Getting the most from your Language Assistant experience

1. Getting the most from your Language Assistant experience www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

2. Agenda • Part 1: Webinar basics • Part 2: Role of the mentor and supporting the assistant • Q & A • Part 3: Using a Language Assistant in the language classroom and beyond • Part 4: Other British Council opportunities • Q & A www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

3. Part 1: Webinar basics www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

4. This is the chat facility where you can ask questions and talk to other participants Choose who you want to write a message to Write your message in the text box and hit enter

5. Part 2: The role of the mentor teacher and supporting the assistant www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

6. Role of Mentor Teacher • Professional • Pastoral • Arrival and settling in • On-going monitoring and support • Regular meetings • Give feedback to the Language Assistant • Give feedback to British Council • End of year report www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

7. Top tips and best practice for mentor teachers • Email follow-ups to face-to-face discussions • Establish communication process • Monitoring progress - Language Assistant/s log/ diary www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

8. Supporting the assistant BEFORE their arrival • Sharing arrangements • Administration/ Paperwork • Offer letter / Confirmation of appointment • Payments – Starter Declaration and tax cover letter (Double Taxation Letter) • Police checks • Accommodation advice • School system and curriculum • Maintain contact and build relationships • Please see: http://www.britishcouncil.org/language-assistants/employ/support-and-next-steps

9. Supporting the assistant: Initial weeks • Observation • Class lists/ staff lists/ map of school • School policies Child protection / Internet/ health and safety / absence • Systems and equipment • Timetable • Code of conduct • Statement of employment www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

10. Supporting the assistant AFTER their arrival – Integration into the school • Top tips: • Welcomes! • Introductions • Discuss expectations and role • Opportunities to involve them in • school trips/ events/ concerts/ staff social activities • extracurricular life of the school www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

11. Supporting the assistant: Integration into the community • Register with doctor and open a bank account • Local area advice • Clubs/ libraries/ churches/ sports/ events • Mobile phones • Internet access • Other Language Assistant/s in the area? www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

12. Problem handling • Best dealt with quickly and at the source • Open discussion • Use code of conduct • Use performance management • Disciplinary process • Contact with British Council • Language Assistant/s line of referral www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

13. Support for Language Assistants • Local authority training • Cultural institutes training and support e.g. Institut Français, Goethe Institut, Instituto Cervantes, Consejería de Educación, Institute of Education (China) • British Council inductions • British Council Information Booklet for Language Assistants in the UK coming soon! • Language Assistants Team at the British Council www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

14. Part 3: using Your Language Assistant in the language classroom and beyond www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

15. What is a Language Assistant? • Model of authentic pronunciation, intonation and usage of the language pupils are learning • A ‘living’ cultural reference point, with a unique set of experiences, skills, and interests • Pivotal figure to help broaden the school’s cultural provision and perspective www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

16. How a Language Assistant can support the school’s modern languages programme • Develop and improve • accuracy of pupils’ use of the target language • pupils’ self-confidence in the target language, • pupils’ engagement in language lessons • Increase capacity to address the departmental priorities e.g. • teachers’ subject knowledge (language and culture) • uptake of language classes at the non-compulsory stage www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

17. How a Language Assistant can benefit the whole school • Raise the profile of language and culture at all stages in the school • Build capacity to strengthen the language element of the curriculum • Broaden the international perspective of the school www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

18. Language Assistant role • Work in a variety of contexts including whole classes (under teacher supervision), with small groups or individual pupils • Model authentic pronunciation, intonation and usage of the language pupils are learning • Revise new vocabulary or grammar points covered in a particular lesson in the form of a game or other type of interactive activity • Prepare pupils in senior classes for speaking assessments • Prepare resources for teaching www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

19. Getting the most from your Language Assistant/s experience • Prepare pupils for local or national language-based competitions • Support senior pupils in promoting language learning to younger age groups • Establish or reinforce partnership links with another country (e.g. through parcel or video exchanges) • Contribute to school gaining International School Award • Use the resources and support from the cultural institutes www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

20. Getting the best out of your Language AssistantConsider a project approach • Giving them the opportunity to plan activities for a longer-term/ on-going project reduces the need for teachers to plan their input on such a frequent basis • Games and other ‘fun’ activities do create a buzz in the language classroom but do not necessarily change pupils’ underlying views about the role of languages in today’s global society • By harnessing the Language Assistant’s unique set of knowledge, interests, and skills and channelling them into a project has a greater chance of helping pupils to recognise the importance of language learning www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

21. Project Successes • Get Language Assistants and students to apply language skills in new contexts: • subtitling • radio broadcasting • drama competition • travel guidebook • song-writing • multilingual magazine • For more examples please see: www.britishcouncil.org/scotland-education-Language Assistant/s-school-project-initiative-case-studies.htm www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

22. Helping the Language Assistant implement a project successfully • Find out about the Language Assistants strengths (knowledge of their own and other countries, interests and skills in other subjects) • Discuss ways of incorporating them as an independent slot in the overall scheme of work (i.e. as part of a weekly lesson) • Provide lots of advice and encouragement at the start but let the language assistant take the lead in moving things forward www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

23. Part 4: other british council opportunities www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm

24. Other British Council opportunities • eTwinning • SchoolsOnline • Connecting Classrooms www.britishcouncil.org/schools/language-assistants

25. Thank you for your attendance and participation! • www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants • Assistants.uk@britishcouncil.org www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-uk-schools-and-authorities.htm