Introduction: A Fresh Start for Modern Languages

In the last ten years, I’ve been called into many schools to support the turnaround of struggling MFL departments—schools where behaviour is difficult, attendance is low, and both students and teachers are often disillusioned about the value of language learning. These experiences, combined with my ongoing research in the field of instructed second language acquisition, have given me a nuanced understanding of what works—and what doesn’t—when it comes to reviving a department in distress. In this post, I aim to share some of the most effective, research-informed strategies for supporting MFL departments that are trying to rebuild. These aren’t silver bullets, but they are rooted in evidence and shaped by the practical realities of life in challenging schools.

In many such schools—especially those grappling with entrenched social and economic disadvantage—the MFL department can find itself caught in a spiral of low uptake, poor outcomes, and dwindling morale. Classrooms are often marked by low-level disruption. Students arrive with gaps in prior learning, and some question why they’re learning a language at all. Staff, meanwhile, are tired. Resources are stretched thin. And the subject may be seen as peripheral by leadership.

But improvement is possible. I’ve seen it happen. With targeted interventions, realistic planning, and a focus on people—not just systems—departments can begin to thrive again. Teachers can rediscover belief in their professional impact. Students can experience success and enjoyment in language learning. And schools can begin to build a culture where MFL is seen not as an optional extra, but a valued part of a broad and rich curriculum.

First: Understanding the Struggle

Before change can happen, there needs to be clarity. Too often, well-meaning interventions misfire because they don’t address the real root causes of the department’s challenges. Effective diagnosis means not only looking at data, but also listening—to staff, students, and even parents. The picture that often emerges in struggling MFL departments includes a mix of structural, cultural, and emotional obstacles.

Diagnostic Focus	Key Insight
Real barriers to progress	Motivation and behaviour often intersect, amplifying disengagement (Muijs & Reynolds, 2017)
Student perception of MFL	Seen as culturally distant and irrelevant in low-SES contexts (Graham et al., 2020)
Staff confidence and morale	Teacher efficacy closely predicts persistence and innovation (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001)
Curriculum clarity	Overly thematic or fragmented curricula reduce long-term retention and transferability
Leadership signals	SLT messaging and timetabling determine perceived value of the subject
Enjoyment and motivation	Without positive emotion, uptake and retention are drastically reduced (Taylor & Marsden, 2014)

Department-Level Actions: Building a Collaborative Culture

1. Prioritise Curriculum Clarity and Simplicity

Simplify the curriculum down to what really matters: high-frequency chunks, core structures, and transferable functions. Remove “decorative” vocabulary that rarely recurs. Organise learning into tightly sequenced, high-utility units. This reduces cognitive load, supports retrieval, and boosts fluency. Avoid over-thematisation and map the curriculum backwards from core assessments.

2. Unify Lesson Structure and Pedagogy

Consistency builds clarity. Use a shared lesson sequence across classes—e.g. retrieval, input, modelling, practice, fluency. Align activities to a robust, tried and tested MFL framework (e.g. Extensive Processing Instruction). Shared routines build student confidence, and shared formats make planning and resourcing much more efficient.

3. Build Teacher Efficacy with Collaborative CPD

Teacher belief in their impact is a powerful predictor of student outcomes. Offer CPD focused on manageable, high-impact strategies like choral translation, sentence builders, listening mats, and writing scaffolds. Use video snippets for discussion. Invite peer drop-ins and promote a no-blame ethos. Equip teachers with what works, then empower them to adapt.

4. Create a Department Resource Ecosystem

Set up shared folders of editable PowerPoints, sentence builders, model texts, and retrieval starters. Unless you are able to create them as a team (sharing out the workload), save time by using trusted online platforms which provide high-quality instructional materials instead of ineffective legacy resources (e.g. http://www.language-gym.com or sentencebuilders.com). This reduces duplication and ensures that all classes benefit from consistent exposure and spaced practice.

5. Strengthen Teacher Self-Efficacy

Teacher self-efficacy grows from professional agency and visible success. Celebrate small wins and show impact through micro-data (e.g. retrieval starter progress). Provide coaching and trust-based observations. Allow autonomy within a clear framework, so teachers feel respected and empowered.

6. Enhance Student Self-Efficacy

For students, build belief through success-first tasks, scaffolds, and visible learning strategies. Start with achievable tasks to build early confidence. Use “I can” progression ladders to make learning visible and goal-driven. Model successful student work to offer vicarious experience. Provide daily retrieval starters and formative feedback. Track effort and celebrate improvement, shifting the focus from innate ability to controllable effort.

