Language Learning
1 December 2023 (SCILT)
Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?
SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your learners, from interactive advent calendars and games, to festive facts, songs and downloadable worksheets. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and many other places around the world!
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27 November 2023 (British Council)
Applications to be an English Language Assistant in 2024/25 are now open!
Established in 1905, the British Council’s English Language Assistants (ELA) programme is a major UK mobility initiative that offers paid teaching placements abroad, providing the perfect opportunity to travel, teach and gain invaluable experiences along the way. Every year we send around 2,000 English Language Assistants from the UK to support the teaching of English in 13 destinations around the world.
Living and working overseas is also a great way to enhance language learning and hone language skills.
Visit the British Council website for full details and to register to join the free information webinar on 18 December.
Deadline for applications is 1 February 2024.
Read more...
27 November 2023 (University of Edinburgh)
This specialist pathway is designed for teachers who are currently teaching bilingual or multilingual children in contemporary classrooms.
The University of Edinburgh is the only provider in Scotland of a Postgraduate Diploma in this area. Local authorities in Scotland regard this specialist Postgraduate Diploma as a benchmark for practitioners specialising in working with learners who have English as an Additional Language (EAL).
Visit the university website for more information about the programme and to apply.
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24 November 2023 (SCILT)
Schools who’ve registered for this year’s Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition have until Friday 1 December to submit entries! Submission guidelines are on the SCILT website.
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21 November 2023 (The Conversation)
Every day, millions of people start the day by posting a greeting on social media. None of them expect to be arrested for their friendly morning ritual.
But that’s exactly what happened to a Palestinian construction worker in 2017, when the caption “يصبحهم” (“good morning”) on his Facebook selfie was auto-translated as “attack them.”
A human Arabic speaker would have immediately recognized “يصبحهم” as an informal way to say “good morning”. Not so AI. Machines are notoriously bad at dealing with variation, a key characteristic of all human languages.
With recent advances in automated translation, the belief is taking hold that humans, particularly English speakers, no longer need to learn other languages. Why bother with the effort when Google Translate and a host of other apps can do it for us?
In fact, some Anglophone universities are making precisely this argument to dismantle their language programs.
Unfortunately, language technologies are nowhere near being able to replace human language skills and will not be able to do so in the foreseeable future because machine language learning and human language learning differ in fundamental ways.
Read more...
21 November 2023 (UK-German Connection)
UK teachers interested in visiting a German school in the spring or summer term of 2023-24 can now apply to take part in the UK-German Connection's Professional Enrichment Programme.
Successful applicants will receive a grant to help cover expenses for their in-person visit to a German school on the basis of a brief costing plan.
Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information about the programme and to apply by Friday 15 December 2023. You can also register for an online Q&A webinar taking place on Monday, 27 November, 4.30-5pm.
Read more...
20 November 2023 (University Council for Languages)
In the context of threats to Modern Languages degrees at the University of Aberdeen, an online postcard campaign has been launched.
The University of Aberdeen is facing a sudden major financial deficit, in the context of which it has announced that it intends to make ‘drastic changes’ to LLMVC (School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture), with a particular focus on Modern Languages. It has been indicated so far that the University will be committed to languages learning but is not necessarily aspiring to maintaining languages degrees (in French, Gaelic, German and Spanish).
Please support the Postcard Campaign to showcase to Senior Management at the University of Aberdeen all the reasons why an ancient university with an international outlook should keep language degrees.
Visit the University Council for Languages website to see how you can take part and disseminate.
Read more...
20 November 2023 (SQA)
Every year SQA recruits approximately 11,000 teachers and lecturers as markers for the National Qualifications exam diet. Recruitment for the 2024 exams is currently underway, with opportunities available across all subjects and levels including languages.
SQA markers play a key role in supporting the exam diet, ensuring the consistent application of national standards. They gain valuable insight into SQA processes, procedures and national standards for a subject and level. It provides the opportunity to develop skills and knowledge, as well as allowing you to gather evidence for continuing professional development.
You can apply to be a marker if you are currently teaching the subject(s) you wish to mark and have been doing so for a minimum of two years. Full training will be provided.
To find out more about the marker role or apply, please visit the SQA website.
Read more...
Japanese taster sessions for senior phase students
20 November 2023 (University of Glasgow)
Taster sessions in Japanese for senior phase students offered by the MFL unit, School of Modern Languages and Cultures, University of Glasgow.
We are looking for schools which would be interested in our taster sessions in Japanese; we can deliver them on their own premises on Fridays in January and February 2024 (exact dates TBC). Our tutors will deliver one-hour sessions focusing on some basic aspects of the language and on cultural elements such as, for instance, traditional food, manga and anime. Some information about options in terms of learning Japanese at the University of Glasgow will also be provided. Please contact: Emanuela.Ponti@glasgow.ac.uk
Certificate of Continued Education (CCEd) in Mandarin
17 November 2023 (SCILT/CISS)
SCILT is currently in the planning stages with the faculty of Humanities and Social Science (HaSS) at the University of Strathclyde and partners in China to develop a Certificate of Continued Education (CCEd) in Mandarin. It is envisaged that the online, live-streamed course will be aimed at GTCS registered teachers of languages who would like to add Mandarin to the repertoire of languages they are qualified to teach. The course will be delivered over three years offering a full 120 credits, plus a summer school in China that will count towards the GTCS residency requirement. We are considering ways to make funding available for teachers in state schools in Scotland to help meet the costs of fees and to contribute to the cost of their salaries once they are fully qualified and teaching the language to National Qualification level. We are hopeful that the first cohort of this new CCEd course will start their studies in September 2024.
If you think this might be of interest to you, in order to help us plan and ascertain the potential appetite for such a scheme, we would be grateful if you could fill out this form or scan the QR code below to register your interest by Friday 1 December 2023.
16 November 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
The International German Olympiad takes place every two years and is the world's largest competition for the German language. Here, participants can prove their German language skills in three levels (A2, B1 and B2). In addition to the focus on language skills, both national and international competitions promote intercultural skills and international teamwork.
The digital national preliminary round for participants from the UK runs from 6 November 2023 to 31 January 2024. Information on how to participate in the national preliminary round can be found on the Goethe-Institut IDO webpage.
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16 November 2023 (The Language Show)
Language learners, language teachers and everyone who loves languages, if you missed this year's Language Show don't worry! Expert seminars, presentations and panel sessions are all available to watch on catchup until March 2024 for just £11.
Visit the website for more information and to secure your pass.
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16 November 2023 (CIOL)
Every month the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) offers new webinars on a variety of topics, free for all to attend as part of the support offered to linguists and the languages profession. Presented by experts in their fields, they give linguists the opportunity to update and broaden their skills and pursue new areas of interest.
Visit the CIOL website to discover their selection of upcoming sessions and to register attendance.
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2 November 2023 (Japan Foundation)
Applications are now open for JaLaChamp 2024!
JaLaChamp, or Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK, is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese. There are two categories - the speech category, where students give a speech on a theme of their choice, and the video category where students are asked to create an original video either by individual or part of a group.
Visit the Japan Foundation website for more information and to enter: 6 December 2023 deadline for speech category; 24 January 2024 deadline for video category.
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31 October 2023 (British Council)
Get ready for International Education Week 2023!
Taking place from 13 to 17 November, the event this year celebrates international partnerships.
We’ve got lots of information and resources to help you open your students’ eyes to the world and build bridges to other cultures.
Join us to explore the power of partnerships to bring schools together across the globe, engaging and motivating students and helping them discover other languages, countries and cultures.
Visit the British Council website to discover the many ways your school can get involved.
Read more...
Virtual Spanish and Latin American Film Festival - University of Stirling / Pragda
31 October 2023 (University of Stirling)
Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Stirling are hosting a Spanish and Latin American Film Festival as part of the Spanish Film Club series, made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN arts & culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.
The following film will be available virtually Wednesday 8th to Wednesday 15th November 2023:
Niñas araña
If you would like your learners to access this virtual film screening, please register via this Form to receive the sign-in information for the screening room and the associated discussion guide.
If you have any questions or would like further information about this initiative, please contact Fiona Noble (fiona.noble@stir.ac.uk).
30 October 2023 (French Film Festival)
The French Film Festival UK Learning Programme is once again delighted to bring French-speaking cinema free of charge to schools from 30 October to 15 December 2023!
Each of the four films will be accompanied by new learning packs in French and English. Selected films are all in French with English subtitles.
If you haven't done so already, there's still time to check out the programme and book your screenings. And for budding film critics, there's also the opportunity for pupils in Scotland to submit their film review with the chance to win a prize!
Visit the Festival website for full details.
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30 October 2023 (SQA)
Visiting assessment (performance talking) guidance and STL forms have been published on the SQA's Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage. These can be found in the Visiting Examining dropdown section.
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28 October 2023 (The Scotsman)
Please know that this observation is not meant judgmentally. Talent is diverse and if you only speak one language it isn’t a crime. However, it is curious when we observe neighbouring nations. Last year, the language-learning platform Lingoda wrote that “around 62% of the UK population are monolingual.”
Meanwhile, reports indicate that Norwegians boast around 90% bilingual proficiency. So, why should we differ?
Read more...
27 October 2023 (SCILT)
We are delighted to announce that online BSL classes for primary learners (P5–P7) will return for a new block starting in January 2024. The classes will be led by BSL tutor Emma McGowan and interpreter Jill Gallacher. Emma is deaf and is the mother of 2 hearing children. Currently, she teaches sign language to families for the National Deaf Children Society. Emma has also taught in various schools where she introduced teachers and children to sign language and shared knowledge and understanding about deaf languages and culture. This is something that Emma has really enjoyed.
The new BSL team is looking forward to working with primary learners to help them develop their skills and knowledge in BSL. From fingerspelling the alphabet to conducting short conversations in BSL, learners will build up their language skills steadily over the 10-week period. The classes are not only progressive, they are also fun! In this block of learning, there will be an element of storytelling with Emma telling familiar stories in BSL.
This 10-week block of BSL language learning is intended to support L3 in primary school, in line with Scotland’s languages policy. The weekly lessons will run for 10 consecutive weeks and will begin on Monday 15 January 2024. The lessons are:
- on MS Teams
- on Mondays from 1.30-2.15pm (45 minutes)
- open to all state primary schools in Scotland – P5-7 only
- free to attend
If you would like to be considered for a place on the BSL (L3) learning block, please register your interest via the form linked below. Please note that places are limited.
If you would like any further information, please contact SCILT.
Read more...
26 October 2023 (SCILT)
The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates schools delivering DYW through languages and school-business partnerships whilst recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the value of language skills in their school community.
The next deadline for submissions is Friday 17 November 2023.
Visit the SLEA webpage for more information.
Read more...
24 October 2023 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection's Flexible Funding Scheme supports joint activities and projects between UK and German partner schools and youth groups, including visits or virtual activities.
The next deadline for funding applications is approaching. Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information and submit applications by 31 October.
Read more...
19 October 2023 (BBC)
Following a recent survey indicating most adults believe studying a modern language should be compulsory in school, BBC radio broadcaster, Stephen Jardine, asks his guests whether we need to make learning a language a priority for young people.
The broadcast is available to registered users until 18 November 2023 (listen from 2:46).
Read more...
24 October 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
Enterprise German (“Unternehmen Deutsch”) combines aspects of German, economics, and professional orientation with a motivating competition. School classes from secondary schools in the UK and university students who deal with the topic of career orientation in the classroom can participate, if their teacher or professor registers a participating group.
The initiative will take place from September 2023 to July 2024.
For more information, please visit the Goethe Institut website and register by 15 March 2024.
Read more...
18 October 2023 (The National)
The majority of British adults believe studying a modern language should be compulsory in school, a survey suggests.
Only one in five (21%) UK adults said they can have a conversation in a modern language that is not their mother tongue, according to a poll commissioned by the British Academy.
More than a third (35%) said they were not able to study their preferred language at school, the survey has found.
The YouGov poll of more than 2,000 UK adults suggests most agree that studying a modern language should be compulsory in primary school (64%) and in secondary school (71%).
Read more...
17 October 2023 (The Guardian)
GCSEs in Italian and Polish are to be assessed digitally in England from 2026, with plans to move at least one large-entry subject such as English to partial digital assessment by the end of the decade, a major exam board has announced.
England’s largest exam provider, AQA, said that subject to regulatory approval, the reading and listening components of the two language GCSEs would be examined through digital assessment for the first time.
Read more...
12 October 2023 (RZSS)
RZSS Science in the Language Class - Many free language resources are available on the Science in Language Class website. There are a wide range of resources for Mandarin, Spanish and French along with free outreach sessions. Next year look out for further resources available in German and Gaelic and a new upper primary course for Spanish.
Mandarin course - The Mandarin upper primary course is 3 weeks virtual sessions followed by an expert for the day! (An in-person outreach visit to your school which can include other sessions for additional classes.)
Giants - A free outreach session aimed at upper primary level which can be linked to either Spanish or Mandarin.
Stripy Tails - A free outreach session aimed at upper primary level which can be linked to either French or Mandarin.
Contact srobb@rzss.org.uk for bookings. All are fully booked to December but there are still a few opportunities left from January 2024.
See the Beyond the Panda webpage for details and resources.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
News from language & education organisations,
Japanese,
Portuguese
11 October 2023 (Press and Journal)
Dingwall Academy is leading the way in addressing an interpreter crisis by producing the next generation of British Sign Language (BSL) experts.
The Highland school has been at the forefront of deaf education for more than 30 years. As well as having additional resources for deaf pupils, the school is specially soundproofed.
And now it’s offering SQA qualifications in BSL up to the equivalent of Higher.
Which is timely, given the Scottish Government has now recognised the “ongoing issues surrounding the shortages” of BSL interpreters.
Read more...
10 October 2023 (British Council)
International Education Week 2023 will take place from 13 to 17 November and this year, we’re celebrating international partnerships.
Join the British Council to explore the power of partnerships to bring schools together across the globe, engaging and motivating students and helping them discover other languages, countries and cultures.
We’ll be planning events and sharing resources over the coming weeks, so keep checking the website!
Read more...
10 October 2023 (Global Y-CRED)
Y-CRED. Credentialing and Recognising Excellence and Determination is a FREE international language learner event that provides students with connections to native speakers, strategies to improve their skills, ways to leverage their bilingualism and links to future opportunities. Global Y-C.R.E.D.” is all about the “Y.” The “Y” represents “Youth,” but also answers the question, “WHY learn a language?”
Y-CRED. 2023 will offer short, pre-recorded on-demand content for language learners that facilitates flexible viewing for any class schedule.
One of the sessions "Fostering Autonomy: Language Learning with Technology", being led by Joe Dale as part of the "Level Up Your Language Skills" track, looks at how students can use AI to be more independent language learners.
Visit the Y-CRED website for more information and to register for the free online sessions.
Read more...
9 October 2023 (Institut français)
The French Pop Video Competition is a national competition organised by Francophonie UK supported by TV5Monde for all KS1 to KS5 students of French in the UK.
Students get to engage with French in a creative and fun way, improving writing skills and vocabulary by creating their own lyrics and practising speaking skills by performing and recording their song/rap.
Visit the Institut français website to learn more about the competition and register by 10 March 2024 to take part.
Read more...
6 October 2023 (SCILT)
The SLEA (Scottish Languages Employability Award) family is expanding! We have now launched the SLEA – Local, which aims to encourage and support the development of partnership activities involving a number of schools within a local area or network. The SLEA – Local recognises and rewards employability-focused partnerships organised at a wider local level by teachers, DYW officers or cluster leads.
For more information and details of how to apply, as well as the chance to read about our very first winners from Ayshire Chamber of Commerce and surrounding schools, visit the SLEA – Local webpage.
To find out more about how this fits in with the SLEA family, see the main SLEA award webpage.
And watch this space for the next family member, coming in 2024; the SLEA – Green!
Read more...
5 October 2023 (eSgoil)
Registration for eSgoil's Study Support programme is now open!
Study Support is for Senior Phase learners who are working towards National Qualifications, with weekly evening webinars during term time covering a wide range of subjects and levels, including Gaelic, French and Spanish.
Visit the eSgoil website for full programme details and to register. Programme commences week beginning 30 October.
Read more...
3 October 2023 (TES)
Learning a language is seen as too hard by many pupils in Northern Ireland, leading to concerns among teachers about poor uptake of languages at GCSE level.
The finding is particularly galling for languages teachers because it emerges in a new report that shows students who do take these subjects typically find them “fun and engaging”.
These concerns about the uptake of languages echo trends in other parts of the UK, with data from Scotland in August showing a downturn in interest at exam level - despite a long-established policy to teach two additional languages in primary school - and similar worries about GCSE and A-level entries in England.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
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3 October 2023 (Japan Foundation)
Applications are now open for the Japan Foundation's Annual Grant Programmes.
Categories are available across all three departments: Arts and Culture, Japanese Language, and Intellectual Exchange (Japanese Studies).
Detailed information about all available grants can be found on the Japan Foundation website.
Read more...
3 October 2023 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow is now enrolling for autumn term courses. There are options available for children and adults. Follow the relevant link below for more information and to enrol.
The organisation provides many other opportunities and events to discover French language and culture. Visit their website to find out more.
Read more...
2 October 2023 (University of Oxford)
The 12th Oxford German Olympiad is now open!
This year's topic is: Kafkaesque Kreatures
The competition is all about animals - but from perspectives with a difference. The tasks take inspiration from the animal stories by Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who gave the German and English languages the word kafkaesk / Kafkaesque to describe a weird, disturbing experience.
The competition is open to upper primary and secondary learners of German, with further categories for group or class entries as well as the Discover German Taster category for those with no prior experience of studying the language.
Visit the Oxford German Olympiad website for full competition details and guidelines. Closing date for all entries is 7 March 2024.
Read more...
2 October 2023 (eSgoil)
The beginner Japanese course run by University of Edinburgh in conjunction with eSgoil is aimed at pupils S1-S6 who would like an introduction to basic Japanese language and culture. No previous knowledge of Japanese language is required.
The six-part course runs from November to December 2023.
Visit the website for more information and to register interest.
Read more...
28 September 2023 (Open University)
Give your language lessons some real-life purpose and make connections with colleagues across the UK!
Are you looking for some new ideas to make foreign language learning fun, engaging and relevant? Would you like to find new ways of embedding language policy in the classroom whilst developing your own foreign language speaking and teaching skills? Would you appreciate some help and guidance with planning your language lessons, ideas, and have someone with whom to share your reflections, successes and failures?
Then look no further! Frogston Primary School in Edinburgh in collaboration with The Open University are offering a brand-new eTwinning opportunity for all primary practitioners across the UK. It’s free, totally colleague/pupil-led, designed to enhance and practice your languages teaching, learning and assessment.
In this eTwinning initiative, teachers organise and run on-site and online activities with their students. This involves planning with colleagues from other schools around the UK using ready-made lessons and timeframes provided as a guide.
This is an ideal opportunity to meet teachers and educators who share a vision of engaging and impactful learning, using ICT in a meaningful way, and making the most of 21st-century skills. We will provide lessons, resource ideas, guidance, and an online platform where eTwinners can communicate, create projects, share, and learn together at their own pace in line with their interests and the needs of their classes.
The programme begins on 1 November, after the mid-term break. By signing up, you will:
- Be put in contact with an eTwinning partner… a class of similar age/stage in a school in a different location from your own, who are learning the same language as you.
- Be given a portfolio of 6 fully planned eTwinning lessons which are completely adaptable and flexible.
- Be given a secure digital space where you will find all related materials and in which you can plan with your colleagues.
To participate, sign up on this Eventbrite page and we will contact you by 1 November 2023 to explain the next steps.
Read more...
28 September 2023 (SCILT)
Schools in Scotland wishing to take part in this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition have until National Poetry Day on 5 October to register!
Visit our website to learn more about the competition and discover poetry resources to help you celebrate National Poetry Day in class as well as prepare for the MTOT competition.
It's the 10th anniversary year of MTOT in Scotland, so join in the celebration - visit our website and register your school now!
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Community Languages,
Language Learning,
Mother Tongue,
SCILT news
28 September 2023 (Instituto Cervantes)
The Instituto Cervantes is developing a professional accreditation system consisting of a series of diplomas that certify the professional training of ELE (Spanish as a Foreign Language) teachers - the Instituto Cervantes Teacher Accreditation Diplomas (DADIC): Autonomous, Expert, and Teacher Trainer. These diplomas have indefinite validity and enjoy broad national and international recognition, with the support of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training of Spain. The first level, the Autonomous DADIC, certifies that the holder possesses the basic competencies required for the professional practice of teaching ELE for general purposes.
This is an introductory course aimed at people with no experience or prior training in teaching Spanish as a foreign language, who wish to obtain the Instituto Cervantes Teaching Accreditation Diploma (autonomous level).
More information is given on the attached flyer or you can visit the Instituto Cervantes website.
Read more...
Invite a team of Strathclyde Language Ambassadors to your school!
28 September 2023 (University of Strathclyde)
At the University of Strathclyde, beyond supporting the Language Ambassadors Online and the Language Explorers Programme, we are still offering on-site visits in 2023-24.
So, get your learners to discover the joys of discovering a new culture and learning and being able to use another language by organising a visit from one of our Language Ambassadors teams to your school!
Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish, on various degrees, including BA Honours in French and Spanish, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language but also Engineering and Science degrees and they are keen to share their experiences of learning and using their languages as well as discovering new cultures.
This programme is free of charge and provides student role models to promote languages to young people in your school. We aim to encourage your learners to engage with young adults who have decided to study languages at university and to have a positive impact on the number of learners who choose languages as part of their high school curriculum.
We can deliver a range of activities, such as:
- A presentation about their experiences as university language learners and their experiences abroad;
- Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying a language;
- A small group discussion for Senior phase students who have already selected a language;
- Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event
Want to book a visit from a Language Ambassadors team in 2023-24? Simply contact Cédric Moreau now!
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Ambassadors,
Language Learning,
Partnership Working,
Promoting Languages,
Strathclyde University,
News from language & education organisations
28 September 2023 (SCILT)
SCILT’s Language Ambassadors Programme has relaunched as a fully online offer available to all schools across the country. Our interactive monthly online sessions are led by student Language Ambassadors from universities across Scotland who are keen to share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures.
Visit our Language Ambassadors Programme webpage to find out more about the programme and to register to bring your class(es) along to any/all of the sessions listed!
Read more...
28 September 2023 (SCILT)
The European Day of Languages took place on Tuesday 26 September, what has your school been doing to celebrate?
Upload a short description and some photos via our online form and we'll feature you in our EDL 2023 blog! Some entries may even be featured in the SCILT winter newsletter.
Read more...
21 September 2023 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection provides opportunities for young people, teachers and schools in the UK and Germany to come together. Their initiatives range from providing grants and bursaries for partnership activities, pupil courses and scholarships, the opportunity to host a teacher from Germany, virtual café sessions for young people to meet in a safe space and much more. The following activity deadlines are fast approaching. Follow the relevant link for more information:
Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information about the range of available opportunities.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
German,
Cultural Diversity,
Funding,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Partnership Working,
Study Abroad,
News from language & education organisations
Virtual Spanish and Latin American Film Festival - University of Stirling / Pragda
21 September 2023 (University of Stirling)
Spanish and Latin American Studies at the University of Stirling are hosting a Spanish and Latin American Film Festival as part of the Spanish Film Club series, made possible with the support of Pragda, SPAIN Arts & Culture, and the Secretary of State for Culture of Spain.
This term, we are screening two films:
Carajita available Friday 6th to Friday 13th October 2023
Niñas araña available Wednesday 8th to Wednesday 15th November 2023
If you would like your learners to access one or both of these virtual film screenings, please register via this form to receive the sign-in information for the screening room and the associated discussion guides.
If you have any questions or would like further information about this initiative, please contact Fiona Noble (fiona.noble@stir.ac.uk).
19 September 2023 (British Council)
The British Council remains committed to supporting the teaching and learning of languages in UK schools.
As part of this the organisation, in partnership with QFI, is restructuring their support for Arabic language teaching and learning in the UK with new events and activities planned for the autumn term. Schools can also apply for grants to introduce the language into their curriculum. Follow the relevant link below for more information:
And with European Day of Languages fast approaching, British Council has developed two new lesson resources to celebrate the event; 'Let's talk about languages' for primary learners and 'Why choose languages' for secondary.
Visit the British Council website to download these resources.
Read more...
15 September 2023 (Maths Week Scotland)
Inspired by the annual Mathématiques sans Frontières contest, this mini-competition includes a language element and is for any class to complete together.
The Maths wi nae borders challenge launches on 18 September 2023. Entries should be submitted by 23 October.
Visit the Maths Week Scotland website for more information.
Read more...
15 September 2023 (SCILT)
SCILT is delighted to be working with eSgoil and DYW to offer workshops this session aimed at primary (P4-P7) learners.
Hearing from a diverse range of people who use languages in their careers, the workshop aims to encourage pupils to consider how their talents and interests can be enhanced by language skills and intercultural understanding now and in the future.
Three online sessions are taking place:
- 14 November 2023
- 13 March 2024
- 16 May 2024
Visit the eSgoil website for more details and to register. Early booking is advisable as class numbers are limited.
Read more...
Related Links
DYWLive workshops for secondary learners - Languages and your career
14 September 2023 (Global School Alliance)
Celebrated on 26 September every year, the European Day of Languages (EDL) is designed to promote the importance of language learning and protecting the linguistic heritage.
To get your pupils involved in this year's event, the Global School Alliance has launched a competition ‘For me, learning a language is…’ and are asking students to tell us what learning a language means to them. It is open to schools with students studying a European language worldwide and aims to showcase the magic and importance of language learning.
Visit the website to find out more and register your school. Deadline for entries is 3 October.
Read more...
14 September 2023 (University of Oxford)
Organised by the Queen's Translation Exchange at the University of Oxford, the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators is a UK-wide creative translation competition for students aged 11-18 studying French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish. The competition also runs from French into Welsh.
The 2023-24 prize will launch on 20 September, when creative translation teaching packs will be shared with teachers in time for European Day of Languages on 26 September and International Translation Day on 30 September. These teaching packs are designed to help teachers bring creative translation into the MFL classroom as well as to help students prepare for the competition task.
The competition itself will run over several weeks from 5 February to 28 March 2024. Area and national winners will be announced in May or June 2023. They will receive certificates and national winners will receive book prizes. Over 15,000 students participated in the competition in 2023.
For those registered, teaching packs for poetry translation will be circulated on 20 September, fiction will follow after October half term, and non-fiction will be released in early January.
There are a number of related activities run by the Queen's Translation Exchange that teachers and pupils can participate in, details of which can be found on the Opportunities for Schools webpage.
Visit the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators website for more information and to register to receive resources and updates about the competition task. You can also see the list of winners and commendations for last year's competition.
If you have any further queries regarding the competition, you should contact the Translation Exchange team at translation.exchange@queens.ox.ac.uk.
Read more...
12 September 2023 (SCILT)
Do you have a story to share with the languages community?
We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2023 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place before the summer break or so far this session.
We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 13th October 2023.
Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter. Submissions can be sent to scilt@strath.ac.uk.
Read more...
12 September 2023 (SCILT)
We are delighted to be back again this year working together with e-Sgoil and DYW Live to deliver the Languages and Your Career webinar. In this session we will explore how languages can contribute to success in a wide range of jobs and career paths. This webinar aims to introduce secondary learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work. It will be an interactive session with input from people who use languages in their work.
The workshop will repeated each month on different days and times from September until January. The dates on offer are:
Tuesday 26th September: 2.00 – 3.00pm
Wednesday 25th October: 9.30 – 10.30am
Thursday 23rd November: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Monday 18th December: 9.30 – 10.30am
Tuesday 30th January: 2.00 – 3.00pm
All sessions will take place in Glow Teams.
This year, additional materials will be made available to teachers who attend the workshop with their classes to support further promotion of employability with individual languages. Watch this space!
For more information and registration details, visit the e-Sgoil website.
Read more...
Related Links
DYWLive workshops for primary learners - Make languages work for you
S2 pupil survey: Attitudes to languages
5 September 2023 (NICILT)
We have received the following request from our friends in NICILT, Northern Ireland’s Centre for Languages.
NICILT has organised a short pupil survey for S2 pupils, the aim of which is to gather a snapshot of young peoples’ thoughts about languages. NICILT is really keen to hear about attitudes to languages from pupils who have completed their first year of secondary education (surveys have also been distributed to cohorts in Northern Ireland, England and Wales). NICILT would like to distribute the survey to S2 cohorts and publish the findings from the survey in Autumn 2023, funded by the British Council.
The principal information and consent form is attached and can be downloaded below.
Could Modern Languages PTs willing to let their school participate please complete and return the principal consent form to languagetrends@qub.ac.uk within 5 days. Once NICILT receives completed principal consent forms, NICILT will email the survey link to you to be distributed to your pupils. The survey can be completed in school or at home. There are no forms to be collected in by teachers – the process is very manageable.
5 September 2023 (University of Glasgow)
This recently published article discusses the outcomes of the Welcoming Languages project, collaboratively run by the University of Glasgow and the Arabic Center of the Islamic University of Gaza (Palestine). The project taught Arabic as a ‘refugee language’ to primary school staff so they could welcome Arabic speaking children and families.
The article can now be read open access on the publisher's website.
Read more...
5 September 2023 (UK-German Connection)
The Host a Teacher from Germany programme enables schools to host a German teacher (in-person or virtually) for one, two or three weeks during the academic year – no costs involved for UK schools.
All schools and further education colleges in the UK can register. The programme is open to teachers of all subjects and German does not need to be offered at your school; visiting teachers are either teachers of English or have good knowledge of the English language.
Schools interested in hosting a German teacher in 2023-24 can now register by 25 September 2023 (to host in the spring and/or summer term).
