Dr Conti Leads MFL Development Day

The Modern Foreign Languages department at Truro School welcomed 36 delegates from schools across the county for a day of professional development led by Dr. Gianfranco Conti, the esteemed Founder, owner, and CEO of The Language Gym, a prominent language learning website.

The event focused on the concept of becoming an ‘Extensive Processing Instruction Teacher’, an innovative teaching approach embraced by language educators globally. The day provided an inspiring platform for networking and meaningful discussions among language teachers, fostering the exchange of experiences and ideas.

Dr. Conti shared his wealth of teaching experience, methodologies, and insights gained from collaborating with language educators worldwide. He also introduced dedicated resources, including his award-winning contributions and acclaimed publications such as “Breaking the Sound Barrier,” “Memory: What Every Teacher Should Know,” and the “Sentence Builders” book series. Dr. Conti, the recipient of the 2015 TES Best Resource Contributor award, is the founder and CEO of www.language-gym.com, co-founder of www.sentencebuilders.com, and the creator of the E.P.I. approach.

Mrs Le Bihan Murphy, Head of MFL at Truro School, expressed her thoughts on the event, stating ” It was so refreshing to hear about the importance of sound and listening when learning a language. Everybody can learn a foreign language through effective repetition, vocabulary learning with purposeful scaffolding and an awareness of the process. Modelling, awareness-raising, receptive processing, structured production, expansion, autonomy through routinisation and spontaneity, here are a few techniques we looked at, with fun, interactive and practical activities. I am very grateful to Dr Conti, and I look forward to further collaboration with my fellow colleagues here in Cornwall, developing enthusiasm and fun in our language classes. A big thank you too to Sinead McGreal (The Roseland) and Mr David Barton (CASH, Cornwall Association of Secondary Headteachers), without whom the event would not have been possible.”