Thinking Through Modern Foreign Languages

Introduction

Thinking Through Modern Foreign Languages is a resource for secondary language teachers to create exciting and memorable modern foreign language lessons built on thinking skills. Teaching modern languages using thinking skills activities develops transferable learning skills through interaction and independent learning.

Summary of contents

Thinking Through Modern Foreign Languages connects theory and practice, outlining nine tried and tested strategies for use in the classroom. The strategies aim to develop students’ ability to draw inferences from unfamiliar languages and unexpected responses, reflect on the links between languages and create opportunities for meaningful interaction in the target language.

Chapter breakdown

PART 1
SETTING THE SCENE
Introduction
Chapter 1 The big picture
From thinking skills to thinking classrooms
Research into MFL and thinking
The National Curriculum requirements
The cross-curricular potential of thinking skills
Thinking skills and the NC for Modern Foreign Languages
Thinking skills benefit language teaching and learning
Concluding the argument
Chapter 2 How to use this book
Structure of the book
Strategies and exemplars
Levels of use
Chapter 3 Overview Tables
Table 1 Exemplar links to thinking skills and other learning outcomes
Table 2 Exemplar links to MFL Programme of Study and MFL Framework
PART 2
STRATEGIES AND EXEMPLARS
Strategy 1 Odd One Out
Exemplar 1 Regular and Irregular Verbs
Strategy 2 Maps from Memory
Exemplar 1 Descriptions
Exemplar 2 ‘Sound Grasp’ of French
Exemplar 3 Four Legged Friends
Strategy 3 Reconstruction
Exemplar 1 The Pied Piper Story
Strategy 4 Sequencing
Exemplar 1 Building Sentences
Exemplar 2 Party Time!
Exemplar 3 My Town
Strategy 5 Reading Images
Exemplar 1 Is This Person Fit?
Exemplar 2 Film Clips
Exemplar 3 Talking Emotions
Exemplar 4 Benidorm
Strategy 6 Mysteries
Exemplar 1 Which Parent?
Exemplar 2 Which Options?
Exemplar 3 Is Paul Going to Start Smoking?
Strategy 7 Fact or Opinion?
Exemplar 1 Whose Room is This?
Strategy 8 Fortune Lines
Exemplar 1 Homer and Marge
Exemplar 2 Julia’s Work Experience
Strategy 9 Taboo
Exemplar 1 Describing Character
Exemplar 2 Illness
PART 3
THINKING SKILLS AND MFL TEACHING AND LEARNING
Chapter 4 What does a good thinking skills lesson look like?
Principles of teaching thinking
Key stages in thinking skills lessons
Characteristics of thinking skills lessons
Principles for teaching thinking and the MFL Framework
Chapter 5 The roles of the teacher in the thinking skills classroom
Implications for the roles of the teacher
Mediation
Exploratory talk
Mediation and exploratory talk and key stages of thinking skills lessons:
Launching
Managing the activity
Debriefing
Implications for the roles of learners
Chapter 6 Practical advice and suggestions for getting started
What support is needed to maximise pupils’ learning?
What support is there for teachers’ learning?
Chapter 7 How thinking skills can help to develop good language learners
Thinking skills create the conditions necessary for successful language learning
Thinking skills support the development of independent language learners and users
How might teachers exploit the potential of thinking skills to maximise learning?
Exploiting target language use and maximising language learning
Conclusion for now
Chapter 8 Learning from our experience
Is it worth doing thinking skills in language lessons?
What have pupils gained in thinking skills lessons?
Has your role as teacher changed?
Views on target language use
Chapter 9 References and recommended further reading

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