thestudents don’t write anything but listen very actively to thenew structures being introduced and there is lots of targetedteacher-student questioning requiring answers in French.We have found that the input lessons work best when theyare briskly paced with thinking time built in. Making mistakesis seen as a necessary and desirable part of the process andresilience is a key skill regularly referred to during ‘input’.‘Activation’ lessons follow ‘input’ and the aim is to practiseand refine understanding of the new language that has beenintroduced. We have developed a range of computer andclassroom based activities and games for ‘activation’. ThisThe students don’twrite anything but listenvery actively to thenew structures beingintroduced and there islots of targeted teacher-student questioningrequiring answers inFrench.“”53Vol 4.5School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comLeadingLearningLanguagesleads to the ‘consolidation’ phase which is a short revision phase before a test. We havealso developed some extended modules offering students opportunities to developvocabulary via additional activities in the four skills of listening, speaking, reading andwriting.Now that the Michel Thomas method is at the heart of everything we do in ModernLanguages, our biggest challenge has been the transition to GCSE, particularly with itsvast range of vocabulary and topic based approach. We have tried a number of ways ofaddressing this but it has taken us a couple of years to feel like we are really heading inthe right direction and once again this has involved lots of trial and error. Our extendedmodules at KS3 are now certainly helping us to address this.“Le français? C’est simple!”If I think again about the journey we have been on, it has been a road with its fairshare of ups and downs, as it would be in any school, but it’s a necessary journey – onewhich sometimes requires a fair amount of tenacity. At Matthew Moss this is seen as acredible and necessary part of the learning process.We have had many successes as we have taken our journey. At Matthew Moss,students taking options are given a completely free choice and we currently have fiveGCSE language groups in Year 11 and four in Year 10. One major change at KS3 is thatstudents will now confidently tell you that French is easy and that they advance veryquickly! If I compare this to teaching numbers and colours as we used to in Year 7, itfeels like a very different world. The students’ ability to manipulate language and vastlyimproved pronunciation are the main areas the Michel Thomas has had impact on,but I also feel that going on the journey of discovery has changed me and my facultybeyond recognition and we are a stronger and more effective team because of that.In terms of language learning in the UK which is bound to be in the news a lotmore over the coming years, I truly believe that there is no silver bullet. What worksin one school may not work in another, but it is the learning journey that is necessary.This, along with a desire to continue to innovate and seek to improve the day today learning experience of students and dodge the relentless barrage of initiatives,pronouncements from Ofsted and government interference. If every child is capable oflearning a language, every teacher is capable of going on their own journey and havinga little fun along the way!Graham Simms is the head of Modern Foreign Languages at Matthew Moss HighSchool."
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Leadership

Anybody can learn a language!

