General ideas and strategies to promote student use of the Target Language

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General ideas and strategiesto promote student
use of the Target Language
Sarah Brown MFL AST
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Strategies for Promoting pupils use of the
target language

• In year 7 plan into SoW basic classroom
  instructions/vocab/useful phrases.
• Support this by having visual stimuli around the
  room (displays/hanging signs/washing lines etc)
• Practice repeatedly and expect pupils to then
  always use them in the T.L.
• Give rewards for good usage! Eg sticker charts.
• Revisit briefly at the beginning of every year.
  Can be extended in subsequent years-both amount
  and complexity of phrases.
• Use key phrases to apply to different contexts.
• An active washing line of useful phrases/key
  structures that crop up in lessons. New items can
  be pegged up as they occur and taken down when v.
  familiar.
• Pupils have a dedicated page at the back of
  their books or booklets to note down useful
  phrases. Especially authentic, useful things that
  they really want to say. Gives them real
  motivation for speaking!

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Further ideas..

• Greet pupils at the door and engage in T.L.
  conversation (differentiated according to ability
  of pupil).
• See how long (use a timer) the class can keep
  talking only in the target language before
  someone starts to speak in English. Keep a
  record each lesson for them to try and beat.
• Competition idea from immersion group- divide the
  class in half or (filles v garçons). Keep a
  record each week of target language use-pupils
  receive a point for their team for good usage and
  can challenge for a penalty-a point to be
  deducted if they hear someone talking to the
  teacher in English. Can only do so if they use
  the phrase Je peux parler/expliquer en anglais?
  Winning team receive a treat at the end of each
  week!

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And some more.

• Use of place mats to scaffold and support. Eg
  year7/9/10 peer assessment mats.
• Ideas from book called Something to say. Have
  a display space for pupils to build a wall.
  Every time a pupil is heard using a good TL
  phrase they write it on a Sprechbaustein. See
  eg. And it is stuck up on the wall.
• Forfeit system. Appoint a police officer each
  lesson without the class knowing who it is. At
  the end of the lesson the police officer reveals
  him/herself and reads out any expressions in
  English he/she has heard. These are then stuck
  onto a rubbish bin poster and the person who
  said them has to find out the TL equivalent and
  write it up!
• Use humour, mime, huge gestures, ridiculous
  suggestions to create positive, non threatening
  atmosphere and encourage pupils to react
  spontaneously.

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• Lessons carefully planned with clear objectives
  (in French?)
• Planned opportunities for TL use in the lesson.
  Eg. Peer assessment year 7 / to explain small
  grammar points parce que cest
  masculin/féminin/pluriel. / older pupils - .il
  faut infinitive