The Kate Languages Podcast - S5 Ep1 - Q&A

Q&A Episode 4 - Teacher Resilience, Language Skills, and Classroom Tips

This was my 4th Q&A episode, which was released in September 2023. In the episode, I discussed my September resolutions (listen to the episode to find out what they were!) and answered some great questions from listeners.

Here is a summary of the questions. Click "play" above to listen to the full episode.

1. How can you be more resilient as a teacher? How can you feel good enough?

This question strikes at the heart of a common struggle among teachers, and it's one I've grappled with myself. Having experienced burnout earlier in my career, I can offer several insights:

Firstly, I want to emphasise the importance of accepting that 'good' is good enough. There's no need to strive for perfection in every aspect of teaching. Your classroom doesn't need to be Instagram-worthy, and every PowerPoint slide doesn't need to be a work of art.

I remember feeling inadequate even when receiving 'outstanding' lesson observations. It's taken time and maturity to realise that caring about your teaching and reflecting on how to improve is already a sign of being 'good enough'.

Interestingly, I've come to challenge the notion that burnout equates to a lack of resilience. During my recovery from burnout, my counsellor pointed out that continuing to push through difficulties is a sign of resilience in itself. I believe most teachers are far more resilient than they give themselves credit for, given the demanding nature of the job.

The key takeaway? If you're showing up each day, trying your best, and caring about your students and your teaching, you're already demonstrating resilience and you are good enough.

2. What do you read to keep your language skills fresh as a teacher?

Maintaining language skills is crucial for us language teachers, and reading is an excellent way to do this. I have several suggestions:

Firstly, I'd recommend joining the MFL Virtual Book Club on Facebook, which I set up a few years ago (though I've now handed over the reins). We alternate between French, German, and Spanish books every couple of months. It provides a structured approach to reading and the opportunity to discuss the books with other language teachers.

Personally, I find newspapers like Le Monde a bit dry and challenging, especially when I don't know any of the political figures mentioned. Instead, I suggest focusing on topics you're genuinely interested in. For instance, I'm passionate about environmental issues, so I seek out articles or books on this topic in my target languages.

I've also tried using subscription services like Kindle Unlimited to access foreign language magazines, although I've found it challenging to find a good selection. If any of you have tips for accessing foreign language periodicals on devices like iPads, I'd love to hear them!

3. How do you find authentic texts for teaching?

Finding suitable authentic texts for language teaching can be a challenge, but I have some go-to resources:

For French, I highly recommend '1jour1actu', a news website designed for children. It offers articles and videos on a wide range of topics, suitable for students from upper Key Stage 3 to A-level.

For German, I suggest 'Logo Nachrichten', a daily news programme for children produced by ZDF. Like '1jour1actu', it offers videos and articles explaining current affairs in simple language.

I have to admit, I haven't found an equivalent resource for Spanish that matches the quality of these French and German sites. If any of you have recommendations, please do share!

For lower-level learners, you could use short poems or fairy tales, although I caution that fairy tales often use older language forms and tenses that might not be typically taught at lower levels.

4. How do you differentiate in a completely mixed-ability class with target grades from 1 to 9?

This is a common challenge in many classrooms. My approach is to 'teach to the top and scaffold below', but with some important caveats:

In a class with such a wide range of abilities, I suggest aiming your teaching at around grades 5-6, which represents the overlap between foundation and higher tiers at GCSE. This provides a good middle ground to work from.

For students with lower target grades, it's crucial to provide scaffolding. This doesn't mean creating entirely separate lessons, which would be unsustainable. Instead, I suggest techniques like:

- Providing answers in the wrong order for matching exercises
- Using gap-fill activities instead of requiring full sentence writing
- Offering writing frames with gaps to fill

For higher-ability students, always have extension tasks ready for every activity. These could include:

- Translating the work they've done
- Adding different tenses to their answers
- Transposing work from first person to third person

I advise against creating multiple different lesson plans for different ability levels, as this is simply not sustainable. Instead, focus on creating one lesson with appropriate scaffolding and extension opportunities.

For those interested in more detailed strategies, I ran CPD workshops on 'Stretch and Challenge' (16th March 2024) and 'Exploiting One Text' (3rd February 2024), both of which addressed differentiation strategies. You can purchase the recordings of these workshops here.

As the academic year progresses, you might need to separate foundation and higher-tier students more explicitly as you approach GCSE exams. However, for most of the year, focusing on effective scaffolding and extension within a single lesson structure is the most practical approach.