MTOT finalists' work on SCILT's website!

25 April 2024 (SCILT)

We are pleased to announce that the winning and highly commended entries from this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue (MTOT) multilingual poetry competition are now available to view on the SCILT website. As it was the 10th anniversary year since the start of the competition in Scotland, you can also see a short video homage to MTOT over that time.

A massive thank you once again to all the pupils and teachers who participated this year and those who've supported the event previously.

Read more...

The Big Question - One step beyond!

19 April 2024 (SCILT)

Last year the SCILT Big Question series focused on the four core skills – listening, reading, writing and talking. This year we plan to go One Step Beyond!  

This series of weekly workshops in May and June aimed at secondary practitioners will take each skill to another level, looking at issues in that area and practical ways to approach them. Come and join us as we examine strategies and share resources and activities! 

Each session will feature the chance to hear from guest practitioners, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions! 

The four sessions are: 

One step beyond listening – interpreting as a tool for learning and teaching 
Tuesday 21 May 16.00-17.00
Interpreting is often seen as a skill that is the preserve of specialists at post-university level, but it is an essential social skill for all learners and a useful language learning tool in preparing them for real-life situations in their jobs and studies. Engaging in active learning through simple interpreting tasks can motivate learners and have huge benefits for their listening and talking skills, and in this session we will look at ways to build this into learning and teaching. 

One step beyond talking – the importance of social-emotional learning in languages 
Wednesday 29 May 16.00-17.00 
Social-emotional learning (SEL) gives a framework for understanding the impact emotions have on learning. In the languages context, this is most visible when we need our learners to talk. This session will explore how SEL techniques can be used to improve learner confidence and self-efficacy, and help us develop an environment where learners feel empowered to use their talking skills with comfort. 

One step beyond the classroom – outdoor learning and languages
Wednesday 5 June 16.00-17.00
Outdoor learning is beneficial for young people’s mental, physical and emotional health. It’s also a great way to support language learning in a fun, relevant, impactful way. In this session, we will look at the advantages of taking language learning outdoors and share ideas and practical tips to make the most of your outdoor spaces.  

One step beyond reading and writing – the use of AI in languages: a blessing or a curse? 
Thursday 13 June 16.00-17.00
What are the implications of AI for languages education in schools? Does it require a total rethink, as suggested in Professor Zhao’s article? In this session we will examine the benefits and issues around the growth of AI and how this can work for learners and for us in languages classes. 

Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish! 

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 which can be shared with colleagues.

Italian poster competition - Winners announced!

11 April 2024 (SCILT)

We’re delighted to announce the winners of our recent poster competition for school-aged learners of Italian of any level (including those with no prior learning). The prompt was ‘Cosa significa L’Italia per me’ – what Italy means to me – and we asked learners to include as much Italian language as they were able to. We received some fantastic entries across the four different age categories, and the S1-S3 category was especially popular, so we decided to feature some specially commended entries too. A big thanks to everyone who created a poster for the competition, and to their teachers who sent in all the entries!

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DYW Live - Languages and Your Career

22 March 2024 (SCILT / eSgoil)

SCILT is going to be offering two more online Languages and Your Career sessions before the summer and we'd love to see you there! These sessions will be different from previous ones offered as they will be tailored specifically to particular groups of learners. These will be:

Wednesday 15 May 11.00 - 12.00, a session aimed specifically at Secondary BGE learners (S1-3) which will explore the fun, transferrable employability skills associated with languages. We will examine together how these are a valuable asset in any learner’s skillset.

Tuesday 11 June 2.00 – 3.00, a session aimed directly at Senior Phase pupils just starting new courses. This will look further forward from the perspective of those who have already chosen languages and will include tips on making the most of the language learning experience in school and beyond.

Like previous sessions, these webinars aim to introduce learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work.

Both sessions will take place within the Languages and Your Career Glow Team. Registration is via e-Sgoil.

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Vacancy - Professional Development Assistant

19 March 2024 (SCILT/CISS)

Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SCILT) and the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS), requires a 1.0 FTE Professional Development Assistant to support its growing online Mandarin teaching programme. This is an exciting opportunity to work at a national level and drive forward the strategic languages’ agenda in Scotland. 

The Professional Development Assistant will be a GTCS registered teacher of Mandarin. They will be responsible for teaching a range of certificated and non-certificated Mandarin classes. It is likely that this will be done online from home, with the possibility of some face-to-face classes. They will also support a range of projects with the University of Strathclyde, our partners in the Confucius classroom hubs and communities.

Visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy portal for more information and to apply. Closing date: 7 April 2024.

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Opportunities for Turing funding 2024-25

8 March 2024 (SCILT / ISPS)

SCILT, in partnership with International School Partnerships Scotland (ISPS), is seeking to create mobility opportunities for Scotland’s schools. We are creating a consortium which will bid for funding from the Turing Scheme to support this. This opportunity is open to all state secondary schools in Scotland, and we are currently seeking expressions of interest from those who:

EITHER

• Already have a partnership with a school in any country

OR

• Are interested in working with a partner school in Spain

Subject to a successful bid, schools will be given funding that will enable them to work in collaboration with their international partner school. The aim will be for schools to co-design a bespoke visit that will support language learning and deepen cultural understanding.

SCILT will submit the Turing bid on behalf of the consortium and will facilitate the reporting process. Through our partners at ISPS, we can also help schools to find an appropriate partner, and be supported and mentored throughout the project, including the management of the mobility visits to partner schools.

Schools will be responsible for the organisation and management of all aspects of the visit, and for submitting monthly reports to SCILT.

To submit your expression of interest, fill in the form below by 12 noon on Thursday 14 March 2024. Places will be limited to 6 schools, and a maximum of 30 learners per school, accompanied by three staff members.

We appreciate the short notice of the opportunity, however all Turing bids must be submitted by 21 March.

PLEASE NOTE: This is a speculative call, and all projects will be dependent on the successful outcome of the Turing application. All mobilities will have to be completed by 30 June 2025.

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Scotland's Languages Leadership Programme 2024-25 - applications now open!

1 March 2024 (SCILT / Education Scotland)

Applications for Scotland's Languages Leadership Programme (SLLP) 2024-25 are now open!.

The SLLP builds leadership capacity to achieve a sustainable model for leading language learning and teaching for all. Applications are welcome from colleagues with 3 years' teaching experience or equivalent, who are interested in developing approaches to language learning and in implementing change in their own contexts.

This online programme is delivered jointly by SCILT and Education Scotland. It is free of charge to state schools and offers participants the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date information from Education Scotland and other agencies involved in the delivery of Scotland’s languages policy.

Core professional learning days take place Friday 21 and Saturday 22 June 2024.

Would you like to know more? Sign up to our online information session taking place on Thursday 21 March. 

Follow the link below for more information about the programme and to submit your application. Deadline for applications is Monday 29 April. 

Read more...

SCILT/CISS Digital Internship open for applications

28 February 2024 (SCILT/CISS)

Are you currently in S5? 

Do you love languages? 

Do you enjoy creating and sharing content on social media? 

Would you like to work with other young people and enhance your CV? 

Well, this role might be for you! 

We are inviting committed, dynamic young people to apply for our year-long digital internship programme.  This would see you using social media regularly and collaborating effectively with a team to demonstrate your love of languages and where they can take you.  This is an excellent opportunity to experience working with digital professionals in a languages environment and enhance your final year at school. 

Please note that interns will be home-based and the opportunity is open to young people across the country. This is an unpaid internship. Interns are expected to commit two to four hours per week for one academic year to the project (June – May). Successful applicants must attend a training day on Friday 7 June 2024. This will be held in Glasgow and travel expenses from outside Glasgow will be covered. Those who cannot attend this day will not be allowed to proceed onto the programme. 

Teachers, download this flyer to raise awareness of this opportunity amongst your S5 pupils. 

Application details 

Please download and read the Information Pack. It includes the Job Description and Person Specification. 

Please download and complete the Application Form. Applications must be submitted with a letter of reference from your Faculty Manager or Principal Teacher of Modern Languages.  

Completed applications must be returned by email to SCILT  by Sunday 31 March 2024. 

Wondering whether to apply?

Here’s what some of our previous interns have said about the experience: 

“The highlight was getting to work with other people I hadn't met before (working on my teambuilding and communication skills), getting to represent a national organisation, creating our own content and deciding ourselves how we wanted to run our social media accounts.” 

“I loved producing high quality content and collaborating with the other interns. It was really exciting later on in the year when we started to get more interaction on our channels.” 

“Meeting new people who share my same passion for languages and coming together to create something valuable was a high point for me.” 

 

Mother Tongue Other Tongue 2023-24 winners announced!

23 February 2024 (SCILT)

It gave us great pleasure to welcome pupils, teachers and special guests to our online 10th anniversary Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition awards on 21 February. The date chosen for the event was significant being International Mother Language Day, a day to celebrate all world languages. We were delighted to announce the following winners and highly commended entries in each category:

Mother Tongue

P1-P4

• Yuexin Li, St Martin's Primary (Winner)
• Taras Sukhodolskyi, West Primary (Highly Commended)
• Vova Abramov, West Primary (Highly Commended)

P5-P7

• Timothy Ishie, St James' Primary (Winner)
• Artem Bonardchuk, St John Ogilvie Primary ((Highly Commended)
• Chizara, Rua, Godwin & Mariama, St Maria Goretti Primary (Highly Commended)
• Hasnain Ali Shah, West Primary (Highly Commended)
• Kate Kaludova, West Primary (Highly Commended)

S1-S3

• Lavina Tsang, Craigmount High School (Winner)
• Alexia Rigg, Glasgow Gaelic School (Highly Commended)
• Ewen Darroch, Glasgow Gaelic School (Highly Commended)
• Jenny, Gemma, Sophie, Tess, Asra & Emma, Craigmount High School (Highly Commended)
• Mairi Stephen, Glasgow Gaelic School (Highly Commended)

S4-S6

• Nova Senkowska, Mearns Castle High School (Winner)
• Anotidaishe Mugwagwa, Kirkintilloch High School (Highly Commended)

Other Tongue

P1-P4

• Naomi & Caellum, Bunessan Primary (Winner)
• P4 Class, The Glasgow Academy Newlands & MIlngavie (Highly Commended)

P5-P7

• Alasdair MacDonald, Salen Primary (Winner)
• Lauren Stewart, Goodlyburn Primary (Highly Commended)
• Lilia Fournier, George Watson's College (Highly Commended)

S1-S3

• Amelia Armstrong, Kirkintilloch High School (Winner)
• Emma Pacci, Bearsden Academy (Highly Commended)
• Harrison Williams, Craigmount High School (Highly Commended)

S4-S6

• Natasha Dickson, Kirkintilloch High School (Winner)
• Abby Leitch, Graeme High School (Highly Commended)
• Katie MacNeil, Kirkintilloch High School (Highly Commended)

All our finalists will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also receive a trophy and be offered the chance for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward.

This year we were also delighted to host a special strand of the competition focusing on Spanish entries. The winning entries in this category were:

• Emma Llovera Meneses - Kirklandneuk Primary
• Axel Llovera Meneses - Kirklandneuk Primary
• The Language Ambassadors (Araav, Vihaan, Grace, Marc, Alexander, Poppy, Anaya & Maya) - The Glasgow Academy
• Spanish Club (Brooklyn, Bion, Rishi & Tobi) – Craigmount High School

Teachers with students who entered in this category will be contacted separately regarding their awards which are kindly sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes in Manchester.

It is our intention to host each of the finalists’ poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available to view.

Congratulations again to all our finalists and a big thank you for supporting the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition!

SCILT spring 2024 newsletter - send us your stories!

14 February 2024 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our spring 2024 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place before the Christmas break or so far in 2024. 

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 15th March 2024.

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...

Ten Steps to Polish - new updated version

1 February 2024 (SCILT)

For teachers looking to introduce Polish as an L3 learning experience, you might be interested to know that we have updated the existing Ten Steps to Polish resource which is now available on the SCILT website. Ten Steps to Polish aims to introduce primary learners to Polish language and culture through a series of ten lessons. The lessons are based on a storytelling approach whereby a child in Scotland learns they have Polish ancestry. The child then embarks on a journey to Poland and travels to various cities and places of interest, learning about Polish language and culture throughout their travels.

Although the lesson guide and framework remain broadly the same as before, we have replaced the existing sound files with brand new audio and video files which we hope will help with pronunciation and understanding. All new files have been embedded into the resource and are easily accessible. Links within the ‘Suggested resources’ section of the progressive framework have also been updated and now include a few video clips to help reinforce language learning and understanding. We hope you enjoy exploring the updated resource!

Dziękuję/thanks to Ania Trusewicz and Chris Sagan from the Polish Social and Educational Society, Glasgow for helping update Ten Steps to Polish and also for the support from the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh.

You can access Ten Steps to Polish on the SCILT website. 

Read more...

Calling all former languages leadership participants

31 January 2024 (SCILT)

If you are one of the nearly 400 educators who have completed the national languages leadership professional learning programme run by SCILT and Education Scotland since 2014 then we want to hear from you!

Like Dr Who, the programme has regenerated several times, each time with the same central aim to build capacity in languages education across Scotland. You may have been at the Summer Schools in Glasgow for Train the Trainer (2014-2017) or the 1+2 Languages Leadership Programme (2017-2019).  Perhaps you were online with Scotland’s Languages Leadership Programme (2020-2022). You may have achieved a GTCS Professional Recognition, then again maybe you haven’t. Whatever the case, all previous participants are welcome to join this new national alumni network.

If took part in any of those scenarios, are you interested in connecting (reconnecting?) with friends, colleagues and peers who are leading, teaching and championing languages education in primary, secondary and special education settings across Scotland?

Yes? Then sign up to the national SLLP alumni network! 

We will seek ideas from network members on the type of opportunities that would be the most useful. Ways to interact, opportunities to connect and support, inspire and motivate each other, to share experiences and hear from other leaders in the field.

The first network meeting is online, 16.00-17.00 Thursday 29 February 2024. Making leap day extra special!

It doesn’t matter when you completed the programme, whether or not you gained GTCS Professional Recognition with us or even if you are now in a different job. There are lots of ways that together, we can continue to strengthen the languages education leadership community in Scotland.

To join the network and register for the first meeting at the same time, please fill in the online form via the link below.

Read more...

Discovering the World of Arabic 2024-25: Secondary course

30 January 2024 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, is opening registrations for schools who would like to take part in our Discovering the World of Arabic programme in session 2024/25.  

For the coming session, schools will be able to access our traditional courses which run from September to March, or select our shorter introductory courses to offer an experience of Arabic as an L3 to their learners. 

All participating schools will receive: 

• A dedicated live online lesson delivered every week via Glow Teams for each individual school (time to be agreed with each school) 
• Asynchronous materials to consolidate and further explore Arabic language and Arab cultures 
• Ongoing support from the SCILT team  
• Schools that are new to the programme will be eligible for a start-up grant of £2000, while all participating schools can bid for funding to provide resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures 

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. BGE and Senior Phase courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and specially commissioned writers, with language lessons delivered online by teachers of Arabic. Both courses focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ understanding of Arab cultures and, in the Senior Phase course, their employability skills.  

Discovering the World of Arabic is aimed at beginner learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language. 

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form by Friday 26 April 2024. Responses given on the note of interest form may inform the final selection of schools for this opportunity. 

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions.  

Discovering the World of Arabic 2024-25: Primary course

30 January 2024 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, is looking for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.   

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. For learners in local authority primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The course is delivered online, through a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams.  

The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language. 

Live classes will be scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays. Schools will have the opportunity to opt for lessons in term 1 (September to December) or term 2 (January to March).  

All participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a loan box containing a range of artefacts. Schools that are new to the programme will also be eligible for a start-up grant of £2000, while all participating schools can bid for funding to provide resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures. 

Previous participants have told us: 

‘The materials that were provided to the schools were great, the workbooks were very useful throughout the course. The mix of live and recorded sessions was a good idea.’ 

‘We really like the box of resources. We liked learning about the different colours and clothes. We enjoyed using the genial.ly websites.’ 

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form by Friday 26 April 2024. 

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions. 

ECT Language Cafés

26 January 2024 (SCILT)

Are you a Secondary PGDE student, NQT or ECT of Languages? Would you like the chance to network informally with others in the same boat across the country to share ideas and strategies, and even to chat in other languages from time to time? Then come along to our monthly drop-in sessions! These take place online on the last Thursday of each month.

Remaining dates for this academic year are as follows:

• Thursday 29 February 4.30 – 5.30pm
• Thursday 28 March 4.30 – 5.30pm
• Thursday 25 April 4.30 – 5.30pm
• Thursday 30 May 4.30 – 5.30pm

These sessions will take place on Corporate Teams. Visit our Eventbrite page to book; see you there!

Read more...

Early Years and Primary Languages: Show & Tell event

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...

NEW! Multilingual Approaches through Art activity pack

25 January 2024 (MtA Project Partners)

We are excited to announce that the new Multilingual Approaches through Art (MtA) activity pack is now published!!

Funded by the Glasgow Knowledge Exchange Fund and created by those involved in the MtA project, this free activity pack contains a series of 10 activities which aim to inspire teachers and language educators to use art-based approaches in their teaching of languages. These activities use art as a content, medium and method for young people to explore who they are, how they can communicate multilingually, and how they build positive attitudes towards languages and language learning. The MtA activity pack aligns with the Curriculum for Excellence and Es and Os for each activity are referenced throughout.

We have a limited number of printed copies available* and there is also a downloadable digital version too. If you would like to receive a printed copy, please complete the form below.

To order a printed copy (*while stocks last), please complete this MS form.

Or access a digital version of the MtA activity pack.

Thank you!

Italian poster competition - Cosa significa l’Italia per me

25 January 2024 (SCILT)

We are launching a new poster competition for school-aged learners of Italian (this includes those with no prior learning). We would love you to use whatever knowledge of Italian and Italy that you have to show what Italy means to you. 

Your challenge:  

• Design a poster, including as much Italian language as you can, to show what Italy means to you. 
• Use the title Cosa significa l’Italia per me. 
• Individual or group entries are welcome. Group entries: use the title Cosa significa l’Italia per noi. 
• Judging categories: P1-4, P5-7, S1-3, S4-6. 
• This competition is open to all learners regardless of level of Italian. This includes those with no prior learning. The variation in Italian language content that will naturally result from this will be taken into account in the judging process.  
• Closing date extended to Thursday 7 March 2024. 
• Entries should be emailed by teachers in the form of a photograph to scilt@strath.ac.uk with Italian Poster Competition in the email subject line. 
• A signed Submission and Consent Form (attached below) should also be sent at the same time for each entry. It is perfectly acceptable to upload a photograph of this form; it is not necessary to scan the document. 
• In order to assist judging, please ensure that the sections of the Submission Form indicating level of Italian learning and where the inspiration for the poster came from are completed. 
• Each entry should state the school name, pupil name and age category in its file name. 
• Winners will be notified and announced around Easter 2024. 

A downloadable flyer is attached. 

We look forward to seeing your entries! 

Languages Week Scotland: SCILT/Scotdec special events!

18 January 2024 (SCILT / Scotdec)

To celebrate the LWS 2024 theme of Languages for a Sustainable World, SCILT and Scotdec are pleased to offer two CLPL opportunities on making language learning relevant and motivating with a Global Citizenship approach.

There will be a session for Primary teachers and a separate session for Secondary teachers. Both sessions will offer insights into how languages education can be a catalyst for fostering global awareness, empathy and a sense of responsibility.

More information and booking details via the following links:

• Languages for a Sustainable World: Learning Through Active Global Citizenship – Primary Teachers - Tuesday 30 January
• Languages for a Sustainable World: Learning Through Active Global Citizenship – Secondary Teachers - Thursday 1 February

Reminder: SCILT CLPL workshop menu 2023-24

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...

Open Access workshops – spring 2024 bookings now open!

15 December 2023 (SCILT)

Calling all primary teachers across Scotland. We are hosting three online Tuesday twilight workshops with invited guests in February, March and April 2024.   

These workshops are free and open to all primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland. 

• 27 February: An introduction to multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy 

• 19 March: Target language phonics 

• 30 April: Getting outdoors with languages and learning 

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 which can be shared with your networks. 

New Year, new professional learning for new primary teachers

8 December 2023 (SCILT)

Calling new and recent entrants to primary teaching in Scotland. Undergraduate and postgraduate primary education students at Scottish universities and qualified primary teachers in your first 4 years post-qualification – we mean you!

If you have an interest in developing your practice relating to the languages - both home and taught – represented in your classroom, then you won’t want to miss SCILT’s ECT Primary Languages Get Together and Signpost Sessions between January and May 2024! 

Looking for:

• ideas and advice on how to support multilingual pupils and their families
• strategies for teaching additional languages, or
• the chance to network informally with others at a similar stage in their career across the country?

Look no further! Join us online on MS Teams, once a month for a friendly and informal opportunity to connect, ask questions, find support and solutions. We will point you in the right direction.

• 31 January, 16.00–17.00 ECT Primary Languages Get Together, with guest Lorna Anderson, now Lecturer in ITE at Queen Margaret University, previously teacher for Glasgow City Council EAL Service
  Register for the ECT Primary Languages Get Together
   
• 28 February, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 1: First steps in teaching languages in primary 
• 27 March, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 2: Pedagogies for multilingual classrooms 
• 24 April, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 3: Digital tools for primary languages
• 29 May, 16.00–16.45. Signpost 4: Outdoor language learning
  Register for the Signpost Sessions - sign up for as many as you wish

Please also find attached flyer which can be shared with colleagues.

We can’t wait to see you there.

Read more...

SCILT Winter newsletter published!

8 December 2023 (SCILT)

The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter has been published. Read about SCILT's work to support language learning and teaching, including our professional learning opportunities, language promotional activities, and support for language learners at all levels. Find out how schools celebrated European Day of Languages 2023 and read about the latest inspiring initiatives from local authorities. There is also an opportunity to read about the work of our partners to support language learning in Scotland.

Read more...

SCILT Christmas 2023 webpage - now live!

1 December 2023 (SCILT)

Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?

SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your learners, from interactive advent calendars and games, to festive facts, songs and downloadable worksheets. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and many other places around the world!

Read more...

MTOT entry deadline approaching!

24 November 2023 (SCILT)

Schools who’ve registered for this year’s Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition have until Friday 1 December to submit entries! Submission guidelines are on the SCILT website. 

Read more...

Certificate of Continued Education (CCEd) in Mandarin

17 November 2023 (SCILT/CISS)

SCILT is currently in the planning stages with the faculty of Humanities and Social Science (HaSS) at the University of Strathclyde and partners in China to develop a Certificate of Continued Education (CCEd) in Mandarin. It is envisaged that the online, live-streamed course will be aimed at GTCS registered teachers of languages who would like to add Mandarin to the repertoire of languages they are qualified to teach. The course will be delivered over three years offering a full 120 credits, plus a summer school in China that will count towards the GTCS residency requirement. We are considering ways to make funding available for teachers in state schools in Scotland to help meet the costs of fees and to contribute to the cost of their salaries once they are fully qualified and teaching the language to National Qualification level. We are hopeful that the first cohort of this new CCEd course will start their studies in September 2024.

If you think this might be of interest to you, in order to help us plan and ascertain the potential appetite for such a scheme, we would be grateful if you could fill out this form or scan the QR code below to register your interest by Friday 1 December 2023.

BSL for primary schools is back

27 October 2023 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce that online BSL classes for primary learners (P5–P7) will return for a new block starting in January 2024. The classes will be led by BSL tutor Emma McGowan and interpreter Jill Gallacher. Emma is deaf and is the mother of 2 hearing children. Currently, she teaches sign language to families for the National Deaf Children Society. Emma has also taught in various schools where she introduced teachers and children to sign language and shared knowledge and understanding about deaf languages and culture. This is something that Emma has really enjoyed. 

The new BSL team is looking forward to working with primary learners to help them develop their skills and knowledge in BSL. From fingerspelling the alphabet to conducting short conversations in BSL, learners will build up their language skills steadily over the 10-week period. The classes are not only progressive, they are also fun! In this block of learning, there will be an element of storytelling with Emma telling familiar stories in BSL. 

This 10-week block of BSL language learning is intended to support L3 in primary school, in line with Scotland’s languages policy. The weekly lessons will run for 10 consecutive weeks and will begin on Monday 15 January 2024. The lessons are:

• on MS Teams 
• on Mondays from 1.30-2.15pm (45 minutes) 
• open to all state primary schools in Scotland – P5-7 only 
• free to attend 

If you would like to be considered for a place on the BSL (L3) learning block, please register your interest via the form linked below. Please note that places are limited. 