NEW! UK teachers participating in the Host a Teacher from Germany 2023-24 programme can express their interest in a return visit for one or two weeks during 2023-24.
UK-German Connection will run a Q&A webinar for UK schools on Tuesday 19 September 2023.
Visit the website for more information and to register for the Q&A session.
Read more...
5 September 2023 (Consejería de Educación)
Bring Spanish cinema to your school! Join the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival school programme for free (2nd to 6th October) and enjoy a film from the comfort of the classroom. Films for Primary and Secondary level accompanied by worksheets. Book now and get the code for your school.
Read more...
4 September 2023 (SQA)
Updates have been added to the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage.
New specimen question papers can be found in the Past Papers and Marking Instructions section and an assessment resources summary in the Course Support section.
Read more...
2 September 2023 (The Guardian)
In 30 years of frontline reporting, the multilingual Europe editor has had her share of seismic news stories. But she still loves conversing with irate callers and is not above giving viewers a laugh at her own expense.
[..] Having grown up in London, Adler studied Italian and German at university and is vehement about the importance of learning foreign languages. It’s a belief that was instilled in childhood, like her passion for journalism...
Read more...
SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages: new resources to support with performance-talking
1 September 2023 (SQA)
From session 2023-24, the Advanced Higher Modern Languages performance-talking coursework task returns to its usual format, with a duration of approximately 20 minutes. The requirement to discuss aspects of the portfolio has also been reinstated.
We have created two new SQA Academy courses to help you with this coursework task. An updated performance-talking audio presentation is also available from our Understanding Standards website.
SQA Academy course – Performance-talking
This course provides an overview of what the Advanced Higher performance-talking assessment involves – including its purpose, structure, preparation for the assessment, the Subject Topic List (STL) form and how performance-talking is assessed.
SQA Academy course – A day in the life of a visiting assessor
This second course outlines the role of the Modern Languages performance-talking visiting assessor and describes what happens before, during and after the assessment of performance-talking. You may find it useful to share this course with your learners.
Access the courses from the SQA Academy website
SQA Understanding Standards – updated audio presentation
An updated audio presentation on the Advanced Higher performance-talking for session 2023-24 is also available from the Modern Languages pages of the Understanding Standards website (select the language, then ‘presentations’ from the page menu).
View the performance-talking audio presentation.
Posted in:
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Learning,
National Qualifications,
News from language & education organisations,
SQA
31 August 2023 (STRIDE)
The Remembering Empire project, led by Dr Fiona Barclay at the University of Stirling, uses the findings of research on the French empire in Algeria to produce materials for use by secondary teachers of French. Its aim is to use a complex story of empire to develop Global Citizenship values and support the take-up of languages in Scottish schools.
This article explores the resources in more detail and provides links to the free downloadable materials aimed at two separate ages: S3 and Advanced Higher.
(Note - A link to the Remembering Empire resources can be found in both the S1-S3 and Senior Phase French classroom resource sections of SCILT's website)
Read more...
31 August 2023 (SCILT)
The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.
Our most recent verification date in May 2023 saw 11 schools from 10 different local authorities collect an award. Projects covered a wide range of sectors and included links with football clubs, bakeries, travel agents and much more! Find out about each projects by clicking on the school names below.
Bronze
Silver
Gold
The next verification date is 17 November 2023. Visit the SLEA pages of our website to find out how your schools can achieve an award, and keep an eye out in the SCILT e-bulletin for the launch of SLEA Local coming soon!
Read more...
Language Ambassadors Programme - European Day of Languages launch
31 August 2023 (SCILT)
SCILT’s Language Ambassadors Programme is relaunching this year! We will be offering interactive monthly online sessions led by student Language Ambassadors from universities across Scotland. These sessions are designed to promote languages to young people and to encourage learners to choose languages as part of their learning experience by hearing directly from near-peer role models. Our Language Ambassadors are students of various languages on a range of degree programmes who are keen to share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures.
The first session will take place on European Day of Languages itself, Tuesday 26 September 11.00 – 11.45. The session will take place on Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book to bring your class(es) along, visit our Eventbrite booking page.
Please note: Some universities will also able to offer in-person Language Ambassador visits to individual schools throughout the year. These allow the opportunity for language students to deliver presentations, participate in discussions and support events in schools. These are arranged directly between schools and universities. A list of university contacts is coming soon to our website – watch this space!
31 August 2023 (French Film Festival)
The French Film Festival UK Learning Programme is once again delighted to bring French-speaking cinema free of charge to schools this November and December! All the films in the selection are in French with English subtitles.
Each of the four films will be accompanied by new learning packs in French and English.
Download the programme and start planning your screenings now!
FFF 2023 In-School Learning Programme
Student Film Review Awards
The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland will once again award prizes for the best film reviews submitted by students in Scotland.
The Learning Programme is grateful for the generous support of the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, TotalEnergies, the Institut français worldwide network, the Hugh Fraser Foundation, and SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages).
More information about the Festival can be found on the French Film Festival website.
Read more...
29 August 2023 (University of Edinburgh)
Languages for All, at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Open Learning (COL), will launch two new Short Courses in General English and Ukrainian this October. These courses will complement the existing range of Short Courses in languages including Arabic, British Sign Language, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili and Turkish.
Languages for All have also expanded the University-Wide Language Programme for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students at the University of Edinburgh, offering credit courses in British Sign Language, Gaelic, Swahili and Ukrainian.
Visit our new Languages for All website to view our full offering.
Read more...
29 August 2023 (Institut français)
Le Concours de la Francophonie 2024 is now open!
The national school competition's aim is to encourage all young French learners and their teachers around Scotland to enjoy the French language. It has always been a great way of celebrating the international day of la francophonie. In 2023, over 500 pupils from 25 schools all over Scotland took part in the competition.
All Scottish primary and secondary schools offering French may enter this competition by submitting a short video of a classroom activity in French.
The theme of the competition this year is: “Paris Olympic Games 2024: Ouvrons grand les jeux!”
Visit the Institut français website for full details and entry criteria. Submission deadline is 31 January 2024.
Read more...
28 August 2023 (RTE)
How many of us remember the language we studied in school? Despite what you may think, it turns out that we know as much now as we did in the classroom. A study from the University of York found that those who learned French 50 years ago and have never used it since, have similar recall to those who have just taken their exams. Feargal Murphy, lecturer in linguistics at UCD joined RTÉ Radio 1's Drivetime to discuss why that is.
"What's surprising would be for people who have the experience of not being able to use a language or feeling that their language isn't good enough. I think it surprises those people, rather than someone who works in linguistics." Many people might find that they can only remember a couple of words from the language they studied for years in school, but as the study showed, "in an emergency, you suddenly find that you do have this vocabulary available to you, because your brain goes looking for it," says Murphy.
(Article includes a link to hear the discussion in full)
Read more...
25 August 2023 (SCILT)
The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated on 26 September each year. Now in its 22nd year, it aims to promote the rich linguistic diversity of Europe and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone. What is your school doing in 2023?
If you're looking for inspiration, SCILT has compiled lots of ideas for primary, secondary and parents & families on our EDL webpage. What about making some multilingual bunting, hosting a languages café, or creating a zine? You will also find links to competitions, blogs and websites with a huge range of celebration ideas and activities.
Let us know how you celebrate and we'll include you in our EDL 2023 blog. Upload a short description and some colourful photos or email scilt@strath.ac.uk.
If you're sharing your celebrations on Twitter tag @scottishcilt and use the hashtag #coeEDL to share your celebrations with schools across Europe!
Read more...
Posted in:
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SCILT news
24 August 2023 (The British Academy)
The British Academy welcomes the growing popularity of economics, history and some modern languages such as Spanish, Arabic, Urdu and Chinese at GCSE level, but calls for more work to arrest the decline in other humanities and social sciences.
Earlier this month, the British Academy joined forces with the British Science Association to urge teachers, parents and students to consider the benefits of studying a mix of subjects across the humanities, the sciences and the social sciences, in line with the British Academy’s recently launched Connected Knowledge campaign.
Read more...
22 August 2023 (SEET)
Registration for the SEET’s Our World project 2023-24 is now open and totally free to enter! Just fill in this quick form to sign up your school: https://ourworldproject.wufoo.com/forms/z1fa1wdl0fdqs2a/
Our World is a language learning and global citizenship-based filmmaking project for S1 - S6 pupils. It's designed to complement the Curriculum for Excellence and help tackle the Attainment Challenge by providing a free project which uses an interdisciplinary approach to encourage pupils to become more engaged in their language learning.
Teams of 4 (S1 - S6) design a storyboard which outlines the film they propose to make. This year's films must include the use of a language other than English and should touch on the theme of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Each team must choose at least one of the 17 SDGs to focus their film on.
SEET supports teachers and pupils throughout the whole process, starting with our introductory CLPL session for teachers on Tuesday 12 September 2023.
Visit the SEET website for more information and register to take part.
Read more...
21 August 2023 (University of Strathclyde)
Are you interested in upskilling your French to GTCS-accredited standard? Then this could be the course for you!
The University of Strathclyde continues to offer a three-year Certificate of Continuing Education (CCEd) qualification in Italian and in Spanish and from session 2023-24 the course is now also being offered in French.
The CCEd is an intensive beginners’ class that will bring you up to first-year university standard in a year, with the option of continuing your studies into second year and up to university pass degree level within three years.
Classes will be in person on campus in Glasgow during term time on Tuesday evenings.
Further information and application details are now available on the University of Strathclyde's website.
Read more...
18 August 2023 (SCILT)
SCILT is delighted to announce that MTOT is back for 2024, and it’s an extra special year - MTOT celebrates its 10th anniversary!
Over the last decade the competition has evolved from written poems in the beginning, to now focussing on the spoken word. Hearing pupils share their voices and language skills helps bring their poetry to life, and we look forward to seeing what creative brilliance emerges from Scotland’s schools this year. In this 10th anniversary year, we are delighted and very excited to work with our partners at Instituto Cervantes to offer a special prize category for entries in Spanish, one of the most widely taught languages in Scotland’s schools.
So, if you have entered MTOT before, we’d love to welcome you back. If you are new to MTOT, what better year to join than our 10th anniversary year? Our multilingual poetry competition is now open. Visit our MTOT page on the SCILT website for more information and register your school now.
MTOT is 10 years old – come join the celebration!
Read more...
Posted in:
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Mother Tongue,
SCILT news
Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners
18 August 2023 (SCILT / University partners)
Following the success of last year’s 'Moving Forward with Languages' workshops, SCILT has once again teamed up with languages departments from universities across Scotland to present a series of workshops during term one of the 2023-24 session.
Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future, by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level. Please note that language-specific examples will vary depending on the partner university's language offer. However, strategies, tips and advice will apply to all languages.
Registrations are now open. Please feel free to share the dates and topics with learners below:
The workshops will take place online via MS Teams and will not be recorded.
Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.
Please also see attached flyer which can be distributed to pupils or colleagues.
16 August 2023 (TES)
Across the country A-level and GCSE students anxiously await the results that they hope will unlock an exciting future.
As presidents of the British Science Association (BSA), a charity with a vision for science to be more representative and connected to society, and the British Academy, the UK’s national body for the humanities and social sciences, we wish them the best of luck - not just because we want them to do well but because society needs them to.
A climate emergency is engulfing the world, artificial intelligence (AI) is starting to transform society in ways we do not fully understand, driverless cars are becoming ever more commonplace, quantum computing is developing rapidly and numerous other innovations are emerging all the time.
With so many challenges, we need today’s students to become the bold and effective leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators and researchers of tomorrow. To do so, they will need a truly broad range of skills, expertise and experience - and yet we fear that our education culture is failing them.
Read more...
15 August 2023 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow is now taking enrolments for French courses commencing in September 2023.
Visit the website for further information and to enrol. If you're unsure of your level you can also take a free online test to assess which class would be most suitable or you can head along to the Open Day on Saturday 2 September from 10:00am until 1:30pm.
Read more...
10 August 2023 (TES)
New Scottish national data shows a drop in uptake of languages at Higher since 2019, the last year before the Covid pandemic.
The decrease in French entries is particularly steep and, after many years as the most popular language in Scottish schools, uptake is now lower than for Spanish.
However, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (widely known as SCILT) says there is better news in National 5 figures, which suggest there may be the beginnings of a comeback from the Covid years.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
Read more...
Related Links
Exams 2023: Tackling the decline in languages in state schools (TES, 8 August 2023) - Note, subscription required to access full article
A-Level and other level 3 results 2023: The main trends in grades and entries (FFT Education Data Lab, 17 August 2023) - Subjects with the largest fall in entries are Spanish, French and German.
A-Levels 2023: 10 key trends for teachers to know about (TES, 17 August 2023) - Languages in decline.
Posted in:
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Learning,
National Qualifications,
Languages in the press,
SQA,
Urdu
8 August 2023 (Linguistics in MFL Project)
This document sets out a manifesto for how linguistics could be incorporated into language teaching in the UK context. It responds directly to published calls for change, and identifies challenges and opportunities as well as potential actions.
Available to download from the Linguistics in MFL Project website.
Read more...
Goethe-Institut: German for schools
8 August 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
The Goethe-Institut in Glasgow are offering the following opportunities for schools in the 2023-24 academic session. Follow the relevant link to find out more:
- German days for pupils - visit the Goethe-Institut Glasgow with your school class. Your pupils will learn firsthand about German language and culture. We offer various activities designed to show that learning German can be fun and is relevant.
- German Language Adventure - this fast-paced motivational game aims to spark interest in German culture and language and can be played by up to 100 pupils (P7-S2 level). Can be offered at school or at the Goethe-Institut.
8 August 2023 (GCHQ)
The 2023 GCHQ National Language Competition will run from Monday 6 November to Friday 10 November 2023.
The National Language Competition (NLC) is a virtual competition where teams from schools around the UK compete against each other to solve language-based puzzles and score points. The overall winners are then invited to GCHQ’s headquarters in Cheltenham to receive their trophy!
With the NLC, GCHQ aims to inspire language learning by encouraging students to discover their aptitude for learning languages.
Visit the competition website for more information and to register interest.
Read more...
8 August 2023 (The Guardian)
Computer tutors such as Duolingo may not create polyglots, but they are a lesson to all who think language teaching is not valued.
Read more...
2 August 2023 (The Conversation)
Two concepts – acquisition and learning – play key roles in the study of language. Although there are people who use the two terms interchangeably, in reality they embody two different processes in the development of communicative competence.
Language acquisition is an intuitive and subconscious process, similar to that of children when they develop their mother tongue. Acquiring a language happens naturally, it does not require conscious effort or formal instruction; it is something incidental and often unconscious. A child will begin to speak by being exposed to the language and by interacting with its environment, without the need for grammar lessons.
Language learning, by contrast, is a conscious process that involves studying rules and structures. When grammatical rules are explained to us in a language class, this is a formal context. In the classroom, the acquisition of communication skills occurs through explicit instruction and methodical study, and that conscious effort is what we call learning.
Read more...
31 July 2023 (The Conversation)
Are you thinking about learning a language? Perhaps you’ve decided that it’s time to dust off your classroom French. Maybe you’re planning a trip to Japan and feel like you should make the effort to learn the basics, or work is sending you to the Cairo office for a year and you’ll need Arabic.
Learning a language is a hugely worthwhile endeavour, but two things are certain: it will take a while, and motivation will be crucial.
Read more...
10 July 2023 (Daily Record)
Calderside Academy in Blantyre will pilot British Sign Language as a language option this August when the schools return from their summer break.
Read more...
7 July 2023 (The Northern Scot)
Buckie High have become the first Moray school to strike gold with a major languages award.
The school finished the term on a high by celebrating achieving their Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA), which is valid for two years. The award helps schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to develop young people's learning about the world of work and the value of language skills.
It follows on from BCHS claiming their silver award last year when they worked with major local employer Associated Seafoods Ltd (ASL), a collaboration which has been running for the last six or seven years. This time around, Buckie High expanded on the employer base involved, with Chivas Bros, Johnston's of Elgin and Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Moray joining ASL in working with the school.
Read more...
9 July 2023 (The Guardian)
Mandarin and Arabic often top the list of languages that are hardest to learn. But what do native speakers of those languages find the hardest to master, and why?
See what readers had to say.
Read more...
6 July 2023 (Clydebank Post)
A Clydebank school was said to have 'impressed judges' on their way to picking up a top educational award for languages.
Pupils across three age groups at St Peter the Apostle High School were praised for their 'passion' for languages such as Gaelic and Spanish as they landed the Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award from SCILT - Gold Scottish Languages Employability Award from SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools.
The recognition award - launched in 2019 - was developed by SCILT as a way of delivering DYW (Developing the Young Workforce) through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area.
Read more...
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Gaelic,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Awards,
Business,
Careers,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Partnership Working,
Languages in the press
30 June 2023 (ECML)
The European Language Gazette, the ECML's e-newsletter, provides up-to-date news about the ECML (events, projects, resources) and other relevant sectors of the Council of Europe as well as of our partners. It focuses on national developments in the field of language education in the member states and beyond.
This special issue is dedicated to the ECML Call for project proposals for its 2024-27 programme entitled “Language education at the heart of democracy”.
The deadline for proposals is 31 August 2023.
Read more...
29 June 2023 (TES)
Spanish is set to overtake French as the most popular GCSE language choice at schools in England, a new report has predicted.
The new Language Trends 2023 report, conducted by the British Council, has found that having been the most selected language at A level for the last four years, Spanish now looks set to replicate that popularity at GCSE level.
While Spanish, French and German remain the most popular languages at GCSE, German is falling increasingly behind, and there were more than 35,000 entries for other modern languages, the highest number recorded so far.
Read more...
Related Links
Two in three state secondary schools in England teach just one foreign language (The Guardian, 29 June 2023)
British Council Language Trends Report 2023 (British Council, 29 June 2023) - Language teaching in primary and secondary schools in England
23 June 2023 (BBC)
I tell my Argentinian pal that I've been using ChatGPT to practise my Spanish and, excitedly, I explain what it can do.
It can correct my errors, I tell him, and it's able to give me regional variations in Spanish, including Mexican Spanish, Argentinian Spanish and, amusingly, Spanglish.
And, unlike when I'm chatting to him on WhatsApp, I don't have to factor in time zone differences.
My friend is less enthused. "So you've replaced me?" he jokes.
I haven't, of course. The convenience and breadth of an AI chatbot can't compete with the pleasures of chatting with someone whose personality quirks I've learned over the course of years. It is however a useful supplement.
And I'm just one of many people who have discovered in recent months the benefits of AI-based chat for language learning.
Read more...
Related Links
AI Language Learning Apps (Julia Morris blog, 28 June 2023) - List of AI apps with pros and cons.
21 June 2023 (FE News)
A new future-focused French GCSE, designed to better equip all students for life and careers in a global setting, has received full approval from Ofqual for first teaching in 2024.
The reformed qualification from leading awarding body Pearson Edexcel, has been developed in close partnership with schools, language experts and multilinguists to reduce the continued decline in language uptake at GCSE and A level.
Paving the way for updates to Pearson’s language GCSEs in German and Spanish, the new French qualification (for first assessment in 2026), is specifically designed to be more inclusive and accessible to students, with real-world content that reflects and represents the diverse backgrounds, experiences and abilities of young learners today.
Read more...
21 June 2023 (Glasgow Times)
A Glasgow secondary school where 35 different languages are spoken by pupils and their families held a successful pilot for a new Saturday morning club.
Rosshall Academy on the Southside of the city offered parents an ESOL (English as a Second or Other Language) workshop as part of Refugee Festival Scotland Week.
Read more...
16 June 2023 (SCILT)
Finalists' work from this year's MTOT competition can now be viewed on the SCILT website.
As part of our Mother Tongue Other Tongue poetry competition, SCILT received several entries from young Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine. We wanted the world to be able to access these wonderfully creative and emotive pieces of writing. Our Voices of Hope online exhibition, in partnership with AUGB, will be launched on 21 June as part of Refugee Week Scotland 2023 and will be available on SCILT's website following the launch event.
Read more...
Posted in:
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Scotland,
Awards,
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Mother Tongue,
SCILT news,
Refugees
Coming soon! CCEd in French @ University of Strathclyde
16 June 2023 (University of Strathclyde)
Are you interested in upskilling your French to GTCS-accredited standard? Then this could be the course for you! The University of Strathclyde currently offers a three-year Certificate of Continuing Education (CCEd) qualification in Italian and in Spanish and plans to offer it in French from session 2023-24.
The CCEd is an intensive beginners’ class that will bring you up to first-year university standard in a year, with the option of continuing your studies into second year and up to university pass degree level within three years.
Classes will be in person on campus in Glasgow during term time on Tuesday evenings.
Further information and application details will be advertised soon via the SCILT bulletin/website and the University of Strathclyde website and communication channels.
For more information and to register your interest, the course contact is Joan-Emilie Lefever-Rhodes (joan.lefever@strath.ac.uk).
15 June 2023 (French Film Festival)
The French Film Festival UK 2023 Learning Programme will once again be bringing French-speaking cinema into schools free of charge this autumn! The programme of four films, each accompanied by learning packs, will run between 30 October and 15 December, thanks to the generous support of TotalEnergies, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, The James T Howard Trust, SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages).
Full details will be available on the French Film Festival website from mid-August.
Read more...
13 June 2023 (British Council)
If you’re new to international collaboration, a short-term partnership could open the door to a world of opportunities for your school.
To make getting started even easier, you can apply to join a British Council guided partnership, where a dedicated partnership facilitator will guide you through a short-term, collaborative, curriculum-based project with an overseas partner.
The next round will take the theme of climate change, a major topic of concern for children around the world. Starting in September 2023 and running through the autumn term, we will facilitate your partnership with a range of curriculum-related activities.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to apply by 14 July 2023.
Read more...
Online team-teaching model - A sustainable approach to support language delivery in the primary
13 June 2023 (South West EIC / Northern Alliance)
This pilot delivered French, Spanish and Gaelic live lessons using Microsoft Teams in Glow and was offered to schools across Scotland between January and May 2023.
You can now find out about the far-reaching impact of this initiative by reading the case study attached below.
13 June 2023 (The National / British Council)
The popularity of learning languages at Northern Ireland’s schools is “slowly recovering from the pandemic”, a report by the British Council has found.
The Language Trends Northern Ireland report found that the decline in language learning at post-primary schools is plateauing, with Spanish emerging as the most popular, overtaking French.
The research was led by Dr Ian Collen, director of the Northern Ireland Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (NICILT) at Queen’s University Belfast, and follows a previous report which found that language lessons were “hardest hit” during Covid-19.
This year’s report found that Spanish is now the language most frequently taught in Northern Ireland’s schools at both GCSE and A-level, overtaking French as the most popular GCSE language in summer 2021.
Read more...
13 June 2023 (CISS)
The latest edition of the CISS newsletter has been published. Read about the many activities and initiatives going on across the Confucius Classroom Hub Network and CISS’s work to support the learning and teaching of Mandarin, including competitions, online learning and events.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
Scotland,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Promoting Languages,
CISS news
6 June 2023 (ESFF)
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival will celebrate ten years of Spanish cinema in schools this October.
During the week 2 - 6 October, classrooms across the UK can have online access to three films:
- Los Futbolísimos (The Footballest)
- Rara (Weird)
- CartasVivas (Living Letters) *For S5-S6 only*
Each film will be accompanied by worksheets so that the students can delve deeper into the themes discussed, once the film has been watched.
Visit the ESFF website to book tickets and receive the access code.
Read more...
Espacios Increíbles 2022-23 - Winner announced!
5 June 2023 (SCILT)
Congratulations to St Luke’s High School, East Renfrewshire, on winning SCILT's Espacios Increíbles competition 2022-23.
The winner was announced at the final, held online on Wednesday 24 May 2023. A superb effort was made by all six finalist schools (Alva Academy, Dunblane High, Perth Academy, Prestwick Academy, St Andrew’s & St Bride’s High School as well as St Luke’s High School); competition was stiff and the judging panel had a very difficult decision to make.
The interdisciplinary competition for S2-S3 combines Spanish with art, design and technology. Pupils design an amazing space and present their work in Spanish.
St Luke’s High School came out top with their innovative design for a space for quiet reflection and relaxation in the courtyard of Santo Domingo Church in Lima, Peru. Their design was inspired by San Martín de Porres, who is the Patron Saint of Racial Equality, and is buried there.
They clearly demonstrated how they had worked collaboratively, drawing on art, design and Spanish skills to create a feasible and sustainable design which connected well to the local environment and linked to their school.
The other five finalist schools also did an amazing job, with a variety of creative designs meeting the brief for a sustainable space for health and wellbeing including a water tower providing clean drinking water, a library and coffee shop, a hot air balloon raising awareness of climate change, a cube promoting biodiversity and a health centre for the poor.
All the finalists enjoyed the final and the opportunity to present their designs to a live audience, hear from inspiring guest speakers who spoke about their work in architecture and the opportunities that learning Spanish had given them, and take part in some fun games that tested their Spanish. Congratulations to all our teams for Espacios Increíbles 2023!
2 June 2023 (SCILT)
Félicitations to Mearns Castle High, winners of this year’s edition of Le Foot et la Francophonie!
Following the pilot last year, Le Foot was rolled out nationally in 2022-23, engaging over forty schools, from Shetland to Stranraer, and attracting video entries from twenty-four teams across ten schools. Following a shortlisting process conducted by a panel at SCILT, the finalists invited to take part in the live event at the University of Strathclyde on Thursday 1 June came from Biggar High (two teams), Kinross High, Prestwick Academy, Kilmarnock Academy and Mearns Castle High.
As was the case during the pilot edition, Le Foot, an interdisciplinary project incorporating benchmarks, experiences and outcomes in Modern Languages, Physical Education and Health and Wellbeing, generated huge enthusiasm in the schools which integrated the project into their S2 and S3 programmes. Again, participation fired the creative imagination of the learners, some of whom had previously shown limited interest in French, while their teachers built on the legacy of the pilot project by creating and sharing a wealth of new resources covering the four key skills of reading, listening, talking and writing, focussing on the Francophone world and including strong anti-racism messages. The pupils who took part, numbering well over one thousand, were encouraged to consider the vital importance of additional languages to a broad range of careers associated with professional sports.
The six teams of pupils were joined at the final by their teachers and classmates who came along to support them. On the panel of judges were Cédric Moreau (Subject Leader for French, University of Strathclyde), Lisa Hanna (Depute Director of SCILT), Kandi Higgins (Course Leader for PGDE in Modern Languages, University of Strathclyde), Cara Lamb (Course Leader for PGDE in Physical Education, University of Strathclyde) and Mark Cunningham (graduate in Spanish and Education, and qualified football coach). After presenting their football-themed videos in French, the teams performed football drills, which included commands in French, and all pupils present were put through their paces in a range of drills designed and delivered by newly qualified PE teachers from the University’s School of Education. Those in attendance then heard a video message from former Scotland footballer John Collins, who learned French during his two-year spell at AS Monaco, before some closing remarks from Fhiona Mackay (Director of SCILT). The all important winner’s announcement saw Mearns Castle claim the trophy, together with a visit to Hampden Park, where the winning team will be given a French-focussed tour of the stadium and the Scottish Football Museum.
For more information on Le Foot et la Francophonie, including a range of football-themed resources for second and third level BGE French, see the page dedicated to the project on the SCILT website.
Read more...
1 June 2023 (The Guardian)
Languages and the creative arts are falling out of favour among GCSE and A-level students, who are increasingly opting for more vocational subjects such as computing and business studies.
Provisional figures for England show exam entries for German have fallen by 17% for A-level students and 6% for GCSE studies, while Spanish and French have fallen 13% at A-level, although there has been a 5% increase for Spanish GCSEs, and French entries stayed at a similar level.
Read more...
Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize 2023 - Winners announced!
1 June 2023 (SCILT)
The final of this year’s Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize took place on Tuesday 30 May. This prize, run in partnership between the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and SCILT, was established in 2021 in honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community.
The awards ceremony was held on Zoom with opening remarks and announcement of the winner by Lord Brodie, President of the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland. Mme Laurence Païs, Consule Générale de France and Directrice de l’Institut Français d’Écosse.
First place and runners-up spots were closely contested, with the awards ultimately going to the following:
First place
- Lola Guatelli (Robert Gordon’s College)
Runners-up
- Toby Reid (Harlaw Academy)
- Renata Csapai (St Margaret’s Academy)
Highly commended for reaching the final six were also:
- Dishan Aloysius (Holyrood Secondary School)
- Maya McGowan (Bearsden Academy)
- Ailie Wright (Inverkeithing High School)
Congratulations go to these finalists and to all those who took part in this competition! The standard of French was very high indeed and judging decisions came down to the finest of margins.
The 2023 awards ceremony will shortly be published on both the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and SCILT websites.
31 May 2023 (e-Sgoil)
E-Sgoil offers Gaelic courses designed by award-winning staff, with the language coming alive through regular, interactive, online lessons, and quality digital support materials.
The National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher courses are designed to help develop skills and knowledge rapidly, getting even those learners with no Gaelic at the start of the course to a level of confidence and fluency quickly.
Visit the website for more information and to register interest for the 2023-24 session.
Read more...
24 May 2023 (Language Magazine)
In a recent study published in the journal Science Advances, French researchers examined how bilingual people neurologically process their respective languages in written form.
The study carried out by a team of clinical neurologists, neuropsychologists and researchers, and funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche, found that a part of the brain called the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) behaves differently for English-Chinese speakers compared to English-French speakers. It has also shed light on specific research towards different forms of bilingualism, with most accredited research comparing monolingualism and bilingualism.
There is much scientific evidence to credit bilingualism beyond its cultural and communication benefits. Being able to speak more than one language is proven to physically change the brain, including increased neuroplasticity and fighting cognitive decline.
