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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We all know that learning a language requires perseverance over time, so helping students to develop this is key to their success. My years in teaching have been very varied. I’ve taught languages in primary and secondary schools and taught English and PE as well. Completing the gold Duke of Edinburgh award and returning […]
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As a white, straight woman teaching in an outstanding school in an area with low levels of deprivation compared to the national average, it is more than apparent to me that I ought to be more than just aware of my ‘privilege’. Not only this, one of the main reasons I fell in love with […]
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Following months of screen gazing, limited interaction and working in isolation, our students are ready to come to life and to feel the buzz that our lively and dynamic MFL methodology brings. A foreign languages lesson is a social event where interaction and communication are essential, just what our young people need, having been starved […]
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In 2019, the British Academy, the Royal Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Academy of Engineering produced a shared statement calling on the UK Government to adopt a national strategy for languages. They were concerned that the “UK’s poor language capacity has resulted in the loss of economic, social, cultural, and research […]
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We will soon know Ofqual final decisions about awarding grades for GCSE and A Level students this summer. Their consultation closed just over a week ago and has received a record number of responses, not only from educators but also from the young people whose grades are at stake. In our profession we are all […]
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Last week we saw the final criteria for the MFL speaking endorsement published by Ofqual ( link here ). For our colleagues in English this is not a new thing, but for us in MFL it is a novelty and as such it has raised a certain amount of uncertainty and concern. How can we decide fairly […]
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This return to school has been like no other. As usual, we have had to face confirmation of Ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve after a long summer break; but this time, with the addition of those months in lockdown. And, although happy to be back in school, we have found ourselves having to work extra hard not […]
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How do we support key year groups, now and on our return to school? and what do we do for those who can’t return at the same time? These are the questions we all wish we knew the answers to, aren’t they? The truth is I don’t think that anyone has the magic fix, that […]
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I think if there’s something that the partial school closures have taught me it’s about the aspects of the job that I take for granted. It’s easy to forget the enjoyment of actually being in the classroom, especially on really busy days with back to back lessons. There’s even something to be said about being […]
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