About Maximising Potential - Aims of the programme

The three aims of the Maximising Potential programme are linked:

• To improve access to modern languages for pupils whose progress is causing concern, because of learning difficulties or because of lack of motivation.
• To gain a better understanding of the factors which hinder learning in modern languages and to develop approaches which make it seem easier and more enjoyable.
• To encourage and facilitate the development of approaches to the teaching of modern languages which make it easier to meet the needs of all learners.

The programme does not set out to provide set answers - as every school, every class and every learner is different. Instead it aims to facilitate the kind of co-operative working within and across departments which can provide insights into the real needs of learners. It also provides starting points which encourage departments to implement small steps focused on the needs of specific pupils whose performance is causing concern. Small changes can often make a big difference to the success and satisfaction of both pupils and teachers, and this provides the incentive for further innovation.

Measures which are introduced to help learners in difficulty very often prove effective in helping all pupils to achieve levels of performance which are closer to their potential.

Why should I get involved?

The need for young people to have a global perspective and to be prepared for geographical mobility in the future has never been greater. At the same time, moves towards educational inclusion and equality of opportunity are intensifying. Modern languages must be ready to play a full and active part in both these arenas.

Experience has shown that modern languages, as a subject, is capable of broadening and enriching the education of all children and young people, in both predictable and unpredictable ways, but that it does not always actually do so. Some teachers succeed in enthusing learners of all abilities, while others struggle. What is it that makes the difference?

The tendency to blame the global dominance of English and our determinedly monolingual society for difficulties in the language learning experience has sometimes concealed a deeper malaise: our occasional inability to make our subject enjoyable, relevant and attainable for the range of learners we want to reach. How can we ensure that more children can experience success, become successful language learners and benefit from the life-enhancing opportunities which only a measure of linguistic competence and cultural awareness can provide?

Work over the last 12 years or so, with teachers of children of all abilities, has shown that the solution often lies in looking more closely at the learning needs of the children we teach, coupled with a determination to do whatever it takes to meet those needs. Recent work in schools has not provided a set of answers, because every school, teacher and pupil is different, but rather clues which point towards where teachers might begin to look for answers. This programme incorporates some of those clues.