The Kate Languages Podcast - S9 Ep1 - Q&A

In the first episode of Season 9 of the Kate Languages Podcast, I answered some more great questions from my audience. Here is a summary of the episode - to listen to the whole episode, click "play" above.

Have you ever done an episode talking to people who have successfully left the classroom?

Yes! I did a brilliant live episode with Bex Waker (the MFL subject advisor for Edexcel) in Season 6, Episode 6. It was a fantastic discussion with great questions from the audience.

What's the easiest and most efficient way to plan a trip?

Check out Season 7, Episode 6, where Claire Wilson and I discussed planning school trips. This was another live episode with lots of input from participants.

What language do you speak to your son and can he speak it back?

We speak English at home. My husband can speak French and Spanish, and my son (who's been very fortunate to travel extensively despite his young age) has been to Spain five times, France twice, Germany once, and America twice. He sees us speaking these languages when we travel, and he now has French lessons at school, which he loves. He understands that languages are something people use in the real world.

To textbook or not at Key Stage 3?

This person has taken over a department with Dynamo and Viva subscriptions, but staff aren't keen on following textbook schemes closely. They can see many benefits (time saved, pre-made assessments, vocabulary lists, training for KS4, listening materials, scaffolded content), but the department seems to think using textbooks is "cheating."

In my experience, I've worked in schools that closely followed textbooks and others that created everything from scratch. Personally, I think the ideal approach is somewhere in the middle. Textbooks aren't the terrible things some people make them out to be! They provide structure, carefully sequenced content, and listening materials (which are otherwise very difficult to source).

If you have the subscriptions and textbooks (which is a financial luxury many schools don't have), use them as the foundation of your curriculum. Take a text from a double-page spread, plan lessons around it, and supplement with games and creative activities. I don't see anything wrong with using textbooks as the springboard for creating a strong scheme of work.

How do you teach the perfect tense in German so that kids aren't forgetting the three parts?

This is a challenging one that many teachers struggle with! I've tried numerous approaches - puzzle pieces, reordering sentences, translations, games, gap fills - but sometimes it just doesn't seem to stick.

One technique I used was word-for-word translations that don't sound like proper English. For example, with "ich habe Fußball gespielt," students would translate to "I have football played." Then we'd practise going from English to German with the same word order pattern.

I'd love to hear from other teachers about strategies that have worked for them - please share your advice!

I'm doing more than my fair share in the department - what should I do?

This teacher has been the main MFL teacher at their school for three years, creating resources, curriculum plans, vocabulary quizzes, and materials for all year groups - including resources for another teacher who relies heavily on them. They're feeling frustrated about getting no credit, time, or financial compensation for this work.

My honest advice: this doesn't sound like a supportive working environment. It may be time to consider moving on. If you're doing the work of a head of language without the TLR or time allocation, you should approach your line manager (or possibly even go above your head of department if necessary) to make a case for proper recognition.

You're likely to burn out if you continue feeling resentful and frustrated. Either have a brave conversation about becoming the official head of language with appropriate compensation, or start looking for positions elsewhere where your skills will be properly valued.

I'm nervous about my language skills if I go to another school - any advice?

This teacher feels confident teaching German to GCSE (and potentially A-level) and French at Key Stage 3, but worries about not being "faultless" with the language, especially German grammar.

My advice: However good/"bad" your language skills are, they're better than the students'. The fact that you're diligent about checking and double-checking your work shows your commitment to accuracy. No school that's worth working for expects non-native teachers to be absolutely perfect.

If they specifically wanted native speakers, they would hire them (and even native speakers make mistakes after living in England for many years). Having confidence in your teaching abilities, understanding of pedagogy, and knowledge of how to help students progress is more important than perfect language skills.

If you want to boost your confidence, there are Subject Knowledge Enhancement courses available, but don't let these concerns hold you back. Your skills are more than adequate to be an excellent teacher!