Read more...
19 May 2023 (SEET)
It's our birthday! SEET is proud to be 30 years old this June, and we are using this as an opportunity to raise awareness for language learning in our school communities.
Here at SEET, we are fortunate to work with hundreds of schools each year across the Euroquiz and Our World projects. We would like to use this platform to bring everyone together, have fun with languages and celebrate the hard work of the thousands of young linguists we work with across the country each year.
Interested in taking part? Pupils should work together to organise a language-themed fundraiser at school between March-June. This should be an opportunity to show off creativity and have fun with languages! 50% of proceeds will be allocated to your own school fund, and 50% will be shared with our charity to further support young people with their language learning across Scotland. There will also be prizes for the most unique ideas and for the school that raises the most.
Visit SEET's dedicated web page for full details and to sign up to raise awareness of language learning!
Read more...
19 May 2023 (SCILT / Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow)
Primary teachers, how would you like to learn some basic Polish from a native Polish speaker? Would you like to give it a go? Read on and see if this language learning opportunity might just be thing for you!
Following on from the success of the Polish language classes for teachers run in partnership with SCILT and The Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, we are delighted to announce that a new and revamped block of language classes will begin in the first term of next session. Supported by the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh, these online classes are designed to provide primary teachers with an introduction to basic Polish language and culture and support the teaching and learning of Polish as an L3 in the primary classroom.
Teachers in the past have found the language classes useful and have applied their learning successfully with their learners in the classroom. One teacher commented, “Great course. I have become more confident at both teaching Polish as a L3 and also having a go myself.” Chris Sagan, Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, is delighted to partner up with SCILT once again in order to support and encourage the development of Polish as a viable L3 option for primary teachers. Chris is looking forward to seeing more Polish being taught in Scottish primary schools and is looking forward to the new block beginning next session.
This year the new classes will be led by Ania Trusewicz. Ania is an experienced teacher of teaching Polish as a foreign language and is looking forward to welcoming primary teachers to her online classes in September. You can find out more about Ania below:
"Cześć! My name is Ania. I am Trilingual. I have completed my teaching course as a teacher of foreign language at University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Toruń (Poland) in 2006. Since moving to Glasgow in 2008 I have been teaching many students both face-to-face and online. I also hold a degree from University of Glasgow (Social Science). I teach with passion and great enthusiasm. My lessons are funny and interesting. I take care of each of my students and make sure that Polish lessons at Sikorski Polish Club are adapted to various levels and individual needs of my students. In my classes I have students who are coming from different professional backgrounds. I will be happy to see you at our online class: Polish in the Primary classroom!"
The classes will begin in September, however before the first lesson, we will host an online Meet & Greet session where everyone will get a chance to meet each other before the classes start. Please note the following:
- All classes are online and will be hosted on MS Teams
- Meet & Greet online introductory session Monday 28 August 4-5pm
- Language classes scheduled on Mondays from 4 September to 23 October, 4-5pm
- 6-week block - one hour lesson per week
- Access to course materials and resources
- Free of charge
- Open to all primary teachers
*Please note: Due to local holidays, there will be no class on Monday 25 September and Monday 16 October.
To register your interest in taking part in these classes please complete the form via the link below. Deadline for registration Friday 9 June.
Read more...
19 May 2023 (SCILT)
Congratulations again to everyone who took part in our recent Words for the World competition.
Following the awards ceremony on 25 April, and the announcement of the winners’ names, we are now delighted to be able to publish the winning, highly commended and other finalist entries in each category. We are sure that you will be impressed by the fantastic linguistic diversity, creativity and passion that all the finalists show. Well done everyone!
At the awards ceremony we were delighted to be able to share a personal video message from Len Pennie, the well-known Scottish poet and Scots language and mental health advocate, which spoke of the huge difference that all of our words can make; watch her video and be inspired!
Read more...
16 May 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
Are you studying German at university or for your A-Level / Highers / Advanced Highers? Would you like to share your passion for the language with younger learners and inspire them to want to continue their own German journey? Then why not join our Young Goethe Scheme?
Young Goethe Ambassadors are student role models who promote the benefits of learning German to young people and encourage younger students to learn and choose German as an option at GCSE / National Fives, A-Level / Highers and beyond.
Visit the Goethe-Institut website for more information and how to apply.
Read more...
16 May 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
The Goethe-Institut Glasgow are offering dates for school visits from June 2023.
Provide your students with a direct and personal look into the German language and culture. Depending on the age group and language level of your students, you can choose a programme from a range of activities for your trip to the Goethe-Institut Glasgow.
Visit the Goethe-Institut Glasgow website for more information and to register your school group.
Read more...
15 May 2023 (The Conversation)
In the year ending September 2022, more than 70,000 people had claimed asylum in the UK. The vast majority were from countries that do not use English as a first language.
Being able to communicate in English is essential for newly arrived migrants. People who have gone through traumatic experiences are, understandably, often desperate to build new lives. They want to use the skills and knowledge they have to access work and education. To do that, they have to navigate the health, social security, housing and education systems.
Language is the single most important area that can promote integration for migrants. My research has shown that language teachers are uniquely placed to positively affect the lives of people in these situations.
In fact, the 2016 Casey review, a government-commissioned report on the state of social cohesion in Britain, highlighted that developing fluency in English is critical to integration.
Read more...
12 May 2023 (CIOL)
The Languages Gateway is a new website, aligned to the latest evolving UK national languages strategy, intended to act as a portal for everything to do with languages in the UK.
[..] We aim to provide a one stop-shop for all things languages in the UK, facilitating links between all those interested in languages: learners, families, community groups, teachers, school leaders, academics, policymakers, subject associations.
We are now putting out this Call for Content so that we can widen participation, increase traffic, and generally make the website more valuable for everyone as a shared endeavour.
Visit the CIOL website for more information.
Read more...
10 May 2023 (TES)
Few would contest that the ability to communicate in more than one language is a very good thing. Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT), driven by this belief, supports languages wherever they are spoken, used and learned across the country, because there is growing evidence that they boost brain power, improve memory, enhance multi-tasking ability and improve performance in other academic areas.
It is therefore troubling to see a growing trend in recent years for learners in secondary schools to drop languages in favour of other subjects as they progress into later years of study.
For several years, young people in Wales have benefited from a mentoring scheme led by colleagues at the University of Cardiff, which appears to be winning hearts and minds. So, when we heard that the Northern Alliance, the University of Aberdeen and the Open University were planning a similar collaboration, we at SCILT felt compelled to get involved so that similar opportunities could be offered to young people in Scotland. From these initial discussions, Scotland’s Language Explorer Programme was born.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
Read more...
10 May 2023 (TES)
Few would contest that the ability to communicate in more than one language is a very good thing. Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT), driven by this belief, supports languages wherever they are spoken, used and learned across the country, because there is growing evidence that they boost brain power, improve memory, enhance multi-tasking ability and improve performance in other academic areas.
It is therefore troubling to see a growing trend in recent years for learners in secondary schools to drop languages in favour of other subjects as they progress into later years of study.
For several years, young people in Wales have benefited from a mentoring scheme led by colleagues at the University of Cardiff, which appears to be winning hearts and minds. So, when we heard that the Northern Alliance, the University of Aberdeen and the Open University were planning a similar collaboration, we at SCILT felt compelled to get involved so that similar opportunities could be offered to young people in Scotland. From these initial discussions, Scotland’s Language Explorer Programme was born.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
Read more...
5 May 2023 (SCILT)
The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter has been published!
Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning opportunities, knowledge exchange events, competitions and online lessons. Find out how schools celebrated Languages Week Scotland 2023 and hear from local authorities about their latest inspiring initiatives. There is also the opportunity to read about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland.
If you would like to contribute an article to a future edition of the newsletter you can read the submission guidelines on our website, and email your entries to SCILT.
Read more...
A Global Citizenship Approach to French - Free new materials for French learners!!
4 May 2023 (Scotdec / University of Stirling / SCILT)
‘Remembering Empire’ is an interdisciplinary learning programme for pupils of French in S3 and AH, developed by Dr Fiona Barclay (University of Stirling) with the support of the AHRC to build language competence and global citizenship values by exploring France’s empire in Algeria. You can read more about the project and materials on SCILT's website.
Join Scotdec for a series of workshops for BGE and AH French teachers alongside Dr Barclay introducing you to the materials, and providing guidance on discussing themes of colonisation, immigration and refugees within the context of a Global Citizenship approach. More information, dates and sign-up information on the flyer attached below.
In addition, SCILT and Scotdec are joining forces to present a webinar on Active Global Citizenship Through Modern Languages on Thursday 1 June, 4-5pm. As well as general strategies, this webinar will also introduce the Remembering Empire project materials. Register for the free event!
4 May 2023 (UK-German Connection)
Would you like to boost your school’s international ethos, pupil motivation and teachers’ professional development? Through the Host a Teacher from Germany programme, your school can host a German teacher (in-person or virtually) for one, two or three weeks during the academic year – no costs involved for UK schools.
All schools and further education colleges in the UK can register. The programme is open to teachers of all subjects and German does not need to be offered at your school.
Visit the UK-German Connection website for full details and register interest by 31 May 2023. Interested schools can also register for Q&A webinar sessions about the programme being held on 10 and 25 May.
Read more...
4 May 2023 (SCILT)
Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Words for the World competition.
We had a very high standard of entries submitted in a range of formats and different languages. Our young people here in Scotland demonstrated a wealth of linguistic diversity, creativity and immense passion for protecting our planet, our humanity and creating a brighter future for us all. We were truly humbled and inspired by their work and they should all be incredibly proud of their achievements.
Judging proved exceptionally difficult, but we were delighted to announce the winning entries at an online awards event held last week to celebrate Earth Day. Well done again to the following who were successful in their respective categories and thank you to every pupil who participated in the competition.
P1-P4
- Winner – Libby Gow, Goodlyburn Primary
- Highly commended – Jamie Rettie, Goodlyburn Primary
P5-P7
- Winner – Sophia Chan, ESMS Junior School
- Highly commended – Halima Jemal, Toryglen Primary
- Highly commended – Leena Valluri, Goodlyburn Primary
S1-S3
- Winner - Deepak Krisna Kumaar, Craigmount High
- Highly commended – 1W & 1Q class entry, Holy Rood RC High
- Highly commended – Rory Turner, Portree High
S4-S6
- Winner - Dianna-Liza Boychuk, Craigmount High
- Highly commended - Wessam Kawarit, Craigmount High
Winners and highly commended entrants will receive a book token and certificate and have their work showcased on the SCILT website in due course, whilst all participants will receive a certificate in recognition of their hard work.
You can find out more about the competition on our Words for the World webpage.
Read more...
2 May 2023 (RZSS)
RZSS Beyond the Panda
Although the giant pandas are returning to China at the end of this year, Beyond the Panda is still continuing.
The new Mandarin upper primary course is 3 weeks virtual sessions followed by an expert for the day! (An in-person outreach visit to your school which can include other sessions for additional classes).
RZSS Science in the Language Class
Choose from one of the outreach sessions linked to Mandarin, Spanish or French. Resources also available in other languages.
All resources, courses and outreach are free of charge.
Visit the Beyond the Panda website for details.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
News from language & education organisations,
Japanese,
Portuguese
27 April 2023 (SCILT)
The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.
The next deadline for submissions is Friday 19 May 2023.
If you're looking for inspiration you can read about our most recent award winners via the case studies on our website. You will also find the full application guidelines and submission form.
If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT.
Read more...
27 April 2023 (Eurydice)
The age at which children in Europe are learning a foreign language is getting younger. In 2002, the Barcelona European Council called for further action ‘teaching at least two foreign languages from a very early age’ to improve the mastery of basic skills in education. The 2023 edition of Key data on teaching languages at school in Europe has found that, since then, around two thirds of education systems for which there are data have lowered the age at which children begin to learn a foreign language. Now, learning at least one foreign language is compulsory before the age of eight in most education systems, and even before the age of six in six education systems.
A common belief is that when it comes to foreign language learning, younger is better. But is this true in the context of European school education?
Read more...
Language courses for pupils at Edinburgh College
27 April 2023 (Edinburgh College)
School pupils who find their chosen language qualification is not offered in their school can study their NQ language course online for free with Edinburgh College.
The college offers National 5 courses in French, German and Spanish as well as Higher and Advanced Higher French, German, Italian and Spanish.
See the attached flyer for details.
21 April 2023 (SCILT / QFI)
SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, is looking for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.
The collaboration will provide an opportunity for primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic.
For learners in local authority primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams.
The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.
Live classes will be scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays, exact time to be confirmed. Schools will have the opportunity to opt for lessons in term 1 (September to December) or term 2 (January to March).
In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team, a loan box containing a range of artefacts and a grant of £2000. The grant can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.
Previous participants have told us:
"The materials that were provided to the schools were great, the workbooks were very useful throughout the course. The mix of live and recorded sessions was a good idea."
"We really like the box of resources. We liked learning about the different colours and clothes. We enjoyed using the genial.ly websites."
Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 12 May 2023.
Please contact SCILT if you have any questions.
Read more...
20 April 2023 (Open University)
TeLT is the Teachers Learning to Teach Languages programme offered by the Open University, and developed in partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages. Now in its 7th year, this professional learning opportunity is aimed at educators working in the primary sector and carries GTCS Professional Recognition.
Students learn a language – French, German, Mandarin or Spanish - and in parallel, get to put primary language pedagogies into practice with their own pupils. The programme is offered at two levels – beginners and post-beginners.
Registration for 2023-24 intake is now open. Enrolment closes 7 September 2023. Modules begin in October.
Visit the TeLT website for full details about how the course works and how to register. For further information please contact: Scotland-languages@open.ac.uk.
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Posted in:
Primary,
Chinese,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Scotland,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
20 April 2023 (CISS)
To commemorate the final year of the Giant Pandas in Scotland CISS is excited to introduce the Panda Card Project - an opportunity for pupils to design a goodbye card for Yang Guang and Tian Tian, to wish them best wishes for their journey and new life back at home.
All submissions will be collated into a photo book which will be passed on to Edinburgh Zoo and then travel back to China with the pandas.
Visit the CISS website for more information and submit entries by 26 May 2023.
Read more...
18 April 2023 (b small publishing)
The b small Young Language Learner Award is an exciting story-writing opportunity aimed at 6-11 year olds. Children are encouraged to send in a story or comic written in a language of their choice, other than a mother tongue, with the chance of winning up to 10 books of their choice from the b small website.
Visit the website for more information and to register for the competition entry pack. Entries close 5 June 2023.
Read more...
18 April 2023 (SEET)
It's our birthday! SEET is proud to be 30 years old this June, and we are using this as an opportunity to raise awareness for language learning in our school communities.
Here at SEET, we are fortunate to work with hundreds of schools each year across the Euroquiz and Our World projects. We would like to use this platform to bring everyone together, have fun with languages and celebrate the hard work of the thousands of young linguists we work with across the country each year.
Interested in taking part? Pupils should work together to organise a language-themed fundraiser at school between March-June. This should be an opportunity to show off creativity and have fun with languages! 50% of proceeds will be allocated to your own school fund, and 50% will be shared with our charity to further support young people with their language learning across Scotland. There will also be prizes for the most unique ideas and for the school that raises the most.
Visit SEET's dedicated web page for full details and to sign up to raise awareness of language learning!
Read more...
28 March 2023 (TES)
Despite Scotland not producing any new Latin or classical studies teachers, a new project is raising hopes that the language of ancient Rome can be revived in schools.
[..] Dr Henry Stead (of the University of St Andrews) and I (at Monifieth High School, in Angus) initiated a new project - the St Andrews Latin Outreach Scheme (Stalos) - to introduce more state-school pupils to the language of the ancient Romans.
Last year, instructors from St Andrews travelled to Monifieth in Angus once per week, where a lunchtime group of 20 enthusiastic S4-6 pupils were guided through sections of the Cambridge Latin Course over nine weeks. The class then went to the university for an end-of-course certificate presentation event. This opportunity came without the obligation of the full course - they could try an ancient language out to see if it was for them, an opportunity they would otherwise be denied.
The wider impact of the scheme has been remarkable in showing an appetite for Latin in our school. It has provided an opportunity for pupils to visit and experience the University of St Andrews and - crucially - made a case for Latin as an examination subject for us.
(Note - subscription required to access the full article)
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18 March 2023 (Fife Today)
Pupils from Valley Primary School, Kirkcaldy, have been celebrating their success in a National Poetry Competition, Mother Tongue Other Tongue.
Six P7 pupils wrote original poems in their first language to showcase and celebrate the many languages spoken at Valley Primary School.
As well as entering the competition they also shared their poems at school along with pupils reciting a range of Scots poetry.
Read more...
17 March 2023 (The Herald)
Glasgow Gaelic School’s first ‘learner’ head teacher has been appointed to lead the flagship campus as record numbers of pupils are expected to enroll this year.
In common with more than 90% of pupils at the school, Gillian Campbell-Thow is not a native speaker of the ancient Scots language.
When the city’s first primary opened in 1999 the roll was predominantly made up of pupils whose parents had ‘heritage’ Gaelic.
While the Ayrshire-born teacher’s appointment might have raised eyebrows in the early days of the school, she says “for the most part” the reaction from the community has been positive.
The 44-year-old is working towards an additional teaching qualification in Gaelic at Strathclyde University and has her own homework to do this evening.
Da chanan, da chultar, iomadh cothrom, is written on her coffee mug: two languages, two cultures, many opportunities.
The new head certainly practices what she preaches. She is fluent in Spanish and French, competent in German and could comfortably chat in Mandarin.
Read more...
17 March 2023 (Cambridge Language Collective)
The Cambridge Language Collective is delighted to be opening its third annual Schools’ Essay Competition. Following the spirit of the publication’s own personal objective, to ‘broaden horizons beyond the Anglophone world’, the essay competition encourages students from years 10 to 13 (S4-S6 in Scotland) to write about the art & culture, or politics & society, of a non-Anglophone country.
Visit the website for more information and submit entries by 5 April 2023.
Read more...
16 March 2023 (Institut français)
Le Concours de la Francophonie 2023 is now closed ! The theme of the competition this year was : “PLAY” - “JOUER” en français.
Congratulations to everyone who participated and to the following institutions who have each won prizes in their own categories:
First prize:
- St George’s School for Girls, Edinburgh (S1-S6)
- Avenue End Primary, Glasgow (P5-P7)
- Glasgow Academy Milngavie, Glasgow (P1 –P4)
Second prize:
- Aberdeen Grammar School, Aberdeen (S1-S6)
- Kilmodan Primary School & ELCC, Glendaruel (P5-P7)
- Doune Primary School, Stirling (P1-P4)
We congratulate all our winners on their French skills and creativity!
It's not too late to register for free online courses in French to celebrate the mois de la francophonie this March. Visit the Institut français website to sign up!
Read more...
RZSS Programmes for Schools
16 March 2023 (RZSS)
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland runs a variety of opportunities for schools linking language learning and their conservation programmes. Follow the relevant links below to find out more about current initiatives:
- 'Stripy Tails' Family event at Dewars Centre, Perth on 14th and 15th April. StampIT has invited RZSS Stripy Tails along to their youth corner at the ASPS (Association of Scottish Philatelic Societies) Congress. Fascinating facts about the red panda from China and the ring tailed lemur from Madagascar and the programme links to French and Mandarin. Full details on Eventbrite - Stripy Tails at ASPS Congress
Stripy Tails is also one of the 'Science in the Language Class' outreach programmes for schools.
- Beyond the Panda, the RZSS Mandarin programme is fully booked for this school year but taking bookings for 23-24. Beyond the Panda is continuing even though the giant pandas will return to China later this year. RZSS is still a science specialist Confucius Classroom offering virtual sessions, in-person outreach and many resources linked to Mandarin language learning. Visit the Beyond the Panda website for more information.
16 March 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
Calling all learners and lovers of German in the UK and Ireland! We invite you to look back at turning points from the past century of German – and therefore also European – history. Write a letter or diary entry imagining alternative developments and win one of three trips to Berlin and other exciting prizes!
The competition is open to learners and lovers of German of ALL levels! Jury members will be considering entries in several categories of language experience to ensure a fair assessment!
Exercises and recommended media to help students familiarise themselves with the theme of the competition are available to teachers and lecturers.
Visit the website for more information and submit entries by 3 May 2023.
Read more...
10 March 2023 (BBC)
Alex loved books and languages. His parents were native English speakers, and the family lived in Japan, so Alex spoke English at home, and Japanese at school. At the age of 13, however, Alex was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning difficulty that affects reading and writing. According to test results, his English reading level was that of a six-year-old.
The results were a shock. "This test came along and they were like, actually, your writing is horrible," Alex recalls. "I thought I was doing ok. Yes, there was a bit of a struggle, but I assumed everyone else was struggling. In fact, the numbers that came out were quite devastating from my perspective."
To researchers, the even bigger surprise was his performance in the other language he used. When he was tested in Japanese at the age of 16, his literacy was not just good. It was excellent.
Read more...
8 March 2023 (Institut français)
The Institut français partner, Frantastique, is offering a month of online French lessons to celebrate the Mois de la Francophonie! Don't miss this opportunity to improve your French! Visit the Institut français website to sign-up.
Read more...
Remembering Empire: Free materials to build global citizenship values and competence in French (S3 and AH)
7 March 2023 (University of Stirling)
Looking for free new materials for French learners? ‘Remembering Empire’ is an interdisciplinary learning programme for pupils of French in S3 and Advanced Higher. Developed by Dr Fiona Barclay (University of Stirling) with the support of the Arts and Humanities Research Council, ‘Remembering Empire’ builds language competence and global citizenship values by exploring France’s empire in Algeria. By focusing on the establishment of the colony, life there, and the departure of the settlers when Algeria became independent, learners are encouraged to make connections with Scotland’s history of emigration and colonisation, and with the experiences of refugees today.
The S3 programme consists of five sessions and focuses on an electronic comic book, ‘Entre ici et là-bas’, which tells the story of Jeanne, a young French girl whose family are forced to leave Algeria when it becomes independent. Waiting to board a ship, she reflects on her family’s history, from her great-grandfather who arrived in 1871 and built a farm for his family, to her own experiences of the war that led to independence. We hear about the indigenous Arab population and think about how they experienced this history.
Activities based on the comic include:
- City/country names and prepositions
- Asking questions and naming objects (if you had to leave home suddenly, what would you pack in your suitcase?)
- Describing emotions and using être in the present (how do the different characters feel?)
- Different daily routines, in Algeria and in France
- Using the near future (aller + infinitive) to imagine what the characters might do in the future.
Free resources include the comic (available on Webtoons), a video-recording of the comic being read aloud by a native speaker, lesson plans for all sessions with detailed information and interactive activities, and suggested drama activities led by actors with video guides.
For learners taking Advanced Higher French, Remembering Empire offers full support for the portfolio element, including the two required texts (a play and an interview with the playwright). Five sessions of archive footage, readings and activities in French introduce learners to the history and culture of French Algeria and the war which led to independence, and give the background required to study the play.
Six sessions focus on a French play, Les Pieds Tanqués (2012). Set on a pétanque pitch, the play presents the conflicting memories of the Algerian War. Full resources include the interactive electronic text of the play and notes, a written interview with the playwright, Philippe Chuyen, lesson plans with detailed information and classroom activities, a blank fiche de lecture and character profiles for pupils to complete (plus completed versions for teachers), and a video recording of a live performance. The package also includes a plan for a potential AH Portfolio essay question.
Interested? The materials will be available from April 2023. To express an interest and be contacted then, leave your name and contact details on this form: https://forms.gle/JNoer7PA2zkAjzvg9
6 March 2023 (NE Festival of Languages)
The North East Festival of Languages takes place throughout the month of March.
Whilst much of the programme is specifically for schools and communities residing in the North East of England, there are also resources and opportunities open to all, like the Yorùbá language and culture online taster on 11 March and exciting games and activities for language learners, such as the Escape Room challenge available for learners of French, German or Spanish.
Visit the website and check out what's available for your next language class!
Read more...
3 March 2023 (Barrhead News)
Senior pupils at an East Renfrewshire school have put their foreign language skills to good use by taking part in an international podcast.
Francesca Bell, Sam Wells, Rachael Martin and head boy James Orr, of Mearns Castle High, were interviewed for the show by Ángela Gutiérrez, from Spain, and Mariana Mejía, from Colombia.
[..] The episode featuring the four S6 pupils is called ‘Entrevistamos a estudiantes de Glasgow’ and was fully recorded in Spanish.
Read more...
3 March 2023 (The Guardian)
Ministers have awarded an almost £15m contract to tackle the systemic decline in the number of pupils in England taking foreign languages at GCSE and A-level.
University College London’s Institute of Education will develop and roll out the Department of Education’s £14.9m language programme in primary and secondary schools over the next three years, with a focus on increasing opportunities among disadvantaged pupils.
The IoE will establish a National Centre for Languages Education (NCLE) made up of up to 25 lead schools specialising in languages to work with up to 105 partner secondary schools. The centre aims to develop strategies to persuade more boys, as well as pupils with special educational needs or disabilities and other disadvantaged pupils, to choose languages, while up to five schools will be chosen to expand the Home Languages Accreditation project, which helps bilingual pupils gain GCSEs or A-levels in their home or heritage language.
Read more...
CPD opportunities for teachers of Spanish
2 March 2023 (Consejería de Educación)
The Spanish Embassy Education Office has several professional learning opportunities available for UK teachers of Spanish. Follow the relevant link below for further information.
Next online workshop – Tuesday 7 March (16:30)
Immersion courses in Salamanca - April 2023
- One-week Spanish language course - Grants to follow a one-week Spanish language course in Salamanca aimed at primary or secondary teachers at Easter. Four different levels: absolute beginners, beginners, intermediate and advanced Spanish. Register via the website link.
- Course on Didactics in Salamanca - Grants for a course on didactics aimed at secondary and university teachers of Spanish in the UK and Ireland. One-week course in Salamanca at Easter. Register via the website link.
March 2023: Spanish teacher training UK tour
Edinumen Publishing House and the Consejería de Educación are co- organising a series of face-to-face training sessions for teachers of Spanish to take place throughout March 2023 in five British cities:
- Manchester, Saturday 11/03/23
- Oxford, Tuesday 14/03/23
- London, Wednesday 15/03/23
- Cambridge, Thursday 16/03/23
- Glasgow, Saturday 18/03/23
Registration is free and already open. The workshops will be held in Spanish. Visit the website for the programme and registration links.
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Spanish,
CPD,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
2 March 2023 (e-Sgoil)
Registration for e-Sgoil's Easter study support sessions is now open.
Please note, even if you've been attending term-time evening classes you must register separately for the Easter programme.
Sessions are free to learners. Visit the website to view the timetable and sign up for your preferred sessions. Various classes available for French, German, Gaelic/Gàidhlig and Spanish from National 5 to Advanced Higher.
Read more...
28 February 2023 (Glasgow Film Festival)
Glasgow Film Festival takes place 1-12 March screening the best new releases, a host of old favourites, and some undiscovered gems.
Visit the website for full programme details. Search in the 'genre' dropdown on the What's On page for foreign language films.
Read more...
Vive la Francophonie Quiz 2023
24 February 2023 (Institut français)
Test your French and learn more about the culture of the 88 countries which form the Francophonie! The focus of this year's quiz is Tunisia. Make the most of the Francophonie celebrations and get a chance to win books and other exciting prizes!
The quiz will be available online 18-26 March.
Visit the website for more information and to register to take part.
MTOT 2022-23 - Winners announced!
24 February 2023 (SCILT)
Pupils, teachers and special guests joined us online on 21 February to hear the winners of this year’s Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition. The date chosen for the event was significant being International Mother Language Day, a day to celebrate all world languages.
We are delighted to announce the following winners and highly commended entries in each category:
|
Mother Tongue
|
Award
|
Pupil
|
School
|
Language
|
|
P1-P4
|
Winner
|
Sofia Poliakova
|
West Primary
|
Russian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Jiya Srikanth
|
West Primary
|
Tamil
|
|
P5-P7
|
Winner
|
Ariana Misankova
|
West Primary
|
Slovakian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Arina Fomenko
|
Williamsburgh PS
|
Russian-Ukrainian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Nikola Arimovica
|
Valley Primary
|
Russian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Misha Levdykov
|
Kilbarchan Primary
|
Russian-Ukrainian
|
|
S1-S3
|
Winner
|
Shadan Alousy
|
Bishopbriggs Academy
|
Arabic
|
|
Highly commended
|
Eve Joshi
|
Bearsden Academy
|
Danish
|
|
Highly commended
|
Lynn Januschke
|
Madras College
|
German
|
|
Highly commended
|
Michaela Mileva
|
St Joseph’s Academy
|
Bulgarian
|
|
S4-S6
|
Winner
|
Oleksandra Lotytska
|
Rosshall Academy
|
Ukrainian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Lucia d’Alessio
|
Bishopbriggs Academy
|
Italian
|
|
Other Tongue
|
Award
|
Pupil
|
School
|
Language
|
|
P1-P4
|
Winner
|
Mabel Sainsbury
|
Kilmodan Primary
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
P1 Class
|
Canaan Lane Primary
|
French
|
|
P5-P7
|
Winner
|
Kathryn Morley
|
Kilmodan Primary
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Giles Leigh
|
Kilmodan Primary
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Masha Naumenko
|
Thorn Primary
|
Ukrainian
|
|
S1-S3
|
Winner
|
Caitlin Anderson
|
Monifieth High
|
Ukrainian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Laila Strokosch
|
Mearns Castle High
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Molly Innes
|
Madras College
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Zach Bartlett
|
Madras College
|
French
|
|
S4-S6
|
Winner
|
Jessica Smith
|
Monifieth High
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Aiman Mohammad
|
Renfrew High
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Aimee Carroll
|
Mintlaw Academy
|
German
|
|
Highly commended
|
Jessica Smith
|
Monifieth High
|
Spanish
|
|
Highly commended
|
Roux Scott
|
Loudoun Academy
|
Spanish
|
All our finalists will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also be offered the chance for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive and Kids Poetry Club podcast. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward.
