Many of you will already appreciate the strong emphasis given to developing learning strategies in the primary school. The language learning strategies of the Key Stage 2 Framework are very much in line with the approach to learning developed in other areas of the curriculum; we want children to learn how to learn.

The strategies will help children develop an awareness of some of the approaches to learning a new language. Teachers can then encourage children to review and recognise which strategies are particularly effective for them in a variety of contexts.

- Which language learning strategies can also benefit learning in other areas of the curriculum?

- Have you observed or taught lessons where language learning strategies have been made explicit to children?

- Have you used bilingual dictionaries, and if so, how? If you don’t have a whole set of class dictionaries, how might you teach children dictionary skills?

Read the Language Learning Strategies section of the Framework (pages 84 – 90) and consider the range of strategies. 

Which of the categories do you think are most used at the moment? Why do you think this might be? How could you plan to develop one of the lesser-used strategies?