Category: lisibo talks

As part of presentation at Language World #LW2026 I intended to share a couple of examples or ‘case studies’ that exemplified what I was saying about the interplay between heart and mind in language learning, and the need to engage both for optimal success.

The first I was able to explain but time was against me and the second was left untold. Below, I share both.

The first concerned a pupil I called K.

In Y3 he struggled to engage in Spanish lessons. His feelings of self efficacy were very low and his expectancy was low so he had little to no motivation. His response when questioned was “I can’t do this. My brain hurts. It’s too hard.” His heart and mind/brain were upset.
Having discovered this, we had a few low key chats outside lesson time, initially not even about Spanish. When he said it was hard, I acknowledged his feelings and talked about how it was my job to help him and make his brain “hurt less” as he put it; we can do it together. I offered support to build his confidence and praised any effort he made. He began to see that he could do it and experienced small successes – he started to enjoy lessons and his heart was in it.
After the summer holidays, K came into Y4 and began the year slowly but with growing confidence. This term there has been an amazing difference – he sees himself as a language learner, experiences success, and is confident to participate. His work isn’t perfect – sometimes he gets overexcited and goes a bit ‘rogue’ and he’s obsessed with Spanish being spoken outside Spain – but he bounces into lessons, wants to talk and is so excited about everything he achieves.

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The second case study was more personal as it is my language learning story.

When I started middle school, I began to learn French. I had lovely teachers – Mrs Reeves and Mrs Whiteway – and really enjoyed learning. I’d happily get 100% in vocabulary tests and loved translating booklets about Nicole and Xavier – I remember Xavier falling into a river and shouting “Zut alors! Mon tricot!” My brain enjoyed the challenge of deciphering these unfamiliar words using a dictionary and my heart was set on learning more. In fact my desire to be a teacher, and specifically a primary language teacher was born at this time.

Unless you went to one of the King Edwards Grammar schools (I refused to take the exam much to the annoyance of my teachers) you moved school at the end of Y7.
Y8 dawned and off I went to secondary school and French lessons continued. You’d think I’d be really pleased. Initially I was, as was my teacher who loved my ability to consistently score high marks at Dictée and string sentences together. But my brain was unhappy as there was no challenge; I was repeating everything I’d learned at primary and I was bored. My heart was losing the battle.

Come the time to choose my options for KS3 and although I was still successful and scored top of my class in our French exam, I was completely fed up with the lack of challenge and there was no way I was choosing French, no matter how much my teacher pleaded with me. I was out of love with French and all that joy and passion I’d had were gone.
This could have been a very sad story but, as you can probably surmise from the fact that I am a language teacher, that’s not the end of the story!

Fortunately, if you were any good at French, in Y9 you had the opportunity to start Spanish or German depending on which half of the year you were in. Having first been to Spain as a baby, travelling in my baby car seat bolted to the floor of my parents’ Morris Minor, and visited several times over my childhood years including being flooded out of our tent in Salou at the age of 5, I was pleased I was in the Spanish half. In class I met Señora Sánchez-Richardson who I can only describe as a crazy Colombian phenomenon who intrigued me and inspired me from day 1. She was strict, demanding, had the highest expectations and the driest sense of humour. Her favourite phrase was ‘Really?’ said with a raised eyebrow and look of incredulity! Every lesson I was challenged to learn not just words and grammar but also little nuggets of culture and ‘real life’ Spain. I talked about my undying love for and gratitude to Señora Sánchez-Richardson at ILLC 5 in 2015 but it’s worth repeating. Continuing the analogy – she engaged my brain with her academic rigour and captured my heart with those snippets of life, nurturing my love of languages back to life. Her name was Luz – quite literally a light in my life!

GCSE Spanish was a no brainer and then A level Spanish – Señora S-R continued to teach me joined by Mrs Gunning from the grammar school as we had half our lessons by ‘consortium’ and I discovered Spanish literature. Heart and mind together, skipping happily!