This year we were also delighted to host a special strand of the competition focusing on Ukrainian languages. The winning entries in this category were:
- Primary – Arina Fomenko, Williamsburgh Primary
- Secondary – Dianna-Liza Boyckuk, Craigmount High
Teachers with students who entered in this category will be contacted separately regarding their awards.
It is our intention to host each of the finalists’ poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available.
Congratulations again to all our finalists!
23 February 2023 (The Herald)
Scotland is famous for many things, its scenery, its history, its people and of course, our distinct and vibrant culture.
Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) is a fantastic celebration of one of the most valuable aspects of our cultural heritage; our language. It helps recognise the role Gaelic plays in shaping our culture and raise awareness of the language with audiences the world over. We are hugely excited to be part of it and share this story with our visitors.
But this week is also a timely reminder of why we must preserve Gaelic for future generations, for our future visitors but also for the communities who use it.
Responsible tourism is at the heart of everything we do at VisitScotland, and this includes protecting Scotland’s culture and heritage. We recognise the importance of preserving those assets, which are so vital to Scotland’s brand and make Scotland so unique.
Gaelic and its rich culture provide an extra layer of authenticity for visitors with a unique experience you can only truly have in Scotland. This only strengthens the destination connection we know means so much to visitors.
Read more...
21 February 2023 (The Guardian)
Which language immigrant parents should speak at home has been endlessly debated. For now, we have not passed Urdu onto our children.
As a second-generation British Pakistani growing up in Bradford, I was surrounded by Urdu and smatterings of Punjabi. English came later, and I can remember not being able to understand my teacher on the first day of nursery. This was all part of my parents’ plan: to speak in Urdu to my siblings and I because they knew we would learn English at school. They were right.
There have been countless debates over the years about which language immigrant parents should speak to their children, and the impact of that on their studies. I’ve never been convinced of the benefit of dropping one language in favour of the other. Because of my parents’ decision, I’m able to speak both languages fluently. I write for a living and worked as a journalist for the BBC, and my multilingualism has only enhanced my life.
Read more...
21 February 2023 (University of Reading)
Multilingual children in pre-schools across Reading have benefitted from a series of multilingual storytelling sessions to celebrate children’s heritage languages as well as to help improve their early literacy skills and understanding of language.
As part of a project funded through the Community Fund, a joint initiative by the University of Reading and the John Sykes Foundation, a group of 12 student volunteers from the University visited four pre-schools in Reading to read story books to the children in seven community-spoken languages. These included Malayalam, German, Arabic, Urdu and Mandarin.
The idea was to expose both the multilingual children, who speak one or more languages other than English, and monolingual children who speak only English, to multiple languages in their learning environment and to provide a positive example of reading not dependent on English fluency.
Charlotte Dormer, project volunteer and Academic Liaison Librarian at the University of Reading, said: “Through this project, we wanted to demonstrate the value of storytelling in multiple languages for all children, whether multilingual or not. We know that lockdowns limited the opportunities that children had to experience language rich environments, and this was an opportunity to start to re-address that balance.
“We also know it is important that children read; the evidence all points towards better social outcomes for children who are read to and who enjoy reading, and for children who are multilingual it is also important that they are encouraged to develop those skills in all their languages.”
Read more...
20 February 2023 (Institut français)
With the French Pop Video Competition, students get the chance to practice French in a very different and fun way. Not only do they improve their writing skills and enrich their vocabulary by creating their own lyrics, but they also practice their speaking skills while shooting the video and create lifelong memories related to their French class.
Open to all UK primary and secondary schools. Entries can be from a class, a small group or individuals.
Visit the website for full details and register to take part by 10 March.
Read more...
17 February 2023 (BBC)
Sleep has a more powerful role in language-learning than was previously thought. What does this reveal about our night-time brain?
Just after I began work on this article, I had a very fitting dream. I was hosting a party in a hotel suite, with guests from the US, Pakistan, and other countries. Most of the guests were chatting away in English; one or two spoke German, my mother tongue. At one point I couldn't find my son, and panicked. When I spotted him, I sighed a relieved "Ach, da bist du ja!" – "There you are!", in German – and gave him a hug.
If you speak more than one language, you may have had similar experiences of them mingling in your sleep. My own dreams often feature English, which I speak in daily life here in London, as well as German, my childhood language. But how and why do our brains come up with these multilingual dreams – and could they have an impact on our real-life language skills?
Read more...
14 February 2023 (Universities of Southampton & Reading)
Are you a state school primary languages teacher in England or Scotland? Does your school teach French or Spanish to Year 5/Primary 6 students (children aged 9-10 years)?
Digital Empowerment in Language Teaching (DELTEA) is looking for school partners to work with over our 3-year research project!
If you’re interested in free, research-informed teacher professional development in Digital Literacy skills for the MFL classroom, please get in touch via the form below – we’d love to hear from you! We can also offer some funding for supply cover.
https://forms.office.com/e/scBXAHZus2
You can also visit the project website for more information.
Read more...
10 February 2023 (SCILT / QFI)
SCILT continues to work in partnership with Qatar Foundation International to offer our Discovering the World of Arabic programme in session 2023/24.
For session 2023/24 we are making changes to the way we will deliver Discovering the World of Arabic - Secondary. Participating schools will benefit from:
- a grant of £2000 to support the school with resources/ materials/ experiences that will enhance learning
- a dedicated live online lesson every week for each individual school participating (time to be agreed with each school)
- asynchronous materials to consolidate and further explore Arabic language and Arab cultures
- ongoing support from SCILT team
We are currently looking for local authority secondary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through this programme.
The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. BGE and Senior Phase courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and specially commissioned writers, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic. Both courses focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ understanding of Arab cultures and, in the Senior Phase course, their employability skills. It is aimed at beginner learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills.
The courses are delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.
Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 3 March. Responses given on the note of interest form may inform the final selection of schools for this opportunity.
Please contact SCILT if you have any questions.
Read more...
9 February 2023 (Education Scotland)
Languages Week Scotland was celebrated from 30 January to 3 February. If you missed it, don’t worry, there are still plenty of resources to support language learners. Browse our languages wakelet for lots of useful links and resources.
Read more...
Summer courses in Germany
8 February 2023 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers summer opportunities for German learners; these bring language-learning to life by combining language lessons with cultural trips and excursions, as well as staying with host families. The application deadline for all programmes is 1 March 2023.
The programmes are open to pupils who have been learning German for at least 2 years and are eager to actively put their German knowledge to use.
These programmes take place on different dates during July and August. More information can be found on the dedicated webpages.
There is also an opportunity for for secondary teachers to act as group leaders on the German Pupil Courses. These are paid roles. Follow the link below for more information:
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
German,
CPD,
Cultural Diversity,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
3 February 2023 (Seachdain na Gàidhlig)
Seachdain na Gàidhlig (World Gaelic Week) aims to raise the profile of Gaelic through community initiatives, projects and events. It provides the opportunity for both Gaelic speakers and those without the language to take part in a way that suits them; here in Scotland and further afield.
Taking place 20-26 February 2023, the event seeks to celebrate Scottish Gaelic across the globe.
Visit the website for more information and discover how you can get involved.
Read more...
3 February 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
Are you teaching German at a secondary school and would like to practise your conversational skills and keep yourself up-to-date with current affairs in German speaking countries?
This conversation course will be right for you. We will be discussing a wide range of topics based on current newspaper articles, radio programmes and clips from German television. You will be taking away up-to-date materials and, hopefully, inspiration and lots of good ideas for your classroom.
The course consists of six online sessions February-May 2023 held over Zoom.
Read more...
3 February 2023 (TES)
For a decade it has been government policy in Scotland that children should learn two languages in school - starting their first language in P1 and their second in P5, and continuing with them until at least the third year of secondary.
However, the figures show the policy - which began being introduced in 2013 and was supposed to be fully implemented by August 2021 - has yet to be fully realised.
Research published by the government in April last year, based on a survey of 86 per cent of primary schools and 88 per cent of secondaries, shows that just 69 per cent of primary schools were delivering a second language continuously from P1 to P7.
A further 29 per cent were “partially” delivering a second language and 2 per cent were delivering no second language whatsoever.
All secondaries were delivering a second language in S1 to S3 - but not all of them were doing so continuously: 70 per cent said they were delivering the entitlement to a second language in full.
And that’s before we get to the third language.
Read more...
3 February 2023 (University of Glasgow)
This collaborative project, carried out by an international team based at the University of Glasgow and at the Arabic Center of the Islamic University of Gaza (Palestine), explores the inclusion of a ‘refugee language’ in Scottish education as a way to enact the idea of ‘integration as a two-way process’ that is at the heart of the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy (Scottish Government, 2018).
The project aimed to show that it is possible to make space in Scottish education for the many languages that New Scots bring with them and to give a space in Scottish schools to a greater number of languages that include those of the people who chose Scotland as their new home.
Visit the website for more information and to read the project's final report.
Read more...
3 February 2023 (Science Daily)
Most people will learn one or two languages in their lives. But Vaughn Smith, a 47-year-old carpet cleaner from Washington, D.C., speaks 24. Smith is a hyperpolyglot—a rare individual who speaks more than 10 languages.
In a new brain imaging study, researchers peered inside the minds of polyglots like Smith to tease out how language-specific regions in their brains respond to hearing different languages. Familiar languages elicited a stronger reaction than unfamiliar ones, they found, with one important exception: native languages, which provoked relatively little brain activity. This, the authors note, suggests there’s something special about the languages we learn early in life.
Read more...
2 February 2023 (Scottish Book Trust)
Each month the Scottish Book Trust runs a writing competition providing a prompt to get you started, but where the story goes from there is entirely up to you. The competition includes four categories: adult writers, all-age Gaelic writers, young writers 5–11 and young writers 12–18.
This month's stories must include a fox and be no longer than 50 words. Visit the Scottish Book Trust website to enter by 28 February.
Read more...
2 February 2023 (The Conversation)
Some languages seem harder than others. Does that mean that the brains of people who speak those languages are more stimulated? – Maria Júlia, aged 14, São Lourenço, Brazil
Are some languages harder than others? For example, is Japanese more difficult than English?
To answer the question, the first thing we have to do is distinguish between babies learning their first language and children or adults learning a second language. For babies who learn their first language, no language is harder than another. Babies all learn their first language in about the same period of time. This is because learning a language is natural for all babies, like learning to walk.
[..] But that changes if you already speak a language and are learning a second one. A language that is very different to the one you already know is going to seem harder than one that’s quite similar to your first language.
Read more...
2 February 2023 (Queen's College Oxford)
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators competition aims to promote language learning across UK and inspire creativity in the modern languages classroom. Participation is free and entry criteria is as follows:
- For students of French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish in KS3-5.
- In addition to competition task, teachers receive up to 15 sets of resources for each language on translating poetry, fiction, non-fiction for use in build-up to competition.
- Deadline for competition entries: 3 April 2023.
- Winners selected for 10 geographical areas. National winners selected for each level in each language. All winners and commendations announced on our webpage.
Last year over 14,000 pupils across the UK took part and the feedback from teachers was enormously positive. Teachers can register to receive classroom resources and competition tasks on the Queen's College Oxford website or for more information contact translation.exchange@queens.ox.ac.uk.
Read more...
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Translation,
News from language & education organisations
2 February 2023 (Japan Foundation)
Applications are now open for the Japan Foundation's new event, The Japanese Language Championship for Young Learners UK – also known as… JaLaChamp! JaLaChamp is a contest for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese, and consists of two categories: a speech category, and a video category where students are asked to create an original video.
Visit the Japan Foundation website for more information.
Read more...
1 February 2023 (Institut français)
The Institut français du Royaume-Uni and l’Alliance française de Rouen are organising a one-week training course for non-specialist primary school teachers of French who would like to build up their confidence in the language. There are two places available for teachers in Scotland.
Training fees and accommodation will be covered by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni. Participants will have to organise and pay for their journey to and from Rouen, France.
Visit the Institut français website for more information and apply by 28 February 2023.
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26 January 2023 (SWEIC)
South West Educational Improvement Collaborative (SWEIC) is excited to launch our programme of professional learning opportunities in celebration of languages week. This year we have a wide selection of inputs, including French, Spanish, Ukrainian, Scots, Gaelic and BSL.
Our Keynote delivered by Education Scotland colleagues is A decade of 1+2 and Scotland’s changing languages landscape.
Visit the SWEIC blog to find out what's planned for the week and how to take part.
Read more...
26 January 2023 (Institut français)
All year round, the Institut français d’Écosse offers a variety of language workshops and Immersion days to support pupils and teachers in primary and secondary schools. Give your students the opportunity to be surrounded by the French language and supported by our team of qualified, native-speaking French teachers and friendly staff. Maximum group of 20 pupils.
More information is available on the attached flyer or you can visit the Institut français website.
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24 January 2023 (Oxford German Network)
Round 2 of the Oxford German Olympiad 2023 is now open for entries. Round 1 and Round 2 are separate competitions. You may enter both, but do not need to have entered Round 1 in order to enter Round 2.
The competition is open to secondary students with a choice of two tasks for different age categories in the second round:
- TASK 1: Oxford German Network Essay or Video Task (ages 13-17)
- TASK 2: The White Rose Project: Creative translation (ages 16-18)
Visit the competition website for full details and submit entries by 12 noon on 9 March 2023.
Read more...
23 January 2023 (La Jolie Ronde)
To support Languages Week Scotland, La Jolie Ronde are offering Schools now and throughout February, FREE trials of their French and Spanish Scheme of Work for P3-P6. To take up this offer email: schools@lajolieronde.co.uk (quote SCILT).
Plus, parents can book a FREE trial session of a French and/or Spanish class run through their network of Scottish tutors - local tutors can be found on La Jolie Ronde's website.
Read more...
20 January 2023 (SCILT)
SCILT’s CLPL menu for the 2022-23 session is available for bookings.
If you are looking for high quality professional learning related to languages pedagogy for groups of experienced colleagues, newly qualified or student teachers in your school, cluster, local authority or RIC, then look no further.
Always interactive, SCILT menu workshops give you the opportunity to explore practice through exemplification and discussion with colleagues.
Primary
- Engaging parents with languages in the primary and early years
- Cultural contexts: an engaging approach to primary language learning
- Get multilingual with DYW in your primary classroom
- Active assessment in primary languages
- Multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy
Secondary
- Policy, planning and practice in BGE (in partnership with Education Scotland)
- Emerging contexts for language learning
- Tackling controversial issues in challenging times
- Talking and listening
- Using language skills across the curriculum
For more detail about the menu workshops and to book for a group follow the link below.
Open access workshops for individuals in primary and secondary will be available through the year, sign up to the SCILT e-bulletin for more information.
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19 January 2023 (Aberystwyth University)
Creative Modern Languages is a British Academy funded project looking at artistic research and creative assessment in Modern Languages.
We would like to encourage colleagues and students to re-consider the teaching, assessment and researching of Modern Languages through the medium of artistic practice.
This website acts as an open access online hub where you will find examples of good practice in creative assessment and artistic research in Modern Languages. We would encourage you to contribute your own examples to grow the hub.
Read more...
International Exchange Turing applications
19 January 2023 (LFEE)
LFEE Europe & Powerlanguage are preparing two International Exchange Turing applications as consortium managers. This means that we will administer the projects on your behalf and find suitable partner schools, using part of the Organisational Budget.
Schools will receive and manage the travel and subsistence budget, which will cover mobilities for all participating pupils and teachers.
We have two proposals to offer Scottish schools:
- Links with a UNESCO World Heritage school and specialist art school in Valencia and also with partners in Italy. This project would benefit learners looking to enhance skills in Music, Art, Digital Literacy and Languages.
- Links with schools in France and Spain to support the learning of Geography - for example, coastal regions - History, Languages and Digital Literacy.
We would be delighted to support your school to engage with Turing. Last year, we made a successful application and secured 120 mobilities for learners. We hope to extend and build this capacity in Scotland through two new Turing funding proposals this year.
Please get in touch (info@lfee.net) if you would like to engage in our consortium application and we will be happy to answer any further questions you may have.
19 January 2023 (British Council)
The UK isn’t the most enthusiastic country when it comes to learning languages. Most of the population - around two thirds - only speak English and many say they don’t feel the need to learn another language. There is a common perception that ‘English is enough’ as it’s a global ‘lingua franca’. Why spend time learning German when many Germans already speak perfect English, right?
Despite this, an appetite for language learning does exist in the UK. The British Council asked 3,000 people across the UK about their language learning ability, interests and habits. The findings revealed one in four UK adults regret never learning a second language.
Meanwhile, nearly a quarter believe it’s more important than ever for people in the UK to learn a language other than English. As Australian professor, Joe Lo Bianco, said: “There are two disadvantages in global language arrangements: one is not knowing English; and the other is knowing only English”.
Read more...
16 January 2023 (UK-German Connection)
Our meet-up group, Café Connect gives young people aged 14-18 the chance to get to know other young people through fun, interactive activities, and group discussions on current topics. Take part and make new friends, learn about the other culture, and practise (or even pick up) some German!
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16 January 2023 (Goethe-Institut)
Are you between 16 and 17 years old and speak German with A1+ level or want to start learning German? Do you love playing football? The football camp in Germany combines both - daily training and German lessons. In addition you will make new friends from other countries and get to know Hamburg. Registration deadline is on 31.01.2023.
Visit the Goethe-Institut website for more information.
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German Pupil Courses & German Scholarship Programme
16 January 2023 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection's German summer courses are back!
The German Pupil Courses and German Scholarships Programme will take place as in-person events again this year, after a 3-year (virtual) break. Applications will open on 25 January, and the deadline will be 1 March 2023.
More information about each option is available via the following links:
12 January 2023 (Institut français)
Since its launch in 2016 by the Institut français d’Ecosse, le Concours de la francophonie, a national school competition to encourage all young French learners and their teachers around Scotland enjoying French language, has been a great way of celebrating the international day of la francophonie.
Throughout the years, many schools across Scotland have taken part in the competition and we hope to receive great entries this year again!
All Scottish primary and secondary schools offering French may enter this competition by submitting a short video of a classroom activity in French. The theme of the competition this year is : “PLAY” - “JOUER” en français. Deadline extended to 31 January 2023.
Visit the Institut français website or see the attached flyer for more information.
Read more...
10 January 2023 (MyFrenchFilmFestival)
MyFrenchFilmFestival is back on 13 January 2023 for its 13th edition!
What better way to kick off the year than by enjoying a selection of films at home for free?
From 13 January to 13 February 2023, discover 29 short and feature films online that made a splash at premier international festivals. Comedy, romance, drama, documentary, animation, and classics… there is sure to be something for everyone.
All films will be available with subtitles in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and – new this year – Arabic, Ukrainian, and Mandarin.
Visit the MyFrenchFilmFestival website for full programme details.
Read more...
10 January 2023 (British Council)
According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, on 22 January 2023, we’ll be entering the Year of the Rabbit. This marks the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
This education pack for primary schools contains teaching resources and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese language and culture.
Download the pack from the British Council website.
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9 January 2023 (SCILT/CISS)
You can now register interest to take part in our online National Qualification Mandarin classes with our GTCS Mandarin teachers.
Please see the flyer for more information, a teacher testimonial and the link to register your interest. If you cannot access the registration link through the flyer you can find the form here:
All the information is also available on the CISS website.
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4 January 2023 (Japan Foundation)
The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme, the UK’s ever-evolving largest festival of Japanese cinema celebrates its 20th anniversary!
With an exciting line up, most of which have only recently been released, but also some masterpieces from the distant past, and all of which share connections to the themes taken up in the past, the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2023 explores the theme of “the evolution of Japanese cinema”.
Taking place in cinemas across the country, the programme runs from 3 February to 31 March.
Visit the Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme website for full details.
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28 December 2022 (BBC)
Welsh speakers are turning to TikTok to promote the language and teach it to others.
The social media platform is helping to connect lovers of the language with new learners.
"I think the one thing with TikTok that's different is the videos are short and sweet. You're able to engage with people," said one creator.
It comes as recent census data shows that there is a decline in Welsh speakers.
Bethany Davies from Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, has about 44,000 TikTok followers and has made a career out of sharing the Welsh language and culture.
Read more...
16 December 2022 (UWS)
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS), coupled with the Scottish Mathematical Council, is organising the world-wide Mathematics and Language competition “Mathématiques sans Frontières” in Scotland (and rUK). We are hopeful that we continue to offer a stimulating and light-hearted competition for S4-S6 pupils which combines Mathematics and Modern Languages. For those of you who have not taken part previously, this competition aims to motivate pupils in these subjects, promote teamwork throughout pupils of all abilities, and bridge borders between countries across the world.
Attached is a discovery training test for “Mathématiques Sans Frontières” alongside some more formal competition instructions, and an entry proforma for the competition. Entry deadline: 27 January 2023.
You can also find more information on the UWS Mathématiques sans Frontières website.
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16 December 2022 (BBC)
A group of Ukrainian children have been learning Welsh to help settle into life in the country.
More than 1,000 miles away from home they have been welcomed with open arms into their communities on Anglesey.
After 11 weeks, Natalia, nine, is almost fluent. She comes from Odessa, a city that has borne the brunt of some of the most fierce fighting, and she said she loves Welsh.
Her and her friends' grasp of the language has been called "astounding".
Sofiia, Natalia and Danylo have all been attending a specialist Welsh immersion unit at Ysgol Moelfre every day since September.
Read more...
15 December 2022 (British Council)
The British Council and QFI invite students to showcase their talents in the Arabic language at our 2023 Arabic Speaking Competition. The competition aims to:
- Raise the profile of Arabic as a modern world language
- Increase student’s motivation for learning Arabic
- Develop vocabulary and improve pronunciation and speaking skills
- Raise confidence for oral examinations
- Inspire students to discover more about Arab cultures
- To celebrate the skills of young people who are studying Arabic language
Students will participate virtually and be judged by a panel of fluent Arabic speakers.
Visit the British Council website for full guidance and to register participants by 16 January 2023.
Read more...
New issue of TECLA magazine and upcoming training opportunities
12 December 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
Please find below the information about a new issue of TECLA magazine (December 2022) and upcoming training opportunities for teachers of Spanish:
- Publications. New issue of the magazine TECLA with lots of ideas and resources for Spanish classes. FREE DOWNLOAD!!!
- Training opportunities. Have a look at the CPD opportunities we have prepared for the first half of 2023: online sessions, face-to-face training in different locations in the UK, and immersion breaks in Spain during the school holidays of February, April, and July. SAVE THE DATE!!!!:
- Next online workshop – Saturday 21 January (10:00): Jornada monográfica en línea sobre aspectos culturales en la enseñanza del español. Free registration.
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
Spanish,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
Resources,
News from language & education organisations
12 December 2022 (UK-German Connection)
Keeping up connections between the UK and Germany remains as important as ever. To help keep school partnerships alive, UK-German Connection offers special partnership bursaries of £1,000.00 for you and your partner school.
Applications for the 2022-23 school partnership bursaries are now open until 31 January 2023.
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Digital Empowerment in Language Teaching (DELTEA) project
12 December 2022 (Universities of Southampton & Reading)
Are you a state school primary languages teacher in England or Scotland? Does your school teach French or Spanish to Year 5/Primary 6 students (children aged 9-10 years)?
Digital Empowerment in Language Teaching (DELTEA) is looking for school partners to work with over our 3-year research project!
If you’re interested in free, research-informed teacher professional development in Digital Literacy skills for the MFL classroom, please get in touch via the form below – we’d love to hear from you! We can also offer some funding for supply cover.
https://forms.office.com/e/scBXAHZus2
Open access Wednesdays: Creative spring series
9 December 2022 (SCILT)
Paging primary teachers and primary education students across Scotland. Keep your Wednesdays free! On the last Wednesday of each month between January and May 2023, SCILT’s primary professional development officers will host a series of online workshops with a creative twist.
These workshops are free and open to all primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland.
The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams unless otherwise stated and will not be recorded.
Registration for the first session on 25 January is open now via the link above. Registration for the remaining workshops will open in January 2023, keep an eye on the SCILT e-bulletin for details.
Please also see attached flyer with further details of each workshop.
CISS Chinese New Year Poster Competition 2023
8 December 2022 (CISS)
CISS is delighted to announce a poster competition for primary schools to celebrate the forthcoming Year of the Rabbit!
Deadline for entries: Friday 13 January 2023
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY - entries submitted by email will not be accepted.
The competition is open to all primary schools in Scotland.
DETAILS:
Design a poster to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit!
Entries will be judged against the criteria below. Please submit a high quality photo or scan of each entry.
Please make sure posters include:
- The rabbit
- Mandarin Chinese language/characters
- The year 2023
The winning entry will receive a prize and be featured online, and the poster will be used as the CISS Chinese New Year e-card!
8 December 2022 (CISS)
The most recent CISS Newsletter is now available to view online.
You can read about events and projects that took place to celebrate 10 years of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools plus all the amazing learning and teaching of Mandarin across the hubs and beyond.
Read more...
7 December 2022 (RZSS)
RZSS Beyond the Panda offers a range of FREE courses and outreach visits. Please see beyondthepanda.org.uk for full details.
These include:
- 5 week course aimed at upper primary but may also be of interest to lower secondary. Four weeks live virtual sessions, followed by an in-person outreach. Linked to Mandarin language learning.
- Single outreach sessions which compare two RZSS projects and aimed at upper primary:
- Giants: the giant panda from China and the giant anteater from South America - available in either Mandarin or Spanish.
- Stripy Tails: (available from April 2023 but bookings open and best to book early) the red panda from China and the ring-tailed lemur from Madagascar - available in either Mandarin or French.
There may also be availability for lower primary and some opportunities for secondary. For any of the sessions, contact srobb@rzzz.org.uk
Please book in well in advance. Fully booked to April 2023 but spaces available in May and June.
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6 December 2022 (Education Scotland / e-Sgoil)
Learn Gaelic, Scotland’s oldest National Language, online with other students from across Scotland via e-Sgoil, working in partnership with UHI Outer Hebrides.
Courses Available: National 5 Gaelic Learners, Higher Gaelic Learners, National 5 Gaidhlig (fluent speakers), Higher Gaidhlig (fluent speakers).
Frequency: Twice weekly, draft timetable available but this can be flexible to some degree to meet the needs of Learners.
Format: Online lessons via Microsoft Teams.
Offered at both National 5 and Higher, and with courses designed by award-winning staff, Gaelic comes alive through regular, interactive, online lessons, and quality digital support materials.
Learning Gaelic opens doors to many things, including exciting career choices, further education, Scottish culture, history, geography, tourism and wellbeing. Now is your chance to become part of this rich and rewarding world.
The National 5 and Higher courses are designed to help develop skills and knowledge rapidly, getting even those learners with no Gaelic at the start of the course to a level of confidence and fluency quickly. Self-study and independent learning are important elements of the course but there is a wealth of support and resources at your fingertips.
You will meet and make friends with other young people from across Scotland.
This course may be most attractive to students with interests in languages, traditional music, outdoor activities, the media, citizenship, history, or indeed any subject matter.
Gabh an cothrom! Seize the opportunity!
Visit the website or register provisional interest here and someone will be in touch to discuss with you: https://forms.office.com/e/6gLdv307Y4
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6 December 2022 (Durham University)
The Centre for Foreign Language Study at Durham University has launched a competition to all UK learners of French, from Key Stage 4 to Higher Education.
The purpose of the contest is to provide an opportunity for learners of French to use the language creatively while promoting the study of French. In a digital age of short messages and tweets, we therefore want to invite participants to combine French, creativity and succinctness to design a slogan of their own on the themes of “le français: une nouvelle langue, une nouvelle culture, un nouveau monde”.
More information and full competition criteria can be found on the Durham University website. Submission deadline: 6 March 2023.
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5 December 2022 (BBC)
"I find it respectful that the Irish students are learning my language."
These are the words of Mohammad. He is 14 years old and moved from Syria to Northern Ireland in 2019.
In school, his Northern Irish friends come up to him and speak to him in Arabic, greeting him with "Marhaba (hello)", "Sabah alkhaer (good morning)," and "How are you (kifak)?"
English-speaking students in Sacred Heart College Omagh, County Tyrone, are learning his native language as part of a five-week online course.
Pauline McAnea, a language teacher, said the main motivation for wanting her students to take part in the course was due to an increase in Syrian students who have attended the school in recent years.
"It is important for us to show that we respect them and their language and culture," she said.
"They have made such an effort to learn our language so it is important that we reach out and make a bit of an effort to learn theirs."
Read more...
1 December 2022 (SCILT)
The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter has been published!
Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages in Scotland, including the most recent round of Scottish Languages Employability Awards, our professional learning opportunities, motivating competitions and our support for newly arrived people from Ukraine. Find out how schools celebrated European Day of Languages 2022, and hear from local authorities about their latest inspiring initiatives. There is also the opportunity to read about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland.
If you would like to contribute an article to a future edition of the newsletter you can read the submission guidelines on our website, and email your entries to SCILT.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
1+2,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
1 December 2022 (SCILT)
Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?
SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your learners, from interactive advent calendars and games, to festive facts and downloadable worksheets. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and many other places around the world!
Read more...
30 November 2022 (The Conversation)
From the UK government’s latest post-Brexit language-learning reforms to France’s eternal debates over the supposed linguistic inadequacy of its youth, governments regularly scratch their heads over how to improve how languages are taught.
