Modern Foreign Languages and Dyslexia.

A survivor’s guide to Languages and the National Curriculum.

What are Modern Foreign Languages?

The National Curriculum states that ‘During Key Stage 3, pupils begin to understand, speak, read and write at least one modern foreign language.’ Modern Foreign Languages are those that are spoken in the world. This is not Ancient Greek and Latin, which have almost died out. Each school must offer at least one language that is spoken in the EU: Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Modern Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.

Dyslexic students have difficulty with their native language, and so it is surely going to be harder for them to learn a second. On the other hand, the benefits of knowing a foreign language are often underestimated.

This information sheet is designed to help dyslexic students get the most out of learning a foreign language. It is aimed at parents and students. It is also to help teachers understand the needs of their students who have dyslexia, and for those who want to know if there is a way out.

Is it possible for someone who is dyslexic to learn a foreign language?

Dyslexia specialists generally agree that dyslexic children should be given an opportunity to learn a foreign language. In a natural situation, they can learn to speak a foreign language well. Some students even find their dyslexia an advantage because their oral skills are more practised.

Dyslexics learning a foreign language have to be aware that it may be a longer process for them than for others. It is important also to consider which language would be most suitable.

Click here for more information about the suitability of commonly taught languages.

How can language learning be made easier for the dyslexic student?

Many schools only offer French as an option. If this is the case, it is important to find out if your Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCO) will provide additional support. Make the most of this facility, as it is there to use.

French and English are very different. This can cause problems. These are outlined below.

• It may be difficult to pronounce sounds that are not used in English, such as the nasal/u/in words like un or lune.

 
• It may be difficult to remember how the accent affects the sound.

 
• Learning and remembering vocabulary will be difficult. Dyslexics need to have things repeated many times before they are stored in the long-term memory.

 
• Similar sounding words may be confused because dyslexia affects phonological discrimination skills
• The words are pronounced very differently to how they appear in written form. This will cause great problems in both reading and writing.

 
• Spelling will be very difficult because words are not spelt as they sound. Any techniques that are used for English will not apply to French.

 
• The grammatical rules are very different to English, and grammatical concepts that have not been previously taught will be hard to remember and use.

 
• The word order of French may cause difficulty because of the differences in the sentence structure. For example, instead of saying ‘Mrs Brown’s dog,’ in French you would say ‘The dog of Mrs Brown’. Le chien de Madame Brown.

 
• Homophones: words that sound the same, can look the same, but mean different things. These are particularly common in French, where, for example, chez and chaise are pronounced differently, where chez can be translated as ‘belonging to…’ and chaise means ‘chair’. Make sure you know the difference and are aware that they exist.

How can study skills help in learning a foreign language?

Study skills and language learning strategies will both be useful. Study skills are general learning skills such as organisation, planning, comprehending, revision techniques and exam strategies. The school or SENCO will be able to give further advice on this.

Language learning strategies are specific to Modern Foreign Languages, and will help tackle some of the difficulties that may be encountered. These are noted below:

• Using flash cards (3 x 5 is a good size) to help you to memorise vocabulary. It will be useful to add pictures, colours and anything else that aids memory.

 
• Colour-coding grammatical devices will help the student to remember things: for example, orange for male, purple for female, green for plural. If the student is colour-blind avoid red and green.

 
• If remembering the word order is difficult, put the words onto card, cut up the card into separate phrases, mix them up and put them back together again to practice.

 
• In order to remember vocabulary, try to practice it in many different ways; reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It may take more time to begin with, but it will stop the student having to learn the same word over and over.

 
• If pronunciation is a source of difficulty, ask the teacher to record some of the words on tape so that practice at home is possible. If listening is difficult, ask the teacher to put some practice exercises onto a tape to listen to.

 
• Many people find it easier to remember a word if they associate it with a visual image or picture. Try putting pictures next to the words, and the picture may be recalled faster than the actual word.

It is all a question of finding out what works for the individual. Then it is possible to explore these methods further.

Materials have been written specifically for those who have difficulty learning foreign languages. It would be useful and helpful to have a look at some of these:

French.

'La Francais, c’est facile!' By Sue Brown and Sue Dean is a practical and clear resource book, which also includes a tape of songs, which will help you remember things, especially lists. It is published by John Murray Publishers.

For games and memorising vocabulary techniques, look to Senter.
'Jouez en Francais' is a series of worksheets to help memorise vocabulary, while 'Jeux en Francais' is a series of games which reinforces this vocabulary.

‘Star French’ is a CD-ROM designed to support the GCSE syllabus. It caters for all levels of ability and has tasks designed to help with pronunciation, word order, spelling and key phrases. It costs £59.99 and is available from Fisher-Marriott.

German.

'Deutsch , kein Problem' is a resource book for those learning German, and comes with a tape of songs from John Murray Publishers.

Spanish.

There is also a Spanish Version of the resource games book: '¿Espanol? ¡Ningun problema!' Again, these are available from John Murray Publishers, and have a look the Senter website.

Is it possible to stay motivated?

Firstly, it must be remembered that language learning is possible, at least to a certain level. One way of doing this is by changing the perception of learning a foreign language. It is not impossible, it is simply challenging. By breaking these challenges down they can be achieved.

Secondly, the teacher will not be able to spend hours trying to motivate the student. The student has to do this for himself, and this is vital to success. Try this technique: Imagine how you will feel on results day, and every time you tell people your exam result, or write your grades on an application form for a job. Do you want to feel proud of that result? The answer will almost certainly be ‘yes’.

