Early Years
Virtual exchange survey
14 March 2024 (PALINGUI Project)
Calling all pre-school and primary teachers!
We are conducting a study as part of the ERASMUS+ project INVITED, which focuses on integrating virtual exchange projects into language teacher education. Our partnership includes Pädagogische Hochschule Freiburg and the Universities of Murcia, Strathclyde, Ljubljana, and Warsaw.
We are interested in understanding in-service teachers’ attitudes, experiences, perceived competence, problems, and needs related to virtual exchange. To gather this information, we have created a questionnaire. The goal is to use the data to develop a teacher education module and professional development course.
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. The gathered information will be used exclusively for the project and will remain strictly anonymous. No personal data will be collected. You have the right to withdraw from the research at any point without providing justification. The questionnaire should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
Any queries should be directed to Ingeborg Birnie, UK Coordinator of PALINGUI - Making Language Learning Pathways visible in children age 3-12, based at the University of Strathclyde.
Complete the survey
26 January 2024 (SCILT)
Calling early years practitioners, students and in-service primary teachers doing languages!
If you have interesting nuggets of practice to share, why not sign up for a 3 or 7 minute slot at SCILT’s virtual Early Years and Primary Language Show and Tell in May 2024? Tell us your name and what you’d like to share via the expression of interest form below.
The event will take place on Tuesday 28 May 16.00-17.15. It will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.
Read more...
Reminder: SCILT ECT Professional learning menu
18 January 2024 (SCILT)
Building on our track record of supporting student teachers and early career teachers, in the 2023-24 session we have launched a specific menu of workshops tailored to the needs of student teachers and early career teachers in primary and secondary sectors. Importantly, the development of this menu was informed by student teachers, probationer mentors and teacher educators.
Are you a probationer/ECT support manager or professional learning officer for your local authority?
Are you a programme lead or module lead on an undergraduate or postgraduate ITE programme for primary or secondary teaching at a Scottish university?
Yes? Then workshops from the SCILT ECT Professional Learning menu 2023-24 could complement the content of your existing modules or professional learning programme for the newest entrants to our profession.
Interactive, up-to-date and relevant, these SCILT workshops give student teachers and early career teachers the opportunity to explore aspects of practice with their peers. Online or in person. No charge.
In terms of content, secondary workshops focus on developing practice to support skills development, classroom management and support for application and interview for languages posts. Meanwhile, primary workshops focus on introductory approaches and interdisciplinary contexts for teaching languages eg digital, outdoor, DYW and intercultural understanding.
See the full menu above and access the booking request form.
If there is anything particular that your student or early career teachers need, we are always happy to develop bespoke inputs too. Email scilt@strath.ac.uk with any queries.
Remember we also run sector-specific professional learning for student and early career teachers available to book by individuals. Keep an eye on the e-bulletin for further information.
11 January 2024 (SCILT)
SCILT’s CLPL workshop menu for 2023-24 is still available for your booking requests.
Are you responsible for sourcing high quality professional learning related to languages pedagogy for groups of colleagues in your setting, cluster, local authority or RIC?
You will be interested in our professional learning offer for all sectors.
The content of the eleven workshops is informed by feedback from teachers and practitioners on their professional learning needs. If your needs are different, we are more than happy to develop the bespoke inputs you and your colleagues require. Just ask.
Always interactive and up-to-date, SCILT workshops provide the opportunity for you and your colleagues to explore aspects of practice with our experienced Professional Development Officers. Our team has a finite capacity, so get in your request as soon as you can.
The focus of workshops for 2023-24 are wide ranging, covering the following issues:
Cross Sector
- Primary-Secondary Transition
Primary and Early Years
- Families on board? Developing a family friendly approach to languages in your setting
- Getting outdoors with languages and learning
- Celebrating cultural diversity through languages in EY and primary
- An introduction to multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy
- Languages in primary: assessing pupils’ learning, evaluating teaching
Secondary
- Policy, planning and practice in BGE (in partnership with Education Scotland)
- Emerging contexts for language learning
- Talking and listening
- Using language skills across the curriculum
- Social-Emotional Learning for languages
For more details, and to make a request for a group visit our Professional Learning webpage.
Note that open access online workshops take place across the year. Registration for these will be open to individuals and details will be shared in the SCILT ebulletin.
Read more...
2 October 2023 (DCA)
Discovery Film Festival, Scotland’s international film festival for young audiences, is back for its 20th year!
Taking place from 21 October to 5 November, there's another packed programme of the best new films for young audiences from around the world, with free education resource packs to accompany the screenings. The festival will be available both online and at Dundee Contemporary Arts.
Visit the website for full programme details.
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:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Cultural Diversity,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Multilingualism,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
Open Access Workshops - bookings now open!
24 August 2023 (SCILT)
Calling all primary teachers and primary education students across Scotland. Keep your Wednesdays free! On the last Wednesday of each month between September and November 2023, 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.
The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.
Registrations for all workshops are open now via the links above. Please also see attached flyer.
16 June 2023 (SCILT / University partners)
On Thursday 8 June 2023 SCILT hosted the Multilingual Approaches through Art online exhibition launch event. The event provided the opportunity to hear from pupils, teachers and partners who participated in the project. Parents and families were invited to come along, and we were delighted to welcome those who could us in celebrating the project and the launch of the pupils’ artwork.
The launch commenced with opening remarks from SCILT and CISS Director Fhiona Mackay. Professor Antonella Sorace, Founder of Bilingualism Matters, spoke about the multilingual approach behind the project, and we heard from project partners Dr Lavinia Hirsu from the University of Glasgow, and Jane Catlin from the University of Strathclyde. Following this, the showcase video was shared where attendees had the opportunity to see a snapshot of some of the artworks the children had created. At this point we were blown away by the creativity on view! Here we had a selection of art that included language portraits, exquisite corpse collaborations, calligrams and work inspired by Chagallian idioms.
Attendees then had the chance to hear from participating teachers about their experience taking part in the project. Teachers from Antonine Primary, Bowhouse Primary, Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar, Mile End School, St Maria Goretti Primary, and Williamston Primary provided feedback with one teacher commenting:
"Despite my love of languages, art and my excitement for the project, I wasn’t initially sure of the impact it could have in my school as the vast majority of pupils have English as their home language. However, the impact that it had was making multilingualism more visible and giving it more value in the eyes of the pupils."
Another teacher commented on combining art and languages saying:
"It was interesting to look at languages in a different way and the project gave me lots of ideas about how to open up languages that we already have in the classroom. It has been great to give the children a chance to use and share their native languages and make connections with them through the medium of art."
For more information about the project, please visit the Multilingual Approaches through Art webpage on the SCILT website via the link below. Here you will be able to access the showcase video, teacher feedback video and of course the wonderful online exhibition. Happy browsing!
Read more...
13 June 2023 (SALT)
The SALT annual conference will take place on Saturday 28 October 2023 (am) at the University of Strathclyde.
The event will be a hybrid event. There will be workshops for people attending in-person and workshops for those joining online.
The theme of this year’s conference is Learners without borders: empowering and inspiring Scotland’s language learners.
If you would like to offer a workshop on a topic relevant to Scotland’s Modern Languages teachers (from any sectors), fill in the form and we will be in touch with you! We are keen to hear from all over Scotland and highlight the excellent practice that is happening across the country. Your session will last a maximum of 45 minutes and can be on any topic that you think will be interesting to ML teachers.
Submit SALT 2023 proposals here.
If you are planning on attending the event but not presenting, please save the date and sign up will open in September.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
All Languages,
CPD,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
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...
2 March 2023 (Daily Record)
Pupils at a Lanarkshire nursery celebrated world Gaelic week with a range of activities and shared the language with a special visitor.
Youngsters at Sgoil Araich, the Gaelic-language nursery at Tollbrae Primary in Airdrie, welcomed Anum Qaisar MP to their classrooms during the celebration week.
She took part in a lesson on colours and saw the pupils perform a number of “fantastic” Gaelic songs.
The recent celebration week aims to raise the profile of Gaelic in communities across the country and internationally, with figures from last year estimating that nearly a third of Scotland’s population can speak Gaelic.
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...
31 January 2023 (Scottish Education Awards)
Nominations are now open for this year's Scottish Education Awards.
The annual event recognises those who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcases the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms.
There are several award categories, including the award for Gaelic Education.
Visit the website for more information and submit nominations by 24 February 2023.
Read more...
23 January 2023 (BBC)
A boy who taught himself to read as a toddler has been accepted as the UK's youngest member of Mensa.
Four-year-old Teddy, from Portishead in Somerset, can count to 100 in six non-native languages, including Mandarin.
Mensa accepts people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on an approved intelligence test.
Teddy's mother, Beth Hobbs, said he learned to read at just 26 months old "by watching children's television and copying the sounds of letters".
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.
Read more...
Bookings now open! Open access Wednesdays: Creative spring series
18 January 2023 (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.
Registrations for all workshops are open now via the links above. Please also see attached flyer with further details of each workshop.
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.
Read more...
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...
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
4 November 2022 (University of Strathclyde)
The School of Education in the University of Strathclyde have 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)
This module is designed to develop your knowledge of multilingual and multicultural contexts within education and wider society. This module will equip you with core skills for language learning and teaching and consider the role of intercultural education. You will extend your confidence in language teaching approaches within and across the curriculum. This class will encourage you to be reflective and adaptive in your practice.
- Enacting Social Justice in Language Learning and Teaching (commencing April 2023)
As languages educators, how can we achieve the goal of prioritising equity, diversity, and inclusion in the languages classroom? Using theory, research and examples of innovative approaches for promoting social justice, this module is aimed at language educators in all sectors and is designed to develop your knowledge of a range of contemporary issues in language education. This module aims to develop critical thinking and reflection and consider how these impact on social justice pedagogy and agency for social change.
More information can be found in the attached flyer or visit the University of Strathclyde website.
Read more...
