Teaching and learning MFL
Target language
Papers & recommended reading | Editorial reviews | Tasks for trainees
Focus
In order sufficiently to address the learner's needs, it is imperative
the MFL teacher considers the use of the target language within his/her
classroom. Key questions arise around expectations of teacher and pupil
performance, competence-based confidence, circumstances of, and opportunities
for, use, and purpose.
As a consequence of undertaking study in this area, it is hoped student teachers emerge with a clear and purposeful rationale for their own use of the target language within their classroom, and appropriate expectations of their pupils' performance, behaviour and levels of motivation. It is imperative that student teachers consider aspects of approaches which encourage increasingly independent use of the target language, and facilitate pupils’ use of language for their own purposes. This may involve close scrutiny during task selection or design of the levels of accuracy required to enable fluent and motivated pupil production, and identification and discrete teaching of the language of interaction during learning AND assessment, as well as the language of topical study.
Study of this topic has the potential to address aspects of the following wide range of QTS standards, depending on the trainer’s particular emphases:
| Professional attributes | |
| Relationships with children and young
people |
Q1, Q2 |
| Frameworks |
Q3 (b) |
| Communicating
and working with others |
Q4, |
| Personal professional development | Q7, Q8, Q9 |
| Professional knowledge and understanding | |
| Teaching and learning |
Q10 |
| Assessment and monitoring | Q11, Q12 |
| Subjects and curriculum |
Q14, Q15 |
| Literacy, numeracy and ICT |
Q17 |
| Achievement
and diversity |
Q18, Q19 |
| Professional skills | |
| Planning | Q22, Q23, Q24 |
| Teaching | Q25 (a) (b) (c) (d) |
| Assessing, monitoring and giving feedback | Q27, Q28 |
| Reviewing teaching and learning | Q29 |
| Learning environment | Q30, Q31 |
Tasks for trainees
Group discussions
How do you YOU maximise the use of target language in your classroom?
Do your pupils have good reasons to use the target language in your classroom?
How well are the pupils in your classroom MOTIVATED by the language tasks provided by the text books?
When is it admissible to / When SHOULD you use the 'mother' tongue / L1?
Observation focus
Focus on the teacher's 'managerial' language. Which language does he/she
use for:
• organising the class?
• giving activity instructions?
• conducting activities?
• commenting on pupils' performance?
• correcting behaviour
Check your planning
Rehearse the opening phase of one of your lessons in the target language.
In front of a mirror is a good idea!
Can you limit what you say to the bare minimum, supporting your TL with
mime and big, highly visible gestures?
List what language you expect pupils to be able to understand, and what
language you expect them to be able to produce. Decide specifically when
you'll use English and when the target language, and script your utterances
in both languages.
Can you identify, in any one lesson, target language that you may be using to facilitate an activity, or that you require pupils to use, that is not part of the language studied? Have you planned to teach this language of ‘interaction’ as thoroughly as the language of the ‘topic’?