21 Dec 2012

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      string(367) "... insentences are a few examples. He has conceded that ‘describing people, places, thingsand actions orally’ will not be required of pupils for whom the one language they arelearning is either Latin or Ancient Greek. It seems ludicrous to primary school specialiststhat anybody could consider making Ancient Greek the one language ..."
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      string(5758) "90Vol 5.2School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLeadershipResources The new primarylanguage proposalsUne faussepiste! The recent proposals for foreign languages in primary schools are unworkable and undesirable, accordingto Peter Downes. Here he exposes theimpracticalities of Gove’s reforms… andoffers an interesting alternative.Mr Gove’s recent curriculum proposals haveattracted widespread criticism from acrossthe teaching profession and from universityacademics alike. They are perceived bymany to be a serious step backwards into the mid 20thcentury. Under the guise of restoring rigour and factualknowledge, Mr Gove appears to be trying to recreate theworld he knew as a schoolboy. This has a populist appeal– especially to those who hanker after a previous goldenera, which was in fact not very golden.Relatively little has been said in the educational pressabout the proposals for foreign languages in the primaryphase. On the face of it, the plan to introduce foreignlanguage learning into the primary school – first mootedway back in 2003 by the previous government – seemslike a good idea. We all know that young children seemto learn a new language quite quickly – although thatis usually found when they are living in bilingual ormultilingual households. But even in a conventionalschool setting, they are less inhibited than youngadolescents. They enjoy singing, acting and doing playsin another language.Modern languages specialists have welcomedin principle the introduction of MFL in the primaryphase. For the last ten years or so, modern linguistshave felt downtrodden and unloved since the previousgovernment removed MFL as a compulsory subject inKS4. The perceived rehabilitation of language teachinglifts the spirits. However, many experienced languagesteachers and primary heads have serious misgivingsabout the detailed proposals. Churlish though it mayseem to be hostile to a proposal, which they might havebeen expected to welcome, many practitioners considerthe government’s proposals to be both unworkable andundesirable.91Vol 5.2School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLeadershipResourcesThe problems with Gove’s proposalsMr Gove intends all pupils to learn ONE language from the age of seven, drawn froma specified list – French, German, Spanish, Italian, Mandarin, Latin and Ancient Greek.He has listed the activities pupils should be able to carry out and many of these areobvious and acceptable – listening attentively, engaging in conversations, speaking insentences are a few examples. He has conceded that ‘describing people, places, thingsand actions orally’ will not be required of pupils for whom the one language they arelearning is either Latin or Ancient Greek. It seems ludicrous to primary school specialiststhat anybody could consider making Ancient Greek the one language taught for fouryears in KS2. Hands up all the primary teachers who have ever learned Ancient Greek!These proposals are unworkable for three main reasons:a. The linguistic level that pupils may be expected to reach after four years – evenwith only a small timetable allocation – will require teachers with specialistqualifications in languages. Although a few MFL specialists do go into primaryclassroom teaching and there are examples of good practice, the simple fact is thatthere are not enough qualified teachers across 18,000 primary schools to providethis level of expertise.b. One language for four years assumes a ‘linear’ approach through a steadyaccumulation of knowledge and by working one’s way through grammaticalsequencing of learning. That might be possible if all primary pupils moved forwardannually in lock-step fashion. In reality, 25 per cent of primary pupils are taughtin mixed age classes. Linear language learning would mean that pupils wouldHandsup all theprimaryteacherswho haveever learnedAncientGreek!“”92Vol 5.2School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comPrimaryFileLeadershipResourcesbe going over the same ground twice, or would require the teacher to ‘set’ forlanguages, or have separate groups.c. The proposals talk of an ‘effective transition between primary and secondary’.The assumption appears to be that, building on four years of doing a languagein KS2, pupils will continue with the same language in KS3. The weakness in theargument is that secondary schools take in pupils from at least five primary schools,and in some areas, over 80. For there to be a ‘smooth transition’, all the primaryschools would have to doing the same language, ideally taught by specialists toapproximately the same level. 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Leadership

The new primary language proposals - Une fausse piste!