If you would like any further information, please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline approaching!

26 October 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates schools delivering DYW through languages and school-business partnerships whilst recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the value of language skills in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 17 November 2023. 

Visit the SLEA webpage for more information.

Read more...

SLEA - Local

6 October 2023 (SCILT)

The SLEA (Scottish Languages Employability Award) family is expanding! We have now launched the SLEA – Local, which aims to encourage and support the development of partnership activities involving a number of schools within a local area or network. The SLEA – Local recognises and rewards employability-focused partnerships organised at a wider local level by teachers, DYW officers or cluster leads.

For more information and details of how to apply, as well as the chance to read about our very first winners from Ayshire Chamber of Commerce and surrounding schools, visit the SLEA – Local webpage.

To find out more about how this fits in with the SLEA family, see the main SLEA award webpage.

And watch this space for the next family member, coming in 2024; the SLEA – Green!

Read more...

Languages beyond school

28 September 2023 (SCILT)

Are you a student, or do you know a student, considering pursuing language studies beyond secondary education? Check out the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. The site lists university and college language courses here in Scotland, links to UCAS and university guides UK-wide, and help and advice on study abroad options and volunteering overseas.

It's a useful resource for teachers and Careers Guidance staff to highlight to students as the UCAS application process is now underway.

Read more...

MTOT registration deadline approaching!

28 September 2023 (SCILT)

Schools in Scotland wishing to take part in this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition have until National Poetry Day on 5 October to register!

Visit our website to learn more about the competition and discover poetry resources to help you celebrate National Poetry Day in class as well as prepare for the MTOT competition.

It's the 10th anniversary year of MTOT in Scotland, so join in the celebration - visit our website and register your school now!

Read more...

Language Ambassadors Online: new sessions available to book!

28 September 2023 (SCILT)

SCILT’s Language Ambassadors Programme has relaunched as a fully online offer available to all schools across the country. Our interactive monthly online sessions are led by student Language Ambassadors from universities across Scotland who are keen to share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures.

Visit our Language Ambassadors Programme webpage to find out more about the programme and to register to bring your class(es) along to any/all of the sessions listed!

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European Day of Languages 2023 - feature in our blog!

28 September 2023 (SCILT)

The European Day of Languages took place on Tuesday 26 September, what has your school been doing to celebrate?

Upload a short description and some photos via our online form and we'll feature you in our EDL 2023 blog! Some entries may even be featured in the SCILT winter newsletter.

Read more...

DYW Live - Make languages work for you

15 September 2023 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to be working with eSgoil and DYW to offer workshops this session aimed at primary (P4-P7) learners.

Hearing from a diverse range of people who use languages in their careers, the workshop aims to encourage pupils to consider how their talents and interests can be enhanced by language skills and intercultural understanding now and in the future.

Three online sessions are taking place:

• 14 November 2023
• 13 March 2024
• 16 May 2024

Visit the eSgoil website for more details and to register. Early booking is advisable as class numbers are limited.

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SCILT winter 2023 newsletter - send us your stories!

12 September 2023 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2023 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place before the summer break or so far this session. 

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 13th October 2023.

Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter. Submissions can be sent to scilt@strath.ac.uk. 

Read more...

DYW Live – Languages and your career is back!

12 September 2023 (SCILT)

We are delighted to be back again this year working together with e-Sgoil and DYW Live to deliver the Languages and Your Career webinar. In this session we will explore how languages can contribute to success in a wide range of jobs and career paths. This webinar aims to introduce secondary learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work. It will be an interactive session with input from people who use languages in their work.

The workshop will repeated each month on different days and times from September until January. The dates on offer are:

Tuesday 26th September: 2.00 – 3.00pm
Wednesday 25th October: 9.30 – 10.30am
Thursday 23rd November: 11.00am – 12.00pm
Monday 18th December: 9.30 – 10.30am
Tuesday 30th January: 2.00 – 3.00pm

All sessions will take place in Glow Teams.

This year, additional materials will be made available to teachers who attend the workshop with their classes to support further promotion of employability with individual languages. Watch this space!

For more information and registration details, visit the e-Sgoil website.

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New job profile on SCILT's website

8 September 2023 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website demonstrate a range of careers where languages are being used. The latest addition comes from Simran Kaur, Equality and Diversity Engagement Officer at the University of Strathclyde.

Simran's language skills have enabled her to work as a translator and they also prove useful in her role at the university where so many different languages are spoken on campus.

Teachers, use Simran's profile along with others on our website to highlight the benefits of language learning to your pupils.

Read more...

Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival - we're taking part!

1 September 2023 (SCILT/CISS)

The Ramshorn, home of SCILT and CISS, is opening its doors to the public as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival 2023!

Join us on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 September for a unique chance to explore this historic building as part the festival’s ‘sensory city’.

Visit our exhibition area where you will be able to look, listen, and touch. Book a guided tour and take a look behind the scenes at the recent renovation project. Learn more about some of the graveyard’s famous residents, and how their work shaped the lives of people in Glasgow and across the Atlantic.

Work created by young people in Scotland’s schools will feature throughout the exhibition, demonstrating the value of language learning and cultural understanding in our communities.

You will also be able to explore the graveyard by completing our digital trail. The trail was created by young people in Glasgow City schools and is available in 10 languages.

The Ramshorn is a category A-listed building in the Merchant City, built between 1824-26, and designed by English architect Thomas Rickman in the Gothic Revival style.

Free of charge and open to all. We hope to see you there!

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - Congratulations to our latest winners!

31 August 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

Our most recent verification date in May 2023 saw 11 schools from 10 different local authorities collect an award. Projects covered a wide range of sectors and included links with football clubs, bakeries, travel agents and much more! Find out about each projects by clicking on the school names below.

Bronze

• Castlebrae Community Campus
• Larkhall Academy
• Wallace High School

Silver

• Loudoun Academy
• Milne's High School
• Montrose Academy
• Toryglen Primary School

Gold

• Bishopbriggs Academy (Platinum)
• Buckie Community High School
• Larbert High School
• St Peter the Apostle High School

The next verification date is 17 November 2023. Visit the SLEA pages of our website to find out how your schools can achieve an award, and keep an eye out in the SCILT e-bulletin for the launch of SLEA Local coming soon!

Read more...

Language Ambassadors Programme - European Day of Languages launch

31 August 2023 (SCILT)

SCILT’s Language Ambassadors Programme is relaunching this year! We will be offering interactive monthly online sessions led by student Language Ambassadors from universities across Scotland. These sessions are designed to promote languages to young people and to encourage learners to choose languages as part of their learning experience by hearing directly from near-peer role models. Our Language Ambassadors are students of various languages on a range of degree programmes who are keen to share their experiences of learning languages and discovering new cultures.

The first session will take place on European Day of Languages itself, Tuesday 26 September 11.00 – 11.45. The session will take place on Microsoft Teams. For more information and to book to bring your class(es) along, visit our Eventbrite booking page.

Please note: Some universities will also able to offer in-person Language Ambassador visits to individual schools throughout the year. These allow the opportunity for language students to deliver presentations, participate in discussions and support events in schools. These are arranged directly between schools and universities. A list of university contacts is coming soon to our website – watch this space!

European Day of Languages 2023 - how is your school celebrating?

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...

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.

• 27 September: Families on board? Developing a family friendly approach to languages in your setting
• 25 October: Celebrating cultural diversity through languages in the early years and primary
• 29 November: Digital tools for primary language learning 

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.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue 2024 - 10 year anniversary!

18 August 2023 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to announce that MTOT is back for 2024, and it’s an extra special year - MTOT celebrates its 10^th anniversary! 

Over the last decade the competition has evolved from written poems in the beginning, to now focussing on the spoken word. Hearing pupils share their voices and language skills helps bring their poetry to life, and we look forward to seeing what creative brilliance emerges from Scotland’s schools this year. In this 10th anniversary year, we are delighted and very excited to work with our partners at Instituto Cervantes to offer a special prize category for entries in Spanish, one of the most widely taught languages in Scotland’s schools.

So, if you have entered MTOT before, we’d love to welcome you back. If you are new to MTOT, what better year to join than our 10^th anniversary year? Our multilingual poetry competition is now open. Visit our MTOT page on the SCILT website for more information and register your school now.

MTOT is 10 years old – come join the celebration!

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Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners

18 August 2023 (SCILT / University partners)

Following the success of last year’s 'Moving Forward with Languages' workshops, SCILT has once again teamed up with languages departments from universities across Scotland to present a series of workshops during term one of the 2023-24 session.

Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future, by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level. Please note that language-specific examples will vary depending on the partner university's language offer. However, strategies, tips and advice will apply to all languages.

Registrations are now open. Please feel free to share the dates and topics with learners below:

• Wednesday 13 September (2-3pm): Brush up your translation techniques with the University of Strathclyde
• Wednesday 25 October (4.30-5.30pm): Express yourself - discover grammar’s fundamental role in expressing yourself properly with the University of Edinburgh
• Wednesday 1 November (2-3pm): Take a different approach to cultural analysis and listening skills with the University of Stirling
• Wednesday 15 November (4.30-5.30pm): Conquer your fears about presenting in another language with University of Dundee
• Wednesday 22 November (4.30-5.30pm): Learn more about using images to hone your skills of critical analysis and build confidence in discussing your ideas with the University of Aberdeen
• Wednesday 29 November (2-3pm): Hone your reading comprehension skills in another language with the University of Glasgow

The workshops will take place online via MS Teams and will not be recorded. 

Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.

Please also see attached flyer which can be distributed to pupils or colleagues. 

Workshops for student and early career teachers

18 August 2023 (SCILT)

NEW for 2023-24! Building on our track record of supporting student teachers and early career teachers, this year 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 brand new 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 and the booking request form.

Remember, 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.

PS - Also coming soon, sector specific professional learning for student and early career teachers available to book by individuals. Schedules for our new language cafés, themed asynchronous and drop-in style get togethers will also be published very soon.

Scotland's Languages Explorers Programme - launch of national languages mentoring scheme

18 August 2023 (SCILT / UCFLS)

SCILT and UCFLS will launch Scotland’s Languages Explorers Programme (SLEP) nationally for the first time following last session’s successful conclusion of a pilot languages mentoring programme in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City. 

Inspired by the success of similar mentoring programmes in the UK, the SLEP aims to raise awareness amongst secondary age learners of the far-reaching benefits of language learning by facilitating a short programme of mentoring sessions led by university students with lived experiences of language learning and multiculturalism. The idea was informed by student mentoring programmes currently running in Wales and Sheffield, which have demonstrated that small group work with a student mentor can have a positive impact on learners in school, and lead to an increase in the number of learners continuing with languages into higher levels of study.

SLEP 2023-24 will run in partnership with 7 universities: the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Strathclyde and the Open University. Interested schools can find out more about the mentoring programme and hear from last year’s student mentors on the programme webpage.

We are currently taking registrations of interest from schools. If you would like to take part in this year’s mentoring programme, please register your interest by Monday 11 September.

Please be aware that this programme runs online. While geographical proximity to a university is not a prerequisite, it is imperative that interested schools have an adequate technical set-up and internet connection to allow for remote interactions between mentees and mentors. Further information, including key dates, can be found on the programme webpage.

Read more...

SCILT CLPL workshop menu 2023-24

17 August 2023 (SCILT)

SCILT’s brand new CLPL workshop menu for 2023-24 is 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 new 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 will also be scheduled across the year. Registration for these will be open to individuals and details will be shared in the SCILT ebulletin in due course.

Read more...

MTOT 2022-23 and Voices of Hope

16 June 2023 (SCILT)

Finalists' work from this year's MTOT competition can now be viewed on the SCILT website.

As part of our Mother Tongue Other Tongue poetry competition, SCILT received several entries from young Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war in Ukraine. We wanted the world to be able to access these wonderfully creative and emotive pieces of writing. Our Voices of Hope online exhibition, in partnership with AUGB, will be launched on 21 June as part of Refugee Week Scotland 2023 and will be available on SCILT's website following the launch event.

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Multilingual Approaches through Art - online exhibition is now live!

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...

Calling teachers of Italian in Scotland!

15 June 2023 (SCILT)

Dr Paul Hare, Professional Development Officer at SCILT and Senior Teaching Fellow in Italian at the University of Strathclyde, is in the early stages of designing a project to bring together teachers of Italian in Scotland - practising, dormant and newly qualified. The vision is to create a community, to make teachers of Italian feel more connected, and to facilitate the sharing of ideas and resources, which will hopefully, in turn, enable Italian to grow in Scottish schools. If you are a teacher of Italian in a school in Scotland (either currently teaching it or keen to introduce it) and interested in receiving more information in the months ahead, please send Paul an email (paul.hare@strath.ac.uk) and he’ll add you to the database.

Espacios Increíbles 2022-23 - Winner announced!

5 June 2023 (SCILT)

Congratulations to St Luke’s High School, East Renfrewshire, on winning SCILT's Espacios Increíbles competition 2022-23.

The winner was announced at the final, held online on Wednesday 24 May 2023. A superb effort was made by all six finalist schools (Alva Academy, Dunblane High, Perth Academy, Prestwick Academy, St Andrew’s & St Bride’s High School as well as St Luke’s High School); competition was stiff and the judging panel had a very difficult decision to make.

The interdisciplinary competition for S2-S3 combines Spanish with art, design and technology. Pupils design an amazing space and present their work in Spanish.

St Luke’s High School came out top with their innovative design for a space for quiet reflection and relaxation in the courtyard of Santo Domingo Church in Lima, Peru. Their design was inspired by San Martín de Porres, who is the Patron Saint of Racial Equality, and is buried there.

They clearly demonstrated how they had worked collaboratively, drawing on art, design and Spanish skills to create a feasible and sustainable design which connected well to the local environment and linked to their school.

The other five finalist schools also did an amazing job, with a variety of creative designs meeting the brief for a sustainable space for health and wellbeing including a water tower providing clean drinking water, a library and coffee shop, a hot air balloon raising awareness of climate change, a cube promoting biodiversity and a health centre for the poor.  

All the finalists enjoyed the final and the opportunity to present their designs to a live audience, hear from inspiring guest speakers who spoke about their work in architecture and the opportunities that learning Spanish had given them, and take part in some fun games that tested their Spanish. Congratulations to all our teams for Espacios Increíbles 2023!

Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23 - Winners announced!

2 June 2023 (SCILT)

Félicitations to Mearns Castle High, winners of this year’s edition of Le Foot et la Francophonie!

Following the pilot last year, Le Foot was rolled out nationally in 2022-23, engaging over forty schools, from Shetland to Stranraer, and attracting video entries from twenty-four teams across ten schools. Following a shortlisting process conducted by a panel at SCILT, the finalists invited to take part in the live event at the University of Strathclyde on Thursday 1 June came from Biggar High (two teams), Kinross High, Prestwick Academy, Kilmarnock Academy and Mearns Castle High.

As was the case during the pilot edition, Le Foot, an interdisciplinary project incorporating benchmarks, experiences and outcomes in Modern Languages, Physical Education and Health and Wellbeing, generated huge enthusiasm in the schools which integrated the project into their S2 and S3 programmes. Again, participation fired the creative imagination of the learners, some of whom had previously shown limited interest in French, while their teachers built on the legacy of the pilot project by creating and sharing a wealth of new resources covering the four key skills of reading, listening, talking and writing, focussing on the Francophone world and including strong anti-racism messages. The pupils who took part, numbering well over one thousand, were encouraged to consider the vital importance of additional languages to a broad range of careers associated with professional sports.

The six teams of pupils were joined at the final by their teachers and classmates who came along to support them. On the panel of judges were Cédric Moreau (Subject Leader for French, University of Strathclyde), Lisa Hanna (Depute Director of SCILT), Kandi Higgins (Course Leader for PGDE in Modern Languages, University of Strathclyde), Cara Lamb (Course Leader for PGDE in Physical Education, University of Strathclyde) and Mark Cunningham (graduate in Spanish and Education, and qualified football coach). After presenting their football-themed videos in French, the teams performed football drills, which included commands in French, and all pupils present were put through their paces in a range of drills designed and delivered by newly qualified PE teachers from the University’s School of Education. Those in attendance then heard a video message from former Scotland footballer John Collins, who learned French during his two-year spell at AS Monaco, before some closing remarks from Fhiona Mackay (Director of SCILT). The all important winner’s announcement saw Mearns Castle claim the trophy, together with a visit to Hampden Park, where the winning team will be given a French-focussed tour of the stadium and the Scottish Football Museum.

For more information on Le Foot et la Francophonie, including a range of football-themed resources for second and third level BGE French, see the page dedicated to the project on the SCILT website.

Read more...

Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize 2023 - Winners announced!

1 June 2023 (SCILT)

The final of this year’s Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize took place on Tuesday 30 May. This prize, run in partnership between the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and SCILT, was established in 2021 in honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community.

The awards ceremony was held on Zoom with opening remarks and announcement of the winner by Lord Brodie, President of the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland. Mme Laurence Païs, Consule Générale de France and Directrice de l’Institut Français d’Écosse.

First place and runners-up spots were closely contested, with the awards ultimately going to the following:

First place

• Lola Guatelli (Robert Gordon’s College)

Runners-up

• Toby Reid (Harlaw Academy)
• Renata Csapai (St Margaret’s Academy)

Highly commended for reaching the final six were also:

• Dishan Aloysius (Holyrood Secondary School)
• Maya McGowan (Bearsden Academy)
• Ailie Wright (Inverkeithing High School)

Congratulations go to these finalists and to all those who took part in this competition! The standard of French was very high indeed and judging decisions came down to the finest of margins.

The 2023 awards ceremony will shortly be published on both the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland and SCILT websites.

Research into 1+2: Exciting PhD Opportunity!

24 May 2023 (SCILT)

Are you, or you do know, a Masters or post-Masters student? Are you interested in doing a PhD in research around Scotland’s languages landscape? Then this could be the project for you!

An Evaluation of the Scottish Government’s 1+2 Language Policy and its Relation to Uptake of Languages in National Exams is a fully funded Collaborative Doctoral Award studentship working with the University of Stirling, the University of Glasgow and Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT).

This project will evaluate the outcomes of the 1+2 policy and provide an assessment of the factors that contribute to the educational context for language learning in schools. It will include a minimum of six months based at SCILT and will make an important contribution to knowledge about Scotland’s evolving languages landscape.

Closing date: Monday 5^th June.

More details and application information through the link below.

Read more...

Polish language classes for primary teachers - register now

19 May 2023 (SCILT / Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow)

Primary teachers, how would you like to learn some basic Polish from a native Polish speaker? Would you like to give it a go? Read on and see if this language learning opportunity might just be thing for you!

Following on from the success of the Polish language classes for teachers run in partnership with SCILT and The Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, we are delighted to announce that a new and revamped block of language classes will begin in the first term of next session. Supported by the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh, these online classes are designed to provide primary teachers with an introduction to basic Polish language and culture and support the teaching and learning of Polish as an L3 in the primary classroom.

Teachers in the past have found the language classes useful and have applied their learning successfully with their learners in the classroom. One teacher commented, “Great course. I have become more confident at both teaching Polish as a L3 and also having a go myself.” Chris Sagan, Chair of the Board of Trustees at The Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, is delighted to partner up with SCILT once again in order to support and encourage the development of Polish as a viable L3 option for primary teachers. Chris is looking forward to seeing more Polish being taught in Scottish primary schools and is looking forward to the new block beginning next session.

This year the new classes will be led by Ania Trusewicz. Ania is an experienced teacher of teaching Polish as a foreign language and is looking forward to welcoming primary teachers to her online classes in September. You can find out more about Ania below:

"Cześć! My name is Ania. I am Trilingual. I have completed my teaching course as a teacher of foreign language at University of Nicolaus Copernicus in Toruń (Poland) in 2006. Since moving to Glasgow in 2008 I have been teaching many students both face-to-face and online. I also hold a degree from University of Glasgow (Social Science). I teach with passion and great enthusiasm. My lessons are funny and interesting. I take care of each of my students and make sure that Polish lessons at Sikorski Polish Club are adapted to various levels and individual needs of my students. In my classes I have students who are coming from different professional backgrounds. I will be happy to see you at our online class: Polish in the Primary classroom!"

The classes will begin in September, however before the first lesson, we will host an online Meet & Greet session where everyone will get a chance to meet each other before the classes start. Please note the following:

• All classes are online and will be hosted on MS Teams
• Meet & Greet online introductory session Monday 28 August 4-5pm
• Language classes scheduled on Mondays from 4 September to 23 October, 4-5pm
• 6-week block - one hour lesson per week
• Access to course materials and resources 
• Free of charge
• Open to all primary teachers

*Please note: Due to local holidays, there will be no class on Monday 25 September and Monday 16 October.

To register your interest in taking part in these classes please complete the form via the link below. Deadline for registration Friday 9 June.

Read more...

Words for the World winning entries now online!

19 May 2023 (SCILT)

Congratulations again to everyone who took part in our recent Words for the World competition.

Following the awards ceremony on 25 April, and the announcement of the winners’ names, we are now delighted to be able to publish the winning, highly commended and other finalist entries in each category. We are sure that you will be impressed by the fantastic linguistic diversity, creativity and passion that all the finalists show. Well done everyone!

At the awards ceremony we were delighted to be able to share a personal video message from Len Pennie, the well-known Scottish poet and Scots language and mental health advocate, which spoke of the huge difference that all of our words can make; watch her video and be inspired!

Read more...

SCILT Spring 2023 newsletter published

5 May 2023 (SCILT)

The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter has been published!

Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning opportunities, knowledge exchange events, competitions and online lessons. Find out how schools celebrated Languages Week Scotland 2023 and hear from local authorities about their latest inspiring initiatives. There is also the opportunity to read about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland.

If you would like to contribute an article to a future edition of the newsletter you can read the submission guidelines on our website, and email your entries to SCILT. 

Read more...

A Global Citizenship Approach to French - Free new materials for French learners!!

4 May 2023 (Scotdec / University of Stirling / SCILT)

‘Remembering Empire’ is an interdisciplinary learning programme for pupils of French in S3 and AH, developed by Dr Fiona Barclay (University of Stirling) with the support of the AHRC to build language competence and global citizenship values by exploring France’s empire in Algeria. You can read more about the project and materials on SCILT's website.

Join Scotdec for a series of workshops for BGE and AH French teachers alongside Dr Barclay introducing you to the materials, and providing guidance on discussing themes of colonisation, immigration and refugees within the context of a Global Citizenship approach. More information, dates and sign-up information on the flyer attached below.

In addition, SCILT and Scotdec are joining forces to present a webinar on Active Global Citizenship Through Modern Languages on Thursday 1 June, 4-5pm. As well as general strategies, this webinar will also introduce the Remembering Empire project materials. Register for the free event!

Words for the World - Winners announced!

4 May 2023 (SCILT)

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Words for the World competition.

We had a very high standard of entries submitted in a range of formats and different languages. Our young people here in Scotland demonstrated a wealth of linguistic diversity, creativity and immense passion for protecting our planet, our humanity and creating a brighter future for us all.  We were truly humbled and inspired by their work and they should all be incredibly proud of their achievements.

Judging proved exceptionally difficult, but we were delighted to announce the winning entries at an online awards event held last week to celebrate Earth Day. Well done again to the following who were successful in their respective categories and thank you to every pupil who participated in the competition. 

P1-P4

• Winner – Libby Gow, Goodlyburn Primary
• Highly commended – Jamie Rettie, Goodlyburn Primary

P5-P7

• Winner – Sophia Chan, ESMS Junior School
• Highly commended – Halima Jemal, Toryglen Primary
• Highly commended – Leena Valluri, Goodlyburn Primary

S1-S3

• Winner - Deepak Krisna Kumaar, Craigmount High 
• Highly commended – 1W & 1Q class entry, Holy Rood RC High
• Highly commended – Rory Turner, Portree High

S4-S6

• Winner - Dianna-Liza Boychuk, Craigmount High
• Highly commended - Wessam Kawarit, Craigmount High 

Winners and highly commended entrants will receive a book token and certificate and have their work showcased on the SCILT website in due course, whilst all participants will receive a certificate in recognition of their hard work.

You can find out more about the competition on our Words for the World webpage.

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 19 May!

27 April 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation in schools delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 19 May 2023. 

If you're looking for inspiration you can read about our most recent award winners via the case studies on our website. You will also find the full application guidelines and submission form.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

The Big Question: SCILT secondary seminar series

21 April 2023 (SCILT)

Wrestling with writing? Run out of steam with reading? Tearing your hair out with talking? Looking for inspiration with listening?

