The idea of speaking in French can be a daunting prospect for anyone. We were keen to put our new understanding of growth mindset into practise, by encouraging a group of less than convinced S4 pupils that this could actually be enjoyable, do-able and rewarding. The aim of the project was therefore to build confidence and self-esteem through speaking French. The pupils believed that French was not something they were naturally good at. We organised a series of mini lessons to promote the idea of effort being a journey, to help them realise it was their struggle we were looking for and not their inherent ability. We earned their trust that this was something they were going to enjoy, using games that allowed them to speak French in a relaxed way. These techniques were soon embedded in our classroom practice, and we were able to build on this and see real improvement in their confidence and their ability.
There was a video used during the growth mindset course which had a significant impact on how we approached this project. In the video, a little girl experiences extreme frustration because she wants to be able to ride a bike straight away, instead of focusing on one manageable thing at a time. The girl’s parent later says to her, ‘look how far you’ve come.’ We wanted to approach the French Talking exams in the same way, by encouraging the pupils to learn a manageable amount at a time. We used a range of strategies and motivated them to continue with their learning by looking back to see how far they had come. This process went extremely well, and pupils achieved success in their French Talking exam. Several pupils commented that they were proud of the results they achieved and could see how manageable it was to them along the way.
Another learning from the Mindset course that we put into practice, was that success requires effort, key strategies, and input from others. We shared this thinking with the class and discussed that you can develop your talents and abilities through hard work, good strategies and help from others. By winning the students trust, they put in the hard work and effort. We shared and role modelled good learning strategies for them, and we undertook lots of paired and group practices. They also received help from other teachers in the department through Assisted Study and the Saturday Café. Overall, we were delighted with the impact of this project and look forward to carrying out the process again next year with French and Spanish classes.
The project timescale worked well, and we allowed the perfect length of time for each stage of the process. Early in the year, we began promoting a growth mindset with the class so this was embedded, and they were familiar with the idea that effort and hard work would pay off. We showed the class model answers on the board eight weeks before their exam. This gave them confidence that the French they were using was accurate. With seven weeks to go, we focussed on pronunciation and then turned our attention to learning techniques and strategies. For example, the class would ‘read, cover, say, check and write’ the first letter of each word in a sentence to use as a support. We used study cards to help them memorise their answers, allowing four weeks to give plenty of practice time.
For the most part, we stuck to the original plan for the project. There was one area (collaborative learning) which the pupils seemed to really enjoy and learn from, which we then emphasised and developed. By allowing pupils to sit with their friends, they felt happier to talk and make mistakes and learn from one another. By carefully planning the working groups to allow this, this promoted more interaction and confidence.
This project has had an impact in many areas. First, it has had a significant impact on teaching practice. We went about preparing for the French Talking exam in a positive way – we reframed it from a daunting experience to an opportunity for pupils to show off their learning. With each lesson, we saw small but measurable improvements in the pupils’ attitudes and ability. We were able to use our knowledge from the growth mindset course and present this project with optimism and enthusiasm.
The project also had a significant impact on the pupils involved. We began by letting them listen to examples of pupils sitting their French Talking exam from previous years. This helped them to realise that the exam was well within their capabilities and gave them an encouraging start. We then wrote up answers to possible exam questions, allowing for personalisation and choice, so that the pupils had ownership over their learning. The strategies we then showed them for memorising their answers engaged the pupils and broke the challenge down to manageable tasks. Finally, allowing them to practice with peers they felt comfortable with, gave them the confidence they needed to see it through.
At a departmental meeting, we discussed the growth mindset course and the practices used with the class. We had some beneficial professional dialogue and colleagues were able to make further suggestions for the collaborative learning element of the project. We also drafted a letter for parents explaining how to support their child at home and shared some strategies for learning. This had a big impact on our students as support from home often does. We also discussed growth mindset at parents evening appointments and more widely across the school community.
The impact on attainment within the school has been significant. A higher number of students got an A than in previous years and pupils who we had real concerns about got 15/30 which helped to boost their overall prelim scores. It will be interesting to see how the work on growth mindset impacts the final SQA results.
This project has helped us to develop new quality resources to support pupils with their French Talking exam for N5. We will carry out a pupil survey at the end of the course to get feedback on these resources and the project overall. The most rewarding evidence was the excellent results achieved by the pupils, which will significantly contribute towards their SQA results and therefore raise attainment in the school.
There is now a culture in the classroom where the pupils know they can complete a challenging task with the right techniques and strategies. This has built trust and will be very helpful for the rest of the course, as we tackle other skills such as writing, reading, and listening. Pupils have realised that 'learning is learnable'. This is now a significant area of focus for our Departmental Improvement Plan for future years, and we will be able to train new staff in this approach.
Good feedback was received from colleagues on the project and the approach we took, such as:
"In an area of the N5 French course which many of us can grumble about, … has found renewed enthusiasm and positivity. I know she really enjoyed the Mindset in Education course and gained many insights from this. I was sceptical when I heard about her idea for the project. However, it has been conducted in a very organised manner and has given the rest of the Modern Languages department a lot of food for thought. Our SQA Talking results have improved, the pupils are now clear about the process, parents are well informed, and I look forward to seeing her wall display. It sounds great!"
In time, we would like to create a Learning Journey wall display in the department, clearly showing the process of how best to prepare for the French or Spanish SQA Talking exam in a positive and manageable way. The wall display would include: