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Lesson plan: KS3/4 MFL – creating better sentences
Controlled writing assessments are soon to be a thing of the past; is this cause for a sigh of relief or a reason to rethink your career…
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Lesson plan: KS3/4 MFL – teach grammar with cake
It is a controversial topic: is the Jaffa Cake a biscuit or is it a cake? I am sure you have your own opinion; your students definitely…
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Give teens a reason to study a language
Language uptake in secondary schools has been steadily on the decline since it became non compulsory at GCSE. Numbers at ‘A’ level are…
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The power of performance across the curriculum
It’s a curious dichotomy we live with when it comes to the notion of performance, I think. On the one hand it feels like every other young…
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Why we need to raise the profile of MFL
Having taught languages in England for over 30 years I have seen many changes, worked with and observed superb teachers, and experienced…
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New Ways To Teach MFL
In 2001, 78% of KS3 pupils took a modern foreign language at GCSE. By 2010 this was down to 43%, and yet many people agree that in today’s…
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Using NLP to teach MFL
Neuro-linguistic programming was developed in the 70s by two University of California academics, John Grinder and Richard Bandler. They had…
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Teaching MFL at KS3
The new National Curriculum for Languages at KS3 (and KS2, for that matter) might appear quite daunting at first glance – but in fact, it…
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Lesson plan: KS4 English – a modern approach to Shakespeare
Why Teach This? This engaging lesson blends a number of strategies I’ve been exploring this year, which focus on developing thinking…
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Lesson plan: KS3 English- inclusive ways to improve creative writing
Why teach this? Inclusivity is a vital element of all teaching, of course – but instead of considering ‘differentiation’, why not try…
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How reading for pleasure can boost achievement
Secondary school students who read for pleasure perform significantly better at school than other students. That was the finding of a…
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Lesson plan: KS3 MFL – making grammar fun
Teaching grammar in an interesting and effective way is one of the trickiest tasks for MFL teachers. How can we encourage our students to…
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Lesson plan: KS4 English – self-improvement through self-editing
The definition of impatient according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary is ‘having or showing a tendency to be quickly irritated or…
