Personalised learning in primary modern foreign languages: tips and tools

We’ve been giving our regular subject forums this term a personalised learning twist, and first up in October was our primary modern foreign languages forum (which also included a brief mention of ancient languages).

Set in the context of digital strategy, blended and in-person teaching and learning, concurrent, synchronous or asynchronous, personalised learning is another element in the matrix of possibilities, permutations and configurations for a teacher to consider. Sound overwhelming? It needn’t be. There are many digital tools that can help and are well suited to creative use – discover some of our favourite apps below. 

In our Erasmus+ Empower2Learn project (with partner education organisations in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden) we’ve been looking at tools, platforms and online systems through this personalised learning lens. In the project toolkit we’ve created for teachers we organised them into four different ‘directions’:

  • tools which can be used in any lesson (many of our regular CLC favourites fit here - Padlet, Jamboard, Kahoot, Mentimeter, among many more)
  • subject-specific apps and platforms (which may feature adaptive learning or AI – for adult language learning the popular Memrise and Duolingo fit in this category)
  • portfolio systems for instance SeeSaw 
  • broader whole-school platforms or systems (such as Google Classroom or Microsoft 365

What is personalised learning? 

Like many terms in education it means different things to different people (and there is an extensive academic background, part of which we’ve surveyed within our E2L project). We explored participants’ different perceptions using a Mentimeter live word cloud in this term’s subject forum.

Here’s the working definition that we’ve agreed in the E2L project for personalised learning:

“Learning that empowers students to become active in their learning pathways and tailors their learning activities to meet their needs, abilities and interests”

Drawing on the academic research, we can identify some specific dimensions:

  1. Objectives (learning goals)
  2. Personal characteristics
  3. Type of learning
  4. What is being personalised?
  5. Who/what is doing the personalisation?
  6. How is the personalisation carried out?
  7. Impact / beneficiaries?

In the forum we also considered key points from a recent report on modern foreign languages teaching from the British Council and an Ofsted blog from this year. One of those key points is that it’s important to realise that learning languages at primary level isn’t simply about acquiring vocabulary.

Apps such as Kahoot sometimes get a bad name if only used repetitively to drill vocabulary. However, the facility to read text in a variety of languages, embed clips or audio judiciously and use not just multiple choice format but, for example, puzzle or word cloud options mean that they can be used more appropriately.  With Kahoot, self paced learning for pupils set up by the teacher is also possible.

Give it a try 

  • Duolingo schools: free platform with features such as a teacher dashboard and feedback to learners (multiple languages available)
  • Model speaking or collect children speaking in variety of ways including directly in to Padlet or other similar apps

 

Padlet example

 

  • Explore the options with Google translate on a tablet or smartphone - not only text based but the options to translate real life text via the camera, to translate audio into text and to speak back a translation

The opening section of the National Curriculum MFL programme of study states that: “Learning a foreign language is a liberation from insularity and provides an opening to other cultures. A high-quality languages education should foster pupils’ curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.”

This series of British Council Great Languages Challenge resources are worth exploring to help with this general wider language awareness:

 

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Summer primary school computing conference

14/06/22,
09:15
- 15:30

This event will build upon the Autumn computing conference by inviting subject leaders to reflect on their year in the role, sharing their successes and challenges. It will also introduce new ideas, tools and approaches through talks and practical activities led by members of the CLC team, with opportunities for attendees to share their own expertise and experience. Over the course of the conference activities will touch on the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science, digital literacy and information technology. We will also feature advice and examples illustrating the use of technology to support blended learning.

Does your school need a sustained programme in the use of digital technology to underpin your whole school aims and plans?

Our support package covers the following:

Professional learning

Teacher professional development which puts digital at the heart of teaching and learning

Pupil workshops

Engaging, practical workshops for your class, in your school, at our Clapham centre online

Creative technology projects

Engaging, immersive educational experiences with corporate and cultural partners

Consultancy & advice

Get tailored support from our expert team of teachers and technologists

Technology loans

Kit for every classroom

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Upcoming CPD

Summer primary school computing conference
Summer primary school computing conference

This event will build upon the Autumn computing conference by inviting subject leaders to reflect on their year in the role, sharing their successes and challenges. It will also introduce new ideas, tools and approaches through talks and practical activities led by members of the CLC team, with opportunities for attendees to share their own expertise and experience. Over the course of the conference activities will touch on the three main areas of the computing curriculum: computer science, digital literacy and information technology. We will also feature advice and examples illustrating the use of technology to support blended learning.

14/06/22,
09:15
- 15:30
EYFS, KS1, KS2
Computing subject leaders, Teachers...
Creative Arts, Digital and children – CLC meets More Than Robots online
Creative Arts, Digital and children - CLC meets More Than Robots online

Combining forces for the first time, the Connected Learning Centre and More Than Robots have created a session for teachers, youth organisations, researchers and policymakers interested in the digital provision of creative arts for primary aged pupils.

Presentations

The Play Observatory - Prof. John Potter

“In their own words”: Westminster Abbey & CLC digital projects - Sian Shaw

Building (and maintaining) a city-wide primary arts curriculum to raise attainment - Kate Fellows

More to be added soon

This interactive and inclusive meet up will include inspiring examples of how technology can be used to support learning in music, visual art and drama in person and online at home drawing on our experiences as Tate Exchange associates and our partnership work with a range of cultural institutions.

This informal event is an opportunity to discuss real examples of what does/doesn’t work, meet colleagues from other sectors working on similar challenges and share useful research, news or updates

The morning will include case study presentations (details below) followed by a Q&A. There will also be an opportunity for a rapid sharing round for launches, project updates or requests for help and a short break to avoid zoom brain drain.

24/06/22,
09:30
- 11:30
KS1, KS2
Subject leaders, Teachers...

Upcoming Special projects

The News Project
25/11/21,
09:30
- 14:25
KS2

Special project in collaboration with First News Education

For a third year, building on two successful previous projects, we are once again partnering with the children’s newspaper First News, fellow member of the national Making Sense of Media and News Literacy networks. This special project with a literacy, PSHE and citizenship, as well as computing focus, highlights our specialist interest in this important aspect of digital and critical literacy.

The News Project will enable participating classes from year 5 to immerse themselves in news and current affairs using First News and the Bett award-winning First News iHUB, which will be provided free of charge during the school-based part of the project over a six week period. Under the guidance of their teacher, pupils will be supported in their development as a community of fully informed news readers. Classes will test their new critical skills and knowledge in the culminating virtual celebration event which will include a news competition and team-based critical literacy and editorial activities. After the event, schools will be able to use the resources from the day in their school.

The project will launch with an introductory CPD session for teachers to set the context, demonstrate resources and to plan for the school-based activities. 

Initial CPD session - Thursday 21st October 4pm-5.00pm. 

Project work undertaken in school - October and November.

Special event - Thursday 25th November 9.30am-2.45pm.