1 November 2022 (SCILT)
In partnership with Save the Children, SCILT is delighted to publish a new case study which focuses on parental engagement with languages in the primary and Early Years sectors. Here we look at four primary schools and one ELC, all within the Forth Valley West Lothian RIC, and how they managed to involve parents/families with languages and language learning during the most challenging times of the Covid pandemic. We are thrilled to share the creative ways in which schools got parents involved with languages and the impact this has had.
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...
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...
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
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.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
1+2,
1+2,
Careers,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Policy,
Promoting Languages,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news,
Family learning
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:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Qualifications,
Strathclyde University,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
13 May 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, including our professional learning opportunities, our motivating competitions and our online classes and events. Find out how schools celebrated Languages Week Scotland 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.
This edition also features a special article from Mandy Reeman-Clark, who reflects on 18 years at SCILT and CISS on the occasion of her retirement.
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...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
1+2,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Promoting Languages,
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...
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...
31 January 2022 (National Literacy Trust)
Today we kick off Storytelling Week by launching the brand-new Storytelling Month to celebrate the value and skill of speaking multiple languages and the ways that these voices and stories shape our community.
The virtual initiative, which forms part of the National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories campaign, is to run until International Mother Language Day on February 21 and promote community literacies – with an equal focus on speaking and reading.
Across the month various activities and resources will be made available. With free videos ranging from a reading of Enormous Turnip in Czech, the Little Turtle and Little Rabbit Have a Race in Mandarin Chinese and Romanian fairy stories, Storytelling Month is packed with weekly activities and resources that will help young people and parents build new skills and improve their literacy.
Read more...
7 October 2021 (SCILT)
Calling all P1 teachers and Early Years Practitioners! Would you like to be involved in developing language learning in your school through storytelling and creative puppetry? This new project could be something for you!
SCILT, in collaboration with Tania Czajka, is looking to recruit P1 teachers and EYPs to take part in an exciting project which explores French in the Early Years with puppet making. Tania, an experienced Early Years Practitioner, author of bilingual book 'Lapin is Hungry', teaching artist and creator of Le Petit Monde theatre has devised this creative approach to support teachers and EYPs in teaching languages at Early Level. This approach is based on the bilingual book ‘Lapin is Hungry’ with the creative puppetry element integrated throughout. Pupils will have the opportunity to create their own puppets based on the characters in the book and develop their French language skills through play. Please note that all art and craft resources will be provided free of charge to all participating schools.
If you would like to register your interest, please follow the link below.
Read more...
16 September 2021 (SCILT)
SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student primary 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 September 2021, we’re looking at language learning in the Early Years and exploring the use of creative puppetry to support this. So join the drop-in on 29 September, share your ideas and experiences and hear what others do too!
Find out more, along with the registration link, on our Bitesize webpage.
Read more...
11 August 2021 (Starcatchers)
Theatre Sans Accents, Starcatchers and Bilingualism Matters, present “Arts in Tongues” a pilot mini-web series of 6 short episodes presented by Marion Geoffray and filmed by Lucas Chih-Peng Kao about the diverse communities of artists present in Edinburgh and with the specific aim to engage with families and young children through the arts, multiculturalism and multilingualism.
The project showcases and celebrates diverse communities in Edinburgh, representing the many faces and tongues of people living in Scotland, giving visibility to under-represented diverse bilingual artists in the performing arts industry. The project seeks to demystify language learning and foster a positive attitude towards mixing cultures and traditions starting with early childhood.
Episode one of 'Arts in Tongues' can be viewed now on the Starcatchers website, with the remaining episodes being released online throughout August.
Read more...
Local teacher celebrates Scotland’s languages landscape
4 February 2021 (La Jolie Ronde)
An enterprising teacher in Hamilton, has celebrated Languages Week Scotland 2021 by holding French online storytelling sessions, all free of charge, for young children in the area.
Sandrine Bache, who runs her French School “La Jolie Ronde French – Hamilton”, teaches extracurricular French classes in two local nurseries and in venues in Hamilton to aged 3 to 12 plus, following the award winning La Jolie Ronde programme.
With ongoing Government school closures and strict guidelines for outsider providers, disruption to extracurricular classes continues. Against all the odds stacked against her and venturing into unknow “ed-tech” territory, Sandrine was determined to keep her students bilingual journey moving, so took her classes online to resounding success from both students and parents.
Languages Week Scotland runs every February with aim of amplifying the voices of people, organisations and events that celebrate multilingualism and the many ways it manifests in Scottish communities.
Sandrine says “Languages Week usually takes place and is enjoyed each year across Scotland’s schools, however, with lockdown firmly in place and many parents at home with their children, rather than not do anything to celebrate this wonderful event, I decided to hold some fun online storytelling events so both children and families could join in. Today our “les petites histoires (little stories) was all about creatures in “la forêt” (the forest). As well as speaking in French to introduce the animals, I also use BSL, British Sign Language, which I feel is so important particularly for Early Years children. The session was so well received and attended by lots of children and families enjoying and engaging I definitely going to continue with my French tales”.
Sandrine, who is a French native and originally born on the outskirt of Paris, has always had a passion for languages which stemmed from when she was introduced to English when she was just five years old. She then later studied English, Spanish and Italian finally concentrating on English at University.
Moving to Scotland eight years ago, she is proud mum to her eight-year-old son who unsurprisingly is bilingual.
Sandrine has several online French classes, for all ages, running across the week and weekend.
For more information about Sandrine’s classes including her FREE Taster Sessions, please email: thelis@hotmail.fr
11 September 2020 (SCILT)
Do you have a story to share with the languages community?
We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2020 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. We'd love to hear about any exciting or innovative work which took place during school closures, or any new projects being introduced this year.
We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 2nd October 2020.
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.
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3 September 2020 (SCILT)
The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated on 26 September each year. What is your school doing in 2020?
If you're looking for inspiration SCILT has compiled lots of ideas for primary, secondary and parents & families on our EDL webpage. 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 2020 blog! Send a short description and some colourful photos after your event to scilt@strath.ac.uk.
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24 April 2020 (Education Scotland)
Education Scotland's latest news digest is now available to view online. This edition includes resources available to support schools and parents during closures, information about new Gaelic Bookbug stories and the Young Scots Writer of the Year Competition.
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10 March 2020 (ECML)
The new PALINGUI project from ECML aims to explore the diverse linguistic journeys of young learners in educational contexts and how to make these visible through a range of methods and tools. These will make it possible to identify, understand and document language learning of children age 3 to 12 and thereby create learning opportunities allowing them to progress along their language learning pathways.
The first project webinar held on 5 March is now available to view online.
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24 February 2020 (Sabhal Mòr Ostaig)
The fully funded Postgraduate Certificate in Gaelic Medium Education (Streap) is a Master’s Level qualification of 60 credits at SCQF Level 11.
The programme is aimed at Gaelic speaking GTCS registered teachers (nursery, primary or secondary) who are seeking Gaelic medium education CLPL, or those who are currently in English medium education and who wish to further develop their skills, knowledge and understanding in order to teach in Gaelic medium education.
Visit the website for more information and apply now for September 2020 start.
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17 February 2020 (BBC)
A scheme to help preschool children learn Welsh more quickly is being rolled out across the country.
Croesi'r Bont, or Crossing the Bridge, has been developed by Mudiad Meithrin, which runs most Welsh-medium early years provision.
The focus is on ensuring staff at playgroups and primary school teachers use the same language patterns.
The aim is to ease the transition into Welsh-medium education for children whose families do not speak Welsh.
Mudiad Meithrin is taking a key role in the Welsh Government's aim of one million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Read more...
25 November 2019 (Sunday Post)
She has become one of the most iconic children’s characters of all time. And now Peppa Pig has developed a Scots twang.
Peppa’s Bonnie Unicorn – translated into Scots by school librarian Thomas Clark – has just hit the shelves, and it’s expected to be a Christmas best seller.
Scottish Borders-based Thomas, 39, who works at Hawick High School, has already translated Jeff Kinney’s best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid. His version won the Scots Language Awards Scots Bairns’ Book of the Year accolade last month.
Realising there was little Scots literature for younger children, he decided to tweak Peppa’s dialect.
Thomas, a member of Oor Vyce, which lobbies the Scottish Government to promote Scots language, said: “There are lots of Scots book translations for teenagers, like Harry Potter and Roald Dahl, but I noticed there’s nothing for pre-school kids, which is really the generation we should be promoting Scots to.
“Peppa was the obvious choice as she’s one of the biggest icons for that age group. Mention Peppa to any four-year-old and they’ll fall over themselves with excitement.”
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20 November 2019 (Education Scotland)
The November 2019 edition of Education Scotland's newsletter for Gaelic Medium Education is now available to view online.
Topics in this issue include:
- National Improvement Hub resources to support GME in the curriculum
- Music and wellbeing resources
- Professional learning and leadership opportunities
- Early years support
- Sharing effective practice to support improvement
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12 October 2018 (Scottish Book Trust)
Book Week Scotland is a week-long celebration of books and reading that takes place every November. This year's event is taking place from Monday 19 – Sunday 25 November 2018.
There are a range of events, some with specific appeal to Gaelic and Scots readers. Visit the website to find out more on these and other ways you can get involved. Why not host a foreign language reading club or book sale?
Read more...
13 September 2018 (Kidscreen)
BBC Studios has inked a deal with Scottish channel BBC ALBA to bring content from CBeebies and CBBC into Scotland starting on September 17. The Gaelic-language channel is run by Gaelic media service MG ALBA, in partnership with the BBC.
Preschool channel CBeebies will run on ALBA for an hour every evening, ending with a nightly bedtime story, and followed by an hour of Gaelic CBBC content.
The partnership effectively quadruples the amount of original Gaelic children’s content on BBC ALBA, where the CBeebies and CBBC branded blocks will have a similar look and feel to their English-language versions, but with some new talent presenting in the Gaelic children’s zones alongside existing BBC personalities.
