Based on a presentation by John Connor &
updated by Jo Rhys-Jones
The aim of teaching foreign languages to pupils
with special needs goes beyond preparing him/her
to have a specific level of communicative
competence in order to use the target language in
professional & personal life. SEN pupils can & do
achieve high levels of foreign language
competence, but there are those who do not.
However, these lower level achievers are able to
achieve other benefits, relating to personal &
educational development, alongside possible
modest linguistic achievement. To encourage a
pupil to bypass foreign language learning because
of low foreign language expectations is to deny
him/her access to these benefits which link directly
to European Citizenship.”
Special Educational Needs in Europe,
The Teaching & Learning of Languages ‘Insights &Innovation’
European Commission Jan 2005
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A broad & balanced curriculum
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Enrich the experiences of all children
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Recognise the languages & cultures spoken at
home - community cohesion
Develops generic speaking, listening & social
skills
Reinforces teaching of English / mother
tongue (mfl students score at least double the average of all
other students on University entrance English grammar papers – TES
October 2010)
Along with learning a musical instrument,
learning even just a few words of a foreign
language rebuilds & creates new synapses in
the brain
– NO OTHER SUBJECTS DO THIS
- research funded by Parkinsons & Alzheimers societies
Social
Interaction
Inflexibility
Social
Communication
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Social Interaction:
struggle with
group/pair/role play,
personal info, tale-telling
Strategy:
Encourage, don’t insist,
allow pupil to work
alone, allow response to
subject rather than
peers, ‘buddy’
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Consider T use of TL
Social Communication:
struggle with volume &
speed of delivery,
appropriate body language,
listening, eye-contact
Strategy:
Other pupils as models,
allow other means of
communication, avoid
prolonged eye contact,
praise when good listening
demonstrated
Cultural implications
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Inflexibility:
misbehaviour triggered by
change in routines, sitting
in a different place, using
pencils not pens,
incomplete/imperfect tasks.
Strategy:
Vary greetings, prepare for
changes, allow for
eccentricity in writing
materials, specify finishing
times & incentivise.
Playdo / rapido ??
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Transitions:
Problems may occur settling
in to lesson, equipment,
processing verbal
instructions, late arrival,
homework, skill switching,
choice.
Strategy:
Clear expectations re
equipment, short
instructions displayed on
board, details of homework
at start & end, briefing late
arrivals with details on
board, allow solitary activity
as a reward.
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Sensory Input:
Easily distracted by sudden
loud noise (fire bell, buzzing
strip lights etc) temperature,
unexpected touch, tasting
unusual food.
Strategy:
Calm atmosphere, reduce
spontaneous pupil
movement, avoid packed
rows or strange crowded
environments, get fittings
fixed, allow for rapid exit if
necessary.
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Dyslexia:
May struggle with
pronunciation,
recognition,
remembering, copying,
responding to
instructions
Strategy:
Allow extra time for
processing, multisensory techniques,
encourage reading &
writing, pastel
backgrounds & paper
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Low cognitive ability:
impairments to
understanding &
responding, extending &
applying in new contexts,
complex instructions
Strategy:
Use short simple
instructions, simplify &
reduce linguistic content
See text book examples
Metro v. skeleton activity
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ADHD:
problems concentrating
calmly, appropriate task
completion, not
distracting others
Strategy:
short, timed, engaging
tasks with immediate
feedback, frequent but
reasonable praise,
incentives
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Self-organisation:
Forgotten equipment,
‘vague’ homework tasks
Strategy:
Clear explanations of
rules, equipment &
timescales, specific
instructions about
homework, especially
learning homework.
Generalised ability in
language
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Good rote memory
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Mimicry
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Highly individualised
pockets of ability,
e.g. Maths, music
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Concrete not abstract
language, avoid personal
questions, peer modelling
Keep rote material
separate, illustrate what
pupil should be able to do
when learning mastered
Encourage recording & use
of Web 2.0 tools
Capitalise through crosscurricular opportunities,
games, songs
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Interest/skill in ICT
Personal interests,
obsessions, where
encyclopaedic
knowledge might be
gathered
Liking for
routine/sameness
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Allow use alone, away from
others, facing wall, use as
reward, practise spelling
with WP, explore Web 2.0 –
blogging & podcasting
Acknowledge & try to
incorporate e.g. Research
assisted by TA
Chorus work & repetition
towards automatic
response, make sure cover
teachers are aware,
prepare for any major
changes of routine.
Hollywater Special School
• Dutch
• Native speaker on staff &
one family
• Vincent Van Gogh
‘sunflowers’ project
• MC Escher tessellation
project
• 'Nijntje' (Dick Bruna’s
Miffy)
• Very distinctive sounds
• Food tasting, touching &
smelling
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Paper skeleton / alien and
post-its, sack of sports
articles, real clothes,
pictionary, IWBs & playdough
Voice synthesisers on
phones (xmas crackers even)
Use of audacity / TTS style
microphones & recording
on a regular basis
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Parachute games
Take 10 as part of
Sports/Languages
leaders awards
If not human then at
least paper sentences
or one-to-one
computer exercises
Human sentences... Any writing activity that avoids holding
a pen and is very kinaestheitic will work well
est mangée par
mange
La banane
Le singe
le singe.
n'
la banane.