Learning a foreign language is hard work, especially for dyslexics, and therefore it may take more determination to succeed. But a foreign language is a useful skill, even if it is only to a low level of competence. Employers do look more favourably upon those applicants who can speak some of a language.

Motivation is difficult even for the most able students, especially in a foreign language. The key is breaking down what has to be learnt into small, achievable chunks. Small successes lead to overall success. For example, if there is a long list of vocabulary to learn, it can be done by breaking it down into five words a day.

These can be practised by speaking, reading and writing, and even listening if it is put onto tape. When this is achieved, the next set of five can be learnt.

If there is something it is not clear how to break down, for example, a complex grammatical sequence, ask the teacher how to break it down. If the student explains that this is a learning technique, the teacher should be willing to help.

At the same time, remember that a dyslexic strength is the ability to see the overall picture: this is a right-brained skill, and dyslexics are often called ‘right-brained thinkers’. It is a good idea to ask the teacher for an overall plan of the term’s lessons. Then the student can understand why some things are learnt and not others, and where the lessons are ultimately leading.

Is extra time allowed in MFL exams?

Extra time is allowed in Modern Foreign Languages exams. For more information, see our information sheet, Access Arrangements in Assessment and Examinations.

Many dyslexic students could have a history of hearing difficulties, which might entitle them to additional arrangements for the listening part of the exam. For further information on exam considerations, refer to the JCGQ Publication: Regulations and Guidance relating to Candidates with Special Requirements from the JCQ website.

Is there any technology that can help learning a foreign language?

There is technology to help you learn to speak a foreign language, and can also be used to help you pronounce and translate. However, you will need to find out how acceptable these are in exam conditions. The best place to look is on the iansyst website.

Click here for some suggestions of the technology available.

Note: In order to apply for VAT relief, iansyst have a simple form, which you can print off from their website.

For mail order enquiries please telephone 0800 018 0045 or email them. Alternatively write to:

Iansyst Ltd.
Fen House
Fen Road
Cambridge
CB4 1UN

Are there any useful books that can help me?

CPG Study Guides are popular and useful guides. They can be used during the whole course and during revision. They set things out in a straightforward way. There are workbooks, which are useful for using in addition to lessons, and revision guides, to cover everything before exams. They are written in accordance with the National Curriculum, alongside teachers and students, and are often funny, with colourful and interesting pictures and examples.

Workbooks are useful tools to use because they reinforce everything that has been learnt in the lesson. They can often explain things in a clearer manner than the teacher who is pressed for time can. They come with exercises and useful phrases, to show that what has been learnt is useful and worthwhile.

The CPG study guides are available in:

• French: Workbooks, Revision Guides and Practice papers.
• German: Revision Guide.
• Spanish: Revision Guide,

Their French texts are the most developed, but it is likely that German and Spanish will follow suit.

To contact CPG publications, either visit their website or phone 0800 750 1262. Publications are also available from most good book shops.

What else is there to help me learn and revise?

The BBC’s Bitesize programme covers French, German and Spanish, from basic levels to GCSE and beyond with forums, practice pages for reading and writing, and even speaking and listening in German. It is worth looking at the grammar section and the vocabulary help. There are links to other helpful web pages to help with reading in the language.

It is also worth looking at the BBC Education website for other useful sites.

Closer to exams, look out for the Bitesize programmes on television – they are often on late at night. The ‘Learning Zone’ programmes may also be useful. They cover French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese.

It will be helpful to have past exam papers, which the teacher will have. If more are wanted, either get the Past Papers books in French from CPG publications, or visit the appropriate exam board website - the AQA website is a good place to start. These will often have past papers that you can download.

Other subjects are suffering because of the students’ difficulty with foreign languages. Is there any way to stop studying a foreign language?

Even though learning a foreign language is part of the National Curriculum, it is possible to ‘disapply’, under the 1996 Education Act. This means that the student does not have to take classes or exams in that subject. Disapplication will usually be relevant at Key Stage 4, that is years 10 and 11, when the GCSE course is imminent.

For a full outline of the procedure, visit the Department for Education Skills website or telephone 0800 000 2288 and ask for a copy of the leaflet ‘Disapplication of the National Curriculum'. Disapplication is permitted through a statement of Special Educational Needs, as may be the case for some dyslexic students. It is also possible to disapply for specific purposes (for example, just for Key Stage 4) or temporarily.

Disapplication through a statement of special educational needs will apply to those pupils for whom disapplication for specific purposes is insufficient. The pupil must have a Statement of Special Needs that recommends if certain areas of the curriculum should be disapplied. In that statement, there will also be suggestions on what should replace the teaching time and an explanation of how the pupils’ curriculum will remain balanced.

For more information on Special Educational Needs, request a copy of ‘Special Educational Needs (SEN) A Guide for parents and carers’ from the Departrment for Education and Skills website. Alternatively contact:

Dfes Publications Centre
PO Box 5050
Sherwood Park
Annersley
Nottingham
NG15 0DJ

Tel: 0845 602 2260

If disapplication from learning a Modern Foreign Language is believed to be necessary, the student must comply with these criteria. It is the headteacher who has responsibility for disapplication. Therefore it is advisable to speak to the headteacher before going any further.

Recently the government has published the Green Paper. This is a document that suggests changes that should be made to education. It has been decided that Modern Foreign Languages should no longer be compulsory. Each student still has to have the opportunity to learn a foreign language. So languages will become an option, not a core subject. However, each school will be able to decide if it makes languages compulsory or not.

Page updated: 27/02/06