This year’s Big Question series might just help! This series of weekly workshops in May and June aimed at secondary practitioners will focus on the four core skills: listening, reading, writing and talking. Each week we will look at practical ideas of why and how to approach a different skill. Come and join us as we examine strategies and share resources and activities!

Each session will feature the chance to hear from guest practitioners, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions!

The four seminar dates are:

• Wednesday 17 May: Reading, with guest practitioner Robbie Kirk, PT Modern Languages, Chryston High
• Thursday 25 May: Listening, with guest practitioners Liegha Laing & and the team from Meldrum Academy
• Tuesday 6 June: Writing, with guest practitioner Scott Jordan, Musselburgh Grammar School
• Wednesday 14 June: Talking, with guest practitioner Joanne Curran, PT Languages (BGE) Larbert High

Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish!

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 which can be shared with colleagues.

Discovering the World of Arabic 2023-24 - primary course

21 April 2023 (SCILT / QFI)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International, is looking for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.  

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic. 

For learners in local authority primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams.

The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

Live classes will be scheduled on Thursdays or Fridays, exact time to be confirmed. Schools will have the opportunity to opt for lessons in term 1 (September to December) or term 2 (January to March).

In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team, a loan box containing a range of artefacts and a grant of £2000. The grant can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.

Previous participants have told us:

"The materials that were provided to the schools were great, the workbooks were very useful throughout the course. The mix of live and recorded sessions was a good idea."

"We really like the box of resources. We liked learning about the different colours and clothes. We enjoyed using the genial.ly websites."

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 12 May 2023.

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions. 

Read more...

Words for the World is back!

13 March 2023 (SCILT)

‘We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world.’ (Malala Yousafzai)

Are you looking for a way to engage your language learners to think about global issues and global citizenship? Our Words for the World competition could be just what you need! Returning for the 2022-23 school session, SCILT is challenging learners to use their words and their languages to show how the world could be a better place.

Participants are invited to use a language (or languages) other than English to show their ideas, hopes or even advice for our world. Submissions can be in any written format, for example a poem, an essay, a cartoon – be creative!

More information about the competition is available on our Words for the World webpage below. The entry deadline for entries is 24 March 2023. 

Read more...

SCILT/CISS Digital Internship 2023 - applications now open!

3 March 2023 (SCILT/CISS)

Are you currently in S5?

Do you love languages?

Do you enjoy creating and sharing content on social media?

Would you like to work with other young people and enhance your CV?

Well, this role might be for you!

We are inviting committed, dynamic young people to apply for our year-long digital internship programme.  This would see you using social media regularly and collaborating effectively with a team to demonstrate your love of languages and where they can take you.  This is an excellent opportunity to experience working with digital professionals in a languages environment and enhance your final year at school.

Please note that interns will be home-based and the opportunity is open to young people across the country. This is an unpaid internship. Successful applicants must attend a training day on Friday 9 June 2023. This will be held in Glasgow and travel expenses from outside Glasgow will be covered. Those who cannot attend this day will not be allowed to proceed onto the programme.

Application details

Please download and read the Information Pack (PDF). It includes the Job Description and Person Specification.

Please download and complete the Application Form (Word). Applications must be submitted with a letter of reference from their Faculty Manager or Principal Teacher of Modern Languages. 

Completed applications must be returned to scilt@strath.ac.uk by Sunday 2 April 2023.

 

Wondering whether to apply? Here’s what some of our previous interns have said about the experience:

“The highlight was getting to work with other people I hadn't met before (working on my teambuilding and communication skills), getting to represent a huge national organisation, creating our own content and deciding ourselves how we wanted to run our social media accounts.”

“I loved producing high quality content and collaborating with the other interns. It was really exciting later on in the year when we started to get more interaction on Twitter.”

“Meeting new people who share my same passion for languages and coming together to create something valuable was a high point for me.”

 

Teachers, please click on the image below to download the flyer and raise awareness of this opportunity amongst your S5 pupils.

Scotland’s Languages Leadership Programme 2023-24 – Applications are now open!

24 February 2023 (SCILT)

Applications for Scotland's Languages Leadership Programme 2023-24 (SLLP) open until 5pm on Monday 24 April.

The SLLP builds leadership capacity to achieve a sustainable model for leading language learning and teaching for all. Applications are welcome from colleagues with 3 years' teaching experience or equivalent, who are interested in developing approaches to language learning and in implementing change in their own contexts. This might include classroom teachers, principal teachers, heads of department, heads of faculty or languages lead practitioners.

This online programme is free of charge to state schools and offers participants the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date information from Education Scotland and other agencies involved in the delivery of Scotland’s languages policy.

Visit our Professional Learning page for more information about the programme and how to apply. You can also sign up for an online information session which will be hosted by SCILT and Education Scotland on Thursday 23 March.

Read more...

MTOT 2022-23 - Winners announced!

24 February 2023 (SCILT)

Pupils, teachers and special guests joined us online on 21 February to hear the winners of this year’s Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition. The date chosen for the event was significant being International Mother Language Day, a day to celebrate all world languages.

We are delighted to announce the following winners and highly commended entries in each category:

Mother Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Sofia Poliakova	West Primary	Russian
	Highly commended	Jiya Srikanth	West Primary	Tamil
P5-P7	Winner	Ariana Misankova	West Primary	Slovakian
	Highly commended	Arina Fomenko	Williamsburgh PS	Russian-Ukrainian
	Highly commended	Nikola Arimovica	Valley Primary	Russian
	Highly commended	Misha Levdykov	Kilbarchan Primary	Russian-Ukrainian
S1-S3	Winner	Shadan Alousy	Bishopbriggs Academy	Arabic
	Highly commended	Eve Joshi	Bearsden Academy	Danish
	Highly commended	Lynn Januschke	Madras College	German
	Highly commended	Michaela Mileva	St Joseph’s Academy	Bulgarian
S4-S6	Winner	Oleksandra Lotytska	Rosshall Academy	Ukrainian
	Highly commended	Lucia d’Alessio	Bishopbriggs Academy	Italian
Other Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Mabel Sainsbury	Kilmodan Primary	French
	Highly commended	P1 Class	Canaan Lane Primary	French
P5-P7	Winner	Kathryn Morley	Kilmodan Primary	French
	Highly commended	Giles Leigh	Kilmodan Primary	French
	Highly commended	Masha Naumenko	Thorn Primary	Ukrainian
S1-S3	Winner	Caitlin Anderson	Monifieth High	Ukrainian
	Highly commended	Laila Strokosch	Mearns Castle High	French
	Highly commended	Molly Innes	Madras College	French
	Highly commended	Zach Bartlett	Madras College	French
S4-S6	Winner	Jessica Smith	Monifieth High	French
	Highly commended	Aiman Mohammad	Renfrew High	French
	Highly commended	Aimee Carroll	Mintlaw Academy	German
	Highly commended	Jessica Smith	Monifieth High	Spanish
	Highly commended	Roux Scott	Loudoun Academy	Spanish

 

All our finalists will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also be offered the chance for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive and Kids Poetry Club podcast. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward.

This year we were also delighted to host a special strand of the competition focusing on Ukrainian languages. The winning entries in this category were:

• Primary – Arina Fomenko, Williamsburgh Primary
• Secondary – Dianna-Liza Boyckuk, Craigmount High

Teachers with students who entered in this category will be contacted separately regarding their awards.

It is our intention to host each of the finalists’ poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available.

Congratulations again to all our finalists!

SCILT spring 2023 newsletter - send us your stories!

17 February 2023 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our spring 2023 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This is a chance to showcase innovative projects, language learning celebrations or initiatives which took place towards the end of 2022 or so far in 2023 . 

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 10th March 2023.

Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter. Submissions can be sent to scilt@strath.ac.uk. 

Read more...

Discovering the World of Arabic 2023-24 - secondary course

10 February 2023 (SCILT / QFI)

SCILT continues to work in partnership with Qatar Foundation International to offer our Discovering the World of Arabic programme in session 2023/24. 

For session 2023/24 we are making changes to the way we will deliver Discovering the World of Arabic - Secondary. Participating schools will benefit from:

• a grant of £2000 to support the school with resources/ materials/ experiences that will enhance learning
• a dedicated live online lesson every week for each individual school participating (time to be agreed with each school)
• asynchronous materials to consolidate and further explore Arabic language and Arab cultures
• ongoing support from SCILT team 

We are currently looking for local authority secondary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through this programme.  

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and cultures. BGE and Senior Phase courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and specially commissioned writers, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic. Both courses focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ understanding of Arab cultures and, in the Senior Phase course, their employability skills. It is aimed at beginner learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills. 

The courses are delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 3 March. Responses given on the note of interest form may inform the final selection of schools for this opportunity.

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions. 

Read more...

Languages Week Scotland 2023 - the countdown is on!

30 January 2022 (SCILT)

Languages Week Scotland is a celebration of language learning and multilingualism in Scotland. With only 3 weeks to go, Languages Week Scotland 2023 will take place from 30 January – 3 February and will be a week of activity across the country.

The theme for 2023 is “Languages for a peaceful world”. SCILT has put together lots of ideas to support you in celebrating Languages Week Scotland in your school. Visit the Languages Week Scotland website to find out more.

Read more...

Languages Week Scotland 2023

30 January 2023 (SCILT)

Languages Week Scotland begins today and runs from 30 January to 3 February 2022! The theme this year is “Languages for a peaceful world” and SCILT has put together lots of ideas to support you in celebrating Languages Week Scotland in your school, workplace, community or family. Visit the Languages Week Scotland website to find out more.

SCILT has also set a series of Daily Challenges running throughout the week. Challenge and celebrate languages and creativity! Find our more on the Languages Week Scotland website or follow the @LangsWeekScot Twitter account to receive the challenges each day. 

Follow @LangsWeekScot on Twitter for all the latest updates throughout the week, and don't forget to share how you celebrate using #ScotlandLovesLanguages.

Scottish Languages Employability Award - re-launched!

27 January 2023 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award was developed by SCILT and Bòrd na Gàidhlig and launched in 2019 as a way of delivering DYW through languages, encouraging school-business partnerships and recognising good practice in this area. Since then we have received fantastic submissions from primary and secondary schools right across the country, and we have awarded recognition at Bronze, Silver, Gold and even Platinum levels! 

Following review, we are delighted to launch our revised documentation, which is designed to streamline the application process and to give as much guidance as possible to schools who would like to apply. Have a look at the new handbook and application form on our website now – we look forward to receiving your submissions!

Read more...

Reminder: SCILT 2022-23 workshop menu open for group bookings

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.

• 25 January: Multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy
• 22 February: Creative translanguaging
• 29 March: Creative translation (via Zoom)
• 26 April: Creative puppetry with languages
• 31 May: Languages through drama (via Zoom)

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.

Free live streamed Mandarin NQ classes with CISS

9 January 2023 (SCILT/CISS)

You can now register interest to take part in our online National Qualification Mandarin classes with our GTCS Mandarin teachers.

Please see the flyer for more information, a teacher testimonial and the link to register your interest. If you cannot access the registration link through the flyer you can find the form here:

• Link to register 
• Link for the teacher testimonial 

All the information is also available on the CISS website.

Read more...

Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland - French Essay Prize 2023 registration is open!

9 January 2023 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland)

For the third year running, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland wish to award an essay prize to commemorate Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community. The competition provides a fantastic opportunity for AH French candidates to showcase their French writing skills.

Last year’s essay focused on themes arising from COP26 in Glasgow. This year, we would like candidates to reflect on the platform enjoyed by international sporting events and whether those engaged with such events should, or should not, use this platform to make political or societal changes.

The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £500. and will be published in the annual bulletin of the Franco-Scottish Society. The two runner-up winners will be awarded £100 each. Schools are invited to submit a maximum of three finalist entries.

Visit our website for further information and how to register by 5pm on Friday 27 January.
 

Madame Munro-Lafon was born in Paris on 27 January 1921 and experienced huge changes during her life in France and Scotland. She studied journalism and during her years as a student she became politically active, with a particular interest in demonstrating for the rights of workers and of women. In her working life she promoted French culture throughout Scotland for the French Institute in Glasgow. In later life she maintained an interest in the arts, left-wing politics and in current affairs. Madame Munro-Lafon celebrated her 100th birthday on 27 January 2021 before passing away peacefully on 13 February, a fortnight after her birthday. To learn more about Madame Munro-Lafon, learners may wish to refer to the following video link - Une soirée avec Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon.

Read more...

Open access Wednesdays: Creative spring series

9 December 2022 (SCILT)

Paging primary teachers and primary education students across Scotland. Keep your Wednesdays free! On the last Wednesday of each month between January and May 2023, SCILT’s primary professional development officers will host a series of online workshops with a creative twist.  

These workshops are free and open to all primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland.

• 25 January: Multilingual approaches to primary pedagogy
• 22 February: Creative translanguaging
• 29 March: Creative translation (via Zoom)
• 26 April: Creative puppetry with languages
• 31 May: Languages through drama

The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams unless otherwise stated and will not be recorded. 

Registration for the first session on 25 January is open now via the link above. Registration for the remaining workshops will open in January 2023, keep an eye on the SCILT e-bulletin for details.

Please also see attached flyer with further details of each workshop.

SCILT Winter 2022 newsletter published!

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...

SCILT Christmas 2022 webpage - now live!

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...

Languages at work

18 November 2022 (SCILT)

During last week's Careers Week Scotland we highlighted a range of professions where languages are useful via our social media channels.

We have now uploaded these short videos to our website should teachers wish to share these with pupils.

Visit our Careers Week Scotland webpage.

Read more...

Places available - Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners

2 November 2022 (SCILT / University partners)

SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.

Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.

There are still places available on the two remaining workshops:

• Saturday 26 November: Understanding images with the University of Aberdeen
• Saturday 10 December: Becoming a confident speaker with the University of Dundee

Registration is open via the links above, each workshop covers a different topic so learners may sign up for as many workshops as they wish. The workshops will take place online via Zoom and will not be recorded. 

Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.

SCILT/Save the Children – case study now published

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...

DYW Live: Languages and Your Career

27 October 2022 (SCILT)

Following on from the Languages and Your Career workshop offered by SCILT in conjunction with eSgoil last year, this year we are offering a series of sessions over six weeks focusing on different languages and how they are used in the workplace. After a first general session, the remaining five weeks will explore how a different language each week can contribute to success in a range of jobs and career paths. These will be interactive online workshops featuring input from people working with the language of focus each week. The sessions aim to introduce learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work.

These workshops are all stand-alone; schools can sign up for the individual session(s) most relevant to their context. Schools can sign up for as many or as few as they wish!

Sessions take place on Microsoft Teams in Glow.

Session 1: Languages and Your Career - Tues 1 Nov 2-3pm

This session will introduce the importance of languages in the workplace. We will look at stereotypes of careers involving languages, pathways using languages and examples of successful businesses/sectors which use languages regularly.

Session 2: French and Your Career - Wed 9 Nov 2-3pm

Session 3: Spanish and Your Career - Thurs 17 Nov 2-3pm

Session 4: German and Your Career - Tues 22 Nov 2-3pm

Session 5: Gaelic and Your Career - Wed 30 Nov 2-3pm

Session 6: Other Languages and Your Career - Thurs 8 Dec 2-3pm

This session will include other most commonly taught and/or certificated languages in schools, particularly Italian, Mandarin and Arabic.

For details of how to register, please go to the eSgoil website.

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Creative Translation

20 October 2022 (SCILT)

Hello SCILT followers!

Are you familiar with the idea of Creative Translation?

Are you a primary or secondary teacher in Scotland?

Have you used any of the amazing Creative Translation teaching resources from the Stephen Spender Trust with your pupils? Have you previously supported your pupils to enter the Stephen Spender Prize or the Queen’s College Translation Exchange’s Anthea Bell Prize?

If so, we’d love to hear from you.

To share your experience, email scilt@strath.ac.uk and put CREATIVE TRANSLATION in the subject line.

SCILT winter newsletter 2022 - send us your stories!

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. 

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Ukrainian for Teachers

7 October 2022 (SCILT)

With the increasing number of Ukrainian children attending Scottish schools, SCILT has teamed up with the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB) to provide Ukrainian language support for teachers who have pupils from Ukraine in their school and/or classroom.

We are delighted to partner up with AUGB to provide ' An Introduction to Ukrainian’ language classes which will be open to teachers from all sectors working in state schools in Scotland. The Ukrainian language classes will cover themes such as useful phrases and classroom language that will be helpful when supporting Ukrainian pupils in school. The weekly online classes will run for a period of 6 weeks and will be delivered by an experienced teacher who is a native speaker of Ukrainian.

• Block of 6 online Ukrainian language classes
• Classes will run weekly on Thursdays from 3 November to 8 December
• Classes will take place on MS Teams from 4pm – 5pm
• Open to teachers working in all sectors in Scottish state schools

SCILT is delighted to work in partnership with AUGB to offer such support to teachers so if you would like to take part in the Ukrainian language classes, please register your interest through the link below.

Please note places are limited. You will be asked to provide a brief outline of the reasons for your interest in these classes, and your answer will be used during the selection process. 

Registration deadline Tuesday 25 October. 

Read more...

Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23

30 September 2022 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce the national roll-out of Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23! Following a successful pilot project with four Glasgow schools last session, we have now opened registrations for expressions of interest in Le Foot et La Francophonie 2022-23. This interdisciplinary project brings together French and professional football, opening learners’ eyes to the relevance of language learning in the world of international sports, focussing on the four core language skills and building awareness of cultures in French-speaking countries across the globe. To find out more and to register your interest in this competition, which is open to pupils in S2 and S3, please visit the SCILT website.

An initial information session for teachers will take place on Thursday 3 November (3.45 - 4.45pm) and schools will be asked to confirm their participation by Friday 11 November.

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Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition

29 September 2022 (SCILT)

A reminder that schools interested in taking part in this year’s MTOT competition have until 6 October (National Poetry Day) to register. The competition provides a great opportunity for all pupils in Scotland P1-S6 to get creative with a language they speak at home (Mother Tongue) or are learning at school (Other Tongue). Students can even enter in both categories!

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European Day of Languages - how did you celebrate?

29 September 2022 (SCILT)

The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated on 26 September each year. It aims to promote the rich linguistic diversity of Europe and raise awareness of the importance of lifelong language learning for everyone.

SCILT would love to find out how schools across Scotland marked the day, and plan to share the celebrations through our EDL 2022 blog. If you would like us to include your activities, please submit a description and a few photos through this link, or email us with a description of your activities and a few photos.

Read more...

The Language Ambassadors Programme

23 September 2022 (University of Strathclyde/SCILT)

The Language Ambassadors family has grown!

For 2022-2023, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Stirling will be working together to offer an even greater variety for our visits.

In the coming session, we will be back offering on-site visits, as well as virtual visits.

So, get your learners to discover the joys of learning and being able to use another language by organising a Language Ambassadors visit to your school!

Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian, Mandarin or Spanish, on a range of degree programmes. These include BA Honours in French and Spanish, Professional Education and Languages, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language, Psychology and a European Language, but also Engineering and Science degrees and they are keen to share their experiences of learning and using their languages as well as discovering new cultures.

This programme provides student role models to promote languages to young people and encourage your learners to choose languages as part of their high school curriculum. It is free of charge but we expect the school to cover travelling expenses for ambassadors.

We can deliver a range of activities, such as:

• A presentation about their experiences as university language learners and their experiences abroad;
• Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying a language for future study and/or employability;
• A small group discussion for Senior phase students who have already selected a language;
• Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event

Visit the Language Ambassadors Programme website to find out more, and how to book a visit for your school starting October 2022.

If you have any questions about The Language Ambassadors programme, please contact Cédric Moreau and Cristina Johnston.

The Ramshorn Time Capsule competition 2022 – Winners announced!

22 September 2022 (SCILT)

SCILT and CISS presented a poster competition aimed at S2-S3 learners, to design the contents of their own time capsule – past or present – to join in with the celebration of Glasgow Doors Open Day 2022.

Secondary learners from across Scotland took part in the competition which provided a fantastic opportunity to share their cultural heritage, demonstrate their creativity, and showcase their language skills, both learned at school and used at home.

Congratulations to our winners, Abby Slack, S3 learner from Mearns Castle High School who won the ‘past’ category and to Emerald Li, S3 learner from Mearns Castle High School who won the ‘present’ category.

They were awarded with a £30 voucher and their work was featured in The Ramshorn exhibition as part of Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival on 16 and 17 September 2022. Well done to everyone who took part in this competition, the judging panel were impressed by all entries received and hope that you will participate again next year!

Find out more about the competition on our website.

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Languages Week Scotland - save the date!

22 September 2022 (SCILT)

Languages Week Scotland is a celebration of language learning and multilingualism in Scotland. Now in its fifth year, Languages Week Scotland 2023 will take place from 30 January – 3 February and will be a week of activity across the country.

The theme for 2023 is “Languages for a peaceful world”. Language skills build trust and deepen diplomatic and cultural relations between countries and cultures; they allow for an appreciation that other cultures have different ways of doing things, building social cohesion and improving social mobility. Language skills facilitate in the individual the development of a wide spectrum of soft-skills and attributes including communication, diplomacy, negotiation and empathy[1].

Languages Week Scotland 2023 aims to celebrate how languages – spoken and signed – equip us as individuals and as a society to contribute to a peaceful world. Educational establishments, community-based groups, arts and sports organisations, social enterprises and businesses – large and small – are invited to engage with the week. Follow the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages and the dedicated Twitter account @LangsWeekScot.

Languages beyond school

20 September 2022 (SCILT)

Pupils considering furthering their language studies beyond secondary education will find a wealth of information on the Beyond School section of the SCILT website. The site contains listings of university and college language courses here in Scotland, links to UCAS and university guides UK-wide, as well as help and advice on study abroad options and volunteering overseas.

It's a useful resource for teachers and Careers Guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process is now underway.

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New job profile on SCILT's website

20 September 2022 (SCILT)

We have a bank of job profiles on our website from a diverse range of occupations where languages are being used. Teachers use these to promote the benefits of language learning to pupils and to encourage uptake in schools.

Our latest addition comes from architect, Estefanía Macchi, who tells us language skills have opened up opportunities she may not otherwise have had and helped widen the spectrum of sources she can consult for her studies or work.

Read more...

Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize 2022 - Winners announced!

9 September 2022 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society)

The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, in partnership with SCILT, ran the second iteration of the Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize in 2022. This prize was established in honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community.

Pupils from across Scotland took part in the competition, which provides a fantastic opportunity for AH French candidates to showcase their French writing skills in a national competition. The Jacqueline Munro-Lafon French Essay Prize mirrors elements of the writing marking guidelines for AH French and offers pupils an opportunity to compete for a first-place prize of £500 and recognition on a national stage.

Candidates produced some very high quality essays. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held by Zoom on Tuesday 31 May 2022. A recording of this, along with a list of the winning entries, is now available on the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland website.

This session’s competition will be launched before Christmas and registration for schools will open in January 2023. For more information, please visit our webpage. 

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The Ramshorn, home of SCILT and CISS, will open its doors to the public later in the month

2 September 2022 (SCILT / CISS)

The Ramshorn, home of SCILT and CISS, will open its doors to the public for the very first time at Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival on Friday 16 and Saturday 17 September 2022, to bring you ‘Ramshorn in Flux’.

During your visit, you can expect to see our new exhibition area to give you a taste of the Ramshorn’s history, renovation and current uses of the building that supports, promotes and celebrates all languages. Work created by young people in Scotland’s secondary schools will feature throughout the exhibition highlighting the changing place of The Ramshorn in the community and will put a spotlight on the use of language skills, both learned at school and used at home. 

Take a look behind the scenes at the most recent renovation project and book a free guided tour with us to secure your place. Spaces are limited, therefore we recommend booking early to avoid disappointment. 

Interactive workshops in lantern making and Chinese bookmark making will be available during both days. These activities are suitable for all ages and booking is not required.

The Ramshorn is a category A-listed building in the Merchant City, built between 1824-26, and designed by English architect Thomas Rickman in the Gothic Revival style. Come and join us as we take you on a journey and introduce you to the fascinating history of the former ‘Ramshorn Kirk’ and surrounding graveyard. You will also be able to explore the graveyard by completing our digital trail. Created by young people in Glasgow City schools, the trail is available in 10 languages.

Free of charge and open to all ages. We hope to see you there!

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MTOT is back for 2022-23!

