In our languages department, we are beginning to make preparations and changes to our Y9 schemes of work in preparation for the new GCSE. There is trepidation, but as @spsmith45 points out in this blog, there is no need to start completely from scratch. Good teaching remains good teaching. If you want a good summary of key things to consider when preparing to teach, then that is a very good place to start.
I want to talk about opportunities. Yes, opportunities. Opportunities to open the door to other worlds, opportunities to really revel in the language. On a more prosaic note, opportunities to help our pupils get to grips with how the language sounds. As languages teachers, we know that a great song, poem or prose piece can transport the readers, and what better way to give pupils a glimpse of what we all fell in love with? The number of genres that can be defined as "literature" is only as limited (limitless?) as your imagination. If you need a helping hand, look at ALL's wiki on the subject. Whilst I'm talking about inspiration, this blog is my initial response to some great training on Literature and the use of authentic texts which took place at Newcastle University on 23rd June, led by the ever knowledgeable @rene_koglbauer and @LizblackMFL, and as you can see has many links to what other people are doing.
I teach German, which we start in Y9 as an express course, so time is short. In terms of our schemes of work, this shouldn't be yet another extra, but a vehicle for teaching. I'm a strong believer that whichever resource is used should do the heavy lifting, and be used in multiple ways, and should be integrated into the learning. It should give pupils an opportunity not just for comprehension, but also performance of the text and use of the language they have found, either in a creative writing response.
Opportunity no 1 - reinforcing phonics work
Think about this song from the Prinzen "ich wär so gern Millionär". Here is the chorus:
Ich wär' so gerne Millionär
dann wär mein Konto niemals leer.
Ich wär' so gerne Millionär - millionenschwer.
Ich wär' so gerne Millionär
I love die Prinzen because they sing so clearly, and they have really singable tunes, and this chorus has lots of potential. You can get the pupils to think about the sound of the "ä" because of the strong rhyme. And then you can test your knowledge on the lyricstraining website, a new and exciting discovery, which was recommended to me recently . This could also then lead to some creative work using "wäre" to speculate on what could happen and be applied to different situations.
Silly rhymes such as the following are also perfect for beginners and reinforce key German phonics:
Eins, zwei, Polizei
drei, vier, Offizier
fünf, sechs, alte Hex'
sieben, acht, gute Nacht!
neun, zehn, auf Wiedersehen!
If you are about to tackle a longer text, it is worth laying the groundwork and making sure pupils can decode the words in front of them. This post from @gianfrancocont9 has some great warm-up ideas for listening, and is well worth a look.
One tip which came from the CPD session to help find sources for quick transcribing which also doubles as something more interesting than simply sentences from last lesson are dictation resources for primary school. Liz Black gave an example from a Duden book, and I have found a book called "100 lustige Diktate" which also includes little riddles (one "guess what"? riddle is about a mouse). I have yet to get my mitts on that little number, so I will follow up and let you know what that is like. Watch this space!
Well, this was just going to be one post, but it looks like I need another post to finish..
Monday, 29 June 2015
Tuesday, 14 April 2015
Revision - making it stick
This is the first of a couple of posts about revision. This has been inspired (if that's the word) by my need to help my pupils understand what revision looks like, because between you and me, I'm shocked at how vague many of them are about how to learn. My holiday reading has therefore been "Make it stick" by Peter C. Brown. Reading this book made me think about how I can make the process of revision explicit for my pupils. This is not a review of the book, but is my attempt at thinking through how I want to get the pupils to apply the principles in their MFL revision in the coming weeks (apologies to my colleagues teaching French GCSE, who don't have the luxury of time).
The goal
To recognise and understand all of those words IN A FLASH in the exam - that means you need FAST RETRIEVAL from your LONG-TERM MEMORY
The principles
1. Use it or lose it
Done your revision on Healthy Living? Lovely. Well done,you. But if you want it to stick, you've got to return to it and practise it again for it become part of your long-term memory. The more you return, and the more defined the path will become.
