What's the best way to brush up / learn the language myself as we go along?

[Jo Rhys-Jones]

We all have our favourite, strongest subjects which we like to teach out of the whole curriculum, but we also all have our weakest. Mine is Music, though when I first started in Primary it was Science. So I would swot up on the topic we were doing before each class. Not the ENTIRE topic, just the bit we were doing each time and I was open with my class that it was all a journey of discovery for me too. In Science I got more into it as we went along, went to every INSET I could, asked questions all the time and discovered a whole support network via the Internet, to the point where it is now my favourite lesson and I co-ordinate it! Music is not such a success for me and I still have to swot up each lesson, but I do now own a recorder and we've had some fun lessons in the classroom, much more fun and far less scary than I had anticipated each time.

Ideally this is an area where your local Secondary (or Language College) could help. If they can be persuaded to lead a group of teachers from your Learning Network (or similar, most LA's encourage these schemes where a group of Primaries cluster around a Secondary) and use a resources such as Teachers Talking French. This pack of CD's can be used privately by teachers to brush-up long-forgotten GCSEs but it is so much more motivating if there is a group of you doing it together.

Or maybe start a mini-staffroom club and listen to the free podcasts run by Coffee Break Spanish and Coffee Break French? Short and sweet, little and often, and as you download them to your ipod, mp3, laptop, whatever and whenever, you don't have to worry about missing any if it's a busy week.

[Laura McInerney]

Jo, These are really good ideas. Although not an absolute beginner I'm not sure I have the confidence to 'lead' languages as we have a very nervous and wary staff. I will talk to them about some of these suggestions and let you know how we get on!

[Jenny Carpenter]

Jo,

Thanks for your kind comments about Teachers Talking French (and its little sister, Teachers Talking Spanish). Our motivation in writing and producing TTF and TTS was to help teachers who we think deserve every bit of support that they can get in helping to introduce languages to young learners. That is why we focus on teaching practical teacher language in manageable bits and showing how you can do a lot with a little language.

Jenny