How do I prepare for the subject-specific elements of my interview?
Please be prepared to deliver a five-minute presentation relating to any aspects of teaching and learning a foreign language that interest you. Your presentation should be in English.
This will be a verbal presentation. Please do not use any audio-visual equipment.
In addition to delivering your presentation, you will be asked to complete the following two additional tasks during your interview:
- a short reading/writing task intended to assess your English fluency and comprehension
- a written task in the main teaching language on a general topic. The topic for this task will be provided on the day of your interview.
Please let us know if any adjustments are needed for you to access these tasks.
If you have any questions about the presentation that you need to prepare, or about the reading/writing tasks, please contact the MFL tutor, Barbara King (b.king@reading.ac.uk), before the date of your interview.
Fees and funding information for Modern Foreign Languages
PGCE Secondary Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) programme information
The MFL cohort usually consists of 20-25 RPTs (Reading Partnership Teachers), with an age range from 20 to over 50. The vast majority of the cohort are postgraduates, but we also run the Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) module for a degree in Modern Languages with QTS for a small number of undergraduates who join us for university sessions.
We have RPTs from the UK, Europe, North Africa, and South America, who speak a range of languages in addition to our official French, German, and Spanish.
Most RPTs have two teaching languages (French, Spanish and German). Pre-course Subject Knowledge Enhancement (SKE) courses are available for applicants’ first and second teaching language if deemed appropriate. The completion of such a course needs to be a condition of an applicant’s PGCE offer in order for them to qualify for SKE funding, so please ask us at the interview if you feel you will need subject knowledge enhancement.
MFL sessions are taught in English to the whole cohort with examples in French, German, and Spanish, and opportunities to work on a particular language for practical work.
The sessions usually start with the presentation and discussion of principles for teaching and learning in a particular area, followed by hands-on, practical tasks, preparing RPTs for the classroom.
An overview of the taught sessions for the current year is provided below to give a sense of the programme.
| Date | Session |
| Monday 5 September 2022 | 09:30: Course introduction; language learning experiences and beliefs |
| 11:30: Course practicalities | |
| 13:30: Teaching sequences | |
| Tuesday 6 September 2022 | 09:30: Principles of language teaching and curriculum rationales |
| 11:30: Building on prior learning 1 | |
| 13:30: Setting the context for MFL learning: GCSE | |
| 16:00: Introduction to micro-teaching | |
| Thursday 8 September 2022 – Independent Study | National curriculum |
| Subject knowledge | |
| Communicative language teaching and oral interaction | |
| Monday 12 September 2022 | 09:30: Communicative language teaching; input, output and interaction |
| 14:00: Teaching through the target language | |
| Tuesday 13 September 2022 | 09:30: Observing teachers at work |
| 11:00: Individual tutorials | |
| 16:00: Meet RPTs from last year | |
| Wednesday 14 September 2022 – Independent Teaching | Vocabulary and phonics |
| Reading, listening and metacognition | |
| Developing oral skills | |
| Monday 19 September 2022 | 09:30: Teaching and learning vocabulary and phonics |
| 13:30: Question and answer | |
| 15:00: Subject knowledge work | |
| Tuesday 20 September 2022 | 13:30: Assignment 1 |
| Monday 26 September 2022 | 09:30: Introduction to lesson planning |
| 13:30: Teaching reading, listening and metacognition 1 | |
| Tuesday 27 September 2022 | 09:30: Developing pupils’ oral skills 1 and 2 |
| 15:40: Mentor meeting | |
| Monday 3 October 2022 | 09:30: Assignment 1 – Observation |
| 13:30: Teaching reading, listening and metacognition 2 – Focus on listening | |
| 15:00: Micro-teaching – Introducing new language | |
| Monday 10 October 2022 | 09:30: Lesson planning part 2 – Adapting resources |
| 13:30: Micro-teaching – Information-gap tasks | |
| 15:15: Student-led Mini Seminar (SLMS) – Motivation and inclusion | |
| Tuesday 11 October 2022 | 09:30: Creativity and games |
| 13:30: SLMS – Grammar | |
| 15:00: Micro-teaching – Reading/pairwork | |
| Monday 17 October 2022 | 09:30: Grammar 1 |
| 13:30: Teaching at KS4 | |
| Tuesday 18 October 2022 | 09:30: Behaviour – Managing the MFL classroom |
| 13:30: Individual needs | |
| Monday 31 October 2022 | 09:30: Assignment 1 – Writing reflection |
| 13:30: Adaptive teaching | |
| Monday 14 November 2022 |
09:30: A-level – Bridging the gap |
| 13:30: Building on prior learning 2 | |
| Micro-teaching – Creative task: running a game; Grammar | |
| Monday 21 November 2022 | Assignment tutorials |
| Monday 28 November 2022 | 09:30: SLMS – Writing |
| 10:30: Developing writing skills | |
| 13:30: Managing assessment, recording and reporting | |
| Monday 12 December 2022 | 09:30: Group progress tutorial, peer review of targets and taking stock; looking ahead to medium-term planning |
| 13:30: Revisiting behaviour for learning for the Independent Teaching Phase | |
| 14:45: Meaningful practice 1 – Spontaneous speaking revisited, with a focus on adaptive teaching | |
| Tuesday 13 December 2022 | 09:30: Meaningful practice 2 – Using video, literature and authentic texts as part of adaptive teaching |
| 13:30: Assignment 1 – Troubleshooting | |
| 15:00: End-of-term celebration | |
| Tuesday 3 January 2023 | 13:30: Assignment 2 |
| Wednesday 4 January 2023 | 09:30: Grammar 2 |
| 13:30: Assessment for learning |
|
| Monday 20 February 2023 | 09:30: Assignment 2 – Medium-term planning |
| 13:30: Content and language integrated learning/cross-curricular issues and diversity | |
| Tuesday 21 February 2023 | 09:30: Teaching post-16 |
| 13:30: Tutorials | |
| Monday 27 February 2023 | 09:30: Assignment 2 – Preparing for Main Block |
| 11:00: Revisiting assessment: markbooks and data | |
| 13:30: Medium-Term Plan (MTP) workshop | |
| Monday 20 March 2023 | 13:30: Assignment 2 – Revisiting key teaching principles and guidelines |
| Monday 17 April 2023 | 09:30: Assignment 2 – Revisiting key principles and guidelines |
| 13:30: Tutorials | |
| Monday 19 June 2023 | 09:30: Sharing session |
| 13:30: Building on prior learning 3 | |
| 15:15: What’s new? Current developments in MFL | |
| Tuesday 20 June 2023 | 13:30: Preparing you for the Early Career Teacher (ECT) year as an MFL teacher |
| 15:00: End-of-course celebration |