SMSC Statement Dept. Languages

 

Spiritual development

Pupils are taught to accept and embrace other languages and cultures through the teaching of Languages.  In relation to this, pupils are educated on the religious beliefs and cultural traditions of the people in countries of the language they are learning, particularly French (worldwide) and Spanish (worldwide). A whole range of GCSE topics, and KS3 material covers topics from Travel to Education and Social Activities.  Pupils are encouraged to be empathetic to the cultures and beliefs of others and stereotypes challenged where necessary.  This is no more evident than through the language trips which encourage pupils to experience life outside the norm.

Moral development

Stereotypes and intolerance are challenged through the teaching of language and culture.  The languages SoW covers many moral issues in a global society context, covering famous people (within a high moral context) to issues relating to the environment, equality of education within a global context, work opportunities, social mobility, travel as a means of exploring the world and the consequences of this, and media / new technology, including Facebook, texting and the Internet as a means of communication (and discussing the moral outcomes of this).

Social development 

Pupils are encouraged to work independently in lessons and proactively use the target language in classwork, whether through pair work, cooperative learning techniques or group work.  Pupils are often differentiated in groups of varied abilities to encourage social interaction with others in the class with whom they may not usually interact.  Pupils are encouraged to experiment with language and learn from mistakes without seeing them as a barrier to learning and embrace others that try but fail.  They are encouraged to use each other as a learning tool and develop social strategies for dealing with confrontational situations.

Cultural development

This is the ‘bread and butter’ of Language teaching and learning.  At all stages of Language teaching and learning, cultural development is at the forefront of our success criteria.  Exploration of language and culture is key to language learning, whether through lessons or international school trips.  This is promoted through cross curricular activities / trips, covering historical, religious, geographical, social and ethical issues.  Pupils are encouraged to embrace ‘difference’ at all stages of their linguistic development and accept ideas which may be ‘alien’ to them, as culturally significant.  Pupils are encouraged to discuss and challenge stereotypes within a national and international context.  Media and new technology are encouraged to explore pupils’ interest in language and culture in all aspects of their learning.