University beckoned and a degree in Spanish. I did look at doing French as one of my 1st year options (you had to do three subjects and I was doing Spanish and English Literature) but without a GCSE it wasn’t possible. Very annoying! In the second year I learned Catalan with the enigmatic Professor Yates and spent a year developing a Mallorquin accent at Universitat des Illes Balears. Years later, this would come in useful when my school was involved in a project with Barcelona, and cause great amusement and then delight to the children who weren’t expecting me to speak their language albeit with an accent that they said made me sound like a peasant!

And my love of language learning continued. Sadly by the time I was old enough to train, it wasn’t possible for me to train as a primary teacher with a language speciality but I did become a teacher – of Spanish and French. In fact, my second job was taking over from my beloved Señora Sánchez-Richardson as Head of Spanish. (She’s also responsible for me joining ALL!) After ten years in secondary I left to follow what I really wanted to do and started to teach primary first at a Prep school and then at my current school. Heart and mind were once more happy and in synch. Twenty plus years later, I still love it.

Whilst at the Prep school, I asked to go on a course all about primary pedagogy and French – and the principal said yes. So, leaving my little boys in the care of Mr S, off I went to Salignac in the Dordogne for a week with LFEE and the wonderful . It was really great course with some brilliant people. Not only did I get to connect with my Scottish roots – most of the other participants were Scottish – I also learned lots. However, the most important thing of all to me, and the thing that I will always remember is that I fell back in love with French. As my mind retrieved vocabulary and grammar hidden in the filing cabinet of my brain, my heart began to beat faster and I remembered why I had fallen in love with it in the first place. I remember bursting into tears and blurting out “I love French again!” Thank you Richard (and Elise) 🫶

I went to evening class to carry on my French – until they were stopped! – and then started a German course that led to a certificate, also at evening class. My Dad fell seriously ill and I missed a whole block of lessons but I’d paid for the exam so I turned up and, thanks to my language learning skills and a bit of logic, I passed (and my mark wasn’t too shabby!)

Fast forward a few years and my husband’s job took us to Switzerland for a couple of years and that German was useful – although most of my neighbours preferred to speak to me in English as it wasn’t Schweizerdeutsch. Classes got me to A2 level German. Heart and brain are happy with German because it’s so different from other languages I know and I love the expressions and compound words. I admit that I’ve probably used German more since we came back to England than I did in Winti but I tried really hard! I’m now B1 (according to Duolingo whose course I have completed now!)

I find it really hard when I can’t communicate with people so prior to holidays I try to learn some phrases to help. I’ve tried Italian and Swedish (my husband worked for a Swedish company for a while) – the former was a bit helpful, the latter not so as everyone spoke to me in English but did appreciate my efforts!

And when I was involved in an Erasmus+ project between my school and schools in Spain, Austria, Greece and Türkiye, languages once more linked hearts and minds. In Spain, I was called upon to translate from English to Spanish, and also Spanish to German at times, and was really frustrated that I couldn’t help the Greek and Turkish delegates that were struggling with English. I even had to translate a speech by a local politician without any warning – and it was on the local news! In Austria, we were expecting to do a lesson on Guy Fawkes in English but quickly realised it was going over their heads so off I went, launching into as much German as I could muster- with a lot of acting and sound effects – apparently pretending to be a feuerwerk was much talked about! Come the mobilities in Türkiye and Greece, I was worried that I wouldn’t have the same experience as I had in Spain and Austria, being able to talk to the pupils in their own language, so I made an effort to learn some very basic Turkish so I could at least say my name and ask how people were plus some courtesies and essential phrases!

