SMSC in MFL

Students are taught to accept and embrace other languages and cultures through the teaching of MFL. In relation to this, students are educated on the religious beliefs of the people in countries of the language they are learning, particularly Catholicism in Argentina and Spain and religious restrictions in Cuba. A whole range of GCSE topics, and KS3 material covers topics from travel to education, healthy living and social awareness. Students are encouraged to be empathetic to the cultures, beliefs and traditions of others and stereotypes are challenged where necessary.

• Use of texts and audio-visual material from different cultures and backgrounds across the French-speaking and Hispanic world. Many texts and videos based on French-speaking countries in Africa and Quebec, Canada and Latin American Countries for Spanish.
• All SOW – have a whole unit and focus on festivals, which encourages students to learn about and have respect for a range of festivals celebrated in different religions.
• The Y9 French SOW – has a topic on “Refugees” where the lives of Syrian refugees who have moved to French-speaking countries are discussed.

Through comprehension activities, pupils are encouraged to empathise with characters and compare to own experiences

Students are encouraged to show empathy and understanding to others and learn about right from wrong and the choices historical figures from Francophone and Hispanic culture have made. Stereotypes and intolerance are challenged through the teaching of language and culture. The MFL schemes of learning identify and explore many moral issues in a global society context, covering famous people (within a high moral context) to issues relating to the environment, equality of education within a global context (comparing the UK to less wealthy countries, such as Senegal and Bolivia), work opportunities, social mobility, travel as a means of exploring the world and the consequences of this, and media and new technology, including Facebook, texting and the Internet as a means of communication (and discussing the moral outcomes of this).

• Use of texts and audio-visual material that look at the impact of human actions on the global environment in GCSE French for the “Global Issues” topic. As part of this topic, students are also encouraged to reflect on global issues such as famine, poverty and homelessness and discuss possible solutions.
• Use of texts and audio-visual material that look at the impact of human actions on mental and physical health for the “Social Issues” topic. As part of this topic, students are encouraged to reflect on healthy lifestyles and the impact of smoking and drug addiction.

Comprehension activities and questioning encourage pupils to debate consequences of actions and behaviour and apply this understanding to their own lives.

Students are encouraged to work independently in lessons and proactively use the target language in classwork, whether through pair work, co-operative learning techniques or group work. Students are often differentiated in groups of varied abilities to encourage social interaction with others in the class with whom they may not usually interact. Students are encouraged to experiment with language and learn from their mistakes. There is a supportive environment in MFL classes where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities, rather than as failures. The students are encouraged to use each other as a learning tool and develop social strategies for dealing with confrontational situations or problems.

Group speaking and listening/drama activities enable pupils to develop social skills e.g. co-operation and team work.

The study of a modern foreign language encourages students to be tolerant and welcoming of others and to communicate with people from other parts of the world in an empathetic way.