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Teaching and learning

QCA has published a range of support and guidance materials that can be accessed via the right-hand menu. Brief information is provided here about each aspect of teaching and learning.

National curriculum online

Programmes of study and level descriptions for all subjects at all key stages can be accessed here. There are direct links, using key words, to the non-statutory guidelines for MFL at key stage 2, the QCA/DfES schemes of work and other online resources relevant to each part of the programme of study. The MFL home page also provides access to all other web-based MFL support materials produced by QCA.

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Exemplification

National curriculum in action provides guidance on teacher assessment and uses pupils' work, with commentaries, to exemplify the national curriculum in MFL for key stage 3. There are also examples for key stages 1 and 2. Work exemplifying creativity and the use of ICT is included on this site.

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Creativity

QCA has worked with groups of teachers in all national curriculum subjects. The teachers have collected examples of pupils' creative work and reflected on those aspects of their teaching and the learning environment that may have promoted creativity.

Materials arising from the creativity project are available on the National curriculum in action website. The MFL example highlights some of the approaches that allow pupils to demonstrate creative responses.

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Gifted and talented pupils

The material includes sections on: identifying gifted and talented pupils; inclusion issues; teaching gifted pupils; examples of units of work; activities beyond the classroom; resources; and monitoring and evaluation.

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Pupils with learning difficulties

The material includes sections on: responding to pupils' needs when teaching MFL; opportunities and activities at key stages 3 and 4; and performance descriptions below national curriculum level 1. This material has been published as a booklet that has been sent to all special schools and to local education authorities for distribution to mainstream schools with such pupils.

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Guidance/support materials on the use of ICT in MFL

Guidance on using ICT to enhance and enrich MFL teaching and learning is included on the National curriculum in action website and also on the Becta site.

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Citizenship

Schemes of work for citizenship at key stages 1–4 have been published by DfES/QCA. Some of the units can be linked with work in MFL. For example, QCA/DfES scheme of work unit 5 'Living in a diverse world' at key stages 1-2 and unit 11 'Europe – who decides?' at key stage 4.

The leaflet Citizenship through modern foreign languages at key stage 3 can be downloaded from the 'Citizenship at key stage 3' section of this website.

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Education for sustainable development (ESD)

The QCA ESD website has four clearly identified strands:

  • About ESD
  • Teaching
  • School management
  • Professional development

There is a section (found through the link 'ESD by subject' within the 'Teaching' strand) that gives information on opportunities for ESD within MFL, including references to specific units in the QCA/DfES schemes of work for French, German and Spanish.

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