2. Mix it up
Switch between topics, switch between skills. You don't get bored, your brain doesn't get bored, and the effort you have to put in to remember different topics strengthens your long-term memory.
3. Get your learning spaced out!
Don't bunch everything from one topic up in one session or week. Space your revision of the topic out, so you have to dig the knowledge back up again
4. No pain, no gain
Maybe not pain, but definitely effort, but that doesn't rhyme. The more effort you need to remember something during your revision, the better you remember it.
5. Don't assume - it makes an ass out of u and me
You've done a whole hour's revision! Woo-hoo! But have you tested yourself to see what's gone in?
Making it manageable AND effective
So - what should their revision look like at home? We still have quite a lot of lessons ahead of us, so this is in addition to what they are doing in class. Asking pupils to do 20-25 minutes a day sounds much more manageable to them. They may not always do it, but if they can sign up to the principle of it, then we are getting somewhere.
Good types of quiz questions:
The goal
To recognise and understand all of those words IN A FLASH in the exam - that means you need FAST RETRIEVAL from your LONG-TERM MEMORY
The principles
1. Use it or lose it
Done your revision on Healthy Living? Lovely. Well done,you. But if you want it to stick, you've got to return to it and practise it again for it become part of your long-term memory. The more you return, and the more defined the path will become.
2. Mix it up
Switch between topics, switch between skills. You don't get bored, your brain doesn't get bored, and the effort you have to put in to remember different topics strengthens your long-term memory.
3. Get your learning spaced out!
Don't bunch everything from one topic up in one session or week. Space your revision of the topic out, so you have to dig the knowledge back up again
4. No pain, no gain
Maybe not pain, but definitely effort, but that doesn't rhyme. The more effort you need to remember something during your revision, the better you remember it.
5. Don't assume - it makes an ass out of u and me
You've done a whole hour's revision! Woo-hoo! But have you tested yourself to see what's gone in?
Making it manageable AND effective
So - what should their revision look like at home? We still have quite a lot of lessons ahead of us, so this is in addition to what they are doing in class. Asking pupils to do 20-25 minutes a day sounds much more manageable to them. They may not always do it, but if they can sign up to the principle of it, then we are getting somewhere.
1. Every day – 5
minutes quiz on what you did yesterday
- 15 minutes active learning new
topic with flashcards (quizlet.com)
Learn difficult words/irregular verbs in a phrase or sentence
- 5 minutes make yourself a quiz to re-use tomorrow and later on Good types of quiz questions:
1. Fill in the gap
2. find the opposites
3. word association games
2. Once a week
(MINIMUM) – skills practice.
Either a
past paper or listening/reading exercise from kerboodle from last week’s
topics.
Make a quiz out of the questions you got wrong.
3. Once a week – do the
quiz you made from things you got wrong
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Stretch and challenge in MFL
"
Stretch and challenge" - one of Ofsted's obsessions, and rightly so - who wants pupils who aren't learning to the best of their ability? As linguists, we want pupils to be adventurous and to use their knowledge to express themselves. After all, it's what helped us fall in love with language learning. The way I see it, stretch and challenge is not just for the most able; it is about how we set the learning climate in our classroom. Of course,it will look different depending on which pupils you have in front of you, but this is not about an add-on. So - how do we achieve this in class?
Deploying some very prosaic (but effective) basics can help us. The most fundamental basic is to know your pupils, and their prior learning. This, however, allows us to be creative with how we introduce vocabulary. This week, I was able to introduce the perfect tense in French to a weaker set of pupils through an account of a weekend in Paris using regular "er" verbs. I knew that they were already familiar with the verbs in the text, although not in the perfect tense, and within the context of the passage, they were able to show understanding, and then mine it for key verbs in the perfect tense. Parallel texts (one side in the Target Language (TL), the other in English) also give pupils the change to understand texts that little bit beyond their current level. Equally, using a text with lots of cognates/familiar vocabulary which support pupils in working out the meaning of new language is a very effective technique. Give one/get one or quiz/quiz/trade can also be a good way of reinforcing independent use of phonics by pupils, as well as reinforcing other co-operative language. These strategies not only get beyond the sterile listen/repeat chorus and its single-word stranglehold, but they get pupils engaging with longer texts, which is far more satisfying for the learners, and already gives them that sense of progress.
