Steve Smith
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spsmith45.bsky.social
Steve Smith
@spsmith45.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.3K following 2.2K posts
French teacher 33 years, now writing materials frenchteacher.net, blogs and books about language teaching.
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spsmith45.bsky.social
Steve Smith @spsmith45.bsky.social · Sep 2
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
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
Reposted by Steve Smith
lefigaro.fr
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
Reposted by Steve Smith
carlhendrick.substack.com
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 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
spsmith45.bsky.social
Shared by Gianfranco on FB. A super table on behaviour management issues.
November 24, 2025 at 8:13 AM
spsmith45.bsky.social
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
Reposted by Steve Smith
spsmith45.bsky.social
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
spsmith45.bsky.social
Johnson’s legacy? www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘Too little, too late’: damning report condemns UK’s Covid response
Report on handling of pandemic contains stinging criticism of ‘toxic and chaotic’ culture inside Boris Johnson’s No 10
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Reposted by Steve Smith
spsmith45.bsky.social
New from me. Practical, principled pedagogy - low prep, high surrender value. 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 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
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
spsmith45.bsky.social
A new post from me. 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 20, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Reposted by Steve Smith
timhenke.bsky.social
Have you ever wondered why emulating a farting sound is called "blowing raspberries"?

Raspberry/-ies is a clipping of "raspberry tart" which was originally Cockney rhyming slang for "fart"
Etymology 2 Cockney rhyming slang, from raspberry tart = fart (though "raspberry" is rarely used for a fart, merely a noise which imitates it). Compare raspberry ripple = cripple. Noun raspberry (plural raspberries) (colloquial) A noise intended to imitate a fart, made by blowing air out of the mouth while the tongue is protruding from and pressed against the lips, or by blowing air through the lips while they are pressed firmly together or against skin (often a form of tickling) used humorously or to express derision. Synonyms: (US) Bronx cheer, razz
November 19, 2025 at 5:10 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
New from me. Practical, principled pedagogy - low prep, high surrender value. 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 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
Maybe of interest to ML teachers in England. ncle.ucl.ac.uk/ncle-cpd-web...
NCLE CPD Webinars
An opportunity for you to join NCLE’s national community of languages teachers and explore some of the themes covered on the LEO platform alongside broader contextual and current issues.
ncle.ucl.ac.uk
November 19, 2025 at 8:03 AM
Reposted by Steve Smith
spsmith45.bsky.social
My new post. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/cogn...
Cognitive Load Theory for language teachers
Gognitive Load Theory was famously described by Dylan Wiliam as "the single most important thing for teachers to know". This post is all abo...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:40 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
Macron - buy French and fight protectionism. youtu.be/gr0XG-XeHs8?...
🇫🇷
YouTube video by Emmanuel Macron
youtu.be
November 18, 2025 at 9:48 AM
spsmith45.bsky.social
The word is used in French too. www.theguardian.com/global/2025/...
Feel a connection to a celebrity you don’t know? There’s a word for that
‘Parasocial’ crowned Cambridge Dictionary’s word of the year as ‘unhealthy’ relationships with celebrities rise
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:39 AM
spsmith45.bsky.social
My new post. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/cogn...
Cognitive Load Theory for language teachers
Gognitive Load Theory was famously described by Dylan Wiliam as "the single most important thing for teachers to know". This post is all abo...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 17, 2025 at 10:40 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
A very nice post about teacher charisma. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/17/w...
What Makes a Language Teacher Charismatic?
Introduction Every teacher knows one: that colleague who walks into a room and instantly changes the atmosphere. Students sit up, smiles appear, and somehow learning feels lighter, faster, and more…
gianfrancoconti.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:36 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
aischoolgenius.com?gad_source=1... This AI tool looks good and is not too expensive. Better than just using free Chat GPT, Gemini or Deepseek?
AI tools for teachers
AI tools for teachers to create lessons, quizzes and worksheets faster. AI School Genius helps save time, personalize learning and boost classroom impact.
aischoolgenius.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:51 AM
Reposted by Steve Smith
spsmith45.bsky.social
A new post from me. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/cogn...
Cognitive Load Theory for language teachers
Gognitive Load Theory was famously described by Dylan Wiliam as "the single most important thing for teachers to know". This post is all abo...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
Simple recommendation for advanced students. Download the free Copilot app and chat in any language it offers.
November 16, 2025 at 2:38 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
A new post from me. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/11/cogn...
Cognitive Load Theory for language teachers
Gognitive Load Theory was famously described by Dylan Wiliam as "the single most important thing for teachers to know". This post is all abo...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 16, 2025 at 1:35 PM
spsmith45.bsky.social
Important points expressed without jargon. youtu.be/WWQljbst7_0?...
Kitchen Pedagogy: Five Key Barriers to Learning
YouTube video by Tom Sherrington
youtu.be
November 16, 2025 at 11:16 AM
spsmith45.bsky.social
From my archive. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-ca...
A case for listen and translate
I posted a while ago about Dr Kedi Simpson's PhD thesis on listening in which she followed the progress of students in her high school in E...
frenchteachernet.blogspot.com
November 16, 2025 at 11:01 AM
spsmith45.bsky.social
And a Y7 board game on pets added today.
November 14, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Reposted by Steve Smith
spsmith45.bsky.social
Gianfranco’s latest blog. gianfrancoconti.com/2025/11/12/n...
No, You Don’t Need Sentence Builders to Teach the EPI Way
1. A myth that refuses to die In my workshops over the years, one myth just refuses to die… the idea that teaching the EPI way means using Sentence Builders. Some individuals even call it ‘Th…
gianfrancoconti.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:46 AM