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Silvia Bastow FCCT

@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social

Subject Leader | SLE | Instructional Coaching | MA in German linguistics | GEM | ECF | CPD | Ed.Consultant | Author | ALL council | views my own | Slovakian🇸🇰 www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · last wk.

After a work-free break, I’m back to GCSE MFL! As always, GCSE results have brought a mixture of reactions. Some are pleased with their results, others are understandably disappointed. Both responses are valid. What can we take from the data? www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/edexcel...

Edexcel GCSE Modern Languages Results 2026

Edexcel GCSE Modern Languages Results 2026German / French / Spanish2025–2026 comparison and planning for 2027 Important: 2026 is not simply another year of the same Edexcel GCSE. German, French and Sp...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Ever taught a “perfect” lesson that still didn’t land? It might be cognitive overload, not ability. My latest blog explores how reducing load (not adding more) can transform MFL learning. #mflsky #education #languages www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/cogniti...

Cognitive Load in the Languages Classroom: Are we accidentally overwhelming our students?

Picture this. You have planned what you consider to be a rich, communicative lesson, a new grammar structure or language introduced with examples, a task to practise it, a class questioning to bring i...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 3mo ago

I’ve been reflecting on a key question: If we are always scaffolding and supporting, when do students become independent learners? In my latest blog, I explore practical ways to gradually remove support and build learner confidence, resilience, and autonomy. www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/from-su...

From Supported to Self-Sufficient: Building independence in the MFL classroom

This post is a follow-up to the Linguascope Adaptive Teaching Webinar, which Jennifer Wozniak-Rush and I run on Tuesday 2nd June.A lot of the conversation in our recent webinar centred on how we suppo...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 4mo ago

As GCSEs are in full swing and the writing paper is still to come, I've been sharing some ideas on my blog about how to develop creative language use in higher tier writing. If you teach MFL and are looking for ideas to support your students, check it out.👇 www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/writing...

Writing Tasks That Actually Prepare Students for GCSEs (Focus on Higher) - Not Just Fill Time

Let me be honest about something. I spent years setting writing tasks that were, in hindsight, busywork dressed up as learning. Fill in the gaps. Copy the model answer. Write five sentences about your...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 5mo ago

🖊️NEW POST🖊️: Adaptive teaching in MFL - reflection on chapter 4 of our recently published book: Succeeding as an MFL teacher. #mflsky #edusky www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/adaptiv...

Adaptive Teaching – Responding to the Needs of All Students

“Adaptive teaching isn’t about giving different worksheets. It’s about responding to learners in the moment, helping every student progress and thrive.”As I reflect on Chapter 4 of our recently publis...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🚀 What makes a great MFL lesson? ☑️Speak more than the teacher ☑️Communicate with purpose, not just complete worksheets ☑️See grammar clearly & use it meaningfully ☑️Connect vocabulary & skills across listening, speaking, reading & writing ☑️Engage with culture www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/what-ma...

What Makes a Great MFL Lesson? A Reflection

This post was prompted by a post by Ian Astbury on LinkedIn. I often find myself reflecting on what truly transforms a language lesson from “just another class” into an experience that sticks. Over ne...

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@stevenfawkes.bsky.social · 6mo ago

@all4languages.bsky.social Social Zoom for ECTs and trainees Wednesday 25 February 2026 from 18h30 on Zoom Sharing around the theme of Variety, and then Silvia Bastow and Jennifer Wozniak-Rush talking about Succeeding as an MFL Teacher. Booking: tinyurl.com/Social-Feb26

February 2026 Social (Special) open to all trainee and ECT Language teachers (and Secondary teachers for Part 2)

This form is for Languages ECTs and trainee teachers (and others interested) to register for this free event hosted by ALL on Friday 27th February 2026 from 6.30 pm on Zoom. See Outline below. Access...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Why do pupils underperform in GCSE writing? It’s rarely about effort or vocabulary. It’s about control. Over-scaffolding, ambition without accuracy, and myths about “complex language” all get in the way. GCSE writing success is built at KS3, not fixed in Y11 👇 www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/why-stu...

