Independent Thinking on MFL E-Book

Crista Hazell

• Herausgeber: Independent Thinking Press
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Serie: Independent Thinking on series
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 283

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Beschreibung

Crista Hazell's Independent Thinking on MFL: How to make modern foreign language teaching exciting, inclusive and relevant takes teachers on a tour of how to get the teaching of a new language right. Foreword by Ian Gilbert. Learning a new language has the power to transform a life, as well as help break down the barriers that seem to be re-emerging between nations, cultures and people. In the UK, MFL teaching has always had to battle with the 'everyone speaks English' argument, not to mention that, for so many, all that remains of their years learning a foreign language is bitte, por favor or s'il vous plait. But with teachers like Independent Thinking Associate Crista Hazell at the front of the class, things can be very different. Drawing on her many years of experience as an MFL teacher and head of department, Crista shares tips, techniques and inspirational ideas geared to help teachers build confidence, increase enjoyment and improve outcomes as they take their MFL teaching to a whole new level. Crista provides a range of strategies from how to hook students in the minute they enter the classroom to ensuring that the vocabulary sticks designed to help learners develop confidence, take risks and enjoy the challenge that learning a new language brings. She also offers ideas and advice on how to make learning new vocabulary and grammar a great deal more effective and empowers teachers to open up the benefits and enjoyment of learning a language to all students, not just those in the top sets. Ultimately, however, her book sets out to help teachers create engaging, relevant and memorable learning experiences in the MFL classroom and encourage their learners to become lifelong and passionate linguists. For MFL teachers and heads of languages departments in primary schools, secondary schools and colleges. Independent Thinking on MFL has been shortlisted for the Educational Book Award in the 2021 Education Resources Awards!

Leseprobe

A

Independent Thinking on MFL is a superb, practical and eminently sensible book which straddles lots of current dichotomies. It draws on both traditional and progressive approaches, is equally rooted in research and in practice, advocates the centrality of knowledge while highlighting the need to develop skills and wider learning, and is as much child-centred as it is subject-centred. It really is a book for anyone interested in teaching international languages and offers much to those simply interested in learning.

DAVID CAMERON, EDUCATION CONSULTANT, THE REAL DAVID CAMERON LTD

Any book with a chapter entitled ‘The awesome power of lucky socks’ is bound to catch a teacher’s eye. In Independent Thinking on MFL Crista draws on a wealth of personal experience and combines it with overwhelming positivity, a clear sense of purpose and lots of common sense. The book is bursting with ideas and practical suggestions for MFL teachers – and will make a great addition to the bookshelf for new and experienced teachers alike!

PROFESSOR ANNA LISE GORDON, DIRECTOR, THE INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION AT ST MARY’S UNIVERSITY, AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR LANGUAGE LEARNING

Crista takes you on an inspirational journey that not only offers advice and guidance for the MFL classroom teacher but also shows how important a teacher’s ‘method’ is to their craft. Using a values-driven approach, and drawing on years of experience, she is able to take you on a voyage with practical advice, techniques and a whole load of thinking and reflection.

DAVID WHITAKER, DIRECTOR OF LEARNING, WELLSPRING ACADEMY TRUSTB

Whether you are an NQT or a more experienced MFL teacher, the encouragement and practical ideas contained within this book will ignite, or reignite, your passion for the increasingly essential job of teaching modern foreign languages.

KATHY ELLIOTT, MFL TEACHER

Independent Thinking on MFL will be a welcome addition to the CPD library of any MFL department. It is very accessible, and reading it is like having a conversation with Crista. Her personality, dedication to the task and enthusiasm shine through the text. I found myself repeatedly nodding in agreement. As an NQT I would have found the book invaluable, and I’m sure that current and future cohorts of new entrants to the profession will find it of immense support as a vade mecum through the trials and tribulations of the best job in the world – teaching languages.

