By Séverine Capjon, author and French teacher
‘Wait, what? The French GCSE specification is changing again?!’ This is the comment I made when a colleague informed me that the Department for Education (DfE) and Ofqual were working on a new French GCSE. I find change in education a little daunting but I was relieved to read…
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By Tony Weston and José García, authors and Spanish teachers
From September 2024, thousands of budding young Hispanists across the country will once again be embarking on a two-year AQA GCSE Spanish course, one which they hope will bring them both enjoyment and success.
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By Mariela Affum, author and German teacher
I have over 18 years’ of teaching and examining experience and have seen several “new” specifications come and go. As teachers, we must constantly adapt to these changes and make sure that we provide the best possible preparation for our students, as their grades depend on our understanding of the exam and assessment criteria.
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Foreign Language educator María Zita Salazar discusses her experience teaching Spanish language in the Caribbean and the way language education has evolved over the years. With the new Oxford Learner’s Spanish Dictionary for the Caribbean, María sees a transformation in teaching and learning both in and outside the classroom. Without a doubt, teaching secondary level […]
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An eternal challenge with language learning is bridging the gap between students’ interests and their beginner language level, so what can we do to ensure they stay motivated?
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Jose Garcia shares what he keeps in mind when he’s planning lessons or writing resources to help make MFL more inclusive.
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After reading the advance information for the 2022 June exam and the changes for 2022 published on the AQA website it appears that the main difference is to the writing exam format (Paper 4). In addition, there will be no requirement for vocabulary outside of the specification. The speaking, reading and listening exams remain the […]
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Hands up those who have taught students who have said that they found languages hard, that ‘they couldn’t do languages’ and that they were much better in other subjects? Certainly, during my career as a languages teacher, I have had numerous conversations with young people who felt that their knowledge and understanding of foreign languages […]
Read more Sadie Thompson reflects on how to sensitively and respectfully make sure that we are including those students who are coming to terms with what their gender identity might be in the context of the #MFL classroom.
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After the constant changes of the last two years, I know that many of us are excited about getting back to school and experiencing more ‘normal’ lessons. It is liberating to think that we (hopefully!) will be able to incorporate activities which were previously restricted, such as speaking. At the time of writing, it seems […]
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