The use of target language is something repeatedly raised by Ofsted as an issue. Some things are more difficult in the TL however, there is much which can be done in the TL. If I fall off the TL waggon, I run a competition in class for the best use of the TL - this boosts the pupils' awareness, and mine. We have a speaking mat to support this, and it is part of our routine to get them out at the beginning of the lesson. Progressing with it is often tricky, and much of it comes down to teaching questions, and revising them at regular intervals. Having the question words displayed prominently in the classroom helps to prompt and support. Then, when you ask your pupil where their book is, they can understand and respond, if you have been able to point at the relevant question word on the board. If not all the lesson is possible in the TL, it is better to "chunk" it - so there are clear segments in English, clear segments in the TL. Swapping between the 2 just encourages the pupils to wait for the English translation.
Speaking is not just confined to classroom routine. In topic-related work, it is important that pupils have the opportunity to work beyond tightly-scripted dialogues, although these clearly have a place in familiarising pupils with new language. This is where Group talk comes into its own. Having an unscripted conversation that is still supported allows pupils the freedom to express themselves and try things out for themselves, and gives them the feeling of having "real" conversations, and can really boost confidence. It also means they have to listen carefully to each other, and more able pupils can be encouraged to extend their responses.
Speaking also includes reading out loud, which helps with phonics. A favourite game in my classes is "rhubarb". In a group, one person starts reading. If they make a mistake spotted by someone else, the challenger says "rhubarb" and says what it should be. If the group agree it is right, they get to continue the reading. Points are awarded for every sentence read successfully, one point if they are challenged unsuccessfully, one point if they have challenged successfully and are going to take on the reading.
Writing
Here's a question: how often do your classes (even your beginners) do extended writing as opposed to drills and sentences? This is one very obvious stretch and challenge opportunity which should be done regularly. If the most talented are shown how to use dictionaries and verb tables, they can really fly with regular practice. Remember all those strategies you use with GCSE classes? Are you using them in KS3 to promote a range of language. If not, why not? Our learners often feel very constrained by what they feel they can say, but a learning mat with prompts and suggestions can help them develop and extend their ideas. Most pupils don't want to say that everything is "super", it's just that it's the only thing that occurs to them. Creative writing and poems also give pupils a change to experiment and learn to love the language.
Translation is going to become ever more present, given the changes to KS3 and GCSE, and it's true that it does help pupils do some detailed work, and can be an opportunity to meet new language. It is important, however, that the pupils then get to use some of that new language in their own work. One of the best pieces of advice I was given as a young teacher was to exploit one text in as many different ways as possible. Too often I have seen opportunities wasted to help pupils build on their knowledge by not doing that final additional step where they produce something of their own based on the language. As linguists, we are magpies, nicking lovely shiny expressions and using them for ourselves. We should help the next generation do that too!
Listening
There can be more to stretch and challenge for listening than simply giving out a differentiated worksheet, although that still has its place. Songs are a rewarding place to start, and give some cultural flavour too. If you are working with a textbook's recording, why not get pupils to make shorthand notes/ draw symbols, then use the language to report back to a partner? Rachel Hawkes suggests giving pupils a transcript, then saying it out loud to the class with some changes. Pupils then need to identify where the differences are, transcribe the new words and then they can use them for themselves. Listening is often a bolt-on task or a task to see if they have retained the new vocabulary. Why not integrate it into the lesson more completely?
I have to admit to feeling a bit exhausted after writing all this. This is not a tick-list for every lesson, but using some of these ideas some of the time can help you provide challenge for all.
