Thanks to ALL Council Member and West of England Branch Secretary Crista Hazell for reporting on the Inside Government Modern Foreign Languages 2018 conference
An MFL conference is always exciting, the whole day committed to all things MFL, just brilliant! The national Congress Centre hosted the Inside Government Modern Foreign Languages 2018 conference and the agenda was very interesting, if not challenging, with a range of speakers and passionate MFL practitioners from a wide range of backgrounds. The Conference kicked off at 8:45am with Vicky Gough, Policy advisor and member of the British Council and a packed hall of eager MFL teachers, subject leaders and senior leaders. Her welcome address was powerful, reiterating the aspiration for all young people in the UK to have ‘friendly knowledge and understanding between all other cultures in the UK and beyond through opportunities for every young person to have cumulative experiences overseas’ through the many projects the British Council are famous for; school partnerships, language assistants, resources and the International School award as well as the Erasmus Schools Online project.
Delegates could then choose from a range of sessions:
Catherine Gregory (Lead for MFL, Curriculum Division, Department for Education): The Next Steps in Enhancing Teaching and Learning Outcomes in MFL
Ian Bauckham CBE, (CEO of Tenax Schools Trust and Chair – Review of Modern Foreign Language Pedagogy, Teaching Schools Council): Enhancing MFL teaching Pedagogy to Improve Pupil Attainment
Jane Harvey (President of Association for Language Learning): Supporting Engagement and Promoting Enjoyment in MFL Learning
Judith Rowland-Jones (Head of Curriculum: Languages, AQA): GCSE MFL Assessment – Looking Back at 2018 and Forward to 2019
Bernadette Clinton (British Council Ambassador and MFL Consultant): Can we really Produce Spontaneous Language Users, Able to Manipulate Complex Language, Starting from KS3?
Juliet Park (Trainer and Examiner for AQA and Head of MFL): Implementing Practical Strategies
David Shanks (Federation MFL Consultant and Lead Practitioner): Case Study to Enhance MFL Provision
Joe Dale (MFL and Technology Consultant): Successfully Embedding Technology
Karine Buffon (Head of MFL): Improving MFL Attainment through Successful Teaching
The day was very busy, highly focused and it was inspirational hearing MFL colleagues from a range of schools and establishments sharing their experiences and the impact of strategy. It was pleasing to have the DFE, the British Council and ALL represented alongside classroom practitioners and consultants. Many teachers in attendance left with note books full of strategies and buzzing with ideas to take back to their schools and departments from all speakers. The day was a tremendous success and I am sure that departments and teachers across the land who attended, are acting upon the wealth of advice shared. I look forward to attending the 2019 MFL conference.
Crista Hazell, ALL Council Member and West of England Branch Secretary.