Newsletter
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Autumn Term 2007
Welcome to the new look MFL newsletter. In order to promote continuity
and increase cross phase awareness and collaboration, we are issuing the
same newsletter to both primary and secondary schools. Our aim is to provide
as much practical support as possible to schools in developing best MFL
practice to pupils of all ages.
European Day of Languages
On Wednesday 26th September 2007 a hugely successful festival of Primary Languages took place at the Hertfordshire Development Centre to celebrate the European Day of Languages. Bunting and display lent an international and bright atmosphere to the day. Mike Ullmann, teacher of the year 2005-06, delivered the keynote speech, sharing his passion for languages and internationalism. Delegates were inspired by workshops and live lessons presented by the County’s language colleges and Kate Beaumont of Summercroft School, who is currently on a one day per week secondment as a Primary Languages consultant. They also had the opportunity to look at a range of resources at a publishers’ fair throughout the morning. The language colleges had previously collaborated on a Primary Languages toolkit of resources and ideas which was given out on the day. A buffet lunch with an international flavour was served and in the afternoon pupils enjoyed pains au chocolat. The day ended with a superbly performed multi-lingual take on Snow White performed by Year 13 students from Dame Alice Owen’s School. This was much appreciated by the primary pupils and teachers, one commenting on what a fantastic model this presented for the younger pupils. The primary pupils came from Almond Hill School in Stevenage and St Helen’s and Beech Hyde Schools in Wheathampstead.
Across the County, many schools celebrated the European Day of Languages. At Berrygrove Primary and Nursery School in Watford, each class organised different activities including food tasting and language tester sessions guided by Queens' Secondary School and participated in a competition designing a poster to celebrate multi-lingualism.
How did you celebrate the European Day of Languages? Please e-mail nicholas.nesbitt-larking@hertscc.gov.uk (primary schools) or sheila.ball@hertscc.gov.uk (secondary schools) with any news.
Go to www.cilt.org.uk/edl/ for information on past EDLs and ideas and resources for next year’s EDL on Friday 26th September 2008.
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MFL/ICTAC Teacher-Led Development Work Group (TLDW) 2006-07
Congratulations to all of those MFL practitioners who were part of last year’s HertsCam MFL/ICTAC TLDW. The group included teachers from both primary and secondary phases. They carried out enquiry based development work in the following areas:
Michelle Deroe - How does marking of work motivate students in Y9 Spanish to improve and progress?
Simon King - Integrating the Spanish curriculum into a Y4/5 class
Nathalie Luquet - Introduction of MFL in Primary Schools
Frank Stegner - How can we structure the process in preparing Y12 students for the AS oral exam?
As part of the programme, they also presented their work at the annual July conference at Hertfordshire Development Centre alongside a hundred other teachers. They have worked extremely hard and made an impact both on their own students and colleagues. We wish them all the very best for the future. To find out more about their work, details will be on the good practice website of the grid very soon. Alternatively, contact sheila.ball@hertscc.gov.uk
3,2,1 Action
Thanks to Jon Meier (AST) who has produced a DVD of good practice collaborating with teachers in St Albans. The DVD contains clips focusing on the following areas:
Starters
Sequencing lessons
Copies of the DVD are £5 and available from Jon Meier. If interested please contact him and send cheques including your name and postal details to Jon Meier Verulam School Brampton Rd St Albans AL1 4PR. Alternatively you can email him: jon.meier@verulam.herts.sch.uk
Primary Language Support
Training for those schools not yet started with languages will continue to be offered next year, as will
training for those schools with existing provision looking for ideas to move on and develop towards
greater sustainability. Training will also be offered in practical ideas for languages in the classroom
and beyond, ICT and languages and subject leadership. The Hertfordshire Regional Support Group
will continue to offer twilights throughout the year in different locations. Please look out for flyers on
our Primary Languages training. The upskilling programme has been expanded, with the MFL
departments of the seven language colleges and Barnwell, Broxbourne and Knights Templar
delivering the training. CILT offers a variety of courses for primary teachers, including some funded
courses abroad.
For further information go to:
In School Support
We are pleased to welcome Kate Beaumont from Summercroft
School in Bishop’s Stortford onto the PNS team on a one day per
week secondment as a Primary Languages consultant from
September 2007 to April 2008.
