The use of ICT for teaching and learning languages

The use of ICT for teaching and learning languages comes from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Its aim is to highlight and showcase innovative and successful practice of ICT use in the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages. Five schools were chosen to take part in case studies designed to look at what impact ICT can have on the language learner. Evidence was gathered by speaking with key MFL staff, observing lessons and interviewing pupils.

The schools that took part in the study were:

Hemsworth Arts and Community College
Parkside School
The Ashcombe Language College
The Heathfield Technology College
St Robert of Newminster Roman Catholic School

Here are the main findings:

in a multimedia computer suite, pupils can personalise their learning by working at their own pace and at their own level
pupils can become more independent and not always rely on the feedback of the teacher to gauge their progress
for whole class teaching with an interactive whiteboard, a variety of software can enrich lesson content by incorporating animation, drag and drop, colour-coding and sound to engage pupils, enhance their understanding of grammar and develop their thinking skills
images and video clips from the Internet can raise cultural awareness of the country whose language pupils are learning
making short films or presentations themselves allows pupils the opportunity to be creative and practise their speaking and writing skills through storyboarding, preparing scripts and recording themselves.
they can create and upload their own revision materials which they can then access away from the classroom
voting devices allow assessment for learning to take place, as the teacher can immediately see which pupils have not understood a particular concept from their response, and then the class can discuss why an answer is right or wrong
ICT can support preferred learning styles such as visual (clear images and colour-coding words), auditory (sound files) and kinaesthetic (dragging and dropping and highlighting).

The report concludes that the good practice found in the five case studies is based upon the following principles:

teachers having access to appropriate hardware and technical support
ICT being used to enhance learning as part of a clear vision and not as a bolt-on
pupils having equal opportunity to use ICT, irrespective of the personal opinion of their teacher on the importance of technology as a learning tool
ICT activities being varied and pupils being given the chance to assess each other's work
teachers receiving appropriate training as part of their continuing professional development, including hands-on practice with software they are going to use (either 'in house' or from such organisations as local city learning centres, Comenius Centres or the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust)
MFL departments having access to at least two data projectors and helping each other by sharing resources and offering peer support
teachers being aware of Internet sites where they can download existing materials prepared by other MFL colleagues so they can save time when producing their own material

It also emphasises how the findings of the action research can be replicated in other MFL departments across the country, without relying in most cases on the use of particular hardware or software.

The use of ICT for teaching and learning language can be ordered as a paper copy from the QCA or downloaded as a PDF file (98kB).

Languages ICT

The use of ICT for teaching and learning languages