JOHN CONNOR, INDEPENDENT MFL CONSULTANT

C

INDEPENDENT THINKING ON …

MFL

Crista Hazell

HOW TO MAKE MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING EXCITING, INCLUSIVE AND RELEVANT

i

FOREWORD

Since establishing Independent Thinking in 1994, we have worked hard to share with educators around the world our belief that there is always another way. The Independent Thinking On … series of books is an extension of that work, giving a space for great educators to use their words and share great practice across a number of critical and relevant areas of education.

Independent Thinking on MFL is a book that couldn’t have come at a better time. As I write these words, it’s 2020 and the world is splintering in a way it hasn’t done so for decades. Politicians around the globe are stoking nationalism and isolationism in a way that pits ‘us’ against ‘them’ and makes political currency out of vilifying anyone who is ‘other’. If all you know is your type, your culture, people who look and speak like you, then this is quite an easy thing to do.

But what happens when you have a world view that embraces other perspectives? When you spend time learning about ‘them’ and immersing yourself in their culture? When you are able to communicate directly in the language of the ‘other’?

What happens is that you realise there is no other.

As a former MFL teacher myself, I know the power that learning languages has to transform our views of the world. While the school syllabus can get bogged down in buying cabbages and asking your way to the quincaillerie, the best language teachers see a greater purpose for their work, one that involves helping their students to find their place in a bigger world.ii

And talking of the best language teachers, there is no better person to write this book than Independent Thinking Associate Crista Hazell. With many years’ experience as a successful MFL teacher and head of languages, Crista shares so many great insights, approaches and ideas that will transform language teaching in any primary or secondary classroom.

If we want the world to come back together, where else to start but in talking together, whatever the language.

IAN GILBERT YORK

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

To the wonderful men in my life who have inspired, supported, encouraged and loved me – Dad, Jon and the zoo. Thank you for everything, especially your never-ending patience, smiles and support.

This book would not have been possible without the love, support, patience and kindness of many people, including Ian Gilbert, Nina Jackson and the Independent Thinking family.

Thank you to Emma Tuck for her patience and support and to the wonderful people at the Independent Thinking Press collective for their tireless encouragement.

Thank you also to the many people who have known me, helped me, supported me and inspired me on this journey – you know who you are.iv

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CONTENTS

Title PageForewordAcknowledgementsFirst ThoughtsChapter 1:Hook them into learningChapter 2:Welcome them with a ПриветShaping learners of all kindsRelationships, behaviour and classroom climateStudent voice and engaging the disengagedChapter 3:Language skills and oracyDecodingPhonicsSpeak it, write itPhysicality and performanceThe four strands of oracyGround rulesDevices to aid speaking in the MFL classroomFun with speaking and oracyFun with questioningFifty ideas to improve written workChapter 4:ReadingFun with reading in the MFL classroomFifteen tips for improving reading skills in the MFL classroomReading, storytelling and speakingChapter 5:ListeningTranscripts and subtitlesDictationviTwelve tips for improving listening skills in the MFL classroomChapter 6:Creativity in MFLDrama in MFLMusic in MFLArt in MFLFilm in MFLChapter 7:The awesome power of lucky socksFun with assessmentTwenty creative alternatives to assessmentUsing the right languageThe power of lucky socksRevision, learning and exam techniqueThirty revision strategies for the MFL classroomFifteen strategies to improve exam techniqueChapter 8:How to make best use of your foreign language assistant and teaching assistantForeign language assistantsTeaching assistantsStudents with SEND and ALN in the MFL classroomNine practical ideas to use with learners with SEND/ALNMFL in alternative provision settingsChapter 9:Why is MFL a subject worth teaching?MFL and the secondary curriculumMFL and the primary curriculumTen ways to improve transition from the primary languages classroom to secondaryviiTen ways to continue language experiences for cash-strapped schoolsChapter 10:Information for trainees, NQTs and RQTsChapter 11:MFL and the wider worldAssociationsSocial mediaOrganisationsOnline resourcesResource listReferences and Further ReadingCopyrightviii

1

FIRST THOUGHTS

Firstly, thank you for purchasing Independent Thinking on MFL, which is one of a series of titles from Independent Thinking Press. Check out the other titles too – they are definitely worth adding to the continuing professional development (CPD) library in your department or school. If you don’t have one yet, then what an excellent way to start!

