Language futures at LVC

Language Futures is a new and innovative project offering a flexible, relevant and imaginative approach to language learning.

A pilot group of 17 year 8 mixed ability pupils have been offered the chance to study the language of their choice using the latest software, digital media, technology and contacts abroad. This creative, engaging and interactive approach personalises the curriculum, allowing the pupils to select a language relevant to them now, whilst also providing them with life-long vocational learning skills enabling them to learn any language in the future.

Pupils are learning to immerse themselves both at home and in school into the whole language culture, thus resolving the restraints of a traditional curriculum. To this end we are developing a community of experts to come alongside our pupils as mentors and currently have developed partnerships with Student Community Action from Cambridge University, Anglia Ruskin University, Routes into Languages and the Italian Society in Cambridge. Students from these agencies have been recruited as 'Language Mentors' and have already taken part in Language Futures lessons in school. Pupils have also attended an inspiring Languages Day at Anglia Ruskin University and will continue to communicate with their mentors through email and Skype in their chosen languages, including Portuguese, Latin American Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

By using university students we hope also to raise aspirations of young people who previously may not have thought of going onto Further Education.

In addition, Language Futures is creatively transforming the role of the teacher from language expert to facilitator in language learning. 'Learning to learn' is a wider goal of the project, teaching pupils learning skills and not just the language itself. Because of new emerging technologies and digital media, students can explore relevant resources available to them thus promoting independent, self-motivated and self-access learning.

Initially we are using Key Stage 3 national curriculum levels for accreditation but we are ambitious to integrate the project into Key Stage 4, exploring national accreditations such as Asset Languages in the future. We are very hopeful that this project will lead to a higher take up of languages into Key Stage 4 as pupils are highly motivated to study languages in this way.

This programme is a pilot course for one year, which is part of the Learning Futures project, backed by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. We have been tasked to develop new pedagogies which can be used as prototypes for schools nationally and in so doing start to transform traditional language teaching methods and remodel the curriculum. With funding for the future we hope to embed and expand the project as we have the desire to share this practice with other schools and institutions as well as designing and developing resources to be shared with schools nationally.