Steve Smith
@spsmith45.bsky.social
French teacher 33 years, now writing materials frenchteacher.net, blogs and books about language teaching.
Pinned
Steve Smith
@spsmith45.bsky.social
· Sep 2
Thinking about Language Teaching Volume 1: Amazon.co.uk: Smith, Steve: 9798296131423: Books
Buy Thinking about Language Teaching Volume 1 by Smith, Steve (ISBN: 9798296131423) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
amzn.eu
Do take a look. There us a LOT of material in my new book. Thanks to those who have bought a copy. amzn.eu/d/bFDHCqT
One video to watch this week. youtu.be/8sa7uh192r0?...
This is not the video I had planned to make.
YouTube video by Just Have a Think
youtu.be
November 30, 2025 at 10:50 PM
One video to watch this week. youtu.be/8sa7uh192r0?...
My latest post. #Edusky frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/for-...
For vocab acquisition, is it better to just read, or read while listening?
When working with a new written text, do you let students read quietly, or do you read aloud the text as the class reads? Below is a summary...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:52 PM
My latest post. #Edusky frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/for-...
Second language teaching CPD 3 Listening: lexical retrieval and parsing
YouTube video by Steve Smith
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 5:48 PM
The second in my screencast series from 2020. Phonology and phonics in listening instruction. youtu.be/FytE4xvM5tQ?...
Second language teaching CPD 2 Listening - a process approach: phonology and phonics
YouTube video by Steve Smith
youtu.be
November 29, 2025 at 10:59 AM
The second in my screencast series from 2020. Phonology and phonics in listening instruction. youtu.be/FytE4xvM5tQ?...
Funny how Starmer is both a red Tory and socialist.
This is how the Mail has covered a 70% fall in net migration.
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
The Government should stop kidding itself it will ever get credit for being anti-migration. They could cut numbers to zero and there would still be front pages blasting them for making the UK a socialist wasteland no one wants to come to
November 28, 2025 at 12:38 PM
Funny how Starmer is both a red Tory and socialist.
The first of my 2020 screencasts. A process approach to listening. At root, this is what our book Breaking the Sound Barrier is founded on. The new edition is coming next year. youtu.be/tQhh6b6BTJI?...
Second language teaching CPD 1 A process approach to listening: introduction
YouTube video by Steve Smith
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 7:57 AM
The first of my 2020 screencasts. A process approach to listening. At root, this is what our book Breaking the Sound Barrier is founded on. The new edition is coming next year. youtu.be/tQhh6b6BTJI?...
Reposted by Steve Smith
Beyond the negative headlines, some truly good things came out of Cop30
Beyond the negative headlines, some truly good things came out of Cop30
In this week’s newsletter: Ultimately, climate progress will come from real-world action, and this year’s summit made some promising strides on that front
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:49 AM
Beyond the negative headlines, some truly good things came out of Cop30
Do take a look. There is a LOT of material in my new book. Thanks to those who have bought a copy. Volume 2 is soon to be published. amzn.eu/d/bFDHCqT
Thinking about Language Teaching Volume 1
Buy Thinking about Language Teaching Volume 1 by Smith, Steve (ISBN: 9798296131423) from Amazon's Book Store. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
amzn.eu
November 28, 2025 at 7:44 AM
Do take a look. There is a LOT of material in my new book. Thanks to those who have bought a copy. Volume 2 is soon to be published. amzn.eu/d/bFDHCqT
On the face of it, this looks like more Home Office incompetence. Awful situation for this little girl. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
UK rejects visa for girl left destitute in Jamaica by Hurricane Melissa
Lati-Yana Brown’s parents had asked for application to be expedited so she could join them in UK after house ruined
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:43 AM
On the face of it, this looks like more Home Office incompetence. Awful situation for this little girl. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Another good post, this time about listening exams. We’ll write about this in the 2nd ed of Breaking the Sound Barrier. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/27/f...
From Panic to Precision: The Science-Backed Micro-Skills That Dominate High-Stakes Listening Tests (PART 1)
Introduction If we are honest, most teachers still treat listening as an assessment tool rather than a teachable skill. We press “play,” provide a set of questions, and call it “practice.” Then—whe…
gianfrancoconti.com
November 27, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Another good post, this time about listening exams. We’ll write about this in the 2nd ed of Breaking the Sound Barrier. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/27/f...
I find myself muting many anonymous accounts here. People posting mainly about politics. I’d like to know who is talking to me.
November 27, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I find myself muting many anonymous accounts here. People posting mainly about politics. I’d like to know who is talking to me.
Reposted by Steve Smith
🇫🇷 Emmanuel Macron va dévoiler jeudi dans les Alpes un nouveau service militaire volontaire censé répondre aux besoins des armées, au moment où l'exécutif et l'état-major mettent en garde contre les menaces russes et les risques accrus de conflit.
November 27, 2025 at 8:51 AM
🇫🇷 Emmanuel Macron va dévoiler jeudi dans les Alpes un nouveau service militaire volontaire censé répondre aux besoins des armées, au moment où l'exécutif et l'état-major mettent en garde contre les menaces russes et les risques accrus de conflit.
