What's happening in MFL?

Too much, I hear you say! Below is a quick update and timeline for what is happening in MFL currently...



Sept 09 - New Secondary Curriculum has been introduced in Years 7 & 8.
- The Revised KS3 Framework will have been published.
- Revised National Curriculum Levels circulated.
- New GCSE courses start with change of emphasis (30% Speaking and Writing).
2 skills short course available
- First year of new A2.
- Next 5 Diplomas on line (including Business)


Sept 2010 - New Secondary Curriculum in Years 7, 8, 9
- Next 5 Diplomas (including Travel & Tourism)

Sept 2011 - New Primary curriculum starts
- Languages, Humanities and Science Diplomas start.

Authentic resources

If you are searching for authentic resources to help you with cross-curricular subjects, including the environment, the website below will hopefully be of help. It has been created for Candian schools and I believe that some of the resources are truly excellent:
http://www.in-terre-actif.com/fr/index.php

IBO

If you are introducing IB (16-19) in your school, please feel free to get in touch. St John's will be starting its third year of IB delivery come September.

CLIL

Interested in Content and Language Integrated Learning? Not quite sure what it is? There are now a number of schools across the country who are experimenting with delivering whole subject areas at KS3 in a Modern Foreign Language - immersion. Chenderit School in Northamptonshire is one such school. This link takes you to a video case study:
http://www.all-nsc.org.uk/nsc/?q=node/94

You could also google Willink School in Berkshire & Elliott School, London to see what they are doing on their webpages.

Schools embark on CLIL in order to engage and challenge learners, to raise expectations, to use language for real purpose, to develop different kinds of language and to develop language learning skills, among several other things. If you are considering starting on a smaller scale, the links to the resource banks below will hopefully give you access to plenty of materials to encourage you and to start you off...
http://clil4teachers.pbwiki.com/Resource-bank

Just choose a subject area and follow the links.

http://www.all-nsc.org.uk/nsc/?q=node/37

Happy working!

SLN update 2009

The face of the SLN is changing, but not disappearing altogether! For the last 2 years, 3 SLN have run across Wiltshire: West Wilts led by Jenny Coldwell at Clarendon College; North Wilts led by Dave Wicks at The John Bentley School and South Wilts led by me at St John's. The number of SLN running nationally has been reduced but we have just heard that we have been successful in our bid to one run SLN for all Wiltshire Secondary Schools. The first meeting of 2009-10 will be held at The John Bentley School: 'ICT as a tool to motivate and support literacy skills'; in Feb 2010 Clarendon College will host: 'Sharing of ideas and experiences of other MFL courses to encourage uptake of MFL at KS4'; and St John's will host a final meeting: 'Developing tasks to extend speaking and writing skills, with a particular focus on Year 9'.

We are delighted that the new bid was successful and look forward to seeing you at one of these meetings in the new year.