1. Promoting Independent Learning in MFL
by Isabelle Jones, The Radclyffe School
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
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icpjones@yahoo.co.uk Page 1

2. • Why developing independence is crucial to
raising standards in languages
• Barriers and opportunities
• Tools to support the development of
independence in languages
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3. Why independence?
• Independence, curriculum time and standards
of learning & teaching
• Better learners, better linguists
• Future-proof linguists
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVxAjg62XrQ&feature=r
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4. OFSTED Modern Languages Survey Visits
Generic grade descriptors and supplementary subject-specific
guidance for inspectors on making judgements during visits to schools
Subject feedback letters, following survey visits, normally contain
separate judgements on:
• The achievement of pupils in the subject
• The quality of teaching in the subject
• The quality of the curriculum in the subject
• The quality of leadership and management of
the subject
• The overall effectiveness of the subject.
This guidance is intended only to inform the
judgements made by specialist inspectors
carrying out subject survey visits. It is not for
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9. A few points to consider…
• Factors affecting the way we teach/ students learn
• Foreign language learning and teaching-a unique
part of the curriculum?
• Limits to student independence
• Tools to support the development of
students independence (PLTS/SEAL/
ICT-grammar, phonics/AFL)
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10. Factors affecting Learning and Teaching
Barriers and Opportunities
• Observations
• Exam pressure
• School context, ethos and audience (parents/
students)
• Perception of our subject within school by students
and other departments
• Teachers’ “default teaching mode”
and willingness to innovate/take risks.
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11. GCSE Skills and Independence
• Cope with a greater degree of unpredictability
⇒Student independence: phonic rules, use of dictionary
& verb tables.
• Understand and use more accurately a widening range of
vocabulary and structures, including some unfamiliar language
=>intercultural understanding, inferences from English and/or
other known language, use of para-linguistic clues (visuals, tone of
voice, bold, italics etc…), memorisation techniques.
• Understand and discuss issues and opinions
=>Knowledge of a range of structures,
connectives and synonyms, linking ideas &
points of view in a well-organised way.
• Give full description and accounts
=>proofreading ability, peer assessment &
support, memorisation techniques.
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AQA GCSE specification-context and purposes

12. PLTS in the Secondary National Curriculum
self manager
independent enquirer
creative thinker
reflective learner team worker
effective participator
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13. How can PLTS help?
• Not a new concept:
Personal, Learning + Thinking Skills
• Independent learning skills
• Learners’ social interactions
• Making the link between ideas
• Transferring knowledge of
patterns
• Not a government initiative-focus
for good practice
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14. How can PLTS help?
Students gain in independence when:
•They have opportunities to access a wide
range of learning and teaching styles and to
explore what works for them
•They are aware of their strengths and they
have strategies to deal with their weaknesses
•They understand what level of development
they are at and how to develop further (AFL)
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15. How can PLTS help?
Giving students opportunities for independence
Bloom’s Taxonomy (1956)
Evaluate, judge, defend, criticise, justify, choose
Hypothesise, discuss, compare, create, construct
Analyse, organise, deduce, contrast, distinguish
Manipulate, classify, apply, modify, illustrate, solve
Explain, describe, visualise, illustrate, paraphrase
Recall, identify, list, name, define, show, recognise
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Cognitive Domain Page 15

16. SOLO Taxonomy
Structures of Observed Learning Outcomes
Developed by Biggs and Collis in 1982
Describes levels of increasing complexity in a student’s
understanding of a subject (depth of understanding)
With the highest level being the extended abstract level, when
students can make connections not only within the given area but
also beyond it.
Students will also be able to generalise and
transfer the principles and ideas to another area
in an independent manner.
Are we allowing our students to make these
connections?
http://pamhook.com/
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18. SOLO Taxonomy
SOLO level Verbs
Extended Abstract Generalise, predict, evaluate, reflect, Number
affect other
hypothesise, theorise, create, prove, plan, words too
justify, argue, compose, prioritise, design,
construct, perform
Relational Sequence, classify, compare and contrast, How gender
explain causes, explain effects, analyse (part- affect
other words:
whole), form an analogy, organise, adj, poss…
distinguish, interview, question, relate, apply
Multistructural Describe, list, outline, follow an algorithm, Patterns
combine
Unistructural Define, identify, name, draw, find, label, Gender
match, follow a simple procedure
Verbs for declarative and functioning knowledge-
Common task descriptors for the National Certificate of Educational
Achievement (NCEA), New Zealand
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GCSE/AS/A level Page 18

