To what extent does the use of authentic prompts stimulate spontaneous communication in Key Stage 3 Modern Foreign Languages students?

by Alice Spence

Alice deploys authentic materials to motivate her Year 8 students to speak Spanish spontaneously in pairs. The intervention was carried out in a series of three cycles, involving three different classes. In each cycle students’ conversations were audio–recorded and their opinions on the prompts provided were collected through interviews and questionnaires. The majority of students reported that they preferred authentic resources to textbooks because they found them more challenging and up to date. Alice’s recommendation is that the use of authentic materials not only promotes cultural understanding but also greater tolerance of errors while speaking.