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12 September 2018 (ECML)
ECML are hosting professionals in early years’ education at a workshop on “Inspiring language learning and teaching in the early years – Why it matters and what it looks like for children aged 3-12 years” in Graz, Austria on 12-13 September 2018.
The project is designed to help professionals harness opportunities inherent in linguistically diverse classrooms and use them for the benefit of all pupils. Those involved in early-years education, at whatever level, can in particular find evidence here of good practice and a variety of teaching and learning tools to develop learners’ language competence.
Visit the ECML website for more details and developments.
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24 August 2018 (SCILT)
The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated across Europe on the 26th of September every year. It aims to promote the rich linguistic diversity of Europe and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone.
SCILT is helping schools across Scotland to celebrate by distributing materials developed by the ECML. These resources are free to order and act as excellent prizes and rewards.
Visit our European Day of Languages 2018 webpage for information on how to order packs, for ideas on how to celebrate, and to find out how your school could feature in our EDL 2018 blog.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Europe,
Linguistic Diversity,
Multilingualism,
Promoting Languages,
SCILT news
24 April 2018 (Education Scotland)
National Digital Learning Week is an annual Education Scotland event where teachers and learners from all schools in Scotland are encouraged to take part in digital learning and teaching activities.
There are loads of ways to get involved in #NDLW18; the sky is the limit!
To help get things started Education Scotland are launching 2 main activities:
- An exclusive National Digital Story telling activity for 30 schools across Scotland with famous children’s author Lari Don.
- A digital story telling activity schools can enjoy in their local setting.
Why not use the local opportunity to create a digital story with your pupils in the language they are learning?
Find out more on the Education Scotland Glow blog.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Technology,
News from language & education organisations
20 April 2018 (SCILT)
The celebration event for this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition took place on Saturday 17 March at the University of Strathclyde.
Visit the SCILT website to see the full list of winners and to view the anthology of winning poems. You can also find photos from the event and read some of the feedback received from pupils, parents and teachers.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
All Languages,
Bilingualism,
Celebrating Languages,
Community Languages,
Cultural Diversity,
Language Learning,
Mother Tongue,
Multilingualism,
SCILT news
3 April 2018 (ECML)
The latest edition of the ECML's Language Gazette is now available on their website. The newsletter includes updates on the organisation's projects along with new initiatives, events and resources of interest to the language teaching community across Europe.
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Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
All Languages,
CPD,
Cross-Sector Working,
Europe,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Promoting Languages,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
22 March 2018 (British Council eTwinning)
This term, why not apply to go on a short, fully-funded workshop in another European country?
Applications are now open for teachers of pupils aged 3-19 across a range of subject areas to attend a fully-funded 2-3 day professional development workshop in Turkey, Latvia, Norway and Armenia. These events are designed to facilitate new eTwinning projects through partner-finding and project planning activities. Workshop themes and subject areas are varied, spanning cultural diversity to SEN and the environment.
Visit the website for more information about each event and submit your application by 31 March 2018.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Europe,
CPD,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Cross-Sector Working,
Cultural Diversity,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
12 March 2018 (Le Petit Monde )
Le Petit Monde, bilingual puppet theatre company, will be on tour with The Wonderful World of Lapin throughout Scotland as part of the Puppet Animation Festival during the Easter holidays.
Artistic Director and now author Tania has also written Lapin is Hungry, a bilingual picture book based on her French puppet characters. The Book Launch Party will be on the 21st April at the Institut Francais d'Ecosse in Edinburgh.
The company is preparing Teaching Packs and is planning to tour schools with shows and book readings. Please get in touch with Tania for more details.
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6 November 2017 (Le Petit Monde)
Le Petit Monde, the puppet theatre company specialised in introducing Artistic Director Tania Czajka's native French language to young children since 2008, is currently working on a picture book based on its puppet characters.
Like all Tania's shows, the story is bilingual, features lots of healthy foods and, crucially, can be understood by all non French speakers.
Accompanied by an illustrated glossary, an audio version and a Teaching Pack, it will make a great resource for Early Years French lessons.
Tania and her team are currently crowdfunding to get Lapin is Hungry published.
Schools can pledge in exchange of signed copies, shows, workshops and other goodies!
For more information on how to support this unique project, please visit the link below or contact Tania directly.
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16 October 2017 (ECML)
With over 40 official languages in the member states of the Council of Europe and more than 70 regional and minority languages officially recognized in addition to a number of languages spoken by migrants, it is important that Europe’s language diversity is recognized and acknowledged.
The reality for many European citizens is that in the course of their lives they will need to develop proficiency, not only in their native language, but in a variety of languages. Demands of study, work, travel, relocation and personal development will also mean that skills in new languages will need to be added to their existing repertoire. Therefore, learning the skills required to learn languages is of paramount importance. Furthermore, language learning and identity construction are closely interlinked.
Recognizing the importance of languages in the lives of Europeans and the benefits that early language learning provides, the European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML) has launched a two-year project "Inspiring language learning and teaching in the early years – Why it matters and what it looks like for children age 3-12".
The project is focused on early language learning, from 3 to 12 years of age. The innate curiosity and enthusiasm that children bring to learning during this initial period in their formal education makes it the ideal time to introduce, nurture and motivate learners in the area of additional language learning. Strong foundations, built at this stage in children’s development, will facilitate language learning throughout life and openness to, as well as respect for different cultures, values and traditions.
Find out more on the ECML website.
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10 October 2017 (eTwinning)
This term, why not apply to go on a short workshop in another European country?
Applications are now open for teachers from Early Years to Upper Secondary to attend a 2-3 day professional development workshop in Ireland and Spain. These events are designed to facilitate new eTwinning projects through partner-finding and project planning activities. Workshop themes and subject areas are varied, spanning e-safety to computational thinking, MFL, history and culture.
Visit the website to find out more and apply by 16/19 October 2017 respectively.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
CPD,
Cross-Sector Working,
Cultural Diversity,
Funding,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Study Abroad,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
22 September 2017 (SCILT)
Keith Grammar School promotes an inclusive policy where the school and local community are encouraged to work together to provide young people with academic and vocational opportunities. Strong links with local businesses and employers contribute to high numbers of young people moving into positive destinations after leaving school. This Case Study looks at how teachers across sectors (early years through to S6) have worked creatively and collaboratively to ensure that their learners are afforded their full entitlement to learning two languages.
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7 September 2017 (SALT)
Offered by Smalltalk Languages, this course is aimed at nursery/primary staff who are currently introducing French/Spanish as part of their curriculum for excellence/1+2 languages programme or intend to do so. Suitable for both complete beginners and people with prior knowledge of the language, the main focus of the course will be on language learning and practical methodology.
On the day participants will look at language from the children’s perspective. They will be shown how to build both their own and the children’s confidence in language skills while learning the importance of adapting and manipulating language for maximum effect.
Visit the SALT website for available dates and locations.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
French,
Spanish,
Scotland,
CPD,
Curriculum for Excellence,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
1 September 2017 (The Language Hub)
The Language Hub in Glasgow provides regular bilingual story book sessions at Hillhead Library. The sessions are free to attend and, whilst aimed at pre-school children, everyone is welcome.
The next event takes place on 5 September with a Spanish/English reading of 'The Gruffalo'.
Further readings of different stories in a range of languages will take place during the Autumn. For details of all the available sessions from September to November visit the Language Hub's website.
Read more...
3 May 2017 (The Telegraph)
Prince George can already count to ten in Spanish, the Duchess of Cambridge has disclosed, as she lifts the lid on their idyllic rural Good Life in Norfolk.
The Duchess said Prince George, who is not yet four, and Princess Charlotte, two, are both learning a second language, with the future king already cleverly picking it up.
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25 April 2017 (Fife Today)
Bookbug – a free story, song and rhyme session for babies, toddlers, pre-school children and their families is set to launch Fife’s debut British Sign Language friendly group at Kirkcaldy Libraries next month.
All deaf parents with hearing children, hearing parents with deaf children and deaf parents with deaf children are invited to book a place.
Depending on uptake, the hope is to continue these specialised sessions on a monthly basis.
The event, on May 15 at 10.30am, is part of Bookbug Week 2017, which takes place between May 15-21 in celebration of ‘Bookbug’s Big Giggle’. This fun and playful theme will inspire children and adults alike to feel good by sharing songs and rhymes.
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Sessional workers for Club Soletes-Familias
28 March 2017 (Club Soletes-Familias)
Club Soletes is a registered charity based in Glasgow, which has been supporting Spanish-speaking families in Glasgow since 2003. Our weekly family group aims to offer a Spanish-speaking environment, to learn and share knowledge and understanding of the Hispanic cultures, and encourage the use of the minority language (Spanish). Since September 2016, our Big Lottery funded mobile library project - La Biciteca - has been travelling around Early Years establishments, parks and public spaces in North West Glasgow offering storytelling and play sessions in Spanish to both our members and the wider community.
We are currently seeking sessional workers to assist in delivering our activities, as and when required.
See the attached document and application form for further information.
Apply by Friday 14 April 2017.
24 January 2017 (Language Show Live)
Scotland’s biggest and most prestigious event dedicated to all things language is back at the SECC in Glasgow on the 10th – 11th of March 2017. Officially sponsored by Education Scotland and the Scottish Government this free to attend event is a must for anyone interested in learning or advancing their languages, exploring job opportunities in the language industry, considering teaching or working abroad, enjoying a fantastic range of international cultural performances and much, much more!
10TH MARCH – 9:00AM – 6:00PM GLASGOW SECC
11TH MARCH – 9:00AM – 5:30PM GLASGOW SECC
Sample our extensive free seminar programme, meet over 100 top exhibitors like the European Commission, the Chartered Institute of Linguists and the British Council, meet language professional recruiters, enjoy our fantastic array of cultural performances, free language classes and more.
Find out more and
register for free today.
Our trademark intensive 2 hour Language Plus classes are also now available online at a heavily discounted early bird rate (over 20% off the standard price!) of just £18. These optional add-ons can be purchased at the end of the free registration process and are certain to add a productive language experience to your day!