This book is for MFL teachers of all ages and stages – those who are new to the profession and those with more experience – written by an experienced MFL teacher who thinks that being a teacher is the best job in the world. It has been inspired by my adventures in the classroom over 20 years. I am grateful to the wonderful young people I have had the privilege of teaching: they have challenged and inspired me, and I hope I have returned the favour. It is heartening to have witnessed the way so many learners have battled through the key stages and become brilliant linguists, who now use their language knowledge and skills in their daily lives working as engineers, doctors, artists, photographers, midwives, zookeepers and shopkeepers. There are also learners who have been inspired and moved by the culture and traditions beyond this green and pleasant land who have gone on to travel far and wide on exotic adventures. Finally, there are who that have become teachers who are promoting languages in their daily work. I am very proud of them all.

For trainees, newly qualified teachers (NQTs) and recently qualified teachers (RQTs): This book should serve to support you in your learning journey to becoming a marvellous MFL teacher. It includes tips, strategies, methods and activities, all of which I have successfully 2used in the classroom with learners from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 5. There is also a specific help section in Chapter 10. My advice on where to start is to know your learners really well, beyond any data. If you build the relationship first, the language learning will come.

For experienced MFL teachers: I am amazed by the collegiality and positivity of MFL teachers and the MFLTwitterati, and the colleagues I have met at TeachMeets, conferences and languages events – thank you for your smiles and support. I hope you enjoy using this book to enhance the MFL experience in your classrooms.

For teachers who are not based in England: I do make reference to features of the education system in England, as this is what has framed my practice. Key stages are obviously not universal terminology, but I hope that you will understand what I mean and equate this to the system in which you work. For guidance, learners are aged 7–11 in Key Stage 2; 11–14 in Key Stage 3; 14–16 in Key Stage 4 (at the end of which GCSEs are sat); and 16–18 in Key Stage 5 (at the end of which they take their A levels).

For overseas colleagues: I hope you find the following pages helpful and insightful for integrating into your practice with second-language learners. Or for those of you in international schools who want to mix up your teaching style to support ex-pats, or indeed the local children and young people with whom you work, there is plenty here for you to choose from. Enjoy the journey!

3

CHAPTER 1

HOOK THEM INTO LEARNING

One of the learning hooks that I enjoy using in the MFL classroom is asking the question, ‘What is your favourite foreign language word?’ I also ask this question in workshop sessions and at conferences. I love seeing people’s faces as they trawl through their vast philological memory, deftly sifting through all the languages they have learned and selecting one single word. Whether they are teachers, school leaders, teaching assistants (TAs), foreign language assistants (FLAs) or students, their expressions fascinate me. The visible excitement as their brains locate their favourite word is fantastic, although inevitably there is also some conflict in the choice of which word takes the top spot. At this point I add that they can have one word per language, and their anxiety fades and their eyes begin to sparkle. The pleasure individuals show as they share their special words is a joy to behold. Often, the words are well-loved with others in the room; there is nodding, grinning and the positivity spreads like wildfire. It’s wonderful to see.

The emotional connection to a particular word often returns the speaker to a special happy place, perhaps in the classroom, a memory from childhood or an international experience with friends, teachers or peers. When I ask why a word is so beloved, people frequently say that they like the way it sounds, the way it rolls off the tongue, the way it makes them smile or laugh as they enunciate it, the quirkiness of the word, the mix of 4graphemes and phonemes,1 or simply because it’s such a beautiful word. Regardless of the reason, it always seems to make folk feel happy. These words create a ripple of smiles, like a Mexican wave, moving across the room and creating an excited buzz.

Emotional connectivity to strange and interesting words linked to powerful memories can be harnessed to develop vocabulary range and depth, sentence structure and complexity in spoken and written work. It provides opportunities for pronunciation practice as well as the recall of interesting vocabulary. Below is a small selection of wonderful words which have been generously shared with me over the years – a fabulous philological flaunt-tant that has caused a fillyloo but always much glee!

