Looking for ideas to challenge your more able learners in the humanities? In this blog post, Dr Alex Pryce selects four “Big Questions” from the University of Oxford’s Oxplore project that will spark debate, relate the humanities to the modern world, and encourage independence of mind…

Oxplore is an innovative digital outreach portal from the University of Oxford. As the “Home of Big Questions”, it aims to engage 11- to 18-year-olds with debates and ideas that go beyond what is covered in the classroom. Tackling complex ideas across a wide range of subjects and drawing on the latest research undertaken at Oxford, Oxplore aims to raise aspirations and stimulate intellectual curiosity.

Our “Big Questions” reflect the kind of thinking students undertake at universities like Oxford. Each question is accompanied by supporting resources – including videos; quiz questions; possible answers, explanations and areas for investigation; and suggestions from Oxford faculty members and current undergraduates.

The following four questions touch on subjects as diverse as history, philosophy, literature, linguistics and psychology. They are daring, provocative and rooted in current issues. Teachers can use them to engage able learners as the focus for a mini research project, a topic for classroom debate, or the springboard for students to think up Big Questions of their own.

1. Would it be better if we all spoke the same language?

Over 6,000 languages are spoken worldwide… what’s the point? Imagining a world without linguistic difference will encourage learners to think more globally, while examining the benefits of multilingualism will start conversations about culture, nationality and identity. Investigate multilingualism’s benefits and drawbacks, both historically and with reference to today’s world. For additional stimulation, check out the recording of Oxplore’s live event on this Biq Question.

Perfect for: interdisciplinary language teaching.

2. Should celebrities influence you more than your parents?

This question challenges students to think more deeply about why they hold their beliefs, who shapes their behaviour and choices, and how this colours their view of the world. It also creates room for able learners to have nuanced discussions about complex topical issues such as political beliefs, sexuality and ethnic identity, but with reference to public figures they care about – so they get the chance to focus the discussion.

Perfect for: demonstrating the present-day relevance of humanities subjects.

3. Should you believe the history books?

A classic foray into historiographical thinking which can be used to debate questions such as… How have the internet, photoshopping and so-called “fake news” affected our grip on the truth? To what extent does the adage that history is written by the winners stand up in the age of social media? How have racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination shaped the history we consume? For more on this question, check out this recorded Oxplore live stream event.

Perfect for: humanising historians and fostering critical thinking.

4. Do humans need religion?

Explore philosophy, history and the history of art by encouraging learners to think about humanity’s long association with religion and spirituality. Does religion encourage moral behaviour? What about religious extremism? Examine the implications of religious devotion in fields such as power, community and education, and encourage the sensitive exploration of alternative views.

Perfect for: conducting a balanced debate on controversial issues.

Dr Alex Pryce is Oxplore’s Widening Access and Participation Coordinator (Communications and Engagement), leading on marketing and dissemination activities including stakeholder engagement and social media. She has worked in research communications, public engagement and PR for several years through roles in higher education (HE) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). She holds a DPhil in English from the University of Oxford and is a part-time HE tutor.

Earlier this year, NACE member and Challenge Award holder The Broxbourne School was named one of nine schools selected to lead regional language hubs across England, supporting the new Centre of Excellence for Modern Languages. In this blog post, MFL teacher Alison Pateman shares some of the school’s keys to success in promoting the study of and high attainment in modern languages.

1. Make pupils secure… but keep them on their toes!

At The Broxbourne School we achieve this by combining routine with new elements. Our learners know their teacher will begin a new unit by teaching them the necessary vocabulary and grammar and allowing them to write it down in their books. But exactly how the new language will be presented, practised and consolidated is very varied, so they don’t know what to expect next. All our MFL teachers use a mixture of their own techniques and games, in-house-made SMART Notebook files, PowerPoints and worksheets, alongside engaging materials we have on subscription. Songs are fun and a great way to make words stick, while puzzle-making programmes like Tarsia challenge learners think that bit harder, again aiding memory.

2. Encourage learners to be creative

There are endless ways to present, practise and explore languages. Our Year 7 learners produced some wonderful pipe cleaner bugs to practise present tense verb forms. Old kitchen roll cardboard interiors are another good prop – challenge learners to move rings of paper independently of each ring to manipulate language into sentences. The origami paper finger game lends itself to all sorts of language activities. Equally, learners enjoy being creative with scenarios – for example, the Year 8 pupil who wrote her German homework as a series of social media posts, or those who wrote about the weather as a cartoon strip. Meanwhile Year 8 French pupils enjoyed playing a “blame game” to practise all forms of the perfect tense.

3. Celebrate languages outside the classroom

Last year saw our first ever MFL House Quiz, in which learners faced rounds testing their linguistic and cultural knowledge of the countries where our offered languages are spoken. We always celebrate the European Day of Languages (EDL), when all form tutors promote the importance of language learning – for example by taking the register with responses in a foreign language and wearing badges to show which languages they speak. Last year learners looked around the school for EDL posters with greetings in 10 different languages, competing for a prize if they could work out which was which. 

4. Grab a slice of the action on PSHE days

Languages are a part of the autumn term Year 8 PSHE day when all learners spend 30 minutes learning an entirely new language, mostly offered by teachers who normally teach other subjects.  Last year beginners’ sessions were offered in Russian, Afrikaans, Portuguese, Spanish or Greek. In the summer, we have an entire day dedicated to French. Learners visit a recreation of a French café (complete with French food, drink and music), complete quizzes, make posters of Francophone countries and prepare for an afternoon performance of “Les Trois Mousquetaires”.