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
All Languages,
Scotland,
Celebrating Languages,
CPD,
Cultural Diversity,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Promoting Languages,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
18 January 2017 (Glasgow Film)
The programme for Glasgow Film Festival 2017 has just been announced!
More than 310 separate events and screenings of films from 38 countries will show across the city from 15 – 26 February in one of the UK’s biggest film festivals. The event offers several special screenings for schools, which this year includes the following foreign language options:
- Asterix: The Mansions of the Gods (PG) - 6-8 February (French, English subtitles)
- Ma Revolution (N/C 15+) - 3-8 February (French, English subtitles)
- The Olive Tree (N/C 15+) - 7 February (Spanish/German with English subtitles)
- Shorts for Wee Ones (N/C 3+) - 9 February (English, French or dialogue free)
- The Golden Dream (N/C 12+) - 9 February (Spanish & Tzotzil with English subtitles)
- Zip Zap & The Captain's Island (N/C 8+) - 9 February (Spanish)
There are also CPD opportunities for teachers and workshops for pupils. Visit the 'What's on for Schools' page of the GFT website for full details and to book.
Tickets go on sale to Glasgow Film Festival Members at noon on Thursday 19 January and on general sale at 10am on Monday 23 January.
Visit the GFT website for more information.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Spanish,
Scotland,
CPD,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Promoting Languages,
News from language & education organisations
16 January 2017 (CISS)
The CISS CLPL menu for 2016-17 'Making Chinese work for you!' has been updated.
Visit the CISS website to view the brochure and for information on booking a professional learning session.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
Chinese,
Scotland,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
CISS news
13 January 2017 (SCILT)
Here at SCILT, our New Year’s Resolution has been to review and refresh the CLPL menu. With your feedback in mind, we have made a few strategic changes that we hope will make a big difference. New on the SCILT website from today – the new and improved CLPL menu.
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Bilingualism workshops
25 August 2016 (SCILT)
SCILT is delighted to be able to offer a series of national workshops in collaboration with Bilingualism Matters and Glasgow City Council’s EAL Service which will showcase the benefits of bilingualism and consider practical strategies teachers can use to promote bilingualism in their classrooms. We will offer ideas on how to engage bilingual learners more and support literacy skills across both languages.
These free workshops are aimed at general class practitioners across Early Years, Primary and Secondary, not specifically for the MFL and languages community so please feel free to distribute to all teachers across your network or Local Authority.
Attached is a flyer with further information about dates, venues and how to book.
Please note there are only a few remaining places on the Aberdeen workshop - all other venues are now full.
4 August 2016 (Creative Scotland)
Le Petit Monde is a puppet theatre company based in Edinburgh, creating shows that introduce young children and their families to the French language and culture through authentic French-speaking puppets.
We spoke to Artistic Director Tania Czajka about developing her practice and her latest creation - The Wonderful World of Lapin - which appears as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next week.
Read more...
24 June 2016 (SCEL)
Have you completed a practice-based enquiry project recently? If so, you’re probably looking for a chance to share your findings. In which case, you’ll definitely want to sign up to participate in the Enquire Connect Engage events that SCEL is hosting this autumn.
SCEL supported Pedagoo’s EnquiryMeet last November. Inspired by its success, we have taken the concept of a teacher-led forum to connect over practitioner enquiry and we are running with it!
Enquire Connect Engage, or #scelenquire if you prefer, will provide opportunities for practitioners to share:
- the findings from their own small scale practice-based enquiry projects, and
- practical advice on how to go about investigating classroom practice
Visit the SCEL website for information on how to submit your proposal or to register interest in attending.
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17 June 2016 (SCILT)
SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the School of Education, University of Strathclyde hosted an afternoon of seminars led by language practitioners, students and academics on various strands of language learning including bilingualism, motivation and translanguaging.
SCILT has used Storify to summarise the discussions from the day. Visit our Storify page for a flavour of the event.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
Bilingualism,
CPD,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Methodologies,
Motivation,
Partnership Working,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news
10 June 2016 (SCILT / CISS)
It’s Launch Day! The brand new professional learning menus for SCILT and CISS are out now!
The focus of both CLPL menus is on supporting teachers and making connections between languages and other high profile aspects of Scottish education such as the Developing Young Workforce, raising attainment and parental engagement agendas.
As always, our CLPL comes to local authorities for no charge. Nada, zilch, gratis!
There are both sector specific and cross-sector workshop options to choose from. In addition, we are also happy to develop bespoke inputs to match your particular professional learning needs, just get in touch.
Don’t hang about though! Bookings have already started coming in and calendars at SCILT and CISS are filling up fast. Please contact scilt@strath.ac.uk with your request in writing.
P.S. Remember to keep a look out on the bulletin for other professional learning opportunities that will be taking place at SCILT HQ and on Glow during the year. If you don't already receive our weekly e-bulletin, make sure you don't miss out on updates and subscribe now!
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
All Languages,
Scotland,
CPD,
Language Teaching,
Teacher Education,
SCILT news,
CISS news
9 June 2016 (Articulate Language Camps)
Articulate Language Camps are based in Scotland and offer a variety of programmes from school day camps to residential summer camps as well as exam revision and CPD for teachers.
Tuition is offered in English, French, Spanish, Italian and German to learners aged 3-17, with a unique method of teaching through digital media projects, such as animation and podcasting, and adventure activities which take learning into the great outdoors. So, whether campers are taking an archery class in German, singing campfire songs in French or making a film in Spanish, they are having fun while learning in a meaningful way.
New this year is the International Camp in Italian. Find out more from camp leader, Lisa, in this short video 'Una breve introduzione ai nostri programmi' and for further information about Articulate Language Camps and all their programmes, visit the website.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
CPD,
Immersion,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Promoting Languages,
Teacher Education,
News from language & education organisations
31 May 2016 (East Lothian Council)
30 minute French story sessions for children aged 4 to 7 years old are being held in different locations across East Lothian during the summer holidays.
Visit East Lothian Council's website for more information.
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5 May 2016 (Scottish Book Trust)
Bookbug Week 2016 will take place between 16-22 May and will celebrate ‘Around the world with Bookbug’.
This international theme will inspire children and adults alike to explore songs and rhymes from around the globe. A whole host of fun story, song and rhyme activities for children will be taking place in local libraries and community venues.
Visit the Scottish Book Trust website for a list of dates and venues around Scotland.
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3 May 2016 (eTwinning)
Want to get started on your eTwinning journey? The following two webinar sessions will help you find out all you need to know.
- Step 1 - Finding your eTwinning partner (17 May, 4.30-5.30pm)
- Step 2 - Starting your eTwinning project (19 May, 4.30-5.30pm)
Visit the webinar website to find out more and sign up for one or both of the sessions.
For more information about eTwinning generally and see example projects, visit the British Council's eTwinning website.
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Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
Cross-Curricular Working,
Europe,
Language Teaching,
Partnership Working,
Teacher Education,
Twinning,
News from language & education organisations
2 May 2016 (The Conversation)
Princess Charlotte, the youngest member of the British Royal Family, is turning one. While there will be plenty of focus from sections of the mainstream UK media on the official pictures released by the palace, much has been going on behind the scenes. Many infants say their first word around the time of their first birthday and for most people, this is when language learning really starts. But by the time Charlotte says her first word, she actually already knows a lot about language.
In fact, for hearing children, language acquisition starts in the womb. During the third trimester, the foetus can hear, and it is the mother’s voice that they hear best. Not surprisingly, then, newborns prefer their mother’s voice over other female voices, but not their father’s voice over other male voices. Sorry, dads.
But newborns' preferences are not just about different voices. Newborns also prefer their native language over other languages. For example, two-day-old infants born to English-speaking mothers prefer listening to strangers who speak English than to strangers who speak Spanish, and vice versa. Newborns also recognise stories that were read to them in the womb and can distinguish vowel sounds that exist in their native language from those that don’t. Even the melody of newborns' cries is influenced by their native language.
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31 March 2016 (Daily Record)
Stonehouse Primary and Nursery pupils have created and published their own booked called A Daunner Roon Stonehoose.
The book was written in Scots to celebrate the history and continued use of the Scots dialect.
Published by Whitewater Publishing with the support of publisher, Mary Thomson, every child in the nursery and school have contributed to the poems and stories in the book.
Each piece in the book describes life in Stonehouse, from playing in the park to going to school to popping out to the Post Office!
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31 October 2015 (The Telegraph)
At just two-years-old Barclay can already say “hello”, “bubbles”, “wash hands” and several other words in Mandarin. Ursula, also two, can say “fish”, “horse” and “more food” and her Mandarin vocabulary already stretches to more than 50 words.
But this isn't Beijing or Shanghai, and neither are Barclay's or Ursula's parents Chinese. Both children are English and this is a day care centre housed in a Welsh Presbyterian chapel in the City of London.
Welcome to Hatching Dragons, Britain's first bilingual English-Mandarin nursery.
Here children like Barclay and Ursula are just as likely to sing a Chinese nursery rhyme as an English one. Numeracy games are played with Chinese characters as well as Roman numerals and lunch includes not just sandwiches, but spring rolls and fried rice.
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21 October 2015 (Scottish Government)
Children in Gaelic speaking communities will be helped to get the best start in life after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced £100,000 funding for 41 early years’ groups and organisations.
The money will support the running costs of the groups and provide employment opportunities for Gaelic speaking leaders so that children can develop their skills in the language.
The First Minister made the announcement in Skye as she delivered the Sabhal Mòr Ostaig lecture for the first time. She said:
“We want all of Scotland’s children to have the best start in life. That includes providing opportunities for children to learn and improve Gaelic in their early years. Our support for Gaelic medium education is encouraging and enabling more children to learn the language and has helped to slow the decline in our population of Gaelic speakers. I am determined to do all I can to support the future of the language in Scotland. Today’s announcement ensures that children will be able to take up Gaelic at the earliest possible age.”
