Events

Edinburgh

The Spanish Embassy Education Office together with the University of Edinburgh and the Asociación de Escuelas de Español para Extranjeros de Andalucía are holding the training event Jornada de Español en Edimburgo.

By means of a practical approach, the course aims to deal with new trends in the teaching and learning of Spanish as a Foreign Language. Professionals working in Scotland and Spain will share interesting reflections and pedagogical proposals.

Although the course is primarily addressed to secondary teachers of Spanish, university teachers and PGDE students as well as primary teachers are more than welcome to attend our lectures and workshops. 

Attendance is FREE! Visit the website for full programme details and to register via Eventbrite.

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Olympia, London

The Language Show is the exhibition for language learners, language teachers and everyone who loves languages. 

Now in its 31st year, Europe’s largest language event returns to Olympia in 2019 and offers outstanding talks, classes and features along with the latest products and techniques, ways to learn, ways to teach as well as fun and entertainment.

Everything - talks, classes, seminars, admission - is FREE!

Visit the website for more information and to book your place.

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University of St Andrews

The School of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews would like to invite schools to an exciting networking event where pupils can put any questions they may have about language learning, university and living abroad directly to current Modern Languages students, and then continue relaxed, informative conversation over refreshments together. The event will be held in the Arts Lecture Theatre, University of St Andrews (main entrance directly from The Scores).

We would love to welcome pupils from your schools (up to ten S5/S6 pupils per school) regardless of subject background. Please let us know of your intention to attend by Thursday, 7 November by emailing number of pupils, name(s) of accompanying teacher(s) and of school to modlangs@st-andrews.ac.uk (FAO Annette Zimmermann, School Engagement Officer, University of St Andrews).

There will also be the opportunity for teachers to meet with staff and undergraduates, to learn more about our courses in Arabic, French, German, Italian, Persian, Russian and Spanish and to share experiences.

Downloadable flyer attached.

Edinburgh

Scottish Book Trust invites you to celebrate 20 years of the Gruffalo with readings in Scots and Gaelic on Thursday 21 November.

James Robertson will read his Scots translation of The Gruffalo, discuss what it's like to translate picture books and teach us some great Scots words.

Catriona Lexy Campbell, author and playwright, will bring the Gaelic translation, An Gruffalo, to life and help us all learn a little Gaelic.

Suitable for P2-P7 pupils. Visit the website to book.

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Glasgow

Many people still think that bilingualism makes children confused and puts them at a disadvantage at school. Research, in contrast, shows that knowing another language may give children enhanced metalinguistic and early literacy skills, a better understanding of other people’s points of view, and more mental flexibility in dealing with complex situations.

Professor Antonella Sorace will illustrate these facts through research on bilingual children in both regional minority languages, including Gaelic, and migration languages in Scottish schools. She will also show how the Bilingualism Matters Centre is enabling families, teachers, and policy makers - in Scotland and internationally - to make decisions on bilingualism informed by research.

Visit the website for full programme details and to register for the event.

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Various

Being Human is the UK’s only national festival of the humanities. The humanities help us understand what it means to be human. We think that the benefits of new research in this area – from archaeology, art history, philosophy, languages, literature, history, classics, cultural studies, music, theatre and theology – should be open to everyone.

Held in November each year, the nationwide festival brings together universities, museums, galleries, libraries, community and commercial partners to stage stimulating and engaging activities that make research accessible and relevant, strengthen community identity, and increase understanding of the relevance of the humanities to everyday life.

Visit the website to find out more about the programme of events and activities taking place in various locations throughout the festival.

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Venue: Humanities Lecture Theatre, Main Building, University of Glasgow
Contact: Sophie Lamputt
Email: arts-languages@glasgow.ac.uk
Telephone: 0141 330 6521

Advanced Higher French and Spanish – sessions on writing about culture and writing in the target language
Higher Italian and German – sessions on oral and writing skills
 
The first 100 pupils to register from schools in our priority postcode areas will receive a £50 Amazon gift voucher. To check postcodes see: https://www.gla.ac.uk/study/wp/postcode/
 
Teachers working in priority postcode areas, please also encourage parents to come along with pupils on the day as we’ll have a separate workshop for parents on degrees, managing university finances etc.
 
To register please contact Sophie Lamputt via the details above with names of pupils attending, which language session each pupil will attend and names of parents attending. Teachers, you are also welcome to attend the sessions with pupils and should indicate whether you plan to attend when registering.

Edinburgh International Conference Centre

How can we adapt to change education in an international context? Join us at the International Education Services conference where sessions will explore key themes like building opportunities during Brexit and running international partnerships.

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Scottish Parliament

What should the future be for Gaelic in Scotland? What would success look like in 2030?

Featuring expert contributions from Wilson McLeod, Professor of Gaelic at the University of Edinburgh, the singer Mary Ann Kennedy, and Professor of Modern Irish in NUI Galway, Tadhg Ó hIfearnáin, this half-day conference will explore the future for one of Scotland’s official languages.

Chaired by the Rt Hon Ken Macintosh MSP, Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer and Futures Forum Chair.

Please note that the working language for the event will be Gaelic as much as possible, but there will be simultaneous interpretation to English so it will be accessible to non-Gaelic speakers.

Visit the website for full programme details and to register attendance.

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London

Teach Languages is a conference and exhibition for language teachers organised by Linguascope. The 2020 edition will take place on Saturday 8 February 2020. The theme will be "Listen Up!" - focusing on developing listening skills.

A day pass gives you access to any sessions and the exhibition area for the whole day. It also includes your delegate pack, refreshments and lunch.

Speakers include Steve Smith, Martine Pillette, Jennifer Wozniak, and Sylvie Bartlett-Rawlings.

Visit the website to download the full programme and to book your place.

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The Glasgow Academy

The Glasgow Academy will be hosting an afternoon of presentations by Gianfranco Conti, PhD, on Friday 28 February 2020.

Gianfranco is the co-author of 'The Language Teacher toolkit' and founder of www.language-gym.com.

Visit the website to secure your place.

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Various

Discover the weird and wonderful world of languages!

The UK has a museum for dog collars and lawn mowers, but not for languages. This autumn MEITS is launching an innovative Pop-Up World of Languages to fill this gap.

Take a journey through the three zones:

• Languages and me
• Languages around me
• Languages in the world

to uncover the hidden treasures of languages through family-friendly, hands-on activities and games.

Events are taking place in Cambridge, Belfast, Edinburgh, Nottingham & London.

Visit the website for more information and the full schedule of dates.

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Online

Aligned with Scotland’s education priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, this professional learning will support you to develop the confidence to plan for, and implement, Learning for Sustainability in your practice, making connections at individual, school and global levels, and inspiring students to collaborate on the issues that shape our world.

Created by the University of Edinburgh and Learning for Sustainability Scotland, for the British Council Connecting Classrooms programme, this online course is accredited by GTCS and your engagement could lead to GTCS Professional Recognition.

Visit the website for more information and to register for the free programme commencing 25 October 2019.

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