Strathclyde University
31 October 2024 (University of Strathclyde)
The University of Strathclyde's Centre for Lifelong Learning (CLL) offers opportunities to study modern languages as part of its day, evening and summer short course programmes. The languages offered vary from year to year. French, Gaelic, German, Italian and Spanish language classes are included this year, varying each term, with new courses in Mandarin now also available for the 2024-25 session!
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19 September 2024 (The Northern Scot)
A Dutch mum’s “wild journey” from teaching secondary school physics to advising the United Nations about languages came after her Gaelic-learning “hobby” got “slightly out of hand”.
Ingeborg (Inge) Birnie, who lives in Knockando, moved to Moray from The Netherlands in the 1990s to study science at Moray College.
After graduating, she went on to teach physics at Milnes and Speyside High School.
However, Inge also started taking Gaelic evening classes through Moray College - kickstarting a passion which would shape her life for nearly two decades.
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Living Languages Series 2024-25
19 September 2024 (University of Strathclyde)
Welcome to Living Languages, a series of conversations organised by Languages@Strathclyde and focussing on the theme of employability.
The Living Languages series is an opportunity to hear from high-profile guests, and early career graduates, from a variety of sectors, talking about the role languages have played, and continue to play, in their professional lives.
For this season, we are very pleased to introduce a very exciting list of guests who will share their experiences of using languages in a professional setting. For each event, the relaxed conversation format will also allow audience participation.
Living Languages 2024-25 Programme
- Tuesday 1 October, 5.30pm – From garage to global: building a successful language-based start-up
In conversation with Mark Pentleton, polyglot and CEO of Coffee Break Languages.
Tickets ► Eventbrite
- Thursday 31 October, 5.30pm – Chasing your dreams abroad: playing the game in Paris
In conversation with Finn Russell, professional rugby player and captain of Scotland.
Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
- Tuesday 26 November, 5.30pm TBC – Where are they now? Stories from recent graduates
In conversation with Tom Bell (Producer - Visual Radio – at the BBC), Marjorie Hogarth (Assistant Market Development Manager at Visit Scotland), Daniel Hayes (Sales and Account Manager at My Language Connection) and Kristina Bachtler, HR and Operations Manager at Coffee Break Languages.
Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
- Monday 3 February, 5.30pm – A conversation with Amparo Fortuny, Producer and Filmmaker
The evening will also feature a screening of one of Amparo's films.
Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
- Monday 25 February, 5.30pm – Multilingualism in Media: Providing a voice to a multicultural community
In conversation with Rhiannon J Davies, Editor-in-chief, Greater Govanhill magazine
Tickets available now ► Eventbrite
19 September 2024 (University of Strathclyde)
Time to book your in-school visit!
At the University of Strathclyde, while fully supporting the SCILT’s monthly Language Ambassadors online sessions and Scotland's Languages Explorer's Programme, we are also offering on-site visits.
So, get your learners to discover the joys of engaging with 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.
Language Ambassadors can deliver a range of activities, such as:
- Presentation aimed at various levels about their experiences as university language learners, transitioning from school to university, and their experiences abroad, followed by a Q&A session about the benefits of studying languages;
- ‘Meet & Chat Sessions’ for Senior Phase students who have already selected a language;
- Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event.
Please visit the Strathclyde Language Ambassadors webpage or contact the programme leader Cédric Moreau to discover more and book a visit from a Strathclyde Language Ambassadors team in 2024/2025.
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CCEd in French at the University of Strathclyde
10 September 2024 (University of Strathclyde)
Are you interested in upskilling your French to GTCS-accredited standard? Then this could be the course for you!
The Certificate of Continuing Education (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.
Further information and application details will be advertised via the SCILT bulletin and SCILT 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).
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.
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!
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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).
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.
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13 June 2021 (The Scotsman)
It can feel as if there are two Lilian Thurams.
One is the iconic French footballer. A defender who, across a stellar career that took him from Monaco to Parma, Juventus and finally Barcelona, became his country’s most capped player, and the cornerstone of the World Cup triumph in 1998 and the European Championships two years later.