This quotation has always spoken to me and was proved true in Türkiye where as soon as I spoke two phrases of Turkish I was mobbed by children and followed around like a popstar. It didn’t matter that I really didn’t know much more but I’d spoken their language and they wanted to speak to me. I did learn a little more – especially how to say stop! and careful! as at one point I was nearly knocked off my feet by a swirling mass of children wanting a sticker – but a little went a long way, and our hosts were also really appreciative. Prior to the Greek mobilisation, two of the Austrian partners joined in the language learning and we all had a go at learning some Greek – to the point that it became a bit of a thing and we were given a Greek ‘exam’ Once more, using my mind, led by my heart desire to communicate had engaged hearts and minds.

This has ended up being longer than I’d planned but I wanted to tell the story as to me it perfectly explains my point about knowledge (what you know) not being enough to sustain learning – your heart (how you feel) has to be engaged too.

And that goes for teachers too!

Last weekend I was privileged to present once more at ALL Language World, this year held at Hinckley island.

The theme of the conference was COLLABORATION and my session was entitled Engaging Hearts and Minds.
I’ve been playing with Google NotebookLM and asked it to summarise my presentation:

This presentation by Lisa Stevens advocates for a holistic approach to primary language education that focuses on connecting with students’ emotions and intellect. By fostering international partnerships and cultural exchanges, schools can broaden pupils’ worldviews, enhance their communication skills, and dismantle harmful stereotypes. The material highlights how cross-phase collaboration between primary and secondary teachers ensures a smoother academic transition for young linguists. Furthermore, the use of character-based learning, such as the “Language Superhero Squad,” helps students embody virtues like resilience, curiosity, and respect. Ultimately, these initiatives aim to elevate the status of languages within the curriculum while developing empathetic global citizens.

I admit that I was intrigued by the infographics that I’ve seen Jerome Nogues sharing on social media so i had a go, uploading my slides to see what I’d get. What do you think?

I was also intrigued to see if it could write my blog post for me. Didn’t do a bad job I have to say. Some minimal editing (removing American spelling mostly!!) here it is!

More Than Words: 5 Surprising Ways to Win “Hearts and Minds” in the Language Classroom

We’ve all been there: standing at the front of the room, pouring our passion into a lesson, only to be met with a sea of blank faces or, perhaps worse, the “polite compliance” of students who are doing the work simply because they have to. We don’t just want them to memorize verbs; we want them to find their voices. The relatable struggle for every language educator is bridging this engagement gap—moving students from “forced compliance” to a state where they are learning because they truly want to.

The secret lies in a philosophy often discussed by Lisa Stevens, a renowned language teacher [that made me smile] at Whitehouse Common Primary, Member of ALL, and British Council Ambassador. She champions the “Hearts and Minds” approach, a strategy that moves collaboration from the periphery to the very centre of the classroom. It is about fostering a community where emotional and intellectual support creates the trust necessary for deep, long-term learning.

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1. “Hearts and Minds” is a Strategy, Not Just a Feeling

Winning “hearts and minds” is often mistaken for a fuzzy, “soft” concept. In reality, it is a sophisticated pedagogical strategy. Dictionary and historical definitions describe it as gaining emotional and intellectual trust, specifically in contrast to “forced compliance,” where students accept a situation only because they have no alternative. In a primary language setting, we aren’t seeking to prevail through the superior force of grades or sanctions; we are making emotional appeals to sway our students toward a genuine love for communication.

“Mrs Thatcher said that economics is the means, and changing hearts and minds is the goal.”

Just as economics was the means for Thatcher, in our classrooms, the target language is the vehicle—but the true destination is a profound transformation in student mindset. We use the language to reach the heart, ensuring students feel safe enough to take the intellectual risks that fluency requires.

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2. The “Vision of Self” is Your Strongest Motivational Lever

To sustain effort over years rather than weeks, we must tap into how students perceive their future selves. Research by Dörnyei (2016) suggests that the “Vision of Self” as a second-language (L2) user is the highest-order motivational force. If a student can’t “see” themselves as a person who speaks Spanish or French, their long-term effort will stall.

We can understand this through the “Expectancy-Value Theory” formula: E×V=M.