Reposted by Steve Smith
this image was generated with google's latest nana banana pro tool. we have no idea how bad it is about to get.
November 27, 2025 at 6:59 AM
this image was generated with google's latest nana banana pro tool. we have no idea how bad it is about to get.
Lots of insights from research about grammar learning and teaching. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/10/09/1...
11 surprising Truths About Grammar Acquisition — and How Long It Really Takes to Master It!
If you’ve been teaching languages long enough, you’ll know the scene. You spend a whole week hammering a grammar point. You explain it clearly. They nod enthusiastically. You set up the practice. T…
gianfrancoconti.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Lots of insights from research about grammar learning and teaching. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/10/09/1...
This looks like good news. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Millions of UK workers to get pay rise as Reeves plans increased minimum wage
Chancellor says people must be ‘properly rewarded for their hard work’ with 16- to 21-year-olds also in line for raise
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:48 PM
This looks like good news. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Dissecting a classic communicative activity. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dzz...
Second language teaching CPD 29 Dissecting a lesson: Alibi
YouTube video by Steve Smith
www.youtube.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:12 PM
Dissecting a classic communicative activity. www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dzz...
Reposted by Steve Smith
Our Labour government ARE taxing wealth.
They ARE making the wealthiest in society pay more.
They did it in the last Budget & I expect more tomorrow.
Anyone who says it's not happening is lying to you.
Anyone who promotes phrases like 'tax billionaires' with no details is selling false hope.
They ARE making the wealthiest in society pay more.
They did it in the last Budget & I expect more tomorrow.
Anyone who says it's not happening is lying to you.
Anyone who promotes phrases like 'tax billionaires' with no details is selling false hope.
November 25, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Our Labour government ARE taxing wealth.
They ARE making the wealthiest in society pay more.
They did it in the last Budget & I expect more tomorrow.
Anyone who says it's not happening is lying to you.
Anyone who promotes phrases like 'tax billionaires' with no details is selling false hope.
They ARE making the wealthiest in society pay more.
They did it in the last Budget & I expect more tomorrow.
Anyone who says it's not happening is lying to you.
Anyone who promotes phrases like 'tax billionaires' with no details is selling false hope.
Hmm.
NEW: Lynsey Holzer, CEO of Active Learning Trust, has claimed education is “not a very innovative sector” and 'half joked' about MFL; “I think Duolingo can do it better. Kids would respond better to that. Make it competitive, gamify it – and crack on”. Link in comments to Schoolsweek article.
November 25, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Hmm.
The latest from London HQ. www.frenchteacher.net/latest/
Archives: Updates | frenchteacher.net
Description.
www.frenchteacher.net
November 25, 2025 at 2:40 PM
The latest from London HQ. www.frenchteacher.net/latest/
An interesting table shared by Gianfranco Conti on what distinguishes languages from other subjects. Shared on FB in the GILT group.
November 25, 2025 at 12:59 PM
An interesting table shared by Gianfranco Conti on what distinguishes languages from other subjects. Shared on FB in the GILT group.
Reposted by Steve Smith
Ce projet est à l’étude depuis plusieurs mois, dans un contexte de sécurité mondiale «fait d’incertitudes» et «d’une montée des tensions», a affirmé l'exécutif en marge du G20. →https://l.lefigaro.fr/wKNL
November 24, 2025 at 9:00 AM
Ce projet est à l’étude depuis plusieurs mois, dans un contexte de sécurité mondiale «fait d’incertitudes» et «d’une montée des tensions», a affirmé l'exécutif en marge du G20. →https://l.lefigaro.fr/wKNL
Reposted by Steve Smith
ChatGPT for teachers has launched. A landing page has a series of suggested tasks such as curriculum planning, reviewing work with a rubric. I'd like to see a robust study on the the following:
chatgpt.com/use-cases/hi...
chatgpt.com/use-cases/hi...
ChatGPT for high school teachers
Teachers from across the U.S. shared chats they use for lesson planning, research, and administrative tasks.
Tap a chat to get started.
chatgpt.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:29 AM
ChatGPT for teachers has launched. A landing page has a series of suggested tasks such as curriculum planning, reviewing work with a rubric. I'd like to see a robust study on the the following:
chatgpt.com/use-cases/hi...
chatgpt.com/use-cases/hi...
Shared by Gianfranco on FB. A super table on behaviour management issues.
November 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM
Shared by Gianfranco on FB. A super table on behaviour management issues.
Recently on my blog. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/expl...
Exploiting some simple past tense questions
Suppose you have been teaching and practising using the perfect tense with 'avoir' verbs in French — or the equivalent in your language. The...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 23, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Recently on my blog. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/expl...
Reposted by Steve Smith
A useful post from Gianfranco. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/20/m...
Managing Transitions in MFL lessons: A Language Teacher’s Most Important “Survival” Skill
Introduction One of the most under-discussed sources of disruption in MFL (Modern Foreign Languages) classrooms is not the listening exercise, not the dialogue drill, not even the grammar explanati…
gianfrancoconti.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:07 AM
A useful post from Gianfranco. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/20/m...