alexblagona.co.uk

By the sea at Margate - Kent Transformation Network

2011-12-10T11:20:00.001Z

Early morning in Margate

It was a privilege to have been asked to present at the Kent Transformation Network on behalf of CILT and the CfBT this last Wednesday in a cold and blustery Margate. Despite the wind outside, that nearly swept many of us away, the buzz inside the wonderful Turner Contemporary Gallery was really good. Forty teachers from across Kent attended a number of workshops - my colleague from Suffolk Lara Townsend talked about ideas for providing a motivating and engaging Y9 curriculum. There was Jenny Carpenter, the languages adviser from Barking and Dagenham, presenting a session on how to create more autonomous language learners, Sharon Czudak on alternative forms of accreditation, Pete Spain looked at better use of listening resources in lessons, whilst Irene Wilkie ran a session on grammar, and Sue Short delivered a presentation on 'Developing a desire to read in the foreign language'. I was asked to provide a run down of useful websites and tools that can spice up MFL lessons. Trying to get though 30 or so ideas in 45 minutes was always a big ask, but I think I managed to just about pull it off.

Such a wide range of talks meant that there was enough to cater for everyone's interest, and it was great to catch up with some of the #mfltwitterati - the ever-growing band of Modern Language teachers who on twitter - they seem to be everywhere now!

Turner Contemporary

In the current climate where CPD opportunities are under financial pressure, and where schools are more reluctant to let staff have time off school, these sort of events are excellent methods of getting more information, meeting new colleagues and sharing new ideas with like minded people.

Exam boards still don't pass the test...

2011-12-08T11:02:00.001Z

Photo: comedy_nose

The recent allegations regarding examiners 'giving away' key information has provoked another outpouring of annoyance from many in the teaching profession. I seriously consider the examination system in this country to be discredited, mostly unaccountable, and more interested in making profit than trying to get the best out of our students, and upholding standards.

For one, does the country need so many different exam boards? The idea has, I suppose always been about choice. If we don't like what one board does, well we can switch to another. We changed boards a few years ago, feeling that our students would do better under a different organisation. Not that the discussion was not entirely around teaching and learning, but about which board would be fairer (and easier) for our students. In all honestly, these are not the sort of discussions schools should be having, but in the chase for the A*-C percentage, then it is only logical to weigh up one's options.

If we bemoan the standards that our students achieve, and their apparent lack of skills upon leaving school, I feel you can point the finger at teachers. Yep, it's our fault. It's our fault because we teach the students what they need to know to pass the exams, and have no time in the curriculum for anything else. Until the assessment changes, then this will carry on. How students can achieve A* or A at GCSE in a modern language, and yet still lack the grammatical understanding for AS Level is an outrage.

Of course, to help train (rather than teach) students to pass their exams, there are a number of useful strategies. First of all you invest in your course resources. A good text book is a start. It helps if you buy the text book that is "exclusively endorsed" by the exam board that your students are following. You can also attend the CPD workshops run by the exam board, for which schools have to pay, but then it's really important that we know all the hints and tips that the chief examiners can offer, isn't it? The fact of the matter is that the exams business is just that - a business, and there is money to be made from it - but is profit coming before standards? Maybe someone else can answer that question.

If we expect the best from our students, then surely we should have the same expectations of the examination bodies that assess them. As teachers we work hard, and at times under extreme pressure to prepare students for the GCSEs and A Levels, and we have a right to expect that the exams are marked fairly and consistently. The rise in the number of remarks (for which schools have to pay) would indicate that consistency is not being applied as it should. Why not? In modern languages I have been stunned by the differences between the marking in French and Spanish, often taught and moderated by the same teachers. Then you only have to look at exam papers that have errors on them. That is a disgrace which should never, ever happen.

I'm not a massive fan of Mr Gove's policies, but I welcome any review he orders into the awarding bodies, in the hope they get their house in order.

Is the 'reality' as bad as that?

2011-11-01T00:27:00.004Z

Over the weekend I was drawn by Chris Harte's post on twitter to John Bald's post on ConservativeHome.com in which he draws comparisons between Passmores Academy in Harlow and the Mossbourne Academy in Hackney. Frankly, I was stunned by both the tone of the article and the level of ignorance it portrays regarding modern comprehensive schooling. I'm not one to jump to knee-jerk reactions, so have waited a while to formulate a response.

The Channel 4 programme Educating Essex, considered by some to be either a reality show, or documentary, depending on your viewpoint, aims to give an insight into the lives of selected students at Passmores. Since the series started, it has been a conversation topic both in my staffroom, and at times in my classroom. The general consensus amongst my colleagues and my students is of how realistic it is, and how well it reflects the situations and problems faced by many students these days. It is very much filmed in an attempt to give a balanced portrayal of the difficult lives of teenagers, and the dedication, frustration, patience and endeavour shown by their teachers.

The point of the programme seems to have passed John Bald by.

"The pupils’ work rate in lessons we’ve seen has been far too slow, and their lack of commitment to or interest in their work pretty much constant."

In each episode, only a limited amount of time is spent actually in the lessons themselves, with the programme concentrating more on the story or issue of the student that features predominantly in that week's show. Bearing in mind that filming went on for a prolonged period of time, and that images of students working quietly in neat rows doesn't actually make for good television, I believe Mr Bald's comment to be ill-informed and naive with regards to how the media works.

"...the head sets a poor example with his slack tie, crumpled collar and occasional designer stubble."

Does a good teacher become a poor teacher depending on their choice of wardrobe? Should a teacher with tattoos be overlooked for a position in a school because they may be perceived by some to set a poor example?

"The tables are part of the problem. A pupil’s attention should be on his or her work or on the teacher – this does not happen if they raise their head and see another pupil opposite them, as this invites interaction between pupils rather than work."

Agreed. Pupils should concentrate in lessons. Pupils should also learn to work in groups, interact with each other, learn collaboratively, and learn with and from each other. My students sit in rows. They also sit in a horseshoe, in clusters of tables, or any way I see fit to challenge their learning and to promote interaction. Again, Mr Bald, you saw a snapshot of what was going on and made a huge assumption of the state of the pupils learning.

"Three per cent of Passmores pupils reached the Ebac standard last year."

This is compared to 0% of pupils at Eton or Harrow. I appreciate that Eton study the IGCSE, but these don't count for the EBacc either.

"Most of the pupils at Passmores do not hate school or education, or even dislike them. They are just indifferent, and see school work an interference with their social life, which revolves around cliques."

Considering that the programme focuses on Year 11 pupils, and at best we come face to face with 20 of them, using the term 'most' is a huge sweeping generalisation.

"Ofsted failed Passmores pupils by rating this school as outstanding, despite evidence of significant weaknesses in the demands made by teachers..."

The Ofsted inspection of Passmores says "...students' enjoyment of school is outstanding, confirmed by what parents and students told inspectors..." Whilst Mr Bald believes that the inspectors are missing failings in the school, the views of the major stakeholders would tend to counteract this claim. Ofsted go on to say that "...there are high expectations of what most students will achieve...questions asked by teachers are of an unusually high quality..."

So not only does John Bald disagree with the management style and teaching that goes on at Passmores Academy, he also finds fault with the inspectors that graded the school as outstanding. Teaching has moved on, standing at the front of the class and talking at pupils might work for some, but won't work for the majority. I won't argue the fact that there are significant failings in the education system, but I dismiss his cynical view of a school based on at most 5 hours viewing. That's even less time than an inspector would spend in a school. Today's teachers are more caring, patient, sympathetic than they have ever been. It's not my job to defend Passmores, but more to stand up against a generalisation and lack of balance that would shame my A-Level students. I wonder what the Ofsted inspection was like for Waterloo Road.

ILILC2 - Preparing for the learners of the future!

2011-10-03T18:25:00.001Z

Still filled with the great buzz that was last week's MFL Show and Tell at Cramlington Learning Village, it's already time to start thinking about another big languages event, taking place in Southampton in the New Year (25-26 February to be precise). Organised by Languages South East, ILILC aims to bring together modern languages teachers from across the UK and give them the opportunity to learn, share, get to know other MFL teachers, sample new resources, and get hands on training on the latest technological advances that can enhance pupils learning experience. The first get together (I won't use the word conference - it certainly felt a lot more informal and sociable than that!) was last February, and that event saw the University of Southampton full of delegates who were keen to develop. Technology in MFL seems to polarise opinion at present, where many colleagues' fear of Web 2.0, and a reluctance to break beyond the confines of PowerPoint are leading to many teachers reverting to 'old school' resource building and preparation. Contrast that with the next generation of teacher coming in the profession, who are already blogging, have a full presence on social media platforms, and for whom Web 2.0 is now the norm. This event promises to offer something new for teachers at all levels, from the seasoned pro to the technofool, and again, unlike other events, delegates will be able to participate fully in the sessions, ask lots of questions, and in many cases get to actually have a go (and a play) with much of what comes their way.