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21 October 2015 (The Language Hub)
The Language Hub in Glasgow is pleased to announce that from Winter 2015 it will be adding weekly and monthly reading sessions to its timetable for different age groups and languages.
Information on the readings scheduled for October and November can be found on the attached files.
The events are free, but donations are welcome.
For more information about the Language Hub visit their website.
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7 August 2015 (The Telegraph)
Bilingual children in their early years lag behind in English, a new study has found as it shows their vocabulary is stunted.
The study found that children under six years of age who learn a second language lag behind in their linguistic performance compared to their peers who only speak English. Their abilities were measured by showing children at three years of age images and asked them to name the objects in the pictures in English. The bilingual children were able to name fewer images than those who only spoke English.
However, the research by Bath University, showed that disadvantage fades away by the age of five and the improvement is more noticeable among children whose at least one parent is British.
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4 August 2015 (Day Nurseries UK)
According to British Council research, improving one’s employment prospects is the main driver for people overseas learning English, but many UK pupils are still experiencing a ‘minimal or fragmented’ second language learning because the UK still fails to recognise the many benefits of bilingualism.
In the day nursery sector, more and more providers are realising the need to focus on a bilingual upbringing, for the long-term advantages that learning a second language can have on intellect and life prospects, even though foreign language learning remains non-compulsory during the early years and most UK children will have no exposure to it until later education.
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9 June 2015 (The Times)
What do you look for when choosing a nursery for your child? As the father of an eight-month-old son, it’s a question I’ve been preoccupied with for a while. You traipse round the open days, admire the finger paintings and secretly run through an internal checklist. Do the people running the place seem actually to like children? How much outside space is there? Can my son take his stuffed zebra every day? Will he learn how to speak Mandarin? Does the food look healthy? That sort of thing. (Please note you will need to subscribe to access the full article).
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Vive le Fringe!
9 June 2015 (Institut français)
For the past five years, the Institut Français has been a venue at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Under the banner ‘Vive le Fringe’, we have been bringing French companies to the Fringe and presenting an eclectic and ambitious programme of French theatre, circus and children’s shows.
The 2015 programme features three shows dedicated to young audiences for which we’ve been devising post-performance workshops for schools in order to complement the viewing and allow classes to make the most of their visit to the Institut français and to the Fringe. You can find out more details about each show by clicking on the relevant link below.
28 May 2015 (British Council/Education Scotland)
British Council in partnership with Education Scotland has today launched a new online resource to help schools and pre-school centres improve outcomes for pupils and staff through international engagement.
The resource is designed to support schools in their journey of continuous improvement in learning through partnerships with educational establishments in other countries. Working in partnership the aim is to develop learners' skills and attitudes that are necessary to participate effectively in a globalised world.
International engagement involves learning about other countries:
- their cultures
- education systems
- languages
- the global themes of interest to us all
- and by forming a partnership with educational establishments abroad and/or being involved in global learning programmes
The aim of the partnerships are:
- to improve knowledge and skills across curriculum areas
- to challenge stereotypes and prejudices
- and to make learners aware of the possibilities that exist for learning and work outside Scotland
This, by extension, allows learners to understand Scotland and its place in the world. Partnerships allow those involved the opportunity to share ideas in pedagogy and the space to reflect on their own practice; and in so doing, improve the quality of learning and teaching. Partnerships can be developed digitally or can also involve face to face meetings between staff and/or learners.
Find out more about Learners International on the Education Scotland website.
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11 May 2015 (Education Scotland)
This animated video resource aims to support and stimulate young language learners by exemplifying pronunciation in French and allowing them to match the written and spoken word. They also aim to support practitioners by offering a platform that can lead to wider learning opportunities.
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7 May 2015 (BAAL)
We are pleased to announce the launch of the ELL Network – newly accepted as an AILA Research Network for the three-year period January 2015-December 2017. With the launch of this international network we hope to raise the profile of research in early languages learning (including foreign, second and minority languages), contributing to the growth of national and regional research groups and stimulating new research on a range of themes in the field. Over the three-year period our principal aims are:
- To create synergies across research areas concerned with young children learning additional languages in school and pre-school contexts worldwide;
- To set out a comprehensive agenda for research in the field of early language learning.
Do visit our Network to learn more. Active researchers in the field of Early Language Learning (ages 3-12 years) are most welcome to join the group, contribute to planned events/publications and help to build our aims.
For any queries please contact Janet Enever - ELL-REN convenor by email at janet.enever@umu.se or by telephone on +46 (0)90 786 56 74.
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24 March 2015 (Goethe Institut London)
All primary school teachers of German with their students are invited to take part in Goethe Institut London's special Easter activity. Let your students write an Easter card in German to our two hand puppets Felix and Franzi.
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13 March 2015 (The Guardian)
No matter what your family’s heritage, parenting has a common lexicon: brush your teeth, look up from that screen or stop bashing your brother can be found in most family phrasebooks.
But what if the language you were born with differs from the one your kids use daily at school, or if you and your partner each have different native languages?
Today almost one in five children in UK primary schools now has a mother tongue other than English. According to Professor Antonella Sorace, director of the Bilingualism Matters centre at Edinburgh University, the demand for information and advice on how to navigate the challenges of bilingual parenting is now “enormous”.
Read more...
25 February 2015 (Education Scotland)
Each year throughout January pupils from Kirktonholme Primary and Nursery in East Kilbride take part in a multi disciplinary programme of learning around Scots language and culture. They have fully embedded the teaching of Scots in a whole-school approach. For more details, view their short film.
Read more...
25 January 2015 (The Scotsman)
Nursery and primary school pupils in the Highlands will be the first in Scotland to be taught sign language as part of the new curriculum.
Smithton Primary, on the outskirts of Inverness, will teach youngsters both British Sign Language (BSL) and Makaton – a form of signing for those with special educational needs or communication disorders that is popularly used by Mr Tumble on the CBeebies show Something Special.
The move at the school has been welcomed by the British Deaf Association and the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters.
It has come about after the Scottish Government’s announcement that all primary age children should have two additional languages as well as their first language.
Read more...
2 December 2014 (RZSS)
Thanks to a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover (China), Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland got the opportunity recently to visit Chengdu and Ya'an - along with 10 students and 4 staff from Lasswade High School. You can see an excellent video of the trip on the 'Beyond the Panda' new website, which not only includes a wealth of information on the giant panda project but has excellent lesson plans and activities.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland outreach sessions 'Beyond the Panda' and 'Giants' are still available for schools, however they are always revised and redeveloped each year to build on new resources and ideas. Please email Sandie Robb, srobb@rzss.org.uk, for full details.
Read more...
19 November 2014 (Time)
The infant's brain retains language that it hears at birth and recognizes it years later, even if the child no longer speaks that language.
A new study reveals that an infant’s brain may remember a language, even if the child has no idea how to speak a word of it.
The finding comes from a new study performed by a team of researchers from McGill University’s Department of Psychology and Montreal’s Neurological Institute who are working to understand how the brain learns language.
Read more...
12 November 2014 (SALT)
Dragons in Europe invite you to bring the wonderfully vibrant and inspiring Chinese New Year celebrations to your school.
The rise of China as an economic and global power has led to the rapid spread of Chinese culture and customs round the world and Chinese language skills are now in high demand. Exploring this fascinating culture is a cross-curricula journey. There will be mythical animal tales, traditional activities, Chinese character writing and lots of smiles. Workshops will include some basic language learning, lots of culture and topical gifts for the children to take away.
*Please note there is a charge for the workshops.*
Read more...
10 November 2014 (Daily Mail Australia)
It's hoped a new trial, which is set to see pre-schoolers learn a second language, will help to boost the declining numbers of high school students studying languages across Australia.
The federal government has selected 40 pre-schools from more than 1,000 applicants to take part in the trial, called Ella, which will use play based apps starting from next year.
Read more...
10 October 2014 (The Telegraph)
Our European neighbours shame us by their ability to converse in English. The Government would like that to be a thing of the past. So would Catherine Ford.
Read more...
8 October 2014 (Birkbeck)
Politicians can be forgiven for not having much time to read the fine print when asking advisers to translate research findings into workable policies. Or does it work the other way round? Do politicians decide on policies first and subsequently ask advisers for appropriate research findings to back up the policy? This seems the case when considering the wide consensus across the world about the benefits of early introduction of foreign languages (FLs) in pupils’ school curriculum. The expression “younger is better” in education sounds perfectly plausible, is simple and convincing, and must be a vote winner.
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4 September 2014 (Goethe-Institut London)
The Eurotoolbox consists of 5 specially chosen collections of children's and youth literature from Europe in the original language - German, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian, with between 12 and 15 books in each language.
The exhibition of books is free to borrow for 2-4 weeks at a time and is available from September.
Visit the Eurotoolbox launch webpage for more information about the collections and contact Mariella Riccobono at the Italian Cultural Institute to arrange a booking slot: maria.riccobono.iic@esteri.it
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
French,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Language Learning,
Resources,
Portuguese
27 August 2014 (The List)
An already engaging and exciting story becomes even more theatrical when ‘performed’ in a new language.
Read more...
22 August 2014 (SCILT)
Each year September 26th marks the European Day of Languages (EDL). It's all about finding ways to get people in schools, colleges and the wider community excited about languages. How you celebrate is up to you!
SCILT has launched the European Day of Languages 2014 webpage where you can finds lots of ideas for how your school can celebrate. You can also order EDL materials for your school like posters, stickers and pens.
Let us know how you celebrate, and you could even feature in our EDL 2014 blog!
Read more...
11 August 2014 (Herald)
Parents of children attending Glasgow's only private Gaelic nursery claim they will be £1,300 per year per child worse off after the city council decided without warning not to award it a new contract.
Read more...
1 August 2014 (Institut français)
The Institut français d’Ecosse is offering a range of French courses for both teachers and pupils starting in September 2014. Follow the appropriate links below for full details:
Read more...
22 July 2014 (Multilingual Families)
The EU Multilingual Families children's eStoryBooks have now been published. There are 2 books, for 0 to 6 and 6 to 10.