26 August 2022 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to announce the return of Mother Tongue Other Tongue, our multilingual poetry competition!

MTOT gives young people of all ages P1 – S6 the opportunity to showcase their language skills and creative talent. Over the years this competition has uncovered a wealth of talented young linguists: they have created songs, rhymes and poems that are unique, funny, clever, emotive and moving. Young people are asked to create an original poem/song/rap in a language other than English:  this can be a language spoken at home, or a language they are learning at school. To enter, the poem should be recorded (audio or video) and sent to us along with a completed entry form. 

Winning entries will receive a range of prizes, including the opportunity to have their poem included in the UK National Children’s Poetry Archive, as well as featuring in a dedicated episode of the international Kids Poetry Club podcast. This year we are highlighting the Ukrainian language, with a special prize on offer for entries from Ukrainian speakers.

Schools are invited to register interest by 6 October 2022 (National Poetry Day). Visit the MTOT webpage for more information.

We look forward to seeing another generation of young poets find their voice!

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New! Early Years Creative Puppetry Case Study

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. 

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Language Linking Global Thinking 2022-23

26 August 2022 (SCILT / UCMLS)

SCILT is pleased to confirm the return of the Language Linking Global Thinking programme for the 2022-23 session. Applications are now open for schools wishing to register their interest in taking part this year. 

The project links students on their year abroad with primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Students communicate with a designated class in their partner school during the course of the year to illustrate how enriching it is to spend a year abroad using a language other than English. 

While the student is abroad they keep in regular contact with the partner school using blog posts, emails and other resources. The correspondence between student and class brings the language alive for pupils and shows them the real relevance of learning a language. 

Key points for teachers

• Please note this is a two-way correspondence, and schools are expected to reply to blog posts, submit questions, and fully engage with their link student. 
• Training will take place online, you will have the opportunity to learn more about successful links and to meet your link student virtually. 
• Places are limited and you are not guaranteed a link partner. We will be able to confirm your place in October.
• There is no cost for schools to participate in the programme.

Visit the LLGT webpage for more information on Language Linking Global Thinking, and to read some of the student blogs from previous years.

To register please complete the form via the link below by Friday 16 September.

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NEW teacher professional development opportunity: Using art-based methods in developing multilingual approaches to language teaching in Scotland

26 August 2022 (SCILT / Bilingualism Matters)

Scotland is a multilingual country. In 2020 the pupils attending Scottish mainstream schools spoke in total 168 languages. These realities call for different pedagogical approaches. SCILT in collaboration with the University of Glasgow and Bilingualism Matters is looking to address it by:

• developing teachers’ skills in implementing or applying multilingual and multicultural approaches to language teaching and learning
• developing links across languages and between languages and art
• developing links between teachers in community and mainstream schools.

Who is it for?   

• mainstream primary and complementary school teachers interested in developing multilingual and multicultural approaches to language teaching, 
• mainstream primary and complementary school teachers interested in developing art-based methods in language teaching.

Schedule

Four online workshops culminating in the exhibition of children’s work in the spring/summer term. Dates of workshops will be confirmed to registered participants.

Please note:

• participants will be expected to actively participate in the workshops, test the approaches in their own context and share their plans and experiences with others during the workshops
• all art materials will be provided

If participating in this project is of interest to you, please register your interest via the form below.

* This project is subject to the success of the funding application. It builds on Polish through Art and Creative Language Practices projects.

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Espacios Increíbles 2022-23

26 August 2022 (SCILT)

After the success last session of Espacios Increíbles, our inter-disciplinary learning competition combining Spanish and design, we're delighted to announce Espacios Increíbles 2022-23 is back! After last year’s hotly contested final, we know our previous competitors are keen to take part again this year and try to claim the Espacios Increíbles crown from Kinross High School but we’d like to up the stakes even more and get more schools involved. Any school from across Scotland can take part in this national competition, aimed at S2 and S3 learners of Spanish.

The Espacios Increíbles webpage has been updated with information on previous events and winners along with videos featuring some of our guest speakers at the final. Take a look to see what they had to say about their languages experience, find out more about this year's competition and register your interest in taking part. 

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European Day of Languages 2022 - how is your school celebrating?

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!

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New competition - The Ramshorn Time Capsule

19 August 2022 (SCILT / CISS)

SCILT and CISS present a new poster competition aimed at S2-S3 learners in Scotland. Learners are invited to design the contents of their own time capsule – past or present – to join in with the celebration of Glasgow Doors Open Day 2022! This competition is an opportunity for learners to share their cultural heritage, demonstrate their creativity, and showcase their language skills, both learned at school and used at home.

The Ramshorn, a category A-listed building located in the Merchant City of Glasgow, and home of SCILT/CISS, will open its doors during Glasgow Doors Open Days Festival on 16 and 17 September and celebrations will include an exhibition about the building.

Two winning entries will receive a £30 voucher prize and their work will feature at the exhibition during the festival! 

• Create a poster that shows the design of your time capsule items! 
• Include what you know or have learned about the history of The Ramshorn and its place in Glasgow to help create your past or present time capsule.
• Draw and describe five items: descriptions should incorporate at least one language other than English learned at school and/or used at home.
• Incorporate elements of your own culture and heritage when deciding items.
• Entries must be hand-drawn and fit on A3 or A4 size paper (a high quality photo or scan of entry) with aid of colouring tools.
• Entries will be judged on creativity, content and language use.

When: The competition is now open! 

Who: S2-S3 learners in Scotland (state schools only). 

Entry: Follow the link below to find out how your school can take part.

Winners will be announced on 9 September 2022. Deadline for entries is 12 midday on Monday 5 September 2022.

We look forward to seeing your entries!

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Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners

19 August 2022 (SCILT / University partners)

SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.

Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.

Registration is now open via the links below, each workshop covers a different topic so learners may sign up for as many workshops as they wish:

• Saturday 10 September: More than just languages with the University of Strathclyde
• Saturday 1 October: Languages and film with the University of Stirling
• Saturday 29 October: The art of grammar with the University of Edinburgh
• Saturday 12 November: The culture(s) of languages with University of Glasgow
• Saturday 26 November: Understanding images with the University of Aberdeen
• Saturday 10 December: Becoming a confident speaker with the University of Dundee

The workshops will take place online via Zoom and will not be recorded. 

Please note that, due to SCILT’s funding conditions, priority is given to pupils attending state schools. If you do not attend a state school please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to enquire about places.

Survey for complementary and Saturday school teachers

19 August 2022 (SCILT/Bilingualism Matters)

Bilingualism Matters and SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, are opening up opportunities for professional learning and networking for teachers in complementary and Saturday schools throughout Scotland. 

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SCILT 2022-23 workshop menu open for group bookings

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...

Open access Wednesdays

16 August 2022 (SCILT)

Paging primary teachers and primary education students across Scotland. Keep your Wednesdays free! On the last Wednesday of each month between August and November 2022, SCILT’s primary professional development officers will host a series of online workshops.  

These workshops are free and open to all primary teachers and primary education students in Scotland.

Karen and Lynne look forward to welcoming you to explore one or more of these areas of primary languages pedagogy.

• 31 August: Engaging parents with languages in the primary and early years
• 28 September: Active assessment in primary languages
• 26 October: Get multilingual with DYW in your primary classroom
• 30 November: Cultural contexts - An engaging approach to primary language learning 

The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded. Register for each event separately via the links above.

Plus, there are even more open access workshops to come:

• Five primary workshops with a creativity twist between January and May 2023
• A series of online, open access secondary workshops in May and June 2023

Keep an eye out in the ebulletin for further details. 

Moving forward with languages: workshops for Higher and Advanced Higher learners

9 June 2022 (SCILT / University partners)

Bookings open now via our website. 

SCILT, together with languages departments from universities across Scotland, have teamed up to present this unique series of workshops during term one of the 2022-23 session.

Suitable for pupils studying any language at Higher or Advanced Higher level, learners will get tips, encouragement and support from lecturers which will help with course preparation now, and focus on the future by finding out what it’s like studying languages at university level.

Registrations will open in August 2022, in the meantime you can share the dates and topics with pupils below:

• Saturday 10 September: The University of Strathclyde team will help you to use news articles to brush up your translation techniques.
• Saturday 1 October: Join the University of Stirling team who will guide you through critical analysis of film – with a twist!
• Saturday 29 October: Let the University of Edinburgh team help you unravel the mysteries of grammar!
• Saturday 12 November: Want to expand your vocabulary? Then this workshop, led by the University of Glasgow team, is one for you.
• Saturday 26 November: The University of Aberdeen team will help you to develop your skills of critical analysis by working with images and build confidence in expressing your ideas in another language. 
• Saturday 10 December: The University of Dundee will show you how to become a confident speaker by developing your confidence through presenting in another language.

Please also see attached flyer which can be distributed to pupils or colleagues. 

Information webinar for primary teachers in Scotland keen to learn a new language and how to teach it in their classrooms

7 June 2022 (SCILT)

Teachers Learning to Teach Languages, or TeLT for short, is a blended professional learning programme lasting 9 months that is aimed at practitioners who want to develop their practice in teaching languages to primary aged pupils.

Two information webinars for prospective students on the OU/SCILT TeLT programme are scheduled for:

• Thursday 16 June, 7pm - 8pm
• Tuesday 21 June, 7pm - 8pm

These webinars are open to teachers that teach languages primary schools in Scotland. Register here for your preferred webinar date.

Each 60-minute online event will introduce interested primary teachers to the primary languages programme delivered in collaboration by the Open University and SCILT from October 2022 to June 2023, where teachers can study one of four languages from scratch, learn how to teach it and apply their new skills directly as part of the course.

Participants will learn what the programme has to offer, what is required to succeed in becoming a primary languages teacher and gain professional recognition from the GTCS for the study.

Participants will hear about the impact of the study on attitudes and practice of teachers, pupils and the entire school community from OU and SCILT colleagues and find out how the course enables teachers to collaborate with primary schools across Scotland and Wales through in-programme eTwinning.

In addition, they will learn first-hand about experiences studying the course from former students, in-service primary teachers, who are now working as guest tutors on the programme. The guest tutors will also share how studying this programme has boosted their professional opportunities and employability skills.

Teachers working in other parts of the UK can find the information for the programme in their area on the Open University website. 

Drop-in for Ukrainian families

31 May 2022 (SCILT)

SCILT will be hosting a weekly drop-in for newly arrived families from Ukraine, every Wednesday from 15 June 2022, 12-2pm. The drop-in sessions will be held at The Ramshorn on Ingram Street in Glasgow and are aimed at Ukrainian families looking to meet other families and support one another. There is no cost to attend.

A flyer is attached with details of these sessions. We welcome teachers to share this with any families they know who would be interested in coming along. SCILT will be delighted to meet them.

Click on the image in Ukrainian or English to download the flyer.

 

Le Foot et la Francophonie

31 May 2022 (SCILT)

Congratulations to Lourdes Secondary School, winners of SCILT’s inaugural edition of Le Foot et la Francophonie!

Le Foot has generated huge enthusiasm in the four Glasgow schools involved in the pilot project. During the autumn of 2021, teachers of French at Knightswood Secondary School, Lourdes Secondary School, Shawlands Academy and St. Roch’s Secondary School, supported by staff from SCILT, produced some high quality teaching materials based on football and the French-speaking world. To ensure that this project was truly interdisciplinary, all stakeholders collaborated on a guidance document outlining benchmarks, experiences and outcomes from Modern Languages, Physical Education and Health and Wellbeing curricular areas. They were supported in this endeavour by input from Physical Education staff in their respective schools, as well as by Cara Lamb, who leads the PGDE Secondary Physical Education course at the University of Strathclyde.

In January, Le Foot was rolled out in S2 classrooms and on school playing fields. Engagement among pupils who had previously shown limited interest in languages was particularly evident, with one of the teachers involved noting that this was “French disguised as football”! The outstanding resources produced and shared by each school cover the four core skills of reading, listening, talking and writing, encompassing the Francophone world and including strong anti-racism messages. Just as importantly, the 750 pupils who took part learned of the relevance of languages to a range of careers in professional sports – an area in which many have a keen interest.

The competitive final took place at the University of Strathclyde on 12 May. The event involved teams of pupils from each of the schools, together with classmates who came along to support them. On the panel of judges were Cédric Moreau (Subject Leader for French, University of Strathclyde), Lisa Hanna (Depute Director, SCILT), Jordan Allison (Head of Charity, Kilmarnock FC) and Mark Cunningham (final-year student in Spanish and Education, and qualified football coach). After presenting a football-themed video in French, the teams performed football drills, which included commands in French. They then heard video messages from John Collins, Christophe Berra and Ismaila Soro, before the winner’s announcement saw Lourdes Secondary School claim the trophy, together with a visit to Hampden Park, where the winning team will be given a French-focussed tour of the stadium and the Scottish Football Museum.

Watch this space for information on Le Foot et la Francophonie being rolled out nationally in 2022-23, together with further details on how your school can get involved.

Espacios Increíbles 2022 – Winners announced!

27 May 2022 (SCILT)

Congratulations to Kinross High, Perth & Kinross, on winning SCILT's Espacios Increíbles competition 2021-22.

The winner was announced at the final, held online on Wednesday 25 May 2022. A superb effort was made by all six finalist schools (Alva Academy, Bathgate Academy, Dunblane High, Grange Academy, Wallace High, as well as Kinross High); competition was stiff and judges had a very difficult decision to make.

The interdisciplinary competition for S2-S3 combines Spanish with art, design and technology. Pupils design an amazing space and present their work in Spanish. 

Kinross High came out top with their innovative design for a veterans’ rehabilitation centre in Bolivia. Their design was based on the work of Bolivian architect Freddie Mamani and took as inspiration the colours of the Bolivia Flag: red, green and yellow. The team showed great creativity and presentation skills, with fantastic delivery in Spanish. They clearly demonstrated how they had worked collaboratively, drawing on art, design and Spanish skills to create an innovative and sustainable design.

The other five schools did an amazing job, with a mental health space on a bus, a children's library on a boat, an eco-tourism hotel, underwater art gallery and a UFO-inspired observatory on Robinson Crusoe Island.

More information on this year's final will be on the SCILT website soon as well as details of how your school can enter next year's competition.

The Big Question: final spaces remaining!

26 May 2022 (SCILT)

This term we are hosting a series of interactive seminars for secondary languages teachers, based on some of the main themes from our workshops this year, and covering some of the big questions that you might be asking about teaching languages today.

We now have just a few places remaining on Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues. This session will feature the chance to hear from a guest speaker, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to the big questions!

• Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues
  4-5pm, Thursday 9 June
  In this seminar we will look at how can we approach controversial issues such as gender, race, politics and climate in the context of language learning. We will explore strategies for tackling controversial issues safely and effectively in the languages classroom. Our guest in this session will be Lynne Jones of SCILT who will be sharing particularly around areas of gender and immigration.

Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers. The session will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.

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Parental Engagement - NEW - A Practitioner’s Guide

19 May 2022 (SCILT)

We have collated a range of materials to provide practitioners with useful information, including examples of practice across sectors, about engaging parents and families with language learning. This guide features a variety of reading materials, resources, and case studies to equip practitioners working in a variety of contexts with the tools to actively consider how to get parents and families engaged with their child’s language learning.

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Polish classes for teachers - registrations open

19 May 2022 (SCILT / Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow)

Following the successful launch of the Ten Steps to Polish online resource and introductory Polish classes for teachers last session, in collaboration with the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, we are delighted to announce that the Polish classes for teachers will run again in session 2022/23. The interactive Ten Steps to Polish handbook is designed for teachers to introduce Polish as an L3 and the online classes provide teachers with the opportunity to learn basic Polish in order to support the implementation of the resource in their classroom.

Chris Sagan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, who has led the programme from its infancy states: 

“We are delighted with the response we have had to our Ten Steps to L3 Polish course. In our introductory year we have taught, via Zoom, basic Polish to teachers across Scotland enabling them to provide L3 Polish to their classes. We look forward with enthusiasm to another year of helping teachers teach Polish in classrooms across Scotland.”

Primary teachers who are interested can register by 20 June 2022 for a block of free online Polish language lessons, led by a native Polish speaker and an experienced primary practitioner. These online classes:

• begin on Tuesday 30th August
• will take place 4-5pm on MS Teams
• will be an hour in length, once a week, for 6 weeks
• support Ten Steps to L3 Polish and aim to give the class teacher the confidence to lead exciting Polish lessons in school

These classes are aimed at teachers planning to introduce Polish as an L3. Places are limited and offered on a first-come first-served basis. 

For more information about Ten Steps to L3 Polish and/or language classes, please contact SCILT.

Wszystkiego najlepszego.

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SCILT Spring 2022 newsletter published

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...

The Big Question: SCILT secondary seminar series

29 April 2022 (SCILT)

This term we are hosting a series of interactive seminars for secondary languages teachers, based on some of the main themes from our workshops this year, and covering some of the big questions that you might be asking about teaching languages today.

Each session will feature the chance to hear from a guest practitioner, and the opportunity to discuss and share with fellow teachers, and hopefully together to come up with some answers to these questions!

Seminars are free to attend and are open to all secondary languages teachers and student teachers; attend as many or as few as you wish. Register for each seminar separately via the links below. 

• Seminar 1: Employability and languages
  4-5pm, Tuesday 17 May
  In this seminar we will consider why and how to make meaningful connections between language learning and the Developing the Young Workforce agenda. Sarah Coats from Musselburgh Grammar School will be our guest in this session, sharing some of the work that she has been involved with in this area, which led to the school achieving the Scottish Languages Employability Award this year.
   
• Seminar 2: Encouraging uptake
  4-5pm, Wednesday 25 May
  Across Scotland, we are all facing the challenge of how to encourage learners to continue studying languages when faced with the choice. In this seminar we will have the chance to share ideas and strategies that we have tried or would like to try. France Reid from Dunblane High School will be our guest in this session, sharing the issues that they have faced and how they are seeking to address them.
   
• Seminar 3: Teaching controversial issues
  4-5pm, Thursday 9 June
  In this seminar we will look at how can we approach controversial issues such as gender, race, politics and climate in the context of language learning.  We will explore strategies for tackling controversial issues safely and effectively in the languages classroom. Our guest in this session will be Lynne Jones of SCILT who will be sharing particularly around areas of gender and immigration.
   
• Seminar 4: Building confidence in talking
  4-5pm, Wednesday 15 June
  Talking is often the area of our subject that learners find most challenging and stressful. In this seminar we will discuss and share practical ideas and activities which help build learner confidence in talking in the target language. Lisa Hanna from SCILT, who is a Visiting Assessor for talking with SQA, will be our guest in this session.

The sessions will be hosted on MS Teams and will not be recorded.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Scotland’s Languages Landscape: The ‘Rights’ Approach event, 25 February 2022 - Recordings are now available!

29 April 2022 (SCILT)

We are pleased to announce that event materials are now available to view on our website, including video recordings from Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Keynote speaker, Bernardette Holmes MBE, Independent Languages Policy and Pedagogy Consultant and Plenary speaker, Louise Glen, Senior Education Officer at Education Scotland.

Video presentations taken from breakout discussions, including testimonials and speaker biographies are also available to view and will be of interest to the language teaching community and community-based organisations.

The event welcomed language leads, teachers and the wider languages community to share, celebrate and highlight the importance of valuing language skills and ensuring the rights of all children and young people to a language rich curriculum.

Read more...

BSL as an L3 - register now

28 April 2022 (SCILT / Garvel Deaf Centre)

SCILT, in collaboration with Garvel Deaf Centre in Gourock, Inverclyde will be offering online British Sign Language (BSL) classes to support L3 in primary schools in the 2022-23 school session. 

Applications are now open for schools to register their interest in the ‘BSL as an L3’ programme. The weekly lessons will be suitable for pupils in P5-P7 and are free of charge. In addition to the live lessons, supplementary resources such as video clips will be provided on Teams to support asynchronous learning opportunities.

The block of online classes will:

• begin on Thursday 8 September
• run for 10 weeks, with a two-week break in October
• take place live on Glow Teams 
• be 45 minutes in length
• be delivered by an experienced deaf tutor, supported by a BSL interpreter
• raise deaf awareness
• promote inclusion and diversity

Schools selected to take part in the programme must attend an information session on Tuesday 7 June at 3.30pm on Teams.

Register your interest by Monday 16 May 2022 via the link below. For more information please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Primary languages workshop series 2022 - places available

21 April 2022 (SCILT)

There are a small number of places remaining on the final two workshops in the SCILT primary languages series. These workshops are free, take place online, and each focus on a different aspect of primary languages pedagogy.

The workshops are open to any primary teacher or student primary teacher in Scotland. You can attend as many of the workshops in the series as you like. You must register for each workshop separately by clicking on the links below. 

• Workshop 3: Parental engagement for family learning in languages at primary
  4-5pm, Wednesday 27th April 2022
  We will consider the positive impact that parental engagement and family learning with languages can have on pupils and their families. We will consider the importance of parental engagement in relation to other initiatives within Scottish Education, mainly raising attainment and will share examples of current practice on how schools are engaging with parents/families through languages.
   
• Workshop 4: Making languages work for your primary pupils: DYW and 1+2
  4-5pm Wednesday 25th May 2022
  We will look at how your school can make meaningful connections between the language learning and the Developing the Young Workforce agenda, and maybe pick up a Scottish Languages Employability Award along the way! Be inspired by examples from primary schools across the country.

All workshops will take place on Microsoft Teams and will not be recorded.

See attached workshop series flyer which can be distributed to colleagues.

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 20 May!

21 April 2022 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 20 May 2022. 

In January 2022 Musselburgh Grammar School won a bronze award for their 'S3 Life with Languages' careers event. Read about their impressive submission, watch videos from previous winners and access the full award guidelines on our website.

Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Ukrainian resources for schools and families

5 April 2022 (SCILT)

We have collated resources to help support children and families arriving from Ukraine. We hope teachers will find these useful in welcoming young people and their parents into Scottish schools. Please share with your networks!

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MTOT 2021-22 - Finalist poems now online!

1 April 2022 (SCILT)

We're delighted to announce the entries from all the finalists of this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue multilingual poetry competition can now be viewed on the SCILT website.

For the first time judges awarded some special commendations for entries which very narrowly missed making the final shortlist and we have some of these also available online.

We hope many of you will be inspired to take part when the 2022-23 edition launches in the Autumn!

Read more...

Employ a Mandarin teacher - funding available

25 March 2022 (SCILT/CISS)

State schools in Scotland can apply for funding to employ a Mandarin teacher. So if you are interested in introducing Mandarin as part of your Modern Languages curriculum and want to find out more join the information session on 28 March, details are on the attached flyer.

Applicants wishing to be considered for our new round of funding for GTCS registered teachers of Mandarin Chinese should complete the short form before 5pm, Monday 16 May 2022.

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Join Scotland’s National Languages Leadership Programme Team 2022-23!

25 March 2022 (SCILT/Education Scotland)

Applications are now open for critical friends to support and challenge participants as they progress through the 2022-23 programme.

Description

Scotland's National Languages Leadership Programme supports local authorities by building capacity to achieve a sustainable model for leading language learning and teaching for all.

The critical friend role is suitable for people who:

• have experience of the national languages leadership programme i.e. 1+2 Languages Leadership Programme (2017-2022) or the Train the Trainer Programme (2014-2016), or
• are experienced in supporting teacher professional learning either online or face-to-face, preferably at Masters level, and
• wish to help build the languages leadership capacity in all sectors of Scottish education

As an online programme, Scotland’s National Languages Leadership Programme offers participants the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date information from Education Scotland and other agencies involved in the delivery of Scotland’s languages policy. The programme provides participants with professional learning and networking opportunities as well as flexible and personalised pathways through Masters level professional learning. 

Objectives of the programme are for participants to develop:

• an appreciation of leadership skills
• critical and strategic reflection on their own leadership development
• an understanding of a range of key issues related to Scotland’s Languages policy

Professional learning and support will be offered to critical friends throughout the year.

For more information, visit the registration page to find out how you can apply to join the LLP team as a critical friend by Tuesday 17 May. A Glow account is required to take part.

If you have any questions about applying for this role, please email scilt@strath.ac.uk and include ‘LLP Critical Friend’ in the subject line.

Scotland's National Languages Leadership Programme 2022-23 - Submit your application now!

24 March 2022 (SCILT/Education Scotland)

Scotland's National Languages Leadership Programme supports local authorities by building capacity to achieve a sustainable model for leading language learning and teaching for all. Open to colleagues with 5 years' experience post probation or equivalent, who are interested in developing approaches to language learning and in implementing change in their own contexts, this might include: classroom teachers, principal teachers, heads of department, heads of faculty or languages lead practitioners.

