1. Pura Ariza Senior Lecturer in Education MFL Tutor p.ariza@mmu.ac.uk
Are foreign languages an ‘elite’ subject? How do we teach foreign languages to learners who don’t score high marks?
Pura Ariza
Senior Lecturer in Education
MFL Tutor
NATESOL Conference May 2018

2. NATESOL Conference May 2018

3. Objectives
To begin to investigate the incidence and characteristics of SEN in the mainstream classroom (now called SEND)
To share experiences and practice
To explore the needs of pupils with difficulties from the perspective of teacher and pupil
To consider the benefits of MFL for all
NATESOL Conference May 2018

4. Discussion Who has taught pupils with special educational needs?
What are they like?
What is it like?
What does the term “special educational needs” mean?
NATESOL Conference May 2018

5. Task
Take a piece of paper, and fold into three columns. The title of the first column is “characteristics of pupils with special educational needs”. Work in twos or threes, and write down the sort of things that, in your experience, pupils with SEN have had difficulties with.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

6. Pupils with special educational needs may have problems with:
Memory
Categorising and organisational skills
Generalising
If – then relationships
Study skills
Literacy (all aspects)
Numeracy
Spoken language
Concentration
NATESOL Conference May 2018

7. Following instructions and remembering them Motivation Self-esteem
Self-expectations
Negative feelings towards school
Problem-solving
Using their initiative
Asking relevant and useful questions
Working and co-operating with others
NATESOL Conference May 2018

8. Discussion
Consider the list of areas of potential difficulties for pupils.
How is learning in MFL linked to these areas?
To what extend does successful learning in MFL rely on competence in these areas?
NATESOL Conference May 2018

9. What do we mean by ‘Special Educational Needs’?
There is no simple definition, but a general agreement is that these are pupils who have significantly greater difficulties with learning than the majority of children of that age, given standard school provision.
There will be variation between schools, according to intake.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

10. The traditional, deficit model / medical model:
Sees SEN as a ‘within child’ problem
The pupil is seen as having a deficiency which results in his/her being unable to cope with the normal curriculum provision
The pupil’s deficiency is seen as needing to be remedied to enable him/her to return to the normal curriculum and to be able to compete on equal terms with other pupils
NATESOL Conference May 2018

11. The progressive, difference or individual needs model:
Sees education as inclusive with pupils having a range of needs
Focuses on the pupil's needs and asks the question ‘What does the pupil need?’
Recognises that the traditional curriculum does not always provide for pupils’ needs
NATESOL Conference May 2018

12. Identification of a pupil's specific needs may require specific types of provision and teaching, but at the same time the curriculum is adapted to be more sensitive and to take into account those needs.
This leads to a climate of seeing the teacher ‘in the driving seat’ , possibly with the help of outside support modifying and adapting the curriculum resources and teaching style to meet the pupil's needs
NATESOL Conference May 2018

13. All teachers are teachers of special needs
There is currently a move towards greater integration of SEN pupils into mainstream.
Teachers must show that all pupils make appropriate progress.
All work set must be meaningful and challenging.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

14. Task
Go back to the list you have made. Give the middle column the title: “What they need”.
Work in twos or threes.
Feedback
NATESOL Conference May 2018

15. NATESOL Conference May 2018

16. Why teach modern languages to pupils with special educational needs?
NATESOL Conference May 2018

17. What’s the point of teaching them Spanish / French / German
What’s the point of teaching them Spanish / French / German? They can’t even speak their own language properly! The time would be better spent on extra English – that’s what’s really important.”
Actually, the vast majority of children with special educational needs do learn to speak L1 properly. And some are already bilingual.
Equality: we are all entitled to a broad and balanced curriculum
NATESOL Conference May 2018

18. AT1: LISTENING AND RESPONDING Level 1
Pupils show that they understand a few familiar spoken words and phrases. They understand speech spoken clearly, face to face or from a good-quality recording. They may need a lot of help, such as repetition or gesture.
Level 2
Pupils show that they understand a range of familiar spoken phrases. They respond to a clear model of standard language, but may need items to be repeated.
AT2: SPEAKING
Level 1
Pupils say single words and short, simple phrases in response to what they see and hear. They may need considerable support from a spoken model and from visual clues. They imitate correct pronunciation with some success.
Level 2
Pupils answer simple questions and give basic information. They give short, simple responses to what they see and hear, and use set phrases. Their pronunciation shows an awareness of sound patterns and their meaning is clear.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

19. AT3: READING & RESPONDING Level 1
Pupils recognise and read out a few familiar words and phrases presented in clear script in a familiar context. They may need visual clues.
Level 2
Pupils show that they understand familiar written phrases. They match sound to print by reading aloud familiar words and phrases. They use books or glossaries to find out the meanings of new  words.
AT4: WRITING
Level 1
Pupils write or copy simple words or symbols correctly. They label items and select appropriate words to complete short phrases or sentences.
Level 2
Pupils write one or two short sentences, following a model, and fill in the words on a simple form. They label items and write familiar short phrases correctly. When they write familiar words from memory, their spelling may be approximate.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

20. Benefits of language-learning
There are so many transferable skills and so much beneficial overflow into other learning: letter formation and combination, word formation and segmentation, spelling (spotting similarities and differences), sentence structure and language structure. All of this is literacy work.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

21. Consider the transferable study skills, such as the concentration and self- discipline needed for a listening exercise.
When pupils with SEN come up into Year 7, MFL is often a new subject, and therefore one in which they have not experienced failure. This contributes to their enthusiasm.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

22. Writing a full address and postcode Telling the time Directions
In the MFL class, students with SEN can revisit topics covered in the primary school but not fully mastered at the time.
Months of the year
Writing a full address and postcode
Telling the time
Directions
Drawing a family tree
NATESOL Conference May 2018

23. Older students will learn about things like writing a job application letter, healthy eating and lifestyles, travelling abroad, places to stay…. etc etc etc
At all ages, MFL lessons are an ideal place to practise social skills (not usually directly taught elsewhere in the secondary school).
NATESOL Conference May 2018

24. Using appropriate physical responses as well as appropriate language
Greetings
Using appropriate physical responses as well as appropriate language
Speaking to new people and asking questions
The skill of co-operation, as needed for group and pair work
Helpfulness and politeness in asking for and giving information
NATESOL Conference May 2018

25. Comprehensive education is about providing access to the curriculum for all. It is not about only teaching students who will later become experts. Utilitarian arguments about the potential use of language may miss the transformative psychological satisfaction of successful learning. Utilitarian arguments are generally used to withdraw students from a subject (“they won’t be needing to be able to….”) and devalue their learning.
The MFL dimension is an essential part of an education and an essential part of secondary education. The MFL classroom can provide a wealth of learning experiences and successes.
NATESOL Conference May 2018

26. Go back to the final column of your paper The title is: what we can do.
NATESOL Conference May 2018