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Effective Formative Assessment in the Languages Classroom
Course Code: T0440 £249.00
ABOUT THIS COURSE
In modern languages, checking understanding is far more complex than simply asking students if they "get it". Pupils can repeat vocabulary, answer questions correctly, or appear confident during a lesson without developing the long-term learning needed for fluency and success. Research consistently shows that students often mistake familiarity for genuine learning and can recognise language long before they are able to retrieve and apply it independently.This practical, evidence-informed course explores how to move beyond superficial checks for understanding and develop formative assessment that genuinely improves learning. Alongside proven classroom strategies, the course explores innovative approaches to feedback and low-stakes assessment that reduce teacher workload while increasing student progress.
By the end of the course, you will leave with a toolkit of practical techniques that can be implemented immediately to improve learning, confidence and outcomes across the languages classroom.
BENEFITS OF ATTENDING
- Develop formative assessment strategies that genuinely improve long-term learning and retention.
- Learn practical techniques for checking understanding that involve every student, every lesson.
- Use responsive teaching to address misconceptions quickly and adapt teaching with confidence.
- Reduce marking workload through effective audio feedback and efficient assessment routines.
- Leave with a range of ready-to-use strategies for retrieval practice, low-stakes quizzing and responsive classroom assessment.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Teachers of Modern Foreign Languages at KS3 and KS4
- Early Career Teachers looking to establish effective assessment routines
- Experienced teachers seeking to refresh and refine their formative assessment practice
- Heads of Languages and curriculum leaders looking to improve consistency across their department
- Teachers preparing students for the demands of the new GCSE specifications
PROGRAMME
10.00am: Why Formative Assessment Matters in Languages- What research tells us about effective formative assessment
- Why traditional checks for understanding often fail
- Identifying the characteristics of effective assessment in the languages classroom
11.00am: Break
11.20am: Creating the Conditions for Effective Assessment
- Establishing routines that encourage participation from every student
- Building a classroom culture where mistakes are valued as part of learning
- Developing confidence and rapport to encourage students to take risks
- Creating an environment where formative assessment becomes an everyday habit
12.10pm: Checking Understanding with Maximum Impact
- Using mini whiteboards to ensure 100% participation
- Designing questions that reveal genuine understanding
- A practical model for responsive teaching
- Using assessment information to adapt teaching in the moment
1.00pm: Lunch
2.00pm: Feedback That Moves Learning Forward
- Using recorded audio feedback to reduce workload while increasing impact
- Practical approaches to audio feedback for the new GCSE specifications
- Encouraging students to engage meaningfully with feedback
- Embedding efficient feedback routines that improve progress
2.50pm: Break
2.55pm: Embedding Effective Low-Stakes Quizzing
- Designing retrieval quizzes that strengthen long-term memory
- Making low-stakes quizzing a routine part of every unit
- Using quiz outcomes to plan next steps in learning
- Developing sustainable assessment routines that improve progress over time
3.45pm: Depart
Leadership - Code: T0440Effective Formative Assessment in the Languages Classroom
COURSE LEADER
Jonathan Mumford is a consultant and Professional Tutor in education who works at Liverpool Hope University delivering ITT training. A current AQA examiner, he has taught French and Spanish for 16 years in in a mixed comprehensive school in Merseyside with the last 8 of those as Head of Languages.
He has a proven track record of outstanding GCSE teaching in the languages classroom having achieved top grades consistently, spending over 12 years in an Ofstedrated Outstanding school. His passion is teaching and learning and a particular area of focus is enthusing and inspiring language students to achieve well and thrive.
Course Brochure
