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"Reflections of a language teacher.

Always learning."

The vital role of parental involvement in Languages classroom

Silvia Bastow

Nov 37 min read

Teaching and learning

The vital role of parental involvement in Languages classroom

In today’s globalised society, the importance of learning multiple languages is more apparent than ever. Language skills open doors to...

'Read aloud' - Utilising engaging activities that spark excitement

Silvia Bastow

Apr 217 min read

Teaching and learning

'Read aloud' - Utilising engaging activities that spark excitement

As the 'newish kid on the block' in terms of the new GCSE MFL specification in England, incorporating read-aloud activities in the modern...

Unpicking Engagement: Strategies for Reaching Middle-Attaining, Disengaged Boys in the Language Classroom

Silvia Bastow

Mar 175 min read

Teaching and learning

Unpicking Engagement: Strategies for Reaching Middle-Attaining, Disengaged Boys in the Language Classroom

In the domain of language teaching, teachers often find themselves faced with the challenge of engaging students who seem disinterested...

Unveiling the Power of "Less" in the Language Classroom: A Cognitive Approach to Teaching and Learning

Silvia Bastow

Feb 184 min read

Teaching and learning

Unveiling the Power of "Less" in the Language Classroom: A Cognitive Approach to Teaching and Learning

In the dynamic landscape of modern language education, the quest for effective teaching methodologies that enhance students' ability to...

Unlocking success: Supporting students with the lowest prior attainment in their GCSE exam

Silvia Bastow

Jan 146 min read

Teaching and learning

Unlocking success: Supporting students with the lowest prior attainment in their GCSE exam

Achieving success in GCSE exams is a challenging journey for all students, but those with the lowest prior attainment often face unique...

"The Harmonious Approach": Using Songs for Teaching Languages

Silvia Bastow

Dec 10, 20234 min read

Teaching and learning

"The Harmonious Approach": Using Songs for Teaching Languages

This year (March, 2023), I attended Eva Lamb's session at the Language World Conference organised by the Association for Language...

Making learning stick: Strategies for lasting knowledge

Silvia Bastow

Nov 25, 20234 min read

Teaching and learning

Making learning stick: Strategies for lasting knowledge

Learning a language is a cumulative and dynamic process that involves acquiring, processing, and retaining vocabulary and structures....

Silvia Bastow

Oct 22, 20234 min read

Teaching and learning

Stretching our high attaining students

I decided to write this blog post because too often, when I chat to my fellow colleagues either at conferences, subject meetings, or...

Worked examples in the Language classroom

Silvia Bastow

Apr 16, 20233 min read

Teaching and learning

Worked examples in the Language classroom

One of the most effective teaching strategy for languages classroom are worked examples. As a type of instructional method, they provide...

Mini whiteboards – the number 1 classroom tool?

Silvia Bastow

Mar 4, 20234 min read

Assessment, feedback and marking

Mini whiteboards – the number 1 classroom tool?

With recent publications of various edu-books, mini whiteboards seem to be experiencing some kind of ‘re-birth’ in the world of...

Silvia Bastow

Dec 10, 20225 min read

Teaching and learning

This one in on motivation

“Motivation is complex and invisible which makes it hard to understand.” Peps Mccrea: Motivated Teaching Human beings have always been...

Silvia Bastow

Nov 19, 20225 min read

Teaching and learning

Does practice really make 'perfect'?

“If challenge, explaining, modelling & questioning are the ingredients for learning, practice is the oven in which it is baked.” ...

Silvia Bastow

Oct 9, 20225 min read

Teaching and learning

Lexical approach and chunking

Recently, I have been looking more closely at the research analysing the ‘lexical approach’ of language teaching. Here are some key facts...

Silvia Bastow

Sep 10, 20223 min read

Teaching and learning

Pronunciation and phonics

Both pronunciation and phonics instruction relate to sounds. Phonics are used to teach reading to learners and pronunciation is about...

Teaching grammar implicitly vs explicitly

Silvia Bastow

Jul 3, 20225 min read

Teaching and learning

Teaching grammar implicitly vs explicitly

The discussion about what is the best approach when teaching grammar in MFL is always a ‘hot seat’ topic and at times many of us will...

Silvia Bastow

Apr 18, 20224 min read

Teaching and learning

Challenge – the underpinning principle!

The underpinning principle of effective teaching is challenge! Students rise or fall according to the level of expectation that we set...

Silvia Bastow

Mar 6, 20223 min read

Teaching and learning

Show Calling

One of the six pedagogical principles of expert teaching is modelling, a research-informed strategy demonstrating to our students how to...

Trying to increase your GCSE uptake? This is what we are trying…

Silvia Bastow

Jan 23, 20224 min read

Teaching and learning

Trying to increase your GCSE uptake? This is what we are trying…

With the languages uptake in British schools and universities on the decline, what can we do to reverse the trend? The British Council in...

Learning vocabulary – passive vs. active

Silvia Bastow

Jan 3, 20226 min read

Teaching and learning

Learning vocabulary – passive vs. active

Learning and building students’ vocabulary to develop fluency and eventually mastery of the studied language requires a lot of effort,...

Silvia Bastow

Dec 11, 20212 min read

Teaching and learning

Live modelling

Live modelling is considered to be one of the most powerful strategies in the teacher’s toolkit and I absolutely agree! Through live...

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