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Guidance on teaching and learning in AS/A level Modern Foreign Languages
The introduction of Curriculum 2000 (C2K) gave schools and colleges the opportunity to reconsider their choice of specifications and rethink the aims, organisation and character of the modern foreign languages they offer. The advice which follows draws on the experience of schools and colleges to provide some general points of guidance about managing and implementing effective teaching and learning. These are illustrated by some case studies of good practice on this website.
Schools and colleges are responding to the teaching and learning challenges of the AS/A2 modern foreign language qualifications by:
- ensuring students are aware of the style, structure, level of demand and content of the AS and A2 courses, including formal assessments, to familiarise students with the assessment process
- ensuring that the teaching and learning of grammar and structures are embedded in the topics of the AS and A2 and providing interesting contexts in which to present and reinforce grammar
- providing a clear grammar focus in year 12 to meet the demands of AS and to bridge the gap from GCSE
- focusing on skills progression and development, especially subject-specific skills, early in the course
- teaching study skills, including research skills and language learning strategies, helping students plan their work schedule, and enabling them to evaluate their progress
- ensuring students have access to ICT facilities (for example the internet) and other support for independent learning (for example individual-listening cassettes, topic-related reading materials)
- devising ways of teaching to include collaborative work and student-led sessions
- setting tasks and activities that require students to supplement the core course
- providing focused enrichment activities that support features of the course – in particular, for speaking tasks and aspects of the culture and society of the countries and communities of the target language
- developing strategies to practise transfer of meaning tasks, from English to the target language and vice versa, in different contexts
- organising visits to the target-language country where detailed and planned study programmes are pursued enabling students to put their linguistic skills into practice
- providing materials to support students’ independent study in preparation for examinations
- providing clear guidance and support for coursework and oral tasks
- training foreign language assistants, and native speakers of the target language, to familiarise them with the demands and assessment criteria of the speaking examinations so that they are able to provide individual practice and support for students.
Case studies
> Modern foreign languages
QCA web links
> A level performance descriptions: modern foreign languages
Documents to download
> Summaries of the A level specifications available in modern foreign languages
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Page updated: 12 June 2008