Teaching and learning MFL
Target language
Papers & recommended reading | Editorial reviews | Tasks for traineesBack on target: repositioning
the status of target language in Modern Foreign Languages teaching and learning
(pdf document)
Meiring L. and Norman N. (2002) Language Learning Journal, 26,
pp 27-35
This paper looks into the proportion of target language used by teachers as well as learners in modern languages classes.
Target language use has been a major issue in modern languages teaching for many years, in particular since the introduction of GCSE in 1988 and of the National Curriculum a few years later.
After analysing the tensions between policy and research on the subject the authors look into issues concerning pupils and teachers’ TL use. They then proceed to give strategies for “judicious use” of the target language within the modern languages classroom.
Although the amount of target language that should be used in class is
the subject of a on-going debate, it is advocated that its complete ban
would be unwise. The authors end the paper by presenting a set of recommendations
to use as guidelines for TL use.
Remarques sur la langue
cible dans le secondaire (pdf
document)
Foster M. (1994) Language Learning Journal, 10, pp 22-23
This short article in French gives some practical ideas about how to encourage pupils to use the target language in the classroom.
Target language use is one of the main elements of the communicative approach in modern languages teaching and learning.
Encouraging pupils to use the target language for spoken communication is no easy task but creating an atmosphere which is conducive to its use, increasing the pupils’ motivation to take part in spoken exchanges, ensuring the authenticity of the participants and the activities, and providing the class with adequate tools and situations can trigger communication in the TL.
The main factor to increasing pupils’ use of the TL is to create the right
opportunities “pour libérer la parole”.
Promoting use of the target
language in the classroom (pdf document)
Chambers F. (1991) Language Learning Journal, 4, pp 27-31
This article describes practical ways to increase target language use for both teachers and pupils.
Both policy makers and teachers believe that the target language should be used as the medium for teaching and learning, but in practice its occurrence varies greatly from teacher to teacher and from class to class.
Different factors can influence positively TL use: the language to be used, the type of speaking activities, the choice of published material, the way comprehension work can take place without the use of English. The article gives plenty of ideas on how to proceed to increase teachers’ TL use and foster TL use amongst pupils too.
A careful, planned approach to TL use can really make a difference and
ensure its use as the main mean of communication will be optimised at all
times in the modern languages classroom.
Teaching in the target language:
problems and prospects (pdf document)
Franklin C.E.M. (1990) Language Learning Journal, 2, pp 20-24
The article analyses the results of a survey carried out in Scotland about teachers’ use of the target language in modern languages classes.
Target language use is a common issue in modern languages teaching. Even though most teachers believe using the target language is vital, many find it difficult to manage its use on a day-to-day basis.
The main reasons for this highlighted in this study are, amongst others: ability of pupils, class size and behaviour. Co-operative teaching is put forward as a possible solution, where the main teacher works alongside a learning support teacher, a foreign language assistant, a colleague or a university student.
The extra person provides “another pair of eyes and ears”, extra support
to pupils, and allows for more group and pair work as well as having a positive
influence on maintaining TL use during lessons.
Something to say: promoting spontaneous classroom talk
(book)
Harris, V., Burch, J. Jones, B., Darcy J. (2001), CILT
This book is a response to Ofsted reports that, despite the ‘communicative’ approach to MFL teaching, pupils’ speaking skills remain poor, and they do not show evidence of using language spontaneously or independently.
The book analyses the work of practising teachers in our UK classrooms, and provides a workshop type of approach so that the teacher or teaching teams might better draw from its lessons. Its action research basis provides credible exemplified approaches to the identified challenge; pupil reactions to strategies employed to extend and personalise their L2 use in the classroom are recorded, and serve to strongly justify moving beyond the ‘normal’ diet of transactional, topic-based language, the “object of instruction” towards interaction, that is the use of language as a “useful and exciting medium”. This development represents no discarding of the conventional elements of topics and drilling activities, but an extension of communicative principles in terms of pupil perceptions. This involves identifying the language of interaction, and teaching it on a progressive basis so that more challenging, exciting and appropriately rewarded activity types are possible to conduct via the target language; the classroom becomes to a greater degree the authentic environment in which the target language is the medium of communication. It means having more personalised end-of-unit goals, necessitating a flexible interpretation of schemes of work in order to provide more cognitively challenging final activities which are better matched to the pupils’ own purposes and lives.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle for teachers and their “grammatical agenda”
will be to accept that pure accuracy may not flourish. However, fluency
and motivation may render this a small price to pay, as one pupil in the
book suggests the sense of freedom that can result from extending the boundaries
of ‘communicativeness’:
“I’m not afraid now to make a mistake. It’s best to have a go, make a guess
and try things out; after all you’ve got nothing to lose.”