• V (Value) represents the “Vision of Self.” If the vision is zero, the entire equation collapses, and motivation (M) disappears.
• E (Expectancy) is the student’s belief that they can actually succeed.

This expectancy is built through the “Competence” pillar of Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci). When we cultivate a sense of mastery, we fuel the intrinsic motivation necessary for the journey. According to this theory, motivation is powered by three essential needs:

• Competence: The need to gain mastery and control over one’s learning environment (Essential for building “Expectancy”).
• Autonomy: The need to feel in control of one’s own life and goals; fundamentally, it is about having a choice.
• Relatedness: The need to experience a sense of belonging and a deep connection with other people.

“The vision of who students would like to become as L2 users seems to be one of the most reliable predictors of their long-term effort.” — Dörnyei (2016)

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3. Creativity Actually Needs Constraints

It sounds counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? We often think creativity requires a “blank canvas,” but the “Constraint Principle” (Boden, 1990) argues that total freedom can actually lead to cognitive paralysis. For language teachers, constraints are our best friends.

Think of the Sentence Builder—like the ¿Qué quieres? frameworks used at Whitehouse Common. By providing a limited “wall” of options (e.g., choosing between comer and beber, then selecting from a small list of foods), we aren’t stifling the child. Instead, we are giving them a safe structure that allows them to “play” with the language. Within these narrow bounds, students find the confidence to be linguistically creative without the fear of falling.

“Far from being the antithesis of creativity, constraints on thinking are what make it possible.” — Boden (1990)

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4. Collaboration is a “Team Sport” Within the Classroom

Collaboration should be a multi-levelled experience that turns the classroom into a “community of learning.” It begins with pair work (carpet partners) where rehearsal and “thinking time” provide the low-stakes support students need to build confidence. We then scale up to groups, using frameworks like “Voice21” to practice the “team sport” of turn-taking and building on others’ ideas.

The real magic happens during whole-class “Teacher vs. Class” or “Teacher + Class” dynamics:

• “Get into my head”: A high-impact game where students must predict linguistic patterns the teacher is thinking of, building a shared sense of community and pattern recognition.
• “Snowballing”: A primary process for building linguistic complexity where the whole class works together to grow a simple sentence into a masterpiece.

By aligning our lessons with school-wide virtues like Curiosity, Respect, and Resilience, we create a “family” atmosphere where mistakes are celebrated as a natural part of the team’s growth.

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5. International Links Break Barriers

Connecting with pen pals or global partners provides the “why” that makes the individual pieces of grammar and vocabulary fit together.

By looking beyond our walls, we achieve several high-impact outcomes:

• Mirrors and Windows: Children finally “see” themselves and their own culture more clearly while gaining a window into the wider world.
• A Tangible Purpose for Learning: Language moves from a “subject” to a tool for real communication, often leading to a sudden improvement in everything from speaking confidence to the neatness of their handwriting.
• Prestige and Ethos: Languages are no longer “forgotten” or curtailed; they gain status within the school, fostering a global outlook where every student feels valued.
• Challenged Stereotypes: Direct contact replaces preconceived notions with curiosity and awe-inspiring “WOW” moments.

One student at Whitehouse Common captured the human impact of this work perfectly:

“Everyone is different; if everyone was the same it would be boring. It will also prevent wars from happening so the world would be calm and peaceful.”

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Conclusion: Beyond the Classroom Walls

The “Hearts and Minds” philosophy is a call to move beyond rote instruction toward a pedagogy of connection. When we collaborate across borders and within our own classrooms, we aren’t just teaching grammar; we are transforming students into empathetic global citizens.

Are we just teaching our students how to speak a new language, or are we giving them a new vision of who they can become in a wider world?

If you are ready to move from compliance to connection and continue this journey of creative pedagogy, join the conversation by leaving a comment below. Let’s build those bridges together.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking as part of the Language Show via Zoom. Slightly dauntingly I was opening the conference thread For Language Teachers so i was conscious of makiing a good impression and setting a precedent for quality!