The other Thuram is the devoted and passionate rights campaigner that the 49-year-old has become since his playing days ended. A man who established a Foundation For Education Against Racism, and has turned to the written word, with his first book, My Black Stars, now translated into English.
Yet, Thuram – inspired to write it because slaves were the only people of his skin colour he was told about in school, not scientists, explorers, philosophers and the so many more black pioneers that he has chronicled – doesn’t have to think twice when asked about the legacy he hopes for.
“It isn’t difficult,” he said, speaking after the book’s launch hosted by Scotland s National Centre for Languages/University of Strathclyde this week. “I’m extremely proud of winning the World Cup, and all that I did in my career. But at the end of the day being a footballer was my job. Fighting for equality is my life, though, what makes me proudest, and how I would like to be remembered.”
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9 November 2020 (University of Strathclyde)
The podcast series brings a mix of 'meet an academic' interviews, information about our courses, thought pieces, conversations and provocations on all things education.
In episode #6 learn about the work of Scotland's National Centre for Languages, with director, Fhiona Mackay.
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7 October 2019 (University of Strathclyde)
Find out more about the Ramshorn Theatre renovation that was completed in summer 2019, with Estates Services managing the project.
The Ramshorn is a category A-listed building, reflecting its regional importance and local interest. Working with listed buildings comes with its own challenges, as it was necessary to preserve the unique architectural and historical features of the church.
This project saw the transformation of a neglected historic building into a bright modern office environment and multi-use space. The old theatre space and the hall were turned into flexible event and teaching spaces that will act as a hub for cultural exchange, performances and engagement work with schools, scholars, local government and the public.
[..] SCILT and CISS are settling in well in their new home, and are thrilled to be giving the building a new purpose and continuing the story of the Ramshorn.
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2 April 2018 (Falkirk Herald)
The multilingual talents of budding poets from Graeme High and Moray Primary were celebrated in the 2018 Mother Tongue Other Tongue awards.
Graeme High pupil Danai Nikitea was crowned the winner of the Mother Tongue category during a prestigious ceremony at University of Strathclyde on March 17.
While Kole Murray from Moray Primary and Harely Ewen and Simi Singh, both from Graeme High, were Highly Commended in the Other Tongue category.
These students used their language skills to create and share poetry for the ceremony.
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9 October 2017 (The Herald)
A university has downgraded the teaching of Italian sparking wider fears for the study of the country’s language and culture in Scotland.
Strathclyde University, in Glasgow, will no longer offer students the opportunity to study joint honours degrees in Italian.
Instead, the language will be taught at a more basic level in only the first and second years of a four year degree course.
The move brings to an end a long tradition at Strathclyde where students could combine subjects as diverse as architecture, engineering, law and politics with Italian to degree level.
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20 September 2017 (Glasgow Live)
Glasgow is officially home to a world leader in the teaching of Chinese language and culture.
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) has been appointed a Model Confucius Institute by the global headquarters, Hanban.
The centre, based at the University of Strathclyde, is one of only 40 facilities out of 500 across the globe to be given the status.
Bosses have also announced the institute, which is open to people from all over the country, is set for a move to a new HQ at the university's Ramshorn Theatre.
The Grade A-Listed building is being given a £2 million refurbishment - which includes a substantial investment by Hanban - to develop it as a publicly-accessible hub for learning and cultural exchange.
The new premises will have the capacity to host performances, conferences and exhibitions.
A plaque marking the new status of the institute was unveiled at a conference attended by Scottish Higher Education Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville.
Liu Xiaoming, China’s Ambassador to the UK, was also a keynote speaker at the event, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the foundation of the Institute.
Strathclyde Principal Professor Sir Jim McDonald said: “As a leading international university, we are extremely proud of our academic links around the globe and our diverse student and staff community.
“This prestigious accolade for our Confucius Institute reflects the important role it plays in improving understanding of Chinese language and culture across Scotland, and we congratulate everyone involved on their fantastic achievement.
