It was the turn of the French class to showcase our work this year at the Féilte showcase. This event is organised by the Teaching Council and aims to promote innovative teaching methods at a national level. FÉILTE 2016, a showcase for innovation in education held by the Teaching Council in the RDS, included Mr Priestley and two third year French students on Saturday, 1st October. Towards the end of the school year, 1st and 2nd Year Stratford French students were given an important section of revision for exams and worked in teams of five to design learning activities for the rest of the class. Students improved their understanding of tricky grammar concepts and achieved higher grades in exams.
The core values of this integrated, student-centered teaching approach are to
- Provide constant opportunity for students to address and correct errors that they have made
- Devolve responsibility to students to the fullest extent possible
- Trust in students to express the strengths of their personal nature for the collective good
- Develop a sense of shared purpose among students and teachers
The shared objectives of this project are to achieve greater co-operation and mutual respect among students to achieve improved grades
Student goals
- Build resilience by providing opportunities for reflective learning
- Reduce anxiety on a systematic basis
- Encourage students to take control of their learning in a meaningful way
- Develop sense of collective purpose in mixed-ability settings
- Improve understanding around the process of language learning
Teacher goals
- Define a set of core values for teaching which sit ‘alongside’ curriculum
- Express our understanding of the environments in which we work
- Create learning models which cater to the strengths of our students
Mr Priestley