While the Netherlands carried out a major reform to its modern foreign language education as early as 1968, the current courses are seen by many as no longer preparing students well enough for the modern world. The baccalaureate exams do not test students’ actual skills and knowledge so much as their ability to strategically answer multiple-choice questions.
This is particularly true for modern languages, where the final exam – a reading-comprehension exercise – receives hundreds of complaints from students who find it either too difficult or too ambiguous.
In the Netherlands, French is compulsory for students from age 11 to 15, yet a declining number continue to study it beyond that age. In such a context, educators in the Netherlands are asking how other methods might better meet the needs of students. Supported by many teacher trainers in the country and the language learning team at the University of Groningen, a usage-based approach to French has gained ground.
Read more...
28 November 2022 (BBC)
From building a connection with a family history to challenging the brain to think a little differently, there are many reasons why people choose to learn a new language.
Michelle Furey has heard many of those motivations given that she is teaching the Irish language to some 200 people from all around the world.
She runs online lessons for people in countries such as the United States, Canada, Argentina and Finland, as well as closer to home in the UK.
"Within the demographic of my classes we have people from all aspects of all communities and I am very much Irish for everybody," she says.
Michelle, from Plumbridge in County Tyrone, was working part time as an Irish teacher at a secondary school and running classes through her local council before the Covid pandemic.
But when lockdown hit she had to move her teaching online, allowing her to spread the word globally.
Read more...
28 November 2022 (ECML)
The latest issue of the European Language Gazette has just been published.
The ECML's e-newsletter provides up-to-date news about the ECML (events, projects, resources) and other relevant sectors of the Council of Europe as well as of our partners. It focuses on national developments in the field of language education in the member states and beyond.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
HE,
All Languages,
Europe,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Policy,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
24 November 2022 (UK Government Department for Education)
The Department for Education has published a new report on the teaching of ancient languages at primary schools in England, co-written by Academy-funded researcher Dr Arlene Holmes Henderson and Katrina Kelly: University of Oxford.
The main aims of this report are to:
- review existing literature on the impact of ancient languages on aspects of primary school students’ development
- detail the work of educational organisations to support ancient language teaching at Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2
- evaluate the provision of ancient languages on the statutory curriculum and within primary schools
- identify further areas for research
The report can be accessed online.
Read more...
22 November 2022 (GLEANS Alba)
The new GLEANS Challenge is ready to go! We want to hear all about your pets so why not send in a video or an audio picture telling us about them?
Visit the GLEANS website for more information.
Read more...
22 November 2022 (SEET)
The Scottish European Educational Trust (SEET) runs language learning and global citizenship projects for children and young people across Scotland. Euroquiz is an annual project open to all P6 pupils across Scotland, which sees teams of four working together to broaden their knowledge of Europe and the wider world. Subjects covered include languages, history, geography, culture and European affairs. Heats take place in local authorities from February to April, with the winning teams from all areas progressing to the National Euroquiz Final held in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament in June.
To enter your team, please complete the Registration Form for schools and return to your local authority Euroquiz organiser. All schools in Scotland will receive this information directly from their local authority organiser. If you have not received a form, or do not know who your local organiser is, please get in touch with SEET: jane@seet.org.uk
We recently provided a CLPL session for interested teachers. Please find a full recording of the event here: https://youtu.be/un8iL3wN7-s
A downloadable flyer for schools is also attached.
More information about Euroquiz available on SEET's website or by emailing jane@seet.org.uk.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
News from language & education organisations
18 November 2022 (TES)
As a German teacher by trade, I welcomed the renewed commitment to modern foreign languages set out by the Department for Education this week. The declining take-up of MFL at GCSE, A level and beyond is regrettable and anything that can reinvigorate interest is a good thing.
My fear, though, is that this latest “marketing” initiative will do little to help. And, indeed, schools minister Nick Gibb’s injection of cash for language champions and specialist hubs focuses too narrowly on promoting the subject to have much impact.
Instead, we need much more meaningful policy change on how MFL is perceived and taught. And this is why.
The first thing to admit is that there is nowhere near enough incentive for children in England to learn a foreign language, compared with the incentives for their peers abroad to learn English.
Children overseas want to learn English because of its dominant use in the film and music business. They also recognise (as do their countries and teachers) that learning English will help them tremendously in a global employment market.
Consequently, the core learning of English takes place organically, outside of the classroom, and lessons are where they go to refine it. So they are at a far higher level earlier.
(Note - subscription required to access full article).
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17 November 2022 (Argyll & Bute/N Ayrshire Councils)
Stacey Arneil, 1+2 Development officer for North Ayrshire has teamed up with Gwen McCrossan, PT for 1+2 languages for Argyll & Bute Council to offer a 10-week pilot of live virtual lessons in French and Spanish. These lessons are suitable for learners from P4 onwards as the content bridges First and Second Level Experiences and Outcomes. The lessons would also suit as a standalone L3 topic. This offer is open to all Scottish primary schools using Glow Teams.
Each lesson will last 45 minutes. The same live lesson will run twice in the same week. You can choose to attend one, or the other. It is not necessary to stick to the same day.
The deadline for sign-up is 21 December 2022.
Follow the link below for more information and to register your class.
Read more...
15 November 2022 (French Film Festival)
Over 4500 school students and their teachers are already benefitting from free films and resources offered to all schools by the Festival in partnership with IF Cinema Institut français this autumn and you can too:
- All films and resources are completely free of charge
- Films for all ages
- Available to screen in your own classroom for one month
Visit the French Film Festival website to find out more and book your films.
Read more...
15 November 2022 (Institut français)
The French Pop Video Competition is a national competition organised by Francophonie UK in association with the Institut français du Royaume-Uni and supported by TV5Monde.
The competition encourages students to engage with French in a creative way. UK primary and secondary school students can work individually or in groups to create a song in French and shoot a video.
The deadline to submit entries is 1 May 2023.
Once videos have been received regional winners will be selected based on the quality of the lyrics and music, and the originality of video. Regional winners’ music videos will then enter the national competition. Winners of the national competition will be announced during the week of 21 June (World Music Day!).
Visit the competition website for more information and to register to take part.
Read more...
14 November 2022 (TES)
The UK is a wonderfully diverse society. Around 19 per cent of pupils in our schools come from a multilingual heritage, and between them, they speak more than 300 different non-English languages.
Research suggests that teachers can learn from this linguistic diversity - and use that learning to shape how they teach.
Although English is the main language of teaching in schools in England, we must assume there is no hierarchy in languages.
It’s important to recognise that, even among English speakers, there is variety: English varies from place to place, and the English we use and learn in school - the language of books and texts, of subjects and curricula - is not the same as the language we speak elsewhere.
Texts are constructed according to the conventions of their discipline. We do not speak like a biology textbook or use the language of fiction to tell our friends what we did at the weekend.
According to researcher Jim Cummins, we can understand these differences in terms of the distinction between the social language of general communication - basic common interpersonal skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP).
In schools, we should be helping all students to develop CALP, but we should also be creating opportunities for multilingual children to draw on all their languages to enhance their learning across the curriculum.
Studies have shown that when multilingual children are educated in all of their languages, there are detectable and meaningful advantages for all students within that community. For example, we may find that children have developed ideas, knowledge and learning in their home language that they do not yet have the ability to express in English. Providing ways for them to contribute and contextualise that learning adds richness to any classroom.
(Note - subscription required to access full article).
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14 November 2022 (The Guardian)
First it was Italian, then I added French, Portuguese and even Latin. But does the language learning app, which has almost 15 million people using it, really work?
Duolingo is a language learning app and pretty simple to use. After you’ve chosen which language you want to learn, you are presented with about 100 skill-sets divided by scenario or grammar (grocery shopping, the future tense and so on). Each level is structured like branches of a tree, and when you complete one, you move down the tree earning gems to “spend” on the app or hearts that you need to perform the exercises. Make a mistake, and you must correct it before moving on. It’s all fun and games until you make too many mistakes, run out of hearts and lose your progress. This is when you’ll engage with Duolingo’s mascot, an officious green owl called Duo who, if you’re anything like me, will eventually define your self-esteem. Duo’s face is the first thing I see each day and increasingly, the last thing, too.
Read more...
11 November 2022 (BBC)
Bilingual MPs have told the BBC about the importance to them of their cultural languages in politics.
Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle says language diversity in Parliament is something that “brings the House alive” and should be encouraged.
MPs can use their mother tongue language when swearing into Parliament, but under the rules, they should use English when speaking in debates.
Read more...
Concours de la Francophonie 2023
11 November 2022 (Institut français)
Institut français d’Ecosse is proud to announce its 2023 edition of Concours de la Francophonie, a school competition at national level aiming at developing communicative skills in French. The theme this year is 'PLAY' ('JOUER' in French) and there will be winners for each category : P1/P4 - P5/P7 - S1/S3 - S4/S6. Enter by 13 January 2023.
For more information see the attached flyer or contact : ife.francophonie@gmail.com
8 November 2022 (British Council)
International Education Week is back!
From 14 to 18 November, we’re coming together to recognise the value of bringing the world into the classroom and celebrate international work happening in schools.
With this year’s International Education Week taking place during COP27 in Egypt – the UN’s global climate change conference, where world leaders will discuss the future of climate action – we’re focusing on collaborating for a cleaner, greener future.
As well as offering a range of opportunities to help you and your students take positive action for a greener tomorrow, we’re also showcasing our favourite classroom resources, to help you get started on your international journey.
Join the free webinar Education Exchange: embedding climate education across the whole curriculum taking place on 16 November which will explore the practice of teachers who are embedding climate education across their whole school curriculum and into some of the harder-to-reach subjects.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to register for the webinar.
Read more...
Places available - Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners
2 November 2022 (SCILT / University partners)
SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.
Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.
There are still places available on the two remaining workshops:
Registration is open via the links above, each workshop covers a different topic so learners may sign up for as many workshops as they wish. The workshops will take place online via Zoom and will not be recorded.
Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.
31 October 2022 (SQA)
The SQA has now published this year's course reports for AH Gaelic (Learners), German and Spanish.
These can be found on the Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage within the Course Reports section.
Read more...
25 October 2022 (TESS)
A replacement for the Erasmus+ student exchange scheme for Scotland is still being worked on more than two years after Brexit, says minister.
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25 October 2022 (French Film Festival)
The French Film Festival 2022 Learning Programme, offering a selection of films for schools free of charge, is now live!
Check out and download the programme of films for all ages. The programme runs until Christmas.
Simply choose your titles, complete the booking form, then create your account to have free access to all the films and learning packs that go with them.
For more information contact schools@frenchfilmfestival.org.uk or visit the French Film Festival website.
Read more...
21 October 2022 (Schools Week)
Ministers plan to draw up new “benchmarks” setting out expected attainment levels in languages as they attempt to “improve” primary pupils’ transition into secondaries.
It is part of the government push to increase the uptake of languages at GCSE level and its pledge for 90 per cent of year 10 pupils entering the English baccalaureate (EBacc) by 2025.
Official data published yesterday shows that 87.6 per cent of pupils taking four EBacc subjects in 2020-21 were missing the language component, compared with 86 per cent in 2018-19.
The Department for Education plans to appoint a new advisory panel to draw up non-statutory guidance for languages education for 7 to 14-year-olds. It will be published later next year.
As part of that, an early contract notice states the panel will produce a document that “seeks to improve transition between key stage 2 and key stage 3, benchmarking expected attainment levels”.
Read more...
20 October 2022 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers a range of grants for joint activities between schools and youth groups in the UK and Germany.
The next deadline for their Flexible Funding Scheme is 31 October 2022.
Visit the website for more information and to submit your application.
Read more...
20 October 2022 (King's College London)
The Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s College London is delighted to announce this year’s German writing competition for students in Year 12 or 13 (S5 or S6 in Scotland).
The competition invites students to submit an original piece of writing in German on the topic 'Wie bewältigen wir die Klimakrise?'
Entries should be 400-450 words in length and written in German.
Visit the website for more information and submit entries by 23 November 2022.
Read more...
20 October 2022 (SQA)
SQA has now published the 2022 Advanced Higher Italian course report.
Visit the Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage for more information.
Read more...
Creative Translation
20 October 2022 (SCILT)
Hello SCILT followers!
Are you familiar with the idea of Creative Translation?
Are you a primary or secondary teacher in Scotland?
Have you used any of the amazing Creative Translation teaching resources from the Stephen Spender Trust with your pupils? Have you previously supported your pupils to enter the Stephen Spender Prize or the Queen’s College Translation Exchange’s Anthea Bell Prize?
If so, we’d love to hear from you.
To share your experience, email scilt@strath.ac.uk and put CREATIVE TRANSLATION in the subject line.
14 October 2022 (RZSS)
Beyond the Panda is a 5-week progressive programme for P4-P7. Four weeks live virtual sessions and 5th week in person outreach. Now fully booked for the Nov-Dec and Jan-Feb blocks. However, there is availability in the Mar-Apr and May-June blocks. Book early as taken on first come, first served basis. Over the 5 weeks pupils will learn about various Chinese animals, threats, solutions, some Chinese culture while also learning about the Mandarin language and Chinese characters. Key objectives are in the attached pdf.
Visit the website for further information.
Read more...
AMOPA: Parlons français - A competition for students of AH French
11 October 2022 (AMOPA)
Now that school life is back to a “new normal” AMOPA is once again running the Parlons français competition.
“It must be the easiest competition ever to take part in!” That’s a quote from a teacher and it’s true!
All we need is a short recording of students as they prepare for their speaking test. We will assess it and give everyone some feedback. We also award prizes and certificates.
We hope that taking part supports your pupils’ learning and exam preparation and is not a distraction. They are practising anyway – why not let them get some feedback on that?
As in previous years we will have prizes for the best entries, a certificate for every entrant and a gift for each school taking part too. In the last few years all schools were given a DVD of a French film.
More information is available in the attached pdf document. Entry deadline: 15 February 2023.
11 October 2022 (SQA)
SQA is recruiting markers for the external assessment of National Courses in 2022-23. Opportunities are available across all subjects and levels, and full training will be provided. Visit the SQA website to find out more.
Read more...
7 October 2022 (SCILT)
Do you have a story to share with the languages community?
We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2022 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place towards the end of last session or so far in the 2022/23 session.
We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 21st October 2022.
Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter. Submissions can be sent to scilt@strath.ac.uk.
Read more...
6 October 2022 (The Conversation)
From Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World to Dexter’s Laboratory cartoon series, sleep-learning has been a recurring theme in fiction. The idea that we can learn while asleep has fascinated many, but whether it is sheer fantasy or scientifically possible has long remained a mystery.
Now, thanks to neuroimaging, we know that the brain is far from inactive while we sleep and continually reacts to information from the world around it. But can it really memorise this information and retain it once we are awake?
In fact, we have known for close to a decade that the brain is capable of taking in new information during sleep, as first evidenced in experiments on tone and odour associations.
Individuals who wished to quit smoking, for instance, have been found to reduce their consumption by 35% when the scent of tobacco is presented to them during sleep in association with unpleasant scents of rotten fish.
We thus set out to understand whether the brain was capable of more complex learning processes, such as those involved in foreign language acquisition. Together with Sid Kouider at the École Normale Supérieure (ENS) - Paris Science et Lettres (PSL), and Maxime Elbaz and Damien Léger of the Paris Hospitals Public Trust (AP-HP) Hôtel-Dieu, we designed a protocol for learning the meaning of Japanese words while asleep.
Read more...
4 October 2022 (BBC)
The teaching of Gaelic in schools is in crisis due to a shortage of new teachers, according to a study.
It suggests over the next five years a minimum of 225 teachers would be needed to meet demand, but only 25 qualified for the whole of this year.
The analysis comes from a former leader and a former education boss at Highland Council.
The Scottish government said it was committed to supporting Gaelic medium education.
Dr Michael Foxley and Prof Bruce Robertson, a former director of education at Highland Council and visiting professor at the University of Strathclyde, carried out the study. Their paper has been submitted to a Scottish government consultation on Gaelic and Scots education.
Dr Foxley and Prof Robertson said their study suggested there was already a recruitment crisis and the situation was likely to get significantly worse, with rural and island schools being the hardest hit.
They said a minimum of 135 new primary and 90 new secondary teachers would be required over the next five years to meet the needs of 19 local authorities already with Gaelic provision, or planning to introduce it.
Read more...
3 October 2022 (Queen's College Oxford)
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators competition aims to promote language learning across the UK and to inspire creativity in the classroom. By providing teachers with tools to bring translation to life, and to introduce more authentic texts into the classroom, we hope to motivate more pupils to study modern foreign languages throughout their schooling and beyond.
Schools can register interest in the Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2022-23. You will receive creative translation resources for five languages (French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish) and competition tasks. The resources will be made available in September 2022, January 2023, February 2023, and the competition window will be open from mid-February until the end of March 2023.
Visit the website for more information.
Read more...
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Translation,
News from language & education organisations
3 October 2022 (Queen's College Oxford)
All learners of Modern Languages at UK schools in Years 11-13 / Scotland: S4-6 are welcome to join Queen's College Oxford's International Book Club, which takes place on Zoom.
The International Book Club for schools is a chance for you to explore foreign-language books which have been translated into English with other like-minded, literature-loving students. No knowledge of the original language is required to take part!
For those of you thinking you may like to study languages at university, there will also be a chance to hear more about what this would entail and to ask us your questions.
To take part in the Book Club, you will need to read a copy of the set book in advance of the session. The next session takes place Wednesday 30 November 2022.
Visit the website for more information.
Read more...
30 September 2022 (DCA)
Discovery Film Festival, Scotland’s international film festival for young audiences, is back for its 19th year, Sat 22 October to Sun 6 November. There's another packed programme of the best new films for young audiences from around the world - and once again the festival will be available both online and at Dundee Contemporary Arts.
Visit the website for full details.
Read more...
30 September 2022 (SCILT)
We are delighted to announce the national roll-out of Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23! Following a successful pilot project with four Glasgow schools last session, we have now opened registrations for expressions of interest in Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23. This interdisciplinary project brings together French and professional football, opening learners’ eyes to the relevance of language learning in the world of international sports, focussing on the four core language skills and building awareness of cultures in French-speaking countries across the globe. To find out more and to register your interest in this competition, which is open to pupils in S2 and S3, please visit the SCILT website.
An initial information session for teachers will take place on Thursday 3 November (3.45 - 4.45pm) and schools will be asked to confirm their participation by Friday 11 November.
Read more...
29 September 2022 (SCILT)
A reminder that schools interested in taking part in this year’s MTOT competition have until 6 October (National Poetry Day) to register. The competition provides a great opportunity for all pupils in Scotland P1-S6 to get creative with a language they speak at home (Mother Tongue) or are learning at school (Other Tongue). Students can even enter in both categories!
Read more...
29 September 2022 (French Film Festival)
This year sees the 30th anniversary of 'La fête du cinéma'. The French Film Festival takes place during October and November with both the in-school and in-cinema programmes now ready to book. Four titles are available for in-school screenings and three available in cinemas in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The in-school films are provided completely free of charge.
See the attached programmes for full details or visit the website.
Read more...
27 September 2022 (ESFF)
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) is returning for its 9th Edition. The festival will be back in the cinema and will offer audiences in-person screenings and events featuring a total of 22 films in Spanish over the months of October and November.
The 2022 festival has a vibrant and varied programme, offering something for all ages and tastes. This year ESFF is providing discounted prices for young audiences for all in-person film events. The ESFF schools programme returns with a special screening of La jaula de orofor schools at 10am on Wednesday 3 November and Zipi y Zape on Thursday 6 November at 10am. The ESFF schools programme will also be held in Manchester this year, at the Instituto Cervantes, as well as in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Visit the ESFF website for full details.
Read more...
26 September 2022 (Oxford German Network)
The Oxford German Olympiad 2023 is now open for entries! It was launched 26 September 2022, the European Day of Languages.
This year's topic: KOCHKUNST - BACKLUST - ESSKULTUR (The Art of Cooking, Joy of Baking and Culture of Eating).
The competition is open to primary and secondary learners of German, with further categories for group or class entries as well as those with no prior experience of studying the language. So there's something for everyone!
Visit the Oxford German Olympiad website for full competition details and guidelines. Closing date for all entries is Thursday 9 March 2023, at 12 noon.
Read more...
The Language Ambassadors Programme
23 September 2022 (University of Strathclyde/SCILT)
The Language Ambassadors family has grown!
For 2022-2023, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Stirling will be working together to offer an even greater variety for our visits.
In the coming session, we will be back offering on-site visits, as well as virtual visits.
So, get your learners to discover the joys of learning and being able to use another language by organising a Language Ambassadors visit to your school!
Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish, on a range of degree programmes. These include BA Honours in French and Spanish, Professional Education and Languages, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language, Psychology and a European Language, but also Engineering and Science degrees and they are keen to share their experiences of learning and using their languages as well as discovering new cultures.
This programme provides student role models to promote languages to young people and encourage your learners to choose languages as part of their high school curriculum. It is free of charge but we expect the school to cover travelling expenses for ambassadors.
We can deliver a range of activities, such as:
- A presentation about their experiences as university language learners and their experiences abroad;
- Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying a language for future study and/or employability;
- A small group discussion for Senior phase students who have already selected a language;
- Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event
Visit the Language Ambassadors Programme website to find out more, and how to book a visit for your school starting October 2022.
If you have any questions about The Language Ambassadors programme, please contact Cédric Moreau and Cristina Johnston.
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Ambassadors,
Language Learning,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
22 September 2022 (SQA)
The SQA has published this year's course reports for Advanced Higher French and Advanced Higher Chinese languages.
These can be found on the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage under Course Reports.
Read more...
22 September 2022 (Lingobox Learning)
Lingobox’s monthly newsletter for September is due out next week. This month we’ll be sharing some exciting new resources to support use of classroom language in French and Spanish and our new greetings song, Bonjour, bonjour! Our blog will focus on top tips for embedding French and Spanish language into classroom daily routines, instructions and everyday practice.
You can sign up for the newsletter on the Lingobox website.
Read more...
22 September 2022 (SCILT)
SCILT and CISS presented a poster competition aimed at S2-S3 learners, to design the contents of their own time capsule – past or present – to join in with the celebration of Glasgow Doors Open Day 2022.
Secondary learners from across Scotland took part in the competition which provided a fantastic opportunity to share their cultural heritage, demonstrate their creativity, and showcase their language skills, both learned at school and used at home.
Congratulations to our winners, Abby Slack, S3 learner from Mearns Castle High School who won the ‘past’ category and to Emerald Li, S3 learner from Mearns Castle High School who won the ‘present’ category.
They were awarded with a £30 voucher and their work was featured in The Ramshorn exhibition as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival on 16 and 17 September 2022. Well done to everyone who took part in this competition, the judging panel were impressed by all entries received and hope that you will participate again next year!
Find out more about the competition on our website.
Read more...
21 September 2022 (Education Scotland)
This resource, in the form of suggested weekly planners for the school session, is designed to support primary practitioners to plan and deliver languages from P1 through to P7. The resource contains suggested timeframes, contexts for learning, supports progression across the four skills in language learning from Early to Second level and contains links to helpful and free to access resources. The resource can be tailored to suit practitioners’ preferred contexts for learning.
Visit Education Scotland's National Improvement Hub website to access the new resource.
Read more...
9 September 2022 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society)
The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, in partnership with SCILT, ran the second iteration of the Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize in 2022. This prize was established in honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community.
Pupils from across Scotland took part in the competition, which provides a fantastic opportunity for AH French candidates to showcase their French writing skills in a national competition. The Jacqueline Munro-Lafon French Essay Prize mirrors elements of the writing marking guidelines for AH French and offers pupils an opportunity to compete for a first-place prize of £500 and recognition on a national stage.
Candidates produced some very high quality essays. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held by Zoom on Tuesday 31 May 2022. A recording of this, along with a list of the winning entries, is now available on the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland website.
This session’s competition will be launched before Christmas and registration for schools will open in January 2023. For more information, please visit our webpage.
Read more...
8 September 2022 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers a wide range of initiatives for young people, schools and youth groups. The organisation aims to bring young people in the UK and Germany together through a range of grants, advisory services, networks and programmes – both face-to-face and digitally.
Follow the relevant link below to find out more about their current opportunities:
- Host a Teacher from Germany - enable primary and secondary pupils to gain an insight into German culture by hosting a teacher from Germany for 2-3 weeks next Spring.
- Funding - a range of grants for joint activities between schools and youth groups now open for applications.
- Café Connect - free virtual cultural exchange meetings giving young people aged 14-18 the chance to connect with UK and German peers through fun, interactive activities, group discussions on current topics and informal chat.
- Voyage Kids - a digital magazine for primary pupils to discover German language and culture.
Visit the UK-German Connection website for information on the full range of services available.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
German,
CPD,
Cultural Diversity,
Funding,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Promoting Languages,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
6 September 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
The September 2022 edition of TECLA, the magazine for teachers of Spanish, is now available online.
The electronic magazine has lots of ideas and resources for Spanish classes and is free to download!
Read more...
1 September 2022 (e-Sgoil)
Online study support sessions for learners in Scotland are again being offered by e-Sgoil. Registration for the autumn term evening webinars opens 5 September.
Visit the e-Sgoil website for details and sign-up information.
Read more...
Free online French Higher and Advanced Higher workshops funded by the Franco-Scottish Society starting at the end of September
1 September 2022 (Edinburgh College)
In collaboration with Franco-Scottish Society, Edinburgh College is again offering free online courses for Higher and Advanced Higher French pupils commencing September 2022.
See the relevant flyer below for full details:
29 August 2022 (University of Edinburgh)
A guidance document summarising the latest findings in the field of bilingualism in autism research is available to download. This summary focuses on the information needed by educators to provide up-to-date and adapted advice to bilingual families of autistic children and young people and includes links to additional resources.
Read more...
26 August 2022 (The Courier)
Scotland has always been bilingual, but never formally.
The national identity is caught somewhere between a renaissance and an existential crisis, and nowhere is that more apparent than on our tongues.
So much of the discourse around Scotland’s languages centres on our native ones – English, Gaelic and Scots.
And there’s no doubt that each has become ever more heavily politicised as debates over Brexit and independence boil on.
To push romantic-sounding Gaelic is seen to be naïve and clinging to an outdated, pastoral vision of Scotland.
Let’s be honest, when non-speakers see all those vowels on road signs, they’re picturing will o’ the wisps leading unicorns through misty old glens.
Or BBC Alba.
Meanwhile Scots has that whole trendy, mildly cringe but lovably sincere thing going on in its current resurgence among forward-thinking young indy activists.
And mumsy old English is cast in the role of the staid, conservative Karen of Scotland’s tongues.
Reliable, sure, but a bit behind the times.
I’m being glib of course – I think all three languages are gorgeous.
But I do reckon each has enough cultural weight to inflame debates about national identity.
Suddenly it’s not just what you say, but the language you say it in, which tells others where you stand politically.
And using these languages (or any languages) as political virtue signals is doing a disservice to our nation – its identity, and more importantly, its children.
Read more...
Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival: Schools programme
26 August 2022 (ESFF)
The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival (ESFF) is back with its 9th edition, and we want you all to get involved! We are once again providing our Schools Programme for students learning Spanish as a second language. We are really excited about the two films we are offering this year at our in-person screenings.
To take part in these exciting screenings, all the information you need is in the attached document.
26 August 2022 (SCILT)
SCILT is delighted to announce the return of Mother Tongue Other Tongue, our multilingual poetry competition!
MTOT gives young people of all ages P1 – S6 the opportunity to showcase their language skills and creative talent. Over the years this competition has uncovered a wealth of talented young linguists: they have created songs, rhymes and poems that are unique, funny, clever, emotive and moving. Young people are asked to create an original poem/song/rap in a language other than English: this can be a language spoken at home, or a language they are learning at school. To enter, the poem should be recorded (audio or video) and sent to us along with a completed entry form.
Winning entries will receive a range of prizes, including the opportunity to have their poem included in the UK National Children’s Poetry Archive, as well as featuring in a dedicated episode of the international Kids Poetry Club podcast. This year we are highlighting the Ukrainian language, with a special prize on offer for entries from Ukrainian speakers.
Schools are invited to register interest by 6 October 2022 (National Poetry Day). Visit the MTOT webpage for more information.
We look forward to seeing another generation of young poets find their voice!
Read more...
26 August 2022 (SCILT)
We are beyond delighted to share with you our brand new case study that focuses on language learning in the Early Years! The Early Years Creative Puppetry project, or EYCP as it has become lovingly known, focuses on the work of a professional learning partnership (PLP) that took place during the Spring and Summer terms of 2022. The PLP involved around 40 teachers and early years practitioners from 20 schools and early learning centres across Scotland, alongside Tania Czajka, bilingual author, qualified early years practitioner and Teaching Artist and two Professional Development Officers from SCILT.
The EYCP project highlights how the use of puppet-making and bilingual storybooks can be an effective approach to support language learning at Early Level within a play-based setting. Here we share what the project entailed for educators and children, as well as the impact it has had on all participating partners.
You can access the case study directly on our website.
Access this and other case studies for Professional Learning Partnerships on our dedicated webpage.
Read more...
26 August 2022 (SCILT / UCMLS)
SCILT is pleased to confirm the return of the Language Linking Global Thinking programme for the 2022-23 session. Applications are now open for schools wishing to register their interest in taking part this year.
The project links students on their year abroad with primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Students communicate with a designated class in their partner school during the course of the year to illustrate how enriching it is to spend a year abroad using a language other than English.
While the student is abroad they keep in regular contact with the partner school using blog posts, emails and other resources. The correspondence between student and class brings the language alive for pupils and shows them the real relevance of learning a language.
Key points for teachers
- Please note this is a two-way correspondence, and schools are expected to reply to blog posts, submit questions, and fully engage with their link student.
- Training will take place online, you will have the opportunity to learn more about successful links and to meet your link student virtually.
