Target Language
Utiliser ou ne pas utiliser : telle est la question. Y a-t-il plus de noblesse d’âme à subir la fronde et les flèches de la langue anglaise outrageante, ou bien à s’armer de courage et cibler la langue étrangère ? [version épave, d’après Guillaume chat-qui-expire]
The ‘target’ language in the classroom … apologies that slides 1 & 5 are in French if you are a non- Francophone. This brief presentation suggests some methods to encourage the use of the foreign language in the classroom (for me, not just de rigueur at A Level). Some exponents of MFL teaching will not be in agreement, but these practices have shaped and served well former pupils of mine and me respectively.
Please email me (see Contact section) if you would like any explanations. Furthermore, I have delivered in-school talks (both State Academies and Independent Schools) to motivate pupils with regard to MFL options at GCSE and A Level. These presentations and Q&A sessions focus on my teaching experience, as well as my roles as a translator in the sporting domain [Premier league & Paris Olympics 2024]; the latter area has proved to be a source of inspiration and aspiration for pupils and students.
Fun bite (some favourite words)
The background to these ‘offerings’ is a lexical practice that I brought to my teaching il y a belle lurette!
I decided to introduce this initialism: WWW (not World Wide Web … and hopefully not subject to a lawsuit as a result!) … wacky word (of the) week.
The concept was simply to offer the class or teaching set, at whatever level or age, a word at the end of the lesson, then work on its pronunciation, meaning, spelling, and usage. At the end of the term, the pupils had to include each word in a short written exposé.
The autumn term’s weekly order of this vocabulary was established as follows:
1. un pouillot
2. se recroqueviller
3. une mitraillette
4. blottir
5. une libellule
6. un nounours
7. un pamplemousse
Half term - le caoutchouc
8. saperlipopette
9. vadrouiller
10. inébranlablement
11. le mille-feuille
12. pantouflard
13. ras-le-bol
14. la quincaillerie
15. La serrurerie
Below are the words, BUT not in the same order! Try and match them up.
a. Teddy bear
b. To snuggle
c. Rubber
d. Fed up
e. Goodness me
f. Willow warbler
g. Hardware store
h. Dragon fly
i. Couch potato
j. Unwaveringly
k. Submachine gun
l. Locksmith’s
m. Grapefruit
n. To curl up
o. To roam around
