Listening to MFL Teachers: How Private Joke ® Turns Reluctant Learners into Laughing Linguists.

In 2004, pursuing Modern Foreign Languages to Key Stage 4 (Age 14-16) was no longer compulsory for students in the UK. In the following decade, from 2004 to 2024, entries for Language GCSEs fell by over 30% (!) That. Is. Crazy. 

Research shows that when students feel like they’re not “good at languages,” it often comes down to two things: they don’t believe they can improve, and they’re not sure how to. This ties into the idea of self-efficacy — basically, the belief that you can rise to a challenge and get the job done.

And it matters: study after study shows that self-efficacy is a stronger driver of academic success than almost any other motivational factor. In languages, it doesn’t just boost confidence; it directly improves proficiency.

What I found interesting about teachers' responses was the high % of those who said that a lack of emotional connection was a significant blocker to engagement.

Research on emotions in learning shows that positive emotions (curiosity, pride, joy) actually deepen engagement and memory. Meanwhile, negative emotions (anxiety, shame, boredom) make students avoid the subject altogether. For British kids, the lack of opportunities to feel language i.e. to joke in it, to use it in meaningful situations, to see it open doors, means they never attach the subject to something that matters personally.

Private Joke ® Helps to Support Self-Efficacy in Lower Motivation Students

So when students play Private Joke ®, and they collectively make a real word using their letter tiles, the peer-to-peer scaffolding is such that it doesn't feel like learning, because it is a game.

What's more, when students see a card prompt that does not exist in a foreign language, they invent the word. This is where things get interesting and we see typically lower ability students come to life - experimenting with their tile chunks, "Cãn", "ón", ito" etc.

And when everyone has invented a word, no one has "got it wrong".

Effectively, the winner has as much social and emotional intelligence through their ability to invent a funny-sounding word, pitch it to the group, and explain their creative process, as they do "typical" linguistic intelligence. 

Students start to associate the game, and therefore languages, with positive emotions: curiosity towards untranslatable words and the funny prompts, freedom to create, joy in having a collective vocabulary in Spanglish / Franglais for their class or peer-group that they can use in social contexts outside of the classroom. 

In what area of foreign language acquisition do you think gamification could yield the strongest results? 

One area in particular that teachers often mention as a significant challenge is spontaneous speaking. Luckily, by acquiring new vocabulary and along with scaffolded instructions within the Educator Editions, students can do this through playing Private Joke ®. And yes, teachers are right: games are great for confidence building. 

I think what's powerful about Private Joke ® is that it works well for both the keen students, as well as those who aren't (yet) convinced by languages. Vocabulary acquisition - specifically learning untranslatable words, which are so culturally rich and unique, is a highly unique win for Private Joke ®. No, you won't find this vocabulary on the curriculum, but that's a good thing.

These are words your students will feel empowered to use; effectively, they will sound more and more like native speakers.

When creating the games, I find myself subconsciously putting the untranslatable words into themes. The Britwit words seem to gravitate towards the weather, awkward interactions, and self-deprecation. The Franglais words veer heavily towards food, complaining, and how to life a beautiful life. The Spanglish words were all about partying, socialising and food. 

What would the ideal "Print & Play" game resource look like for your classroom?