Are attractive and engaging eBooks that motivate and show why children should learn, use and retain languages. There are two eBooks for pre-primary and primary. They are specific to each of the age groups and include interactive elements.
Read more...
26 June 2014 (Argyll & Bute Council)
The establishment of Argyll and Bute Council’s Furan centre in Oban encourages existing Gaelic speakers to meet up to maintain their language skills, provides workshops for new learners and hopefully sparks interest in children and their parents.
As part of this promotion of the use of the Gaelic language, Gaelic Bookbug sessions for very young children and their parents have been established in Oban and Lochgilphead, with strong interest being expressed in Dunoon where a pilot session has been organised.
Read more...
27 May 2014 (The Evening Times)
Parents who sent their son to a Gaelic nursery have slammed city education bosses for denying him a place at Gaelic primary school.
Christine and Iain Agnew are keen to support Scotland's language and so sent son Archie to a Gaelic nursery school in Anniesland. But the four-year-old has now been denied a place at Glasgow Gaelic School.
Christine, 39, said: "My son has been going to a Gaelic nursery for the past two years. "To get into the Gaelic school they say you have to show commitment to the language. Well, I'm not sure how else I could have shown that commitment. We haven't been given a straight answer as to why Archie has been refused a place and I would really like the council to reconsider."
Christine, from Clydebank, said she has lodged an appeal, as have two other mums who are in a similar position. But she believes there should be enough primary provision in the city to accommodate all children who are in the city's Gaelic nurseries.
Read more...
Related Links
Gaelic is part of Scotland's heritage (Evening Times, 29 May 2014)
26 May 2014 (Edinburgh News)
Children at all of Edinburgh’s council nurseries are set to be taught modern languages for the first time. Lessons will be piloted at nurseries across Edinburgh ahead of a city-wide rollout over the next three years.
Read more...
19 May 2014 (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar)
The Multimedia Unit of the Education and Children’s Services Department of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has developed a new website to support 3-18 Gaelic Medium Education. Resources support Gàidhlig as well as a range of other curricular areas. The website is being continuously updated with new materials to enhance young people’s learning opportunities through the medium of Gaelic. For more information, visit the website or contact evelyn.coull@cne-siar.gov.uk.
Read more...
6 May 2014 (Goethe-Institut)
A collaboration between Starcatchers and Theater o.N. (Berlin) this is a wonderfully creative piece of children's theatre (Ages 2 – 4). On tour in Scotland during May 2014.
Visit the Goethe-Institut website for tour dates and venues.
Read more...
BBC Radio 4 (26 April 2014)
Interview with English-speaker Caroline Sarll who decided to bring her children up to be bilingual. Listen from 25mins. First broadcast 26 April 2014.
Read more...
22 April 2014 (ALL)
Language World is the annual flagship event of ALL, with two days of professional development for teachers, the largest UK exhibition of language teaching resources directly aimed at teachers, a social event, and a chance for teachers from all over the country to meet up with their subject community to celebrate language teaching and learning.
Language World 2014 took place last week at the University of Lancaster, and our theme this year was All Joined Up. The conference focussed on the need for teachers across sectors to work with one another to make language learning from age 7 onwards exciting, meaningful and successful. This year’s successful event showcased valuable and inspiring work which language teachers and language teaching professionals could learn from and use in their own practice.
If you didn't get the opportunity to join us this year, don't worry - we don't want anyone feeling left out! Speakers presentations and handouts are available through the link below.
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28 February 2014 (EduTalk)
Maryse Payen-Roy is part of the Modern Languages Support and Development Team at Glasgow City Council. In this show, Maryse talks about her professional learning and research, the 1+2 languages policy, the work of SALT and SCILT, and the focus of this episode: ‘Early start to French & How children learn their own and other languages from an early age’.
Listen again to this podcast and access the resources from the above CLPL session.
Read more...
31 January 2014 (QA Nursery Magazine)
Second-language teaching is not a core part of the Early Years Foundation Stage, but there are many day nurseries and learning experts who believe it should be if UK-born citizens are ever to become more bilingual.
Read more...
31 January 2014 (Institut français)
In association with la petite Ecole, the Institut français offers workshops in French for children who are growing up with a bilingual background using CLIL methodlogy (learning and improving language skills through other topics like science and arts).
Read more...
13 January 2014 (The Scotsman)
Scots should be put at the centre of the Scottish Government’s initiative to promote language learning in the country’s schools, it has been claimed.
Headteacher Isabel Lind said the Scots language was a valuable educational tool and should be included in the 1+2 initiative, which seeks to have children learning two foreign tongues alongside English at primary school.
Read more...
31 December 2013 (The Guardian)
In month three of teaching her sons French, Louise Tickle hits a few bumps in the road.
Read more...
18 December 2013 (Education Scotland)
Education Scotland have issued new guidance to support language learning in P1. This resource offers a number of supportive approaches and helpful weblinks, along with examples of how primary teachers are delivering modern languages in the classroom.
The guidance will be useful to practitioners who are teaching, or planning to teach, a modern language in P1.
It contains suggestions on the integration of modern languages into everyday classroom situations. There are also soundfiles to support practitioners in using modern languages in class.
Publication of guidance for P2-P7 will follow in Spring and Summer 2014.
Read more...
16 December 2013 (The Scotsman)
Highland Council is to receive £3 million over two years to build a new Gaelic school in Portree, on the Isle of Skye.
Minister for Scotland’s Languages Alasdair Allan made the announcement during a visit to the site of the new school, where building work will begin in 2015.
An additional £250,000 will also be invested in Gaelic learning for early years, to encourage sustained growth in the number of pupils going through Gaelic medium education (GME) and encourage parents to choose bilingual schooling.
Read more...
Related Links
Funding offered for new Gaelic school (BBC, 16 December 2013)
22 November 2013 (TES)
What is the eternal fascination with guessing games? Shakespeare's work is full of riddles, the Victorians played charades, my own offspring loved Pictionary and schoolchildren will grab a pen and play hangman at any opportunity.
As a teacher of languages - French, Spanish and English as a foreign language - I have always tried to tap into this fascination as a way of helping students of all ages to learn vocabulary and structures.
Read more...
28 October 2013 (Learning Spanish for Beginners)
Learn Spanish with ‘Monsters University’! Really engaging way to learn using a movie trailer.
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24 October 2013 (London Evening Standard)
In a country often slated for its monolingualism, London is emerging as a hub not only of suave bilinguals, switching between French and English in South Ken cafés, but a new polyglot breed: the capital’s trilinguals.
Read more...
22 October 2013 (British Council)
We are offering a final chance to enter the Link2Learn competition. Please apply for this fantastic awards opportunity by Tuesday 29 October in order to win a grant for your school.
The Link2Learn Awards, supported by HSBC Global Education Programme, recognise and reward UK schools, International Co-ordinators and local authorities for their work in forming and sustaining international school partnerships.
Enter the competition to win a cash prize to support your existing international school partnerships. All educational institutions with students aged 3 to 18 are eligible to enter the competition, i.e. nurseries, schools (including special schools) and colleges. They must have worked with a partner school in another country for at least one year.
Visit the website for further information and how to enter.
Read more...
16 October 2013 (The Independent)
There are hopes that it will lead to a more enlightened attitude to learning languages, reports Richard Garner.
This is the country's first bilingual state school in German and English, which began taking pupils from the age of four at the start of the autumn term. For four-year-olds, the German is simple. Morning assembly brings with it a round of "happy birthday" for any child celebrating that day – and it is sung in both languages.
Read more...
15 October 2013 (TES)
Simple introductions in French for young beginners. A video to add a bit of joy to learning French if you have online access to YouTube. It introduces them to Billy - star of lots of other free resources by agreenmouse.
You will need a TES userid and password to access these materials.
Read more...
13 October 2013 (The Guardian)
Diana Linford tells Emily Drabble how having her daughter refired her passion for teaching and why she thinks languages must start at primary school.
Read more...
10 October 2013 (Speak to the Future)
We’re highlighting inspiring projects happening across the country which are promoting languages to the wider public – showing those in the languages community what you could do, and helping to give those outside an insight into the value of languages and language learning.
There are a host of projects and websites covering a number of languages for all ages – take a look and see what will inspire you.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
All Languages,
Language Learning,
Language Teaching,
Promoting Languages,
Resources,
News from language & education organisations
9 October 2013 (BBC)
The brain has a critical window for language development between the ages of two and four, brain scans suggest.
Environmental influences have their biggest impact before the age of four, as the brain's wiring develops to process new words, say UK and US scientists.
It also explains why young children are good at learning two languages.
Read more...
8 October 2013 (La Souris)
A selection of Hallowe’en themed games and activities for your pre-school and primary French learners.
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CISS 2013-14 professional learning menu now available!
4 October 2013 (SCILT/CISS)
Are you a teacher of Mandarin?
Are you a teacher considering introducing Mandarin into your school?
The new Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools professional learning menu offers a variety of workshops to help you introduce, develop and embed Chinese language learning across the 3-18 curriculum. Relevant to practitioners in all sectors, the workshops draw on good practice from across the country and offer an opportunity for professional dialogue and the sharing of ideas and materials. Whether you are an experienced teacher of Mandarin looking for help with the senior phase, or you are just getting started and are looking for practical ways of introducing Chinese culture and language into your class, the CISS team is here to help!
Visit the CISS professional development page to view the 'Chinese Learning - let's work together' menu.
2 October 2013 (The Guardian)
How hard will it be to teach a five-year-old French? Follow one mother's home-grown linguistic travails over the coming months.
Read more...
1 October 2013 (GrowStoryGrow)
A free Autumn story in English, French and Spanish which teaches colours, weather, seasons and sentence-building, of course! You can access this story with all its resources from the 1st of October to the 25th.
Read more...
1 October 2013 (Leicester Mercury)
Pupils as young as four are getting the chance to learn new languages at Uplands Infants.