Deploying some very prosaic (but effective) basics can help us. The most fundamental basic is to know your pupils, and their prior learning. This, however, allows us to be creative with how we introduce vocabulary. This week, I was able to introduce the perfect tense in French to a weaker set of pupils through an account of a weekend in Paris using regular "er" verbs. I knew that they were already familiar with the verbs in the text, although not in the perfect tense, and within the context of the passage, they were able to show understanding, and then mine it for key verbs in the perfect tense. Parallel texts (one side in the Target Language (TL), the other in English) also give pupils the change to understand texts that little bit beyond their current level. Equally, using a text with lots of cognates/familiar vocabulary which support pupils in working out the meaning of new language is a very effective technique. Give one/get one or quiz/quiz/trade can also be a good way of reinforcing independent use of phonics by pupils, as well as reinforcing other co-operative language. These strategies not only get beyond the sterile listen/repeat chorus and its single-word stranglehold, but they get pupils engaging with longer texts, which is far more satisfying for the learners, and already gives them that sense of progress.
The use of target language is something repeatedly raised by Ofsted as an issue. Some things are more difficult in the TL however, there is much which can be done in the TL. If I fall off the TL waggon, I run a competition in class for the best use of the TL - this boosts the pupils' awareness, and mine. We have a speaking mat to support this, and it is part of our routine to get them out at the beginning of the lesson. Progressing with it is often tricky, and much of it comes down to teaching questions, and revising them at regular intervals. Having the question words displayed prominently in the classroom helps to prompt and support. Then, when you ask your pupil where their book is, they can understand and respond, if you have been able to point at the relevant question word on the board. If not all the lesson is possible in the TL, it is better to "chunk" it - so there are clear segments in English, clear segments in the TL. Swapping between the 2 just encourages the pupils to wait for the English translation.
Speaking is not just confined to classroom routine. In topic-related work, it is important that pupils have the opportunity to work beyond tightly-scripted dialogues, although these clearly have a place in familiarising pupils with new language. This is where Group talk comes into its own. Having an unscripted conversation that is still supported allows pupils the freedom to express themselves and try things out for themselves, and gives them the feeling of having "real" conversations, and can really boost confidence. It also means they have to listen carefully to each other, and more able pupils can be encouraged to extend their responses.
Speaking also includes reading out loud, which helps with phonics. A favourite game in my classes is "rhubarb". In a group, one person starts reading. If they make a mistake spotted by someone else, the challenger says "rhubarb" and says what it should be. If the group agree it is right, they get to continue the reading. Points are awarded for every sentence read successfully, one point if they are challenged unsuccessfully, one point if they have challenged successfully and are going to take on the reading.
Writing
Here's a question: how often do your classes (even your beginners) do extended writing as opposed to drills and sentences? This is one very obvious stretch and challenge opportunity which should be done regularly. If the most talented are shown how to use dictionaries and verb tables, they can really fly with regular practice. Remember all those strategies you use with GCSE classes? Are you using them in KS3 to promote a range of language. If not, why not? Our learners often feel very constrained by what they feel they can say, but a learning mat with prompts and suggestions can help them develop and extend their ideas. Most pupils don't want to say that everything is "super", it's just that it's the only thing that occurs to them. Creative writing and poems also give pupils a change to experiment and learn to love the language.
Translation is going to become ever more present, given the changes to KS3 and GCSE, and it's true that it does help pupils do some detailed work, and can be an opportunity to meet new language. It is important, however, that the pupils then get to use some of that new language in their own work. One of the best pieces of advice I was given as a young teacher was to exploit one text in as many different ways as possible. Too often I have seen opportunities wasted to help pupils build on their knowledge by not doing that final additional step where they produce something of their own based on the language. As linguists, we are magpies, nicking lovely shiny expressions and using them for ourselves. We should help the next generation do that too!
Listening
There can be more to stretch and challenge for listening than simply giving out a differentiated worksheet, although that still has its place. Songs are a rewarding place to start, and give some cultural flavour too. If you are working with a textbook's recording, why not get pupils to make shorthand notes/ draw symbols, then use the language to report back to a partner? Rachel Hawkes suggests giving pupils a transcript, then saying it out loud to the class with some changes. Pupils then need to identify where the differences are, transcribe the new words and then they can use them for themselves. Listening is often a bolt-on task or a task to see if they have retained the new vocabulary. Why not integrate it into the lesson more completely?