A strategy for using wondrous target language words with students is to construct a ‘best sentence’ containing as many as possible. They should identify the gender and its 5placement, tackle tenses, negotiate negatives and place object pronouns in the construction. Students can use their creativity to generate fantastically original sentences, which has the effect of deepening the learning experience, not to mention wowing their peers. Students have to be aware of unfamiliar vocabulary in terminal assessments, so venturing off-piste in tasks like this, which forces them to identify and use unusual words, extends their expertise in this area. Best sentences can also be used as a dictation or storytelling activity; speaking tasks create additional opportunities to develop oracy skills. There are lots of options.

I remember my first ever French lesson: I loved learning this amazing new language which is spoken in France, Africa and beyond. It was at this point that I realised I could travel the world and communicate with other people in another language. I was at a middle school in Leeds, dressed in a brown and gold uniform, and in that instant my world changed forever. I ran home at the end of the day and proudly announced that I was going to be a French teacher. Some 14 years later I was graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor of education degree. The lass from Leeds was leaving to start a new life as a teacher, and it was the best feeling in the world – as it still is now. I had made it: I was realising my dream.

I’m not sure that my MFL teachers were aware of how much I adored their lessons (I would invariably complete my MFL homework first, often spending many hours on it) or how desperately I aspired to be a teacher, envisaging myself helping students like me to love languages, to be excited by languages and to travel the world using languages to communicate. It was that ability to converse with other people from across the globe in their native tongue that excited me most. It is such a joy to be able to 6teach others to make themselves understood in the markets of Marrakech, the terraces of Tunis, the cafés of Caen, the librairies of Lille, on public transport in Paris or asking questions in Quimper and Quebec. Moreover, language skills are needed in the UK to support business, trade, technology, finance, government, tourism, the NHS and our local communities. You name the career choice, and I’m certain that the ability to speak an additional language is an asset.

However, language learning in schools is in crisis because not enough time is being allocated to the subject. Languages are disappearing from school timetables amid the continuing pressure to keep budgets down. The decrease in the number of linguists at Key Stage 5 and the number who go on to study a language at university has resulted in the teaching profession recruiting native speakers from overseas to meet demand for languages teachers in UK schools. With additional constraints on our European partners following recent political decisions, the challenges are only set to increase. As well as teachers’ contact time being increased, some teachers are also being asked to learn a new language over the summer to plug gaps in the timetable (despite already being able to speak three other languages fluently). I’m all for creative solutions but learning a new language in six weeks isn’t valuing the subject, the teachers or the students.

The students I have taught haven’t always seen how languages could help them in their careers, yet I know of former students with an eclectic mix of careers, all of whom have been called on to use their language skills with no notice and limited time to prepare. I was once on a British Airways flight preparing to enjoy some serious downtime in the sun. Midway into the journey, as others around me slept, I was awoken by several flight attendants with serious expressions. A passenger was seriously unwell 7and required medical attention, but the flight staff couldn’t communicate with her. They didn’t know whether the pilot needed to divert the plane to the next available airport or continue on to the destination.

It was my job to ascertain if the poorly and distressed passenger had a diagnosed medical condition. We established a language in common and, calmly but with a sense of urgency, I was directed to identify key information and details so the medically trained flight staff could intervene to relieve her symptoms and find out if the plane would have to land at the earliest opportunity. Despite serious breathing issues the passenger passed on the vital details. It was a tense time: the information I was communicating to flight staff needed to be precise. The role of translator had never particularly excited me; it was the ability to communicate with others, to speak and understand in the moment, that had spurred me on to learn languages at school. Yet there I was assisting a medical team with a seriously ill patient. I have always said to learners in my classroom that they don’t know when they will need to use their language skills.

