How to teach speaking and writing [2 min read]

Here are my 5 tips for acing speaking and writing in MFL lessons:

1. Never jump straight into speaking and writing. These are active skills that need careful scaffolding, so always build up to them by introducing vocabulary and doing listening/reading activities first. Students need exposure to the language before they can successfully produce it themselves.

2. Writing tasks should be done in class rather than set as homework. This approach reduces reliance on Google Translate or other AI websites. Plus, it means you can circulate the room answering questions, doing on-the-spot marking, monitoring progress, and pointing out common errors like missing accents as students work.

3. Implement a system of drafting and redrafting written work. After marking their writing, always ask students to create a new version incorporating your corrections. This helps them learn from their mistakes and results in a more accurate final piece that they can feel proud of.

4. Use texts from listening and reading activities as models for speaking and writing tasks. Bridge the gap between passive and active skills by getting students to make small modifications to model texts, such as changing a few underlined words, or by translating sentences that are similar to the model but with minor changes - for instance, if the text says "I have a cat," they could translate "I have a dog."

5. Look for opportunities to create "beautiful work" - larger projects that students can take pride in. This might mean making videos, creating a class magazine, or building up smaller pieces of writing into a book about themselves. These meaningful end products give students something tangible to work towards and share.