I have to admit to feeling a bit exhausted after writing all this. This is not a tick-list for every lesson, but using some of these ideas some of the time can help you provide challenge for all.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
essay writing - structure
I'll come to the fish in a bit. In the meantime, here are some thoughts on helping sixth-formers plan essays.
Building a cogent and coherent argument in essay form is an essential skill at AS for MFL, and it takes a lot of care to build up the skills. For AQA, the essay has 20 out of the available 35 marks for content and structure. How can we help our sixth-formers to write these essays?
Planning and preparation
Encouraging planning is essential. In the early days, I used to insist on the sixth-formers handing in their planning as well as their essay before I realised that they often did their plan after they had written their essay. Now, especially in the first few months when we are embedding good habits, I get my sixth-formers to hand in a plan, a word-bank and their planned examples before I let them write the essay. This can either focus minds or highlight any potential mistakes.
If they don't get into the habit of planning, they will forget to do it in the exam, and probably find themselves with a wobbly blancmange of an essay. It is all the more important, as the AQA essays are often in 2 parts, and failure to answer one part of the question is penalised.
Why the fish?
Well, that is what the essay structure should look like. I saw this demonstrated many moons ago when I was just starting out, and I've used it ever since - the image is clear and really gets the point across.
The head is the introduction, preferably with a hook to get the reader's attention.
The main body with the spine is the development - with a clear line of argument (the spine) running through
The conclusion is the tail.
The proportions also roughly correspond.
Paragraph structure
There are many acronyms for helping to structure a paragraph, and although sticking slavishly to them can limit students writing at this level, there are some elements of these acronyms that are helpful. The most acronym for supporting students who struggle with structure is:
P -point
E- example
E- explain
L- link to the question, link to the next paragraph
An example of the usefulness of acronyms: a student, who had done a rather shabby essay was reviewing his work, and when I told him that he hadn't explored the implications of the essay said, "Oh -so I've done P.E. rather than P.E.E.L."
There are some key principles of a paragraph:
1. The first sentence should tell you the theme of the paragraph
2. Once you have made a point, you need to explain and explore it, preferably using an example
3. It should be clearly linked to the question
4. If you give a statistic, you need to explore all the implications
5. It is expected that you will analyse as you go, rather than waiting for the conclusion, as in other subjects,such as history.
A great little exercise for emphasising the importance of the first sentence is to present the pupils with several paragraphs with the first sentence removed, and a choice of possible replacements. This focuses the pupils on the key elements very effectively. I'll post an example in the next post.
A few of my resources for essay-writing are on the TES here. I'll be adding to them in the next few weeks. Here is the essay feedback sheet - designed for AQA. Here is the essay plan template.
Essay writing in sixth form - Miss, what's an example?
This post is prompted by a question which stopped me in my tracks. When giving feedback on an essay, I told a student that he had to use more examples, to which he replied, "Miss- I don't know what you mean by an example." This had me stumped - how can you not know what an example is? Although this may be a rather extreme case, I'm pretty sure that there are lots of students who could use some sharpening up in the area. I get too many essays in at the start of the year where pupils make a point (usually a sweeping generalisation) and simply name their example with no further explanation as if to say, "BOOM! Impressive, huh?" Um, no - not even close.
Finally, after recovering myself, I came up with this:
Why use examples?
Although backing up your argument is, of course, essential, I think that leads many students down cul-de-sacs which they then can't get out of. The key thing is whether it helps you to demonstrate depth of understanding, and whether it helps you to explore all of the implication of the point you're making.
Getting students to understand examples
We have only just set our first proper AS- style essay. So, what have we been doing in the meantime?
