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"Reflections of a language teacher.

Always learning."

Are soft skills useful for language learning?

Silvia Bastow

Nov 7, 20214 min read

Teaching and learning

Are soft skills useful for language learning?

On social media, I often see posts about the importance of creating the right school culture – routines, students’ behaviour and attitude...

Silvia Bastow

Oct 24, 20214 min read

Teaching and learning

Is technology really the future?

Technology is now integrated in our everyday lives, that is a fact. With the recent experience of the Covid-19 pandemic it is inevitable...

Silvia Bastow

Sep 19, 20214 min read

Teaching and learning

Reading and literacy in Languages

We, all are teachers of literacy … Developing reading is one of the key skills students need to tackle in order to access knowledge and...

New academic year – Routines and expectations (part 2)

Silvia Bastow

Sep 4, 20211 min read

Teaching and learning

New academic year – Routines and expectations (part 2)

Establishing clear routines and expectations is one of the most important steps all teachers, regardless whether they are new to the...

New academic year – The first lesson (part 1)

Silvia Bastow

Aug 21, 20217 min read

Teaching and learning

New academic year – The first lesson (part 1)

As the start of the new academic year approaches, there seem to be more and more talk on Twitter about what the first lesson should look...

Silvia Bastow

Jun 3, 20217 min read

Teaching and learning

Scaffolding or differentiation…

One of the biggest myths that I was taught during my ITT many years ago and started my teaching career with, was that our learners fit...

Effective questioning techniques in Languages classroom

Silvia Bastow

May 22, 20217 min read

Teaching and learning

Effective questioning techniques in Languages classroom

What is effective questioning in the classroom? Effective questions are defined as questions focusing on eliciting the process in...

Knowledge organisers, Sentence builders, Parallel texts, Graphic organisers …

Silvia Bastow

May 8, 20215 min read

Teaching and learning

Knowledge organisers, Sentence builders, Parallel texts, Graphic organisers …

What ever term you use – knowledge organiser, sentence builder, parallel text or graphic organiser, ultimately it is a set of key...

Cornell Notes – could they be a useful technique for MFL?

Silvia Bastow

Apr 11, 20214 min read

Teaching and learning

Cornell Notes – could they be a useful technique for MFL?

In my research of effective Retrieval Practice, when reading Mark Enser’s book ‘Teach like nobody is watching’, I have come across a...

Dual coding – how can it be used in Languages

Silvia Bastow

Feb 20, 20215 min read

Teaching and learning

Dual coding – how can it be used in Languages

We – teachers spend a lot of our time planning and designing engaging resources for our students. However, the question I will pose...

Metacognition, self-regulated learning and revision

Silvia Bastow

Feb 1, 20217 min read

Teaching and learning

Metacognition, self-regulated learning and revision

Many educators have been talking more and more about the importance of metacognition (thinking about one’s thinking) and metacognitive...

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and how can it be applied in Languages Classroom?

Silvia Bastow

Nov 28, 20205 min read

Teaching and learning

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and how can it be applied in Languages Classroom?

split-attention reduced format split-attention reduced format ‘First, the theory itself needs to be guided by our knowledge of human...

Making Homework Meaningful and Purposeful in Languages classroom

Silvia Bastow

Nov 14, 20205 min read

Teaching and learning

Making Homework Meaningful and Purposeful in Languages classroom

I believe that homework is crucial for successful delivery of languages curriculum and should be treated as such. It is not an optional...

Retrieval Practice in Languages Classroom

Silvia Bastow

Nov 1, 20207 min read

Teaching and learning

Retrieval Practice in Languages Classroom

What is ‘retrieval practice’? Is it just the newest trend in education or is there more to it? On social media you have probably seen a...

Silvia Bastow

Oct 7, 20207 min read

Teaching and learning

Teaching and Learning

Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and Conti’s Extensive Processing Instruction On this post I will be looking at what they are and how...

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