Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jan 14, 2012, 11:47 am
In this week's MFL colum in the Times Educational Supplement, I tackle the perception of languages by non-specialist colleagues and what can be done to demystify our job.Some subjects are scarier than others to non-specialist teachers. Languages are definitely in the scary category for many teache...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jan 7, 2012, 2:59 pm
Most of us learn successfully through a mixture of seeing, hearing and doing. When it comes to succeeding in GCSEs, we also need a mixture of techniques to help us. Here are some top tips on essential techniques for GCSE success: Tips on effective note-takingStudents need to be able to take effec...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jan 6, 2012, 7:15 pm
I was delighted to share today in the Times Educational Supplement's MFL column some of the best strategies our language faculty has used over the years to promote languages with our students. Instead of just looking at presenting a very wide range of strategies, I wanted to reflect on how effectiv...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Dec 11, 2011, 9:01 am
The video conference was organised with Flashmeeting and was attended by Esther Mercier , Dominic McGladdery, Michelle Cairns  and my colleagues Alison Watkinson and Vanessa Parker from The Radclyffe School. The replay can be viewed here.The exchanges referred to the two exam boards used across t...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Dec 7, 2011, 6:20 pm
Are you a UK Languages teacher and NOT a member of ALL, the Association for Language Learning? If so, why not? At a time when it is getting more and more crucial for langage teachers to take their own professional development in their own hand, ALL offers wonderful opportunities for formal CPD as ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 27, 2011, 7:02 am
I was delighted to be able to share a few strategies to improve students' pronunciation in the Times Educational Supplement (TES) this Friday as I view good pronunciation as one of the most effective ways to boost students' confidence in their own ability as linguists. Indeed, if their accent in t...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 12, 2011, 8:19 pm
I attended this course in York hoping to find out ways to improve GCSE results through understanding better the pitfalls of this new exam. However, the frustration shown by the majority of the teachers present, particularly as regards the severe and /or erratic marking of the speaking and the writi...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 28, 2011, 2:56 pm
The first seminar I attended was about teaching grammar. James Stubbs, who now teaches English in Spain after many years of teaching languages in the UK introduced his concept of “Sticky grammar” taught through the Target Language.Sticky grammar was presented as a way to reach all learners in a ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 26, 2011, 1:43 pm
The first session was delivered by Jacqueline Turner who is a Lead Practitioner for Teaching and Learning  at Gosforth High School (now part of Gosforth Academy). The focus of the session was to look at different strategies to enable students to give extended answers for their controlled assessmen...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 24, 2011, 5:27 pm
Producing text-based resources in French can take longer as teachers need to learn new tricks to type in accents quickly as well as other French characters not supported by the English keyboard. I have also seen many otherwise good resources-from native and non-native French speakers- lacking the e...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 23, 2011, 6:19 pm
Yet again the Language Show turned out to be great for inspiration and networking. The Show and Tell was fantastic, with lots of ideas and suggested tools to use. My problem was that I wanted to demonstrate Songify, the iphone app that turns plain speech into something like a jingle or part of  son...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 16, 2011, 5:05 pm
The ICT and Languages Conference will also be called #ililc2012 in reference to the fantastic ICT Links into Languages conference that took place last year. At #ililc2012 you will be able to find out how to use blogs and wikis and you will get your dose of inspiration for the rest of year. Like...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 15, 2011, 6:17 pm
I had a fantastic day at Gosforth high School today presenting about how PLTS can support Speaking and Writing controlled assessments. Here is a copy of my presentation. Gosforth oct2011 View more presentations from Isabelle Jones
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Oct 7, 2011, 5:47 pm
IMG_1181, a photo by Joe Dale on Flickr. It was only last year that I was hosting the MFL Show and Tell at my school, The Radclyffe School. The Show and Tell has an easy unconference format that enables a lot of networking and informal exchanging of good practice. However informal the formal , do no...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Aug 26, 2011, 11:15 am
This e-guide aims to provide “everything you need to craft creative Spanish classes for toddlers, pre-schoolers, kindergarten and elementary school children”. Ana Lomba is originally from Spain but she has been involved in languages education in the US since 1990 as a teacher, consultant, advoc...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Aug 8, 2011, 6:57 pm
Lindsey Wright is a keen linguist and she is fascinated with the potential of emerging educational technologies, particularly the online school, to transform the landscape of learning. She blogs at OnlineCollegeClasses.com about web-based learning, electronic and mobile learning and the possible f...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Aug 6, 2011, 7:24 pm
