The New GCSE Writing Paper: What It Really Assesses (and why the mark scheme rewrites how writing must be taught) Introduction For a long time now, and certainly across many of the classrooms I have visited in recent years teachers have been working hard to improve GCSE writing outcomes while quietly sensing t…

New post dissecting the new GCSE writing paper, identifying the challenges and exploring the implications for classroom teaching and exam prep.

gianfrancoconti.com/2026/01/26/t...

Absolutely. It ignores every principle for effective language learning as outlined by @gianfrancoconti.bsky.social for instance.

Six ‘useless’ things foreign language teachers do Recasts Recasts are the most frequent form of feedback that teachers give students in the course of oral interactions. They consists of utterances by the teacher that repeat the student’s erroneous…

Six useless things language teachers do

gianfrancoconti.com/2015/06/25/s...

Another great milestone. A massive thank you to my readers, old and new.

Coaching a Struggling MFL Colleague: 10 Research-Backed Tips That Actually Work Introduction: Where These Tips Come From Supporting a struggling MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) colleague requires more than goodwill and a few general observations. It demands a combination of res…

How to coach a struggling MFL colleague

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/06/21/c...

What Kind of Language Teacher Are You?- A Research Taxonomy of Language Teacher Types Introduction Every language teacher brings something distinct to the classroom: a teaching persona, a philosophy, a set of gut instincts. Some prize grammatical precision, while others favour spont…

In my latest blog post I have compiled a taxonomy of teacher types based on research by Borg and many other prominent researchers in the field.

What Kind of Language Teacher Are You?- A Research Taxonomy of Language Teacher Types

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/06/18/w...

Thank you, Dawn

MFL in the Age of Extremes – How Adolescents’ Social Media Habits Affect the MFL Classroom and What You Can Do About It Introduction Modern language teachers are increasingly contending with a new kind of learner—one shaped not primarily by the classroom, but by a digital media ecosystem designed to prioritise immed…

MFL in the Age of Extremes – How Adolescents’ Social Media Habits Affect the MFL Classroom and What You Can Do About It

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/06/12/m...

The Language Gym by Gianfranco Conti, PhD. Co-author of 'The Language Teacher toolkit', 'Breaking the sound barrier: teaching learners how to listen', 'Memory: what every teacher should kno…

New research-informed post on gianfrancoconti.com on the key cognitive challenges posed by grammar structures and the solutions to address them in curriculum design and in the classroom

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/04/08/n...

How the speaking process unfolds in the brain and the FIVE PILLARS of speaking instruction Introduction Alongside listening, speaking is the skill that scares learners the most—and rightly so. Unlike writing, where you can take your time and carefully polish your words, speaking happens …

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/04/06/h...

How the speaking process unfolds in the brain and the FIVE PILLARS of speaking instruction Introduction Alongside listening, speaking is the skill that scares learners the most—and rightly so. Unlike writing, where you can take your time and carefully polish your words, speaking happens …

How the speaking process unfolds in the brain, the obstacles to fluency and how to address them based on research

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/04/06/h...

👏 2 days to go!👏
Bring your questions, and stay for the chat!
'You, I & EPI - an evening with Dr Conti'
✅ this Saturday April 5
✅ 7pm-9pm AEDT (via Zoom)
✅ Everyone welcome!
Register here ➡️ bit.ly/EPI_05Apr25
@gianfrancoconti.bsky.social
#mfl #epi #languages #cpd

‘You Shall Know a Word by the Company It Keeps’ – Why and how this sentence revolutionised my teaching 25 years ago Introduction When I first heard the phrase “You shall know a word by the company it keeps” by J.R. Firth during my MA in TEFL around 25 years ago, it reshaped how I thought about vocabulary teachin…

‘You Shall Know a Word by the Company It Keeps’ – Why and how this sentence revolutionised my teaching 25 years ago

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/29/y...

‘You Shall Know a Word by the Company It Keeps’ – Why and how this sentence revolutionised my teaching 25 years ago Introduction When I first heard the phrase “You shall know a word by the company it keeps” by J.R. Firth during my MA in TEFL around 25 years ago, it reshaped how I thought about vocabulary teachin…

‘You Shall Know a Word by the Company It Keeps’ – Why and how this sentence revolutionised my teaching 25 years ago

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/29/y...

A chart showing where our books are bought.

Interesting for me to see where the language teaching books @gianfrancoconti.bsky.social and I have co-authored are bought.

How Has COVID Impacted Infants & Toddlers’ Social Development? The impact on social development among young children may be more severe in the long term than currently understood.

