Ben Levi Languages

Why School Is About More Than Just Grades In recent years, there has been much debate about the growing tendency for schools to become ‘exam factories’—institutions overly focused on measurable outcomes like grades and league table rankings, often at the expense of students’ broader development. As both a parent and a teacher, I can’t help but ask: who are these schools trying to impress? Have they lost sight of the true purpose of education? For me, the word that stands out most in this conversation is  care . Schools should be safe, supportive environments where young people are not just educated but nurtured. A place where they are seen as individuals, not just as numbers on a spreadsheet. Of course, academic achievement is important. Good grades can open doors to university, apprenticeships, and future opportunities. But we must remember that education is about so much more than exam results. It’s about forming the whole person—intellectually, emotionally, socially, and morally...

In MFL teaching (and let’s be honest, probably every subject out there), it’s all too tempting to speed through topics like we’re training for a 100-metre sprint. We rush to cover everything on the curriculum, cramming as much as possible before the big GCSE finish line. But this “fly-by” approach often leaves students fluent in one thing: forgetting. The essential language skills needed for long-term success? Not so much. Rather than racing through vocabulary lists and throwing grammar rules at students like confetti, I’ve found that hitting pause and rethinking how I sequence lessons and schemes of learning works wonders. Eureka! EPI teaching. It turns out that drilling isn’t just for making holes in walls. Repetition is key to locking down core language skills, and gamified activities can keep things fun without losing sight of the learning. Grammar needs to be served two ways—sometimes incorporated through language use, sometimes dished out explicitly, so students actually understa...

The Power of Being Relatable: Why Students Learn Better from People They Connect With In education, there’s something that’s often underestimated in student success: the ability to be relatable as a teacher. Sure, knowing your subject inside and out is important, but building a connection with students can make all the difference. When students find their teacher approachable and relatable, they’re more likely to participate, remember what they’ve learnt, and even have fun along the way. Why Relatability Matters in Education - Building Trust and Confidence Trust is at the heart of every great relationship, and the classroom is no different. When students feel like they can relate to their teacher, they’re more comfortable asking questions and admitting when they’re stuck. This helps create a classroom where mistakes are okay (because, let’s face it, we all make them!) and where learning is a lot less stressful. Especially in language learning, getting past the fear of being wrong can b...

Español, Innit: A Day in the Life Teaching Languages in an Essex School Alright, picture this: It’s 8:30 in the morning, and I, Mr. Levi, Essex born and bred (apart from living in Spain in my teenage years), am standing in front of a room full of teenagers, ready to dive into another day of teaching Spanish. With my Essex accent and fluent Spanish, I’m a bit of an enigma to my students. They can’t quite get their heads around how someone who sounds like them can rattle off sentences in Spanish without breaking a sweat.   Essex Meets Español Now, teaching Spanish in an Essex secondary school comes with its own special set of challenges. You see, my students, think that if they throw in a bit of Essex slang, the Spanish will just naturally follow. “Sir, how do you say ‘bruv’ in Spanish?” they’ll ask, convinced that it’s a vital part of the language. One of my favorite moments was when a student, with all the confidence in the world, greeted me with, “Buenos dias, mate!” I had to laug...

My Journey to Becoming an EPI Teacher In 2022, my approach to language teaching was forever transformed when I attended my first course with Gianfranco Conti on his Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) method. As a language teacher with an interest in innovative approaches, I had always been on the lookout for an effective method that could better engage my students and improve their fluency. The EPI approach, with its focus on deep processing and micro-elements of language instruction, resonated with me on multiple levels, drawing parallels to my background in tennis both as a player and a coach. Discovering EPI: A Fresh Perspective When I first encountered EPI, I was immediately struck by the parallels between this method of language instruction and the way I had learned and taught tennis skills. In tennis, mastering a skill requires breaking it down into smaller, manageable components—serving (positioning, ball toss, grip, contact, etc.)—and then practising these elements extensiv...