- Places are limited and you are not guaranteed a link partner. We will be able to confirm your place in October.
- There is no cost for schools to participate in the programme.
Visit the LLGT webpage for more information on Language Linking Global Thinking, and to read some of the student blogs from previous years.
To register please complete the form via the link below by Friday 16 September.
Read more...
26 August 2022 (SCILT / Bilingualism Matters)
Scotland is a multilingual country. In 2020 the pupils attending Scottish mainstream schools spoke in total 168 languages. These realities call for different pedagogical approaches. SCILT in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and Bilingualism Matters is looking to address it by:
- developing teachers’ skills in implementing or applying multilingual and multicultural approaches to language teaching and learning
- developing links across languages and between languages and art
- developing links between teachers in community and mainstream schools.
Who is it for?
- mainstream primary and complementary school teachers interested in developing multilingual and multicultural approaches to language teaching,
- mainstream primary and complementary school teachers interested in developing art-based methods in language teaching.
Schedule
Four online workshops culminating in the exhibition of children’s work in the spring/summer term. Dates of workshops will be confirmed to registered participants.
Please note:
- participants will be expected to actively participate in the workshops, test the approaches in their own context and share their plans and experiences with others during the workshops
- all art materials will be provided
If participating in this project is of interest to you, please register your interest via the form below.
* This project is subject to the success of the funding application. It builds on Polish through Art and Creative Language Practices projects.
Read more...
26 August 2022 (SCILT)
After the success last session of Espacios Increíbles, our inter-disciplinary learning competition combining Spanish and design, we're delighted to announce Espacios Increíbles 2022-23 is back! After last year’s hotly contested final, we know our previous competitors are keen to take part again this year and try to claim the Espacios Increíbles crown from Kinross High School but we’d like to up the stakes even more and get more schools involved. Any school from across Scotland can take part in this national competition, aimed at S2 and S3 learners of Spanish.
The Espacios Increíbles webpage has been updated with information on previous events and winners along with videos featuring some of our guest speakers at the final. Take a look to see what they had to say about their languages experience, find out more about this year's competition and register your interest in taking part.
Read more...
25 August 2022 (SCILT)
The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated on 26 September each year. Now in its 21st year, it aims to promote the rich linguistic diversity of Europe and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone. What is your school doing in 2022?
If you're looking for inspiration, SCILT has compiled lots of ideas for primary, secondary and parents & families on our EDL webpage. Perhaps creating a scavenger hunt, taking a virtual city tour, or designing languages stones? You will also find links to competitions, blogs and websites with a huge range of celebration ideas and activities.
Let us know how you celebrate and we'll include you in our EDL 2022 blog. Upload a short description and some colourful photos or email scilt@strath.ac.uk.
If you're sharing your celebrations on Twitter tag @scottishcilt and use the hashtag #coeEDL to share your celebrations with schools across Europe!
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Cultural Diversity,
Europe,
Language Learning,
Language Skills,
Linguistic Diversity,
Multilingualism,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
23 August 2022 (SEET)
Our World, the languages and citizenship based filmmaking project for secondary school pupils, is now open for registration!
SEET staff are now offering a CLPL session for teachers to help them feel more confident in taking on Our World with their class. They also offer online school visits for schools who are interested in taking part. These are aimed at pupils participating in the project.
Visit the Our World website for full details.
Read more...
23 August 2022 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow is now enrolling for the new academic year 2022-23.
There are courses for adults and children at all levels along with exam support classes for secondary schools pupils who will be sitting their National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher French exams.
Classes commence from 12 September 2022. Visit the website for further information.
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23 August 2022 (RZSS)
An exciting opportunity for senior students studying French or Mandarin to take part in this programme and to put their language skills into practice.
Two groups will be chosen, one studying French and one studying Mandarin, to create sound files and new resources for a programme called 'Stripy Tails'. Stripy Tails compares two different animals from two different countries and looks at two different languages. The ring-tailed lemurs from Madagascar and the red panda from China, linking French and Mandarin. Further details at beyondthepanda.org.uk If interested contact srobb@rzss.org.uk by 6 September 2022.
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23 August 2022 (RZSS)
This is an in-person outreach session (limited availability). Giants looks at two very different animals from two very different areas of the world and at two very different languages. The giant anteater from South America and the giant panda from China. The session can be for Spanish only or for Mandarin only or can compare both languages. The pupils will learn about the threats facing these animals along with some of their unique biology.
Visit the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland website for full details.
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University of Dundee Graduate Diplomas in French, German and Spanish by Distance Learning
23 August 2022 (University of Dundee)
Registration for the 2022-24 cohort of the Graduate Diplomas in French, German and Spanish by Distance Learning of the University of Dundee is now open until 23 September 2022.
These 2-year online Graduate Diplomas by Distance Learning for part-time study are accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. They are ideally suited for Secondary MFL teachers seeking an additional qualification in French, German, or Spanish.
They aim to provide the challenge of an undergraduate curriculum in the relevant applied language. They carry a rating of 120 SCOTCAT points (SCQF Levels 9-10). The qualification outcome is bench-marked at C1 in the Council of Europe Reference Framework for Languages. Applicants will normally have a pass in Higher the relevant language (or equivalent, such as the French, German, Spanish Intensive/Revision courses by distance-learning).
At the University of Dundee, we have a long-established tradition of language teaching, both with students at the University and via distance learning. We use a combination of online tools to give students a range of experiences in the language. Experienced staff are responsible for the course design, delivery and student support.
I will certainly recommend the Graduate Diploma to others (Diploma student)
For more information visit the Dundee University website: French GradDip, German GradDip, Spanish GradDip or to discuss any aspects of the course or your application, please contact Claire Nicoll c.z.nicoll@dundee.ac.uk or humanities@dundee.ac.uk
Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners
19 August 2022 (SCILT / University partners)
SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.
Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.
Registration is now open via the links below, each workshop covers a different topic so learners may sign up for as many workshops as they wish:
The workshops will take place online via Zoom and will not be recorded.
Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.
18 August 2022 (Edinburgh College)
School pupils who find their chosen language qualification is not offered in their school can study their NQ language course online for free with Edinburgh College.
In collaboration with Franco-Scottish Society, the college is again offering free online courses for Higher and Advanced Higher French pupils commencing September 2022.
See the attached flyers for full details. Links are also available on the Beyond School Supporting Schools section of the SCILT website.
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18 August 2022 (TES)
The latest A-level results broken down by gender, subject and grades show language entries were down.
(Note - subscription required to access full article)
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Related Links
ALL Statement on 2022 A level results (Association for Language Learning, 18 August 2022)
18 August 2022 (Education Scotland)
e-Sgoil, in partnership with UHI Outer Hebrides, is offering N5 and Higher e-Learning for Gaelic (Learners). This flexible route into Gaelic Learning may be of interest to senior phase learners, in particular those in S6 with an interest in languages, culture or music. Further information can be found in the flyer below and by visiting e-Sgoil's website.
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16 August 2022 (SCILT)
SCILT’s CLPL menu for the new session is available for bookings.
If you are looking for high quality professional learning related to languages pedagogy for groups of experienced colleagues, newly qualified or student teachers in your school, cluster, local authority or RIC, then look no further.
Note that open access workshops will be scheduled across the year for individual bookings. Find out more information about the first online and open access series of 2022-23.
Always interactive, SCILT menu workshops give you the opportunity to explore practice through exemplification and discussion with colleagues.
Primary
- Engaging parents with languages in the primary and early years
- Cultural contexts: an engaging approach to primary language learning
- Get multilingual with DYW in your primary classroom
- Active assessment in primary languages
- Multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy
Secondary
- Policy, planning and practice in BGE (in partnership with Education Scotland)
- Emerging contexts for language learning
- Tackling controversial issues in challenging times
- Talking and listening
- Using language skills across the curriculum
For more detail about the menu workshops and to book for a group follow the link below.
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SCILT news,
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Open access Wednesdays
16 August 2022 (SCILT)
Paging primary teachers and primary education students across Scotland. Keep your Wednesdays free! On the last Wednesday of each month between August and November 2022, SCILT’s primary professional development officers will host a series of online workshops.
These workshops are free and open to all primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland.
Karen and Lynne look forward to welcoming you to explore one or more of these areas of primary languages pedagogy.
The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded. Register for each event separately via the links above.
Plus, there are even more open access workshops to come:
- Five primary workshops with a creativity twist between January and May 2023
- A series of online, open access secondary workshops in May and June 2023
Keep an eye out in the ebulletin for further details.
23 August 2022 (GCHQ)
We are running a National Language Competition from 7-11 November 2022 aimed at Year 9 [England/Wales], Year 10 [Northern Ireland] and S3 [Scotland] pupils across the UK. Schools can enter teams of up to four pupils from these year groups to take part. Over the course of five days, teams will score points by tackling a variety of fun, immersive, language-themed challenges hosted on a virtual platform. These will range from easy to difficult, and will involve a mix of different languages, and even made-up languages!
Visit the website for more information and to register to take part.
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12 August 2022 (The Guardian)
From a young age, I was fascinated by language. I grew up in Chester, to Merseyside-born parents, with Welsh and English heritage. I absorbed the Welsh words my nan taught me and parroted my relatives’ scouse accents.
I remember a holiday in Spain, aged seven, when two boys asked if I spoke Norwegian. When I couldn’t respond, they ran off, leaving me sad. Back home, I’d search shops for old language books and enjoyed trying all these different words to express what was in my head. I thought it was amazing, and still do.
The first language I learned was French, at school, aged five. I got top marks each year. The teachers wouldn’t let me study German too, though, and I was devastated. In high school, I joined a geography trip to Germany, just to be around the language.
At sixth-form college, I completed Spanish GCSE, then A-level. From there, it became a way of life. I did a combined languages degree at the University of Hull, studying French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. I sat in on Swedish and Old Icelandic lectures, and did language exchanges for Romanian and Catalan. I went to Lyon, playing darts with the French gas and electricity trainees who were sharing my accommodation, then to Málaga. I spent time in Verona, where I read the Bible in Italian (I had never even read it in English).
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10 July 2022 (The Guardian)
A popular Latin course used to teach generations of British schoolchildren has undergone its biggest overhaul in 50 years to include more prominent female characters and better reflect ethnic diversity in the Roman world.
A fifth edition of the Cambridge Latin Course (CLC), a mainstay of mainly private schools since the 1970s, is being published later this month, in response to concerns from teachers, academics and students about the representation of women, minorities and enslaved people in earlier versions.
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9 July 2022 (Daily Record)
Children from across Renfrewshire will be able to learn their lessons while speaking and writing in Scottish Gaelic at a Paisley school.
For the first time, pupils can benefit from special Gaelic provision, which initially consists of one class at West Primary School, rather than going to a Gaelic school in nearby council areas.
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30 June 2022 (The Conversation)
Traditional approaches to adult language teaching often use resources such as textbooks and generic learning materials that are less than inspiring for learners. New research shows using popular song, as well as films and TV series, for language learning can help connect with people’s interests and motivate them. Based on this research, we have developed six tips for using popular songs to learn a language.
Read more...
28 June 2022 (BBC)
Primary 2 pupils at Omagh Integrated Primary School have learned sign language this year.
They were keen to learn the new skill to support their classmate Callum.
They have also inspired their local neighbourhood police and other emergency services to learn the new skill.
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9 June 2022 (Stephen Spender Trust)
The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual competition for poetry in translation, with categories for young people (14-and-under, 16-and-under, and 18-and-under) as well as an open category for adults. All entrants must be UK or Irish citizens or residents, or pupils at a British School overseas. Translate into English any poem from any language – ranging from Arabic to Uzbek, from Danish to Somali—and win cash prizes!
Spotlight prize
Our Spotlight Prize encourages young people to engage with community languages. Our focus for 2022 is Romanian.
Open for entries from 4 May until midnight on Friday 15 July, visit the competition website for more details on how to enter, to meet the judges, and to explore the different prize categories!
Read more...
Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners
9 June 2022 (SCILT / University partners)
SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.
Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.
Registrations will open in August 2022, in the meantime you can share the dates and topics with pupils below:
- Saturday 10 September: The University of Strathclyde team will help you to use news articles to brush up your translation techniques.
- Saturday 1 October: Join the University of Stirling team who will guide you through critical analysis of film – with a twist!
- Saturday 29 October: Let the University of Edinburgh team help you unravel the mysteries of grammar!
- Saturday 12 November: Want to expand your vocabulary? Then this workshop, led by the University of Glasgow team, is one for you.
- Saturday 26 November: The University of Aberdeen team will help you to develop your skills of critical analysis by working with images and build confidence in expressing your ideas in another language.
- Saturday 10 December: The University of Dundee will show you how to become a confident speaker by developing your confidence through presenting in another language.
Please also see attached flyer which can be distributed to pupils or colleagues.
University of Strathclyde MEd Education Studies - New languages modules
7 June 2022 (University of Strathclyde)
The School of Education in the University of Strathclyde has developed two new modules as part of the MEd Education Studies course that may be of particular interest to languages practitioners (EYs, primary, secondary MFL, FE, EAL/ESOL, Gaelic).
- Multilingual and Multicultural Education: Policy, Theory and Practice (commencing Jan 2023)
- Enacting Social Justice and Change in Language Learning and Teaching (commencing April 2023)
Practitioners who have already completed the SCILT professional learning courses (TELT and/or LLP) and have been awarded GTCS professional recognition, are eligible for accreditation of prior learning (20 Masters level credits for each course) towards gaining a full Masters degree. Likewise, teachers who have recently completed an ITE course at the University of Strathclyde may be eligible for further accreditation.
Further information about these modules and the course generally can be found in the attached information document. Details of the full suite of modules are in the attached MEd Education Studies Module Catalogue 2022-23.
Posted in:
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News from language & education organisations
7 June 2022 (Japan Foundation)
Institutions can apply for up to £3000 for non-profit-making projects or activities which promote Japanese language education in the UK.
Projects that fit into one of the four following categories are prioritised:
- Category 1 - Newly introducing Japanese into the curriculum
- Category 2 - Supporting GCSE or A-level courses
- Category 3 - Japanese clubs
- Category 4 - Projects that enable links between primary/secondary institutions and institutions of higher education
Visit the Japan Foundation website for more information, application guidelines and forms.
Apply by 16 June 2022.
Read more...
Information webinar for primary teachers in Scotland keen to learn a new language and how to teach it in their classrooms
7 June 2022 (SCILT)
Teachers Learning to Teach Languages, or TeLT for short, is a blended professional learning programme lasting 9 months that is aimed at practitioners who want to develop their practice in teaching languages to primary aged pupils.
Two information webinars for prospective students on the OU/SCILT TeLT programme are scheduled for:
- Thursday 16 June, 7pm - 8pm
- Tuesday 21 June, 7pm - 8pm
These webinars are open to teachers that teach languages primary schools in Scotland. Register here for your preferred webinar date.
Each 60-minute online event will introduce interested primary teachers to the primary languages programme delivered in collaboration by the Open University and SCILT from October 2022 to June 2023, where teachers can study one of four languages from scratch, learn how to teach it and apply their new skills directly as part of the course.
Participants will learn what the programme has to offer, what is required to succeed in becoming a primary languages teacher and gain professional recognition from the GTCS for the study.
Participants will hear about the impact of the study on attitudes and practice of teachers, pupils and the entire school community from OU and SCILT colleagues and find out how the course enables teachers to collaborate with primary schools across Scotland and Wales through in-programme eTwinning.
In addition, they will learn first-hand about experiences studying the course from former students, in-service primary teachers, who are now working as guest tutors on the programme. The guest tutors will also share how studying this programme has boosted their professional opportunities and employability skills.
Teachers working in other parts of the UK can find the information for the programme in their area on the Open University website.
Le Foot et la Francophonie
31 May 2022 (SCILT)
Congratulations to Lourdes Secondary School, winners of SCILT’s inaugural edition of Le Foot et la Francophonie!
Le Foot has generated huge enthusiasm in the four Glasgow schools involved in the pilot project. During the autumn of 2021, teachers of French at Knightswood Secondary School, Lourdes Secondary School, Shawlands Academy and St. Roch’s Secondary School, supported by staff from SCILT, produced some high quality teaching materials based on football and the French-speaking world. To ensure that this project was truly interdisciplinary, all stakeholders collaborated on a guidance document outlining benchmarks, experiences and outcomes from Modern Languages, Physical Education and Health and Wellbeing curricular areas. They were supported in this endeavour by input from Physical Education staff in their respective schools, as well as by Cara Lamb, who leads the PGDE Secondary Physical Education course at the University of Strathclyde.
In January, Le Foot was rolled out in S2 classrooms and on school playing fields. Engagement among pupils who had previously shown limited interest in languages was particularly evident, with one of the teachers involved noting that this was “French disguised as football”! The outstanding resources produced and shared by each school cover the four core skills of reading, listening, talking and writing, encompassing the Francophone world and including strong anti-racism messages. Just as importantly, the 750 pupils who took part learned of the relevance of languages to a range of careers in professional sports – an area in which many have a keen interest.
The competitive final took place at the University of Strathclyde on 12 May. The event involved teams of pupils from each of the schools, together with classmates who came along to support them. On the panel of judges were Cédric Moreau (Subject Leader for French, University of Strathclyde), Lisa Hanna (Depute Director, SCILT), Jordan Allison (Head of Charity, Kilmarnock FC) and Mark Cunningham (final-year student in Spanish and Education, and qualified football coach). After presenting a football-themed video in French, the teams performed football drills, which included commands in French. They then heard video messages from John Collins, Christophe Berra and Ismaila Soro, before the winner’s announcement saw Lourdes Secondary School claim the trophy, together with a visit to Hampden Park, where the winning team will be given a French-focussed tour of the stadium and the Scottish Football Museum.
Watch this space for information on Le Foot et la Francophonie being rolled out nationally in 2022-23, together with further details on how your school can get involved.
31 May 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
The University of León and Mester Academy have organised a Spanish course aimed at British and Irish teachers interested in learning or improving their Spanish language skills.
The blended learning programme consists of 33 hours of self-study online from mid-June plus one week Spanish language course in León (Spain) in August 2022.
- ONLINE + ONSITE COURSE
- 3 DIFFERENT LEVELS: absolute beginners, beginners and intermediate
- A GRANT to cover most of the costs will be offered
- APPLICATION DEADLINE: 13 June
All information regarding dates, course content, the grant and the application form can be found on the Spanish Embassy Education Office website.
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Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Spanish,
CPD,
Funding,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
31 May 2022 (Belfast Live)
When Rym Akhonzada first moved to Northern Ireland from Tunisia just over 20 years ago, she had the advantage of a good education and a strong grasp of languages.
Fluent in Arabic, French, and English and a bit of Italian, the mother-of-three went on to establish the Interlingua School of Languages in Lisburn.
The school offers language classes for those with either a professional or leisure interest in foreign languages.
Soon, schools across Northern Ireland were also kicking off their new terms in Arabic.
Read more...
26 May 2022 (SCILT)
This term we are hosting a series of interactive seminars for secondary languages teachers, based on some of the main themes from our workshops this year, and covering some of the big questions that you might be asking about teaching languages today.
We now have just a few places remaining on Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues. This session will feature the chance to hear from a guest speaker, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to the big questions!
- Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues
4-5pm, Thursday 9 June
In this seminar we will look at how can we approach controversial issues such as gender, race, politics and climate in the context of language learning. We will explore strategies for tackling controversial issues safely and effectively in the languages classroom. Our guest in this session will be Lynne Jones of SCILT who will be sharing particularly around areas of gender and immigration.
Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers. The session will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.
Read more...
25 May 2022 (The Children's Poetry Archive)
The Children’s Poetry Archive is a place where you can listen to poems read out loud. There are poems read by the poets who wrote them as well as poems which other people have recorded.
SCILT is delighted that The Children's Poetry Archive has uploaded a collection of the winners of this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition. Why not listen to the winning poems on the Archive's website?
Read more...
19 May 2022 (SCILT / Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow)
Following the successful launch of the Ten Steps to Polish online resource and introductory Polish classes for teachers last session, in collaboration with the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, we are delighted to announce that the Polish classes for teachers will run again in session 2022/23. The interactive Ten Steps to Polish handbook is designed for teachers to introduce Polish as an L3 and the online classes provide teachers with the opportunity to learn basic Polish in order to support the implementation of the resource in their classroom.
Chris Sagan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, who has led the programme from its infancy states:
“We are delighted with the response we have had to our Ten Steps to L3 Polish course. In our introductory year we have taught, via Zoom, basic Polish to teachers across Scotland enabling them to provide L3 Polish to their classes. We look forward with enthusiasm to another year of helping teachers teach Polish in classrooms across Scotland.”
Primary teachers who are interested can register by 20 June 2022 for a block of free online Polish language lessons, led by a native Polish speaker and an experienced primary practitioner. These online classes:
- begin on Tuesday 30th August
- will take place 4-5pm on MS Teams
- will be an hour in length, once a week, for 6 weeks
- support Ten Steps to L3 Polish and aim to give the class teacher the confidence to lead exciting Polish lessons in school
These classes are aimed at teachers planning to introduce Polish as an L3. Places are limited and offered on a first-come first-served basis.
For more information about Ten Steps to L3 Polish and/or language classes, please contact SCILT.
Wszystkiego najlepszego.
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12 May 2022 (CinemaAttic)
ADRIFT is an exciting new film season organised by CinemaAttic. A six-week celebration of contemporary and classic cinema from around the world, workshops with filmmakers and special events to delight Scottish audiences from 26 May to 30 June 2022.
The programme comprises:
- Film currents (a selection of 8 contemporary features from around the world)
- Cult classics (an unmissable 16mm double-bill of Chris Marker & Luis Buñuel films)
- Short films (two selections of shorts)
- Workshops (three interactive workshops bringing experimental animators from Spain & Latin America to Edinburgh and Glasgow)
Visit CinemaAttic's ADRIFT webpage for full details and booking information.
Read more...
10 May 2022 (British Council)
As part of our programme to recognise and celebrate World Refugee Day on 20 June, join our Language for Resilience online course for teachers. Throughout the course you will learn effective strategies and techniques to help make your classroom a safe environment. You will learn about the following:
- How to create a trauma-sensitive learning environment
- How to work with limited resources
- How to manage challenging behaviour
Visit the British Council website for more information and to register for the free course commencing 7 June 2022.
Read more...
9 May 2022 (Babel Magazine)
This year's competition for a young linguist to be published in Babel and win a year's subscription is now open!
Guidelines below:
- Deadline: Wednesday 31 August 2022
- Length: No more than 2,500 words
- Topic: Any topic to do with languages and linguistics – accessible and interesting for Babel readers
- Format: Word file
- Submission: Email to babelthelanguagemagazine@gmail.com
Examples of former winning entries can be found on the Babel website.
Read more...
5 May 2022 (Daily Record)
Three high school students from Linlithgow Academy were declared West Lothian’s ‘Languagenut champions’ - awarded by a national language learning resource company.
The language education company, Languagenut, ran the competition regionally in both Glasgow and West Lothian throughout the month of March.
The Languagenut resource is accessible to students via an app or website, and supports young people in learning a modern language.
Read more...
4 May 2022 (Stephen Spender Trust)
The Stephen Spender Prize is an annual competition for poetry in translation, with categories for young people (14-and-under, 16-and-under, and 18-and-under) as well as an open category for adults. All entrants must be UK or Irish citizens or residents, or pupils at a British School overseas. Translate into English any poem from any language – ranging from Arabic to Uzbek, from Danish to Somali—and win cash prizes!
Open for entries from 4 May until midnight on Friday 15 July, visit the competition website for more details on how to enter, to meet the judges, and to explore the different prize categories!
Read more...
3 May 2022 (TES)
A study of 1,300 Year 8 pupils has revealed that parents' beliefs are a bigger influence on children's views of themselves as language learners than are teacher opinions.
Parents are twice as likely as teachers to influence pupils' success in modern foreign languages (MFL), according to research by the University of Cambridge published today.
The Cambridge researchers say their findings show that measures to reverse the national decline in language learning at GCSE and A level should target families rather than just children.
Professor Linda Fisher, from the university's Faculty of Education, said: "Students' personal commitment to languages is determined by their experiences, their beliefs and their emotional response to speaking or using them. Slightly surprisingly, the people who feed into that most appear to be their parents."
"This can be a positive or negative influence, depending on the parents' own views. Its importance underlines the fact that if we want more young people to learn languages, we need to pay attention to wider social and cultural attitudes to languages beyond the classroom. Waning interest in these subjects is a public communication challenge; it's not just about what happens in schools."
Read more...
3 May 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
Do you have any exceptional S6 students of Spanish in your school? Why not nominate them for this year's Best Spanish Student in the UK award? There's still time to submit nominations as the deadline is 15 May 2022.
The award consists of a three-day trip (two nights) to Castilla y León for two people, including transport, accommodation and meals.
Visit the website to check the nomination criteria and submit nominees.
Read more...
3 May 2022 (Durham University)
UK learners of French, from National 5 upwards, are invited to invent a slogan in French on the themes of ‘le français et moi’ and ‘apprendre le français’. Make it catchy, concise and creative with an accompanying image.
Visit the Durham University website for more information and submit entries by 23 May 2022.
Read more...
Contemporary German films
2 May 2022 (Goethe-Institut)
The Goethe-Institut in Glasgow is delighted to be offering screenings of contemporary German films in Glasgow and in Edinburgh in collaboration with the Institut français d'Écosse. Admission is free for both but booking is required. The films are in German with English subtitles. Follow the relevant link below for more information:
- Cleo - Institut français, Edinburgh (24 May 2022) - The adventure, coming-of-age comedy explores the title character's desire to be able to turn back time and reverse a past misfortune.
- Le Prince - Goethe-Institut, Glasgow (26 May 2022) - A story of romance challenged by cultural differences.
UK-German connections
29 April 2022 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers a range of initiatives and support to help UK-German school partnerships thrive. Follow the appropriate link below to learn more about the opportunities available to schools and young people:
- Host a teacher from Germany - UK schools interested in hosting a teacher from Germany in 2022-23 can register now. Q&A webinars are also being offered during May and June for all UK schools interested in finding out more.
- Funding programmes - A range of grants are available for joint activities between schools and youth groups. Primary, secondary, FE colleges and youth groups can apply now.
- Still & Sparkling: UK-German Youth Newsletter - Written by young people, for young people, the newsletter is aimed at ages 14-25, and includes content in both English and German. The latest edition is now available online.
- Café Connect - Sessions are a great opportunity for 14-18 year-olds to practise their German and explore cultural topics with peers in the UK and Germany. Meetings are free to attend and give young people an informal and comfortable environment to make friends and develop linguistic and intercultural skills.
The organisation is keen to hear from young people about their views on the future of UK-German youth relations and invites young people aged 12-25 to complete a 'Have your say' survey. The survey closes on 24 June 2022.
Posted in:
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S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
German,
Cultural Diversity,
Funding,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Study Abroad,
News from language & education organisations
29 April 2022 (SCILT)
We are pleased to announce that event materials are now available to view on our website, including video recordings from Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Keynote speaker, Bernardette Holmes MBE, Independent Languages Policy and Pedagogy Consultant and Plenary speaker, Louise Glen, Senior Education Officer at Education Scotland.
Video presentations taken from breakout discussions, including testimonials and speaker biographies are also available to view and will be of interest to the language teaching community and community-based organisations.
The event welcomed language leads, teachers and the wider languages community to share, celebrate and highlight the importance of valuing language skills and ensuring the rights of all children and young people to a language rich curriculum.
Read more...
The Big Question: SCILT secondary seminar series
29 April 2022 (SCILT)
This term we are hosting a series of interactive seminars for secondary languages teachers, based on some of the main themes from our workshops this year, and covering some of the big questions that you might be asking about teaching languages today.
Each session will feature the chance to hear from a guest practitioner, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions!
Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish. Register for each seminar separately via the links below.
- Seminar 1: Employability and languages
4-5pm, Tuesday 17 May
In this seminar we will consider why and how to make meaningful connections between language learning and the Developing the Young Workforce agenda. Sarah Coats from Musselburgh Grammar School will be our guest in this session, sharing some of the work that she has been involved with in this area, which led to the school achieving the Scottish Languages Employability Award this year.
- Seminar 2: Encouraging uptake
4-5pm, Wednesday 25 May
Across Scotland, we are all facing the challenge of how to encourage learners to continue studying languages when faced with the choice. In this seminar we will have the chance to share ideas and strategies that we have tried or would like to try. France Reid from Dunblane High School will be our guest in this session, sharing the issues that they have faced and how they are seeking to address them.
- Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues
4-5pm, Thursday 9 June
In this seminar we will look at how can we approach controversial issues such as gender, race, politics and climate in the context of language learning. We will explore strategies for tackling controversial issues safely and effectively in the languages classroom. Our guest in this session will be Lynne Jones of SCILT who will be sharing particularly around areas of gender and immigration.
- Seminar 4: Building confidence in talking
4-5pm, Wednesday 15 June
Talking is often the area of our subject that learners find most challenging and stressful. In this seminar we will discuss and share practical ideas and activities which help build learner confidence in talking in the target language. Lisa Hanna from SCILT, who is a Visiting Assessor for talking with SQA, will be our guest in this session.
The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.
We look forward to seeing you there!
28 April 2022 (SCILT / Garvel Deaf Centre)
SCILT, in collaboration with Garvel Deaf Centre in Gourock, Inverclyde will be offering online British Sign Language (BSL) classes to support L3 in primary schools in the 2022-23 school session.
Applications are now open for schools to register their interest in the ‘BSL as an L3’ programme. The weekly lessons will be suitable for pupils in P5-P7 and are free of charge. In addition to the live lessons, supplementary resources such as video clips will be provided on Teams to support asynchronous learning opportunities.