Very insightful

www.ffyf.org/resources/20...

What Makes an Outstanding Language Teacher? A Research-Based Perspective 0. Introduction In the field of second language education, the question of what constitutes an outstanding language teacher has been widely investigated. In this article I synthesise findings from …

Latest post on gianfrancocontu.com
gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/22/w...

How does IQ affect Language Learning? – A Cognitive Perspective 1. Introduction Let’s face it—language learning is a messy, multi-layered business. It’s not just about memorising vocabulary lists or drilling verb conjugations. Beneath the surface, there’s a tan…

How does IQ affect language learning? What is the relation between attitude & aptitude? Does a lower social economic status affect IQ? our students with lower IQ succeed? Does research support teaching mixed ability?

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/21/h...

Why the input we give our learners must be 95-98% comprehensible in order to enhance language acquisition – the theory and the research evidence Introduction Second language acquisition (SLA) research strongly indicates that learners need to understand the vast majority (around 90–98%) of the language input they receive for optimal learning…

Why the input we give our learners must be 95-98% comprehensible in order to enhance language acquisition – the theory and the research evidence

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/02/27/w...

The Language Gym by Gianfranco Conti, PhD. Co-author of 'The Language Teacher toolkit', 'Breaking the sound barrier: teaching learners how to listen', 'Memory: what every teacher should kno…

Latest post on www.gianfrancoconti.com

Transforming L2 Listening Instruction: Powerful Insights from Prof. John Field, the leading expert in the field.

gianfrancoconti.com/.../transfor...

BEYOND sentence builders: the process, the research and principles underpinning Extensive Processing Instruction Introduction Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) approach has gained recognition in the field of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teaching as an innovative methodology that promotes long-term reten…

Latest post on the Language Gym detailing the research behind the EPI approach.

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/18/b...

BEYOND sentence builders: the process, the research and principles underpinning Extensive Processing Instruction Introduction Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) approach has gained recognition in the field of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teaching as an innovative methodology that promotes long-term reten…

Latest post on the Language Gym detailing the research behind the EPI approach.

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/18/b...

BEYOND sentence builders: the process, the research and principles underpinning Extensive Processing Instruction Introduction Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) approach has gained recognition in the field of Modern Foreign Language (MFL) teaching as an innovative methodology that promotes long-term reten…

Latest post on a detail discussion of the research underpinning EPI with references.

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/18/b...

One of the most important things to bear in mind when teaching underprivileged children

Putting the 'C' in 'CPD': providing ongoing, professional support for EPI Language teachers YouTube video by ADECS Educational Consultancy Services

Some background to the 'You, I & EPI - an evening with Dr. Conti' event: why we're doing it, and what we want to achieve @gianfrancoconti.bsky.social #epi #mfl #Languages
youtu.be/2o0xzjJmLbY?...

Online events for Aussie teachers coming up !

The Role of Grammar in the New 2024 GCSE MFL Exam: Can One Still Achieve a Grade 7 with Weak Grammar? Introduction With the introduction of the new GCSE Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum in 2024, students and teachers alike have been considering how grammar influences the final grade. Gramm…

The Role of Grammar in the New 2024 GCSE MFL Exam: Can One Still Achieve a Grade 7 with Weak Grammar?

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/10/t...

Why Teaching Chunks in MFL is More Effective for Developing Fluency: A Research-Based Perspective Introduction Teaching chunks in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) has been extensively supported by research as more effective for developing fluency than traditional, isolated word-based methods. Lea…

Another research-based post on The Language Gym

Why Teaching Chunks in MFL is More Effective for Developing Fluency: A Research-Based Perspective

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/11/w...

Why Teaching Chunks in MFL is More Effective for Developing Fluency: A Research-Based Perspective Introduction Teaching chunks in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) has been extensively supported by research as more effective for developing fluency than traditional, isolated word-based methods. Lea…

Another research-based post on The Language Gym

Why Teaching Chunks in MFL is More Effective for Developing Fluency: A Research-Based Perspective

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/11/w...

The Role of Grammar in the New 2024 GCSE MFL Exam: Can One Still Achieve a Grade 7 with Weak Grammar? Introduction With the introduction of the new GCSE Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) curriculum in 2024, students and teachers alike have been considering how grammar influences the final grade. Gramm…

The Role of Grammar in the New 2024 GCSE MFL Exam: Can One Still Achieve a Grade 7 with Weak Grammar?

gianfrancoconti.com/2025/03/10/t...