Strategies to Boost Student Self-Efficacy	Example
Success-first tasks	Begin units with tasks that all can succeed in easily to build momentum.
Progression ladders	Use “I can” checklists to make gains visible.
Daily retrieval starters	Use 5-minute quizzes or flashbacks to strengthen long-term memory.
Modelling successful responses	Showcase real student work to offer aspirational targets.
Vicarious experiences	Narrate stories of peers who improved over time.
Focused formative feedback	Provide timely, actionable feedback on performance.
Effort-based praise	Praise processes, strategies, and habits, not talent.

7. Enhance Enjoyment Systematically

Purposeful enjoyment matters. Use gamified routines like Faulty Echo, Spot the silent endings (in French), Retrieval starters, Sentence Stealer, Oral retrieval practice, Quizlet or Language Gym live games. Inject humour and drama into oral practice. Incorporate culturally rich mini-projects such as TL music, short films, or food tasting. Reward engagement and celebrate progress. Enjoyment doesn’t mean fluff—it’s a motivator and memory enhancer.

8. Promote Positive Cultural Perceptions

Combat the idea that languages are “boring” or “not for people like me.” Use inclusive media, TL TikToks, food tasting, and real interviews. Link language to identity, career, or activism. Position MFL as a gateway, not a wall.

9. Engage Parents and Carers

Especially in low-SES schools, parent involvement correlates with student persistence. Send positive texts. Invite parents to cultural tasters or MFL showcases. Translate communications and post home language versions on displays. Enlist community members to share their language stories.

Priority Area	Core Strategy
Curriculum Design	Strip curriculum to essential high-frequency chunks, core grammar, and transferable language functions.
Unified Pedagogy	Use a consistent, research-informed lesson structure across the department (e.g. EPI model).
Collaborative CPD	Build teacher efficacy with practical, non-judgmental CPD (e.g. sentence builders, retrieval starters).
Resource Ecosystem	Share editable, high-impact resources (ditch ineffective legacy platforms).
Teacher Self-Efficacy	Strengthen professional identity with coaching, micro-successes, and trusted autonomy.
Student Self-Efficacy	Use scaffolds, success-first tasks, and visible progress ladders to increase belief in ability.
Enjoyment & Motivation	Gamify learning, reward progress, and include rich cultural inputs (music, food, TL films).
Cultural Perception Shift	Use inclusive media and community voices to break stereotypes and increase relevance.
Parental Engagement	Use multilingual communication, cultural showcases, and positive contact to draw in families.

Classroom-Level Focus: Where It All Comes Together

The classroom is where change becomes visible. For struggling MFL departments, especially in schools with low SES intake and entrenched underachievement, the quality of day-to-day classroom experiences is the single most important driver of improvement. It’s here that beliefs can shift, confidence can grow, and a new narrative of success can emerge.

But to do that, we need more than a toolbox of activities. We need clear principles and smart pedagogy anchored in what the research says about effective language teaching—particularly in contexts of disadvantage. Below are the most powerful areas to focus on, with actionable examples and rationale for each.

1. Build Engagement Through Predictable Routines and Variety

Low-attaining students often struggle with unpredictability. Establishing a familiar rhythm to lessons (e.g. retrieval, input, practice, feedback, exit) reduces anxiety and frees up cognitive space for learning. Within that frame, vary the mode of engagement—visual, auditory, kinesthetic—to accommodate different preferences and sustain energy.

Example: Start every lesson with a retrieval starter (low-stakes quiz, pair Q&A), followed by clear input, a guided task (sentence builder or listening grid), and a reflective plenary. Make this rhythm habitual.

2. Prioritise Comprehension Before Production

Many students are expected to speak or write too soon. Build confidence through structured listening and reading first. Use rich input, repeated exposure, and supported interpretation before asking learners to output language.

Research insight: Nation & Newton (2009) emphasize that strong receptive foundations improve accuracy and fluency when learners eventually produce language.

Example: Use “Read, Cover, Translate” or “Narrow Listening” before any speaking task.

3. Reduce Cognitive Load With High-Frequency Chunks

Teaching students to memorise disconnected word lists or translate isolated sentences is cognitively overwhelming. Instead, use lexical chunks—e.g. “je voudrais + noun”, “il y a + place”—to build fluency and reduce load.

Example: Focus on sentence-level practice with structures like “je suis allé(e) à…” rather than separate verb, noun, and adjective drills.

4. Foster Fluency Through Repetition With Variation

Fluency develops when students can manipulate known language in meaningful, slightly varied contexts. Repetition is essential—but it should never feel boring. Use fun repetition: reordering, gapped texts, mini-dialogues, ‘mind reader’ guessing games.