The block of online classes will:
- begin on Thursday 8 September
- run for 10 weeks, with a two-week break in October
- take place live on Glow Teams
- be 45 minutes in length
- be delivered by an experienced deaf tutor, supported by a BSL interpreter
- raise deaf awareness
- promote inclusion and diversity
Schools selected to take part in the programme must attend an information session on Tuesday 7 June at 3.30pm on Teams.
Register your interest by Monday 16 May 2022 via the link below. For more information please contact SCILT.
Read more...
25 April 2022 (SCDE Languages Group)
The Scottish Council of Deans of Education Languages Group is very excited to launch their “Plurilingual Classrooms in Action” MOOC on Monday 25 April 2022.
This free four-week course, which is hosted through FutureLearn at the University of Glasgow, is aligned with the core principles and contexts of the National Framework for Languages: Plurilingualism, diversity, policy and legislation, and transformative practices, and aims to support the teaching and learning of languages in primary classrooms.
The course consists of a series of short readings, videos, tasks, and opportunities to reflect on the role of languages in and for education. Each of the activities will take no longer than 5 or 10 minutes to complete and aim to provide an overview of language teaching and learning in the 21st century and foster and enhance the creation of effective and engaging learning approaches which support inclusive practices in the classroom.
More information about the MOOC can be found on the SCDE Languages Group blog along with the National Framework for Languages.
Visit the FutureLearn website to register for the online course.
Read more...
21 April 2022 (SCILT)
The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.
The next deadline for submissions is Friday 20 May 2022.
In January 2022 Musselburgh Grammar School won a bronze award for their 'S3 Life with Languages' careers event. Read about their impressive submission, watch videos from previous winners and access the full award guidelines on our website.
Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.
If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT.
Read more...
20 April 2022 (The Guardian)
Every immigrant knows that the key to integration is learning the language of their new country. For many the language they brought with them is simply a relic of their former life.
In Barcelona, a project is turning that on its head with the philosophy that no one arrives in a host country empty-handed. They may not yet have a job or much of an education, they may even be staying illegally, but they have a language – often more than one.
Since 2020, the Prollema (pro-llengua materna, or pro-mother tongue) project has been helping those from north and west Africa gain confidence by helping them teach their mother tongue, the Berber – or Amazigh – languages, as well as Darija, Fula and Wolof.
Read more...
19 April 2022 (Goethe-Institut)
Primary schools in Scotland have the opportunity to secure a face-to-face workshop in schools with the author of The House by the Lake, Thomas Harding, in Autumn 2022.
The book tells the history of Germany through the story of a house inhabited by a succession of five different families. The author tour aims to facilitate an authentic contact with German culture and history and raise awareness of the German language among schools, teachers and students.
Teachers in Scotland who would like to participate, please visit the Goethe-Institut website for more information and to register interest.
Read more...
19 April 2022 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers a safe space for young people aged 14-18 to participate in an online meet-up group, Café Connect, with the chance to get to know other young people through fun, interactive activities, and group discussions on current topics.
Taking place twice a month, these online meet-ups are a unique opportunity to exchange with other young people from the UK and Germany in a friendly atmosphere – on topics that interest you! You can join as many sessions as you like and you can get involved even if you don’t speak any German - Tuesday Cafés are mainly in English, whilst Thursday Cafés give learners of German the opportunity to practise speaking the language in an informal atmosphere.
Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information and to register for a meeting.
Read more...
Writing projects and competitions
19 April 2022 (Scottish Book Trust)
The Scottish Book Trust currently has open projects and competitions for aspiring writers! Follow the relevant link below to find out more about each one:
- Young Scots Writer of the Year Award - Open to ages 11-18. Writing should be in Scots, whether you write a story, poem, play, song or make a short video.
- Your Stories: Scotland's Stories - Category for under-16s as well as adults. Write about real life experiences. Entries can be in any form you like – a story, poem, comic strip, play, video, audio file, or letter. Entries welcome in Gaelic, Scots and English.
Both competitions have deadlines in June 2022.
If you need some inspiration, try some of the creative tasks on the StoryCon webpage. StoryCon is Scotland's biggest creative writing and illustration conference for young people which returned in March this year. Recordings of events are available online for a limited time.
7 April 2022 (BBC)
Latin teaching in many schools is based on 1950s models and a fresh approach would attract more state-educated pupils, according to a new guide from the University of Cambridge.
Disney and Taylor Swift are referenced in a handbook for teachers as examples of how to engage pupils.
Cambridge academic Steven Hunt says Latin is not only for the "lucky ones in the few schools which provide it".
A scheme rolling out in September aims to help more state schools teach Latin.
Mr Hunt, the guide's author, who has been teaching Latin for 35 years and trains new teachers, believes students should be taught to speak in Latin as well as learning written grammar and vocabulary.
He told the BBC that Latin should be structured in the same way as modern foreign languages - based on the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing,
But he said his handbook was not a criticism of teachers, who "work very hard under difficult circumstances".
"The examination system at GCSE tends to force teachers to use quite traditional approaches - much teaching to the test - rather than exploring other approaches which might be more engaging, contain more variety, and reflect what we know of how young people learn languages," he said.
Read more...
5 April 2022 (SCILT)
We have collated resources to help support children and families arriving from Ukraine. We hope teachers will find these useful in welcoming young people and their parents into Scottish schools. Please share with your networks!
Read more...
1 April 2022 (SCILT)
We're delighted to announce the entries from all the finalists of this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition can now be viewed on the SCILT website.
For the first time judges awarded some special commendations for entries which very narrowly missed making the final shortlist and we have some of these also available online.
We hope many of you will be inspired to take part when the 2022-23 edition launches in the Autumn!
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
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Linguistic Diversity,
Mother Tongue,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
CISS NQ Mandarin offer 2022-2023
31 March 2022 (CISS)
CISS is happy to be able to share the first details of our offer of live-streamed Mandarin NQ classes for the upcoming 2022-2023 session. This will allow schools to expand their provision for Mandarin, particularly those who do not have access to a GTCS registered teacher of Mandarin and are therefore unable to offer NQ classes. The details in the attached document will allow these courses to be added to course choice forms. The offer consists of three courses: National 4, National 5, and Higher. The start date is tentatively scheduled for early to mid-June 2022.
Please see the attached document for further information and register your interest by Friday 8 April at this link: https://hass.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_dcG8IXkQ4ZLsTf
29 March 2022 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow offers a range of opportunities to learn about French culture and the French language. Follow the relevant link below for more information on the latest offerings:
Information about the organisation's other activities can be found on their website.
Read more...
28 March 2022 (UK-German Connection)
UK-German Connection offers a range of grants to primary and secondary schools (including SEN schools), FE colleges and youth groups for UK-German activities.
They also offer school partnership bursaries to help schools maintain existing links with Germany.
Funding applications are now open! Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information on the grants available.
Read more...
26 March 2022 (The Times)
It was in Canada and New Zealand that Calum Ferguson was inspired to create a national football team to represent the Scottish Gaels.
The 27-year-old striker, who has been close friends with Ryan Christie since their childhood in Inverness, is now on a mission to forge opportunities for Gaelic speakers at all levels of the game in this country, having witnessed how other nations seek to cherish and maintain minority languages and cultures.
Ferguson’s first awakening came in the Canadian Premier League, where he spent a season with Winnipeg-based Valour FC. One of their rivals was Halifax Wanderers in Nova Scotia, who make a major play on connecting with the Scottish and Gaelic roots in the community. Their motto is in Gaelic and translates as: “our harbour, our home, our soul.”
Ferguson, a former Albion Rovers player who studied and spoke Gaelic all the way through school but fell out of using it when he went full-time with Inverness Caley Thistle, was immediately taken with the approach.
Read more...
Online language NQ courses for school pupils with Edinburgh College
25 March 2022 (Edinburgh College)
Edinburgh College offers a range of online NQ language courses. These can be accessed across Scotland and all Scottish school pupils qualify for a full fee waiver. The courses provide a great option for pupils whose schools may not currently offer the language course on their curriculum.
The following options are available, with German and Italian new additions this year at Advanced Higher level:
- Advanced Higher and Higher: French, German, Italian and Spanish
- National 5: French, German and Spanish
Exam arrangements: Though enrolled with Edinburgh College, pupils still sit their exams at their own school (including the Adv Higher speaking exam).
See the attached flyer for more information and how to enrol.
24 March 2022 (The Herald)
More than a million people have taken on a Scottish Gaelic course on the language-learning app Duolingo.
A total of 1.12m people have started learning the language with the help of the popular app which first launched its Gaelic course on St Andrew's Day in 2019.
(Note - subscription required to access full article).
Read more...
18 March 2022 (British Council)
This new collection of videos with accompanying pupil booklet aims to encourage secondary pupils to continue their language education or choose languages as an option.
Read more...
18 March 2022 (SCILT/OU)
TeLT is the Teachers Learning to Teach Languages programme offered by the Open University in partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages. This professional learning opportunity is aimed at educators working in the primary sector and carries GTCS Professional Recognition.
Students learn a language – French, German, Mandarin or Spanish - and in parallel, get to put primary language pedagogies into practice with their own pupils. The programme is offered at two levels – beginners and post-beginners. More information here about how the course works.
Registration for 2022-23 intake is now open. Enrolment closes 8 September. Modules begin in October. More details here on how to register.
Information sessions for local authority officers and prospective applicants will take place in May and June. Dates are to be confirmed.
Read more...
Posted in:
Primary,
Chinese,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Scotland,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news
15 March 2022 (BBC)
A teenager who helped thousands of people learn British Sign Language (BSL) during the first Covid-19 lockdown is being turned into an animated character in new lessons.
Tyrese Dibba, who has Charge Syndrome, created a series of BSL videos which were watched by more than 80,000 people.
His character will be the head teacher of charity Sense's Sign School.
Tyrese said he loved to be able to continue his work.
For his work during the pandemic, Tyrese received a Points of Light award from the prime minister and the Stephen Sutton Inspiration Award at the Pride of Birmingham Awards 2021.
"Deaf people shouldn't be excluded," he said.
"You should be able to chat to everyone, regardless of disability."
Read more...
Resources for teachers
15 March 2022 (ECML)
The European Centre for Modern Languages encourage excellence and innovation in language teaching and aims to help Europeans learn languages more efficiently. They have just published the following resources which language teachers may find useful. Follow the relevant link for more information:
14 March 2022 (The National)
After reaching half a million people since its launch last year, Scotland’s biggest Gaelic initiative is back for round two.
SpeakGaelic launched in 2021 with a multiplatform campaign to teach Scots Gaelic, with podcasts, a BBC Alba programme, social media posts and online resources at learners’ disposal.
The first instalment of the project was aimed at total beginners and those with little knowledge of Gaelic.
Now, SpeakGaelic has returned for season two and it’s aiming to build on the success of the first rollout.
Speaking to The National, BBC Alba’s SpeakGaelic presenter Joy Dunlop said the team were “blown away” by the response to the initiative.
Dunlop said: “We were all blown away by the response to SpeakGaelic. There have been over half a million people reached since its launch. And you could definitely feel that, particularly on social media that folk got really involved.
“This is a new way to learn Gaelic... There's a website, programming and podcasts, resources. And I think it's time for Gaelic learners to try something new.
“We've had some wonderful courses in the past. But it definitely felt like there was an appetite out there to get involved particularly after a lockdown and with the success of Duolingo. So many people had been doing a wee bit anyway on their phone and it was the next step for them.
“People really jumped in there and embraced every part of it and it was really lovely to see.”
Read more...
14 March 2022 (SQA)
The SQA has published updated revision support notes for learners of Advanced Higher modern languages.
Visit the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage. Updated documents can be found in the 2022 revision support for learners dropdown section.
Read more...
Posted in:
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Learning,
National Qualifications,
News from language & education organisations,
SQA
7 March 2022 (Modern Languages Open)
This article examines how the teaching of languages can be transformed across the whole-school primary curriculum when teachers and researchers collaborate to make space for creativity and stories. The research presented here looks carefully at this process of transformation and how primary school teachers can become motivated to teach languages in more open-ended and creative ways. The researchers situate the debate within the fractured emergence of Primary Modern Foreign Languages as a subject in England and relate this to the lack of teachers’ proficiency in languages beyond English. In many primary school contexts the teaching of languages is repetitive and highly formulaic, so the researchers wanted to find novel ways to motivate teachers and children to learn languages. This collaborative work on the curriculum by researchers and teachers became part of the Critical Connections Multilingual Digital Storytelling Project (2012–ongoing) where stories and digital technology are used to (re-)engage language learners. The children (7–8 year olds) in this case study created a digital story – Wir gehen auf Drachenjagd (We’re Going on a Dragon Hunt) – for an international digital storytelling festival (June 2019). The research findings demonstrate how the power of stories combined with the digital dimension enabled children to use a new language productively and creatively.
Read more...
7 March 2022 (ECML)
The latest edition of the ECML's Language Gazette is now available online.
Visit the ECML website to access.
Read more...
7 March 2022 (Coffee Break Languages)
Need some advice for how to stick to your routine when learning a language? Coffee Break Languages has begun a new video series in which they share the secrets to making learning quicker and easier. Episode two provides tips on how to establish - and stick to - a routine.
Read more...
2 March 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
The Spanish Embassy Education Office is delighted to announce the call for nominations towards the Best Spanish student award 9th edition (for S6 students, in the case of Scotland).
If you have any students in your school who meet the criteria and that you would like to nominate for the award, check the information on the website.
The award consists of a three-day trip (two nights) to Castilla y León for two people, including transport, accommodation and meals.
Deadline for submitting nominations: 15th of May 2022.
Read more...
1 March 2022 (TES)
Co-teachers, a Chinese curriculum, different pedagogies – teaching in a bilingual school in China can be a steep learning curve but very rewarding, too, as these teachers explain.
Read more...
Mandarin for BGE
25 February 2022 (CISS)
Do you want to include Mandarin in your school's curriculum but don't currently have the resources?
CISS is offering 10-week blocks of live-streamed language and culture classes commencing September 2022. Two courses are available, one for Primary learners, the other for S1-S3. To find out more about each, follow the relevant link:
Register interest by 18 March 2022.
22 February 2022 (RZSS)
The RZSS offers a variety of activities for schools. Bookings are now open for the following programmes:
Beyond the Panda
A 5-week progressive programme for P4-P7. Four weeks live virtual sessions and 5th week in person outreach. Bookings open now for sessions starting in August 2022. Over the 5 weeks pupils will learn about various Chinese animals, threats, solutions, some Chinese culture while also learning about the Mandarin language and Chinese characters. Key objectives are in the attached pdf.
Giants
This new live virtual session looks at two very different animals from two very different areas of the world and at two very different languages. The giant anteater from South America and the giant panda from China. The session will introduce some basic vocabulary in both Spanish and Mandarin and will be aimed at upper primary level. Suitable for any class already studying Spanish or Mandarin or both. Bookings open now for a limited number of sessions starting April 2022.
Further information for both programmes at beyondthepanda.org.uk
Read more...
22 February 2022 (University of Oxford)
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators 2022 is now open! Teachers from all over the UK can submit their students' translations of poetry, fiction and non-fiction in French, German, Italian [new!], Mandarin and Spanish, covering all year groups at secondary school from age 11 to 18. Submission deadline is 8 April 2022.
Visit the competition website for more information and to register interest.
Read more...
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Translation,
News from language & education organisations
MTOT 2021-22 - Winners announced!
21 February 2022 (SCILT)
Our awards event to announce the winning entries from this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition was held online today, to coincide with International Mother Language Day. It was a great celebration of the languages being spoken and learned in Scotland and we're delighted to announce the winners and highly commended runners-up in each category as follows:
|
Mother Tongue
|
Award
|
Pupil
|
School
|
Language
|
|
P1-P4
|
Winner
|
Simon Cronje
|
Netherlee PS
|
Afrikaans
|
|
Highly commended
|
Fabian Choromanski
|
Gallowhill PS
|
Polish
|
|
P5-P7
|
Winner
|
Sabihah Tubasem
|
West Primary
|
Urdu
|
|
Highly commended
|
Lovelyn Asare
|
St Catherine’s PS
|
Italian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Sabina Rodrigues da Rosa
|
West Primary
|
Brazilian Portuguese
|
|
Highly commended
|
Tanazzal Shah
|
West Primary
|
Urdu
|
|
Highly commended
|
Zamin Amjad Sheikh
|
Netherlee PS
|
Urdu
|
|
S1-S3
|
Winner
|
Melice Monga Lubengi
|
Lourdes Secondary
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Marcel Zuk & Oskar Kolodziej
|
St Thomas of Aquin’s
|
Polish
|
|
Highly commended
|
Helen Joseph
|
Lourdes Secondary
|
Malaylam
|
|
Highly commended
|
Sarah Alradi
|
Craigmount High
|
Arabic
|
|
S4-S6
|
Winner
|
Regina Wyllie
|
Loudoun Academy
|
Bulgarian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Camran Kouhy
|
Madras College
|
Farsi
|
|
Highly commended
|
Wiktoria Sapko
|
St Andrew’s Secondary
|
Polish
|
|
Other Tongue
|
Award
|
Pupil
|
School
|
Language
|
|
P1-P4
|
Winner
|
Hayley Cowe
|
Westhill PS
|
Doric
|
|
Highly commended
|
P2 Class
|
Newcraighall PS
|
Spanish
|
|
P5-P7
|
Winner
|
Lucia Conetta
|
Glasgow Academy
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Malaika Ali
|
Golfhill PS
|
Urdu
|
|
S1-S3
|
Winner
|
Grace Ross
|
Madras College
|
French
|
|
Highly commended
|
Deepak Kumaar
|
Craigmount High
|
French & German
|
|
Highly commended
|
Caitlin Fraser
|
Arran High
|
French
|
|
S4-S6
|
Winner
|
Brooklynn Faichnie
|
Aboyne Academy
|
French, Spanish & Italian
|
|
Highly commended
|
Iona Kellas
|
Aboyne Academy
|
Latin
|
|
Highly commended
|
Charlotte Reynolds
|
Aboyne Academy
|
Russian
|
All pupils will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also receive a trophy as well as the opportunity for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive and Kids Poetry Club podcast. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward. This year also saw a special award sponsored by the Dictionaries of the Scots Language for entries in Scots, which was awarded to Hayley Cowe, our P1-P4 Other Tongue winner!
It is our intention to host each of these poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available.
Congratulations again to all our finalists!
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Community Languages,
Language Learning,
Minority Languages,
Mother Tongue,
SCILT news
21 February 2022 (UNRIC)
On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, UNRIC spoke to Dr Eleonore Smalle, a post-doctoral researcher at Ghent University (Belgium) and a lecturer at Tilburg University (the Netherlands), about the mechanisms of cognition and language learning.
Languages play a vital role in preserving our traditions, history and mode of thinking. They impact our identity, communication and education. Multilingual societies exist through their languages, which allow them to transmit traditional knowledge and cultures, achieve quality education and build inclusive societies. Mother-tongue based multilingual education is a key component of inclusion in education.
We asked Dr Eleonore Smalle about the recent findings in the field of language learning. We wanted to know why children are thought to be better language learners than adults, and how cognitive development affects language acquisition across the human life span.
Read more...
21 February 2022 (ALL/British Council)
There's still time to practise and celebrate a language you are learning, or use in your community, and take part in a virtual festival of speaking! Individuals or groups are invited to prepare and record a short poem, presentation, sketch or dialogue in the target language and share on social media by 28 February 2022.
Full details can be found in the ALLNet E-bulletin Special.
Read more...
17 February 2022 (SCILT)
Do you have a story to share with the languages community?
We are currently taking submissions for our spring 2022 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place in late 2021 or so far in 2022.
We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 11th March 2022.
Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter. Submissions can be sent to scilt@strath.ac.uk.
Read more...
17 February 2022 (Seachdain na Gàidhlig)
‘Seachdain na Gàidhlig’, is the first official nationwide language and culture week to be held in Scotland, from 21-27 March 2022.
The week promotes Gaelic to all, both at official events and community initiatives, such as Irish Language Week in Ireland and Gaelic Awareness Month in Nova Scotia. It will enable Gaelic speakers and non-speakers to participate in a variety of ways that suit them; both in Scotland and abroad.
Visit the website for more information or see the flyer for ways to get involved.
Read more...
15 February 2022 (Consejería de Educación)
A new issue of the magazine TECLA with lots of ideas and resources for Spanish classes is now available. It includes an article by Louise Glen: “Implementación de la política de idiomas 1+2 en centros educativos escoceses”. Free download!
Read more...
14 February 2022 (Goethe-Institut)
Want to take part in a PASCH football camp with the St. Pauli Football Club in Hamburg with other young people from all over Europe?
Then register NOW!
Expect a fantastic coaching session with the St Pauli FC in Hamburg, where you will be working with other (PASCH) students to improve your football skills while also having the opportunity to enhance your German language skills. If you are between 16 and 17 years old and speak German an A2 or B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and are interested in growing your football and German skills in a European camp then sign up fast as places are limited to 30 people only - 20 from PASCH schools, 10 places for non-PASCH schools.
The football camp takes place 30 April – 8 May 2022.
In addition to the "working aspect" of the football camp with daily training and German lessons, there will of course also be an additional activities, some of which will be exclusive, such as the opportunity to tour around the Millerntor Stadium, to play black-light mini-golf or to visit Hamburg harbour and climb aboard one of city’s former sailing ships and enjoy a view of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall.
Visit the Goethe-Institut website for more information and to apply.
Read more...
14 February 2022 (SQA)
Advanced Higher Modern Languages performance-talking visiting assessment guidance for centres has just been published.
Visit the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages page, Visiting Examining section for more information.
Read more...
8 February 2022 (CISS)
The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS) will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2022. To celebrate this milestone CISS is launching an interdisciplinary competition for secondary students across the nation to showcase their business, design and language skills.
We have set two categories which students can choose from and encourage school departments - be that business, design technology or languages - to support and encourage interested students as they develop their pitch.
See the attached flyer and visit the competition webpage for more information. Submit entries by 27 May 2022.
Read more...
4 February 2022 (TES)
The Scottish government's policy is that children should start learning their first additional language when they start school in P1 and then start learning another language from P5. The government says "language learning is an entitlement for all from P1 to S3".
This is known as the 1+2 languages policy, since the expectation is that pupils will learn two languages, as well as their mother tongue.
But to what extent is this long-established policy - which the government originally pledged to fully implement by the beginning of this school year (August 2021) - a reality in Scottish schools?
To mark Languages Week Scotland 2022, we take a look at the data.
Read more...
4 February 2022 (UK-German Connection)
Although our face-to-face summer programmes (German Pupil Courses and German Scholarships Programme) won't be taking place again this year, these free week-long virtual courses during the summer give pupils aged 15-17 an opportunity to practise and improve their German skills and immerse themselves in the language with like-minded peers from many different European countries. It’s a unique opportunity to exchange on topics relevant to their lives, gain new perspectives and make friends, all under the guidance of specialist German teachers.
Visit the UK-German Connection website for more information and apply by 1 March 2022.
Read more...
3 February 2022 (SCILT / Bilingualism Matters)
The Polish through Art online exhibition is now open! Visit our website to see the children's multilingual artwork, which explores their diverse identities, their linguistic competencies and their cultural heritage. Browse their wonderful creations, read their commentaries in their own words, and see the impact of a languages rich classroom.
About the project
SCILT’s Polish through Art project, developed in collaboration with Bilingualism Matters, showcases through art, a multilingual approach to language teaching. A multilingual approach recognises that each learner has their own individual repertoire and opens the classroom door to languages and experiences learners bring to the classroom. The online exhibition showcases the artwork of each pupil involved in the project from the four particpating mainstream and complementary schools.
Read more...
2 February 2022 (BBC)
For Elin Griffiths, 22, studying in France and Spain during the pandemic under the EU's Erasmus programme was "challenging" but invaluable.
The UK left that scheme following Brexit.
A £65m Welsh government education exchange programme called Taith is launching on Wednesday, which aims to provide similar opportunities.
Elin, a Cardiff University modern languages student, moved to Paris in October 2020 to work in a school. That was a week before a second national lockdown was announced in France.
Those restrictions stayed in place for six months, which meant bars and restaurants were closed.
She said: "It was challenging to move abroad in a pandemic, but I had so many opportunities that maybe I wouldn't have had if life was normal."
In her second placement, in Spain, she worked for Sevilla Football Club for three months.
The student, from Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey, said there were a number of benefits to working abroad.
She said: "It's inevitable if you're immersed in a different society your language skills are going to improve, your academic skills are going to improve.
"But at the same time there are so many personal advantages as well."
Read more...
1 February 2022 (Japan Foundation)
This is a brand-new event for primary and secondary school students studying Japanese in the UK organised by the Japan Foundation, London.
The world is currently changing very quickly. Technology is advancing, and nowadays if you have a computer or a smartphone you can send a message to anyone in the world. In a time like this, we should always have the following questions in our mind: “What message do I want to convey and how?” It is important for us to deliver messages clearly and easily for others to understand.
This event is a contest for young Japanese learners in the UK to use their Japanese and make a video on a topic provided. You can apply individually or as part of a group.
Visit the Japan Foundation website for more information and apply to take part by 3 May 2022.
Read more...
1 February 2022 (StampIT)
Create a written or video presentation linked to postage stamps. Open to ages 5-15 worldwide. Choose a stamp that inspires you and find out about the person, place, animal or object on the stamp. We encourage you to include some elements in a second language to your own.
Winners in each age group receive Amazon, equivalent e-vouchers or goods to the value of £40 for the winner and £20 for second place.
Full details on the attached flyer and more information along with previous winning entries on the StampIT website. Entry deadline: 8 April 2022.
Read more...
28 January 2022 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland)
Following on from the inaugural French essay competition in 2021, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland wish again to award an essay prize in 2022 to commemorate the long life and work of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon and her service to the Franco-Scottish Community.
This competition is aimed at Advanced Higher learners of French. This year, we would like you to reflect on the changes that you would like to see happen within your lifetime. All essay submissions must present a reflection on society in France and Scotland.
The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £500, and their essay will also be published in the annual Bulletin of the Franco-Scottish Society. Two runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded by SCILT.
- A maximum of three entries can be submitted from each school. Register your interest for your school to get involved by 5pm on 25 February.
Visit the Eventbrite webpage for further information and how to register.
Read more...
27 January 2022 (Glasgow Film Festival)
Taking place 2-13 March 2022, the Glasgow Film Festival offers a wide-ranging programme that celebrates every corner of world cinema and provides a fantastic showcase for the best of Scottish film. This year's Festival also includes African Stories, a special strand celebrating the rich diversity of life in countries across Africa.
Visit the GFF website for full programme details. There's a great range of foreign language films to choose from!
Read more...
27 January 2022 (SEET)
Have you signed up to take part in SEET's Euroquiz this year? There may still be time to register your team. Please visit our website or email jane@seet.org.uk for more information.
About Euroquiz
Euroquiz is an annual project open to all P6 pupils across Scotland, which sees teams of four working together to broaden their knowledge of Europe and the wider world. Subjects covered include languages, history, geography, sport, culture and European affairs. Heats take place in local authorities from February to April, with the winning teams from all areas progressing to the National Euroquiz Final held in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament in June.
Read more...
21 January 2022 (SCILT)
We are delighted to confirm that the recently launched toolkit for Phase Three of our ERASMUS+ project, Generation Global, now includes recordings of the sessions that took place at the virtual launch events on 1+2 December 2021. Entitled Making Your Future Brighter With Languages, the events, like the toolkit, set out to give young people, parents and carers a wealth of information, ideas and advice about the importance of learning languages.
The first event, on 1 December, which was aimed at young people, featured interactive activities and an interesting and informative panel discussion of young professionals talking about how they use languages in their careers. These recordings could be useful for teachers to show to classes of young people around subject choice times.
On 2 December the event focused on parents, carers and teachers. At this event we enjoyed contributions by Dr Paul Hare (Professional Development Officer, SCILT) and partners from Denmark and Norway, a fascinating panel discussion with representation from employers, educators and careers advisers, and a powerful message from Liz Neil of the British Council on the value of language and intercultural skills to the workforce of the future.
Recordings of all sessions are available on our website.
Read more...
Posted in:
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S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Business,
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Language Learning - Benefits,
Language Learning for Work,
Language Teaching,
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Promoting Languages,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news,
Parental engagement
21 January 2022 (SCILT / QFI)
SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and the Scottish Refugee Council, is currently looking for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.
The collaboration will provide an opportunity for primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic.
For learners in local authority primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams.
The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.
Live classes are provisionally scheduled as follows:
- Thursdays 14.00-14.45, starting September 2022
In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a grant of £2000. This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.
Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 18 February.
Please contact SCILT if you have any questions.
Read more...
21 January 2022 (SCILT / QFI)
SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and the Scottish Refugee Council, is currently looking for local authority secondary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.
The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic.
The course will focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ employability skills. It is aimed at learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills.
The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.
Classes are provisionally scheduled as follows and run from August 2022 until March 2023:
- S1-S3 - Wednesdays 13.30-14.30
- S4-S6 - Mondays 13.30-14.30
In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a grant of £2000. This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.
Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 18 February.
Please contact SCILT if you have any questions.
Read more...
18 January 2022 (British Council)
According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we enter the Year of the Tiger on 1 February 2022.
Our Year of the Tiger education pack celebrates Chinese New Year. Featuring activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese culture, you can learn about the South China tiger, make a kite, and take part in a Chinese language lesson.
Visit the British Council website to download the education pack.
Read more...
14 January 2022 (The Guardian)
The government is to push ahead with changes to languages teaching in schools that will result in pupils in England memorising lists of 1,700 words to pass GCSEs in Spanish, French or German.