Former students have contacted me over the years to tell me how – while at work, on holiday or simply in the right situation at the right time – they have been called on to use their language skills to assist in an important or lifesaving situation. We know that having an additional language on top of your native tongue opens doors, so it’s our job as MFL teachers to make sure that we prepare our students to be effective and tolerant communicators in their local communities and able to work with colleagues in other countries across the globe. We are a small island, so it is essential that we communicate and collaborate with our neighbours. We shouldn’t expect everyone to speak our native tongue and so not attempt to learn other languages. The more we learn about other languages, the 8more we learn about other cultures. As global trade networks and markets develop, and digital technologies bring us ever closer together, the least we can do is learn to communicate effectively with our colleagues and partners worldwide.

When I’ve canvassed colleagues about what they enjoy about being MFL teachers, the sorts of responses I’ve received describe how they like that they could:

Teach students to communicate in another language.

Educate students about their first language through learning another language.

Open students’ hearts and minds to a life beyond their current home, village, town, city and country.

Share with learners a skill they will have for life.

Empower others to discover and make new, interesting sounds.

Invite learners to discover novel, intriguing yet familiar words.

Encourage international travel.

Inspire thinking at a global level.

Promote internationalism.

Foster acceptance, understanding and tolerance of other people, cultures, customs, religions and traditions.

Take students overseas to discover new lands, ideas, sounds and spaces.

Train students to listen for gist as well as specific information.

Support students to become excellent orators.9

Help students to make grapheme and phoneme links.

Develop students’ language confidence and fluency.

Share a passion for languages.

Give the gift of language learning to others.

Help students to access a range of literature, music, drama, poetry and film in other languages.

Support anxious learners to overcome their fear of making errors.

Promote the concept that international borders aren’t limits.

Guide learners on a linguistic adventure.

Embolden learners to become translators.

Inspire a new generation of linguists and language learners.

Give learners a skill that can be useful in every type of job and career.

Open the door to learning additional languages.

Empower learners by helping them to find and use their voices.

Facilitate learners to access reading and listening materials in other languages on the internet and in print.

Inspire learners by collecting 1,001 things from overseas holidays and visits to use in the classroom.

Intrigue learners by recycling stories, articles and magazines, and gifting them to learners to read and be further inspired.10

Connect with other professionals and always be enthused by something new we have learned.

Get paid for doing something we love!

In the rest of the book, I will share my thoughts, experiences and ideas on listening, speaking, reading and writing in the MFL classroom. All of these creative strategies have been used successfully by myself and other colleagues with learners of MFL and English as an additional language from Year 6 through to Year 13 – as well as with international students – to make language lessons exciting, inclusive and relevant. The chapters take you on a journey and provide an insight into what is possible.

There is no one way to teach languages – there are many different techniques. I am grateful to have found some novel ways to help learners access, engage with and become confident in language learning. I am also thankful for the openness, collegiality and collaboration of my colleagues, which has ensured the best possible language learning experiences for our MFL students.

1 A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in speech and a grapheme is a letter (or series of letters) that represent the sounds in speech.

11

CHAPTER 2

WELCOME THEM WITH A ПРИВЕТ

SHAPING LEARNERS OF ALL KINDS

Although some might regard it as controversial, I believe that everyone should be given the opportunity to learn an international language,1 regardless of age, stage, ability, prior attainment, school or status. Many schools include all their students in language lessons, but some withdraw students for booster sessions of core subjects, thus limiting the breadth of curriculum provision. Teaching languages promotes the recognition of other languages, cultures and traditions – all of which students may encounter in school, in their local community or online – thereby promoting tolerance, appreciation and understanding. It is a feature of the statutory programmes of study,2 and is therefore expected in every educational establishment in England.

Schools that know their students well, particularly those with cohorts with a diverse range of home and heritage 12languages,3 can make effective provision to support students who require it until they can access the curriculum independently. With exam systems operating almost entirely in English, heritage languages are not always openly embraced by schools, and the opportunity to engage young people in learning other languages is missed. This is a shame, and almost certainly a missed opportunity to enrich young people’s knowledge and understanding of other cultures. The teaching of ‘British values’ is driven by the idea of acceptance, tolerance and mutual respect.4 Learning a language within school is one way to ensure that these principles are assured and endorsed by all, as well as having the benefit of equipping students with the ability to understand their place in a culturally diverse society. It is the opportunities we get to experience that help us to learn, connect and become a community; embracing difference and diversity within the school community helps to build strong external communities.