So as opportunities like this don't come around to often, I suggest you check out the website and book yourself a place!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Showing and telling in the north east!

2011-09-25T08:40:00.001Z

This weekend saw the a very northern show and tell event organised at Cramlington Learning Village in the north east of England - a town even further north than Newcastle.

Organised by Chris Harte, this unconference brought together lots of teachers from not just the north-east, but across the country to share ideas and tips to help in our teaching, and also the pupils experience in learning a language.

The format of the day allowed willing volunteers to step forward for up to 10 minutes to talk about a teaching and learning idea, a resource, or a useful hint or tip. This was the first one I had been to, and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last.

In addition to the quick fire presentations, there were 'Genius Bar' sessions where people could literally pop along and ask questions about a range of tools, teaching ideas, and ICT hints.

There was a good turn out, and I for one felt that I left the day having learned lots of new things, and met lots of new people, who share a passion for teaching languages. In the current climate, with schools having to tighten their budgets, CPD provision has to change to be effective, and events like this, where teachers give up their time for free are outstanding ways of sharing good practice.

Location:Cramlington

Meeting the need for training

2011-07-21T18:03:00.000Z

Open publication

This is the brochure for the range of courses that my school will be offering in MFL for the next academic year. If you are interested in coming along - do get in touch!

The INSET is excellent, but where's the impact?

2011-02-15T13:22:00.001Z

Schools spend lots of money and teachers give up a lot of time to get involved and go to training events. Our performance management process involve an opportunity for us as teachers to request training and support in areas that we (or others) feel needs developing. The right course or conference is important, as one should go in with questions or dilemmas, and yet come out with answers, and a sense of enthusiasm, motivation, and after a tiring winter term a rejuvenated determination. We often attend CPD events seeking inspiration, which is more often than not forthcoming, but how often are we met with a numbing realisation that the wonderful things we hear people doing are the same things that are not actually ever going to happen in our school?

Having just come back from the ICT Links into Languages Conference in Southampton, I did ask myself that very question. Innovative, thought provoking sessions, stimulating conversation and much sharing of ideas. A definite feeling that, whether you are in a forward thinking school, or in an old fashioned establishment, whether you are in a big department, or on your own, a networked community has been established full of languages teachers who are practising what they preach, and changing how we teach our youngsters.

Joe Dale opened the conference with a talk recounting the evolution of technology in modern language teaching, and made it clear that he believed that we were at tipping point regarding the acceptance and implementation of technology in MFL teaching. Whilst I agree with this to a point, I also have experienced schools and departments that hold on to their overhead projectors like some overheating security blanket. I have given presentations myself extolling the virtues of this application, or that piece of software, only then to be told that using powerpoint still causes nightmares. So whilst the number of teachers who are embracing technology steadily rises, I am also enormously encouraged by the numbers of trainee teachers who are entering the profession clued up about Web 2.0, many of whom were in Southampton, and as time progresses, the emphasis will no doubt shift away from telling teachers what exists to how we can best use the tools to enhance the learning experience of students.

The difference about this conference compared to others was the fact that there was a 'reality' about the presentations - the sense that people were talking about tried and tested methods, that those who attended sessions were encouraged to offer their own suggestions, and that everyone was sharing, and not being talked/preached at.

Since returning home, I have taken the time to go through some of the presentations and talks that have been made available. Isabelle Jones' presentation on developing the use of ICT in an MFL department struck me as a great starting point for someone trying to make an impact in their school. I have also watched online Chris Harte's presentation on his ideas for the future of language teaching, and in the next few days I shall pour over the other sessions so that I don't feel that I missed anything!

The emphasis now moves on to impact, and how you measure the success of such an event. The low cost of the event, the vast variety of speakers, the number of delegates, the people I met and the conversations and laughs we had contributed to the impact of the training. The feeling of positivity was there for all to see. My personal challenge is to try and implement some of the things I learned.

Even if you didn't attend, seek out the presentations that are (or soon will be) available online.

Take some of the ideas and try to get them into your teaching, because they do work.

Don't be discouraged.

Persevere.

Talk to colleagues, both real and virtual!

Get on twitter!

It took me 7 years to work on my own department, so I know the pitfalls that exist, but I also know hundreds of people in the same boat as me, who have made it work, who have made a difference, and who are always just an email (or a tweet) away.

Using Flickr to bring languages to life.

2010-10-12T23:46:00.002Z

The defining moment of my A-Level language studies was the fall of the Berlin Wall in October 1989 and the subsequent reunification of Germany in 1990. As a 17 year old, it was the reason why I was studying German, and why my interest in languages really took off. (Despite me being much better at French!) During this exciting period, I was desperate for news surrounding the events in Berlin, and the nearest we ever got to hearing first hand what was happening came from friends of friends who knew somebody who lived somewhere in East Germany. There was a rush to buy newspapers, catching the main highlights of the BBC Six O'Clock News, and a general sense of excitement and a huge surge of interest in all things German.

Photo by antaldaniel

Fast forward twenty years, internet is everywhere, news is instant, and it is seemingly straightforward to get involved with the news stories of the day. One of the most moving ways we have used the internet for this purpose at school is through the use of Flickr, the photo hosting website. In September, it was reported by Flickr that the site now hosted in the region of 5 billion images. With thousands of photos being uploaded daily, it's easy to search for a photo of a major event that has just happened. We've done this with our A Level students to search for news items that are going on in the French/German/Spanish speaking world. Where Flickr has enabled us to be more inventive has been the ease with which we have been able to get in touch with the actual photographers - the people behind each of the photos who have been on the whole willing to share with words what they were prepared to share with their images. I've had students get in touch with people who have taken photos of riots, protests, images that have stirred emotions, and images that provoke reaction. Yet unlike in 1990, we can instantly get in touch to find out more about what is happening in the world around us. Students have been really engaged and motivated by getting in touch with a range of people, who in turn have been inspired by the fact that a group of people have taken such an interest in their work. It has brought to life some of the contemporary topics that we teach, it has made languages relevant, interesting and so important to understanding what is going on in the world.

A desire to lead?

2010-09-14T16:57:00.002Z

After nearly a year, I am reaching the end of my senior management - 'Leadership Pathways' training programme. I completed the Leading from the Middle programme a couple of years ago and found it a really valuable experience, which really opened my eyes as to how I would do things differently in a number of given situations.

Leadership Pathways has been much different - far more reading and educational theory behind it - lots of online units, lots of time taken to read though the relevant information, answer many a hypothetical question, and lots of self evaluation and reflection. Obviously some aspects of the programme have engaged me more than others, and I'd be interested to know how many senior leaders already in place have attempted this sort of programme. I've found that I learn much more from face to face contact, I guess I'm very inquisitive in nature, and having the opportunity to ask questions and bounce ideas around has been very important to me.

My leadership focus, if that is the apt phrase has also developed enormously since I started on this course. I was charged by the school to set up a Virtual Learning environment, and opted to choose that as I thought it would be a straightforward task to carry out.

What has happened, however, is that the scope of the task has developed and undergone a metamorphosis which has become much greater, and equally much more of a challenge than I'd first considered. It has taken me a while, but I've realised the challenge is not in the setting up of the platform, but how to bring out the change necessary in the learning culture of the school that would make it work. There are lots of schools with lots of VLEs that sit dormant, or that are only used by a select few. I made it my challenge to get the learners to make it a part of their learning process in school, and more importantly out of school. For me building a digital platform would enable the students to access the bespoke resources we create for them at a time that suits, and in a location that's comfortable. It's not necessarily been about e-portfolios and buying in expensive looking software packages, but it's been a journey of finding out how students like to work, tapping in to the learning needs and styles of the 'Facebook' generation, and trying to bring out a shift in the learning culture that has operated for so long in schools.

I've learned about how key people, and sometimes not-so-key people can resist any scent of change, no matter how subtle, and how I've had to use what I've learned to try and develop strategies in overcoming the problems, with varying levels of success. I've sought out allies, colleagues who I trust and respect, and have bounced ideas around, and I've gone back to the drawing board several times.