11 Jul 2013

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      string(384) "... and add to it other variables you have thought of.146Chapter 21Part 5 – The language of ideasChapter 22 Systems of ideasIn this chapter you will learn:• That everyday language is organised in stories.• That academic language is organised in systems.• That systems can be concrete or abstract.147Everyday language: storiesIn ..."
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      string(5579) "turn sunlight intofood2. petal B. to take food and waterfrom the soil3. stamen C. to attract insects4. sepal D. to protect the petals inthe bud5. stem – E. to carry the seed6. leaf F. to produce pollen7. root G.to support the flowerSystemsOur word system comes from the Greek verb syn – together, and histaneito set. A system is a structure – that is, it consists of several parts. Theparts of the structure have different functions – that is, different work to do.Above we have described the system of the plant.Talk or think about this question:Take each part of the plant in turn. Describe what happens if the part isdamaged – for example, the stem is broken.What will happen to the whole system of the plant?142Chapter 21Systems: working together Team gamesLanguage makes it possible for human beings to work together. Wedescribe our working and social lives as systems.We even practise using systems by playing team games.Talk or think about the following:Choose a team game which you play or watch.Say what each person in the team does.For example:football – the striker kicks the ball into the net– the goalkeeper keeps the opponents’ ball out of thenetSystems at homeFamilies co-operate to make sure they get fed.Make a list of the tasks to be done in feeding the family. Write against eachtask the person in your family (real or imaginary) who does each task.For example: shopping – Dadcooking – Bill (Monday – Friday), Sharon (Saturday andSunday)Talk or think about the following:Take each person on your list in turn. What happens if this person does notdo his/her job?143Structures, Functions and SystemsOrganising a partySuppose we want to organise a party with some friends. We don’t leaveone person to do all the work. We make a list of the jobs to be done anddecide who is going to do each one.Talk or think about the following:Plan a party (real or imaginary). Make a list of the people who will help toorganise it.Write against each name the job they have to do.For example:Pete – invite people Janine – shop for food Sharon – collect moneyNote how the success of the party depends on everyone doing their job.Discuss what will happen if one person forgets to do his/her job. Forexample, what will happen if Pete does not invite anybody or forgetssomeone important?To achieve anything, we have to work together systematically.A system for organising a partyThe list you have made above will help you organise this party. When wehave helped to organise a number of different parties, we have a goodidea of a system we can use for organising any party:Copy this system and add to it the other jobs which have to be done.144Chapter 21VariablesNote that all the jobs in the system are nominalisations – that is nouns madeout of verbs. For example: noun – invitations from verb – to invite.When we use a verb, we say who is doing the action and (often) who orwhat it is being done to. In other words we give the verb a subject and anobject. For example:Subject Verb ObjectPete invited everybody in the football clubWhen we change a verb into a noun, we can lose the subject and object.For example: invitations.This means that the job in the system has to be done but who does theinviting and who gets invited will vary from party to party. Also the way it isdone can vary – the job can be done well or badly or easily etc.So invitations, shopping, cooking etc. are all variables.Planning another partyTalk or think about the following:Use the system for organising a party which you have devised to plananother party. Choose a different occasion, numbers, entertainment etc.The variables will remain the same, but the jobs will be done by otherpeople and perhaps be done differently. For example, Pete may do theinvitations by phone, Gina may prefer to write hers.Organising a campaignTalk or think about the following:1. Suppose the Council wants to cut down a lovely tree where you live.Discuss how you would organise a campaign against it.Write down the jobs that have to be done and who will do each one.2. Suppose you believe that it is wrong to keep hens in battery farms.Discuss how you would organise a campaign against it.Write down the jobs that have to be done and who will do each.145Structures, Functions and SystemsA System for Organising CampaignsProbably, some of the things you thought of for organising yourcampaigns were:writing to the press getting on television and radioa demonstration knocking on doors to get supportwriting to your councillor going to your M.P.’s advice bureauWhen you have organised several campaigns, you will have a good ideaof a system for doing this. It might look something like this:Copy this system and add to it other variables you have thought of.146Chapter 21Part 5 – The language of ideasChapter 22 Systems of ideasIn this chapter you will learn:• That everyday language is organised in stories.• That academic language is organised in systems.• That systems can be concrete or abstract.147Everyday language: storiesIn everyday life we tell one another stories. We tell people what we havebeen doing and what has been happening to us.Imagine you meet a friend you haven’t seen for a long time. Catch upon your news.Academic language: systemsAlmost certainly, when imagining you had met an old friend, youexchanged stories about what you had been doing.Academic language is organised not in stories but in systems.These systems may be concrete. For example:MachinesAny machine is a system –"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Breakthrough to Learning Fast-track Course