Schools shape learners of all kinds, with aspirations and futures of their own design, for amazing adventures which we cannot predict or even fathom because they are yet to be created. Think of the technological age in which we are now living: did the teachers and school leaders in the 13closing decades of the 20th century conceive of everything that is now possible? Our experiences to date serve only to provide perspectives on what has gone before, but the fact is that we are preparing learners for life in a new digital and technological century. Fellow school leavers from the local community are no longer the only competition; there are now potentially billions of competitors in the job market. If technology has made the world smaller, it is also full of incredible experiences for those who wish to participate. Since the launch of the International Space Station there has been only one UK visitor (Tim Peake) out of the 227 visitors from 19 countries. English is not the most commonly used language among the research team of astronauts orbiting Earth, so there are amazing opportunities for polyglot scientists.

According to the 2017 Languages for the Future study, the top ten most important languages for English speakers to learn are based on indicators which include:

Current UK exports.

The language needs of UK business.

Future trade priorities.

Emerging high growth markets.

Diplomatic and security priorities.

The public’s language interests.

Outward and inward tourism.

International educational engagement.

Levels of English proficiency in other countries.14

The prevalence of different languages on the internet.5

All of the above indicators are carefully considered, although Brexit may well mean that the landscape changes over the coming years in line with forthcoming trade agreements. However, the fact remains that the ten most important languages for the UK have remained the same since 2013:

1 Spanish

2 Mandarin Chinese

3 French

4 Arabic

5 German

6 Italian

7 Dutch

8 Portuguese

9 Japanese

10 Russian6

MFL is accessible for all, but only if the appropriate support is in place for the subject. MFL matters, so it is frustrating to hear of its disappearance from school curriculums, both at primary and secondary level. MFL deserves more than a few celebration days (European Day of Languages, Bastille Day, El Día de los Muertos, Christmas, Easter, New Year, etc.), half an hour here or there, or one two-hour block per 15week. If we are to meet the demands of teaching people to speak the languages required to keep the UK functioning with its European neighbours and international business and diplomatic partnerships, we need to ensure that young people’s language learning experience is robust, engaging and widespread across all primary and secondary schools, and aim at all learners, not just the more ‘academic’.

One argument against learning languages that is frequently put to me by students is that the internet is predominantly in English, and that, with technology ever more present in our lives, apps will instantaneously translate from one language to another, enabling us to become multilingual with just a single earpiece. According to this way of thinking, knowledge of other languages is unnecessary; however, for the foreseeable future this is simply untrue (see the two following figures). In response, I suggest that although they can access only English websites at the moment, in time and with persistence they will be able to read French, German or Spanish sites, depending on the language they choose to study, which will make them more marketable. Reliable simultaneous translation is still a way off, so learning languages is still very much needed and should be encouraged. You can imagine the looks I receive!16

INTERNET USE BY LANGUAGE

Source: Tinsley and Board, Languages for the Future (2013), p. 16.

TOP TEN LANGUAGES ON THE INTERNET. ESTIMATED TOTAL INTERNET USERS ARE 4,156,932,140 ON 31 DECEMBER 2017

Source: https://internetworldstats.com/stats7.htm © Miniwatts Marketing Group.17

RELATIONSHIPS, BEHAVIOUR AND CLASSROOM CLIMATE

It is important to get the classroom climate right for the learning of languages. This includes the classroom decor, set-up and arrangement, as well as the emotional, social and physical aspects of the space. Teachers influence learners’ behaviours and attitudes to learning, so a negative classroom climate can feel hostile, chaotic or out of control. A positive classroom climate feels safe, respectful, welcoming, inclusive and supportive of learning.

