Each class asked considered what the features of a good lesson are and ideas were shared so that each school identified the top 5 things for their students. The list from each school was as follows:
Pershore
Activities such as quizzes and games used regularly
Ability to make spoken contact with native speakers of the language e.g SKYPE
Variety of different activities in each lesson
Use of ICT and other new technology in lessons
Opportunity to sing songs in a foreign language to develop skills
Finland
Activities such as quizzes and games used regularly
Use of ICT, i-pads and other new technology in lessons
Range of different skills practised in each lesson (L, R, S, W)
Less focus on study book subjects and a greater concentration on ‘themes’ that are relevant to them and their lives
Students get own text books where they can underline and write - no recycled text books
Germany
Teacher speaks the foreign language as often as possible
Vocabulary training at the beginning of every lesson
Memorizing words as part of an extended phrase
Acting role plays
Vocabulary competition and games
Sweden
We look at films with audio in the MFL but with Swedish subtitles.
We work in peer groups
We play games on the iPad or
We sing and look at videos in the MFL
The teacher gives a short introduction to each lesson
Ounsdale
Activities such as quizzes and games used regularly
Able to communicate with “real “ people eg SKYPE or email
Use of ICT
Cultural aspects of learning eg food etc
Topics which are relevant to students
Ideas from all five schools were then shared and a list of 7most important features of MFL lessons was identified:
Top 7 things from our Partnership
- Activities such as quizzes and games used regularly to practise vocabulary
- Able to communicate with “real“ people eg SKYPE or email
- Variety of different activities/skills practised in each lesson
- Use of ICT and other new technology in lessons
- Opportunity to sing songs in a foreign language to develop skills
- Topics which are relevant to students
- Working in groups, for example to do role plays
The next phase of this activity is for students in each school to identify which of these things actually happen in their MFL lessons. This will allow teachers to consider different strategies they can use which might help their students learn more effectively. For details of each school's results, please see the schools' individual blog pages.