Establishing and maintaining motivation for language learning in the primary environment

Jennie Musgrove February 2014

I'll start with the bad news

English pupils have been rated among the worst in Europe at languages

!"e are addressing the #hroni# la#$ of attention paid to foreign languages in s#hools It is vital young people start studying a language at an earlier age %hat is why from ne&t year we are ensuring that #hildren learn a language from age seven %hey #an then build on that at se#ondary s#hool ' ( )fE

Motivation

http://daviderogers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/what-is-learning-personalreflection.html

Motivation is
*%he pro#ess whereby goal(dire#ted a#tivity is instigated and sustained '
( +intri#h and ,#hun$ -1../0 41

2anguage is
a1 a #ommuni#ation #oding system that #an be taught as a s#hool sub3e#t b1 an integral part of the individual's identity involved in almost all mental a#tivities and #1 the most important #hannel of so#ial organisation embedded in the #ulture of the #ommunity where it is used

E&pe#tan#y 4alue %heory -E4%1

http://thekglawyerblog.com/ptblog/sandpit/mind-maps/

Influen#es on language learning attitudes0

Edu#ational variables su#h as0 tea#hers pedagogy s#hool and national poli#y ,o#ial fa#tors su#h as0 peers family parents

"ider so#iety
*%he overall #ultural #onte&t within whi#h we live #an provide a set of assumptions and salient fa#ts whi#h determine the attitudes we will develop ' ( 5s$amp -1..61 *%he learning situation with positive or negative attitudes derived from the so#iety in whi#h they live ' ( 7hambers -1...1 *%he status of a language has a dire#t effe#t on learners' e&pe#tations and attitudes8 and #onse9uently on their learning behaviours ' ( )ab:ne -1..61

E&pe#tan#y 4alue %heory -E4%1

10 %he individual's e&pe#tations of su##ess

20 %he value an individual pla#es on that su##ess

%he good news;

( <aving fun as part of learning8 as en#ouraged by neurologist Judy "illis ( Ma$ing lin$s to languages a#ross the #urri#ulum in order to model to #hildren a passion for languages8 as well as to ma$e effi#ient use of time in s#hool ( =llowing #hildren to ta$e ownership of their own learning through portfolios and goal( setting

Most importantly
Ma$ing lin$s;

Modern te#hnology
4ideo#onferen#es Emails 5nline sharing platforms

"hat #hildren say

*>e#ause you are learning ,panish8 you have to $now what ,panish people do every day if you didn't it would be a bit strange be#ause you're only learning the language ' *I thin$ it's good be#ause if I say a Fren#h word wrong8 we shouldn't feel embarrassed be#ause they are learning English and they might pronoun#e things wrong '

*I thin$ it's better to have a video#onferen#e be#ause then if they say a word you've got to understand it '

'%en 7ommandments for Motivating 2anguage 2earners'

,et a personal e&ample with your own behaviour 7reate a pleasant8 rela&ed atmosphere in the #lassroom +resent the tas$s properly )evelop a good relationship with the learners In#rease the learners? linguisti# self(#onfiden#e Ma$e the language #lasses interesting +romote learner autonomy +ersonali@e the learning pro#ess In#rease the learners? goal(orientedness Familiari@e learners with the target language #ulture

11 7ommandment

th

"herever possible8 ma$e authenti# lin$s with s#hool #hildren in a target language spea$ing #ountry8 and get them to ma$e friends;