What I've discovered on this course has opened my eyes just a tiny amount to what it takes to move into positions of leadership in a school. Things that I've not encountered before, experiences I've not been prepared for, and a self-imposed pressure and desire to succeed have made it a worthwhile experience. Of course, any advice of getting people to use the VLE are always welcome!

Innovation's the name of the game.

2010-07-03T10:23:00.002Z

As part of my school's commitment as a specialist language college, we have to find ways of promoting the work that we do across the region. One of the best ways we have found to do that is to work in partnership with the local authority and almost sub-contract training and CPD to the experts that work at county level. With this in mind, we decided to set up an 'Innovation Group' where some of the most forward thinking language teachers would get together and create resources and devise strategies that would enable other professionals to try different things in lessons that could engage learners. A group of us then met yesterday at my school and spent the day creating either 'enquiry-based' sequences of lessons, or 'dilemma-based' scenarios for students to solve. The key elements in planning these lessons involved making effective use of the Personal Learning and Thinking Skills and at the same time ensuring that the lessons could have a cross-curricular theme. We worked in smaller groups of two or three, each looking at a project for differing year groups, which we would try and deliver to our own classes before disseminating to other schools.

My group were working on a project that would be used for KS4, and which could be adapted for KS5. We looked at the potential dilemma faced by an unemployed Belgian faced with moving to the Flemish part of the country in order to get work. Dealing with the language of jobs, daily routine, family, transport, it also deals with the issues surrounding the vast cultural and linguistic differences in a country which many people actually know very little about. It covers a bit about the geography of the country as well as some of the history and background of the issues that currently affect Belgium. When looking to adapt the project for A-Level French, we looked into the idea of changing Belgium for Quebec, and looking at the issues there instead.

I'm planning on delivering this sequence of lessons in September, when my Y10 students come back from their work experience and start Y11. I'm even toying with the idea of filming the lessons, but I might just chicken out of that.

The great thing about days and projects like this is that it gets you out of the classroom, gets you looking at how you teach, and gets you working with people you wouldn't ordinarily get the time to work with. It allows us to be creative and look at things differently. If we are about engaging students, and revising the curriculum to be more relevant than these sort of days are brilliant.

Photo by zetson

A great night of Japanese culture...

2010-06-15T22:43:00.002Z

A month or so ago, I was honoured to be invited to act as one of the judges in the Japan Webpage Contest for Schools 2010. Having spent a gruelling morning trying to choose the winners for the various categories, it was again a real privilege to not only be asked to attend the awards ceremony, but to present the prize for the best designed website.

So in leaving school, I drove down to London, then ditched the car for the tube to Green Park, and the magnificent surroundings of the Embassy of Japan. Having been worried about getting there late (anyone who knows me well, realises that punctuality is not one of my great strengths!) I actually was one of the first to arrive.

The ceremony started promptly, with Kim Woodruff of the Japan Foundation doing a sterling job as host for the evening. We then heard from Takashi Ishida, the director of the Japan Foundation in London, who expressed and reflected our delight at the quality and quantity of entries into the competition, and to award the 'People's Vote' award. Bearsden Primary School scooped that award, and we heard from one of the their teachers, and a very eloquent pupil, Adam, who explained to the gathered audience all about the website in a really captivating way.

I was then up to present the Design Prize to Tile Hill Wood School in Coventry who through their Japanese teacher Dan Thompson, and IT technician Jamie Lee created a truely funky website - including a great link to their project with famous pop star Suga Shikao.

After yet another award for Bearsden (Runners-Up) and one for South Wolds Community School, presented by Satonobu Matsunaga from the Embassy of Japan. We were then introduced to the overall winners of the competition, awarded by Tamzin Caffrey from CILT. Ballyclare Primary School's website was a unanimous and very popular winner, a website which clearly demonstrated how Japanese language and culture has had an impact on the whole school, how a link with a partner school in Japan has made the school more environmentally aware, and the delight on the faces of the pupils at winning the prize was for me, a really humbling experience. Designing a webpage for a competition is one thing, but designing one that forms an integral part of a much wider, whole school project made me realise how seriously this event was taken by the participating schools.

The representatives from each winning school were then given the opportunity to talk the audience through their own websites, and and then to answer questions from those in attendance.

So, then followed the reception, where the winners got the chance to meet and greet the assembled guests, and have a few nibbles and to take another closer look at the websites and those who put them all together.

It was a brilliant evening, and I left inspired by the effort, creativity and dedication of who those who took the time to enter the competition. It has really strengthened my resolve to set up a Japanese club at my school, and to try and tap into just some of the enthusiasm shown by the worthy winners of this year's competition.

ファンタスティック!

A problem aired is a problem shared...

2010-05-11T21:32:00.005Z

Open publication - Free publishing - More mfl

At our last department meeting, our Head of French asked colleagues to think of a question they want answered, or to open up a problem they want solving. The questions were all written down, and then passed around each other so that each colleague could try and answer each question. Of course the great thing with this is that we can all contribute to solving problems, and there's always the chance that someone has the critical answer that you've been looking for. With my team's permission, I have uploaded the questions, and some of our suggested answers. I'm sorry that some of them are side-on - I hope you can still read them! We'd be delighted if you felt you could contribute to our sheets? I've written the questions we asked on our WallWisher page. Please help!

Cast your vote in the Japan Web Page Contest!

2010-05-09T23:01:00.001Z

With just under a week to go, the Japan Web Page Contest, run by the Japan Foundation, is really hotting up. I was delighted to have been asked to take part in the judging, and have spent a good deal of time this weekend getting myself familiarised with the 10 finalists. The standard of web pages created has been fantastic - and with each entry being judged on breadth and quality of content, originality, and design, as well as on ease of use, picking a winner will not be easy. The judges are also looking at how each website showcases what each school are doing to promote Japanese language and culture, and how each website can serve to raise awareness as well. If you haven't already done so, check out the competition page, and vote for your favourite!

Coming to terms with Twitter

2010-04-14T18:14:00.001Z

I never really bought into Twitter at first, I'll be honest. I dabbled, and then left, only to rejoin about a year later. Now it's a integral part of my job, and yet when I speak to colleagues at school about it, many of them still give me that look. It's the look that says, "I thought you were alright, but now I reckon you're a bit geeky."

This blog post should explain why I stuck with it, and how it has had an actual impact on the performance, opportunities and development of staff, how it has been used effectively and how school inspectors, still very much in the dark on Web 2.0 opportunities for students, can be impressed.

I'd heard a lot about Twitter through other language teachers I'd met on courses. A few teachers had Twitter accounts, and were singing the praises regarding how they could get in touch with each other, share ideas, and give advice. My first real experience of using it was merely to ask other teachers to point me in the direction of resources for a topic I was teaching. I was being very lazy, yet knew that if I asked, there was a good chance that someone would reply with an idea. I was right, and they did.

In working at a Specialist Language College, I also felt a professional obligation to try and keep up to date with what was going on in language teaching across the country. What started as a few language teachers 'tweeting' about what they were doing has become well over 100 from around the world. It's quite hard to comprehend having a virtual staffroom of that many people with good ideas and opinions. It has led to teachers publicising articles on their blogs which ordinarily I wouldn't have seen, I find out about events for professional development that I wouldn't have known about, and it has, without doubt put me into contact with some very influential educationalists who have taken time to give me guidance and advice.

When Ofsted came to inspect our school last year, I knew the lesson that was going to be observed. So by planning the lesson on a wiki, I asked for suggestions and constructive criticism on my lesson plan and resources. I got more than a dozen replies and messages, all of which made a difference to the lesson I delivered. I have also gone back to Twitter when delivering presentations, looking for things that I may have missed, or things that might be of relevance to someone else. I have found that the virtual audience can be both more supportive and more constructive than a real one!

In recent months there have been a number of articles and blog posts - about why teachers should use Twitter, but uptake amongst us is still slow. I'm of the belief now that most ideas that I would pick up from a CPD course, I could also pick up from talking to the right person on Twitter. However some people have found Twitter too focused on the educational technology side of teaching, but I would argue that it's a case of getting in touch with the right people. Edtech is high on the twittering teacher's agenda, for obvious reasons, but there are plenty of people who just want to share good practice, talk about ideas, strategies and methodology. From experience, the connections I have made on Twitter have enabled to try out new ideas in the classroom, to get new, different resources and have seriously inspired me to take risks in the classroom to further students learning. Sharing the ideas I get from the people I follow on Twitter has also been rewarding, and it is amazing to see someone's reaction when you tell them that that great lesson idea came from a colleague on Twitter.

