About
MFL Mentoring is inspiring an uplift in International Languages across Wales and supporting multilingualism in the new Curriculum for Wales. The Welsh Government are committed to putting languages front and centre of education policies and have funded this project until 2025.
Project Mission & Vision
MFL Mentoring began in 2015 to support Welsh Government’s Global Futures strategy to increase the number of young learners taking languages in Wales. We have come a long way since then by expanding our services and honing our mission and vision.
Using mentoring methodologies, we seek to improve motivation and resilience for language learning at GCSE and beyond. Our services and resources encourage a multilingual, global mindset that is open to all regardless of a learner’s socio-economic background or proficiency in the language classroom. Our learners are encouraged to be curious and to challenge their perspectives and assumptions by exploring the world through language and culture.
Purpose
Encourage a view that being influenced by others is inevitable and beautiful, natural and healthy, additive not subtractive.
Goal
Broaden learners’ horizons and aspirations by highlighting the career, wellbeing, and mobility opportunities available to those with intercultural skills.
Results
A generation of learners with a global mindset ready to take their place as ethical and informed citizens of Wales and the world.
Purpose
Highlight the benefits of learning a language at GCSE, A-level and degree level. Broaden the horizons and aspirations of learners by highlighting the career, wellbeing and mobility opportunities available to those with language, intercultural and multilingual skills.
Goal
Raise expectations, improve motivation and strengthen the persistence and personal resilience of learners studying languages. Create sustainable links between higher education modern languages departments and partner secondary schools.
Results
Offer classroom experiences and opportunities to language undergraduate students, with a view to encouraging a greater number to consider teaching and to develop a wider skill set.
Services
Our team provides three key services to support the uptake of international languages in schools and promote the ambitions of the Curriculum for Wales. Our services focus on exploring the learner’s place in a globalised world, encouraging them to appreciate and embrace other languages and cultures. We take a cross-curricular approach and seek to help learners develop essential skills across all learning. We aim to reveal to learners the power of intercultural communication as a life-long tool that translates into all dimensions of life. We empower learners to see themselves as multilingual citizens of Wales and the world.
Year 8/9 Mentoring
Our core service involves training university students to mentor learners aged 12-14 as they make their GCSE option choices. Mentoring sessions take place either in the classroom or online depending on the needs of the school. Mentors run six sessions each autumn and spring term with small groups of mentees to provide a learner-centred approach. Each session focuses on a different theme to help learners see the multidisciplinary nature of language learning. The themes explore all languages and cultures around the world rather than promoting one language in particular. This ensures that, regardless of a learner’s language profile or proficiency, there is something to inspire and motivate.
Learning Resources
Our resources support the ambition of the Curriculum for Wales for all learners to be ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world. By using language as the vehicle to examine the world around us, our resources support learners aged 11-18 to develop the intercultural skills required to thrive in the 21st century. We also support literacy skills and digital competency which are key cornerstones of the curriculum. Our resources aim to highlight the multilingual nature of our local and global communities by giving learners the freedom to explore independently and develop a lifelong love of language learning.
Consultancy
Delivering our programme since 2015 has allowed us to develop and refine our approach to inspiring a love of languages. Our expertise has been sought by a variety of organisations including the Department for Education, England, in an effort to arrest and reverse the decline in language learning in England.
Given this interest, we are developing our consultancy provision, and welcome contact from organisations interested in our services. These services include: licencing materials associated with delivering a mentoring project; consultancy to support the development of projects; delivery of training or design; delivery and implementation of bespoke programmes.