Using Videoconferencing in Modern Foreign Languages

Since the beginning of 2005, a group of five Devon schools (Knowles Hill School, Newton Abbot, St Peter’s High School, Exeter, St Luke’s High School, Exeter, Teign School, Kingsteignton and The King’s School, Ottery St Mary) has been working on using videoconferencing to support collaborative work between schools at all levels and in particular to broaden provision in the 14–19 age group. 

Ideas and projects that have emerged from these sessions include: 

• The pairing of schools to work together to produce sample topics in French, German and Spanish to share among the group and more widely
• The use of these pairings to enable students to practice their speaking
• The use of inter-school sessions to increase motivation among students
• The use of the sessions for staff professional development and to enhance the quality of provision through the sharing of ideas and good practice

Other ideas for the future include: 

• Setting up a website on which information and sample lesson plans using videoconferencing could be shared more widely
• The use of language assistants during video links to improve pronunciation
• Links between the participating schools and partner schools in other countries
• The inclusion of PowerPoint to make sessions more interesting for students
• A link with the Foreign Office to enable students to see how the languages they are studying might be used in the world of work