From Thinking Skills to Primary Languages, and from assessment to subject leadership, I am now fortunate to be in touch with so many experts, across the whole educational spectrum. It is true that the more people you follow, the more you can get out of the experience - most people you follow are courteous enough to follow you back - and for your information; no, I don't follow Jonathan Ross.

The articles below will definitely help you in setting out on Twitter -

TES - Chirping about Twitter

Laura Doggett - Nine great reasons why teachers should use Twitter

Marshall Kirkpatrick - How one teacher uses Twitter in the classroom

Kate Klingensmith - A teacher's guide to Twitter

Jane Hart's Directory of Learning Professionals Online

Joe Dale - Mustering the MFL Twitterati

It's not the kids we need to educate, it's society.

2010-04-04T12:25:00.003Z

I'm enjoying the first few days of my holiday. Two weeks off, and plenty of things to be getting on with. Many of my non-teaching friends have made a few jokey comments, telling me that I'm in a part-time job, and that as I finish at 3.10 everyday, my life must just be one big holiday. For the most part I laugh these sort of comments off, because most of my friends understand what I do, and how much time I dedicate to doing it.

Of course now, with it being the season for the teaching union conferences, there is the talk of industrial action in the air, and with that comes the reactionary comment from people about how teachers have it easy, and that we're lucky to have so much free time, and it is this attitude from a large proportion of society that I find insulting.

During the recent cold spell, many schools obviously closed due to snow and ice, but newspapers ran articles citing parents complaining that they had to take a day off to look after their children, and that the schools were over-reacting. Case made. Never mind the safety aspects of having children playing in icy conditions, forget the fact that teachers have to drive whatever distances to get to work, some parents were publicly complaining because the 'child-minders' weren't at work.

People who have been teaching a lot longer than I claim to remember the days when the teaching profession was held in much higher regard. When being a teacher was a respected position in society, something that I'm now only reminded of when it comes to signing someone's passport form for them! What has happened in society to make teachers out to be lazy, militant individuals, who come into the job for the long holidays? Are we really perceived to be the surrogate parents for the children in our care? The phrase 'in loco parentis' is one that never seems to be used in schools anymore.

I actually love my job, and just to inform some of you, who may not fully understand what we do for our salaries; Teaching requires a degree; at one time, any degree, but soon it may well be the case that a lower second class degree won't cut it anymore. For most people, a degree means debt, so most teachers enter the profession already owing thousands of pounds.

Then there is the actual day itself. For many of my office-based colleagues, the idea of standing up, and convincing 30 teenagers that irregular French verbs are the key to life is a scary thought. But we do that, sometimes, 4 or 5 times a day. I might come into contact with over 100 students a day, each one with a different impression of what I may or may not have said. It might surprise some people to know that I actually have to plan what I may or may not say to students, for fear of being misunderstood, in any number of ways. This planning takes time, and not just the hour and a half we have without classes before the end of the traditional working day. In many of today's newspapers, there are stories about teaching unions voting to take industrial action regarding SATs, or workload or working conditions, depending on which paper you read. In the Independent, it is reported that according to a TUC survey, teachers work an average of 18.7 hours a week of unpaid overtime. I know some who do far more than that.

Then I spend time correcting and marking, and setting targets for each individual student I teach, so that they are aware of what they have to do to attain their potential. This too takes time, and because teenagers are complex characters, they don't always attain their potential, which teachers are held accountable for, even though we have little idea what goes on in their lives outside of school.

We have meetings, where the latest government initiatives are discussed and implemented, and because teachers are flexible and open to new methods, we are then given more and more of these initiatives to undertake.

We are expected to offer students extra-curricular activities, so I will run trips abroad, which are fraught with risk and stress, but from which the students benefit enormously. I will run workshops at weekends and revision classes in the holidays so that students can continue their learning. I set up online learning programmes, so that the students can work on things from home.

So it comes round to 10.30pm, and I'm typing up minutes from another meeting, whilst planning worksheets for my GCSE, having just finished marking my Year 9 books, before I email my partner school in France to confirm arrangements for the next trip.

I'm not militant, and have never voted for strike action in my life, but if it would convince the greater majority of society of the status of teachers, and make some people actually think about what we do, and have to go through each day, then I am in favour. Unfortunately I feel that whoever wins the next election will try to squeeze more out of us than the last.

So for now, I'm going to enjoy my holiday.

Stop the Clock!

2010-03-30T22:12:00.001Z

View more presentations from Alex Blagona.

Our school have been working hard to embed Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) into cross-curricular projects so far this year, with the highlights being the organisation of "Stop the Clock" days for our Year 7 students. We had one last term, where all the Year 7 lessons on a particular day were planned and delivered on the same theme. Last term's theme was 'Creativity and Critical Thinking' and this term we focussed on 'New Technology and Media'. My view of PLTS is that there still isn't an awful lot of awareness about them in many schools. When I have given presentations on using thinking skills in the teaching of MFL, it is quickly made apparent that the implementation of PLTS is still growing. That said, it was great fun to see the students enjoying the different challenges and the engagement that these sort of day provide for them. From code-breaking in Maths, to puzzle-solving in a specially created Business/Psychology lesson, and from using internet translators in MFL to the role of technology in Islam, the students have had a real eye-opening day.

This was augmented still further by the fantastic job done by both staff and PGCE students at lunchtime, in organising a 'Thinking Skills Bazaar' in the Lower School common room, where the pupils had the opportunity to solve puzzles and riddles by visiting the different stalls in the centre.

Moblogging the modern way

2010-03-11T22:06:00.001Z

I have been attempting to blog whilst on school trips away for a few years now, with varying levels of success. At first I set up my blog with Blogger, and was able to text blog updates and photos to a number that would do the trick, then I learnt how to email using my phone to update the blog from abroad, which didn't cost all that much, and now that I have swapped my Sony Ericcson for the iPhone, the process has become so much easier.

I bought and downloaded the BlogPress app, which lets me choose any one of my blogs, and add photos, set location, and is the most user friendly app I've come across. Obviously in gaining my iPhone knowledge I've fallen foul of the data roaming charges that O2 stick on us (£3 per MB) but I'm now becoming adept at finding little pockets of free WiFi, a task which is easier to do abroad than in the UK at times.

As well as using our blog - www.northgatemfl.co.uk - for in school activities, I believe that keeping parents and other students updated with what happens on trips and exchanges forms an important way of sharing in the experience. Photos taken and then immediately uploaded, views of students and general updates raise the profile of a foreign visit and can also serve to highlight a trip's importance in extending the curriculum and making it an experience to remember.

Just don't forget about the roaming charges.

Location:Cours Fauriel,St Étienne,France

Talking ICT and MFL at UEA

2010-01-14T00:45:00.004Z

I was delighted to be invited back to the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at the University of East Anglia in Norwich today. In the 90s I was a student there myself, and have nothing but fantastic memories of the place, and consequently I always look forward to going back. It's changed a lot since I was there, but still possesses the same friendly atmosphere and vibe which made it such a great place to study.

I was invited to spend the afternoon with this year's cohort of MFL PGCE students, sharing ideas on using ICT in lessons, and a few thoughts about its use in the classroom. I'm continually inspired by the enthusiasm and motivation shown by these students; and being a PGCE mentor, I reckon that what is required of students wanting to enter the profession these days is greater than when I was studying for it back in 1996. You may disagree, but with the theory, teaching load, lesson preparation, assignments, observations, late nights, and no proper social life, the lot of the modern PGCE student is not an easy one.

Nevertheless, I spoke at length today about the various Web 2.0 resources out there, in a similar vein to my presentation earlier this year at The Language Show, and we also discussed wikis and blogs as well. I was also really keen to demonstrate the power of Twitter and in particular the vast number of MFL teachers that are active participants. I think many of the students were surprised at how many language teachers make use of Twitter to share ideas and resources and to help each other, and I'm really grateful to my colleagues who took the time to chip in and offer their advice to the students.

Photo by Leo Reynolds

The A-Z of ICT in MFL - The Language Show 2009

2009-10-30T13:00:00.002Z

A Z Of Ict

View more presentations from Alex Blagona.

It was an honour to be asked back to the Language Show following on from my presentation last year on Blogs and Wikis. This year, I've gone a bit back to basics and produced a list, with some timely help from Joe Dale, Jose Picardo, Lisa Stevens, Suzi Bewell and a few others from my twitter network, of an A-Z of useful ICT based resources that can be used by teachers of MFL. I hope that you will have heard of a few of them, and that you may have even used some of them. I also hope that there are a few here that you might not have heard of and that you would consider having a go at using. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch!

