West London Accelerated Language Learning Hub

Through the West London Accelerated Language Learning Hub, expert teachers from Twyford CofE Academies Trust are proving CPD in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL). The aim is to develop pupils’ confidence and competence in the MFL classroom, equipping them with the skills needed to produce high-quality spontaneous language.

The project stems from a Canadian system called Accelerative Integrated Methodology (AIM). AIM uses repetition, actions and common phrases to boost confidence in spontaneous speaking, listening and writing. It was piloted by Twyford Academy under the original London Schools Excellence Fund. The project now provides training and resources for teachers across nine secondary schools in Ealing. This is delivered through five sessions, which focus on how to use target language and gestures in the MFL classroom. Teachers are invited into lessons to see firsthand how the AIM methodology can be used to integrate grammatical structures into language teaching, prior to the explicit teaching of grammatical rules. As pupil confidence and competence increases, further sessions focus on how toolkits can be introduced into language lessons to facilitate the independent production of written and spoken target language.

To get involved -

The sessions at Twyford and William Perkin Schools were a great introduction to what AIM entails. They were thought provoking in terms of how AIM can be used in school both with lower and higher ability students. They also gave a useful insight into how AIM can be adapted to other topics areas – this was useful for someone like me who isn’t creative! I have been thoroughly inspired by the sessions, so much so that we’ll be using AIM in our school. This will hopefully lead to a new initiative to help improve progress of students in French.

- Adele Hughes, Language Teacher and Hub Participant, Dormer's Wells High School