With many different cultures at the school, staff believe it's never too early to get started. For the past week, children have been immersed in all things French. Not only have they taken part in a simulated flight to Paris, they have also been learning songs in French and enjoying some of its culinary delights, as well as building their versions of the Eiffel Tower.
Read more...
25 September 2013 (Linguanet)
In celebration of the European Day of Languages 2013 we are allowing everyone to access the popular online learning website 'Babelzone' from now until the end of September for FREE.
This special offer is ideal for MFL teachers celebrating the European Day of Languages, and for young French and Spanish learners. Packed full of songs, animated stories, games, worksheets and phonics, Babelzone is an exciting interactive resource for the classroom.
To login go to the Babelzone home page http://www.lcfclubs.com/babelzonenew/index.asp and login with these details:
Username: babelzone
Password: LCFCLUBS2013
Read more...
24 September 2013 (RTVE)
Ideal for your early Spanish learners. Cartoons including Peppa Pig, Spongebob, Postman Pat and many more favourites from the Spanish channel RTVE.
Read more...
European Day of Languages 2013 - SCILT webpage now live
22 August 2013 (SCILT)
Each year September 26th marks the European Day of Languages (EDL) and is all about finding a way to get people in schools, colleges and the wider community excited about languages. How you celebrate is up to you!
SCILT have launched our European Day of Languages 2013 webpage, where you can finds loads of ideas on how your school can celebrate. You can also order EDL 2013 materials like posters, stickers and pens.
Visit our EDL 2013 webpage here and let us know how you intend to bring languages into your school this year!
19 August 2013 (Engage for Education)
Maureen McKenna, Executive Member for Education, Glasgow City Council said: “Glasgow has been working on a sustained and planned approach in the development of languages in the city to enhance the learning and teaching in our schools.
“Glasgow was ably represented on the Scottish Government languages working group by Gillian Campbell-Thow, an experienced principal language teacher who also has a city-wide language remit and support role for our schools in all sectors.
Glasgow is in the process of proactively working to encourage the uptake of 1 + 2 languages in primary schools across the city with more and more teachers being trained. This session primary teachers have the chance to train in French, Spanish, German, Italian and Gaelic. Early years training will be available in French, Spanish, Gaelic, Polish and Arabic.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
1+2,
French,
Gaelic,
German,
Italian,
Spanish,
Scotland,
Language Teaching,
News from language & education organisations,
Arabic
9 August 2013 (TES)
A simple French Number Line to be used on display in a classroom. This could be printed full size or reduced to print in multiples to make flashcards. A lovely free teaching resource for an Early Years or Primary classroom.
Read more...
24 May 2013 (TESS)
The founder of Bilingualism Matters and professor of developmental linguistics talks about the common misconceptions around language learning and why children should be taught another language as early as possible.
Read more...
26 March 2013 (eTwinning)
Are you interested in finding a partner school from Europe to start an eTwinning project?
The British Council eTwinning team is giving up to 4 teachers from the UK the chance to travel to Sofia to meet and network with other European teachers at a joint eTwinning event
Taking place from Thursday 25th to Sunday 28th April, this event is open to teachers working with students aged 3-11 teaching any subject. It will include sessions on how to use eTwinning, how to use ICT tools and how to fit eTwinning into your school life.
All workshop sessions will be delivered concurrently in German, French and English, so this event would in particular suit someone who can speak either French or German. However, this is not a prerequisite.
The British Council will cover travel, accommodation and meal expenses as well as your participation fee. Supply cover is not included.
Visit the eTwinning website for further information and to apply by 7 April 2013.
Read more...
24 March 2013 (My Languages blog - Isabelle Jones)
Download the slides and reference sheet for my session on using music in the languages classroom presented at Language World 2013.
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21 March 2013 (NBC Latino)
As the conversation about bilingualism spreads throughout the country, more and more parents are looking for resources when it comes to raising their children to be multilingual.
Nancy Rhodes, director of Foreign Language Education at the Center for Applied Linguistics, says that over the last 10 years or more, they’ve seen an increase in parents going to school districts and asking them to start language programs for early education classes.
Rhodes says that the reason for the increase is because many parents now recognize that bilingualism is a tremendous asset for future careers. “The current focus appears to be on the globalized economy,” she says. “Parents are thinking about their children’s future in internet jobs, or international and intercultural careers.”
But one of the biggest challenges for parents is how to begin the process.
Read more...
8 March 2013 (SCILT)
The first of our case studies showcasing how schools across Scotland are responding to the recommendations in 'Language Learning in Scotland: A 1 + 2 Approach' has been published on our website. Westercraigs Nursery in Glasgow celebrates the range of languages spoken by the children at home as well as offering specific learning experiences in French, Italian and Gaelic. Find out more about how the nursery promotes the importance and value of learning languages to the children and their families.
Read more...
18 February 2013 (news.com.au)
Even before they can talk, infants as young as seven months who grow up in bilingual homes acquire a special ability to distinguish between languages, researchers have found.
Read more...
8 February 2013 (TESS)
A languages project is introducing nursery children to the joys of German, writes Julia Belgutay
Pupils at Springburn Nursery in Glasgow have made a new friend - Hans Hase, a hand puppet helping them to learn words and phrases in German as part of a pilot project with the Goethe Institute.
Read more...
6 February 2013 (Goethe-Institut)
The new spring/summer semester at the Goethe-Institut Glasgow will start on 11 February. If you are interested in enrolling in one of our courses, please contact us as soon as possible. If you are unsure about the level or suitable class we will advise further.
Read more...
31 January 2013 (TES)
TES MFL subject adviser Rachel Hawkes looks at how foreign languages learning can support literacy without us needing to use English. The chat will be an informal way for you to share ideas on the topic as well as ask questions and seek advice from Rachel and each other.
Read more...
22 January 2013 (Science Daily)
Using a brain-imaging technique that examines the entire infant brain, researchers have found that the anatomy of certain brain areas – the hippocampus and cerebellum – can predict children's language abilities at 1 year of age.
Read more...
19 January 2013 (BBC News)
A Gaelic medium education school in Inverness at the centre of difficulties with the appointment of a head teacher looks set to increase in size.
Read more...
17 January 2013 (Goethe-Institut)
For full details of all the language courses and examinations available at the Goethe-Institut in Glasgow for Spring/Summer 2013 visit the website, or view the information pages below.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
1+2,
German,
Language Learning,
Qualifications,
News from language & education organisations
17 January 2013 (Goethe-Institut)
In today's professional world, knowledge of foreign languages is an indispensable skill and a must-have on any resume. Still, studies show that while good foreign language skills play an increasingly important role in the workplace, every situation is different.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
1+2,
German,
Business,
Careers,
Language Learning,
Language Learning for Work,
Language Skills,
News from language & education organisations
Modern Languages Newsletter – January 2013
14 January 2013 (Glasgow City Council)
To read about all the latest language events and activities within Glasgow schools, download the January newsletter.
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
1+2,
All Languages,
Celebrating Languages,
Promoting Languages,
News from language & education organisations
10 January 2013 (STV News)
Children as young as nine will be taught three languages amid rising immigration, tourism and increasing demand for workers that speak more than just English, MSPs have heard.
The Scottish Government has set aside £4m for a pilot project to ensure Scotland's economy does not suffer as a result of its citizens' relatively poor language skills.
Read more...
Posted in:
Early Years,
Primary,
S1-S3,
Senior Phase,
FE,
HE,
1+2,
All Languages,
Scotland,
1+2,
Language Learning,
Language Policy,
Scotland,
Scottish Government,
Languages in the press,
EERC
9 January 2013 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Due to high demand we have now arranged an additional beginners Chinese class on Thursday evenings starting from 14 January for ten weeks.
This class is suitable for absolute beginners and over the course of the term students will learn the basics of Chinese pronunciation, practice basic conversations and be taught Pinyin.
Read more...
Scotland-Russia Forum news
9 January 2013 (SRF)
The latest round-up of news and events from the SRF is now available to download.
This edition includes a request from a casting agency seeking Russian-speaking actors, including children/teens, for a film to be shot in the UK between March and July 2013.
If you need to brush up on your Russian first, the next Чай н Чат (tea and chat) at the Scotland-Russia Institute in Edinburgh is on 31 January.
“Take Away China 2013”
8 January 2013 (Ricefield Arts Centre)
James Thomson, director of Ricefield Arts Centre, would like to offer an opportunity to schools to take part in the launch of “Take Away China 2013” on 12 February, the beginning of the Year of the Snake. This is the third year of “Take Away China” – the notion being to take a small part of China away with you from each event. Schools are invited to participate in forming a long snake. The idea is to form a snake made of twenty willow lantern sections with each section being supported by 4 or 6 pupils from each school or hub. Download the attached file for more information.
If you feel your hub or school might be interested in this opportunity, please contact jamesthomson188@btinternet.com
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8 January 2013 (Institut français)
The Institut français d'Ecosse will be screening two animated films for young children in January and February:
- Le Chat du Rabbin (for children aged 6+) - Tuesday 22 January 18:30-20:00 / Wednesday 23 January 11:00-12:30
- Mia et le Migou (for children aged 3+) - Saturday 16 February 11:00-12:30
Both films are in French with English subtitles. Visit the website for more information.
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7 January 2013 (Language Box)
The why study languages calendar has been produced by LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies and includes a variety of languages, beginning in January with Italian. This is the first of a 12-month series lasting until December 2013. The calendar can be downloaded or printable versions can be ordered.
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6 January 2013 (Daily Record)
Football has become global. And Scotland’s managers are about to follow suit.
The latest candidates for the SFA’s UEFA Pro Licence will gather at Hampden today to kick off the two-year course they now need to boss at the elite level of European football.
But for the first time since the course began in 1999, candidates must learn a second language as part of their studies.
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17 December 2012 (European Commission)
Communication and languages are crucial to business in a globalised economy. New evidence found in two reports published in the UK and in Ireland.
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14 December 2012 (TESS)
The prospect of teaching 1+2 languages from P1 is a daunting one for many in the primary sector.