My talk was similar to the one I delivered at the Talleres de Educacción in June with some additions based on what I’ve done since, focusing on ways that the theme of animals can be used as the vehicle for primary language learning, speciifically in Spanish in my case.

Those that attended live seemed to appreciate the ideas and forgave my fast talking, particularly as time flew by and the last part was a little hurried!

I did promise that I would expland more on the books section so below you will find a list of links to blogposts on books, and also a slide showing several books I recommend followed by some notes on why.

Posts on books:

Hipopótamo feliz, pato enojado http://lisibo.com/2021/09/hipopotama-feliz-pato-enojado/
¿Has visto a mi gata? http://lisibo.com/2020/11/take-one-book-phorum-presentation/
¡Ojo Oso! http://lisibo.com/2021/03/take-one-book-v2-lw2021/
Danza del corral http://lisibo.com/2021/09/danza-del-corral/
Spanish books for WBD http://lisibo.com/2018/02/spanish-books-for-world-book-day-wbd/
Non fiction science books http://lisibo.com/2017/05/non-fiction-books-science/

NB these are posts about Spanish books. I’ve also recently posted about a French book telling a traditional Alsatian story as well as writing about books in German, Italian and other languages that I’ve collected on my travels!

¡Muu Bee Así fue! – love this book as, although it’s a translation, it has the rhythm and rhyme. Also love it because I read rhe English version to my chidlren when they were younger! It’s all about the noises that animals make, although some aren’t quite right…

Un bicho extraño – a lovely book that challenges the way you see things… Good for body parts and descriptions. And the Consejería de Educacción has created activities to accompany it

El pájaro, el mono y la serpiente en la selva – a story told in rebus form – that is, words are replaced by images so it encourages learners to join in.

El pequeño conejo blanco – a story about a rabbit who needs help to evict the goat that is squatting in their house but none of the other animals want to help. Good for empathy and discussing the emotional journey of the characters.

¡Mamá! – a book with very very few words – mostly just a child shouting ¡Mamá! – so great ,for practising intonation and expression, and deducing meaning using picture clues. Numbers 1-10, animals and rooms of the house would be vocuabulary that could be ‘taught’ with the story.

Oso pardo ¿Qué ves? – a classic, along with many other Eric Carle books, due to the repetititve nature of the story. Good for animals and colours (often people change pardo to marrón to link with colours but ti’s good to point out the name of the species of bear is un oso pardo)

La siesta perfecta – if everyone has to wake up on time for an event, who do you leave in charge of ensuring they do? A sloth of course! Will it manage the task? Read and find out!

Cuckoo – a traditional tale from Mexico with ‘crafty’ illiustrations

Tengo alas and Tengo cuatro patas – both very simple, very repetitive board book that lend themselves well to being rewritten and reinvented by learners.

Azul el sombrero, verde el sombrero – another Sandra Boynton book featuring animals, colours and clothing, and a repeated refrain ¡Ay caramba! [see me read it here]

If you signed up for the Language Show, you can watch the replay of my session for the next few months. If you didn’t, you can still sign up and watch all 100+ sessions at your leisure. I’m enjoying working my way through the sessions I picked out in advance, as well as a few I’ve caught along the way!

Really pleased to be delivering a Linguascope webinar next Tuesday 7th October. I’ve been asked several times but it’s never been a good time. This time, I was asked during a post conference reception last week and the date was near enough for me to be able to say yes immediately.

I’ll be talking about the importance to me of teaching languages rather than just Spanish:

Tuesday 7th October – Lisa Stevens will be talking about how her learners call her Señora Stevens, she doesn’t see herself as a Spanish teacher but as a teacher and explorer of languages. In this webinar, Lisa will explore this thinking, explaining why she feels it’s important to consider and value all languages, and giving examples of how it is possible when the Languages Programme of Study stipulates that over KS2 (aged 7-11) pupils must have made ‘substantial progress in one language.’