5. Make life-long memories abroad

All our learners who study German have the opportunity to participate in an exchange to Schopfheim in southwest Germany, and to host their German partner on the return visit. Towards the end of the summer term Years 7 and 10 go on a cultural and study trip to France. The Italian students are offered study trips in the summer and autumn terms to Urbania, where they stay with local families, attend language lessons and do cultural activities.

Alison Pateman is a member of the MFL department at The Broxbourne School, a NACE member and Challenge Award-accredited secondary school and sixth form in Hertfordshire. She has been an MFL teacher for 25 years. She teaches French and German and has a particular interest in teacher and pupil creativity in language learning.

Looking for ideas to challenge your more able learners in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)? In this blog post, Alex Pryce selects four “Big Questions” from the University of Oxford’s Oxplore project – providing rich starting points for debate, investigation and independent learning…

Oxplore is an innovative digital outreach portal from the University of Oxford. As the “Home of Big Questions”, it aims to engage 11- to 18-year-olds with debates and ideas that go beyond what is covered in the classroom. Big Questions tackle complex ideas across a wide range of subjects and draw on the latest research undertaken at Oxford. Oxplore aims to realise aspirations, promote broader thinking and stimulate intellectual curiosity.

Our Big Questions reflect the kind of thinking students undertake at universities like Oxford. Each question is accompanied by supporting resources – including videos; quiz questions; possible answers, explanations and areas for investigation; and suggestions from Oxford faculty members.In the classroom, these four STEM-related Big Questions could offer super-curricular enrichment spanning a diverse range of subject areas. Teachers could ask students to design a mini research project on a particular aspect of the question, or extend their learning by challenging them to create Big Questions of their own.

1. Are explosions always destructive?

Provoke debate around the Big Bang, chaos, laws of probability, and where explosions fit into this as examples of order and disorder. Students can learn about the history of explosions, and positive examples of the things that wouldn’t exist without them. Delve deeper into the science behind the nuclear bomb and take a closer look at creatures that could survive one.

Perfect for: a wide-ranging subject discussion.

2. Is a robot a person?

What does it mean to be a human being? Examine the nature of intelligence, language, creativity and the law with your students. You can debate the role of artificial intelligence within society and explore the boundaries between computers and consciousness – now and in the future.

Perfect for: debating future technological developments.

3. Can time travel ever be possible?

We all travel forward through time, but what happens if we change how we do this, or the speed in which we travel? Inspire your students to explore special relativity in action – through GPS, electromagnets, and TV and PC screens.

Perfect for: Doctor Who fans!

4. Is it OK to clone a human being?

Is it right to interfere with nature? Introduce your students to the science of stem cell research, therapeutic cloning, and create neuroethics debates. Discuss whether humans should be allowed to “design” new animals, and explore the development of cloning: from Hans Spemann’s original 1902 experiment that split a salamander embryo in two, to the first successful human embryos cloned in 2008.

Perfect for: discussions of the weird and wonderful.

Alex Pryce is Oxplore’s Widening Access and Participation Coordinator (Communications and Engagement), leading on marketing and dissemination activities including stakeholder engagement and social media. She has worked in research communications, public engagement and PR for several years through roles in higher education (HE) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). She holds a DPhil in English from the University of Oxford and is a part-time HE tutor.

Anna Wynd, head of modern foreign languages at North Oxfordshire Academy (NOA), explains how the school approaches language learning through a “menu of challenge”.

In our approach to modern foreign language teaching and learning at North Oxfordshire Academy, we strive to nurture and encourage our pupils’ enthusiasm and curiosity, offering a varied menu of challenge.

Interactive games such as the “horse race” allow pupils to work in differentiated teams to solve tasks that will move their horse closer to the finish line, while allowing opportunities for self- and peer-assessment. Our KS3 homework involves a variety of interests, skills and pupil choice at different levels, such as recipes in the target language.

Preparing for the unexpected

The current MFL Programme of Study details the importance of pupils having the opportunity to read literary texts in the language (such as stories, songs, poems and letters) to stimulate ideas, develop creative expression and expand understanding of the language and culture.

NOA’s MFL library, which includes books, DVDs and magazines, allows the MFL department to continue to support the Academy’s drive on literacy by encouraging reading for pleasure in the target language and an exploration of intercultural understanding.

In addition, the films act as an effective and enjoyable way of developing pupils’ listening skills, particularly in training them to deal with “the unexpected element” of languages – a skill required for outstanding achievement according to Ofsted. Furthermore, the longer texts have been challenging yet purposeful, and act as a great stretch for our most able language learners.

A varied menu of challenge

We also include the following in our menu of challenge for language teaching and learning:

• A bank of authentic resources which are planned into schemes of work (maps, brochures, receipts, magazines).
• A whole-school approach to Assessment for Learning (AfL): “Find the gap, teach the gap.” Every student has a knowledge organiser for every subject, and uses them to revise the vocabulary and grammar that is studied in each lesson for the memory platform test. Every lesson begins with a memory platform that assesses prior learning. Pupils then self-assess in green pen. The main aim for this is to improve memory recall.
• Using sixth-form students to support Year 11 in small study groups to go through exam skills. The Year 11 cohort enjoy hearing from a peer about how they dealt with the exam, revision and stress.
• French Club, attended by able language learners in Year 8. Activities include board games in the target language; discussion of festivals and traditions in more detail, and comparison with the UK or with the home country of the students who attend; pupil-created quizzes either on cultural facts or what they’re currently learning; listening to French songs and talking about art and artists.

This case study was originally published in the Spring 2017 edition of NACE’s Insight newsletter. To view past editions, log in as a member.