Gloucestershire College with Lakers, Heywood and Whitecross Schools, Forest 14–19 Partnership, Federation of Small Businesses and Franco Taruschio

Masterchef meets language learners!

16 pupils from three partner schools learnt to cook Italian food through the medium of Italian under the direction of masterchef Franco Taruschio. The pupils – half of them complete beginners in Italian – learnt the language in school alongside their cookery training, and all achieved NVQ language units in Italian level 1 in all four skills.

The Year 9 pupils were recruited to the project on recommendation of their teachers and after a formal interview with Franco Taruschio and employers.

After three months of Italian lessons, pupils attended the college for four complete days to cook in the professional training kitchens with Franco Taruschio. Italian was used in the kitchen as much as possible and two language teachers joined the group to provide linguistic help to students and to assess them against NVQ criteria.

After continuing with their language learning and successfully completing their NVQs, the students returned to the college with Franco to cook and serve a three-course meal for 70 parents and invited guests.

The project was innovative in teaching languages to this age group through a vocational skill. The pupils were treated as professional trainees while in the kitchen. Italian was the language of instruction in the kitchen and the pupils’ understanding and use of language was recorded by NVQ assessors – making use of naturally occurring evidence rather than relying on simulations in the classroom.

Our judges commented: ‘Learners’ enthusiasm for learning a language in this way was palpable… (Most) chose to go on to learn a different language in Year 10 due to the enthusiasm they gained from learning Italian on this project.’

The project proved particularly successful in motivating boys: nine out of the 16 participants were boys, and all partner schools report that the project has enhanced the status of language learning and students’ self-esteem, particularly among boys, who are often reluctant language learners. The Cucina d’Inferno model of language learning in a vocational context is now being offered to schools across the Forest 14–19 Partnership.

Jane Harvey, head of learning, academic, professional and international students at Gloucestershire College, says:

‘We are thrilled to have won a European Language Label. The success of the Cucina project shows that when students learn a skill together with a language, this is a terrifi c motivation to continue language learning. It is a real introduction to the importance of being able to speak another language as a work skill, and above all we have shown that language learning can be fantastic fun.’

Gloucestershire College is a successful college of further and higher education, offering a wide range of education and training programmes including A Levels and GCSEs, vocational qualifi cations, work-based learning, basic skills courses, higher education, short courses for business, part-time day and evening courses and English for overseas students. Royal Forest of Dean College merged with Gloucestershire College in January 2011.

More information: jane.harvey@gloscol.ac.uk