You can register for the webinar for free using this link

Looking forward to seeing you – at the start and end anyway as I probably won’t be able to see anything other than my slides when I’m presenting!

In the two following weeks you can also attend webinars by Hannah White and Kerry Bevan.

Tuesday 14th October – Hannah White will share 6 fully funded ideas for bringing additional language and culture into your classroom this year. Register here

Tuesday 21st October Kerry Bevan will be joining us just before the half term break coming to share her experiences tinkering and playing with AI but to create custom reading resources which have a huge impact on learners and language learning! Register here

All Linguascope webinars are free to register and free to attend live, and are not limited to attendees from the UK – all are welcome!

As I outlined in this post, just before the summer holidays I was interviewed for a MOOC entitled Challenge, creativity and empathy: Skills for primary language teaching.

I’m pleased to say that the MOOC is now LIVE and can be accessed on FutureLearn. It’s free to complete if you are able to do it over 3 weeks although it’s possible to pay to gain longer access and official certification. [I never pay and take screenshots of the completed activities as evidence!]

I have yet to ‘log in’ as I’m waiting for the last of the three weeks to be half term in case I get behind so i can’t tell you which module my video is in, but I look forward to find ing out – although I probably won’t watch it as I am my own worst critic!

In spite of not having done it yet, I’m confident that it will be a worthwhile, profitable learning experience as I have completed a previous MOOC with Dr Alison Porter from University of Southampton and Professor Suzanne Graham from University of Reading, as well as taking part in the DELTEA project with them.

Here’s the link to join – see you there over the next few weeks?

UPDATE

I’ve spotted this announcement so will be completing the course around that time (I might start a little earlier!)

I’m excited to be speaking once more at The Language Show 2025. Held annually, this three day event has latterly been held online and this year comprises nearly 90 sessions.

My session is entitled Animal Magic or Animania. details below.

It’s a bit daunting to be kicking off Friday, and in fact the whole event, in the For Language Teachers thread; however I’ve done it before and know that the number that attend live is always much smallere than those who have signed up and will watch later. In fact, that’s exactly what I do!

At £13.50 for access to the whole three days live and also on playback for about 11 months, a ticket is very good value when there is such a variety of sessions in three threads:
*For people who love languages – Talks, tasters, entertainment and insights
*For language teachers – CPD for teachers in primary, secondary, HE, FE, adult
*For language professionals – Interpreters, translators and those who want to put their languages to work.

You can find out more on the website where you can also buy tickets

Here are some of the sessions I’ve picked out as interesting me. One’s even caught the eye of my [non linguist] husband!

It was my great honour to be invited to speak once more at the Talleres de español in London last weekend. Hosted by the Consejería de Educacción at Instituto Vicente Cañada Blanch, the day was packed with sessions focused on good teaching and learning in the Spanish classroom.

After the keynote delivered by the inimitable Bernadette Holmes, I attended a workshop led by Sara Alonso Jimeno all about using music and art in the primary Spanish classroom – AICLE con ritmo y color before moving on to a session led by Irene Carmona Velasco from the Europa School who was talking about creativity and technology – Español en movimiento.

Lunch as usual was delicious and the Estrella Galicia was very welcome on a hot day.

In the afternoon, I delivered my talk entitled Animania based around using animals as the starting point to explore learning in the Spanish classroom. I started by talking about choosing and ntroducing vocabulary, and SPaG in Spanish complimenting and reinforcing English. My second section was about using ‘noise’ – animal sounds to encourage participation, making an animal symphony and songs that can be used for a multitude of reasons. The third part was focused on reading and ideas for exploiting books – and I have so many of them! Following on naturally from here we explored creativity and culture, and giving learners agency for their learning by providing a structure that they then innovate. Finally the focus moved to how Spanish can be used in a cross curricular way in PE, Science, Geography, PSHE and for outdoor learning.