“I’m particularly pleased that the Institute’s move to its new headquarters on campus will enable even more schools, businesses and community groups to benefit from increased educational and economic opportunities, with a further 10 Confucius Classroom Hubs being announced today.”
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13 October 2016 (University of Strathclyde/SCILT)
Do you work with bilingual learners? Would you like to develop your ability to support them to develop their linguistic competence and to learn through English in mainstream primary or secondary classrooms?
This course is designed to enable you to understand and act on theories of bilingual learning and policy to support bilingual learners in Scottish schools, and to gain experience of current classroom-based practice in Scotland and around the world.
The next course starts on 14 January and runs from January to December 2017 at the University of Strathclyde. Classes are held at the University on Saturdays, on average once a month. See the attached leaflet for further information.
For information on other initiatives and organisations supporting bilingualism and multilingualism in Scotland, visit the EAL and Bilingualism webpages in the Learners and Parents section of the SCILT website.
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8 November 2014 (SALT)
Around 250 delegates from across Scotland and beyond attended this year's SALT conference on 1st November at the John Anderson Buildings in Strathclyde University, Glasgow.
[...] We've put together this special conference newsletter as a souvenir for delegates, and the SALT Executive Committee hope that everyone gained something from the day and that you will all come back and join us again next year.
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27 August 2014 (University of Strathclyde)
A poetry competition backed by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy is being launched by the University of Strathclyde-based SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages.
The Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition comprises two categories – 'Mother Tongue', which encourages non-native English speakers to write poetry in their mother tongue language, and 'Other Tongue', which encourages young people to write poetry in the additional language they are studying in school.
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Related Links
Mother Tongue Other Tongue (Barmulloch Primary Parent/Carer Council, 13 August 2014)
6 December 2013 (SCILT)
Our new ‘Beyond School’ section on the SCILT website offers help and advice to young people about the many ways they can continue to develop their language skills, whether by making the transition from school to a course at university or by studying, working or volunteering overseas. As well as general help and advice on making the move to university and courses available, there are links to potential career paths and opportunities and what support is available to schools to help promote languages as a subject choice at university.
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Third-year Modern Languages' Exhibition
17 April 2013 (HaSS - Strathclyde University)
Come and Visit the Exhibition of the Third-year Modern Languages' Projects which is being held in the McCance Conservatory from the 16 April 2013 until 4pm on Friday 26 April 2013.
As part of their 2nd semester project, students of Modern Languages, working in teams, have produced displays on various themes exploring linguistic and cultural aspects of France, Italy and Spain.
See the attached flyer or email Caroline Verdier for more information. All welcome.
2 November 2012 (TESS)
The director of SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages based at the University of Strathclyde, talks about the 1+2 policy, the benefits of CfE and how to persuade pupils to stick with languages.
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Related Links
A reader's response to the TESS Interview: Sarah Breslin (2 November)
"This has been a most interesting article to read. Many thanks to Sarah for all her hard work and support of the MFL teachers in Scotland. We are lucky to have such a fantastic professional with great personality. The 1+2 is an ambitious but not impossible goal to achieve - if all stakeholders are willing to work together for the benefit of generations to come." (rosered27, TES Letters, 9 November 2012)
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Strathclyde Language Ambassadors – Year 2
31 October 2012 (University of Strathclyde)
After last year's successful pilot, the School of Humanities at the University of Strathclyde are once again offering you the opportunity to have a team of Language Ambassadors visit your school. The aim of a visit by a team of Language Ambassadors is to raise awareness amongst young people of the opportunities on offer in Higher Education and in the world of work in general if you study languages. Through presenting their experiences of studying languages and living abroad we hope that our young ambassadors' enthusiasm will rub off on your pupils and influence their choices when thinking about their pathways.
The recruitment for the Ambassadors scheme has been very successful this year with a pool of nearly 80 students interested in taking part. A webpage for the Language Ambassadors scheme will be launched in the coming days and teams will be ready to travel from early November. In the meantime, if you are interested in setting up a visit to your school or want more information about what we offer, do not hesitate to contact Cédric Moreau.