Some of my MFL colleagues will tell you that online translators are the bane of their lives and, to a certain extent and in certain circumstances, I agree.
There is nothing worse than a pupil handing in a piece of work which has been Googley Translated especially if it is in the wrong language.
A colleague recently received a piece of German homework written in Dutch. The child thought it said "Deutsch".
When marking students' work I have google translate open on my computer and if there is anything I'm not sure about I type it in to see what they were trying to say.
Everyone has their own google translate story and I'm sure that many of them are true.
My own personal favourite was this from a year 7 boy only this week:
"JLS sont bouffées."
I'd no idea what he was trying to say, so I used google translate to give me an idea.
It came back with the phrase "JLS are hot."
I asked him about this. He got very embarassed and turned a bright shade of red.
What he'd typed into the translator was "JLS are puffs."
Sweet revenge from the google corporation.
And that's why I love google translate.
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Saturday, 17 March 2012
Can we make Mothers' Day Cards?
Mothers' Day in the UK and Ireland is tomorrow, the 4th Sunday in Lent.
This week has been assessment week. So, naturally, some of my pupils asked if they could make Mothers' Day cards instead of doing their exams.
I had anticipated this.
I remembered when I lived in France that Mothers' Day was on a different day so I had prepared myself for their pleas and did some "intercultural understanding research".
They were not impressed that I would not allow them to make cards but I told them that we'd do it when it was La fête des Mères.
The International Mothers' Day is 13th May 2012. Most countries celebrate this annually on the second Sunday in May.
In most middle eastern countries, Mothers' Day is on the first day of Spring.
The Spanish and Portugese celebrate on the first Sunday in May.
In France, La fête des Mères takes place on the last Sunday in May unless it coincides with Pentecost and then it moves to the first Sunday in June.
So, now you know.
This week has been assessment week. So, naturally, some of my pupils asked if they could make Mothers' Day cards instead of doing their exams.
I had anticipated this.
I remembered when I lived in France that Mothers' Day was on a different day so I had prepared myself for their pleas and did some "intercultural understanding research".
They were not impressed that I would not allow them to make cards but I told them that we'd do it when it was La fête des Mères.
The International Mothers' Day is 13th May 2012. Most countries celebrate this annually on the second Sunday in May.
In most middle eastern countries, Mothers' Day is on the first day of Spring.
The Spanish and Portugese celebrate on the first Sunday in May.
In France, La fête des Mères takes place on the last Sunday in May unless it coincides with Pentecost and then it moves to the first Sunday in June.
So, now you know.
Happy Mother's Day.
Friday, 9 March 2012
French new wave cinema and Benny Hill.
My A level French students are studying the work of François Truffaut, mainly the 1962 film, Jules et Jim, and the techniques used, so today I showed them a clip from the Benny Hill Show.
I know what you're thinking, but bear with me.
I don't mean the late 1970s early 1980s Benny Hill Show where our hero is chased around the streets of Teddington by scantily clad nurses, police women, nuns, and the occasional, fully clothed, old lady.
Or vicar.
Oh no.
I mean the late 1960s early 1970s Benny Hill Show which contained some very clever parodies and pastiche sketches, the likes of which we don't tend to see these days.
Unless you're me and have the DVD.
And you're not.
And don't.
Fortunately.
So, here it is, Benny Hill as French New Wave director, Pierre de Terre, discussing his new avant garde film with Henry McGee in a brilliant parody of everything Truffaut.
(The sketch starts at 15m48)
Enjoy.
I know what you're thinking, but bear with me.
I don't mean the late 1970s early 1980s Benny Hill Show where our hero is chased around the streets of Teddington by scantily clad nurses, police women, nuns, and the occasional, fully clothed, old lady.
Or vicar.
Oh no.
I mean the late 1960s early 1970s Benny Hill Show which contained some very clever parodies and pastiche sketches, the likes of which we don't tend to see these days.
Unless you're me and have the DVD.
And you're not.
And don't.
Fortunately.
So, here it is, Benny Hill as French New Wave director, Pierre de Terre, discussing his new avant garde film with Henry McGee in a brilliant parody of everything Truffaut.
(The sketch starts at 15m48)
Enjoy.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
I ain't no holla back girl.
holla back girl. (noun) a member of a cheerleading squad who repeats – hollers back - words that the squad leader shouts out to them.
No, I haven't gone mad. (I did that years ago!)
A colleague of mine was recently observed by a local authority inspector. The objective of the lesson was to introduce vocabulary for sports and activities to a first year beginners' French class.
What she did was introduce the vocabulary by showing pictures on her interactive whiteboard and the students repeated.
As a class. In groups. Individually.
The students were clearly enjoying themselves but were they learning anything?
They clearly weren't using their brains very much.
And did they actually understand what they were doing?
How was their understanding being checked?
By the end of the lesson the students were able to name sports and give opinions about them: J'adore le tennis. Je déteste la natation. etc.
She thought the lesson had gone really well and was disappointed to find that the inspector did not agree.
There was no challenge.
A couple of years ago I was advised by a specialist MFL inspector that I should give my students 3 items of vocabulary and a dictionary or glossary when introducing new vocabulary. Once they have mastered phonics the students can then take charge of their own learning and work individually and collaboratively, in pairs and in groups, to find, learn and share their own vocabulary lists.
I've been doing this ever since and have seen some good results.
I have created independent learners out of holla back girls (and boys).
You should try it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
No, I haven't gone mad. (I did that years ago!)
A colleague of mine was recently observed by a local authority inspector. The objective of the lesson was to introduce vocabulary for sports and activities to a first year beginners' French class.
What she did was introduce the vocabulary by showing pictures on her interactive whiteboard and the students repeated.
As a class. In groups. Individually.
The students were clearly enjoying themselves but were they learning anything?
They clearly weren't using their brains very much.
And did they actually understand what they were doing?
How was their understanding being checked?
By the end of the lesson the students were able to name sports and give opinions about them: J'adore le tennis. Je déteste la natation. etc.
She thought the lesson had gone really well and was disappointed to find that the inspector did not agree.
There was no challenge.
A couple of years ago I was advised by a specialist MFL inspector that I should give my students 3 items of vocabulary and a dictionary or glossary when introducing new vocabulary. Once they have mastered phonics the students can then take charge of their own learning and work individually and collaboratively, in pairs and in groups, to find, learn and share their own vocabulary lists.
I've been doing this ever since and have seen some good results.
I have created independent learners out of holla back girls (and boys).
You should try it.
Uploaded with ImageShack.usWednesday, 15 February 2012
Ofsted - What do they want? When do they want it?
There's an old joke,
"What's the difference between a plastic surgeon and an Ofsted inspection? The surgeon tucks up features and the Ofsted inspection...."
A couple of weeks ago my school had a visit from Ofsted.
They told us on Friday that they would be coming in on the following Tuesday.
Everybody was rushing around like crazy and the queue for the photocopier (there are 2 but one broke as if by Ofsted magic) was longer than ever, well since the last inspection anyway.
We were told that each teacher would be seen twice. This didn't happen. Some people were seen twice. Others, including me, were not seen at all.
So what did they want?
The inspectors requested a chair in each classroom with a lesson plan and a detailed seating plan. By detailed, of course, I mean including any special needs information details, children receiving free school meals, the number of looked after children, any gifted and talented children and any children with English as an additional language. Each of these groups of students needs to be taught in different ways, of course.
What did they want to see?
They wanted to see that we are as good as we claim we are in our SEF.
They wanted to see teaching and learning. Obviously. Teacher-led learning is not a good thing. More specifically, they wanted to see evidence of students learning independently and evidence of teachers facilitating this learning by recapping every few minutes. Progress.
The formula for this is: Bell activity, Starter, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary,Task, Mini-plenary, ad nauseum, Final activity, Plenary.
Lots of mini-plenaries to show progress as most inspectors spent fewer than 10 minutes in each classroom. If they don't see progress in the time they are there, the best you can hope for is "Satisfactory", which we all know isn't good enough.
If you work in a school where students are not used to working independently, now is a good time to start.
What did they do?
As well as observing and judging lessons they spoke to students: "Do you normally do this kind of thing? Do you like this class? Do you know what you need to do to improve? Can you tell me what you need to do to reach your targets? etc."
They sent out questionnaires to staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders.
They did a work scrutiny. Some of my books were included in this. They were looking for evidence of effective feedback (I've blogged about effective feedback here). Not marking. Feedback. All kinds. If your Schemes of Work include this, even better. Teacher feedback, self assessment, peer assessment. Comments of ways in which students can improve. If you are a "page ticker" then you need to change your ways.
They were very friendly and courteous. They seemed like nice people. But, remember, nothing you tell an inspector is "off the record", so be very careful before opening your mouth. Don't try to be funny. Like SLT, they don't like it, their sense of humour (if they ever had one) has been removed. One of the conditions of the job, apparently.
What can you do to be ready for them?
Ideally, teach as if every day is an inspection.
Realistically, keep on top of paperwork, marking and feedback, annotate your seating plans, make sure you know the needs of your students, allow opportunities for peer and self assessment, if you are a "teach-from-the-front-teacher" slowly start to change your ways. The teachers who were prepared, the ones not running around like headless chickens, were the ones who came out best.
Remember why you became a teacher in the first place - to help children learn.
"What's the difference between a plastic surgeon and an Ofsted inspection? The surgeon tucks up features and the Ofsted inspection...."
A couple of weeks ago my school had a visit from Ofsted.
They told us on Friday that they would be coming in on the following Tuesday.
Everybody was rushing around like crazy and the queue for the photocopier (there are 2 but one broke as if by Ofsted magic) was longer than ever, well since the last inspection anyway.
We were told that each teacher would be seen twice. This didn't happen. Some people were seen twice. Others, including me, were not seen at all.
So what did they want?
The inspectors requested a chair in each classroom with a lesson plan and a detailed seating plan. By detailed, of course, I mean including any special needs information details, children receiving free school meals, the number of looked after children, any gifted and talented children and any children with English as an additional language. Each of these groups of students needs to be taught in different ways, of course.
What did they want to see?
They wanted to see that we are as good as we claim we are in our SEF.
