Screening Languages:Short films for MFL

The Mayor’s London Schools’ Excellence Fund

Mark.reid@bfi.org.uk

www.bfi.org.uk

from Reframing Literacy…

• EYFS - KS3• 61 Las• 7 DVDs• Research and evaluation

(Moving Literacy On, Marsh and Bearne)

• Big impacts on literacy, boys’ writing, teacher pedagogy and confidence

… to Reframing Languages

• French short films• Cineminis DVD in October

2010• KS2/3• Esmee Fairbairn research

with IoE on Year 8 French

• Impacts on language skills, motivation, cultural knowledge, and teacher pedagogy

… to Screening Languages (2013-15)

Year 1 2013/14

•6 schools/ 12 teachers•Hounslow, Barking&Dagenham, Lambeth, Tower Hamlets, Barnet

•Year 8 (mostly)

•French, Spanish, (German?)

Year 2 2014/15

•20 schools/ 30 teachers•5 LAs, Teaching School Alliances, academy chains

•KS3

•French, Spanish, German, Mandarin

Objectives• Supporting preparation for new KS3 curriculum• Developing new pedagogical approaches through film

and ICT to provide culturally enriching teaching and learning materials, for example in:– narrating an account or story– accessing a wider range of vocabulary and structures for

writing sentences and longer texts– improving capability and confidence in speaking and

listening, awareness of perspectives that may be different from their own, incl challenging stereotypes

• Creation of a network of practitioners across a wide range of London schools, shared lesson observation, inter-departmental development

• Creation of bank of online resources

Participation• Attend three half day CPD sessions in each year, and make one visit to

another school to observe lessons. CPD sessions are Nov 21st PM; March (date tbc); June (date tbc). School visit in Term 5/ May

• Devise and teach two short teaching sequences (4 or 5 lessons each sequence) using a short film, in Spanish, French, or German – one in Spring term, one in Summer. Each sequence to be taught once with two parallel classes if possible. Support and exemplars for devising the lesson sequences will be provided by two seconded MFL teachers with experience in short film and MFL teaching.

• Provide pupil profile data (FSM, EAL; from central school records); and

get each pupil to fill in an online questionnaire (takes about 20 minutes) to provide baseline starting points. Complete teacher questionnaire, and contribute to shared blog

PeopleSeconded teachers•Caroline Thomas (Robert Clack, Barking and Dagenham)•Muriel Huet (Lampton School, Hounslow)

Participating Schools•Sydney Russell, B&D, Phil Horrocks and David

Fromentin•Dagenham Park, B&D, Harriet Bateson•Riverside School, B&D Ryan Hoy•Lampton School, Hounslow Hinna Rehman•Henrietta Barnet, Barnet Nicola Farhadi•London Nautical School, Lambeth Rocio Gonzalez•Sir John Cass, Tower Hamlets Mark Rogers

(more) PeopleResearchers:

Dr. Shirley Lawes, Jenny Carpenter

Project lead

Mark Reid, BFI

Project administrator

Matt Cuzner, BFI

Why film?

• ‘Comprehensible input’ and ‘forms of life’

• Culturally rich language context

• Engagement for children

Why short films?

• New to children

• Manageability

• High quality - cinematic

Shorts pedagogy

• ‘Tell Me’ grids - in target language

• Hiding and revealing

• Stopping and starting