Why students underperform in GCSE writing – and how over-scaffolding and misunderstandings about “complex language” make it worse

From a GCSE examiner’s point of view, I believe most students do not underperform in writing because they lack ideas, motivation or effort. Much more often, they underperform because they have been ta...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 9mo ago

🎮 Want to boost confidence, fluency & joy in MFL? Try purposeful games. Low-prep, high-impact activities can transform a lesson, building retrieval strength, phonics skills, grammar accuracy & spontaneous target-language use. 30+ tried-and-tested MFL games. www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/30-fun-...

30+ Fun and Effective MFL Games for the Languages Classroom

One of the most powerful ways to build confidence, fluency and motivation in the MFL classroom is through purposful games. I believe that well-chosen, low-prep activities can transform the energy of a...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 10mo ago

🎭 The new 2026 GCSE MFL role-plays focus on real communication, not memorised scripts. In my latest blog, I share what’s changing, common challenges + 10 practical ways to build confidence through everyday speaking tasks. 👉 Read more: #MFL #GCSE2026 #Languages www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/getting...

Getting Students Talking: Making the most of role plays in the new GCSE speaking exam

There’s a lot of talk everywhere about the new 2026 GCSE MFL exams and for good reason! The updates are designed to make language learning more meaningful, focusing on real communication rather than m...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 11mo ago

✨New Post: What can and can’t a Book Look tell us ? ✨A neat, colour-coded exercise book doesn’t always mean real learning or progress. In MFL, so much of what matters : speaking, listening, interaction, confidence can’t be captured on a page... www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/what-do...

What does a Book Look look like in MFL and what should it reflect?

In the world of MFL, book looks can sometimes feel like a tick-box exercise or a stressful scrutiny. Too often - and this can be the case for other subjects, they risk becoming about neat presentation...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 12mo ago

📢NEW Post📢 Oracy in MFL. Oracy is our whole academy focus, here are some subject specific ideas we use in our department to support our students. #mflsky #edusky www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/oracy-i...

Oracy in the Languages Classroom: Why Speaking Is So Much More Than Talking

When we talk about language learning, “speaking” often feels like the ultimate goal. It’s what learners and parents usually see as success: Can you have a conversation? Can you speak the language? But...

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Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · 12mo ago

📢NEW Post📢 Oracy in MFL. Oracy is our whole academy focus, here are some subject specific ideas we use in our department to support our students. #mflsky #edusky www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/oracy-i...

Oracy in the Languages Classroom: Why Speaking Is So Much More Than Talking

When we talk about language learning, “speaking” often feels like the ultimate goal. It’s what learners and parents usually see as success: Can you have a conversation? Can you speak the language? But...

fraubastowmfl.co.uk

Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · last yr.

For my final blog post of the year, I’m focusing on a theme that’s come up again & again in my conversations with colleagues:comprehensible input in MFL teaching. I’ve shared my thoughts & what this approach might mean for our learners moving forward. #mflsky www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/making-...

Making Input Count: The Power of Comprehensible Input in Language Teaching

This academic year has been an incredibly full and rewarding one for me, filled with opportunities to speak at conferences locally, nationally and internationally; to work with and deliver CPD across ...

fraubastowmfl.co.uk

Silvia Bastow FCCT@fraubastowmfl.bsky.social · last yr.

For my final blog post of the year, I’m focusing on a theme that’s come up again & again in my conversations with colleagues:comprehensible input in MFL teaching. I’ve shared my thoughts & what this approach might mean for our learners moving forward. #mflsky www.fraubastowmfl.co.uk/post/making-...

Making Input Count: The Power of Comprehensible Input in Language Teaching

This academic year has been an incredibly full and rewarding one for me, filled with opportunities to speak at conferences locally, nationally and internationally; to work with and deliver CPD across ...

fraubastowmfl.co.uk