Exchange and Smart?

2009-10-24T12:47:00.002Z

I've been teaching 12 years, and in that time I've been on countless foreign trips, visits and exchanges. Viewed all too often by my non-MFL colleagues as 'jollies' or holidays, these trips, while priceless in the experiences that can be gained by the students, as any teacher who has run such a trip will testify, can be a nightmare in terms of stress and worry.

The cause of this stress is not to do with the conduct and behaviour of the children. I'm very fortunate in that respect. The cause of my personal stress has more to do with the numerous health and safety issues and child protection issues that we have to remember and be constantly aware of.

I'm not trying to belittle the risks that are ever present, but the situation in UK schools appears so restrictive compared to our European neighbours, who don't seem shackled by the same chains that we are.

As many of you may be aware, I've just come back from Spain, where one of our days out included a visit to a beach. The Spanish students, effectively unsupervised, were allowed to dive into the sea and enjoy the full benefits of the hot weather. Our students on the other hand were not even allowed to get their feet wet, as we had not managed to pack a trained lifeguard with us.

I'm also aware that we're not allowed to give paracetemol to students with headaches, or apply plasters to children for fear of 'assulting' them.

I know it's not just teachers. I know that in many other walks of life, a common sense approach, and a reliance and respect for a professional judgement call have been replaced by a higher authority who have no faith in trained adults being able to make their own decisions.

If a train driver crashes his train he faces the consequences, but train crashes are rare because those that drive them are trained to do so. Teachers are trained for the job. It seems a bit ironic to me that the councillors and politicians who play the 'protecting our children' card are in careers that actually have no training.

We are now so submerged in a nanny state that it is impossible to get back out again. CCTV cameras everywhere, professionals being dictated to by here-today gone-tomorrow politicians. Many of my colleagues, working in a sector that traditionally leans to the left politically, are now unfortunately moving to the right in the hope that we can bring some common sense back to the job.

In France, Spain and Germany, teachers laugh off the concept of running criminal background checks on families who host students in exchanges. Why? Because it's stupid and impractical. The politicians claim they have to protect people, but in 12 years, and over 20 exchanges, I have had to move one student who I had serious concerns about. Can't we be trusted any longer to make these decisions?

Photo by Darwin Bell

At the Language College Conference...

2009-10-08T14:16:00.002Z

I'm been fortunate enough to have been allowed to attend the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) Language College conferences for a few years, since I started work at my current school. This year, being held at The Belfry, the home of a fantastic (ly expensive) golf course not too far from Birmingham. For the uninitiated, the two day conference gives teachers from the various Language Colleges around the country to meet up and have a nose at what everybody else is doing. The SSAT has a list of Lead Practioners, Language teachers who are chosen by the SSAT to deliver training to other teachers, and they are all here, with most doing a session of some kind.

I really enjoy coming here, seeing some familiar faces, and meeting new ones, but again I'm struck by the size of the event compared to previous years. Having also attended Language World many times as well, it would seem that the recession has had an effect on the exhibition. Maybe I'm wrong, but it would just appear that way.

So far today, I've heard Dr Lid King update us on the state of MFL at the moment, and have also seen Neil Jones deliver a very rapid presentation full of creative ideas for language lessons. One to download from the SSAT site when it gets uploaded. (Next week, apparently). Sara Sullivan is also doing a session worth going to, and I might pop along to Louise Royd's session on blogging, just to see how another school do it.

How can I podcast, when I can't powerpoint?

2009-06-22T09:00:00.001Z

Seriously. As I was doing some training this week at another local school, having just spent about an hour on looking at podcasting for linguists, one of the teachers there uttered that kind of soul-crushing phrase that tech-savvy teachers like me just hate to hear.

"What you've said is really interesting, but in all honesty, how can you expect me to be able to make a podcast, when I can't even use powerpoint properly?"

"Oh."

Frustrated humour aside, this teacher raised a real issue, which I think many of us tend to ignore as we look for the latest Web2.0 feature, or as we find out what other teachers are doing to tech up their teaching. I'm quite keen to try and find an answer for this, and have come up with some sensible (and some not so sensible) solutions.

Firstly, you can categorise many teachers into a number of categories.

The Technophobe

The teacher who still insists on writing ~~all their reports~~ everything. They don't send emails, and certainly won't reply when you send them one (or even read it). They won't use interactive whiteboards, and still have a years' worth of lessons on overhead transparencies. Nicola Woolcock of The Times wrote an article highlighting the fact that despite UK schools investing millions of pounds in new IT systems, infrastructures and software, much of it goes unused by technophobic teachers. How much of a percentage of staff in your school would you place into this category? In reality, what is there that we can do for this genre of teacher other than let the technology continue to evolve around them?

The Forward-Looking-But-Fearful

These are the teachers who are keen to make the effort to use the tools of new techologies, but are truely fearful of either getting stuck at the first hurdle, or of just breaking their laptop into small pieces when the computer won't read their mind in terms of what they want it to do. ("Why won't the text just appear where I want it to?") . We can work with these people, we can be patient, and get them working efficiently with a few Web2.0 bits and pieces. However, it is the teachers who fall into this category that we can really use to shape how our schools approach effective ICT use that benefits the students. I have often listened to fantastic teachers who are truly at the cutting edge of how to use technology in their teaching, teachers who create phenomenal resources, and teachers who are just bloody good teachers, and who don't need a computer to inspire and motivate students.

So as schools rightly look to the future, setting up VLEs and creating the necessary e-portfolios, many of these same establishments are lacking in knowledgable staff to use them effectively. It would sometimes seem that the technology learning curve has almost skipped a generation. My experience with training PGCE students and NQTs reveals a greater, more indepth knowledge of new technologies, but this is not in evidence in the here and now. Will those at the front of the high speed educational IT train stop at any point to look behind them and see who is actually on board. I don't think so. It's a case of 'you snooze, you lose'.

So what happens next? Staffroom dinosaurs remain in the dark, with traditional approaches becoming increasingly frowned upon by colleagues? ("What? You mean he made them write it down?)

I don't know who is in charge of all this, but I wouldn't mind a bit of a comfort break.

Photo by photographies libres

Using Twitpic and Evernote for Peer Assessment

2009-06-18T21:22:00.007Z

Wow. It kind of came to me by accident, yet it was just so obvious. My Year 9 class had to create an email for their homework, asking for information from the tourist office. If you're a languages teacher, you know exactly the exercise I'm talking about. Of course not all of the students emailed their work in. For some the internet 'unbelievably failed', others got my email address wrong, and so on and so forth. A couple of students wrote the homework down into their books, and handed that in. Hmm, I thought, that's not really what I was after. But then I had an idea, which seems so obvious, I'm sure that other teachers have done the same. I took a picture of Laura's work (above) with my iPhone, and uploaded it to my Evernote page. I then logged on to Evernote and had Laura's work up on the screen for all to see. I then thought - I've two twitter accounts - @blagona for me, and @northgatemfl for my department. Why not use the my department's twitter account to take pictures of students' work, send them to twitpic, and get students to log on and comment. It's simple! You can keep things anonymous if need be, and for those of us with iPhones, you can instantly take a picture of a student's piece of work and within seconds, with no USB pens or memory cards have the work on display on your interactive whiteboard. It formed a key part of my lesson today, and it only came to me because Laura's computer had crashed at home. There just has to be someone somewhere who has done this already...please get in touch if you have!

ALL London Event

2009-06-14T09:55:00.007Z

It was a real honour to be at the ALL London Event yesterday at the French Institute, and it was a short, snappy burst of information, knowledge and amusement. A really nice venue - exactly the sort of place that would be great for bringing a group of students. With well over 100 people present, it was also great to match up a few twitter faces with names!!

As promised, here are the slides that relate back to my sessions today. Please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions!!

Galaxy

View more OpenOffice presentations from Alex Blagona.

Twenty Techy Tips

View more OpenOffice presentations from Alex Blagona.

Ict @ All London

View more OpenOffice presentations from Alex Blagona.

Also, with many thanks to Peta, who you can follow on twitter @pollyglott, here is a list of useful websites for Spanish. Don't forget to check out her website here.

Web Sites , Spanish

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Other Research websites languages

My day with the Lords

2009-05-18T22:14:00.003Z

A few weeks ago, my headteacher informed me that we'd been invited to the Houses of Parliament to talk before the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages. We were asked to talk about what we do at our school, and how we think language teaching and learning will evolve in the future. We were talking really about the state sector, and coming from the comprehensive school viewpoint. Across the committee room were students and staff from the Whitgift School in Croydon, an independent school for boys.