The day ended with a Zumba class – what a way to end the day, singing, dancing and perspiring profusely whilst having fun!

Para los más atrevidos, Zumba con Vivian y para los melómanos, “La escena musical española contemporánea en el aula de ELE” de los compañeros Antonio y Rafa de @consejeriauk @LearnCyL @AccEducativaExt #talleresconsejeria25 pic.twitter.com/jPN7Eebybo

— Consejería de Educación Reino Unido e Irlanda (@consejeriauk) June 14, 2025

I’m very much looking forward to the Talleres de español at Instituto Español Vicente Cañada Blanch in London. This yearly event organised by the Consejería de Educación en Reino Unido e Irlanda and la Junta de Castilla y León is always well worth attending not simply for the learning but also for the delicious lunch! I’ve attended many times before and always look forward to it.

As you can see, there are streams for secondary and primary contexts as well as general sessions. This year there are several based around the arts – acting, dancing, music, fashion – and I am particularly looking forward to rounding off the day with some Zumba!

My session will be entitled Animania and will take, as the name suggests, animals as a theme and look at how they can be used in the primary classroom. Ideas will include using fiction and non fiction texts as well as music, movement and poetry, and discuss grammar, phonics, progression and motivation along the way.

If you’re interested in attending find out more and register here https://www.educacionfpydeportes.gob.es/reinounido/convocatorias-programas/formacion-profesorado/historico-formaciones/talleres-de-la-consejeria/talleres-de-la-consejeria-2025.html

And if you’d like to get a taste of previous years’ Talleres, there’s an archive here or you can find out my thoughts on previous events in these posts 2022 2021 2016 2011a 2011b

On Friday I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Dr Alison Porter from University of Southampton and Professor Suzanne Graham from University of Reading on the subject of challenge and creatiivty in the Primary Languages classroom.

Over the last couple of years I have participated in a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) led by Alison and Suzanne to explore challenge, creativity and empathy and then along with my Y5 Spanish classes, took part in the DELTEA research project using a phonics app and digital storytelling to put the learning into practice and explore the impact on motivation, empathy and language learning. Thsi interview followed up these experiences and will form part of a new MOOC.

During the interview I talked about my learning during the MOOC about Self Determination Theory, the need for intrinsic motivation and an optimal amount of challenge for learners’ self efficacy and the relationship between challenge and creativity. I also shared how a Strengths Based pedagogy and an asset based (what learners CAN do) rather deficit based mindset have become very important in my thinking and consequently planning for QFT. The conversation then moved on to how this was demonstrated during the DELTEA project in my setting, what was learned from the project, and how we have moved forward following the conclusion of that phase in July 2024. It concluded with me sharing a ‘hot off the press’ example that I felt gathered all those threads together and demonstrated the need for and value of challenge for ALL our learners, and the undeniable effect on their self efficacy / vision of themselves as a language learner.

It was lovely to take time to reflect on the process and realise the impact this has all had on my setting. In the business of school, it’s rare that you have time to do that! I’m really looking forward to the MOOC of which my video will form a small part as I always welcome an opportunity to learn, reflect and hone my skills as a language learner and educator.

I’ve just seen this Christmas advertisement from Deutsche Telekom and it really spoke to me.

In the light of all I’ve talked about over the last few weeks, I think it’s really apposite. In three very different presentations about Favourite activities (Practical Pedagogies), Teaching languages not Spanish (The Language Show) and today, on The importance of the international dimension in language learning (Acapulco) there’s been a common thread. That learners need to feel valued; that they need to see beyond their own experience and that connections are the way to break down barriers. And I’d say this advertisement sums up the importance of that.

As Deutsche Telekom write:

In a time when the world feels more divided than ever, we all benefit from real human connection. By opening ourselves to those on the other side, we realise that we’re not so different after all. Let’s break the barriers we create in our minds.
Connections Begin When Barriers Break. ❤️💙

I’ll be sharing this with my learners in my next Language of the Month assembly, if not before!