Example: Ask students to re-tell a story with different characters or settings using the same core chunks.

5. Scaffold for Success and Build Up Complexity Slowly

Students with low self-belief must experience success quickly and regularly. Provide highly scaffolded tasks at first—gap-fills, matching, sentence stems—then gradually increase independence.

Example: Move from sentence-builder gap-fill ➝ scrambled sentence ➝ structured speaking ➝ open response.

Research insight: Cognitive apprenticeship (Collins et al., 1991) supports this gradual release of responsibility.

6. Make Learning Visible and Goal-Oriented

Show students exactly what progress looks like. Use “I can” statements, self-assessment ladders, or mini-checklists to make outcomes tangible. Share model responses and explain why they’re good.

Example: Have a visible “progress tracker” on the board where students can see which functions or tenses they’ve mastered.

7. Recast Errors Supportively and Publicly Celebrate Improvement

Low self-efficacy learners fear getting things wrong. Normalise error correction by treating it as learning. Use recasts (“You said ‘il suis’—great try! It’s ‘il est’”) and highlight student growth over perfection.

Example: Weekly “Growth Champion” award for effort, improvement, or helping others—celebrating what’s within students’ control.

8. Promote Language Ownership and Personal Relevance

Students engage more when they can relate the content to their lives. Include identity-linked tasks and personalisation from early on.

Example: After learning “je vais + place,” ask students to create a comic strip of their dream weekend and narrate it using target chunks.

9. Use Technology to Reduce Isolation and Boost Feedback

In low-resource contexts, technology can supplement stretched teacher capacity. Sites like Language Gym, SentenceBuilders.com, or voice-recording apps allow students to practise independently and receive immediate feedback.

Example: Flip oral practice for homework using tools like Vocaroo or Flipgrid, then play back selected responses in class.

10. Build Belonging and Collective Success

Create a classroom ethos where everyone feels part of something bigger. Use team points, collaborative challenges, or class targets. Emphasise that effort, not talent, drives success.

Example: Run a class-wide “language challenge week” with collective goals (e.g. 100 words mastered, 10 perfect scores) and a shared reward.

By focusing on these ten pillars—grounded in research and adapted for challenging school settings—teachers can not only improve student outcomes but reignite the belief that MFL can be for everyone. And that’s when departmental change becomes a lived reality, not just a strategic plan.

Strategy	Description
Reset Routines	Reinforce behaviour with visible structures and clear expectations.
Start with Strengths	Build momentum through diagnostic assessment and early wins.
Model Thinking Aloud	Make metacognition visible; model planning, checking, and revision.
Close the Feedback Loop	Use guided DIRT and live feedback rather than marking alone.
Make Learning Visible	Use anchor displays and cumulative review (e.g. flashbacks, quizzes).
Identity in the Subject	Celebrate subject identity; use praise that links to future roles and careers.
Oracy & Comprehensible Input	Prioritise teacher modelling, visuals, and repetition to aid access.
Systematic Retrieval	Build spaced practice into weekly routines using varied formats.
Scaffolded Autonomy	Use structured supports (e.g. sentence builders) then transition to freer production.
Develop Reflective Learners	Encourage regular reflection with prompts, exit tickets, and review routines.

Conclusion: A Blueprint for Hope and Progress

Reviving a struggling MFL department isn’t about grand gestures—it’s about sustained, strategic work grounded in evidence, empathy, and belief. Focused curriculum design, shared pedagogical vision, and a culture of trust and success can transform even the most disheartened of teams. For students to believe that languages matter, we must show that we believe it too—and equip our colleagues with the means to succeed. If we get this right, we won’t just improve outcomes. We’ll change lives.

References

• Bandura, A. (1997). Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. New York: Freeman.
• Conti, G. & Smith, S. (2019). Breaking the Sound Barrier. Woodbridge: John Catt.
• Graham, S., Macfadyen, T., & Tierney, D. (2020). Motivation, Attitudes and Language Learning in Disadvantaged Contexts. Language Learning Journal.
• Muijs, D., & Reynolds, D. (2017). Effective Teaching: Evidence and Practice. Sage.
• Nation, P. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press.
• Roediger, H. L., & Butler, A. C. (2011). The critical role of retrieval practice in long-term retention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences.
• Taylor, F., & Marsden, E. (2014). Perceptions, Attitudes, and Motivation of Learners of Languages. Language Teaching Research.
• Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher Efficacy: Capturing an Elusive Construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7).
• Ushioda, E. (2011). Language Learning Motivation, Self and Identity: Current Theoretical Perspectives. Computer Assisted Language Learning.