19. Embedding PLTS the BLP Way
Building Learning Power, Guy Claxton
The 4 Rs
• Resilience: absorption, managing distractions,
noticing, perseverance;
• Resourcefulness: questioning, making links,
imagining, reasoning, capitalising;
• Reflectiveness: planning, revising, distilling,
meta-learning;
• Reciprocity: interdependence, collaboration,
empathy and listening.
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20. Strategies for developing
reflective independent learners
• Introducing Meta-language to talk
about learning: mats, display
• Overlaps with AFL and SEAL:
understanding of assessment criteria,
different types of motivation…
• Focus on developing PLTS as a
wholeschool approach
• http://isabellejones.blogspot.com/2009/10/flip-cramlington-model-fo
• http://isabellejones.blogspot.com/2009/10/flip-approach-for-languag
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21. Developing Reflective independent
learners: Mats
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22. PLTS and SEAL:
Display/ Overlaps
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23. Speaking and Teacher Talk
• Teacher use of the Target Language
• Opportunities for students to speak
the language for a real purpose
• Safe environment for speaking
• Pronunciation and student
confidence: for or against choral
repetition?
• Something to aim for: Group Talk
http://www.teachfind.com/teachers-tv/m
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24. 1 2 3 4
idée
araignée éléphant oublier
5 6 7 8
univers cochon cicliste maison
9 10 11 12
voiture lapin gymnastique manger
13 14 15 16
France menton eau fille

25. Je ne vais pas gaspiller
l’électricité et l’eau.
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26. Independence and Creativity
Art: colours and descriptions, biographies, use of visuals
and 3D “hooks”
Music: rhymes, sounds and rhythm
Drama: role-play/ puppets
History: a new slant on what they are familiar with e.g. ww2
Geography: Barcelona, Paris, the environment, fair trade
Dance: cultural aspects, use movement to remember
Media studies: looking at advertising or short films
Cultural awareness and identity: celebrate
and promote diversity through using pictures,
music, the French & Spanish-speaking world…
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27. ICT support for learners:
in and out of the classroom
Online dictionary and apps vs paper dictionary http://www.wordreference.com/
Le Robert-Dixel
http://itunes.apple.com/fr/app/le-robert-dictionnaire-dixel/id324277188?mt=8
Verb apps and verb tables http://www.bescherelle.com/
http://www.elconjugador.com/enindex.php?newlang=Y&langvalue=en
Recording themselves to improve accent: audacity/ phone, voki, text-to-speech,
FLA or teacher. http://text-to-speech.imtranslator.net/ http://voki.com/
Opportunities to practise speaking without a public
performance
Homework or extension work send via Edmodo (free)
or Doddle (subscription)
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28. ICT support for learners: in
and out of the classroom
VLE: homework, consolidation and extension work
Facebook page: Departmental/ Faculty page with links promoting
Languages
Twitter page https://twitter.com/radclyffemfl
Blog/ wiki: http://chilternedgemfl.typepad.com/chiltern-edge-mfl/
http://stmichaelsmfl.wikispaces.com/
App list: http://isabellejones.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=iphone+
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30. AFL and Student Independence
Self and peer assessment: proofreading/ developing students’
understanding of assessment criteria
Understanding criteria: what I am at/ how do I move on
(break it down/ beware of oversimplification)
Peer assessment: oral/ written feedback
Student learning skills training needs to feature highly in the SoWs
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31. Independence & Confidence-building
activities
Teach a sophisticated language item to the rest of the class
Parallel texts: e.g. wikipedia article with questions in the target
language to answer/information to organise from an article in the
target language.
Positive reading: highlight known words and cognates
Predictive listening: use the context to guess
what is going to be mentioned on the recording.
Teach about context: use a check list
Show them how much they know already
and where they can go to find out more
about what they don’t know yet…
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32. Powerpoint
http://www.tagxedo.com/artful/b1b08e0632244c74 Templates
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33. • Why developing independence is crucial to
raising standards in languages
• Barriers and opportunities
• Tools to support the development of
independence in languages
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34. Action!
Developing independent learning skills in
the languages classroom
•PLTS:
•SEAL:
• ICT-grammar, phonics:
• AFL:
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35. Promoting Independent Learning in MFL
by Isabelle Jones, The Radclyffe School
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Twitter: @icpjones
Powerpoint Templates
icpjones@yahoo.co.uk Page 35