There are commonalities in what is generally considered good practice across the teaching and learning of languages, whatever the language.

This commonality extends from teaching foreign language learners to community language profile learners and colleagues are encouraged to browse the Training Zone on this site to identify and adapt ideas appropriate for the classes you teach.

Be aware that a transcript with English translation is available with every video clip for you to adapt: transcripts are also translated into a number of languages, including Italian, Japanese and Mandarin. See the professional development section for suggested pathways through the resources for community language teachers.

There are some characteristics of classrooms with community language profile learners which differ, in both subtle and obvious ways. Teachers will need to differentiate, for example, for the mixed experience of learners as well as their mixed ability; even in mixed age classes the level of experience in the language (both spoken and written forms!) is unlikely to correspond to age.

Teachers may actively use bilingual teaching methods to offer both support and challenge, with the added benefit of developing literacy and oracy in English (particularly where English is an additional or second language). Where a language has a non-Roman script, teachers need to develop over time learners’ receptive and productive skills in using letters or characters, both the shapes and their application.

Curriculum Guides are available from CILT in Arabic, Cantonese, Gujarati, Mandarin, Panjabi, Somali, Tamil, Urdu and Yoruba. Some of these titles, all aimed at teachers of community language profile learners, can be downloaded free of charge from the Goldsmiths College Community.Gold website. (You need to register first and then access the Community Languages Resource Base). As well as suggesting a framework for progression from which to develop a scheme of work for your class, the Guides provide ideas for interactive and differentiated classroom activities.

The Guides also offer guidance on assessment and refer to the Languages Ladder, which can be used to assess learner progress in any language.  If external assessment is required, Asset Languages offers awards in 25 languages, with the flexibility to test and accredit each of the four skills separately and when an individual pupil is ready. Some teachers use the Junior European Languages Portfolio to give learners a holistic awareness of their progress in any language learned at school or spoken at home; the Portfolio is ‘owned’ by the learner and goes with them to a new class or new school.

As well as the clip highlighted above, video clips relating directly to community language profile learners can be found in the Teaching and learning section of the Our Languages website, currently featuring a Chinese supplementary school and Turkish being taught in a mainstream primary school to both foreign and community language profile learners.