Using the examples in texts - and making the most of them
The first task is get students to recognise that each text is also presenting an argument, and a set of ideas. Once we have battled through the comprehension, I get them to find the examples in a text. I then ask them to summarise what these points can show. This is especially useful for statistics. Take the example that 1/3 of German children have their own TV. We came up with a long list of implications: parents can't supervise, parents don't have control, children can watch unsuitable programmes, children may watch TV too late and not get enough sleep. This acts not only as a great way of re-using the language from the text, but really gets them thinking about the ideas, and gives them practice in thinking about how to use examples. Asking students to summarise the key ideas in a text is also a great homework /starter for the next lesson.
Guided analysis of concrete examples
The TV topic is such a great one to start with. The students were given links on Edmodo to lots of different German TV clips and asked to write about them using a series of prompts to help them think about how they may or may not benefit children. All students produced some great analysis of the pros and cons. This will then help them with their essays. Well, that's the hope, anyway.
In my next post, I'll look at structuring the essay
Finally, after recovering myself, I came up with this:
Why use examples?
- They allow you to demonstrate use of other
tenses/voices e.g. past
- They back
up your point by providing evidence
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY..
- Use them to
explore the full implications of
the point you’re making –
remember you are getting most of your points for the development of your ideas.
Types
of examples
A
fact or statistic : e.g. 1/3 of children have their own TV
A
concrete example: e.g. Sesamstraße is able to help children to read
and count whilst also having fun
A
personal example: e.g. I used to watch Bob the Builder with my
parents..
Although backing up your argument is, of course, essential, I think that leads many students down cul-de-sacs which they then can't get out of. The key thing is whether it helps you to demonstrate depth of understanding, and whether it helps you to explore all of the implication of the point you're making.
Getting students to understand examples
We have only just set our first proper AS- style essay. So, what have we been doing in the meantime?
Using the examples in texts - and making the most of them
The first task is get students to recognise that each text is also presenting an argument, and a set of ideas. Once we have battled through the comprehension, I get them to find the examples in a text. I then ask them to summarise what these points can show. This is especially useful for statistics. Take the example that 1/3 of German children have their own TV. We came up with a long list of implications: parents can't supervise, parents don't have control, children can watch unsuitable programmes, children may watch TV too late and not get enough sleep. This acts not only as a great way of re-using the language from the text, but really gets them thinking about the ideas, and gives them practice in thinking about how to use examples. Asking students to summarise the key ideas in a text is also a great homework /starter for the next lesson.
Guided analysis of concrete examples
The TV topic is such a great one to start with. The students were given links on Edmodo to lots of different German TV clips and asked to write about them using a series of prompts to help them think about how they may or may not benefit children. All students produced some great analysis of the pros and cons. This will then help them with their essays. Well, that's the hope, anyway.
In my next post, I'll look at structuring the essay
Welcome to sixth form! Bridging that gap
I started this post a few weeks ago, having met my new year 12 group for the first time. I've taught these pupils since they were in year 9, and they have achieved great things at GCSE, yet this transition into sixth-form is potentially more difficult than the transition from primary to secondary or even from sixth-form to university, so it takes some longer to adjust than others. We need them to be independent learners, have the maturity to manage their own study time, and for A-level German, they need to discover a love of learning tables very quickly. That's before we even start on the more sophisticated thinking skills required for A-level. This has been in my thoughts a lot in the last few weeks, so it felt right that the first blog of the new academic year should be dedicated to them.
Vocabulary learning
When I first started teaching sixth-form, I was surprised at how many of these high-flier students admitted that they had spent very little time on learning the vocabulary for the weekly tests I gave during GCSE. The shock, then, of the volume of vocabulary learning was huge, and every year I have pupils who struggle to get to grips with this.
Of course, much comes down to the structure of the teaching and homework tasks set, so this is where the teacher planning comes in. I try to diferentiate in my planning between "core" vocabulary and "nice-to-use" add-ons. I still think the core vocabulary is worth teaching actively, and there are many ways to do it. Breaking words down (especially in German), matching the definitions, Call-my-bluff style guess the definition, looking at all the words associated with one verb (prefixes, suffixes, nouns, adjectives), using key words to describe a picture. Once you have done a listening or a reading text, it is important that the pupils actively use the language from that text - cloze text, translation, match the 2 halves of the sentences, free-range speaking activities. This will help to cement much of the learning, but I find that there is still a need for learning - especially when it comes to genders, plurals, irregular verbs.