This online programme is free of charge to state schools and offers participants the opportunity to engage with the most up-to-date information from Education Scotland and other agencies involved in the delivery of Scotland’s languages policy.

SCILT hosted an online information session on Tuesday 22 March. A recording of the session is now available to find out more about the programme and hear experiences of current participants.

Participants can visit the website for more information and to submit their application. Deadline date to submit applications is Monday 25 April.

Read more...

Registration now open for OU/SCILT TeLT programme

18 March 2022 (SCILT/OU)

TeLT is the Teachers Learning to Teach Languages programme offered by the Open University in partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages. This professional learning opportunity is aimed at educators working in the primary sector and carries GTCS Professional Recognition.

Students learn a language – French, German, Mandarin or Spanish - and in parallel, get to put primary language pedagogies into practice with their own pupils. The programme is offered at two levels – beginners and post-beginners. More information here about how the course works.

Registration for 2022-23 intake is now open. Enrolment closes 8 September. Modules begin in October. More details here on how to register.

Information sessions for local authority officers and prospective applicants will take place in May and June. Dates are to be confirmed.

Read more...

SCILT/CISS digital internship now open for applications

18 March 2022 (SCILT/CISS)

Are you currently in S5?

Do you love languages?

Do you enjoy sharing your news, views and opinions on social media?

Would you like to work with other young people and enhance your CV?

Well, this role might be for you!

We are inviting committed, dynamic young people to apply for our year-long digital internship programme.  This would see you using social media regularly and collaborating effectively with a team to demonstrate your love of languages and where they can take you.  This is an excellent opportunity to experience working with digital professionals in a languages environment and enhance your final year at school.

Please note that interns will be home-based and the opportunity is open to young people across the country. This is an unpaid internship. Successful applicants must commit to attending a training day on Friday 10 June 2022. We plan to hold this in Glasgow, covid restrictions permitting. Travel expenses will be covered for those who need to travel from outside Glasgow to attend the training.

Application details

Please download and read the Information Pack (PDF). It includes the Job Description and Person Specification.

Please download and complete the Application Form (Word). Applications must be submitted with a letter of reference from your Faculty Manager or Principal Teacher of Modern Languages.

Completed applications must be returned to scilt@strath.ac.uk by midnight on Monday 2 May 2022 (please note this is a new, extended deadline).

 

Wondering whether to apply? Here’s what some of our previous interns have said about the experience:

• “The highlight was getting to work with other people I hadn't met before (working on my teambuilding and communication skills), getting to represent a huge national organisation, creating our own content and deciding ourselves how we wanted to run our social media accounts.”
• “I loved producing high quality content and collaborating with the other interns. It was really exciting later on in the year when we started to get more interaction on Twitter.”
• “Meeting new people who share my same passion for languages and coming together to create something valuable was a high point for me.”

 

Teachers, please download this flyer to raise awareness of this opportunity amongst your S5 pupils.

March Bitesize: Learning for Sustainability / IDL (Primary)

17 March 2022 (SCILT)

SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland.

In March, the Bitesize session focuses on the primary school and explores how language learning can be in incorporated into a Learning for Sustainability (LfS) context. We will hear how schools have been exploring the Global Goals in addition to key environmental issues such as plastic pollution and the place of languages within this.

Come and join us for a drop-in session to listen and discuss on Wednesday 30 March 2022, 4:00 - 4:45pm on Zoom.

Visit our Bitesize webpage for more information and to register.

Read more...

MTOT 2021-22 - Winners announced!

21 February 2022 (SCILT)

Our awards event to announce the winning entries from this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition was held online today, to coincide with International Mother Language Day. It was a great celebration of the languages being spoken and learned in Scotland and we're delighted to announce the winners and highly commended runners-up in each category as follows:

Mother Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Simon Cronje	Netherlee PS	Afrikaans
	Highly commended	Fabian Choromanski	Gallowhill PS	Polish
P5-P7	Winner	Sabihah Tubasem	West Primary	Urdu
	Highly commended	Lovelyn Asare	St Catherine’s PS	Italian
	Highly commended	Sabina Rodrigues da Rosa	West Primary	Brazilian Portuguese
	Highly commended	Tanazzal Shah	West Primary	Urdu
	Highly commended	Zamin Amjad Sheikh	Netherlee PS	Urdu
S1-S3	Winner	Melice Monga Lubengi	Lourdes Secondary	French
	Highly commended	Marcel Zuk & Oskar Kolodziej	St Thomas of Aquin’s	Polish
	Highly commended	Helen Joseph	Lourdes Secondary	Malaylam
	Highly commended	Sarah Alradi	Craigmount High	Arabic
S4-S6	Winner	Regina Wyllie	Loudoun Academy	Bulgarian
	Highly commended	Camran Kouhy	Madras College	Farsi
	Highly commended	Wiktoria Sapko	St Andrew’s Secondary	Polish
Other Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Hayley Cowe	Westhill PS	Doric
	Highly commended	P2 Class	Newcraighall PS	Spanish
P5-P7	Winner	Lucia Conetta	Glasgow Academy	French
	Highly commended	Malaika Ali	Golfhill PS	Urdu
S1-S3	Winner	Grace Ross	Madras College	French
	Highly commended	Deepak Kumaar	Craigmount High	French & German
	Highly commended	Caitlin Fraser	Arran High	French
S4-S6	Winner	Brooklynn Faichnie	Aboyne Academy	French, Spanish & Italian
	Highly commended	Iona Kellas	Aboyne Academy	Latin
	Highly commended	Charlotte Reynolds	Aboyne Academy	Russian

 

All pupils will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also receive a trophy as well as the opportunity for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive and Kids Poetry Club podcast. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward. This year also saw a special award sponsored by the Dictionaries of the Scots Language for entries in Scots, which was awarded to Hayley Cowe, our P1-P4 Other Tongue winner!

It is our intention to host each of these poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available.

Congratulations again to all our finalists!

SCILT spring newsletter - send us your stories!

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...

Polish through Art - online exhibition now open!

3 February 2022 (SCILT / Bilingualism Matters)

The Polish through Art online exhibition is now open! Visit our website to see the children's multilingual artwork, which explores their diverse identities, their linguistic competencies and their cultural heritage. Browse their wonderful creations, read their commentaries in their own words, and see the impact of a languages rich classroom. 

About the project

SCILT’s Polish through Art project, developed in collaboration with Bilingualism Matters, showcases through art, a multilingual approach to language teaching. A multilingual approach recognises that each learner has their own individual repertoire and opens the classroom door to languages and experiences learners bring to the classroom. The online exhibition showcases the artwork of each pupil involved in the project from the four particpating mainstream and complementary schools. 

Read more...

February Bitesize: Gathering Evidence in Secondary

3 February 2022 (SCILT)

SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.

In February 2022, we’re looking at how we can gather evidence to support our judgments about learner progress. We will be joined by Lisa Waygood, Faculty Head of Ancient and Modern Languages at St Columba’s School in Kilmacolm. Come along on 23 February and share your experiences of evidence gathering in your context. What works well? Or not?

Visit our Bitesize webpage to find out more and to register for the event.

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Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland - French Essay Prize 2022 - Register your interest now!

28 January 2022 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland)

Following on from the inaugural French essay competition in 2021, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland wish again to award an essay prize in 2022 to commemorate the long life and work of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon and her service to the Franco-Scottish Community.

This competition is aimed at Advanced Higher learners of French. This year, we would like you to reflect on the changes that you would like to see happen within your lifetime. All essay submissions must present a reflection on society in France and Scotland.

The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £500, and their essay will also be published in the annual Bulletin of the Franco-Scottish Society. Two runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded by SCILT.

• A maximum of three entries can be submitted from each school. Register your interest for your school to get involved by 5pm on 25 February.

Visit the Eventbrite webpage for further information and how to register.

Read more...

Making Your Future Brighter With Languages (1+2 December 2021) – Event recordings now available!

21 January 2022 (SCILT)

We are delighted to confirm that the recently launched toolkit for Phase Three of our ERASMUS+ project, Generation Global, now includes recordings of the sessions that took place at the virtual launch events on 1+2 December 2021. Entitled Making Your Future Brighter With Languages, the events, like the toolkit, set out to give young people, parents and carers a wealth of information, ideas and advice about the importance of learning languages.

The first event, on 1 December, which was aimed at young people, featured interactive activities and an interesting and informative panel discussion of young professionals talking about how they use languages in their careers. These recordings could be useful for teachers to show to classes of young people around subject choice times.

On 2 December the event focused on parents, carers and teachers. At this event we enjoyed contributions by Dr Paul Hare (Professional Development Officer, SCILT) and partners from Denmark and Norway, a fascinating panel discussion with representation from employers, educators and careers advisers, and a powerful message from Liz Neil of the British Council on the value of language and intercultural skills to the workforce of the future.

Recordings of all sessions are available on our website.

Read more...

New job profiles on SCILT's website

21 January 2022 (SCILT)

Our job profiles cover a wide range of careers where languages are being used. We have two new additions to our collection:

• Fraser Fulton is a musician, tour manager and backline technician for touring musical artists. He tells us because he spends most of his time on tour, especially in German-speaking countries, speaking German has been invaluable to him. His knowledge of the language helps build contact and trust very quickly.
• Gregor Anderson is a mechanical engineer with a company involved in the design and production of lasers. He says his language skills gave him an edge when applying for his job - not just the fact he could speak German, but rather that he'd travelled and spent time in another country and culture. 

Teachers share these profiles with your pupils to highlight the benefits of language learning for life and work.

Discovering the World of Arabic 2022-23 - primary course

21 January 2022 (SCILT / QFI)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and the Scottish Refugee Council, is currently looking for local authority primary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.  

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for primary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic. 

For learners in local authority primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. 

The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

Live classes are provisionally scheduled as follows:

• Thursdays 14.00-14.45, starting September 2022 

In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a grant of £2000. This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 18 February.

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions. 

Read more...

Discovering the World of Arabic 2022-23 - secondary course

21 January 2022 (SCILT / QFI)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and the Scottish Refugee Council, is currently looking for local authority secondary schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.  

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for local authority secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing, with language lessons delivered online by a teacher of Arabic. 

The course will focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ employability skills. It is aimed at learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and develop their portfolio of skills. 

The course is delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arab cultures as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

Classes are provisionally scheduled as follows and run from August 2022 until March 2023:

• S1-S3 - Wednesdays 13.30-14.30
• S4-S6 - Mondays 13.30-14.30

In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a grant of £2000. This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arab cultures.

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please complete the note of interest form via the link below by Friday 18 February.

Please contact SCILT if you have any questions. 

Read more...

SCILT professional learning programme 2021-22 - available to book now!

14 January 2022 (SCILT)

Are you looking for high quality professional learning for colleagues in your school, department, cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative? 

SCILT's programme of professional learning workshops are now available to book for the rest of this session. Choose from our range of primary or secondary workshops, and request a date and time that suits you and your colleagues. 

Whatever your professional learning needs, we will endeavour to meet them. If you have specific requirements we are happy to collaborate with you to develop bespoke input and support. In addition to practical suggestions, SCILT workshops are designed to explore the pedagogy that underpins practice through discussion and reflection with local colleagues. 
 
Please visit the professional learning page of our website for further information and details of each of the workshops available. Please note, these workshops are intended for group bookings only. 
 
During 2021-22, we are running webinars and drop-in sessions which are open to everyone. Registration for those will be on an event–by–event basis and will be publicised via the SCILT e-bulletin.

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 21 January!

12 January 2022 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community. 

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 21 January 2022. 

Visit the SLEA page on our website to read about Danestone Primary School, whose partnership with Subsea 7 recently earned them a Bronze award. You can also access the full award guidelines and watch videos from previous winners.

Due to ongoing restrictions, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award.

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Words for the World winning entries published!

17 December 2021 (SCILT)

Congratulations again to everyone who took part in our recent Words for the World competition.

Following our recent awards ceremony, and the announcement of the winners’ names, we are now delighted to be able to publish the winning, highly commended and remaining finalist entries in each category. We are sure that you will agree that the linguistic diversity, creativity and passion that they all show is both impressive and inspiring.

Read more...

Mind Games: Cracking Code in Maths and Languages

20 January 2022 (SCILT)

Two mind-bending workshops are scheduled for in-service and student teachers during Languages Week Scotland 2022. 

We are aware that Mathematics underpins all STEM subjects, but have you ever thought there are connections between learning mathematics and learning a language?

Join mathematicians and linguists from the University of Edinburgh to explore the topic further.

During the interactive workshops you will have a go at some puzzles and activities at the interface between Mathematics and Linguistics. Together we will explore how language works and where Maths comes into play.

You will have a chance to discuss with Mathematicians and Linguists about similarities between their subjects. You will takeaway practical ideas for your classroom to show how these different disciplines can be interconnected.

The activities we are going to use are mainly aimed at children older than 10 years. However, the approach can be applied to all year groups.

Attendance is free of charge and the event will be hosted online on Zoom.

More information and registration for the appropriate workshop via the links below:

• Workshop 1 – In-service teachers - Tuesday 1 February 2022
• Workshop 2 - Student teachers - Thursday 3 February 2022 - *EVENT POSTPONED* - it is anticipated this event will be rescheduled later in the year.

The Language Ambassadors

14 December 2021 (University of Strathclyde/SCILT)

The Language Ambassadors are back……and they have gone VIRTUAL!

Get your learners involved to discover the joys of learning and being able to use another language by organising a Virtual Language Ambassadors visit to your school!

Our Language Ambassadors are students of French, Italian or Spanish, on various degrees, including BA Honours in French and Spanish, International Business and a Modern Language, Law and a Language but also Engineering and Science degrees.

This programme is free of charge and provides student role models to promote languages to young people and encourage your learners to choose languages as part of their high school curriculum.

We can deliver a range of activities online, such as:

• A virtual presentation about their experiences as university language learners and their experiences abroad;
• Q&A sessions about the benefits of studying a language;
• A small group discussion for Senior phase students who have already selected a language;
• Micro-presentations as part of a school-wide event

Visit our website to find out more, and how to book a virtual visit for your school!

If you have any questions about The Language Ambassadors programme, please contact Cédric Moreau.

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Languages Week Scotland 2022 - how will you celebrate?

13 December 2021 (SCILT)

Languages Week Scotland 2022 will take place during the week 31 January - 4 February 2022, and SCILT hopes that as many children, families and communities as possible will engage with the week. It is inviting educational establishments to celebrate and share the work they do in and with spoken and signed languages other than English. For ideas for how your educational establishment can celebrate Languages Week Scotland 2022, please visit the Languages Week Scotland pages on the SCILT website or follow Languages Week Scotland on Twitter.

SCILT would love to know how you celebrate Languages Week Scotland 2022, so please use the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages on Twitter to share the languages used or learned at home, in school or in your wider community. 

The theme for 2022 is “The 'Rights' Approach - incorporating learners' rights within Scotland's languages landscape” and the aim is to amplify the voices of people, organisations and events that celebrate multilingualism and the many ways it supports the rights of children as embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Careers toolkit launched

3 December 2021 (SCILT)

SCILT launched our latest toolkit at two events this week, one for young people and one for parents/carers/teachers. The toolkit and events are part of our three-year Generation Global project, which seeks to address the gap in intercultural and language skills that we have in this country.

In the preceding two years of the project, we have published toolkits to support business leaders and careers advisers/school managers. This latest toolkit 'Making your future brighter with languages'  is designed to give young people, parents and carers information, ideas and advice about learning languages; why it is important and how to go about it. As well as this, the toolkit includes a series of short video clips of young professionals talking about the relevance and value of languages and intercultural skills in their career areas. All of this aims to support the young people who are our ‘Generation Global’, our dual-competency workforce of the future.

The launch events this week were recorded, and recordings will be available on our website shortly.

Access the toolkit 

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SCILT Christmas 2021 webpage - now live!

2 December 2021 (SCILT)

Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?

SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your pupils, from interactive advent calendars and games, to lesson plans and festive facts. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and around the world!

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New resources to support bilingualism

30 November 2021 (Twinkl/SCILT/Bilingualism Matters)

What does it mean to be bilingual? Bilingualism is knowing more than one language and the way it affects us is far from simple! Find out all about the different ways we can be bilingual, the effects of bilingualism and some of the benefits to us all with our amazing resources developed for use at First Level alongside the experts at Bilingualism Matters, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, and our teacher team here at Twinkl. The resources are available in English and Gaelic for use in GME contexts and are an ideal way to start celebrating the linguistic landscape in your school.

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Words for the World competition winners!

26 November 2021 (SCILT)

Congratulations to everyone who took part in our Words for the World competition.

The standard of entries was incredibly high, with a wide range of formats submitted and an array of languages. We can be proud of the linguistic diversity we have here in Scotland and the creativity and passion our young people demonstrated for protecting our planet, our humanity and creating a brighter future for us all. We were truly humbled and inspired by their work.

Judging proved exceptionally difficult, but we were delighted to announce the winning entries at an online awards event last week. Well done again to the following who were successful in their respective categories and thank you to every pupil who participated in the competition. 

P1-P4

• Winner - Leena Valluri, Goodlyburn Primary
• Highly commended - The Glasgow Academy Newlands & Milngavie class entry

P5-P7

• Winner - Zofia Zajac, St Patrick's Primary
• Highly commended - Sophie McGrath, St Vincent's Primary
• Highly commended - Tristan Naylor, Hyndland Primary

S1-S3

• Winner - Oriana Strahan, Largs Academy 
• Highly commended - Deepak Krisna Kummar, Craigmount High 

S4-S6

• Winner - Daniel Smith, Alva Academy
• Highly commended - Aiman Mohammad, Renfrew High 

SCILT Winter 2021 newsletter published!

26 November 2021 (SCILT)

The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter is here!

Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning opportunities, our motivating competitions and our online events. Find out how schools celebrated European Day of Languages 2021, and hear from local authorities about their latest inspiring initiatives including projects involving STEM, virtual live lessons and links with business. There is also the opportunity to read about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland, including links to free resources and online learning opportunities.

Read more...

Primary languages workshop series: spring 2022

26 November 2021 (SCILT)

The SCILT Professional Development Team is thrilled to announce that in spring 2022, we will host a series of four free online workshops, each on a different aspect of primary languages pedagogy.

The workshops are open to any primary teacher or student primary teacher in Scotland. You can attend as many of the workshops in the series as you like. You must register for each workshop separately by clicking on the links below. 

• Workshop 1: Assessing progress in primary languages
  4-5pm, Wednesday 26 January 2022
  We will explore some assessment approaches and tools. We will look at examples of listening, talking, reading and writing in L2 by primary learners. We will refer to Education Scotland’s Modern Languages early – second level benchmarks and first – second level progression framework.
   
• Workshop 2: Engaging cultural contexts for primary language learning
  4-5pm, Wednesday 23 February 2022
  We will look at interdisciplinary approaches to support language learning. We will explore a range of activities and resources to develop children’s intercultural understanding, awareness of cultural diversity and multilingualism both globally and locally. We will share examples of current practice in Scottish schools.
   
• Workshop 3: Parental engagement for family learning in languages at primary
  4-5pm, Wednesday 27th April 2022
  We will consider the positive impact that parental engagement and family learning with languages can have on pupils and their families. We will consider the importance of parental engagement in relation to other initiatives within Scottish Education, mainly raising attainment and will share examples of current practice on how schools are engaging with parents/families through languages.
   
• Workshop 4: Making languages work for your primary pupils: DYW and 1+2
  4-5pm Wednesday 25th May 2022
  We will look at how your school can make meaningful connections between the language learning and the Developing the Young Workforce agenda, and maybe pick up a Scottish Languages Employability Award along the way! Be inspired by examples from primary schools across the country.

All workshops will take place on Microsoft Teams and will not be recorded.

See attached workshop series flyer which can be distributed to colleagues.

November Bitesize: Making languages work for your primary pupils

12 November 2021 (SCILT)

SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.

In November 2021, we are looking at how we can combine employability and language skills in the primary classroom. Come along on 24 November to share your ideas and hear what others do too!

Our special guests will be Leanne Duncan, PT at Danestone Primary School, Aberdeen City and Christina MacGregor, P4-7 GME Teacher at Goodlyburn Primary School, Perth & Kinross. Leanne and Christina will tell us about the last year’s achievements by their pupils with activities that integrated languages and employability skills. The languages taught across the two schools are Gaelic, English, French and Chinese.

Find out more, along with the registration link, on our Bitesize webpage.

Read more...

Presentations and recordings are now available! Moving Forward with L3: Challenges and Opportunities Event, 10 September 2021

5 November 2021 (SCILT)

If you missed any part of this event, then we have good news for you! Materials are now available on our website to view at your own leisure, including video presentations from Keynote speaker, Joanna McPake, Reader in Education at the University of Strathclyde and Plenary speakers, Dr Łukasz Lutostański, Consul General and Sylwia Spooner, Head of Cultural Affairs at the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh. The event welcomed language leaders and practitioners to share thoughts, ideas, good practice and discuss the challenges we face in embedding L3 into our curricula, including information on the newly launched 10 Steps to Polish Programme, run in conjunction with SCILT.

PowerPoint presentations used from facilitated discussions, including testimonials and speaker biographies are also available to view and will be of interest to the language teaching community.

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A Conversation with Lilian Thuram

29 October 2021 (SCILT)

On Thursday, 10 June 2021, SCILT hosted an online conversation with the French anti-racism campaigner and World Cup winning footballer, Lilian Thuram, to mark the launch of My Black Stars, a translation of Thuram’s bestselling 2010 volume, Mes Etoiles Noires. Over the past decade, the Lilian Thuram Foundation for Education against Racism has been at the forefront of the fight for racial equality in France, and this was a great opportunity to bring its work to the attention of an English-language audience.

The conversation, led by Cédric Moreau and David Murphy, from Modern Languages at the University of Strathclyde, took place in French, and a video of the event is now available on YouTube (with the option of French or English sub-titles).

This should be a great resource for French teachers looking to introduce students to issues around racism and inclusion. In addition, the publisher of My Black Stars has a great resource on its blog: a recording of Lilian Thuram reading the introduction to the book in French, plus readings in English by students from the Universities of Strathclyde and Stirling of some sample chapters.

Creative Puppetry with French in the Early Years

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...

Words for the World competition

5 October 2021 (SCILT)

‘We must believe in the power and the strength of our words. Our words can change the world.’ (Malala Yousafzai)

Are you looking for a way to engage your language learners to think about global issues ahead of the COP26 summit in November? Inspired by Malala’s words, our Words for the World competition could be just what you need! SCILT is challenging learners to use their words and their languages to show how the world could be a better place.

More information about the competition is available on our Words for the World webpage. The entry deadline is 25 October 2021. If you'd like to upload submissions to the Words for the World MS Team, please contact us and provide your Glow email address. Please note, the competition is only open to schools in Scotland.

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Espacios Increíbles 2021-22 - Register your interest now!

1 October 2021 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to announce Espacios Increíbles is back for its 3^rd year and it is bigger and better than before! We are looking for lots of budding architects and designers from S2 and S3 to take part in our Spanish competition to create an ‘Amazing Space.’

This competition combines aspects of design with Spanish language skills as they present their Espacio Increíble to a panel of judges and a live audience. Espacios Increíbles is a great way of introducing your pupils to different career pathways open to them when they study a language and encouraging uptake of Spanish in the Senior Phase.

To find out more visit our Espacios Increíbles webpage and register your school’s interest, by Monday 8 November.

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MTOT 2021-22 - registration deadline approaching!

30 September 2021 (SCILT)

Our multilingual poetry competition offers schools and learners the opportunity to use their language skills creatively, by producing an original poem, song or rap in a language they speak at home (Mother Tongue) or are learning at school (Other Tongue). With a focus on the spoken word, entries are invited in video or audio format.

Teachers, help us find the next generation of multilingual poets! The deadline to register your school is 7 October 2021 (National Poetry Day), and all entries should be submitted by 3 December 2021. 

Visit our MTOT webpage for full details and to sign-up.

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New project alert! Polish through Art

30 September 2021 (SCILT / Bilingualism Matters)

Primary teachers, would you like to be involved in an exciting and innovative project focusing on language learning (Polish) through Art? This project, in partnership with Bilingualism Matters, aims to explore and develop skills in applying multicultural and multilingual approaches to (Polish) language teaching in the primary school. We are looking to recruit primary teachers working in mainstream schools and teachers working in the Polish complementary schools.

