Whether you’re newly qualified, returning to the profession after a career break, transitioning across phases, or just preparing to start your training, this immersive professional development residential is designed to support you and help you build confidence, classroom practice, and pedagogy.
The MFL Teacher Development Summer Camp offers a practical, research-informed programme focused on effective language teaching. Participants will explore key strategies for developing core skills, using adaptive teaching and formative assessment, and integrating cultural learning. The residential also provides valuable opportunities to connect with fellow MFL educators.
The sessions will be led by Julie Sutcliffe, Education Development Lead at the Global School Alliance, who is an experienced MFL specialist with over 30 years of experience in the classroom and leading departments and a large multi-academy trust.
Dates: 4-11 July 2025
Location: Liverpool, UK
Places are very limited so enquire today to find out more!
What will it include?
A summer residential camp focused on professional development for MFL teachers.
Participants will:
– Explore effective, evidence-informed pedagogy for language teaching
– Develop practical classroom strategies, routines, and techniques
– Take part in hands-on workshops and collaborative activities
– Learn from experienced practitioners and mentors
– Build a supportive network with fellow MFL educators
The programme blends theory, practice, reflection, and collaboration to prepare teachers for a confident return or start in the classroom.
Who can attend?
This camp is suitable for professionals who are:
– Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in their first two years of teaching
– Individuals preparing to begin an MFL teacher training programme in September
– Teachers returning to the classroom after a career break
– MFL teachers transitioning across phases
– All teachers of MFL who are keen to develop their pedagogy and classroom practice
What are the benefits?
Attending this residential will help MFL teachers:
– Build confidence in delivering lessons and promoting progress in the MFL classroom
– Strengthen their teaching toolkit with practical, ready-to-use strategies
– Connect with other teachers at a similar career stage for support and idea-sharing
– Gain insights from an experienced MFL teacher and leader
– Develop a deeper understanding of effective pedagogy and classroom practice
– Feel re-energised, supported, and prepared for the year ahead
Sessions include:
Developing the Listening Skill: Researchers have described listening as the “Cinderella” of the four skills in language education. They say that just like Cinderella in the famous tale, listening is neglected, taken for granted and overlooked by its step-sisters, reading, writing and even speaking, which are given greater importance in research and in classrooms. In this session you will develop a deeper understanding of how to develop listening with your students with information around the micro-skills needed in the process as well as practical tasks you can implement in your classroom straight away.
Developing the Reading Skill: The importance of reading for learners of MFL is ever more important now as digital technology and the internet invade their daily lives. Yet many reading-based activities tend to test student’s comprehension of the written text and imply that reading is about skimming and scanning texts for answers to questions. How can we develop what we do in the classroom to go beyond mere comprehension?
Developing the Speaking Skill: No one can dispute that a language is meant to be spoken. There is no greater joy in teaching than hearing pupils speak in the target language spontaneously – but how can we develop their confidence to do so? In this session you will develop an understanding of the importance of the speaking skill in promoting progress in MFL, how repetition and retrieval supports fluency and automatization and identify activities in for the classroom that support self-confidence and self-efficacy in speaking.
Developing the Writing Skill: Writing should be an integral part of MFL instruction, not just as an assessment tool but as an essential practice for language acquisition. In this session you will develop an understanding of the stages of writing development and discuss a range of strategies focusing on developing the writing skill in the MFL classroom.
Adaptive Teaching and Checking for Understanding: Adaptive teaching focuses adapting practice DURING the lesson to meet the emerging needs of the whole class in real-time. By adapting lessons, whilst maintaining high expectations for all, we can ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to meet those expectations. In this session you will explore practical strategies and activities to use in the classroom to support all students, and check their understanding as you go along.
From Language to Culture: bringing the world into your classroom: The need for wider cultural awareness and understanding is vital in preparing pupils for a life and career in an increasingly interconnected world, and school partnerships can be an effective way to build these. In this session we explore the strengths and benefits of successful school international links and share practical strategies and guidance for establishing, embedding, and sustaining global links in the MFL Classroom.