They wanted to see teaching and learning. Obviously. Teacher-led learning is not a good thing. More specifically, they wanted to see evidence of students learning independently and evidence of teachers facilitating this learning by recapping every few minutes. Progress.
The formula for this is: Bell activity, Starter, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary, Task, Mini-plenary,Task, Mini-plenary, ad nauseum, Final activity, Plenary.
Lots of mini-plenaries to show progress as most inspectors spent fewer than 10 minutes in each classroom. If they don't see progress in the time they are there, the best you can hope for is "Satisfactory", which we all know isn't good enough.
If you work in a school where students are not used to working independently, now is a good time to start.
What did they do?
As well as observing and judging lessons they spoke to students: "Do you normally do this kind of thing? Do you like this class? Do you know what you need to do to improve? Can you tell me what you need to do to reach your targets? etc."
They sent out questionnaires to staff, pupils, parents and other stakeholders.
They did a work scrutiny. Some of my books were included in this. They were looking for evidence of effective feedback (I've blogged about effective feedback here). Not marking. Feedback. All kinds. If your Schemes of Work include this, even better. Teacher feedback, self assessment, peer assessment. Comments of ways in which students can improve. If you are a "page ticker" then you need to change your ways.
They were very friendly and courteous. They seemed like nice people. But, remember, nothing you tell an inspector is "off the record", so be very careful before opening your mouth. Don't try to be funny. Like SLT, they don't like it, their sense of humour (if they ever had one) has been removed. One of the conditions of the job, apparently.
What can you do to be ready for them?
Ideally, teach as if every day is an inspection.
Realistically, keep on top of paperwork, marking and feedback, annotate your seating plans, make sure you know the needs of your students, allow opportunities for peer and self assessment, if you are a "teach-from-the-front-teacher" slowly start to change your ways. The teachers who were prepared, the ones not running around like headless chickens, were the ones who came out best.
Remember why you became a teacher in the first place - to help children learn.
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Phonics
A couple of weeks ago I went to an event at Newcastle University all about phonics.
Helena Butterfield has produced a French phonics resource based on Jolly Phonics.
She has also produced a German pronunciation guide, too.
There is also a very good German phonics resource produced by JacquiT (Sadly, I don't know who she is. If anyone knows please tell me so I can give her the credit she is due.)
There is also this German pronunciation guide clip on Youtube
It was an excellent opportunity to meet some new and old friends and listen to the excellent Suzi Bewell who is a major expert on these things.
I won't go into all the details here as she tells it better on her blog. Suzi has also written a guide to using phonics which you can download from here.
There are many resources on phonics on Suzi's "do once and share" wiki which are amazing.
Here are links to a couple more of Suzi's phonics presentations:
Creativity and (French) Phonics
You say mince and I say mince
Other people have produced some excellent phonics resources, too:
Rachel Hawkes's website has a list of web based phonics resources
I won't go into all the details here as she tells it better on her blog. Suzi has also written a guide to using phonics which you can download from here.
There are many resources on phonics on Suzi's "do once and share" wiki which are amazing.
Here are links to a couple more of Suzi's phonics presentations:
Creativity and (French) Phonics
You say mince and I say mince
Other people have produced some excellent phonics resources, too:
Rachel Hawkes's website has a list of web based phonics resources
Alice Ayel's blog has some good phonics links.
Clare Seccombe's Phonics in KS2 and KS3
Helena Butterfield has produced a French phonics resource based on Jolly Phonics.
She has also produced a German pronunciation guide, too.
There is also a very good German phonics resource produced by JacquiT (Sadly, I don't know who she is. If anyone knows please tell me so I can give her the credit she is due.)
There is also this German pronunciation guide clip on Youtube
Sunday, 5 February 2012
National Curriculum Levels -Writing
One of the things Ofsted likes to ask children during inspections is "What level are you working at?" and the inevitable follow up question, "What do you need to do to reach your target level?"
To get a level 5, for example children are told they must use 2 tenses. So, is "Je joue au tennis et hier soir j'ai joué au tennis." a level 5 sentence? No. I don't think so, either.
So last term the department came up with a list of criteria we would use for judging our students' extended writing. A list which we could use and also which students could use as a checklist for self and peer assessment.
So here it is:
LEVEL 3
Minimum 25 words / 4 sentences
3 verbs (or 2 verbs +2 forms e.g. je, il, nous, etc)
Adjectives and agreement.
Simple linking
Qualifier
LEVEL 4
Minimum 40 words / 7 sentences
5 verbs (including different form e.g. je, il, nous, etc)
Variety of opinions /adjectives with agreement
Linking
Variety of qualifiers
LEVEL 5
Approximately 75 words / 10 sentences
7 verbs
Two tenses (minimum 3 verbs per tense and different forms)
Range of adjectives / opinions (including opinion phrases)
Appropriate linking
Range of qualifiers
LEVEL 6
Around 100 words / 10 sentences
7 verbs
Three tenses (minimum 3 verbs per tense and different forms)
Range of adjectives / opinions (including opinion phrases)
Appropriate linking (at least 5 different ones)
Range of time phrases and structures
Range of qualifiers
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