We travelled down on the train, and it was a totally event free journey, and with the Head treating us to a very nice meal in Covent Garden, it was a challenge avoiding a food-on-tie scenario!

Despite the fact that the Speaker of the House of Commons was delivering his statement, and making all the headlines, there was still a pretty good turnout, and it was great to see a couple of familiar faces in the room!

I delievered a short 15 minute presentation, using Prezi, to briefly highlight some of the key aspects of our school, and whilst I talked about how we use ICT to enhance our MFL provision, I wasn't entirely sure that my audience were following the technology I was talking about. I was honoured to be talking to people who have done so much in their lives and who had CVs longer than most of my 6th form's coursework submissions, but by the same token, I was more hopeful than expectant when it came to pitching my talk at the right level.

Having done my 15 minutes, it was over to the chaps from Whitgift, who spoke very well about some of the fantastic opportunities they are offered at their school. I was very jealous listening to tales of Japanese exchanges, and learning Arabic and Chinese as a matter of course in their school. I know that we can't compete on that sort of level with independent schools, but nevertheless I felt we gave a pretty good account of ourselves, and what we do for our students.

I was particularly pleased with the two students we took with us, who also spoke very well about their language learning experiences, and especially about the value of exchanges.

We were made to feel very welcome by Baroness Coussins, and to all the members who attended the meeting, and I know the students really enjoyed the experience of a day in Parliament.

Surviving the Subject Survey Ofsted

2009-05-07T21:05:00.002Z

Allow me to take you back to last Tuesday. I'm free first two periods, and as is the trend at our school, the day when you have most of your non-contact time is also duty day. The Deputy Head comes over to the office to tell me that he's found someone to cover my duty, and can I come over to his office at break along with the Heads of French and German. I'm worried, as he hasn't elaborated on his request, and my first thought is that a parent had complained (is that always my first thought?)

Anyway, break time in the Deputy Head's office, and we're told that Ofsted are coming in for two days to evaluate the teaching of the department, and will be looking closely at, as the letter put it, the impact of national initiatives in our school, and how ICT enhances the learning of our students.

Cue much cursing and annoyance. Not so much with the fact that we're being inspected, but much more to do with the timing of the visit. Oral exams, and coursework mean that our department is already working at full pelt, and to have this was just the straw that broke le dos du chameau. (Using target language - very important)

Thankfully (!) we were inspected as a whole school only a year ago, so most of our paperwork was in order, but nevertheless, we spent hours going through it all, making sure we had answers for any and all of the inspector's questions. I even went so far as to 'google' the HMI to see what other inspections had been authored, and to see what sort of things they would possibly be likely to say. Maybe a touch over the top, but I was curious! I also checked out the other schools in town to see why none of them had had a similar inspection, only to find that actually most of them had. Oh.

So Thursday was spent tidying up the languages building, sorting out the displays, making sure they were all up to date. I couldn't help but think to myself that they wouldn't even look at the displays, as I was pinning up yet more photos of the recently departed Spanish exchange at 8.30pm, whilst the caretaker painted another wall. Friday was making sure that all teh classrooms were in order, and that all those who were being observed were clued up, knew what they were doing, and that lesson plans and ideas were checked out. I had planned my lesson for Y13, and put it online, and thanks to a few of my contacts on twitter, tweaked it a touch. Then tweaked it again.

So after the Bank Holiday, the inspector turns up. His train didn't get in until 11am, so when the Head brought him into school, it was a fairly brief 15 minute introduction, a few questions about our GCSE results, and our KS3 levels, and then off to his first lesson. He wanted a range of languages and abilities, so right off the bat it was our Applied Language French group in Y10.

Lunch, and a meeting (my second with him) along with our county advisor to tell the inspector all about the Language College, then he was off to a Y8 Spanish lesson. Meeting after school with the Heads of French and German, and then another meeting with myself and the Head (Number 3). As he left, he asked, "Could I come in before school and have a look at the displays?" Inwardly I smiled at the irony, before he said, "Would 7.45am be too early?" I nearly choked on my coffee.

Wednesday, and the very punctual inspector was let in to the building to have a nose around the place, as I went to set up my Y13 lesson to be observed. The students were brilliant, and everybody managed to 'get stuff learnt' so it seemed to go well. There then followed yet another meeting with the inspector to talk about ICT, and our links with our school's Science College. I felt I was getting to know the HMI quite well, even if he was not really engaging with my light-hearted banter!

An afternoon of going through our marking, the students' books, 3 pupil panels, made up of KS3, KS4 and KS5 students, all of whom were asked to speak in a different language.

So 3.30pm, and we find out that we're 'good with elements of outstanding', which is pretty much what we would have said ourselves. Despite being pleased with the outcome, the timing was just so lousy.

Teaching, Learning...and Understanding

2009-04-26T21:20:00.002Z

To avoid the craziness that would have been having to come in to school on a Monday in July, our school decided to have a number of compulsory/voluntary twilight sessions on Teaching and Learning, and earn the staff an extra day of holiday.

So, Wednesday was a compulsory one, and school even ended 40 minutes early so we would benefit from 2h30 of listening to Mike Hughes, renowned author and trainer. He was also a Headteacher/Mentor and thousands of other things. On the whole it was a good session, with lots of useful advice. It was quite nice to be able to just sit and listen to someone talk rather than actually have to do anything! Amongst covering other topics, Mike emphasised the difference between students' learning, and their understanding, and looked at how our attitude to questioning students in our classes could make a tangible difference to improving the kids' understanding of the things we are trying to teach them. He made a suggestion, which was for a teacher to go in to the last 10 minutes of a lesson in a different subject, and to carry out a plenary activity, to gauge what the students had learned, and to also assess what they had understood, I suppose by their ability to explain it to a non-specialist.

To that end, I am going to a Y12 Chemistry lesson on Tuesday to attempt to carry out a plenary, with the Chemistry teacher coming to my Y10 French lesson on Thursday. Is it going to be a worthwhile exercise, something worth repeating? Have you tried something similar? I guess I'll let you know on Tuesday!

Chirping about Twitter

2009-04-24T17:24:00.001Z

Article on using Twitter in education, published in the TES.

Are we following the script?

2009-04-21T09:30:00.003Z

The BBC News website was reporting quite heavily on Sunday claims made by an undercover reporter regarding advice given by former MFL Chief Examiner Terry Murray on how to help students get as many marks as possible in their GCSE oral examinations. Whilst I don't necessarily agree with some of Mr Murray's guidance, let's be clear that there is a stark difference between cheating, and doing our best as teachers to allow students to gain the best possible mark in their exams, and I'm angered and saddened by the ignorance of both Ruth Alexander, the undercover 'teacher', and Nick Gibb, the Shadow Schools' Minister, who appeared as a guest on Donal McIntyre's programme on BBC Radio 5, which ran with this as the top story.

Mr Gibb expressed disbelief at how teachers were able to get hold of the conversation questions so soon before the exam. What he obviously doesn't know is that these questions are not set by the board, but by the teachers, and that whilst students do prepare answers for these questions, they do not know which questions they are going to be asked. I would have also hoped that Ruth Alexander took the time to read through the GCSE MFL specifications, which would have emphasised the rules and guidelines for the oral exam. For the AQA exam, the students are allowed to make notes on the role play section and bring those into the exam - they don't even need to learn that bit. AQA also send teachers lists of suggested questions. There are schools who have banks of model answers, it is no different to any other subject on the curriculum.

I feel that this report also shows a complete lack of understanding as to what is required to learn a language at GCSE. We are dealing with students with a massive range of abilities, from naturally gifted linguists to as Mr Murray puts it, "Poor Joey". We have management, inspectors, local authorities, as well as the government putting pressure on schools to raise standards, whilst language departments round the country feel the pinch as numbers continue to drop in certain languages. Nick Gibb would surely love us to teach students the finer points of French grammar, to enable our pupils to converse fluently about Camus or Brecht, but for the run of the mill student, it just isn't going to happen, and Mr Gibb should really know better. It is one thing to prepare students for the speaking exam, and another for the student to actually perform under pressure in the exam. If we consider that 25% of their final grade comes from how they perform and cope in that 10-15 minutes, even the best thespian would do well sticking to that 'script'.