pas
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Maths – number bonds,
multiplication/division,
shapes, time, graphs
Geography/History –
environment & human
PSCHE – health, human
rights, Intercultural
understanding (RE)
Reinforce other subjects:
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Knowledge about
Language = constant
reference back to
English grammar
Interviews, Social &
communication skills
Teach memorisation
techniques
Unique to MFL:
Also lego sondage / bar charts example
orange
vert
jaune
rouge
bleu
Un
Un teepantalon
shirt
Un gant
Un pull
Un
chapeau
« Web 2.0 helps to…
encourage student
engagement & increase
participation –
particularly among
quieter pupils, who can
use it to work
collaboratively online,
without the anxiety of
having to raise
questions in front of
peers …. » BECTA 2009
http://www.languageguide.org
http://www.myebook.com
http://vocaroo.com
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Teacher or student
can upload images.
Teacher and/or
student can record
onto the images.
Use to practise
oracy, make
presentations &
create stories
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Like Photostory but
added element that it
can be shared online.
Share with parents, a
partner school, or the
world!
Emphasis on speaking
skills with classroom
management bonus!
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Free online tool to
create music promo
style videopresentations
Link images and
sound
Example from votw
http://votwtasks.blogspot.com/
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http://woodhillprimaryschool.blogspot.com/
Like a mini radio
broadcast
Upload & Download to
iTunes and listen to
whenever you wish
Make your own at;
www.blogger.com
www.typepad.com
http://edublogs.org/
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Students can make
their own animations
and just type in the
dialogue / text in any
language.
KS3/4 examples
http://www.boxoftric
ks.net/?p=1381
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Students record or
type a short text.
Character then
speaks it back.
Check the accent
box by default it
uses English
pronunciation
Over 13’s so make
a teacher/class voki
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NC 1 - Copy words
correctly
Deduce – name that
topic
Coursework – overuse
of words
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French - long
established
Café to smell, taste
& touch food
Sense of
achievement &
pride
Use of technology
Simple achievable
targets
Imaginary KS2 trip
to France
Hope to do a real
trip KS3/4
Physical is better than electronic
 Image + target language only
(if electronic consider selective use of animation)
 Image MUST be clear & consistent
 Do not use same images for more than one
language
 Do use same images throughout project
 Colour code by gender
 Choral repetition & variation of voice
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• une souris
• une araignée
• une tortue
links
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Choral repetition & variation of voice
Word + oui/non? (thumbs up/down nonverbal)
Répétez si c’est vrai
C’est un X ou un Y? (Where y = answer)
C’est un y ou un x?
Build to use ‘devinez’ rather than ‘qu’est-ce
que c’est?’ (so that guess may be wrong not
language)
As students ‘devine’ correctly, they retain
cards and become teacher of that word...
What is progression?
un chat
NC Level 1
ICU: Do they have
cats in France?
Traditional rhymes /
songs with cats?
cat
Awareness of
gender
And definite /
indefinite
articles
un chat
Silent letter
at end of
word
Phoneme: a
Phonemes: ch like charlotte
(later in year 4/5 I’ll learn it can
also be ‘K’ for scientific
I can
vocabulary)
copy it!
NC Level 2
J’ai
Le petit chat noir story &
posters (art links)
Structure comes
after
noun+adjective
un petit chat noir.
•Phoneme / grapheme knowledge
•Adjective
•Adjectival agreement
•Position of adjective
•Singular / plural
•Simple structure + noun + adjective
•Remember individual words but may need
to copy the sentence.
Comparison &
reinforcement
of English
conventions of
punctuation.
NC Level 3
Is a black cat lucky
in France? What is?
J’ai un petit chat noir
et il s’appelle Rex.
•Short phrases, increasingly from memory
•Connectives – et / mais / parce que
•Increase variation of structures
•Awareness of liaison/elision
•Understanding of words as building blocks of sentence
NC Level 4
J’ai un petit chat noir
qui s’appelle Rex.
J’aime mon chien. Hier il
a mangé une glace.
•Extended sentences with variety of connectives.
•Using dictionary for additional vocabulary
•Simple manipulation of 1st, 2nd, 3rd person
•Structures may include simple variation of tenses
•Use of possessive pronouns
And so on for NC levels 5/6/7
See the online exemplar:
http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-3and-4/assessment/exemplification/index.aspx
•Make a core structures toolkit for KS4
SEN students
•You might use ‘P’ levels / sublevels & cite
these as progression or your own…
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http://www.ittmfl.org.uk/modules/inclusion/
3b/paper3b3.PDF (see printout)
Foreign language learning and inclusion:
Who? Why? What? – and How?
McColl, H. (2005), Support for Learning,
20(3), pp 103-108
http://www.tda.gov.uk/teacher/developingcareer/sen-and-disability/sen-trainingresources/one-year-ittprogrammes/~/media/resources/teacher/sen
/secondary/modernforeignlanguagesmfl.ashx
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http://www.specialeducationalneeds.com/cas
e/index.html
David Wilson’s website (Dodros on TES)
http://www.senteacher.org/Print/ free
printable resources
http://www.sunderlandschools.org/mflsunderland/resources-sp-ks3-wks.htm a
simple free sow for yr 8 SEN amongst other
free resources
Little Linguist & TTS – both founded by SEN
teachers