I remember during my first interview for a job as an MFL teacher, when I had not yet graduated, stating clearly that when students stepped into my classroom I wanted them to feel like they had been teleported to a strange, interesting and distant land. You can organise your MFL classroom however works best for you. Having experimented with an array of set-ups and layouts, I worked out that what worked best for my classes was asking students for their opinions and noting subtle (and sometimes obvious) changes in behaviour. Allowing students to share their opinions about which arrangement they find most conducive can help to develop a positive classroom climate. This is particularly important for the MFL classroom, because students up and down the country have got the idea, perhaps from school leaders or parents, that MFL is:

Too hard for them.

Not an option for them because they aren’t in the right option pathway.

Not as important as [other subjects].

Invalid and useless in the digital age.

Pointless because everyone speaks English.18

Not required because technology will make MFL teachers obsolete (voice recognition, translation devices, automation, robots, etc.).

Not required as they’ll never visit [country].

Not a good choice because it’s easier to get a higher grade in [another subject].

And the list goes on.

I have chosen to ignore those comments, and continue greeting students with a smile and a Bonjour, Guten Tag, Привет or Hola. Their time in the MFL classroom is precious, and I want them to feel welcomed, happy, confident, enthusiastic and brave. I also want them to enjoy the experience of learning a language, whatever job or career path they choose. And students can most definitely make sounds, identify words, create sentences and paragraphs, have fun with grammar and make progress, and enjoy it, regardless of their ability. I believe that all learners can achieve in MFL, if given the opportunity and the right classroom climate.

The learning climate is paramount to building a professional teacher–student relationship, as well as easing fears and nerves if there is any anxiety. Key to this is creating the best possible educational environment and learning space – perhaps using the collection of items you have garnered from your reading and personal travels. There are some elements of the classroom that can’t be changed, of course – fixtures, fittings, the size and position of windows and doors – but there is much that can. Creating interest using colourful, attention-grabbing displays and images is not particularly challenging but it does take time. However, this time is well-invested if the walls, doors, desks, shelves and ceiling all communicate your passion for and interest in the subject. I aspire to have my students hooked into 19the learning, captivated by the subject and eager to get on with what they are going to learn as soon as they enter the classroom.

The teacher also needs to be calm, confident, well-prepared, organised, focused, happy to see everyone and wearing a smile, which shows in the eyes and in positive body language. We need to acknowledge every student as they enter and head to their workspaces, discreetly scanning to check that everyone is present, correctly dressed and in the right mindset to learn and make progress. Your readiness and welcome will settle and guide your students in gauging the climate of the room. Distractions from outside the classroom need to be identified, addressed and, if possible, ignored: we don’t want external concerns to materialise in the classroom and become a barrier to learning.

Giving students a task to get on with ensures that positive routines are established from the outset, and there is no loss of learning time while you complete the necessary paperwork. Clear routines ease anxiety and allow learners to ‘warm up’ to the MFL classroom. This is not sedately undisturbed waiting. This is an awakening of the senses and a warming up of their ears and eyes to languages. It is about helping the learners to get themselves MFL ready and to engage their languages brain. This is important because almost every other subject on the curriculum will be in their native tongue. The settling task should be a pre-starter to the starter which will launch the learning journey. We need to engage and awaken previous learning experiences – the vocabulary, syntax and grammar as well as the skills. Not even elite athletes like Usain Bolt, Owen Farrell and Nicola Adams could simply turn up and perform at a world-class level; they too need to warm up their bodies and minds and get themselves in the zone.20

The pre-starter could be a Thunk,7 a tantalising thought piece reflecting on cultural knowledge or a relevant news item from the day. It could be a translation to tickle their learning taste buds and chew over with their partner or alone. It could involve recalling vocabulary items, chunks or phrases from prior learning, a tense or important construction, or simply remembering what was learned in the previous lesson. The purpose is to encourage links to be made between previous learning and the learning to come, transporting students back, awakening their foreign language brain and forcing them to fire up frontal cortex neurons to electrify synapses.