We teach some students set phrases, specific vocabulary, basic (and I mean basic) grammatical structures, and hope that they revise effectively, prepare properly and learn what they can for the exam. For many of the less able, a recording of the exam might sound like a few pages from a Berlitz phrase book, but it's time that the ignorant became informed, so as to avoid non-stories like this. It is naive and foolish to think that teachers in other subjects don't prepare their students to the letter of the law rather than the spirit of it, because schools are jockeying for position in the league tables.

In her post on a very lively TES MFL forum, Helen Myers makes a valid point when she says that teachers "...are left with an invidious responsibility in the absence of clear guidance. " The teachers are not being unprofessional, nor are they breaking any rules set by the exam boards. So for critics of the current method and practice used in GCSE oral examinations, perhaps you should look at the rules laid down by these exam boards, and be very careful who you call a cheat.

Using Wikis in MFL to promote collaboration and motivation

2009-04-05T15:46:00.002Z

Using Wikis in MFL - Language World 2009

View more presentations from Alex Blagona.

As promised, here is my presentation from Language World 2009. I'm sorry about not managing to get all my slides covered before the end of the slot, but the entire slideshow is available here for you to have a look at. If you wish to get in touch, please do so - you can find me on twitter - @blagona.

Out of a coma, so much to tell you about!

2009-04-01T15:00:00.001Z

It's been a while. Over a year in fact. Nearly two actually. This blog has been in slumber, one of the thousands that get started, with something to say, only to then fade away into obscurity when the blogger runs out of valid points to make. So it has taken something quite substantial to make me reawaken this dead space of the internet, hasn't it?

I have a class blog, over at http://www.northgatemfl.co.uk/, and over the last few weeks I have come up with ideas and concepts, opinions and views, that are not particularly interesting for the students at my school, nor do they tie in with what my ideal readership for that blog would be. The MFL blog has been going now for coming up to 3 years, and I see it as a kind of dear friend, or a pet that you've had since it was a puppy. I've watched it grow, neglected it at times, worked hard to plug its content to anyone that would listen, and seen it reach just short of 14,000 hits. This month has been it's biggest ever month. Now it's not loads, compared to some blogs, but I feel that 700 hits in a month could be the start of a positive boost for the blog. I remember telling a colleague a while back that I was falling out of love with technology, I was getting bored with it to a certain extent, fed up of evangelising about the use of technology in MFL teaching, only for my (interactive) sermons to fall on deaf ears. I was actively looking for a colleague to take over the other blog, so that I could try something else instead.

Then I had a kind of epiphany, albeit in three parts, like a good BBC mini-series.

There are still teachers out there that are genuinely enthused by using new technologies.
I was asked, right out of the blue, to travel up to Liverpool to speak at the Primary Languages Show, to talk about podcasting in languages. I had forgotten the look on someone's face when you present an idea to them, a concept that can really motivate students in a subject like MFL. Maybe I get caught up in the daily grind too often, and forget about what can make learning fun. However seeing the faces of those teachers up in Liverpool, who had discovered a new found enthusiasm, actually motivated me, and inspired me as well.

I got my tweet back.
At about the same time as I started this blog, only to ignore it for two years, I joined Twitter. I didn't get it, and it really didn't get me. I post things, 'tweets' and was ignored. I considered many people on there to have ideas well above my station. I couldn't see the point. In October 2008 I rejoined, this time with a plan. I was going to actively get involved in seeking out people who were interested in language teaching, and language learning, and then gradually seek out others who had more of an ICT slant and slowly combine the two. At first I tweeted rarely, but read often, taking on board new ideas, resources, strategies. I would ask the odd question, and would be surprised yet delighted when I actually got a reply. I became more confident, and would be more direct, and ask for advice, even being so brave as to offer my opinion on occasion. Now I have built up what is commonly refered to as a Personal Learning Network; trusted colleagues, leading lights, inspirational teachers and professionals with an incredible amount of knowledge and experience, ready at the stroke of a key to point me in the right direction. I feel confident to post blog updates there in the knowledge that I will get more constructive feedback from my PLN than from anyone else in school, a fact that has no doubt contributed to the slight increase in my blog's traffic.

So if teachers ever ask me what the point is of Twitter, I shall point them to this paragraph.

I'm the Go-to Guy
Am I a geek? I don't think so, but some of my colleagues would beg to differ. Nevertheless, I believe that schools need people like us at the moment, someone to shout out, rightly or wrongly that technology is the answer to everything. In my current school, I have set up countless blogs and wikis, and have run workshops on getting staff into the idea of what else is out there, and how technology can really kick start your teaching. Staff come up to me in the corridor and say - "Hey, I used Wordle today!", or "Did you see our Year 7 History projects on Glogster?", proving both to themselves, and to me that teachers are becoming more comfortable with technology. I sat down today with a teacher who wanted a demo on Audacity, to make podcasts. After a while he admitted that he wanted to have powerpoint presentations on his blog with commentary from students. "Have you heard of SlideShare?" I asked. There began a whole new discussion.

So in using the three headings above, I guess I'm saying is that there are teachers out there who have a deep fundamental understanding of the pedagogical ideologies behind the concept and need to work on our students digital literacy, but in more than equal measure, there are teachers who are still getting the hang of embracing the simplest of Web 2.0 tools in their classroom, and just now I've discovered the joy of seeing colleagues reinvigorate their teaching through technology, and for now, that's dandy. I just hope it's not 2 years until my next post.

Photo by mushon

Another interesting week...

2007-05-12T23:43:00.000Z

Exchanges

Just as PE teachers kind of have an unwritten bit in their contracts that says that they are expected to run fixtures after school, and like Music teachers organise concerts and performances, MFL teachers involve themselves in the colourful world of Exchanges. As some of you may know, our school's 6th Form French Exchange has spent the week in town, and it has been a successful week. in fact it wasn't difficult when you consider that our trip to St Etienne involved us returning minus one student's appendix!

Anyway, the chaps from the Lycee St Louis have been our guests, and as a host teacher, it has involved doing the little things that we wouldn't normally do. These sorts of things include, in no particular order...

* Getting dressed for breakfast, and eating it at the dining table, as opposed to sitting on the sofa, in my dressing gown, watching Sky Sports News.

* Cooking meals every night. I made a conscious effort to prepare typically English meals. I was particularly impressed with the steak and ale pie, if I do say so myself.

* Doing the touristy thing - I spent 3 years as a student living in Norwich, and yet never went to the cathedral or castle. (I think I must have had other, more important places to visit!)

Now, don't get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed the week, despite the exchange coinciding with GCSE Speaking Tests, and the students also appeared to have had more than a good time, judging by some of the stories! But I have to feel for one of my colleagues, who having hosted a teacher from France, has now left to take part in the Y10 exchange in Amiens!

Blogging News

This week I was invited to take part in a Key Stage 3 project aimed at looking at ways in which we can develop pupil independence in language learning organised by the Suffolk LEA, and thanks to the success of the Northgate MFL blog, and our school's attempt at podcasting, I hope that I can have something to offer. Since starting on the blogging road, I have become a real advocate of the benefits that it can have for our students, and after a year of working on it with some help from colleagues, we will have our blog featured in the Northgate Review, the school's magazine. It will be interesting to see if that has any effect on the interest generated in the blog amongst parents, as opposed to just the students. It is always important to publicise a blog to get people to read it and use it. At school we have done this by placing posters around the language centre, and even having a big banner in our computer room with the website address on it! Thanks to the guys in our technical support department, they have even created a desktop icon on all school computers so that students can click there first! Now we have the article in the school magazine. I'm toying with the idea of trying to get the local paper interested in the story, as we are still the only school in Suffolk with an MFL blog... I'd be keen to have people's advice on publicising a blog... Any thoughts?

Blog Goner?

2007-04-27T13:04:00.000Z

I played cricket last night (we have a staff team!) and came back home and checked the latest post from several other blogs that I read. Joe Dale's blog featured an interview between himself and David Noble on use of technology, and in particular blogs and podcasts. I was very interested to listen to the interview, and felt that both the questions posed and the answers given were excellent. I was also interested to listen to the various viewpoints on Scottish and English blogs, and how there are more and more cropping up. However there do seem to be a number of blogs that are started up and then are either left to die, or just disappear, and I started to wonder why.

The Northgate blog started up almost a year ago, and to be fair, when we launched it, all the staff in my department were up for it, and were keen to chip and contribute. Eleven months on, and it is now just me, for any number of reasons. Some colleagues felt that getting to grips with the technology outweighed the possible advantages. Some felt under pressure to write things on the blog, whilst others didn't have the time. So as I look back at Northgate MFL, there are a few things that I have personally found challenging -

* Having the time to blog.