Caroline Herring, Primary Languages AST, will continue to support
schools in building their capacity for sustainable language delivery
from September 2009.
Support from both Kate and Caroline is being offered on a phased
area basis. Schools will be contacted with further details of this
support and we will do all we can to meet schools’ needs within the
work capacity of Kate and Caroline.
Nick Nesbitt-Larking will continue to make initial visits to discuss
The KS2 Framework for Languages
and the Junior European Language
Portfolio
Part 3 of the Framework has now been published. You can
order this from the DCSF on 0845 60 222 60 ref:
1721-2005DCD-EN
The Junior European Language Portfolio is a freely
downloadable resource for recording a pupil’s achievements
and progress in languages. It offers:
• a means of celebrating language-learning and intercultural
experiences
• an open-ended record of children’s achievements in languages;
• a valuable source of information to aid transfer to the next class
or school.
You can download it at:
Primary Languages
Training Zone
The recently launched training zone
offers valuable support for primary
languages mplementation with lots
of video clips of language teaching
in action and other resources. Go
to:
Funding
There has been an increase in
funding for 2007-08 which will be
devolved to schools with a KS2
intake shortly. There is a growing
range of good materials, specifically
designed to support non-specialist
primary teachers. A selection of
these can be found at:
For a more comprehensive list, go
to the Nacell database at:
Resources
Comenius 2 offers grants to fund in-service overseas European training for
teachers and support staff delivering MFL in primary and secondary schools.
Courses usually last from one to four weeks and are a great opportunity to
develop skills and confidence in your chosen language.
Every year the Goethe-Institut offers further training grants to German
language teachers and trainers to participate in residential German
language courses in Germany. Apply now!
is an online bookstore
specialising in foreign
language literature.
A real treasure trove of
second hand, remaindered
and new novels and
storybooks for all ages.
This year’s Chinese Speaking Competition will take place on
Thursday 28th February at London’s V&A Museum. The event is
supported by the HSBC Global Education Trust and will form part of
the CHINA NOW festival. Delegates from the winning school will have
the opportunity to travel to China at Easter.
Succeed in Languages offer a range of courses and seminars, held in
London, for teachers wishing to improve their language skills. For
further information please contact Liz@succeedinlanguages.com
Charles de Gaulle Bursary Scheme (wendy.waring@britishcouncil.org)
With a closing date of 31st January 2008, apply now for bursaries worth up to £1000 for students
aged 17-19 to do a study project in France.
Primary Language Central Training: Spring 2008
For all enquiries, please contact Sandra.Penstone-Smith@hertscc.gov.uk or
telephone 01582 830303
Getting Started with Primary Languages at KS2 -
(full day, supply provided)
27th February
Moving on with Primary Languages at KS2 -
(full day, supply provided)
4th February,
6th March
Practical Ideas for Primary Languages -
(half day, supply provided)
15th January,
24th January
Smart Notebook for Primary Languages -
(half day subsidised course, no supply)
20th February
Regional Support Group twilight sessions are also running throughout the
term.
Look out for flyers!
The KS2 Framework for Languages
This document offers practical guidance on expectations, outcomes and progression
at Key Stage 2.
Part two provides strategic advice for primary schools on implementing languages,
and how secondary schools can adapt their KS3 MFL provision to support transition.
A hard copy of the Framework is being sent out to every Key Stage 2 and Key
Stage 3 provider and should be with you in the new year.
Secondary MFL Support
QCA Key Stage 2 Scheme of Work for Languages
The QCA has produced new schemes of work for KS2 French, German and Spanish which are related
clearly to the KS2 Framework for Languages. They are advisory rather than statutory documents and
schools can adapt them for their own purposes. Units 1-12 (for years 3 and 4) were published in the
summer term 2007. Units 13-24 (for years 5 and 6) will be trialled over 2007/08 and finalised in
the summer term 2008. The French scheme has also been published in hard copy. The German and
Spanish schemes are due to be published in both hard copy and online later this year.
The Teacher's guide and new French scheme of work are available to download from the QCA
website:
Strategic Learning
Networks (SLNs)
With funding from the DfES, six SLNs have
been established in Hertfordshire.