The decision by the Department for Education (DfE) comes despite opposition from language associations, teaching unions and headteachers at state and independent schools, as well as concerns it could cause an exodus of languages teachers from the profession.
Simon Hyde, the general secretary of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference of independent schools, said his members feared the narrow focus on grammar and vocabulary would put pupils off studying modern foreign languages (MFL).
“This model will not give students the confidence in their language, both at examination level and as a life skill, to take forward into further studies, careers and personal endeavours,” Hyde said.
Read more...
14 January 2022 (ALL/British Council)
In 2021, with COVID-19 having had an impact on almost all areas of education but most acutely that of the teaching and learning of MFL, ALL, the British Council and cultural institutes in the United Kingdom combined efforts to devise an exciting event entitled ‘Express Yourself’. This was an opportunity to showcase language learners’ enjoyment of, and commitment to, a language that they are learning, or that is used in their home community (except for English!). We are repeating this in February 2022, in preparation for Spring where we practise and celebrate a language you are learning, or use in your community, and take part in a virtual festival of speaking!
Individuals or groups are invited to prepare and record a short poem, presentation, sketch or dialogue in the target language and share on social media by 28 February 2022.
Full details can be found in the ALLNet E-bulletin Special.
Read more...
14 January 2022 (MyFrenchFilmFestival)
This year's MyFrenchFilmFestival has now launched!
Running from 14 January until 14 February 2022, movie enthusiasts around the world will be able to access films selected in the 12th edition of the world's first online French-language film festival.
With 30 films on offer: features and shorts, all subtitled in 10 languages, there's something for everyone.
There is a charge for feature films, however all short films are free to view. Choose the winner of the Audience Prize by voting for your favourite.
Visit the MyFrenchFilmFestival website for more details and register to access the film selection.
Read more...
14 January 2022 (SCILT)
Are you looking for high quality professional learning for colleagues in your school, department, cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative?
SCILT's programme of professional learning workshops are now available to book for the rest of this session. Choose from our range of primary or secondary workshops, and request a date and time that suits you and your colleagues.
Whatever your professional learning needs, we will endeavour to meet them. If you have specific requirements we are happy to collaborate with you to develop bespoke input and support. In addition to practical suggestions, SCILT workshops are designed to explore the pedagogy that underpins practice through discussion and reflection with local colleagues.
Please visit the professional learning page of our website for further information and details of each of the workshops available. Please note, these workshops are intended for group bookings only.
During 2021-22, we are running webinars and drop-in sessions which are open to everyone. Registration for those will be on an event–by–event basis and will be publicised via the SCILT e-bulletin.
Read more...
13 January 2022 (DAAD UK)
This year's German Language Competition from the DAAD London and the Institute of Modern Languages Research, University of London focuses on coming together, celebrating friendship and collaboration between people, countries and institutions beyond borders and across cultures.
The competition therefore asks entrants to explore what does Zusammen – Together Across Cultures mean for you? Submissions can be about friendship across borders or about initiatives across cultures within the German-speaking countries; perhaps imagine a future without borders altogether? We invite you to write a story, a poem or a song, make a video or podcast, draw a comic or cartoon, choose any form you like – in written or spoken German. Entry categories available for learners or native speakers.
Visit the competition website for more information and submit entries by 6 March 2022.
Read more...
13 January 2022 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow offers a range of French classes for adults, young people and children. Enrolment is now open for the new term commencing 7 February 2022. For more information about upcoming sessions click on the relevant link below:
The organisation also provides a variety of cultural events. Visit their website for more details.
Read more...
12 January 2022 (SCILT)
The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.
The next deadline for submissions is Friday 21 January 2022.
Visit the SLEA page on our website to read about Danestone Primary School, whose partnership with Subsea 7 recently earned them a Bronze award. You can also access the full award guidelines and watch videos from previous winners.
Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.
If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT.
Read more...
11 January 2022 (The Guardian)
Want to learn a language, start gardening, read more, or get into meditation for the new year? There’s a podcast for that …
Coffee Break Languages
Radio Lingua was among the first to recognise the potential of podcasts for language learning, launching Coffee Break Spanish in 2006. Now the network has a huge range of free materials for learners at every level – and not just Spanish but also French, German, Italian, Chinese, Swedish and English.
Read more...
11 January 2022 (Goethe-Institut)
The seventh edition of Fokus: Films from Germany is returning to cinemas and we are very happy to show Fokus physically again.
We are presenting a particularly exciting and eclectic snapshot from the contemporary film scene in Germany. Alongside a selection of documentaries, we are showcasing some beautiful new feature films. Come and join us for screenings in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Ayr, Dundee, St. Andrews or up north in Shetland!
Visit the Goethe-Institut website for full programme details.
Read more...
5 January 2022 (ECML)
The European Centre for Modern Languages of the Council of Europe and the Tempus Foundation organised an online workshop entitled “Learning environments where modern languages flourish” on 4 November and 9 December 2021.
The goal of the workshop was to help teams create action plans that will be implemented in schools after the workshop to establish a language-friendly environment where foreign languages are taught in a comprehensive way, either as separate subjects or through integration into subjects.
Detailed information about the project along with resources and tools related to the topic are now available on the ECML website.
Read more...
31 December 2021 (The Guardian)
In March 2020, as the Covid pandemic took hold, the language learning app Duolingo reported double its usual number of sign-ups. Stuck inside under lockdown orders, people had time on their hands and were looking for ways to occupy it.
It wasn’t long before I joined its 500 million users in an attempt to recapture the feeling of learning Portuguese during three months spent in Brazil several years ago: that heady thrill of realising I had conveyed the meaning I meant to, the strange alchemy of suddenly understanding what people around me were saying. Could an app give me that?
Ninety days, hundreds of new words and plenty of lessons, “crowns” and “streaks” later, it didn’t feel like it. Was the app teaching me anything at all?
Entering 2022 with renewed enthusiasm to learn the language, I decided to see what the experts say.
Read more...
CISS Chinese New Year Poster Competition 2022
17 December 2021 (CISS)
The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools has announced a competition to celebrate the forthcoming year of the tiger! The competition is open to all primary schools in Scotland and the winner will be selected by CISS staff.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT AN ENTRY - entries submitted by email will not be accepted.
Deadline for entries: Friday 21 January 2022.
DETAILS:
Design a poster to celebrate the Year of the Tiger!
- Make sure to include the tiger in some way.
- Include what you know or have learnt about Chinese language and culture.
- Entries can be handmade (a high quality photo or scan of entry) or designed on the computer/tablet etc.
The winning entry will receive a prize and be featured online, and the poster will be used as the CISS Chinese New Year e-card!
17 December 2021 (CISS)
The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools is delighted to publish the brand new Winter 2021 Newsletter, featuring news and updates from CISS projects, Confucius Classroom Hubs, Chinese Exchange Teachers and more updates on Mandarin learning across Scotland.
Read more...
17 December 2021 (Light Bulb Languages)
Issue 8 of Write Away!, the magazine celebrating work being done in primary languages classrooms, has just been published and can be read on the Light Bulb Languages website.
Submissions for issue 9 are now also being invited. Visit the website for more information and get submissions in by 18 February 2022.
Read more...
17 December 2021 (SCILT)
Congratulations again to everyone who took part in our recent Words for the World competition.
Following our recent awards ceremony, and the announcement of the winners’ names, we are now delighted to be able to publish the winning, highly commended and remaining finalist entries in each category. We are sure that you will agree that the linguistic diversity, creativity and passion that they all show is both impressive and inspiring.
Read more...
Posted in:
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S1-S3,
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All Languages,
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Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Citizenship,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
SCILT news
17 December 2021 (BBC)
Strictly Come Dancing's Rose Ayling-Ellis has helped shine the spotlight on sign language users like Phoebe.
The first-year pupil at a school in Gourock, Inverclyde, is profoundly deaf and, like Rose, is learning to dance.
Phoebe's teacher says Strictly has increased interest in the school's deaf unit and that Rose has been a great deaf role model.
The signing club also involves Phoebe's friends, who have come along to learn British Sign Language (BSL) so they can all chat together.
Read more...
Mind Games: Cracking Code in Maths and Languages
20 January 2022 (SCILT)
Two mind-bending workshops are scheduled for in-service and student teachers during Languages Week Scotland 2022.
We are aware that Mathematics underpins all STEM subjects, but have you ever thought there are connections between learning mathematics and learning a language?
Join mathematicians and linguists from the University of Edinburgh to explore the topic further.
During the interactive workshops you will have a go at some puzzles and activities at the interface between Mathematics and Linguistics. Together we will explore how language works and where Maths comes into play.
You will have a chance to discuss with Mathematicians and Linguists about similarities between their subjects. You will takeaway practical ideas for your classroom to show how these different disciplines can be interconnected.
The activities we are going to use are mainly aimed at children older than 10 years. However, the approach can be applied to all year groups.
Attendance is free of charge and the event will be hosted online on Zoom.
More information and registration for the appropriate workshop via the links below:
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news,
STEM,
LWS
14 December 2021 (ECML)
The November 2021 – January 2022 edition of the ECML's European Language Gazette is now available online.
Read more...
14 December 2021 (University of Strathclyde/SCILT)
The Language Ambassadors are back……and they have gone VIRTUAL!
Get your learners involved to discover the joys of learning and being able to use another language by organising a Virtual Language Ambassadors visit to your school!
Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian or Spanish, on various degrees, including BA Honours in French and Spanish, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language but also Engineering and Science degrees.
This programme is free of charge and provides student role models to promote languages to young people and encourage your learners to choose languages as part of their high school curriculum.
We can deliver a range of activities online, such as:
- A virtual presentation about their experiences as university language learners and their experiences abroad;
- Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying a language;
- A small group discussion for Senior phase students who have already selected a language;
- Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event
Visit our website to find out more, and how to book a virtual visit for your school!
If you have any questions about The Language Ambassadors programme, please contact Cédric Moreau.
Read more...
Posted in:
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Ambassadors,
Language Learning,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news,
News from language & education organisations
9 December 2021 (BBC)
Schools in Wales could have fewer than 100 French and German GCSE entries by 2030, a report has found.
The Language Trends Wales report, which reviews foreign language teaching, called for a national strategy on languages amid a drop in GCSE entries.
The report found GCSE entries for French and German had almost halved between 2015 and 2021.
The Welsh government said the new curriculum would help expand international language teaching.
Entries for GCSE French and German declined by 11% and 12% in the past year alone, and while GCSE Spanish saw a noticeable increase over the period, numbers have "see-sawed" recently, the report said.
Read more...
9 December 2021 (Institut français)
Give the mic to your students and shoot a music video with them! If you believe your class has got talent, this competition is for you!
The Institut français du Royaume-Uni, in association with Francophonie UK, is inviting all teachers of French to submit a short video or animated clip of their class's own French rap or song.
Get the chance to be streamed on our dedicated UK YouTube channel and to compete for the national Francophonie UK School Music Awards as part of the Fête de la Musique in June 2022!
Visit the website for more information and to register for the competition. Submission deadline: 15 April 2022.
Read more...
9 December 2021 (British Council)
Apply to be an English Language Assistant in 2022-23! Placements are open to candidates with language skills in French, German, Italian and Spanish – as well as selected destinations open to those from other disciplines.
Visit the British Council website to find out more and check eligibility. Apply by 1 February 2022.
Read more...
Posted in:
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Cultural Diversity,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Study Abroad,
News from language & education organisations
9 December 2021 (Consejería de Educación)
La Consejería de Educación en el Reino Unido e Irlanda and Extenda will be organising a new series of online training workshops for teachers of Spanish in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the months of January to March 2022.
Each online session will include a workshop on different methodological aspects related to the teaching of Spanish. Teachers can sign up to attend one or more of the workshops as the themes, the registration and the certification of each session will be independent. In this way teachers can choose to follow the workshops that interest them the most.
The two first of the workshops will take place on Saturday 15 January 2022 (from 10:00 to 12:00). Registration is free and can be done through this link: https://forma.administracionelectronica.gob.es/form/open/corp/7695/qlvi
For more information about the workshop series, visit the La Consejería de Educación website.
Read more...
7 December 2021 (School of Advanced Studies)
It is no secret that every area of the humanities is experiencing significant change. Questions concerning the coherence, identity, and purpose of modern languages are certainly the subject of a great deal of debate within the education sector.
This edition of Talking Humanities sets out to examine some of the issues that are of most pressing concern to those working in the sector. In the opening post (We have to deploy modern languages in confronting our challenges), Professors Charles Burdett and Claire Gorrara talk about the nature of the challenges that the disciplinary area faces – from patterns in recruitment to reform of the curriculum – and how it is attempting to address those challenges. In the posts that follow, contributors reflect on different elements of the subject area and how it is pursuing reform.
Read more...
4 December 2021 (The Guardian)
Whether it’s down to Squid Game or kawaii culture, fascination with Korea and Japan is fuelling a boom in learning east Asian languages. Japanese is the fastest growing language to be learned in the UK this year on the online platform Duolingo, and Korean is the fourth fastest.
Most of the interest is driven by cultural issues, the firm said in its 2021 Duolingo language report, which will be published tomorrow and analyses how the 20 million downloads of its platform are used.
Established elements of Japanese popular culture, such as Pokémon and video games, have been joined by a global surge in the popularity of anime such as Dragon Ball and My Hero Academia.
Duolingo said that 26% of language learners had been influenced by key cultural moments, such as the Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020, and by TV shows such as Squid Game, which saw a 76% rise in Korean learners after it launched in September. A third of learners said they had chosen to watch a film or TV programme in another language.
Globally, Japanese overtook Italian to become the fifth most popular language in 2021.
Read more...
Related Links
2021 Duolingo Language Report (Duolingo, 6 December 2021)
Mathématiques sans Frontières
3 December 2021 (UWS)
The University of the West of Scotland (UWS) is once again organising the world-wide Mathematics and Language competition “Mathématiques sans Frontières” in Scotland (and also branching out to England and Northern Ireland!).
We are hopeful that, after an interrupted competition in 2021, we continue to offer a stimulating and light-hearted competition which combines Mathematics and Modern Languages.
For those of you who have not taken part previously, this competition aims to motivate pupils in these subjects, promote teamwork throughout pupils of all abilities, and bridge borders between countries across the world.
Please find attached a training (“Discovery”) test for “Mathématiques Sans Frontières” and one entry form for the competition proper.
S4 classes should attempt questions 1-10 and S5 classes questions 1-13. A whole class should attempt the test with questions divided up between groups to ensure that the questions can be completed in the allotted time of 90 minutes. Question 1 will require an explanation in a foreign language. We hope that this encourages cross-curricular working and teamwork. Answers are also attached, in French, which provides another opportunity for teamwork in the translation.
The competition proper will be held on Thursday 10 March 2022. Social-distancing restrictions permitting, the prize-giving will be held in June at UWS when the achievements of the top ten schools at each level are recognised. All schools competing will receive a certificate.
Schools who would like to register for the competition are kindly requested to complete the proforma attached and return by 28 January 2021.
We will send out the actual test as a PDF file by e-mail on the Friday prior to the test. This has proved to be very popular and we intend continuing to issue the test in this format. We would therefore kindly ask you to ensure that the e-mail address provided is legible or, preferably, typed. It would also be beneficial to provide an alternative e-mail address, possibly a personal address, which may help prevent firewall issues.
We hope you will give serious consideration to entering the competition and look forward to hearing from you.
2 December 2021 (SCILT)
Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?
SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your pupils, from interactive advent calendars and games, to lesson plans and festive facts. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and around the world!
Read more...
30 November 2021 (Alliance Française)
The Alliance Française in Glasgow is running online Revision Courses in February for pupils who are due to sit their Higher and Advanced Higher oral examinations in 2022.
Visit their website for more information and to book.
Read more...
30 November 2021 (Twinkl/SCILT/Bilingualism Matters)
What does it mean to be bilingual? Bilingualism is knowing more than one language and the way it affects us is far from simple! Find out all about the different ways we can be bilingual, the effects of bilingualism and some of the benefits to us all with our amazing resources developed for use at First Level alongside the experts at Bilingualism Matters, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, and our teacher team here at Twinkl. The resources are available in English and Gaelic for use in GME contexts and are an ideal way to start celebrating the linguistic landscape in your school.
Read more...
29 November 2021 (Gleans Alba)
Gaelic L2 and L3 schools the latest Gleans Challenge is here. Why not have a go at singing our Winter song or make your own colourful bodach-sneachda!
Read more...
26 November 2021 (Light Bulb Languages)
Write Away! is an exciting project from Light Bulb Languages. It's a magazine celebrating the writing that primary children do in their language lessons.
Submissions for issue 8 are now being accepted. Visit the website for submission guidelines and submit work by Friday 10 December 2021.
Previous issues of Write Away! can also be viewed on the website along with lots of language resources for the primary classroom.
Read more...
Words for the World competition winners!
26 November 2021 (SCILT)
Congratulations to everyone who took part in our Words for the World competition.
The standard of entries was incredibly high, with a wide range of formats submitted and an array of languages. We can be proud of the linguistic diversity we have here in Scotland and the creativity and passion our young people demonstrated for protecting our planet, our humanity and creating a brighter future for us all. We were truly humbled and inspired by their work.
Judging proved exceptionally difficult, but we were delighted to announce the winning entries at an online awards event last week. Well done again to the following who were successful in their respective categories and thank you to every pupil who participated in the competition.
P1-P4
- Winner - Leena Valluri, Goodlyburn Primary
- Highly commended - The Glasgow Academy Newlands & Milngavie class entry
P5-P7
- Winner - Zofia Zajac, St Patrick's Primary
- Highly commended - Sophie McGrath, St Vincent's Primary
- Highly commended - Tristan Naylor, Hyndland Primary
S1-S3
- Winner - Oriana Strahan, Largs Academy
- Highly commended - Deepak Krisna Kummar, Craigmount High
S4-S6
- Winner - Daniel Smith, Alva Academy
- Highly commended - Aiman Mohammad, Renfrew High
26 November 2021 (SCILT)
The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter is here!
Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning opportunities, our motivating competitions and our online events. Find out how schools celebrated European Day of Languages 2021, and hear from local authorities about their latest inspiring initiatives including projects involving STEM, virtual live lessons and links with business. There is also the opportunity to read about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland, including links to free resources and online learning opportunities.
Read more...
25 November 2021 (TES)
A group of nine influential education organisations, including headteachers' unions and three exam boards, have united to call on the government to rethink its reforms of GCSE modern foreign languages.
The group - which has issued a joint statement calling on the government to rethink the "risky" plans today - includes the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) and the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) as well as three exam boards (AQA, Pearson Edexcel and WJEC Eduqas).
Language associations such as the Association for Language Learning, the Independent Schools Modern Languages Association and the National Association of Language Advisers) have also called for revisions to the proposals.
In March, the government launched new draft subject content to make French, German and Spanish GCSEs “more accessible and motivating for students”.
Proposals included “streamlining” course content so that students would only be tested on what they have been taught, with pupils “expected to know” up to 1,700 different words in the language.
In April, during an online panel discussion of the changes hosted by AQA, experts warned that the changes could leave pupils being able to "talk about almost nothing".
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23 November 2021 (University of Dundee)
At the University of Dundee, we have a long-established tradition of language teaching, both with students at the University and via distance learning. We offer the opportunity of learning languages at various levels via Distance learning. We use a combination of online tools to give students a range of experiences in the language. Experienced staff are responsible for the course design, delivery and student support.
Short Courses:
- If you are interested in starting to learn a new language, you could enrol in our 25-Week Intensive distance learning courses (Languages modules offered in Chinese, French, Gaelic, German and Spanish). These courses start in the week commencing 10 January 2022. Registration is now open.
- If you already have some knowledge of Chinese, French, Gaelic, German or Spanish, such as a rusty Higher, GCSE, or O-level, then you may consider enrolling in the 10-week revision languages courses. These courses start in the week commencing 25 April 2022. 10-Week Revision Courses. Registration is now open.
2-Year online French, German and Spanish Graduate Diplomas
These 2-Year Graduate Diplomas by Distance Learning for part-time study are accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland. They are ideally suited for Secondary MFL teachers seeking an additional qualification in French, German or Spanish, and also attract a wide range of professionals from across Britain, Europe and beyond.
The Graduate Diplomas aim to provide the challenges of an undergraduate curriculum in the relevant language. At the end of their studies, students achieve an advanced understanding and knowledge of the language being studied.
Through an interdisciplinary process (Teaching Spanish in addition to French for example) and by interacting and exchanging ideas with other students from other parts of the UK, Europe and Overseas, students will be able to develop a critical understanding of their practice and education as a whole.
The Graduate Diplomas carry a rating of 120 SCOTCAT points (SCQF Levels 9-10). The qualification outcome is bench-marked at C1 in the Council of Europe Reference Framework for Languages. Applicants will normally have a pass at Higher level (or equivalent) in the language. This level can be achieved through completion of one of the University of Dundee‘s Distance Learning Intensive or Revision courses Languages | University of Dundee.
The diplomas place emphasis on reflection, inquiry, critical analysis, personal consideration of research findings and actively promotes the values, principles and practices of equality, social justice, integrity, trust and respect, and professional commitment in all areas of work.
Registration of the 2022-2024 Graduate Diplomas (2-Year part-time French , German and Spanish graduate-level diploma courses) is now open. The diplomas start in the week commencing 26 September 2022.
For more information visit the University of Dundee website, or to discuss any aspects of the courses or your application , please contact humanities@dundee.ac.uk.
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15 November 2021 (UK-German Connection)
As travel plans and exchange activity begin to pick up once more, UK-German Connection are again offering partnership bursaries of £1,000 to help schools to keep their UK-German partnerships alive.
The bursaries can support pupil visits and joint activities taking place in 2022 and are open to both UK and German partner schools. Application is via a short online form. Deadline: 31 January 2022.
Find out more and apply on the UK-German Connection website.
If you have any questions, please contact funding@ukgermanconnection.org
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13 November 2021 (The Irish News)
From four-year-old to 90, age is no barrier to learning a second language.
That's according to South Eastern Regional College (SERC), which says it is never too late, or early, to pick up a new language.
The college's language students' range in age from Alec Thompson (4), a pupil at Bangor Central Integrated Primary School, to David McShane (90) from Helen's Bay - both of whom are enjoying learning French.
Mr McShane has progressed from basic French to an advanced level speaker (level 4) after attending the college for several years.
"A second language is a social skill and I have found it does help when you get older," he said.
"If you don't use it, you can quickly lose the vocabulary and the feel for the language.
"I think it is so important for children to learn a second language from a young age and the younger they start, the better."
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12 November 2021 (SCILT)
SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.
In November 2021, we are looking at how we can combine employability and language skills in the primary classroom. Come along on 24 November to share your ideas and hear what others do too!
Our special guests will be Leanne Duncan, PT at Danestone Primary School, Aberdeen City and Christina MacGregor, P4-7 GME Teacher at Goodlyburn Primary School, Perth & Kinross. Leanne and Christina will tell us about the last year’s achievements by their pupils with activities that integrated languages and employability skills. The languages taught across the two schools are Gaelic, English, French and Chinese.
Find out more, along with the registration link, on our Bitesize webpage.
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11 November 2021 (The Conversation)
Language has traditionally been considered a complex skill which mobilises brain networks specifically dedicated to linguistic processing. But in recent years, neuroscience research has returned to this idea and offered new insights.
Notably, studies have suggested that areas of the brain which control certain language functions, such as processing the meaning of words, are also involved in the control of fine motor skills.
Syntax, the ability to correctly structure words into a sentence, is one of the most important features of language. While evidence had yet to link syntax skills specifically with motor control in the brain, research published in 2019 revealed a correlation between having good syntactic ability and being skilled at using tools.
With this in mind, our international research team was interested to know whether the use of tools engages parts of the brain similar to those mobilised when we’re thinking about the construction of sentences.
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9 November 2021 (SQA)
SQA is currently recruiting additional Visiting Assessors (VAs) of Advanced Higher Modern Languages performance-talking. VAs who have previously carried out this role do not need to reapply.
We would welcome applications for the following languages:
- French
- Gaelic (Learners)
- German
- Mandarin (Simplified)
- Spanish
VAs will receive training/support and will complete a training exercise prior to attending a briefing event on Saturday 29 January 2022 in Glasgow.
Centre visits (dependent on Scottish Government health guidance) will be completed throughout mid-February to late March 2022. Up to 5 release days may be required to fulfil this role (number of release days is flexible).
Release fees and/or own time fees would be paid, as well as travel expenses.
Further detail, including selection criteria, is available via the link below, where you can submit your application. Deadline: 12 December.
If you need any further information, please contact elaine.clusker@sqa.org.uk.
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Posted in:
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
National Qualifications,
News from language & education organisations,
SQA
9 November 2021 (ECML)
The RECOLANG team (Resources for assessing the home language competences of migrant pupils) is carrying out a European survey on the place of home languages at school, particularly within different education programmes or curricula involving migrant adolescents aged 11-18.
This survey focuses on the practices of assessing home language skills and their role in different European education systems.
The survey is made up of two complementary sections aimed at two different target audiences:
- A section aimed at pupils aged between 11 and 18 (or their families), who are from a migrant background and one or more home languages other than the language(s) of the school. This section is available in Arabic, English, French, German, Persian (Dari/Farsi), Portuguese and Turkish.
- A section for schools and educational institutions, teaching and supervisory staff in schools, reception centres and organisations involved in initial and further professional development of teachers working with this age group (11-18 years). This section is available in English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian and Portuguese.
Visit the ECML website to access the survey which will be online until the end of 2021.
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Opportunities from LFEE
9 November 2021 (LFEE )
Festival of Languages… connecting with schools from Scotland, France, Spain and Germany…
Our first Connected Learning Festival celebrates the learning and teaching of English, French and Spanish for upper primary and secondary school pupils.
Through short videos and 3D animations, our characters and their avatars take teachers and their learners from the comfort of their classroom to our virtual land where everything is possible!
Please click on the link below for free access to the Characters presentations in English, French and Spanish.
https://connectlearn.eu/learn-more/meet-characters/
Share what learners produce with other schools from other countries on Padlet. Practitioners are given ideas on how to record what is produced by their learners and to create an exhibition which can be shared on Padlet and/or within their own school.
The Turing Programme... Send your learners to France, Spain and Germany….
LFEE Europe will build a consortium to support pupil mobilities in 2022 – 2023.
Should you be interested in sending your learners to one of the above 3 countries, get in touch with us. We will put in a bid which, if successful, will allow schools to get funding to send pupils abroad. The grant will cover all costs for pupils and accompanying teachers: travel expenses and subsistence.
We have partnered with many primary and secondary schools in France, Spain and Germany where the trip will take place. Alternatively, you can find a partner of your choice.
Should you be interested, please email us on: info@lfee.net
It would be good to write a little description of a specific theme/project you might be interested in exploring whilst abroad: sustainability, history, geography etc.
Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Funding,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Study Abroad,
Resources,
News from language & education organisations
9 November 2021 (SQA)
Visiting assessing documents have been added for modern languages subjects at Advanced Higher.
Visit the SQA Modern Languages Advanced Higher webpage for more information.
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8 November 2021 (Little Linguist)
Joyeux Noël, Petite taupe ! is a simple story in French about a mole who is feeling lonely on Christmas Eve. One by one her friends arrive, each bringing something to help her celebrate Christmas. French story-book expert, Nathalie Paris from Nattalingo has selected this book to feature in our competition this month as she thinks it's an excellent choice for Christmas.
Visit the Little Linguist website to enter by 15 November 2021 for your chance to win the book.
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5 November 2021 (SCILT)
If you missed any part of this event, then we have good news for you! Materials are now available on our website to view at your own leisure, including video presentations from Keynote speaker, Joanna McPake, Reader in Education at the University of Strathclyde and Plenary speakers, Dr Łukasz Lutostański, Consul General and Sylwia Spooner, Head of Cultural Affairs at the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh. The event welcomed language leaders and practitioners to share thoughts, ideas, good practice and discuss the challenges we face in embedding L3 into our curricula, including information on the newly launched 10 Steps to Polish Programme, run in conjunction with SCILT.
PowerPoint presentations used from facilitated discussions, including testimonials and speaker biographies are also available to view and will be of interest to the language teaching community.
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Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
1+2,
Curriculum for Excellence,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news
4 November 2021 (Poesiae)
Poésíæ and Poésíært, the global poems recitation and art competitions, start on 4 January 2022.
The competitions are free to enter and open to all pupils aged 7-15. Teachers can select from the suggested poems offered in French, German, Italian, Spanish, English or Welsh. Pupils can enter the recital strand of the competition or, for those less confident in doing so, the art competition offers pupils a different medium to express their understanding of the poem.
Visit the Poésíæ website for more information.
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Posted in:
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Awards,
Celebrating Languages,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
Promoting Languages,
News from language & education organisations
4 November 2021 (AtWiOS)
All the World is Our Stage: Primary pupils never lost in translanguaging is a project exploring creative ways of language learning with the creation of a multilingual performance showcasing both home and school languages.
A new website has been launched featuring outputs and resources from the project produced in collaboration with pupils and teachers and collated by Eneida García Villanueva, the principal investigator in the project. The materials aim to help practitioners embed pedagogical translanguaging in schools.
Visit the website for more information and to access the resources.
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2 November 2021 (Goethe-Institut)
In a cooperation between the Goethe-Institut Dublin and Glasgow, the Alliance Française Dublin, the Alliance Française Glasgow, the Institut Français Ecosse and the Climate Crisis Film Festival, a series of seven films is available on Goethe on Demand accompanying the COP26.
This online film series exemplarily addresses different aspects in the context of climate change and environmental policy. All films are free to access from 1 November and are in the original language with English subtitles.
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Resources and activities for COP26
29 October 2021 (Highland Council)
The Northern Alliance has put together the following resources which they are happy to share with schools nationally to link in with COP26.