That for me is the key thing. As a teacher, especially at certain times of the year like this, most of us are incredibly busy, and sometimes writing your thoughts and opinions on things instead of sorting out Year 11 coursework is not the best plan.

*What to say?

When the Northgate blog started, it was designed to be used by our own students. As we have moved on, I notice that other people from other schools begin to see some of the things we publish. Does that mean that I should cater for those outside of my original intended readership? In a week's time the school magazine comes out with a full page article on the blog, so that finally, the whole community will get a chance to read what it is about. Do I starting think of tailoring my content for parents and possibly local businesses? As yet I haven't. I've tried to keep it focused on the students.

*Finding things to talk about which are relevant.

I have set homework via the blog, uploaded useful resources to help students prepare for exams, offered links to other websites, and articles. We've embedded video so that students can watch relevant stuff from home, all of which has been well received. I'm always desperate to see what other mfl bloggers are doing so that I can learn from their ideas.

Thoughts on Language World 2007

2007-04-03T09:25:00.000Z

Well now that I've had time to recover, I thought I'd better jot down some things about Language World, the ALL's annual conference. I enjoyed quite a lot this year, and as it's my fourth visit, I would say it has been worthwhile. The venue is probably the best of the ones I've visited, I have to say that Manchester last year wasn't brilliant - especially the room laid aside for lunch, and there seemed to be a few more stalls at the exhibition than last year. I wonder whether anyone actually buys things at these stalls.

Having driven up from Ipswich (or should that be across) at 5.30am, I was ready for some strong coffee, which I got, with jammy dodger accompaniment. Ernesto Macaro's talk was very interesting, and my decision not to take notes was proved foolish when he ran out of hand outs. I'd be grateful if anyone else who was there could scan/email a copy!

I then attended Ewan McIntosh's talk. I saw him at last year's LW, and found him to be very interesting. Having met him in Liverpool back in October, and having had some help from him in setting up the Northgate MFL blog, I was quite keen to listen to him again. I like his style of delivery, and the fact that he makes his presentations very visual. Most stimulating.

Lord Dearing and Dr Lid King were next up on the menu, and it was quite a comforting and reassuring talk. Lord Dearing has put forward some common sense recommendations regarding the future of language teaching, and I think everybody left the room feeling a little more at ease.

After more coffee, and a cheese fest for lunch, I called in to see René Koglbauer's talk on Plenaries. I met René this time last year on a British Council visit to Bavaria, and it was nice to see him again. His plenaries were all very good - he had a PowerPoint nightmare towards the end of the talk - but managed to pull it off well. I do have sympathy with his classes though, who had to trial all of the plenaries to see if they worked!!

To end the day I went to the talk on 'Harnessing Multimedia', run by Fiona Hilton and Richard Henderson, two teachers from the north of England who had been using mobile phones and digital video to motivate students and promote creativity. It's one of those funny things, alluded to in a previous post, as to whether it works or not. The project was supported by CILT, and both school's seemed to rate the outcome. On a positive note, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the end results, but I have difficulty seeing how that could work in my school. I will still have fun trying to investigate the possibilities.

The conference dinner was the usual schmooze fest, seeing friendly faces and meeting new ones. The belly dancing was a novel feature, and I'll leave it at that.

Saturday was a technology day, with visits to the E-Creativity in Language Learning seminar, followed by a trip to see SoccerLingua. The e-creativity seminar follwed nicely in the footsteps of the harnessing multimedia talk from Friday, and it does show that video, used effectively, can serve as a motivational tool for students. SoccerLingua, on the other hand, didn't overly impress me due to the relatively short life span that the materials have.

I then ended my stay in Oxord by taking in Joe Dale's 'Death by PowerPoint' presentation. For me, this was a refresher course in the joys of using PowerPoint. Joe talks very well, and did well to race through his talk in the alloted time. Joe, like Ewan is someone I first came across at last year's LW, and he has proved to be a great help for us with the blogging and podcasting.

Why don't you let me know what you though of this years Language World?

Why do we do this?

2007-04-01T16:32:00.000Z

Since the Northgate MFL blog was created back in June, we've been trying to find ways to harness new and evolving technologies to help students, and to provide greater motivation in learning MFL at our school. We've gone from what are now simple things like exchanging emails with students, to using the blog to upload and store resources for students to download. This year we've produced podcasts and mp3 recordings, conducted online projects like the Gifted and Talented, used Wikispaces to develop groupwork online, and have used mobile phones to record sound and images to share work. The question I have to ask myself is whether it is actually worth it. I tried a couple of times with the mobile phone in lessons, and initially the kids were too preoccupied with actually using the phone as opposed to what we were using it for, but eventually we got the students to Bluetooth their files to my Mac which was linked up to the data projector - a good bit of peer assessment. The podcasting and MP3 recording has really worked well, the students love doing that, and enjoy the recording experience much more than I gave them credit for. So as far as I am concerned it has been totally worth it.

I'm fortunate that I work in a very forward thinking specialist language college, where most of the staff are keen to give things a go. But when I attend conferences and talks given by people like Joe Dale and Ewan McIntosh, both of whom have proved to be a great help and sounding board in getting the school blog going, I can't help but feeling that I am still in a minority. Many teachers I speak to in the East of England love the concept of starting a blog, or making a podcast, but are either too apprehensive to give it a go, don't have the time due to other pressing workloads, or just don't think it will work. There are also too many for my liking who are, for want of a better word 'scared' of the the fact that they feel that thewy can't dare to leave the text book or syllabus. I for one can understand this to a certain extent - I'm caught between the need to motivate my students, to show them how much fun languages can be, and the need to cover everything in the course in the limited time available. For those of you who have taught AS and A2, you should be able to empathise with me. Some teachers look at me like I'm mad when I talk about using mobiles to send kids' work to each other, and I know that they think that I should have covered that really important gap-fill on page 32.

How do I get them to change their minds?

Getting Blog Tagged!

2006-12-30T01:15:00.000Z

Joe Dale blog-tagged me today, I saw it on Ewan's site, and didn't think anything else of it, other than the fact it was quite entertaining. Joe then emails me, and 'tags' me, so I though I'd do it and pass it on.

1. Despite my accent, I am Canadian born and bred, and very proud of that - even to the point of having a flag stitched into my backpack. I was born in Montreal, and grew up in a small ski town called St Sauveur-des-Monts. I went to a French-speaking school, and my first school memory was crying because my teacher wouldn't let me go to the toilet until I had asked to go in French. I am a big hockey fan, and baseball as well. The Montreal Canadiens are my team, and as my dad lives in Toronto, I tend to watch a lot of Blue Jays games. My family emigrated from the Ukraine after the war to Newfoundland, which is where my dad grew up.

2. In case you haven't already worked it out, I play bass in a punk/mod covers band called Teenage Kicks. You can hear our stuff here. The band has been going in various guises for nearly 6 years, and other than sport, it is a massive passion of mine. I own 3 guitars, I used to have a Paul McCartney style Hofner violin bass, but student debts forced a sale!

3. I am addicted to gadgets. It's not a case of what I need, but more a case of what I think I might some day need. I'm into using ICT and blogging at work and stuff, but I think that my colleagues reckon that it just feeds my addiction. My wife even now thinks that she married a geek.

4. My dad is Nick Blagona. He is quite a well known music engineer/producer over in Canada. His website is http://www.nickblagona.com/. When I was last over there, I got to meet the guys from Alexisonfire who were recording in the studio. My dad has worked with quite few famous people - he even managed to wangle backstage all-access passes to a Deep Purple gig last year.

5. My first job was at the McDonalds restaurant in Lincoln. I ended up spending 6 years on and off working slaving under the golden arches. I have two massive scars on my elbow from dropping hot chip baskets on myself. I was earmarked to join their graduate trainee scheme, but then I went away to Ireland for 3 weeks, having had my request for holiday turned down, and was promptly fired on my return - not that I ever intended to work there again anyway.

Gig Review @ The Red Lion, Bildeston

2006-11-25T16:35:00.000Z

Teenage Kicks were live last night at The Red Lion, in Bildeston, with another mix of melodic and chord crunching covers. Dan took over the reins as the band's singer, and with the usual troop of followers accompanying the band, it was a loud and cheery evening. Personal highlights for me were The Cure's hit "Boys Don't Cry" and The Beatles "Day Tripper" which was great fun to play. Playing in a rather smallish area of the pub proved to be not too bad a disadvantage, as the pub filled, the punters started dancing to the tunes, with one particular member of the public strutting his stuff in a "Bez out of The Happy Mondays" kind of way.