In July, 36 teachers were invited to a session
at HDC where Barry Jones, our regional trainer
for this initiative, kicked off the afternoon with
some interactive MFL teaching strategies.
The objective of the SLNs is to support ongoing developments through collaborative
working in the current climate which is seeing
significant changes in MFL. SLNs are based in
the areas shown on the right and have chosen
these themes to focus upon. Some networks
are secondary based and others include
practitioners from both primary, secondary and
special schools.We would like to congratulate
all of you who are involved with these
networks, particularly Kate Muscroft, Michelle
Deroe, Rose Oliva, Caroline Lewis, Jon Meier
and Paul Parker for your hard work so far.
J
ackie Rayment and Sheila Ball will be
supporting the SLNs as they carry out their
work. The intention is that the outcomes of
their work will be able to be shared throughout
Hertfordshire as a whole.
We also hope that this model of collaborative
working will be sustainable. If you are
interested in being involved next year please
contact sheila.ball@hertscc.gov.uk
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Bishop's Stortford |
- to develop first year language learners’
use of oral language in a creative way (by
producing a 3 minute film)
- to share strategies for teaching specific
points of grammar to first year language
learners, to raise their level of accuracy and
subsequently, their independence to
manipulate language.
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Hertford |
- to develop French speaking skills in
Year 6 in preparation for Year 7
- to introduce writing activities in Year 6 |
Hitchin |
- strategies to motivate pupils with
different language backgrounds and abilities
with a particular emphasis on oral language.
-strategies to differentiate effectively for
both SEN and G+T pupils |
Hoddesden |
- to increase quantity and quality of pupil
use of target language at KS3 |
St Albans |
- thinking skills + extending language &
differentiation
- promote Assessment for learning |
Stevenage |
- teaching and learning strategies for
Speaking and Listening, with a particular
focus on Key Stage 3.
- to establish links with feeder primary
schools to build on the work done under the
KS2 Languages strategy and ensure a
smooth transition form KS2 to KS3 in MFL |
Consultancy
Jackie Rayment experienced MFL assistant adviser for the past 5 years is available for tailored
support. She can offer advice, training or coaching in the following areas:
* HOD support (eg SEF, leadership issues, OfSTED, SoW, mentoring, raising profile of faculty)
* Support for NQTs
* Teaching and Learning development (eg Assessment for Learning, motivation, engaging boys)
* Positive behaviour management
Please contact Jackie through Lin Goucher if you would like to discuss any possible support either
for the whole department or for an individual:
lin.goucher@hertscc.gov.uk
Voting Systems
Excellent tools for assessment, recording data and engaging
the learners. There is a section on the HGfL on
which the e-developments adviser, Chris Carter gives an
overview of Voting Systems and there are some case
studies to read too. This can be found at:
There are loan sets which are usually lent to a school for
a half-term period. In return the school is asked to write a
short report on how they used the system, what was effective,
what wasn't. This is then published on the HGfL
to help inform other schools. All the voting systems are
currently booked up until this Autumn half-term but if you
are interested in a loan, one could be arranged for subsequent
periods. As they are very popular and will soon
be booked up contact Chris Carter soon to avoid disappointment.
Alternatively he can arrange a quick demo of
a system, either atHerts Development Centre or at your
school. Class sets are around £1500 and upwards to
purchase. However if you are a technology college, this
may be a useful purchase for all the school to share!
chris.carter@hertscc.gov.uk
eTwinning
If you don’t already have one, you can now
find yourself an overseas partner school by
using the eTwinning site
(www.etwinning.org.uk/). You can then
video-conference with them using Flashmeeting
- a FREE resource from E2BN. All
you need is a webcam and an up-to-date
broadband enabled computer at each end
of the conference. It's easy to set up and
use. For further information contact Chris
Carter and I will happily advise anyone who
wants to give this a go.
Contacts
MFL newsletter contacts:
Primary MFL: Nicholas Nesbitt-Larking nicholas.nesbitt-larking@hertscc.gov.uk
Secondary MFL: Sheila Ball sheila.ball@hertscc.gov.uk
Standards and School Effectiveness
Hertfordshire Development Centre, Butterfield Road, Wheathampstead, AL4 8PY
Telephone: 01582 830352
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