The project will run over a 5-month period and will feature 4 online workshops/sessions scheduled to take place on:

• Wed 27 Oct 15.30-17.30 
• Wed 3  Nov 15.30-17.30 
• Wed 17 Nov 15.30-17.30
• Wed 19 Jan 15.30-17.30

All workshops will be delivered on MS Teams and will be a blend of professional learning and practical activities. 

You will work in pairs or small groups with colleagues in the mainstream/complementary schools and will have the chance to plan and share knowledge with each other. There will be the opportunity to contribute to SCILT’s knowledge exchange event taking place in February where you will be able to share your experience from participating in the project with colleagues from across the country. To showcase the pupil’s art, an online gallery will be created in which you and your pupils will have the opportunity to contribute.

If you would like to participate in this new project, please register via the link below. By registering you are committing to attending all 4 workshops.

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European Day of Languages 2021 - feature in our blog!

23 September 2021 (SCILT)

The European Day of Languages celebrates it's 20th anniversary on Sunday 26th September. What has your school been doing to celebrate?

Send a description of your activities and a few photos and we'll include you in our EDL 2021 blog! Some entries may even be featured in the SCILT winter newsletter.

Complete the form via the link below or send an email to scilt@strath.ac.uk. And you can tag @scottishcilt on Twitter!

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Case study: Strengthening links to literacy across languages

21 September 2021 (SCILT)

Professional Learning Partnerships (PLPs) are a bespoke part of the SCILT CLPL offer. A PLP is a collaborative and enquiring means of challenging thinking, considering practice and bringing about improvement.

In a recent PLP that ran over two years, teachers in several West Lothian primary schools chose to focus on strengthening literacy skills across languages. They were supported variously by local authority development officers with responsibility for Literacy, PEF and 1+2 Languages, as well as by SCILT and a bilingual theatre practitioner. In year 1, eight schools considered the needs of their learners and the demands of their school improvement plan before settling on a particular pedagogical approach and/or a selection of resources that they were interested in transferring to the context of teaching additional languages. In year 2, three schools collaborated to produce interdisciplinary learning materials and pupil-led drama activities to support reading and performance in L2. Read the West Lothian PLP Case Study on our website.

Each Professional Learning Partnership is unique and based on the needs of the audience and talents of the participating professionals. Examining evidence together, engaging in professional discussion and exploring practical ways forward, each partnership aims to effect positive change that impacts on learners. If you would like to discuss developing a PLP with us, please email scilt@strath.ac.uk with PLP in the subject line.

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Languages beyond school

17 September 2021 (SCILT)

If you have pupils considering language study once they move on from secondary education, the Beyond School section of our website contains a wealth of information about university and college language courses, study abroad and volunteering opportunities overseas. With links to UCAS and university guides it's also a useful resource for careers guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process gets underway.

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September Bitesize: Early Years creative puppetry and language learning drop-in

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.

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SCILT winter newsletter - send us your stories!

16 September 2021 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2021 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This could cover work going on in schools before the summer break, innovative projects taking place during Covid-19, or other language learning celebrations or initiatives. 

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 8th October 2021.

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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Masters study opportunity for LLP/TTT and TeLT alumni

10 September 2021 (SCILT/University of Strathclyde)

Four questions for Scottish primary and secondary teachers:

• Are you interested in developing yourself professionally and academically through Masters study?
• Have you been a participant on the Education Scotland/SCILT course called Languages Leadership Programme (LLP, previously known as Train the Trainer) within the last five years?
• Have you been a student on the Open University/SCILT programme called Teachers Learning to Teach Languages in Primary School (TeLT) within the last five years?
• Were you awarded GTCS Professional Recognition from either of these programmes?

If the answer is yes, then you are eligible to accredited prior learning (APL) to the tune of 20 Masters credits, enabling you to transfer onto Masters in Education (MEd) pathways at the School of Education at the University of Strathclyde.

The award of GTCS Professional Recognition from these programmes gives access to the following pathways:

• MEd Education Studies for TeLT and LLP/TTT alumni.  Start date September 2021 or January 2022
• MEd Educational Leadership for LLP/TTT alumni.  Start date September 2021 or September 2022

Interested? 

For the MEd Education Studies route contact Angela De Britos angela.de-britos@strath.ac.uk

For the MEd Educational Leadership route contact Joanna Holmes joanna.holmes@strath.ac.uk

Languages Week Scotland 2022 - save the date!

6 September 2022 (SCILT)

We are pleased to announce that Languages Week Scotland 2022 will run from 31 January - 4 February 2022. The theme is "The 'Rights' Approach - incorporating learners' rights within Scotland's languages landscape" and we hope that schools and learners, universities and colleges, businesses and social enterprises, community and arts organisations across the country will join with us in celebrating the signed and spoken languages used and learned across Scotland.

Follow the dedicated Twitter account @LangsWeekScot for all the latest news, and don't forget to use the hashtag #scotlandloveslanguages to share how you celebrate.

MTOT 2021-22 - Our multilingual poetry competition is back!

3 September 2021 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce the launch of MTOT 2021-22! This competition offers schools and learners the opportunity to use their language skills creatively, by producing an original poem, song or rap in a language they speak at home (Mother Tongue) or are learning at school (Other Tongue). We are continuing our focus on the spoken word, so entries can be in video or audio format.

Last year, despite all the challenges, MTOT went from strength to strength, and the creativity shown by all those who entered was truly uplifting. Our winners were featured on the Kid’s Poetry Club podcast, and MTOT now has its own dedicated section on the UK Children’s Poetry Archive. As if that wasn’t enough, this year we are also partnering with the Dictionaries of the Scots Language, who are offering a special prize for winning entries in Scots. 

Whatever your language, we want you to find your voice and share it with us. We can’t wait to see what this year’s young poets will produce!

Teachers should register interest by 7 October 2021 (National Poetry Day), and all entries will be submitted by 3 December 2021. 

Visit our MTOT webpage for full details.

Read more...

European Day of Languages 2021 - how is your school celebrating?

27 August 2021 (SCILT)

The European Day of Languages (EDL) is celebrated on 26 September each year. Now celebrating its 20th 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 2021?

If you're looking for inspiration SCILT has compiled lots of ideas for primary, secondary and parents & families on our EDL webpage. Perhaps a Eurovision-style song contest, a QR code scavenger hunt, or a food festival? 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 2021 blog. Send a short description and some colourful photos to scilt@strath.ac.uk or tag @scottishcilt on Twitter. Use the hashtags #coeEDL #20EDL or #happybirthdayEDL to share your celebrations with schools across Europe!

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SCILT professional learning programme 2021-22 - available to book now!

27 August 2021 (SCILT)

Are you a local authority officer with responsibility for languages? 
 
Are you a Head of Faculty, Head of Department or Principal Teacher of languages in your secondary school? 
 
Are you a lead language practitioner or primary school leader? 
 
Are you looking for high quality professional learning for your colleagues?
 
If so, you can request a SCILT workshop for colleagues in your school, department, cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative via the link below. 

Whatever your professional learning needs, we will endeavour to meet them. If you have specific requirements we are happy to collaborate with you to develop bespoke input and support. In addition to practical suggestions, SCILT workshops are designed to explore the pedagogy that underpins practice through discussion and reflection with local colleagues. 
 
Please visit the professional learning page of our website for further information and details of each of the workshops available. Please note, these workshops are intended for group bookings only. 
 
During 2021-22, we will run webinars and drop-in sessions which will be open to everyone. Registration for those will be on an event–by–event basis and will be publicised via the SCILT e-bulletin.

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The Jacqueline Munro-Lafon Essay Prize 2021 - Winners announced!

16 August 2021 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society)

The Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland, in partnership with SCILT (Scotland's National Centre for Languages), established an essay prize in honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community and to mark her one hundredth birthday.

Pupils from across Scotland took part in the competition and produced a high quality of essays. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held by Zoom on Tuesday 15 June 2021. A recording of this, along with a list of the winning entries, is now available on the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland website.

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Save the Date! L3 knowledge exchange event coming soon….

17 June 2021 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce that our knowledge event Moving Forward with L3: Challenge and Opportunity will take place online on Friday 10 September from 1.30 – 4pm. The event will explore the ways in which primary and secondary schools are incorporating L3 into the curriculum and will consider some of the challenges it poses. Themed parallel sessions will run throughout the afternoon where participants will have the opportunity to consider key points from presentations delivered and engage in professional dialogue with colleagues. This cross sector event is open to primary and secondary practitioners, language leads, PTs, Faculty heads, local authority development officers and relevant members of the school’s leadership team. We are looking forward to welcoming you to this event and further details on how to register will be available soon.

SCILT will soon be recruiting a new Professional Development Officer to expand its existing secondary team

11 June 2021 (SCILT)

• Are you a committed and dynamic secondary teacher of Modern Languages looking for a new challenge?
• Do you have the leadership skills to support colleagues with inspiring and research-informed professional learning?
• Do you have the creativity to design and lead projects that shape and improve learning for Scotland’s young people?

If so, then this may be the opportunity for you to develop your skills and support learning at a national level.

More details on the post and application process coming soon!

Enquiries and notes of interest to SCILT scilt@strath.ac.uk

SCILT professional learning programme 2021-22 - book now!

11 June 2021 (SCILT)

Are you a local authority officer with responsibility for languages? 
 
Are you a Head of Faculty, Head of Department or Principal Teacher of languages in your secondary school? 
 
Are you a lead language practitioner or primary school leader? 
 
Are you looking for high quality professional learning for your colleagues?
 
If so, you can request a SCILT workshop for colleagues in your school, department, cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative via the link below. 

Whatever your professional learning needs, we will endeavour to meet them. If you have specific requirements we are happy to collaborate with you to develop bespoke input and support. In addition to practical suggestions, SCILT workshops are designed to explore the pedagogy that underpins practice through discussion and reflection with local colleagues. 
 
Please visit the professional learning page of our website for further information and details of each of the workshops available. Please note, these workshops are intended for group bookings only. 
 
During 2021-22, we will run webinars and drop-in sessions which will be open to everyone. Registration for those will be on an event–by–event basis and will be publicised via the SCILT e-bulletin.

Read more...

BSL as an L3 - register now

4 June 2021 (SCILT / Garvel Deaf Centre)

SCILT has been working, in collaboration with Garvel Deaf Centre in Gourock, Inverclyde to develop a series of online British Sign Language (BSL) classes to support L3 in primary schools. We are delighted that registration is now open for schools to register their interest in the ‘BSL as an L3’ programme. The weekly lessons will be suitable for pupils in P5-P7 and are free of charge. In addition to the live lessons, supplementary resources such as video clips will be provided on Teams to support asynchronous learning opportunities.

The block of online classes will:

• begin in early September
• take place live on MS Teams 
• be 45 minutes in length, once a week, for 10 weeks
• be delivered by an experienced deaf tutor, supported by a BSL interpreter
• raise deaf awareness
• promote inclusion and diversity

Register your interest by 21 June 2021 via the link below. For more information please contact SCILT. To hear of more opportunities from Scotland’s National Centre for Languages please subscribe to our weekly bulletin - http://bit.ly/sciltnewsbulletin

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Polish classes for primary teachers – registration deadline approaching

3 June 2021 (Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow / Polish Consulate / SCILT)

SCILT has been working, in collaboration with the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, and supported by the Polish Consulate in Edinburgh, to produce the much-anticipated resource for primary teachers to support the teaching of L3 Polish in the classroom. We are delighted to announce that this resource will soon be launched and made available to primary teachers ahead of session 21/22. This interactive handbook has been designed for teachers, by teachers and is supported by online classes where primary practitioners can build their confidence for teaching Polish. 

Primary teachers who are interested can register by 11 June 2021 for a block of free online Polish language lessons, led by a native Polish speaker and an experienced primary practitioner. These online classes:

• begin on Tuesday 31^st August
• will take place on MS Teams
• will be an hour in length, once a week, for 8 weeks
• take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays – choose the day that suits you best
• support Ten Steps to L3 Polish and aim to give the class teacher the confidence to lead exciting Polish lessons in school

This L3 programme has been developed to provide a rich language and cultural learning experience, suitable for children from P5-P7.

Chris Sagan, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Polish Social and Educational Society in Glasgow, has led the programme from its infancy and looks forward to seeing the resource being used in classrooms across the country. He states, “Since 1989 when Poland was released from the grip of Soviet Russia, the country has grown and developed exponentially so that today Poland is one of the new tiger economies of Europe. Poland now takes her place as an equal among the Nations of Europe.

“It is fitting then that we are going to now introduce to classrooms in Scotland an interactive, web-based handbook to assist teachers who choose to teach Polish as an L3 language. The Ten Steps to L3 Polish handbook has been designed to introduce learners and teachers to the customs, culture and traditions of Poland while learning the basics of the language.

“In addition to the handbook, free language lessons for teachers will be offered to provide support and encouragement. We are eager to welcome Scotland’s teachers to both the handbook and lessons and look forward to hearing enthusiastic Polish voices in classrooms across the country.”

These classes are aimed at teachers planning to introduce Polish as an L3. Places are limited and offered on a first-come first-served basis. 

For more information about Ten Steps to L3 Polish and/or language classes, please contact scilt@strath.ac.uk.

Wszystkiego najlepszego.

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Espacios Increíbles - winners announced

27 May 2021 (SCILT)

Congratulations to Holy Cross High School, Hamilton on winning SCILT's Espacios Increíbles competition 2020-21.

The winner was announced at the final, held online on Wednesday 19 May 2021.

A superb effort from all four finalist schools (Dunblane High School, Kinross High School, Prestwick Academy, as well as Holy Cross High) with stiff competition and a very difficult decision for the judges.

The competition for S3 pupils takes an IDL approach, and combines Spanish with art, design and technology, with pupils designing an amazing space and presenting their work in Spanish. 

Holy Cross came out on top with their innovative design for a children's hospital, which took into consideration the needs of the children and elements for their enjoyment, as well as thinking about the environment. Teamwork and working to their strengths were evident throughout and their presentation was slick during the live final. The Spanish was excellent and the language used was embedded in their learning.

The other 3 schools did an amazing job with innovative and sustainable designs for a cultural and arts centre, a sustainable restaurant and a scientific research observatory in the rainforest. Amazing ideas using amazing creativity!

More information on this year's final will be on the SCILT website soon as well as details of how your school can enter next year's competition.   

SCILT Spring 2021 newsletter published

14 May 2021 (SCILT)

The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter is here!

Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning offer, our motivating competitions and our online events. Find out how schools celebrated Languages Week Scotland 2021, 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.

Read more...

May Bitesize: Parental Engagement in Schools – Primary & Secondary drop-in

11 May 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 May 2021, we’re looking at parental engagement and how schools approach this in a languages context. So join the drop-in on 26 May, 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...

MTOT 2021 - winner videos now available!

30 April 2021 (SCILT)

In academic session 2020-21, after a short hiatus, SCILT relaunched the Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition, with a new focus on the spoken word. Learners were invited not only to write a poem in their mother or other tongue, but to perform it so that their words could be heard in their own voice. The work produced by all the young poets who took part was wonderful, especially during this most challenging year. The winning and highly commended video entries from this year's competition in Scotland are now available to view on the MTOT Awards page of SCILT's website.

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - next deadline 21 May!

29 April 2021 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. The award aims to help schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages and supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 21 May 2021. 

Due to restrictions over the past year, online events and activities will be accepted as evidence towards the award. To read the full guidelines, watch videos from the pilot schools and read case studies from previous winners, visit the SLEA page on the SCILT website. 

If you have any questions about the award or the submission process please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Presentations now available! Scotland’s Languages Landscape: Equity in Diversity Event, 26 February 2021

20 April 2021 (SCILT)

If you missed any part of this event, then we have good news for you! Materials are now available on our website to view at your own leisure, including video presentations from Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, Keynote speaker, Dr Stacey Margarita Johnson, Assistant Director of the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Plenary speaker, Louise Glen, Senior Education Officer at Education Scotland, highlighting the importance of providing all learners with access to a wide range of language and intercultural experiences.

PowerPoint presentations used from facilitated discussions, including testimonials and speaker biographies are also available to view and will be of interest to the language teaching community and community-based organisations.

Read more...

Teachers Learning to Teach Languages: OU-SCILT Programme

1 April 2021 (Open University/SCILT)

Registration for the Open University (OU) and SCILT online CPD programme in primary languages, known as TELT, is now open for the 2021 intake. The modules begin on 2 October with induction activities starting on 20 September, and finish in July 2022. The fee in Scotland is £264.00 per module place. Please request registration packs by 30 June 2021.

You can find important information about the programme at our dedicated TELT programme website. There you can see which languages and levels we offer, FAQs and what our past students say.

To register, please contact the OU corporate registrations team by writing to corporate-enquiries@open.ac.uk. NB please also copy scotland-languages@open.ac.uk into your email.

Please note it is important for prospective TELT students to plan ahead and ensure that they will be able to dedicate sufficient time to their study, because, once the module start date has passed, deferral is not possible. The fee will still be payable and cannot be refunded if students decide to defer or withdraw from studying the module.

Should you have any questions about this programme please contact scotland-languages@open.ac.uk.

Read more...

Calling all 1+2 LLP/Train the Trainer participants 2014-2019 – Join the Languages Leadership Programme Team!

25 March 2021 (SCILT)

Did you attend Education Scotland and SCILT’s Summer School for the 1+2 Languages Leadership Programme 2017-2019, or Train the Trainer 2014-2016? If so, then this role might be for you!

Scotland’s new Languages Leadership Programme launches in June of this year. To begin with, participants will attend 2 days of online professional learning led by Education Scotland on 18-19 June through a vibrant online LLP learning community using Teams in Glow.

During 2021-22, participants will then take part in the LLP affiliated professional learning of their choice from a menu of LLP affiliated opportunities from Education Scotland, SCILT and LANGS partners. During this time they will complete a number of critical reflection tasks in relation to their leadership activity and LLP affiliated professional learning. Over the course of the year, Critical Friends will each support a small number of participants, providing regular feedback on their critical reflection tasks.

Wondering whether you could be a critical friend?

• Have you benefitted from taking part in the 1+2 LLP/TTT programme yourself?
• Have you previously undertaken or would you like to undertake a coaching, mentoring or critical friend role to support colleagues with their professional development?

If so, then you will bring a wealth of commitment, understanding and skills to the new Critical Friend role on this innovative pilot. You will be involved in the evaluation process at different stages during the year and professional learning and support will be provided to you. In addition, Critical Friends will also be supported to submit an individual application for GTCS Professional Recognition. 

Visit the registration page to find out how you can apply to join the LLP team as a Critical Friend by Monday 17 May.

If you have any questions about applying for this role, please email scilt@strath.ac.uk and include ‘LLP’ in the subject line.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Read more...

Cultural contexts for primary language learning - March Bitesize

10 March 2020 (SCILT)

This month, SCILT invites you to join us to consider how aspects of bilingual pupils’ home cultures or cultures related to the L2/L3 languages taught in your school can be sourced and shared meaningfully in class.

Learn from and with others in this month’s drop-in session. Our special guests will be a trio of practising teachers with a host of experience who recently contributed to a presentation at a conference in Spain on this topic:

• Jennifer Maxwell, NQT, Dykesmain Primary School, North Ayrshire
• Lindsay Allan, Languages Lead, Neilston Primary Primary School, East Renfrewshire - Scottish Education Award 2020 Internationalism and Languages Category Finalist
• Kirsten Barrett, EAL teacher and eTwinning Ambassador, St Maria Goretti Primary School, Glasgow

Hear how intercultural and international connections have worked for their pupils. Come and share your own experiences and successes.

For the reflective questions and to join us for a drop-in session to discuss this theme on Wednesday 24th March, click on the link below.

Read more...

MTOT 2021 - winners announced!

25 February 2021 (SCILT)

Whilst the current pandemic prevented us from hosting this year's Mother Tongue Other Tongue celebratory awards event in the stunning Ramshorn Building in Glasgow, we managed to host our very own online red carpet event instead! Pupils, teachers and parents joined us online to hear the winners announced on the afternoon of Friday 19 February, a date especially chosen to tie in with International Mother Language Day on 21 February celebrating all world languages.

We are delighted to announce the following winners and highly commended entries in each category:

Mother Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Zayne Emengo-Okpo	St Aloysius College JS	Hausa
	Highly commended	Eloïse Harkins	St Aloysius College JS	French
P5-P7	Winner	Lucja Lubanska	St Charles’ Primary	Polish
	Highly commended	Ahmad Raza	Newmains Primary	Urdu
S1-S3	Winner	Pranay Neppalli	Craigmount High	Telugu
	Highly commended	Filip Strzalka	Craigmount High	Polish
S4-S6	Winner	Chancelvie Bembo	St Benedicts	French
	Highly commended	Lovely Selwyn	Bishopbriggs Academy	Tamil
Other Tongue	Award	Pupil	School	Language
P1-P4	Winner	Abbie Rettie	Goodlyburn Primary	Gaelic
	Highly commended	Haroon Majid	Braidbar Primary	French
	Highly commended	Stephanie Mackay-Watt	Goodlyburn Primary	Gaelic
P5-P7	Winner	Isobel Ross	Braidbar Primary	BSL
	Highly commended	Evelina Finkova	Goodlyburn Primary	Gaelic
S1-S3	Winner	Rona Bryden	Loudoun Academy	German
	Highly commended	Anna d’Alessio	Bishopbriggs Academy	Italian
	Highly commended	Alistair Hillis	Jordanhill	Mandarin
S4-S6	Winner	Lewis Fleming	St Thomas Aquinas	Spanish
	Highly commended	Anya Jarvis	Loudoun Academy	French
	Highly commended	Ellie McGill	Carrick Academy	French

 

All pupils will receive a certificate and book token. Winning entrants will also receive a trophy as well as the opportunity for their poems to feature in The Children's Poetry Archive and Kids Poetry Club podcast. We will be in contact with schools shortly about taking these extra special opportunities forward.

It is our intention to host each of these poems on the SCILT website and we'll announce when these are available.

Congratulations again to all our finalists!

German Educational Trainees Across Borders 2021/22

25 February 2021 (Get Across Borders / SCILT)

Expressions of interest are now being taken from local authorities who would like to host a German student teacher for a 6 month placement during the 2021/22 school session.

German trainee teachers from Universities in Mainz, Leipzig and Koblenz are available to work in Scottish schools for a six month placement from September/October 2021 to March/April 2022. Participating students are native German speakers, training to become secondary teachers of English. 

German Educational Trainees (GETs) support language teaching and intercultural understanding, bringing language alive for learners with a trained and motivated native speaker. 

Local authorities interested in hosting GETs should register with SCILT by Friday 26th March. For more information and to register your interest please contact SCILT. 

New job profile on SCILT's website

23 February 2021 (SCILT)

We have a bank of job profiles on our website from a diverse range of occupations where languages are being used. Teachers use these to promote the benefits of language learning to pupils and to encourage uptake in schools.

Our latest addition comes from Leah Duncan-Karrim, who is studying Mandarin at university. Leah tells us how her knowledge of the language has opened up niche opportunities for her in her role as a sales assistant for luxury fashion brands.

Read more...

SCILT spring newsletter - send us your stories!

16 February 2021 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our spring 2021 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages. This could cover work going on in schools before Christmas, as well as innovative projects taking place during school closures, Languages Week Scotland celebrations or other languages initiatives. 

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 12th March 2021.

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...

10 questions with… Fhiona Mackay

12 February 2021 (TESS)

Tes Scotland sits down with Fhiona Mackay to talk languages, legacies and Laurie Lee

Fhiona Mackay is director of SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, where she has been working since 2012. Before that she was a principal teacher of modern languages, who became a passionate advocate not only of her subjects but also for the life-changing benefits of school trips.

She talks to Tes Scotland about why she thinks she has the best job in the country – and why pupils must be shown that languages are so much more than subjects on a school timetable.

A subscription is required to read this article

Read more...

Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon essay competition

11 February 2021 (SCILT/Franco-Scottish Society Scotland)

In honour of Madame Jacqueline Munro-Lafon’s long and active life in the Franco-Scottish Community, the Franco-Scottish Society of Scotland wish to award an essay prize in her name this year to mark her one hundredth birthday.

This competition is aimed at Advanced Higher learners of French. All essay submissions must present a reflection on life and society from 1921 to 2021 in France and Scotland, to take into account Madame Munro-Lafon’s life and interests.

The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £500, and their essay will also be published in the annual Bulletin of the Franco-Scottish Society. Two runner-up prizes of £100 will be awarded by SCILT.

