ILILC2 - Preparing for the learners of the future!

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!

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

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?

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.

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.