8 May 2014

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      string(5685) "expertsin their child’s behaviour and that any concerns expressedabout sensory status, health needs or changes in behaviourshould be taken seriously by all professionals.Vol 2.4 n www.teachingtimes.comDisabilities/ConditionsEvery Child Journal52Despite the fact that all the children of parents whotook part in the study were deaf, 12 of the children hadno reported access to a Teacher of the Deaf (ToD). Parentsvalued support where the ToD was actively involved andcommunicated with them. Parents were less satisfiedwhere the ToD input was sporadic, where it was identifiedon the child’s statement but did not materialise andwhere identification of a learning disability resulted in theToD being withdrawn. For one family trying to establishcommunication with their daughter who has profounddisabilities, lack of access to sign language tuition raisedsignificant problems:“It has been a bit disastrous I would say. It is a bitself-help, self-taught because we have a busy home… Dhas been trying to self-teach himself and then I will sayto him, ‘what is she doing, what is she signing?’ and hewill either know and say ‘oh, that means…’ or he doesn’tknow and we both look at each other – we don’t know. It’sheartbreaking.”[10]Parents were clear that whilst services should be readilyavailable, access came at a personal cost for many. Whereparents were able to advocate and challenge they weremindful of others for whom this may be not be possible:“You have just got to be persistent really. I think a lot offamilies just haven’t got the energy to do it or they are notarticulate enough to do it and they are really disadvantaged.If you can’t do that then you do just get fobbed off.”[23]Poor professional practiceLack of training, understanding and insight all lead to a poorexperience for children. Even at a basic level, professionalsfail to identify and diagnose symptoms. Parents whoqueried their child’s very poor head control were falselyreassured to learn a year and half later that the child hadhydrocephalus which should have been recognised andtreated in the first months of life. In other cases poorpractice resulted from a lack of detailed consideration ofneeds. One parent with a profoundly deaf daughter whohad very complex needs was advised to use sign language.This meant the mother learning British Sign Language(BSL) whilst caring for a very premature baby who was fedthrough a nasogastric tube and required significant medicalintervention. The mother’s regrets around this issue providean insight into the problem of well-meant advice that wasbased on incomplete knowledge of a child’s needs. Thismother shares her story:“And when we started to learn the sign language,obviously we didn’t get a response, we went to the doctorsand the paediatrician at nine months and said we arelearning sign language and doing everything – in a way itwas causing a bit of friction at home because I was tryingto learn it and my husband said she is not responding, andI said well they say it takes a hundred times or a thousandmillion times before a child says mum, but we never realisedshe was blind. In a way I wish I had maybe just cuddledher, we were just desperate to do everything correctly tomaximise the child’s potential.”[49]The mother’s sense of guilt and recognition of lostopportunity is a timely reminder that professionals needto take a holistic approach to meeting needs. In seeking toprovide early intervention, particularly where children havevery complex needs, the importance of a holistic approachshould not be underestimated.Where lack of training is evident parental outrage isunderstandable. Parents have to learn how to appropriatelymanage their child’s identified special needs quickly. Thismay include complex medical interventions or simply bestpractice in managing hearing aids as illustrated in thisparents comments:“Sure Start Nursery: we pulled him out of that becausewe went to pick him up, it was happening quite often, butI started to pick him up at times other than when I said Iwould pick up because I was worried about him, and henever ever had his hearing aids whenever I went to collecthim, they said they were a risk to the other children, achoking hazard.”[39]In removing this child’s hearing aids the nursery nursehad effectively isolated this child, making it impossible forwww.teachingtimes.com n Vol 2.4Disabilities/Conditions Every Child Journal53him to have any contact with the adults or other children inthe group. Importantly, the nursery had made no requestto the mother or other professionals regarding how toappropriately handle their concerns.In many cases there was a sense of professionals beingoverwhelmed by the complexity of needs. Typically insuch situations the default position is to focus on what anindividual knows. This results in the child being seen as anumber of labels rather than an individual with complexneeds. A holistic approach that seeks to understand thepotential synergies that exist between different conditionsand needs is one that parents felt most benefited their child.For those children who are medically fragile andtechnology-dependent, requiring a high level of support andexpertise, finding a suitable placement can be challenging:“There are no facilities for [child] for that, nonewhatsoever. We couldn’t get anybody to take her from acare point of view. Some special needs children do go tonurseries where they have additional training, but there isnowhere in this area that would accept her. Even for the sixweek holidays, because I am"
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        [2]=>
        string(8) "language"
      }
    }
    ["categories"]=>
    array(1) {
      [0]=>
      array(3) {
        ["value"]=>
        string(13) "Special Needs"
        ["matchLevel"]=>
        string(4) "none"
        ["matchedWords"]=>
        array(0) {
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Special Needs

Listening Loss And Bad Behaviour

14 Oct 2011