Group Talk ‘We thought we were hallucinating when we witnessed groups of teenage boys talking animatedly in French about sport, cars and school uniform. The conversations were organic and the pupils were clearly not speaking from a script.’ CILT EAL judges

¿Cuántos años tienen? / Quel âge ont-ils? / Wie alt sind sie?

Was kostet das? €249 €109 €29,99 €69,95 €499,99 €63,000 der Wii das Handy die Barbi- Puppe das PS3 Spiel der Laptop das BMW Auto

Use the language of conjecture Give pupils opportunities to: Think Suppose Estimate

It can be like this … Opportunities for MFL pupil talk can be limiting in scope and inherently finite. The emphasis can often be misplaced on the completion of a mundane task where only specific language structures seem valid. Transactional role playing can build a false perception of language in pupils’ minds.

Group Talk in action!

Why is Group Talk different? Only the target language is spoken Interaction between a small group of pupils Tasks demand opinion, conjecture and debate Language is often colloquial Responses are spontaneous There is no set finishing line

The stages of Group Talk 1. Exchanging and responding to simple opinions 2. Taking part in a short discussion 3. Exchanging reasons and preferences Talking across time frames 4. Developing a line of thought Balancing an argument

Group Talk in action!

Launching and developing Group Talk Agree on Group Talk as departmental focus Build Group Talk objectives and opportunities into existing schemes of work Make Group Talk an integral part of short-term planning Offer regular enforcement of Group Talk scenarios (starters/plenaries) Build up and keep centrally Group Talk resources (cue cards / PP / props) Use support structures for pupils Display and update Group Talk phrases

Extending Group Talk (Stages 3/4) Incorporate more advanced language and structures Increasingly complex scenarios demanding more balanced views Use picture and text stimuli Allow preparation for task / note taking Use model dialogues / podcasts

The impact Pupils (particularly boys!) of all abilities and ages are motivated to speak Pupils talk more confidently and spontaneously Oracy skills are developed Questioning skills are improved Fulfils the Talking Together sub-strand of the new KS3 framework Improvement in GCSE Speaking Test results