Instant Feedback, Lasting Impact: Harnessing AI in the MFL Classroom at Upton-by-Chester High School

Having been a long-time admirer of Sanako Connect software; we were finally able to begin our journey working with Wendy Adeniji and David Binns in the Autumn of 2023.

Upton-by-Chester High School is a large comprehensive school which offers French and Spanish through to A level. Following the Research Review on Languages in 2021, we set about developing a bespoke KS3 curriculum, moving away entirely from textbooks.  This allowed us to integrate the three pillars of language teaching, phonics in particular, into our own resources and curriculum journeys in good time for the introduction of the new MFL GCSEs.

As in all MFL classrooms around the world, our lessons are filled with a variety of engaging activities; mini whiteboards, dice, songs, gap fills, translations, running dictations, pair work etc. Constant retrieval activities to help students make those vital connections in language learning and help them to feel secure and confident in the progress they are making to speak another language.

Being an MFL teacher is a labour of love, a very tiring one! How can we split ourselves 30 different ways in the classroom to give instant, individual feedback to students? Mini whiteboards offer one of the simplest solutions; skilled teachers can provide quick feedback to a class on short, written answers but this does not solve the problem of giving the verbal feedback students desperately need on spoke language in the moment.

Having taught MFL for almost 25 years and having the privilege to work with and meet many talented MFL educators, I know that language teachers are always on the forefront of embracing new technologies and finding innovative ways to use them to great effect in our classrooms. AI technology is our next challenge to harness and bring into our teaching safely and effectively.

Sanako Connect has succeeded in bringing AI technology into the MFL classroom in a safe and structured manner, allowing students to receive instant feedback. The first time I used this software with a class, I was expecting my students to enjoy the lesson as it was something new and different and they were always keen for a lesson using a computer!

Yet far more happened than I could have ever expected. I barely needed to explain to my students what to do, they clicked on the link and set about completing each of the tasks, the layout of activities in Sanako Connect being easy to navigate. Enthralled by their new headsets, they concentrated fully on each activity. 

For the first time, I wandered around my classroom feeling slightly redundant, watching students fully engaged with the activities. I walked around, I could hear their pronunciation and accuracy improving. They were actually listening to the feedback and acting on it immediately. The thousands of hours of written feedback I have provided in my career has never had the impact I saw in one lesson. I wasn’t alone in my department, staff all found the same things happening in their classrooms with students asking ‘when are we having another lesson?’ From year 7 to year 13, all students, all abilities, engaged instantly with the activities and most importantly, were responding to the instant formative feedback.

Wendy Adeniji has created an enormous amount of MFL content that is there ready for schools to use but we have found it easy to create our own activities that are tailored to our bespoke KS3 curriculum. Creating your own activities on Sanako Connect is quick and simple. Content can be imported, and vocabulary can be manipulated into a range of tasks. All typical MFL activities that we would use to scaffold learning are there such as flash cards, matching pairs, multiple choice, moving on to cloze activities and writing tasks.

However, for us the best aspect is the use of AI to develop listening and speaking skills. Activities such as read aloud are a firm favourite. Students concentrating to achieve 5 stars by perfecting their French or Spanish accents. The level of instant, individual feedback given is one that a single teacher in a classroom cannot provide, without taking on a significant workload.

As we were developing our KS3 curriculum, we were able to harness Sanako Connect to create online assessments so that we were able to use the software formatively and summatively. Assessments are as straightforward to create as the activities. Students are able view their progress throughout the assessment, receiving the same instant feedback. Teachers can view the assessment data and record easily. For us, it revolutionised our speaking assessment. In the past, these may have taken one or two lessons to assess an entire class or 32 students, yet we were able to complete these quickly and effectively. Not only do these activities and assessments prepare students for the new MFL GCSEs but also develops their listening and speaking skills which are the skills they find most difficult.

Engaged students, formative feedback, reduced staff workload, activities that move the learning forward, using AI technology to think smarter rather than work harder. What more could an MFL teacher ask for!