Helping pupils structure this is important, and the "learning conversation" I find needs to be revisited to keep the momentum going, and to help those students struggling. Some students really get into quizlet.com and make their own sets, especially if they have a tedious commute by public transport. Others use spreadsheets, some simply keep lists.
I'm not a fan of lists that have no rhyme or reason to them - I don't think they help students focus their efforts. We use a word bank template divided into nouns, verbs, adjectives/adverbs and useful phrases. This also has the benefit of making them look for words other than nouns, as a non-directed search for vocabulary seems to end up simply being a big list of nouns at the expense of everything else.
Generating a buzz and curiosity
I am often astounded at the number of pupils who come into sixth-form who think that after one trip to Germany and a good grade at GCSE means that they have this German thing all sewn up - that they have this thing sussed and apart from getting better at German, they have nothing else to learn. This is by no means the majority, but I do get more than I would wish for.
So - what to do? This is where edmodo.com has come into its own. It allows the teachers, and importantly the students to share videos and websites that they come across, and it allows us to generate a bit of a buzz. It takes a while before the students want to put their heads above the parapet, but with encouragement, they will. We start the topic of advertising next week, and it is always a good one for beginning the sharing process.
We also do weekly scrapbooks, an idea which I know quite a few schools use. The pupils have to find an article of their own choosing, look up the vocabulary which is new, and summarise it. I have also started asking the pupils to post their choice of article onto Edmodo.
Speaking skills
Speaking - ah. I think students used to large groups suddenly feel rather exposed in smaller groups, and with the amount of grammar thrown their way, it can leave them tongue-tied. This needn't be the case, and there is much to be said for adapting the strategies we use in earlier years. Group talk? perfect! Speaking bingo? perfect! Speaking mats for debates? Why not?
In the early days, it is about getting them to enjoy the speaking. If we let them get too hung up on accuracy, they will never speak!
In the next post, I'm going to consider essay-writing *groan*
Essay writing skills
Getting them involved with younger pupils
Vocabulary learning
When I first started teaching sixth-form, I was surprised at how many of these high-flier students admitted that they had spent very little time on learning the vocabulary for the weekly tests I gave during GCSE. The shock, then, of the volume of vocabulary learning was huge, and every year I have pupils who struggle to get to grips with this.
Of course, much comes down to the structure of the teaching and homework tasks set, so this is where the teacher planning comes in. I try to diferentiate in my planning between "core" vocabulary and "nice-to-use" add-ons. I still think the core vocabulary is worth teaching actively, and there are many ways to do it. Breaking words down (especially in German), matching the definitions, Call-my-bluff style guess the definition, looking at all the words associated with one verb (prefixes, suffixes, nouns, adjectives), using key words to describe a picture. Once you have done a listening or a reading text, it is important that the pupils actively use the language from that text - cloze text, translation, match the 2 halves of the sentences, free-range speaking activities. This will help to cement much of the learning, but I find that there is still a need for learning - especially when it comes to genders, plurals, irregular verbs.
Helping pupils structure this is important, and the "learning conversation" I find needs to be revisited to keep the momentum going, and to help those students struggling. Some students really get into quizlet.com and make their own sets, especially if they have a tedious commute by public transport. Others use spreadsheets, some simply keep lists.
I'm not a fan of lists that have no rhyme or reason to them - I don't think they help students focus their efforts. We use a word bank template divided into nouns, verbs, adjectives/adverbs and useful phrases. This also has the benefit of making them look for words other than nouns, as a non-directed search for vocabulary seems to end up simply being a big list of nouns at the expense of everything else.
Generating a buzz and curiosity
I am often astounded at the number of pupils who come into sixth-form who think that after one trip to Germany and a good grade at GCSE means that they have this German thing all sewn up - that they have this thing sussed and apart from getting better at German, they have nothing else to learn. This is by no means the majority, but I do get more than I would wish for.