Mindset by Carol Dweck is probably one of the best book I have read this year. It relies on practical examples to support a very simple theory. The theory in itself is quite straightforward as it looks at two approaches or possible mindsets which can define personal and professional philosophy. The...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Aug 1, 2011, 6:08 pm
This session was so active that I found it very hard to make any notes! Here are a few tips I picked up… Teaching Connectives: Read the text and students do an action when the connective is said. Valentine’s lesson: Present as “How to chat up somebody in Spanish”-you say something and the o...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Aug 1, 2011, 4:50 pm
 I really enjoyed Vincent and Kate’s session, which was full of practical and motivating ideas to use in the classroom. All the ideas are also generously shared on Northgate High School blog.The title of the session, particularly the reference to snow and chocolate cake, was explained by the depa...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 30, 2011, 6:31 pm
A panel of guests from the worlds of academia, business, politics and the media debated the pros and cons of language learning in the UK in the 21st century. The discussion, which lasted an hour, quickly went into arguing whether languages were a necessity or somewhat of a luxury. The dreaded questi...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 28, 2011, 12:42 pm
This session presented the latest evidence from OFSTED. The full report and report summary are available from here. Inspection focus: AchievementTeachingCurriculumLeadership & ManagementSpecial issues: Reading ICT Take-up at KS4 Progress towards entitlement at KS2Additional evidence: FE and SFC ins...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 27, 2011, 4:21 pm
Eva shared some of the secrets that led the Languages Department at her school, King Edward VII School in Sheffield, to be central to all school developments: Faculty and whole-school systems: Good systems for monitoring and evaluation Strong development planning Importance of ethos Real commitment...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 26, 2011, 7:24 pm
This year, Language World showcased many of the wonderful projects set up for the Linked Up Award scheme. LinkedUp is now over but its legacy lives on with 100+ projects freely accessible with all their resources from the LinkedUp website. Claire Dodd and Sue Balmer, from Gosforth Academy, presented...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 25, 2011, 7:23 am
This workshop aimed to demonstrate how cross-curricular contexts and authentic resources can be used throughout the year to motivate and give students a more meaningful linguistic experience in the classroom. The resources can be used as a visual/ aural stimulus: the activities simplify the languag...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 24, 2011, 6:21 pm
I found this session useful to consider different uses of the standards files as a tool box for language teachers, particularly when thinking about next steps for students and for training and development purposes. Assessment is at the heart of the curriculum and part and parcel of Learning and Te...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 10, 2011, 3:34 am
Here is a copy of the presentation I gave yesterday: Olympic Values View more presentations from Isabelle Jones
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 3, 2011, 12:26 pm
Picture courtesy of Esther Mercier I had a very enjoyable half-weekend at Shrigley Hall in Cheshire, talking to 25 teachers from the North West about their LinkedUp languages projects and sharing ideas and resources. The conference was hosted by Network into Languages North West as a follow-up Link...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jul 3, 2011, 10:12 am
As always, it was a pleasure to see some old and new friends and listen to Rachel Hawkes and Neil Jones, the two main speakers. Rachel started by looking at questions: 20 questions like  have you/do you like/how/where/is...? Students need to know how to make up questions in the Target Language, how...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jun 25, 2011, 2:23 pm
The LinkedUp project finished in March 2011 when Links into Languages also ceased to exist to become Network for Languages. The project has generated many resources that have been uploaded to the LinkedUp website and there has been a series of national events to disseminate the good practice shared...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - May 22, 2011, 8:02 am
  Language World is the not-to-be-missed yearly conference organised by ALL, the Association for Language Learning. In these tempestuous times for languages, with the disappearance of Links into Languages and CILT as we knew them, Language World is very unique in trying to get all the languages t...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - May 17, 2011, 4:24 pm
For the third year running, Lexiophiles is organising the Top 100 Language Learning Blog award. Thank you for nominating this blog in the language learning blogs category. Should you decide to vote for it please click here.   This year, there are four categories:   - Language Learning Blogs - ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - May 14, 2011, 6:57 pm
The pack consists of a DVD with 12 short French films suitable for pupils aged 7- 14 and a teaching guide. Although the teaching guide has been developed by practising French teachers and includes a range of online resources to support the use of the short films in the classroom, I felt that more i...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Apr 22, 2011, 11:27 am
If you need food for thoughts on what the future of Education is likely to look like, this is a book for you. It packs a wide range of issues all teachers should be considering and it certainly make me re-focus on a few things as well as wanting to find out more about others. What follows is not a ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Mar 17, 2011, 5:28 pm