• A maximum of three entries can be submitted from each school. Register your interest for your school to get involved by 5pm on 1 March.

Visit the Eventbrite webpage for further information and how to register.

Read more...

Latest SLEA recipient announced!

9 February 2021 (SCILT)

We are delighted to announce Renfrew High School in Renfrewshire as the latest recipient of the Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) in recognition of their successful partnership working in promoting languages as a key skill for employment.

The school received a Bronze Award for the 'Braehead Brochure' project with their partner Braehead shopping centre. The awarding panel commented: “Renfrew High School’s project and submission is a really interesting and practical one. It has a strong sense of purpose and a tangible, useful outcome.”

Congratulations to everyone involved on their excellent achievement! 

The SLEA, developed by SCILT in partnership with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. Read more about Renfrew High School's project, and find out how to submit your own entry for the Award, on the SCILT website.

Read more...

SCILT Lessons from Lockdown Learning

4 February 2021 (SCILT)

During the first period of lockdown last year, from early May until the end of June, SCILT delivered a series of online live language classes which were open to learners across Scotland. With the help of feedback from learners and parents, and the input of external observers, we have examined and evaluated this online learning and teaching experience, and in the report, we share these evaluations and the key lessons learned during this time. We hope that it might prove helpful to teachers in the planning and delivery of online lessons.

We would also love to hear from you! We would really value your thoughts about your experiences of online teaching and any suggestions that you have, either for Professional Learning or support which we could provide, or advice that you would wish to pass on to fellow practitioners. Get in touch at scilt@strath.ac.uk!

Read SCILT Lessons from Lockdown – A review of online learning and teaching

Discovering the World of Arabic 2021-22

28 January 2021 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and eSgóil, is currently looking for schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world through our Discovering the World of Arabic programme.  

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for both primary and secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture. Courses have been co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team of native speakers, with language lessons delivered online by a native speaker of Arabic via e-Sgoil. For learners in primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week interdisciplinary block of learning and is aimed at P5-P7 pupils. For secondary schools, the course will focus on developing conversational Arabic which will enhance learners’ employability skills and runs until March 2022. It is aimed at S6 senior phase learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and their CVs. Both courses are delivered using a mix of live and recorded classes, with supplementary materials being shared via Glow Teams. Participating schools will also receive the support of a fully-trained, native speaking, language assistant. The lessons give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arabic culture as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

Classes are provisionally scheduled as follows:

• Primary - Tuesdays and Thursdays 13.30-14.30, starting August 2021
• Secondary - Mondays and Wednesdays13.30-14.30, starting June 2021

In addition, participating schools will receive ongoing support from the SCILT team and a grant of £2000. This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arabic culture.

Places are limited for this opportunity, so if you would like your school to be considered to take part, please contact SCILT at scilt@strath.ac.uk before close of business on Friday 19 February 2021. Please include the following information in your note of interest:

• Name of school and your nominated contact person
• Brief reasons for your establishment's interest in this project, and how it would fit into your school's provision for language learning.
• What ideas you have, if any, for spending the bursary associated with the project.
• How you would share this learning experience with your wider community (this could be both within your school and externally)?

SCILT professional learning leaflet

21 January 2021 (SCILT)

SCILT offers a wide range of professional learning opportunities for pre- and in-service teachers. Primary, secondary. Synchronous, asynchronous. One off, ongoing. Check out our updated CLPL flyer for all the details you need. Download and share with colleagues in your next virtual staff meeting.

Like you, our friendly primary and secondary Professional Development Officers are working online from home at the moment.  Make a booking or send a query to scilt@strath.ac.uk with CLPL in the subject line.  Alternatively, go direct to the Professional Learning area of the website to browse some more.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Read more...

SCILT Live Lessons for Senior Phase Learners

14 January 2021 (SCILT/eSgoil)

During the current lockdown, SCILT is delighted to support our partners at eSgoil by offering live language lessons. These will be available to all Senior Phase learners in Scotland – learners can register through the eSgoil website.

Daytime Study Support

• Higher French – Thursdays at 11.15
• National 5 French – Tuesdays at 11.15
• Higher Spanish – Tuesdays at 14.15
• National 5 Spanish – Wednesdays at 09.30

You can register for Daytime Study Support Sessions here- http://www.e-sgoil.com/daytimestudysupport2020/

SCILT is continuing to offer evening support sessions for Advanced Higher:

• Advanced Higher Spanish – Wednesdays at 17.00
• Advanced Higher French – Thursdays at 17.00

You can register for Evening Study Support Sessions here - http://www.e-sgoil.com/studysupport2020/

eSgoil is offering a wide range of support for learners of all ages throughout lockdown, and SCILT is proud to support them and Scotland’s educational community through these challenging times.

Languages Week Scotland

7 January 2021 (SCILT)

Languages Week Scotland 2021 will take place during the week 1–5 February. The theme is ‘Celebrating Scotland’s languages landscape’ and the aim is to amplify the voices of people, organisations and events that celebrate multilingualism and the many ways it manifests in Scottish communities. 

Follow the hashtag #scotlandloveslanguages or the dedicated Twitter account @LangsWeekScot to find out what is happening or to share anything you will do with your learners to mark the week.

Schools can download the Languages Week Scotland logo from the SCILT website (Resources for Languages Week Scotland). Please add to emails and other promotional materials to show your support. 

Keep your eye out for daily challenges from 1-5 February, which will engage learners whether in the classroom or at home.

SCILT Christmas 2020 webpage - now live!

4 December 2020 (SCILT)

Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?

SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your pupils, from interactive advent calendars and games, to lesson plans and festive facts. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and around the world!

Read more...

SCILT Winter 2020 newsletter published

27 November 2020 (SCILT)

The latest edition of the SCILT newsletter is here! Read about SCILT’s work to support the learning and teaching of languages, including our professional learning offer, our motivating competitions and our programme of support during school closures. Find out how schools celebrated European Day of Languages, 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.

Read more...

Making Space for Languages (1 October) – Event recordings now available!

26 November 2020 (SCILT)

We are delighted to confirm the recently launched toolkit for Phase Two of our ERASMUS+ project, Generation Global, now includes recordings of the sessions that took place at the virtual launch event on 1 October. Entitled Making Space for Languages, the event brought together education professionals, from a range of organisations and backgrounds, to discuss the importance of languages and intercultural studies to all fields of study.

As well as compelling contributions by Fhiona Mackay (Director of SCILT), Laurence Findlay (Director of Education and Children’s Services, Aberdeenshire Council), Louise Glen (Senior Education Officer for Languages, Education Scotland), Dr Paul Hare (Professional Development Officer, SCILT) and partners from Denmark and Norway, visitors to the website will be able to view a fascinating panel discussion involving professionals from a broad range of academic disciplines, all of whom agree that a knowledge of languages gives an extra dimension across the full spectrum of careers.

Read more...

Scottish Languages Employability Award - videos from pilot schools

13 November 2020 (SCILT)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) aims to help schools and businesses to build partnerships through languages in order to develop young people’s learning about the world of work and the value of language skills.

Videos are now available on our website of two of the SLEA pilot schools talking about their experience of working towards, and submitting evidence for, the award. These include advice from teachers and school co-ordinators, and feedback from pupils who took part in the qualifying events, and would be useful for any teachers considering putting their school forward for the award. Huge thanks to the staff and pupils at St Mary’s Primary School and Bishopbriggs Academy for their fantastic contributions!

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 22nd January 2021. In view of the current restrictions, online events and activities will count towards the award. Please get in touch with Sheena Bell if you have any questions about any aspect of the submission process or if you would like more information about the award generally.

Read more...

IDL and languages in primary: November Bitesize

11 November 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT's monthly Bitesize drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s Bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.

The November Bitesize event looks at examples of using an IDL approach to support language teaching and learning in the primary classroom.

Visit our Bitesize webpage to find out more about the session taking place on Wednesday 25 November and to register.

Read more...

Online professional learning workshops from SCILT

23 October 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT is hosting two free online workshops in November and December, open to any primary teacher or student primary teacher. Bookings are now open, find out more about each workshop and register via the links below:

• Making languages work for your primary pupils: DYW and 1+2
  16.00-16.45, Thursday 5 November
  Register on Eventbrite
   
• Target language phonics
  16.00-16.45, Thursday 3 December
  Register on Eventbrite

 

BSL:  New case study alert!

23 October 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to announce the publication of its new case study on engaging parents with languages. This study, in conjunction with Education Scotland, highlights how Moorfoot Primary and Garvel Deaf Centre in Gourock support parents of deaf and hearing children with learning BSL. It provides insightful information on how BSL features greatly within the school, in addition to the other languages taught. Parents, pupils and staff share their experience of using and learning BSL and emphasise the value, significance and importance of all language learning and the impact it can have locally and beyond.

Read more...

Gathering robust evidence - Secondary drop-in

9 October 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.

In October 2020, we’re looking at how we can gather robust evidence to support our judgments about learner progress. Share your experiences of evidence gathering in your context. What works well? Or not?

This month, the drop-in will take place on Zoom between 4pm - 4:45pm on Wednesday 28th October. Before the drop-in, you should:

• Watch the interview, through the link below, at any time before joining the drop-in.
• Follow and use #SCILT_bitesize on Twitter, tag @scottishcilt.

More information, including the interview and reflective questions, as well as details for how to register for the drop-in, are available through the link below.

Read more...

eSgoil study support webinars

1 October 2020 (eSgoil/SCILT)

SCILT is proud to partner with colleagues at e-Sgoil in order to offer additional support to sixth year language learners.

Free live webinar lessons for young people studying Advanced Higher French and Spanish are available on line for eight weeks from the beginning of November.

Advanced Higher Spanish

Wednesdays 5 pm from 4 November 2020

Advanced Higher French

Thursdays 5 pm from 5 November 2020

Going by the response to previous live-streamed lessons, interest is likely to be high.  Please encourage young people to sign up as quickly as possible to guarantee their place. They will need their pupil Glow login details and Scottish Candidate Number to register.

More information and the registration link can be found on the eSgoil website.

Read more...

EDL 2020 - how did you celebrate?

1 October 2020 (SCILT)

How did you celebrate European Day of Languages this year? 

Email us a short description and some photos of your activities, and we will feature you in our EDL blog for 2020. We may even include your story in our next SCILT newsletter. 

We already have our first blog entries uploaded, be sure to take a look!

Read more...

MTOT is back!

1 October 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to announce the launch of Mother Tongue Other Tongue 2020-21!  This exciting competition is now open, and we want to find the next generation of young multilingual poets in Scotland. The competition has been redesigned to suit our new digital era, and we are inviting young people to submit entries focussing on the spoken word.  Videos, sound files, voiceovers, narrated presentations – whatever format fits best, we want to hear the voices of young linguists showcasing their language and poetry skills. It’s a great time to get involved with the creative side of language learning, so visit our MTOT webpages to find out more.

Read more...

Unity Wall - invitation to schools

23 September 2020 (SCILT)

We invited public figures to submit a message to welcome children and young people back to school in August 2020. These messages are in a language other than English, and we are delighted to feature such a wide range of languages. We hope these short films will inspire learners.

We invite learners and classes to create their own messages, in a language other than English, and share a positive message on unity and inclusion. If you would like to submit a video to be included on our wall, please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Lessons learned from lockdown bitesize

18 September 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT monthly drop-ins are free, themed virtual events that are open to teachers and student teachers working in Scotland. Drop-ins are an opportunity to share your thoughts on that month’s bitesize resource and/or share your own experience on the theme.

In September 2020, we’re looking at how learning and teaching of languages has evolved through the experience of lockdown. Share your experiences of delivering language education in innovative ways during an unprecedented situation.

Find out more about the sessions on our Bitesize webpage where you can register for the event relevant to your sector. Both primary and secondary sessions take place 4:00-4:45 on Wednesday 30 September.

Read more...

SCILT winter newsletter - send us your stories!

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. 

Read more...

Languages beyond school

4 September 2020 (SCILT)

If you have pupils considering language study once they move on from secondary education, the Beyond School section of our website contains a wealth of information about university and college language courses, study abroad and volunteering opportunities overseas. With links to UCAS and university guides it's also a useful resource for careers guidance staff to be aware of and highlight to students as the UCAS application process gets underway.

Read more...

CLPL on a theme: bitesize and drop-in professional learning each month

4 September 2020 (SCILT)

From September 2020 to March 2021 the SCILT Professional Development Officers are scheduling a series of themed on-demand and live professional learning that will be open to all in-service and student teachers in Scotland. 

Some months, the theme will be applicable to both primary and secondary teachers, in other months the theme will be sector specific.   

Around the middle of the month, we will post a film or a piece of reading (c.15 minutes) on the SCILT website. Registration will open for the live drop-in on the same theme. 

At the end of the month, the PDO team will host a live drop-in to discuss the bitesize stimulus and the theme in general. The session will last 45 minutes and will feature examples of current practice. Registration is free and open to all teachers and student teachers in Scotland. 

Interested?   

In September we’re kicking off with a theme that’s relevant to both secondary and primary teachers. 

Lessons from lockdown: A look at how our learning and teaching of languages has evolved through the experiences of lockdown. Let’s share our experiences of delivering language education in innovative ways during an unprecedented situation. What works well? What doesn’t? What can we continue to use in post-lockdown practice? Are there methods that actually work better for the “new normal”? 

Watch out for the release of our Lessons from lockdown bitesize film. You’ll be able to watch on demand on the SCILT website from Friday 18 September. 

At the same time, you will be able to register to join the drop-in session at 4pm on Wednesday 30 September. There will be separate drop-ins on the same theme for primary and for secondary teachers or ITE students. 

What’s next?  Themes will be revealed in the first e-bulletin of the month, so you’ll get all the latest details straight to your inbox. 

If you do join in either live or on-demand, you can keep the professional learning conversation going on social media by following and using the hashtags #SCILT_CLPL #SCILT_bitesize #SCILT_dropin.  We are looking forward to connecting with lots of you through this new (to us) approach to professional learning in the coming months. 

European Day of Languages 2020 - how are you celebrating?

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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CISS Alumni Association webinar series

1 September 2020 (CISS)

The CISS Alumni Association has organised a webinar series which aims to showcase the various experiences the alumni have had with further education, jobs, internships and Mandarin.

The webinars take place on Zoom on 8, 15 and 22 September at 6:30pm and will last just over an hour. 

The speakers are all alumni who will talk about their experiences after the scholarship and the impact the scholarship has had on such opportunities. (Please note - the scholarship opportunity is only available to Confucius hub schools, however all pupils considering studying abroad will hear about the resulting benefits of pursuing similar initiatives).

The details of each webinar are below:

• 1st Webinar – Education
  8 September at 6:30pm
  Speakers: Sara Cassidy, Leah Duncan-Karim, Grace Paterson

• 2nd Webinar –Jobs
  15 September at 6:30pm
  Speakers: Cameron Smyth, Connor Cloughley, Natalie Hotchkiss

• 3rd Webinar – Internships and Summer jobs
  22 September at 6:30pm
  Speakers: Erin Duffy, Owen Wilson, Robin Wilson

All school pupils and teachers are welcome and we kindly ask you to pass on these details to all interested parties. 

Please register via this link and the details of the Zoom will be made available to you.

 

CLPL on a theme: bitesize and drop-in professional learning each month

28 August 2020 (SCILT)

From September 2020 to March 2021 the SCILT Professional Development Officers are scheduling a series of themed on-demand and live professional learning that will be open to all in-service and student teachers in Scotland. 

Some months, the theme will be applicable to both primary and secondary teachers, in other months the theme will be sector specific.   

Around the middle of the month, we will post a film or a piece of reading (c.15 minutes) on the SCILT website. Registration will open for the live drop-in on the same theme. 

At the end of the month, the PDO team will host a live drop-in to discuss the bitesize stimulus and the theme in general. The session will last 45 minutes and will feature examples of current practice. Registration is free and open to all teachers and student teachers in Scotland. 

Sound interesting? Themes will be revealed in the first e-bulletin of the month, so you’ll get all the latest details straight to your inbox. We will be revealing our first theme for September in next week’s e-bulletin. 

We are looking forward to connecting with lots of you through this new (to us) approach to professional learning in the coming months. 

Unity Wall

21 August 2020 (SCILT)

Public figures welcome children and young people back to school on our Unity Wall, with messages from MSPs, footballers and others. Thank you to everyone who took the time to contribute.

These messages are in languages other than English. We are delighted to feature such a wide range of languages on our Unity Wall, and hope these short films will inspire pupils or classes to create their own messages. If you would like your video to be included on our wall, please contact SCILT. 

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Teachers Learning to Teach Languages: OU-SCILT Programme

20 August 2020 (Open University/SCILT)

Teachers Learning to Teach Languages (TELT) is an innovative, distance learning professional learning programme offered by the Open University in partnership with SCILT. The course begins in October and lasts nine months. TELT is open to all primary teachers, and secondary teachers with a secondment in primary, across Scotland. The course materials and tutorials are all delivered online, and we hope to be able to have an optional face to face day school in May 2021 dependent on pandemic safety advice at that time.

Typically Scottish local authorities sponsor their teachers, however a small number of previous participants have financed themselves. If you are interested in finding out if sponsorship is available for you please contact the Languages Development Officer in your local authority.

For more information about self-funding please contact Scotland-languages@open.ac.uk

The aim of the programme is to increase and improve language provision in primary schools. Teachers simultaneously learn a new language and the skills to teach that language in the classroom. The languages strand is offered in four languages – French, German, Mandarin and Spanish – and at two levels – beginners and post-beginners. The pedagogy strand covers a diverse range of pedagogical approaches i.e. embedding an additional language, exploring target language cultures, play and games, interdisciplinary contexts.

What’s the course really like though?  Hear what Mel and Gwen, two previous participants have to say. 

The modules all begin on 3 October, with some induction activities ahead of that, and the fee per module place in Scotland is £258.00

Details of the commitment in terms of time and effort on these modules at the TELT website’s FAQs.

Potential sponsors can use an online Expression of Interest form to let us know about any teachers who are interested in the programme and would have their fees paid by sponsorship from their local authority or individual school. The deadline to submit Expressions of Interest for sponsored places is 31 August. Submitting the Expression of Interest form doesn't commit organisations to going ahead with sponsorship at this stage, or to a particular number of places. Formal registration paperwork would be issued after submission this online form, and the number of places can be increased or decreased following that.

Teachers who are interested but would be paying their own fees (self-funding), should contact  scotland-languages@open.ac.uk The registration deadline for self-funding students is 10 September.

Visit the Open University TELT webpage for more information on the programme.

Similarly, for any other questions you have please don’t hesitate to contact scotland-languages@open.ac.uk

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SCILT professional learning programme 2020-21 - book now!

20 August 2020 (SCILT)

Are you a local authority officer with responsibility for languages in your region?

Are you a Head of Faculty, Head of Department or Principal Teacher in your secondary school?

Are you a lead language practitioner or primary school leader?

Are you looking for high quality online professional learning for your colleagues?

If so, check out the menu of online workshops that the Professional Development Officers at SCILT can provide for colleagues in your school or department, your cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative.

Please note, these online workshops are intended for group bookings only.

As always, we are happy to tailor professional learning sessions to meet your specific needs. Please use the same booking form to request bespoke input and/or online workshops from the menu.

Keep your eye on the e-bulletin for news of other professional learning opportunities we will be offering this session.

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SCILT professional learning programme 2020-21 - book now!

18 June 2020 (SCILT)

Are you a local authority officer with responsibility for languages in your region?

Are you a Head of Faculty, Head of Department or Principal Teacher in your secondary school?

Are you a lead language practitioner or primary school leader?

Are you looking for high quality online professional learning for your colleagues?

If so, check out the newly published menu of online workshops that the Professional Development Officers at SCILT can provide for colleagues in your school or department, your cluster, local authority or regional improvement collaborative.

Please note, these online workshops are intended for group bookings only.

As always, we are happy to tailor professional learning sessions to meet your specific needs. Please use the same booking form to request bespoke input and/or online workshops from the menu.

We also have lots of other CLPL options ready to launch after the summer holidays too. There will be a mix of anytime and live virtual sessions on a range of interesting themes across the year. All will be open to pre- and in-service primary and secondary teachers.

Keep your eye on the e-bulletin in the new session for news of other professional learning opportunities. In the meantime, the Professional Development team wish you a restful break.

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Latest SLEA recipients announced!

17 June 2020 (SCILT)

The latest verification round of the Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) has taken place, and two more schools were delighted to receive recognition for their successful partnership working in promoting languages as a key skill for employment.

Bathgate Academy in West Lothian received a Bronze Award for their projects with partners including Clarke Fire Protection Products, Mitsubishi and WL Gore. The awarding panel commented: “The links made with local businesses are strong and purposeful and have excellent long-term potential.”

Broughton High School in Edinburgh received a Gold Award for their projects with a range of partners, including Visit Scotland, The Balmoral Hotel and Social Bite. The awarding panel commented: “The projects are impressive in the variety of ways in which they convey the importance of languages to pupils, fostering the importance of citizenship and cultural understanding as well as language skills.”

Congratulations to both schools on their excellent achievements! 

The SLEA, developed by SCILT in partnership with Bòrd na Gàidhlig, encourages innovation and creativity in the promotion of language skills through meaningful engagement between employers and schools. Find out how to submit your entry for the next verification round on the SCILT website.

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SCILT's COVID response: Live streamed classes

7 May 2020 (SCILT)

This Monday (4 May) saw the launch of the first week of language classes, courtesy of our partnership with e-Sgoil. Demand was far greater than anticipated and despite some issues with registration, valid email addresses and technical challenges, hundreds of youngsters from P1 to Advanced Higher took part in a range of interesting classes. We have now had to stop taking new registrations for BGE and senior phase classes in French and Spanish and Give it a Go Italian as classes are full. Spaces are still available for NQ classes in Gaelic, German, Italian and Mandarin. For secondary pupils who would like to try something new, there are some places available on "Discovering the Arabic World". This gives the opportunity to learn a language that is less frequently taught in schools and explore the fascinating cultures of Arabic speaking countries. Spaces are limited and are allocated on a first come basis.  

See the attached timetable with links to enrol.

SCILT Spring 2020 newsletter published

7 May 2020 (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 partnerships, our support for DYW and our new 'Discovering the Arabic World' initiative. Find out how schools celebrated Languages Week Scotland, 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.

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SCILT's languages lockdown playlist

23 April 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

Are you looking for something to lighten your lockdown spirits? Well we might have just the thing!

The SCILT and CISS team have compiled a YouTube playlist of our favourite songs sung in or featuring languages other than English. From French chanteuses to K-pop, there's something for everyone. You might even discover your new favourite artist!

So far you can hear Arabic, Cantonese, Estonian, French, Gaelic, German, Irish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Mongolian, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and Welsh, and we’ll keep adding more.

Visit our YouTube channel to watch, listen, or dance along in your living room.  

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Live-streamed classes: SCILT support for schools

22 April 2020 (SCILT/e-Sgoil)

SCILT is delighted to have partnered with e-Sgoil to contribute to their national offer of timetabled, live, online classes that will support youngsters of all ages throughout the period of school closures. 

These interactive, real-time classes are all led by experienced language educators on a secure platform. All participants will require is access to a computer and their Glow password.

Aimed at supporting youngsters who are about to enter new senior phase classes, the NQ courses will focus on providing an overview of the year ahead and will develop the skills required for success at each level. Complementing what will be offered by their own schools and classroom teachers, these courses will give young people the best possible start to their new language courses under the present circumstances.

It is equally important that we create opportunities for language learning throughout all stages of the school curriculum. We have, therefore, developed a range of classes in a variety of languages that will appeal to learners at all ages and stages of the curriculum. Interactive, culturally rich and suitable for family learning, youngsters can explore new languages and cultures that might not be otherwise available to them.

Download the attached flyer for the full timetable and links to enrol. 

Please share this offer as widely as you can so that the maximum possible number of children and young people can benefit from this innovative and creative partnership.

Language learning resources during school closures

21 April 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

If you are a parent or carer looking for materials to support language learning for your child while the schools are closed, we have compiled a list of materials for children of different ages/stages and in different languages. These resources:

• are free to access
• children can do independently and
• can be enjoyed together as a family

They can be found on the 'Home learning' page of the Parents section of our website.

Read more...

Professional learning for teachers during the school closures

2 April 2020 (SCILT)

Are you a teacher, a student teacher or aspiring student teacher? Are you looking for some professional learning to do online, at your own time and at your own pace?

Visit our professional learning pages to view our collated list of courses, webinars and materials that are free to access. Scroll down to the 'Professional learning for teachers during the school closures' section.