So - what to do? This is where edmodo.com has come into its own. It allows the teachers, and importantly the students to share videos and websites that they come across, and it allows us to generate a bit of a buzz. It takes a while before the students want to put their heads above the parapet, but with encouragement, they will. We start the topic of advertising next week, and it is always a good one for beginning the sharing process.
We also do weekly scrapbooks, an idea which I know quite a few schools use. The pupils have to find an article of their own choosing, look up the vocabulary which is new, and summarise it. I have also started asking the pupils to post their choice of article onto Edmodo.
Speaking skills
Speaking - ah. I think students used to large groups suddenly feel rather exposed in smaller groups, and with the amount of grammar thrown their way, it can leave them tongue-tied. This needn't be the case, and there is much to be said for adapting the strategies we use in earlier years. Group talk? perfect! Speaking bingo? perfect! Speaking mats for debates? Why not?
In the early days, it is about getting them to enjoy the speaking. If we let them get too hung up on accuracy, they will never speak!
In the next post, I'm going to consider essay-writing *groan*
Essay writing skills
Getting them involved with younger pupils
Sunday, 15 June 2014
MFL show and tell York 2014 - afternoon sessions
The theme of the afternoon for me was speaking, or rather, getting the kids to speak.
First up, Dominic McGladdery on low-tech ideas for encouraging speaking.
His first, and crucial point was TEACH EM PHONICS. They need to be able to de-code the letters they have in front of them. He gave various ideas for places to go for ideas: languages without limits is a great starting point, and I love their strap line
There is also lightbulb languages, previously MFL Sunderland resources. Suzi Bewell wrote a 10 minute guide to phonics to be found here.
First up, Dominic McGladdery on low-tech ideas for encouraging speaking.
His first, and crucial point was TEACH EM PHONICS. They need to be able to de-code the letters they have in front of them. He gave various ideas for places to go for ideas: languages without limits is a great starting point, and I love their strap line
If we fail to teach phonics, we are condemning many of our learners
to be quasi-dyslexic in the foreign language. | ||
One great tip: 1-15 has most sounds that beginner learners need. After a few years of teaching no French, I will be back teaching French in September, and the thought of tackling French phonics is daunting, but this is something I'm going to follow-up.
Here's a quick list of other things to try:
Suzi Bewell presented the possibilities for combining both listening, speaking, reading and writing using Sonocent.com's Audio Notetaker software. The presentation, which explains it more eloquently than me is here.
Finally an tip for apps, thanks to @misstdunne and @GermanistGLS: Vocab battle. Battle it out on your phones via bluetooth. The winner gets to put stickers onto your opponent's photo.
Finally, thank you for such a great day. Lots to think about - just as well the summer hols are coming up soon ;-)
Here's a quick list of other things to try:
- Get the pupils to think about the phonics - how about venn diagrams? For German, one side would be "ie", the other side "ei".
- How about words that rhyme?
- Tongue twisters
- rhyming dictionaries - this website has many different languages - fantastic!
- Describe the picture
- Spot the difference
- puppets - especially for shy pupils, or better still, masks from poundland. Dom described the fun to be had with Alan Sugar or Simon Cowell masks. Pupils may be reluctant to argue, but once they take on these personas, there's no stopping them!
- Hats are also great.
- Dice can also be used in many different ways to select what the pupils talk about
- Cluedo
- Dom also told us about blogs by Jose Picardo who sets out how to podcast and use audacity.
Suzi Bewell presented the possibilities for combining both listening, speaking, reading and writing using Sonocent.com's Audio Notetaker software. The presentation, which explains it more eloquently than me is here.
Finally an tip for apps, thanks to @misstdunne and @GermanistGLS: Vocab battle. Battle it out on your phones via bluetooth. The winner gets to put stickers onto your opponent's photo.
Finally, thank you for such a great day. Lots to think about - just as well the summer hols are coming up soon ;-)
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