The annual MFL Teachers’ Networking Event took place on 14 June 2019, hosted by the Department of Modern Languages in partnership with the School of Education.
Based around the theme of ‘Teaching Texts’, the event welcomed over 60 attendees, including more than 30 teachers from schools across the West Midlands. We enjoyed an outstanding keynote, entitled Reading as a tool for re-thinking grammar by Prof. Dagmar Divjak, in the Department of Modern Languages, and had productive discussions on the provision of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) led by the University, for school pupils, aiming to increase engagement with Modern Languages at Key Stages 4 and 5.
We also enjoyed seeing the work of the University’s PGDipEd students in MFL, the majority of whom will take up their first posts as Modern Languages teachers in September. It was particularly pleasing to see some of our own departmental alumni amongst this cohort. The round-table session, which closed the event, offered plenty of food for thought as to how we, as a department, might collaborate further with the School of Education to strengthen and develop partnerships with local schools. Both schools working towards our shared goal of increasing uptake of Modern Languages at secondary-level and promoting retention of pupils up-to A-level into Higher Education.