Author: David Kerr, Dumfries & Galloway
Much of our Primary Language Learning (PLL) training material is at present housed on the Dumfries & Galloway Glow site but in order to widen access to our work, we have created a Modern Languages blog which is accessible to anyone.
Our ‘Building your curriculum’ MFL groups have produced booklets which have proved a valuable resource for promoting better understanding and acceptance of the 1+2 Approach and the reasons for studying languages. They can also assist with homework. Copies of the booklets are in all Dumfries & Galloway schools, for display in reception areas and as library copies.
Our central MFL team has an ongoing programme of both early/first level and second level training, in French PLL, to various clusters in this geographically extensive region. Training is constructed around our highly regarded, in-house resources, based on Activ Inspire flipcharts, with soundfiles, and our comprehensive framework and planning grids. There are also IDL packs in various languages. We aim to support all teachers to deliver PLL, whatever their level of French.
We also provide tuition. Train the Trainer trained trainers, Françoise Norel and David Kerr, report that they are delighted with the level of engagement and the enthusiasm from those who took part. These courses were completed during curricular time, with the funding for cover provided centrally. Central twilight sessions have also been provided at Lochside Education Centre in Dumfries.
Online PLL training is also available via Le Français en Ecosse (LFEE), funded by the local authority. The authority prefers practitioners to undertake its own, in-house, training if possible, as that is specifically geared to support our own resources, but the LFEE course is considered an excellent alternative for those who cannot access the in-house training; indeed, practitioners are welcome to undertake both, should they so wish. Spanish and German PLL training have also been developed, along the same lines as our existing French provision.
This authority’s partnership with the Académie de Nancy-Metz continues to grow. The current draft of the ‘album’ recording the visit, in February this year, of some dozen primary teachers to a number of schools in this region can be seen on the dedicated blog. More material to come!
Please contact the Dumfries & Galloway Central MFL Team Françoise Norel or David Kerr for more information.
Return to December 2016 newsletter