Key Stage 3 National Strategy

1. Key Stage 3 National Strategy Foundation Subjects MFL: optional module 8

2. Objectives for module 8 • To agree a rationale for teacher and pupil target language use • To identify some key issues surrounding the use of target language • To consider some essential principles of target language use • To look at a model of good departmental practice • To address challenges presented by the Framework in relation to target language use • To encourage active follow-up by participants Key Stage 3 National Strategy

3. Target language use by teachers Use of the target language by the teacher benefits learners in many ways, for example: • it offers a role model of language use • it enhances listening skills by developing a sensitivity to pronunciation, intonation, structure and meaning • it sets high expectations • it makes it easier to create the atmosphere of the country/countries whose language is being learned • it places the subject matter squarely and regularly at the centre of the lesson and the learners’ attention Key Stage 3 National Strategy

4. Target language use by pupils Spontaneous use of the target language by pupils offers key benefits, including: • pupils being able to use language for real purposes, as well as to learn, practise and rehearse it • pupils being challenged to recall information • pupils being challenged to apply what they know in new and unpredictable contexts • pupils having opportunities to develop strategies for expressing meaning, even when they may possess only a limited amount of language Key Stage 3 National Strategy

5. Key issues in target language use • The target language is a resource, not a methodology or a programme of work. On its own, it does not guarantee the progress and engagement of pupils, though its effective use can play a vital part in supporting them. • Some teachers and pupils find it hard to sustain and develop the use of target language over time. • The use of the target language is often seen to be difficult when points of language are being taught. • Target language practice varies quite widely, sometimes within the same department. • Pupils benefit greatly when all teachers in a department adopt a consistent and coherent approach to target language use. • There is a place in MFL lessons for judicious and planned use of English. Whenever this occurs, there should be a clear justification for it which is evident to the pupils and which serves the planned purpose of the lesson. Key Stage 3 National Strategy

6. Good departmental practice: aspects of planning and teaching Planning • A shared view of what pupils need and how their needs can best be met • Planning at lesson level: opportunities for real communication as well as for rehearsal • Planning for grammar and structure to be applied in the classroom Teaching • Consistency of teaching across a large department teaching three languages • Regular intensive practice • Pair work to promote confidence • Challenge, competition, reward Key Stage 3 National Strategy

7. Good departmental practice: pupil perceptions and opinions • Consistency – evidence of a consistent approach from class to class, for example: • arguing and giving opinions • songs • English not allowed • Transparency – pupils see the purpose behind activities that involve: • songs • pair work • arguments • using action and gesture Slide 8.61 of 2 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

8. Good departmental practice: pupil perceptions and opinions • Willingness – pupils understand and appreciate the benefits of the ‘no English’ rule • Appreciation – pupils all see their teachers as: • active • purposeful • helpful • effective Slide 8.62 of 2 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

9. Framework requirements for target language use Framework objectives requiring the use of target language in lessons include: 7S9: How to understand and produce simple sentences containing familiar language for routine classroom or social communication 7L5: How to contribute to spontaneous talk in the target language 8L5: How to take part in short unscripted dialogues and exchanges 9L5: How to make extended and/or frequent contributions to classroom work and talk Slide 8.7 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

10. Framework contributions to target language use Some Framework objectives provide opportunities to: • engage with language, for example: 7L1: How to engage with the sound patterns and other characteristics of the spoken language • understand language, for example: 8C4: Read, hear and share simple poems, jokes, stories and songs in the target language • produce language, for example: 9L4: How to use questions or text as a stimulus for a spoken response • personalise language, for example: 8L6: How to recognise and add expression in speech Slide 8.8 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

11. Framework challenges for target language use Challenges presented by the Framework in relation to target language use include: • communicating Framework-based lesson objectives to pupils • managing the different stages of the lesson and the transition between them • introducing and explaining routine activities • explaining points of language • teaching essential skills and techniques, such as dictionary use, memorisation and note-taking • enabling pupils to judge the quality of their work • enabling pupils to use language spontaneously and for real communication Slide 8.9 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

12. Communicating Framework-based lesson objectives to pupils • Teach essential vocabulary related to learning objectives, for example comprendre, apprendre, lire, écrire, mémoriser, utiliser. • Add to this vocabulary over time. • To ensure engagement and challenge, find original ways of presenting objectives, for example as a cloze text in the future (on va ___) requiring pupils to identify the missing verbs. • Keep objectives displayed on the board and refer back to them as work progresses. This could be done by referring to the future (maintenant on va…) or the past (voilà, on a…). • Aim to reduce scaffolding gradually and widen my range of language so that I become increasingly able to talk about learning at any time in the lesson. Slide 8.10 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

13. Planning for pupil target language use • Will the aim be for pupils’ spontaneous use of language to be a desirable feature of lessons, left to the individual teacher to develop, or will it be at the centre of curriculum planning? • Will the department aim to work together in order to achieve consistency or will individuals be encouraged to plot their own development? • How much training and support will be needed to develop and sustain this work? Slide 8.11 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

14. Developing target language use: ways forward • Read appendix A of the Foundation Subjects MFL core training folder: The use of the target language in the MFL classroom, by Jeff Lee. • Read the following articles in appendix B of the Foundation Subjects MFL core training folder, all of which contain references to the use and development of the target language: • Working with course books, by Martine Pillette • Framework for teaching modern foreign languages: Years 7, 8 and 9: its value for newly qualified teachers, by Michael Grenfell • The place for creativity in foreign language learning in Key Stage 3, by Steven Fawkes • Teaching culture as part of the Framework for teaching modern foreign languages: Years 7, 8 and 9, by Ros Walker Slide 8.121 of 2 Key Stage 3 National Strategy

15. Developing target language use: ways forward • Refer to current publications (e.g. from CILT or ALL) giving guidance on developing the use of the target language in lessons. • Join a professional development programme or a curriculum development group. • Work with a ‘lead’ member of the department. • Look at planning and practice in another school. Slide 8.122 of 2 Key Stage 3 National Strategy