I had the pleasure to be asked to deliver a PLTS training session at Werneth High School today. This is a copy of the presentation and reference sheet I used for the training. Thank you to all present for their warm welcome and stimulating conversation-you got me thinking too...  Werneth High Sc...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Mar 12, 2011, 11:59 am
The original version of my contribution will be published if it is kept as evidence. In the meantime, I can only say I have contributed and present my ideas in general terms. I have also added many examples that I thought about after I sent my contribution... A step in the right directionI consider...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 27, 2011, 11:17 am
I was lucky enough to be invited to talk at this fantastic event and although I greatly enjoyed it, my only regret is that it meant I missed out on some fabulous workshops and seminars run by my fellow speakers! The conference has already created a lot of online buzz and I have tried to gather all r...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 25, 2011, 7:48 pm
By including languages in the English Baccalaureate, the current government is making a strong statement that languages studies are an important and “rigorous” academic pursuit. However, whereas the E Bacc fails in terms of inclusiveness, the new Speak to the Future campaign reminds us all that...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 22, 2011, 1:18 pm
This twilight was a follow-up from a full day INSET in November. It was very interesting to see everybody’s work towards implementing CLIL as we were all at completely different stages. This ranged from starting to talk to another subject area to two teachers from different departments jointly pl...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 22, 2011, 11:41 am
I attended this event as a speaker and really enjoyed the keynote speech and the other workshops on the day. Transition is something we all work at but also something that is really difficult to resolve permanently as each school’s circumstances are different and always changing. So more than a m...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 14, 2011, 6:30 pm
This is a copy of my presentation on PLTS Personal learning and thinking skills in the mfl classroom new View more presentations from Isabelle Jones. Here is the reference sheet given out during the session. Links conf plts handoutView more documents from Isabelle Jones.
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 14, 2011, 6:26 pm
Here is a copy of the presentation about my French rap project that I shared at The Show & Tell Show and tell creative partnerships View more presentations from Isabelle Jones.This paralel text is made of the lyrics from the song with French and English  side-by-sideJe viens de la gcmView more doc...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 14, 2011, 6:13 pm
Here is my presentation about developing the use of ICT in the MFL Faculty Get inspired, create and share View more webinars from Isabelle Jones I have also embedded the corresponding reference sheet: Get inspired links conf handout View more documents from Isabelle Jones.
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Feb 3, 2011, 6:28 pm
I had a lovely and very productive day at the CILT National Transition Conference. I will blog about the 2 workshops I atttended in a separate post. Here is my presentation.... Effective networking for transition feb11View more presentations from Isabelle Jones.
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Jan 5, 2011, 8:27 am
The ICT Links into Languages 12-13th February 2011 will be held at Southampton University, Avenue Campus. Modelled on the extremely successful Isle of Wight Conference, it features an extensive programme of seminars and hands-on workshops delivered by a range of speakers including some of the most c...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Dec 11, 2010, 11:25 am
I had a lovely time this morning presenting on how to integrate Personal Learning and Thinking Skills (PLTS) at Manchester Grammar School. Here is a copy of the presentation I used. Please note that parts of the presentation might look slightly different from the one I delivered at MGS as I decided ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Dec 4, 2010, 9:52 am
The White Paper highlights the government’s educational philosophy and presents languages as an important subject that is part of the new qualification called “The English Bac”. If you do not fancy reading all 95 pages, ALL, the Association for Language Learning,  has published a handy summar...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 26, 2010, 5:52 pm
I will be delivering a PLTS training event at Manchester Grammar School on Saturday 11th December-More details and how to book in the downloadable scribd document below. See you there! Isabelle jones-11-dec-2010 View more documents from Isabelle Jones. Integrating PLTS in the Modern Languages Classr...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 19, 2010, 5:30 pm
Karen Hutley is a SSAT MFL Lead Practitioner at Saddleworth School, my local language college. She has been working to develop CLIL-French and German with History-at her school for more than 2 years now and the aim of the training day was to share her experiences and present her school’s approach ...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 14, 2010, 6:33 am
Thank you to everybody who attended and presented at the Show and Tell at The Radclyffe School for being so creative, approachable and intellectually generous. All presentations and related resources are available at  http://www.diigo.com/user/isabellejones/mflsatoldham This is my presentation, but...
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Isabelle J. posted an article on My Languages - Nov 7, 2010, 11:21 am
This course focused on the writing part of the GCSE: 2 externally marked assignments. The assignments can be on any topic but must not duplicate content. They must also be different from the speaking tasks. The quality of the pieces will be assessed overall even if the pieces go beyond the recomme...
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