My Pedagogic Journey

I started teaching MFL: French and Spanish in 2000.  Previously, I had completed a PGCE where I was taught all the "tricks" to teach languages under the Communicative Approach umbrella. The teaching sequence, then, was divided in three clear stages: Introduction of vocabulary (via old fashioned flashcards), practice of this vocabulary and production. Grammar was introduced, inductively, and the production stage should include as many communicative activities as possible to make learning the language purposeful. The intention of this approach was clear and I taught MFL in this way for a few years very successfully, indeed!  However, there was not clear guidance on how we could pass from the practice stage to the production level, while grammar was a big taboo, as well as translation! 

Avoiding direct translation activities was a big problem for me. Until you master a language, isn't translation the force?  It was definitely for me, as a linguist! I ignored this "phobia" of the Communicative Approach and I based my teaching on a strong translation foundation. I remember that as PGCE student I was observed by linguist Ernesto Macaro, from Oxford University, and he admitted that my lesson did not follow the Communicative Approach but it was outstanding and extremely effective, based, mainly, on translation tasks. This increased my confidence.

After a couple of years, I noticed that high achievers always did well in MFL.  However, lower ability students tended to not like languages and could not put vocabulary + grammatical rules into practice spontaneously, so they could hardly ever achieve the Production stage.  Also, I noticed that most high flyers could hardly speak Spanish freely!  By impulse, I started introducing "chunks" in my teaching, normally, the "I form" of different verbs (in different tenses) + direct object + reasons. Students would learn these by heart after lots, lots of practice in lessons: oral repetition and many, many games (my Communicative Approach legacy) based on translation, I noticed that all students started feeling confident, could speak in a given topic and use a range of tenses after just a few weeks.  Grammar would come afterwards!  

I started incorporating, then, thinking skills elements in my lessons.  At that point I had attended a wonderful CPD course led by Barry Smith who changed my teaching career forever. I remember that he told us how adolescents went from lessons where they were required to put into practice high order thinking skills and answer big questions, such as, does God exist? in a RS lesson, to repeating for 20 minutes after a flashcard "J'ai un lapin".  No wonder, they did hate MFL!! How boring! it was insulting!  However, their linguistic level would not allow them to discuss big questions, only in Y11 and at Alevel we can start doing so! What could we do, without resorting to English and making MFL a General Studies subject?  The answer was to make them think! To make the learning of MFL a positive challenge where they had to think, Barry talked about the power of translation (Yes!), use of initials, learning chunks and carrying out activities that did not insult our students's intelligence by repeating "J'ai un chien" for 20 minutes!

I combined these two visions: use of chunks and thinking skills and started creating my lesson sequences based on these. I would still use the structure: Introduction (now of chunks), Practice (now, controlled production based on lots of retrieval practice, powerful questioning and use of games and competitions aimed to memorise and assimilate the chunks), Production (now, creative production where grammar was explored and most students started to manipulate the language freely). Some weaker students could hardly master the production stage but all felt confident and most of my students would enjoy MFL.  

This formula has worked for me beautifully, and it is complemented by a wide range of extracurricular programme, based on exchanges, trips abroad, eTwinning projects and cultural aspects, such as use of film or music.

Later on, it was wonderful to read The Language Gym blog, by Gianfranco Conti, as he institutionalised under the EARS MARS approach and the use of Sentence Builders, what I was doing in an instinctive and  unstructured way. Gianfranco's approach, as well as Parallel Texts and Teaching and Learning big theorists such as Rosenshine, inspired my teaching for the best and I started using explicit Sentence Builders, modelling and explicitly interleaving content in SoWs.

What you will find here, is the product of this pedagogical 20 years' journey! What has worked for me, my reflections and my resources. The journey is far from complete as I learn everyday, especially, during this academic year and the Covid "lock-down", which has shaken my teaching, for the best, and has allowed me to meet, albeit virtually, some of the best MFL teachers in the UK and beyond!  Thank you!