But today, the Scottish Parliament's European and External Relations Committee will launch an inquiry into the teaching of languages in primary - at a school where 1+5 is the norm.
At Dalmarnock Primary, in the east end of Glasgow, pupils have access to French, Spanish, Italian, Russian and Greek, in addition to their home language of English.
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13 December 2012 (Engage for Education)
Modren Scots Grammar: Wirkin Wi Wirds is one of the recent projects undertaken by Scottish Language Dictionaries to celebrate their first ten years.
The book accords with Curriculum for Excellence in that it seeks to give readers an understanding of how language works and to give them the tools with which to discuss Scots, English and other modern languages.
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A few Christmas activities for the second week of Advent
12 December 2012 (ALL)
Here are some ideas for celebrating Christmas with your class, from ALL. They cover different languages and different levels.
- Make some lovely French, German and Spanish Christmas cards, courtesy of MFL Sunderland
- Christmas cards from L’Internaute
- If that isn’t enough, use French instructions to make your own origami Père Noёl
- You can also write to Père Noel himself!
- A nice site for Christmas recipes, gifts, Christmas crafts and Christmas songs in different languages
- Activity ideas from Culturethèque @ the Institut français du Royaume-Uni
- There’s a whole range of French Christmas resources on the MFL Sunderland website, including sound files, flashcards, worksheets, fun activities, podcasts and videos
- Some more ideas for Christmas crafts and activities
- Say ‘Merry Christmas!’ to friends all over the world and learn how to say ‘Seasons Greetings’ in many languages
- There are more German activity ideas from the Goethe Institut and UK-German Connection
- Global Dimension offer their own ideas and inspiration for getting festive this Christmas
- Some Christmas game ideas from the lovely folks at MFLResources
- Woodlands Junior School offer a variety of Christmas activities
- The Lancashire Grid for Learning also have activities, resources and further links in French, German, Italian and Spanish
- How about a festive video clip of Pigloo, the French singing penguin?
- Last but not least, some festive resources to enjoy in Spanish
11 November 2012 (Language Rich Europe blog)
As part of the Language Rich Europe project, we are holding workshops across Europe to discuss the findings and plan the next steps. In this blog post, Lorcan Murray, an intern at British Council Netherlands, writes about the workshop held in Utrecht in November.
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11 December 2012 (European Commission)
A new study on the impact of partnerships between schools in different countries has found that pupils significantly improved their skills, including foreign languages.
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10 December 2012 (NALDIC)
(relates to England) The publication of the 2012 results of the Early Years Foundation Stage assessments shows that the gap between children learning EAL in England and those with English as a first language has widened for the first time in 5 years.
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7 December 2012 (TESS)
The ability to speak foreign languages is not only important in finding work abroad - it is becoming ever more crucial for getting a job in Scotland. That was one of the most compelling messages from businesswoman Rebecca Trengove, guest speaker at a languages conference in Stirling.
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7 December 2012 (SCILT)
We have pulled together a list of our favourite Christmas websites for teachers to use in class. These websites cover Christmas in France, Germany, Spain and around the world.
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6 December 2012 (Radio Lingua)
With Festive Phrases you can learn a festive greeting each day of December, and you’ll soon be able to say “Merry Christmas”, “Happy New Year” or “Happy Holidays” to many millions of people around the world. In each short video Radio Lingua director Mark is joined by a native speaker of the language, and we’ll provide some background information about the number of speakers, where the language is spoken and much more.
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3 December 2012 (Education Scotland)
Nominations for the 2013 awards are now open. Categories include the Global Citizenship Award, which recognises the achievements of schools and pre-schools that have adopted a whole school approach to global citizenship, and the Gaelic Awareness Award in recognition of schools and pre-schools who are providing opportunities for all children to develop fluency in the Gaelic language and culture. Visit the Scottish Education Awards website for more information and to submit a nomination.
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30 November 2012 (SQA)
The latest progress on the new national qualifications from the SQA, including a reminder of the CfE subject implementation dates being run throughout Scotland. Modern Language events are taking place in February 2013 and places can be booked via the SQA website.
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27 November 2012 (SCILT)
Our EDL2012 blog is now live! For a sneaky peek to see how the prize winning and other schools celebrated 26th September visit our EDL 2012 blog. There’s still time to add details of your school’s EDL, please send a short description of the event and any photos or film you would like included in your post to our Information Officer.
If you are already thinking ahead to 21st February 2013 (International Mother Language Day) or 9th May 2013 (Europe Day) or even the next European Day of Languages on 26th September 2013, all our EDL blogs over recent years have lots of great ideas that you might want to borrow or adapt for your own celebrations.
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27 November 2012 (Engage for Education)
Sarah Breslin, Director of SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages at the University of Strathclyde, talks about the importance of the Scottish Government’s 1+2 languages policy.
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27 November 2012 (BBC News)
A widespread lack of language skills could be damaging Scotland's ability to trade abroad, a report has suggested. The British Council study warned there was a tendency among Scottish firms to limit their export markets to English-speaking countries.
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Fears raised for overseas trade as young Scots shy away from studying foreign languages (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)
A crisis in foreign language teaching across Scottish education is damaging overseas trade, the British Council warns today.
Analysis: Speaking the lingo goes to prove that it’s not only travel that broadens the mind (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)
Leaders: Greater language skills key to breaking trade barriers (The Scotsman, 27 November 2012)
Crisis in study of languages a risk to trade (The Herald, 27 November 2012)
A lack of foreign language skills is limiting the ability of Scottish companies to tap into lucrative overseas export markets, according to a new report.
Kaye asks why Scots are so bad at learning foreign languages (Call Kaye, BBC Radio Scotland, 27 November 2012) - programme available until 3 December 2012.
Trade danger of language teaching cuts (Scottish Daily Express, 27 November 2012)
Language cuts 'will hit Scottish economy' (Morning Star, 27 November 2012)
Language Rich Europe - Scotland (British Council, 2012)
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23 November 2012 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Bookings are now being taken for language classes at the Confucius Institute for Scotland for the winter term starting from week beginning 14 January 2013.
Visit the website for full details of all the classes on offer.
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23 November 2012 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
The SCEN China Youth Summit at Gleneagles on 12 November, known as the G50 after the 50 schools, universities and other organisations represented and in memory of the famous G8 Summit held at Gleneagles in 2005 was an inspiring day for all those who attended the event.
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23 November 2012 (Education Scotland)
British Council Scotland and Education Scotland have recently published ‘Sustainable International School Partnerships – Make the Difference’.
Effective practices, challenges, opportunities and a framework for reflection combine to illustrate how the development of sustainable international school partnerships can ‘make the difference’ within Curriculum for Excellence. This new publication draws on the experience of practitioners who have been closely involved in developing international school partnerships.
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19 November 2012 (Consejería de Educación)
The Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain, is pleased to announce details of the Videominute International Contest 2012-13 with 1000 Euros on offer for the winner. The competition is open to all ages and requires individuals or groups to submit a video lasting no longer than one minute. Any submissions in a language other than Spanish must be subtitled in Spanish or English. A maximum of 5 entries are permitted. For further information and how to apply visit the Videominute website, where you can also view previous competition entries.
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13 November 2012 (Xinhuanet)
Gleneagles, Britain, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- It used to be the place where the G8 summit was held in July 2005, and on Monday another event, dubbed G50, was staged at the same venue.
But this time the participants are 50 high school students from across Scotland who were exchanging their joys and hardships in learning the Chinese language.
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8 November 2012 (SecEd)
From teacher collaboration to how children learn, the work of Professor Bill Lucas is providing a blueprint for 21st century education.
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8 November 2012 (Channel 4)
Follow the links to see previews of Channel 4’s learning portal, Clipbank. Clips are available for learners of French, German and Spanish, all addressing a particular topic, or area of grammar in the target language:
French
Spanish
German
Please note this is a preview only. To access the resources you will need to subscribe to the service.
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7 November 2012 (eTwinning)
eTwinning Ambassador Joe Dale shares his fantastic ideas on using QR codes to improve students language skills in today's article 'Bringing Language Learning to Life: teaching tips, tech and ideas' on the Guardian Teacher Network.
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Related Links
If you are a language teacher looking to reenergise your lessons and make language learning more meaningful to a 21st century learner check out the full range of innovative ideas on the
Guardian Teacher Network.
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7 November 2012 (The Guardian Teacher Network)
What does a range of nationalities in class bring to the teaching and learning experience? A collection of teachers give us a glimpse into their multicultural classrooms.
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7 November 2012 (SCEN)
The Scotland China Education Network invites you to visit its new website and discover how it is promoting the learning of Chinese and about China in Scottish schools.
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7 November 2012 (Memrise)
Do you have trouble learning new words in a foreign language? Memrise makes vocabulary learning fast, fun and effective. Memrise improves your ability to learn vocabulary by adding three powerful ingredients to normal flashcards…what’s more, it’s free to use!
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6 November 2012 (Linguascope)
A range of Linguascope apps for individual learners are available from the Apple app store (vocabulary, verbs, word of the day, news, Linguatrivia, Talking Dice...). If you would like to advertise the apps to your students, we have a new colourful A2 poster for you to display in the classroom. If you would like to receive some posters free of charge, simply drop us an e-mail (www.linguascope.com/contact.php) with your name, school, school address and the number of posters required.
For more information about the apps, visit our website.
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5 November 2012 (eTwinning)
This week the Guardian Teachers Network are exploring issues around global awareness and understanding in schools. Various articles and blog posts will be available to explore throughout the week.
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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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Free CPD workshops for teachers of Chinese
24 October 2012 (SCILT/CISS)
SCILT/CISS are offering two workshops for teachers of Chinese on 9 November 2012 at the University of Strathclyde. These workshops are free and are open to anyone involved in the delivery of Chinese in Scottish schools (teachers, probationer teachers, Tianjin teachers, CLAs etc).
For more information download the flyer.
To book email Katie Hawkins