Here is a provisional list of my upcoming online events from early October to December. Many more are going to be added, with a few brand new ones focusing only on the new GCSE and EPI at Key Stage four.

If you want to find out more about each of the below, please go to http://www.networkforlearning.org.uk

If you are in the UK and would like to join a face-to-face event on EPI, please note that I will be at Radley College on 2nd October (see flyer below).

What MARSEARS is (at a glance)

M–A–R–S–E–A–R–S =
Modelling → Awareness-raising → Receptive processing → Structured production → Expansion → Autonomous recall → Routinization (fluency) → Spontaneity.

At KS3, I typically plan a term as ~20–24 lessons split into five sub-units: the first four run MARSEA with new material, and the fifth is RS to consolidate/automatise and interleave old with new. This creates repeated encounters, steadily shifts the load from input to output, and culminates in unplanned speech under time pressure.

How a term typically unfolds (macro view)

• Sub-units 1–4 (MARSEA): new sentence patterns taught and practised (input-heavy → pushed output → brief grammar focus → quick checks).
• Sub-unit 5 (RS): fluency training and spontaneous tasks that recycle the whole term’s “universals” (core phonics, lexis, grammar) plus items from earlier terms.

Please note: average-attaining groups usually need 1.5–2 lessons for the Structured production phase, not just one.

The 8 stages (micro view)

1) Modelling

Goal: Establish clear sentence patterns with high comprehensibility.
How: Present with Sentence Builders (optionally preceded by flashcards to wake up prior lexis/grammar, e.g., auxiliaries for a French perfect tense unit). Keep input tightly controlled and meaning-rich.

You do: brief, lively teacher modelling; choral/individual echo of whole chunks, not isolated words.

2) Awareness-raising

Goal: Make learners notice the key features they’ll need to hear/see again.
Focus:

• SSC (sound–spelling mappings), phonotactics/liaison, intonation, grammar/syntax—all as short pop-ups embedded in modelling.

You do: 30–90-second “pop-up” moments while modelling: “Listen for the /ʒ/; spot the clitic; where’s the boundary?”

3) Receptive processing

Goal: Turn models into robust decoding and parsing skills before output.
Two parts (especially Y7–Y9):

1. Sentence-level work: rapid, enjoyable listening/reading tasks that target phoneme/syllable decoding, segmentation, lexical access, parsing and meaning.
2. Connected texts: narrow listening/reading (near-identical texts), 90%+ comprehensible input, input flooding + input enhancement (acoustic/visual) so the target forms recur and “pop”. I call this Listening-As-Modelling (LAM) and Reading-As-Modelling (RAM)—input that is deliberately teaching you how to speak/write later.

You do: scripted listening (audio + text) for decoding, chunk-highlighting, quick gist/detail cycles, micro-dictations, “find the boundary,” etc. Teacher keeps explicitly pointing at the target features so implicit and explicit learning work together.

4) Structured production (pushed, but highly scaffolded)

Goal: Bridge from recognition → retrieval and production while keeping accuracy, willingness to speak, and inclusion high.
Two parts:

• Chunking-aloud games (e.g., Sentence Stealer, Sentence Chaos, Mind-Reading, Lie-Detector) to build articulatory fluency and keep attention on form and meaning.
• Guided communicative tasks: tightly-framed role-plays, info/reasoning/opinion gaps; lots of retrieval practice; many tasks are peer-managed so the teacher can roam and give formative feedback. Plan ~1.5–2 lessons for average groups.

5) Expansion (explicit grammar focus)

Goal: Now that learners have processed the pattern many times, make the rule explicit (if you wish) and practise it.
Approach: Deductive (brief teaching), guided discovery, or inductive from examples; reuse earlier tasks but make the target rule task-essential to succeed.

6) Autonomous recall (quick checks)

Goal: Low-stakes, fast achievement tests to see if at least receptive mastery is there (earlier checks receptive; later ones may be productive). These are short and easy to mark.

7) Routinization (fluency training)

Goal: Speed up retrieval (what I call “making known language easier and faster to access”).
Design principles (after Nation):

• Repeated processing, task repetition, pre-task priming/planning, increasing time pressure.
  Tasks: e.g., Messengers, Dictogloss, Five, Detectives & Informants, Secret Sentences, View-and-Recall race; also form-oriented sprints like Chain Reading/Dictation, Tongue-Twisters, Fast & Furious, Puzzle Race. Use only familiar lexis/grammar here—fluency automates what’s already learned.

8) Spontaneity (real operating conditions)

Goal: Unplanned output under time constraints—pictures, interviews, role-plays—mirroring exam-style pressure/real use. One task can serve as an assessment. For lower attainers, allow some planning/priming time.

Where recycling sits

Across the term, RS phases interleave current items with previous units and earlier years’ “universals” (core phonics, lexis, grammar) to fight forgetting and build durable networks— I always stress the importance of curriculum-wide recycling, not just within a unit.

What you’ll see in a planner (example pattern)

• Weeks 1–7/8: Four MARSEA sub-units on new patterns.
• Weeks 8–10: RS sub-unit for fluency + spontaneity checks on the combined content.
• Assessment moments: quick Autonomous recall mini-checks near the end of each MARSEA sub-unit; a Spontaneity performance in the RS block. Structured production often spans ~1.5–2 lessons each time.

Why this longer arc (not PPP)?

Short, textbook-style PPP cycles can’t reach proceduralization/automatization; slower, input-heavy sequences with staged output are more inclusive at KS3 and save reteaching at KS4. The aim is durable learning and self-efficacy, not speeding to a rule table.

Strengths and Potential Pitfalls

Strengths

• Input → output with purpose. Modelling → heavy receptive work before speaking/writing fits how learners actually build representations; fewer fossilised errors, better confidence.
• Listening first, properly. Explicit decoding/segmentation tasks, narrow input, and cue-noticing are usually the missing middle in curricula; MARSEARS puts them center stage.
• Recycling at scale. The RS block (routinisation + spontaneity) is essentially spaced retrieval + task repetition under time pressure—exactly what sticks learning.
• Assessment moments that are humane. Quick Autonomous Recall checks keep stakes low but surface gaps fast.
• Inclusion. Average and lower-attaining classes benefit from the additional time in Structured Production; the sequence reduces the “I can’t” barrier.

Where it can misfire (and how to guard against it)

• Time pressure vs syllabus velocity. If you try to cover the same number of topics at MARSEARS depth, you’ll feel “behind.” Fix: trim content, teach less but better; map 4 MARSEA sub-units + 1 RS per term and stay disciplined.
• Resource load. It lives or dies on good, narrow texts/audio. Fix: build a reusable bank (3–5 texts per sub-unit), record quick teacher audio, and recycle across years.
• Over-scaffolding risk. Some classes get comfy in Structured Production and never leap. Fix: schedule the RS block like a deadline; add visible time-pressure ramps each cycle.
• Teacher talk creep in Modelling. Enthusiasm can turn into mini-lectures. Fix: keep pop-ups to 30–90 seconds; move explanation to the Expansion stage or the debrief.
• Assessment alignment. If your school only values last-minute exam drills, MARSEARS can look “slow.” Fix: track second-listen gains, cue-detection rates, wpm in fluency tasks and show that graph.