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Whether you're a permanent teacher, supply teacher or student teacher, you'll find others in the same situation on our Staffroom forum.

MFL teachers - language games

6 replies

Smartieshavetheanswer · 10/02/2019 10:55

Have you used popular games (connect 4, snap etc) and adapted them to the language you teach?

I don't want to say what language I teach but I've created a game in that language on the theme we are teaching this term (e.g. Family and Friends) based upon a game that is already widely sold around the uk (think family board game). I've made simple resources (laminated myself), helpsheets, playing cards etc, all in this language, for pupils to play and extend their language skills. It was only ever going to be used in my department (there are 3 of us) and not really shared elsewhere.

My Head of Dept said casually that I should look into patenting it but neither of us know the ins and outs of that, so I more or less put that thought to one side.

Fast forward a few months, and we've had a student in to train for a term and somehow, my entire board game has made it's way into the hands of a company that produces resources. It's a local firm, so not national or anything, but they are contacting other schools with my idea. I'm so pissed off but I don't know if I have any right to be, given that my idea was taken from a popular family board game anyway.

Hope you're following - not sure I'm making much sense!

Can I have any thoughts on this please? I'd really appreciate it, even if it's a 'wind your neck in' type feedback.

OP posts:
Smartieshavetheanswer · 10/02/2019 10:57

Sorry - should have said, the student is related to someone in the resources company. I've had that confirmed.

OP posts:
cauliflowersqueeze · 10/02/2019 11:00

Of course you should be angry. Tell the company that it’s your game!!!

Smartieshavetheanswer · 10/02/2019 11:54

I really, really want to!
I just don't know if I have any right.

OP posts:
SagelyNodding · 10/02/2019 12:49

I would be seriously pissed off! Can you find out exactly how the company got it? Are you sure it is the student?
I teach a MFL (well, English in a French school) and I use/make a lot of games-best ones are a sort of Guess Who which is brilliant for physical descriptions, and a sort of Cluedo for the simple past and past continuous.

Smartieshavetheanswer · 10/02/2019 14:59

Defo the student. He is related to the bloke (closely) that's now contacting other schools in my county.

Angry
OP posts:
Acopyofacopy · 10/02/2019 16:13

It’s annoying, but I don’t think there is anything you can do.
Lots of teachers have made subject-specific (and probably illegal) versions of popular games, eg Jenga, Top Trumps, Who wants to be a millionaire, Trivial Pursuit.

If you wanted to you could contact the original maker of the game and ask them if they are aware of the knock-off version?

If I remember correctly anything you “invent” as part of your job is the school’s intellectual property anyway.

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