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Scottish Languages Employability Award - apply now!

2 April 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

The Scottish Languages Employability Award (SLEA) celebrates innovation by schools in promoting languages and employability together through partnerships with businesses, public bodies and third sector organisations. The award, which is available initially at bronze, silver and gold levels, supports teachers in raising awareness of the importance of languages in their school community.  

For full guidelines, case studies and futher information visit the SLEA page on the SCILT website.

The next deadline for submissions is Friday 15 May 2020. 

Read more...

The 1+2 Languages Leadership Programme 2020 - **CANCELLED**

26 March 2020 (SCILT/Education Scotland)

Unfortunately, due to the current uncertainty relating to COVID-19, it has been decided with careful consideration to cancel the Summer School this year.
SCILT and Education Scotland will continue to work closely and plan for next summer 2021. Further updates will be communicated in due course.

SCILT and Education Scotland's flagship national leadership programme has been running since 2014 and was recognised at GTCS Excellence in Professional Learning Awards in 2017 and 2018.

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COVID-19: SCILT and CISS update

24 March 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

Given last week's announcement about the cancellation of the exam diet, the SCILT and CISS teams are refocusing their efforts on supporting the BGE. Officers are currently collating high quality, freely available, online materials into an easily accessible section of the SCILT website. Teachers, parents and youngsters  will be able, therefore, to find interesting resources and activities in a range of languages, appropriate to their age and stage, all in one place. As you can imagine, this is a huge task, but we are determined to have it completed by mid-April. 

In addition, we are currently in discussion with our friends at e-Sgoil so we can provide live streamed classes in Mandarin suitable for beginners in both primary and secondary school stages of the BGE. More news about this and other language learning opportunities via e-Sgoil will be announced nearer the time. 

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SCILT Digital Internship 2020-21 - applications open

9 March 2020 (SCILT)

Do you love languages?

Are you currently in S5?

Would you like to work with other young people and enhance your CV?

Do you enjoy sharing your news, views and opinions on social media?

Well, this role might be for you!

We are looking for committed, dynamic young people to join our team as SCILT interns.  This would see you using social media regularly and collaborating effectively with a team to demonstrate your love of languages and where they can take you.  This is an excellent opportunity for the right person to experience a professional work internship and enhance their sixth year at school.

Please note that interns will be home-based and the opportunity is open to young people across the country. This is an unpaid internship.

Successful applicants must attend a training day in Glasgow. Please note that the application documents state that the training day will be held in June. We now intend to run this training day in August 2020. 

Application details

Please download and read the Information Pack. It includes the Job Description and Person Specification.

Please download and complete the Application Form. Applications must be submitted with a letter of reference from your Faculty Manager or Principal Teacher of Modern Languages.

Completed applications must be returned to scilt@strath.ac.uk by Friday 24 April 2020.

• SCILT Digital Internship Information Pack (PDF)
• SCILT Digital Internship Application Form (Word)

Wondering whether to apply? Here’s what some of our previous interns have said about the experience:

• “My highlights were getting to work with other people I hadn't met before, representing a national organisation, creating our own content and deciding ourselves how we wanted to run our social media accounts.”
• “I loved producing high quality content and collaborating with the other interns. It was really exciting later on in the year when we started to get more interaction on Twitter.”
• “Meeting new people who share my same passion for languages and coming together to create something valuable was a high point for me.”

Living Languages 2020

6 March 2020 (SCILT/University of Strathclyde)

Due to the current situation concerning COVID-19 the events below have been postponed until further notice. Please keep an eye on the SCILT e-bulletin for details of further Living Languages events in the future. 

Living Languages 2020 is a joint initiative from Languages@Strathclyde and SCILT, focusing on employability.

This series of events offers language learners at all stages an opportunity to hear from high-profile guests and early career graduates, from a variety of sectors, on the role of languages in their professional lives.

Guests will share their experiences through a relaxed conversation format and the audience will be encouraged to ask questions. These events allow learners to hear about languages in the workplace as well as practise their own language skills.

Living Languages 2020 Programme

Registrations are now open for the following events in the series:

• Monday 23 March - A conversation with Paul Sheerin, Chief Executive Scottish Engineering
• Monday 30 March - A conversation with Ben Sharrock, Writer and Director and Irune Gurtubai, Film Producer
• Tuesday 28 April - A conversation with Karen Betts, Chief Executive Scottish Whisky Association and former Diplomat

Vacancy: Professional Development Officer

3 March 2020 (SCILT/CISS)

Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT) requires a Professional Development Officer to support the network of Scotland’s Confucius classrooms and the learning and teaching of languages across Scotland. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland. The successful candidate will be part of the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools team based within SCILT as the Ramshorn building in Glasgow’s city centre. The centre leads 44 Confucius classrooms across Scotland, including secondary, primary and specialist classrooms.

The Professional Development Officer will be responsible for developing and delivering a broad range of support measures to develop the learning and teaching of Mandarin in Scottish schools and communities. This would include, for example, leading professional learning workshops and managing projects such as national awards/competitions and other promotional events.

The post holder will support practitioners to turn policy into practice in order to create a positive impact on learners. This will be based on identification of practitioners’ needs, with particular reference to the place of Mandarin and languages in general, within the National Improvement Framework and the Scottish curriculum. The post holder would, therefore, need extensive experience of leading recent initiatives that promote and support language learning.

Please note, the successful candidate need not be a fluent Mandarin speaker.

Visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy portal for full details about the post and to apply by 22 March 2020.

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Language Linking Global Thinking 2020-21 - registrations now open

28 February 2020 (SCILT)

While the student is abroad they keep in regular contact with the partner school using blog posts, emails and other resources. The correspondence between student and class brings the language alive for pupils and shows them the real relevance of learning a language. New for this year - you can now be linked with a CISS scholar spending a year in China! Just complete the registration form with 'Mandarin' as your preferred language for a link. 

Key points for teachers

• Please note this is a two-way correspondence, and schools are expected to reply to blog posts, submit questions, and fully engage with their link student. 
• A representative from the school, ideally the class teacher using the link, must attend the training afternoon on 12th June in Glasgow. 
• There is no cost for schools to participate in the programme, however schools will need to cover travel costs for teachers attending the training session. Students are expected to visit their link school before they go abroad, and schools may wish to help with the travel costs for that visit.

Visit the LLGT webpage for more information on Language Linking Global Thinking, and to read some of the student blogs from previous years.

Please note places are limited. Please email scilt@strath.ac.uk to request a registration form. 

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SCILT summer newsletter - send us your stories!

17 February 2020 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our summer 2020 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages.

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 13th March 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. 

Read more...

Languages Week Scotland

31 January 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT is delighted to support Languages Week Scotland 2020. Languages Week Scotland is a national celebration of language learning and will be marked by schools across the country. It will showcase the wide range of languages learned and spoken in Scotland.

Languages Week Scotland is a week of events and activities taking place in schools around the country. Now in its second year, Language Week Scotland takes place from 3 – 7 February 2020.

The Depute First Minister, John Swinney, supports Languages Week Scotland and will attend the launch on 4 February 2020 at the Scottish Parliament where he will meet with young learners and hear from the business community on the value of languages to Scottish employers.

SCILT is hosting a Knowledge Exchange event in Glasgow on 25 February in order for local authority representatives to celebrate their languages journey and share their achievements. The event will put a spotlight on inspirational practice.

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT, states: “Language learning enriches lives and opens doors to opportunities.  It encourages our youngsters to be curious about the world, widens horizons and develops understanding of other people, cultures, traditions and ways of life.  Through learning other languages, we also develop a deeper understanding of our mother tongues and a greater appreciation of our own heritage.  In other words, language learning builds tolerance and cohesion by giving us a way of recognising our similarities while celebrating what makes us different and unique.  In short, it makes us citizens of the world.”

Nathan Epemolu, intern at SCILT and student of International Business and French at the University of Strathclyde, says of his language learning journey: “Learning languages has given me a chance to discover other cultures and has helped me see how unique we all are.  It has allowed me to understand that we are all humans and has broken down any us/them-related ideas that I may have had if I only spoke my native tongue.”

Last year, Languages Week Scotland saw SCILT launch its Spanish and architectural design competition, Espacios Increíbles, in partnership with the University of Strathclyde.

During the same week, Glasgow City Council held their annual language award ceremony for Glasgow schools, the Polish Consulate published a collection of resources to support Polish language learning in the primary school, and a group of S5 learners from Larbert High appeared on BBC Scotland’s The Nine to share their love for language learning with the nation.

A social media campaign #ScotlandLovesLanguages ran through the duration of the week. Schools were able to share and celebrate the languages learned and spoken in their classrooms.

SCILT is working with LANGS (Languages Network Group Scotland) and Education Scotland to deliver Languages Week Scotland.

Follow the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages and discover how Scotland celebrates language learning this February.

Are you celebrating Languages Week Scotland in your school?  Why not share your work on Twitter with the hashtag #ScotlandLovesLanguages.

More information on the benefits of language learning, as well as the 1+2 Approach to Language Learning in Scotland, are available in our publication Languages in a Nutshell.

The Scottish economy needs a workforce with strong language abilities. It is vital that young people leave school with the skills they will need for a successful future in a global society.

Studies have shown that learning a language can have many benefits, including a positive effect on literacy, improved critical thinking skills and the development of intercultural understanding, empathy, tolerance and appreciation of diversity.

Espacios Increíbles 2020 – Get your school involved!

24 January 2020 (SCILT)

Following the successful pilot last year, this exciting competition, using Spanish, design team work and creativity is now officially open to secondary schools across all local authorities in Scotland to take part in this year.

Aimed at S3, learners will work in teams to research and design a building in a Spanish speaking area. They will present their design in Spanish, and then go forward to represent their school at national level. The finalists will take part in a live event at the University of Strathclyde where their designs will be judged by industry professionals and academics. The winners (as part of their prize) will have their model made in 3D by the School of Architecture.

This highly motivating project for learners has had a positive effect on uptake in the senior phase for those schools who participated in the pilot in 2019. The skills focus delivers on key aspects of Developing the Young Workforce. The learner materials that are designed to fulfil evidence requirements for achieving Level 4 Benchmarks are available on the SCILT website, and can be easily adapted to suit your chosen group. 

Visit the Eventbrite page to find out more and register your interest by Friday 27 March 2020. 

Read more...

German Educational Trainees Across Borders 2020/21

23 January 2020 (Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz / SCILT)

Expressions of interest are now being taken from local authorities who would like to host a German student teacher for a 6 month placement during the 2020/21 school session.

German trainee teachers from Universities in Mainz, Leipzig and Koblenz are available to work in Scottish schools for a six month placement from September/October 2020 to March/April 2021. Participating students are native German speakers, training to become secondary teachers of English. 

German Educational Trainees (GETs) support language teaching and intercultural understanding, bringing language alive for learners with a trained and motivated native speaker. 

Local authorities interested in hosting GETs should register with SCILT by Friday 31st January. For more information and to register your interest please contact SCILT. 

Read more...

Discover the Arabic world – A unique experience for Scotland’s schools

10 January 2020 (SCILT)

SCILT, in partnership with Qatar Foundation International and eSgóil is currently looking for ten state schools in Scotland who would be interested in opening the door to the Arab world with an innovative new pilot project. 

The collaboration will provide an opportunity for both primary and secondary schools to offer L3 learning experiences in Arabic language and culture.  Courses will be co-created by the SCILT team and a specially commissioned writing team of native speakers, with language lessons delivered online by a native speaker of Arabic via e-Sgoil. For learners in primary schools the course will be offered as a ten-week inter-disciplinary block of learning.  For secondary schools, the course will focus on developing employability skills and be aimed at S6 senior phase learners who are seeking to enhance their language learning experience and their CVs.  Participating schools will also receive the support of a fully-trained, native speaking, language assistant. The lessons will give learners the chance to explore aspects of Arabic culture as well as providing a solid linguistic foundation for learning the world’s fifth most spoken language.

In addition to teaching support and professional learning opportunities, schools participating in the pilot phase will also receive a grant of £2000.  This can provide schools with resources and experiences that enhance and support the language learning and promote a positive experience of Arabic culture.

If you would like your school to be considered to take part in the pilot, please note your interest at SCILT scilt@strath.ac.uk before close of business on Friday 31 January 2020.

New job profile on the SCILT website

10 January 2020 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on our website showcasing careers where languages are being used. The latest addition to our collection comes from Ruth Sillars-Mathouillot, a Relationship Manager for a bank based in Luxembourg.

Ruth tells us language learning offers an enriching experience, providing the ability to socialise with people of different cultures and backgrounds. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

6 December 2019 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of careers where languages are in use. Our most recent addition comes from Marion Geoffray, a theatre maker and drama teacher, who is the artistic director of Theatre Sans Accents, an innovative bilingual theatre company in Edinburgh.

Marion performs in several languages and believes immersing yourself in the language and culture is the most effective way to learn and to have fun!

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

Latest edition of the SCILT newsletter published

29 November 2019 (SCILT)

The winter 2019 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 offer, our new DYW toolkit and the Scottish Languages Employability Award. Find out how schools celebrated the European Day of Languages this year, 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.

Read more...

SCILT professional learning menu - available for booking!

29 November 2019 (SCILT)

The SCILT professional learning menu for 2019-20 is available for booking. Authorities, clusters or schools may be interested in booking one or more from our range of workshops for primary, secondary and BGE. 

Remember all of our professional learning sessions are free to book by teachers and local authorities. You find a date and a venue and get in touch with us.

Details of the workshops available and how to submit a request are on the professional learning pages of our website. 

Read more...

SCILT Christmas 2019 webpage now live

29 November 2019 (SCILT)

Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?

SCILT have compiled a range of online resources for use with your pupils, from songs and games to lesson plans and festive facts. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and around the world!

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

8 November 2019 (SCILT)

We have job profiles on our website covering a wide range of careers where languages are in use. Our latest addition comes from Mark McLaughlin, a Researcher in International Law, whose language skills have enabled him to live and work in China. Mark tells us learning the language of the place you're living really helps you get an understanding of the country's culture. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

Advanced Higher pupil workshops - bookings now open

8 November 2019 (SCILT)

Returning for session 2019-20, SCILT will be delivering workshops for pupils studying Advanced Higher modern languages. Bookings are currently open for:

• Stirling - Tuesday 26 November 10am-12, University of Stirling (this workshop is now fully booked, however you can register on the waiting list via Eventbrite in case of any cancellations)
• Glasgow - Wednesday 4 December 10am-12, University of Strathclyde (this workshop is now fully booked, however you can register on the waiting list via Eventbrite in case of any cancellations)
• Glasgow - Friday 6 December 10am-12, University of Strathclyde (this workshop is now fully booked, however you can register on the waiting list via Eventbrite in case of any cancellations)
• Dundee - Monday 9 December 10am-12, University of Dundee
• Edinburgh - Tuesday 10 December 10am-12, University of Edinburgh
• Inverness - Wednesday 11 December 11am-1pm, Millburn Academy

This is a pupil workshop which will focus on what is required at Advanced Higher level and give tips on how to approach key elements of the course. We will look at ways of tackling:

• the overall purpose question in the reading
• the discursive writing
• the portfolio
• the talking

This will also be an opportunity to meet with your peers and set up links so you can support one another in your studies.

Schools should register on behalf of their pupils. Please indicate when registering how many pupils will be attending. While this event is for pupils, teachers may wish to attend and this should be reflected in the numbers when you register.

Speakers of Arabic - call for writers

24 October 2019 (SCILT)

SCILT is currently planning to develop materials to support the learning and teaching of Arabic as an L3 option for primary and secondary schools in Scotland. 
 
If you are a fluent speaker of Arabic, ideally with an understanding of Scottish education, and would like to contribute to the development of these materials by joining our working group, please note your interest by contacting SCILT by close of business on Monday 11 November 2019.

Full support will be given by the SCILT professional development officers on policy, the Scottish curriculum and appropriate methodology. Contributors will be paid as SCILT associates for their time and expertise.

The Ramshorn and Graveyard Digital Trail - now available!

23 October 2019 (SCILT)

If you find yourself in the Merchant City area of Glasgow why not complete our new 'The Ramshorn and Graveyard' digital trail? Pupils from Glasgow Gaelic School, Holyrood Secondary, Shawlands Academy and St Roch's Secondary worked with SCILT and Global Treasure Apps to create a multilingual trail around the new SCILT and CISS premises. The trail encourages visitors to learn about the history of the area by following clues set by the pupils, and gives people the chance to test their language skills.

The Ramshorn and Graveyard Digital Trail is available to download from Global Treasure Apps in Arabic, English, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Spanish and Urdu.

Find Global Treasure Apps on the App store or Google Play. 

Read more...

The Ramshorn Renovation

7 October 2019 (University of Strathclyde)

Find out more about the Ramshorn Theatre renovation that was completed in summer 2019, with Estates Services managing the project.

The Ramshorn is a category A-listed building, reflecting its regional importance and local interest. Working with listed buildings comes with its own challenges, as it was necessary to preserve the unique architectural and historical features of the church.

This project saw the transformation of a neglected historic building into a bright modern office environment and multi-use space. The old theatre space and the hall were turned into flexible event and teaching spaces that will act as a hub for cultural exchange, performances and engagement work with schools, scholars, local government and the public.

[..] SCILT and CISS are settling in well in their new home, and are thrilled to be giving the building a new purpose and continuing the story of the Ramshorn.

Read more...

Languages Beyond School

4 October 2019 (SCILT)

Do you have students looking to continue or develop their language studies when they leave school? Our aim is to provide all the information necessary for students to make an informed choice about their future language learning. To that end we invite visitors to the Beyond School pages of our website to submit feedback by completing a short survey. Responses are anonymous and will be used to help improve the user experience. We would appreciate it if teachers could share the survey with learners and encourage them to respond.

Whether they want to follow a course of study in the UK or further afield, work or volunteer abroad, the Beyond School section of our website has links to language courses at further and higher education establishments in Scotland along with opportunities UK-wide and in Europe. The site also outlines the support Scottish universities can provide to teachers and schools in their language learning.

As the UCAS application process gets underway, make sure pupils and careers guidance staff are aware of the information available on our website.

EDL blog 2019

19 September 2019 (SCILT)

How are you planning to celebrate European Day of Languages 2019? 

Email us a short description and some photos after your event, and we will feature you in our EDL blog for 2019. We may even include your story in our next SCILT newsletter. 

If you are still looking for ideas on how to celebrate you can visit our EDL webpage which has lots of suggestions for activities, downloadable resources and links to useful websites. 

Read more...

Call for help!

12 September 2019 (SCILT)

You will no doubt have seen in the news the terrible situation our colleagues at Woodmill High School in Fife are facing. Janet Monaghan, the Principal Teacher of Languages there, has asked SCILT if the languages community could help her replace some of the materials that she and her colleagues have lost in the fire. Janet is determined to keep the learning experience for her young people as normal as possible and this is our chance to help her ensure that her youngsters don’t miss out. If you can help, please email us at scilt@strath.ac.uk with details of any materials you’re able to share with her. In particular she is focusing on the senior phase and is looking for the following resources:

• A4 plastic wallets
• Foolscap folders
• CD Players
• DVDS (French/German/Italian films or video clips)
• Verb Tables book (French / German)
• French, German and Italian pocket dictionaries
• French Hachette or Collins Grammar plus dictionaries (for Higher)
• German Collins and Grammar dictionary
• Plastic boxes (for storage)
• French & German literature e.g. le petit prince
• Show me boards/erasers/pens
• External Hard drives
• Voice recorders
• USBs
• Notebooks/tablets
• Studio 1, 2,3
• Echo 1,2,3
• Stimmt 1,2,3
• Study Guides - Nat 5 and Higher French and German

SCILT will be in touch about collating and distributing the materials to her.

SCILT winter newsletter - send us your stories!

12 September 2019 (SCILT)

Do you have a story to share with the languages community?

We are currently taking submissions for our winter 2019 newsletter. This is a great opportunity to promote what has been happening in your school or local authority with regard to languages.

We are looking for articles of a maximum of 300 words, with a couple of colourful photos. The deadline for contributions is Friday 4th October 2019.

Visit our website to read the full submission guidelines, and to view previous editions of the newsletter.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

23 August 2019 (SCILT)

We have job profiles on our website covering a wide range of careers where languages are in use. Our latest addition comes from Stephanie Mitchell, a Civil Servant in the Scottish Government who has previously worked in Europe and Asia, thanks to her language skills. Stephanie shares her experiences and how vital languages have been throughout her life and career. 

Teachers use this resource with your pupils to support the Developing the Young Workforce initiative and highlight the benefits of language learning as a life skill.

Read more...

SCILT vacancy - Professional Development Officer

22 August 2019 (SCILT)

SCILT requires a Professional Development Officer to advise and support primary schools across Scotland with language learning and teaching. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward Scotland’s agenda for languages at a strategic level.

The Professional Development Officer will be responsible for developing and delivering a broad range of support measures for teachers of languages. This would include, for example, leading professional learning, managing projects, assuming responsibility for national awards/competitions and other language related events.

It is expected that the postholder will support practitioners in turning policy into practice to create a positive impact on learners. This will be based on identification of practitioners’ needs, with particular reference to the aims of the National Improvement Framework, the 1+2 languages policy and Developing the Young Workforce. The postholder would need extensive experience of leading recent modern language initiatives in a primary school context. Established expertise in creative approaches to learning, teaching and assessment is essential.

Ideally, the post holder will have experience of external partnership working with the aim of developing interesting contexts for learning and intercultural awareness. The successful candidate will be competent in the use of digital technologies and will have the ability to work not only on her/his own initiative but also as part of a team. Excellent organisational, ICT and communication skills are essential, as is an ability to be flexible and responsive to our stakeholders’ needs.

Visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy portal for further information and to apply. Closing date: 3 September 2019.

Read more...

The Ramshorn: Our new home in pictures

12 August 2019 (SCILT/CISS)

On Monday 8 July 2019, SCILT and CISS opened the doors to our beautiful new location in The Ramshorn, right in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City.

Our new location provides us with more space to house our team, with new development officers joining us soon. It will also enable us to host meetings, showcases and events, on-site, with all the latest technology at our fingertips.

This renovated, former church is steeped in history, and funding from Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters) and the University of Strathclyde has breathed new life into the 200-year-old building. Within easy walking distance from both Queen Street and Central stations in Glasgow, it will be very easy for our stakeholders and friends to visit. We look forward to welcoming you very soon.

Our new address is: SCILT | The Ramshorn | 98 Ingram Street | University of Strathclyde | Glasgow | G1 1EX. All our telephone numbers remain the same.

We have shared some images below to give you a flavour of our new home in this well-known landmark.

 

SCILT office

CISS office

Exhibition area

Exhibition area

Meeting room

 

Meeting room

Reception

 

Stained glass windows

Entrance on Ingram St

Our new website

12 August 2019 (SCILT)

We have launched our new-look website this week. The stylish new design takes on board feedback from stakeholders, preserves the centre’s colour-scheme and, most importantly, is mobile-friendly. It is the result of a year-long project, and we are excited to share the outcomes with you.

The process was rigorous. We began by consulting the University’s Enhanced Web Development Service, who supported the existing website. This was followed by a year-long consultation with primary and secondary practitioners and other interested parties, through focus groups and online questionnaires. The results were fascinating. We were pleased to receive comments such as, “the site is very user friendly and I use it often to keep up to date”, “[the site] has trustworthy resources on it and lots of important information that is easily accessible”, and “[it is] an excellent resource – the most challenging thing for me is making the time to look at it regularly!”

We received much helpful criticism, which we have tried to address. “There’s a lot of text which makes it seem a bit heavy going. A lot of clicks to get through to other info too” and “The website is a little ‘dry’ looking. More pictures and a more aesthetically pleasing font would help this”. Further, feedback on website content included, “Parental engagement is a very current issue and more advice on that would be so useful” as well as “Offering more CPD opportunities for teachers and students to showcase their progress in the teaching and learning of languages through the website would support me in my role”. Thanks to everyone who was involved in this process.

Overall, it was heartening to hear that so many of our target audience visit the website regularly and find it useful and easy to navigate, and we were keen to build on this and ensure that content on the new site should be relevant and accessible. Now, after a year of work led by our information officer, Sarah Macfarlane, we reach an exciting moment, and we are delighted that the website is unveiled now and ready for you to explore.

Our regular visitors should be happy to discover that their favourite sections remain, albeit with a new look. Our news pages continue to be updated on a daily basis with all the latest language-related news, opportunities, events and resources. Our job profiles are now easier to navigate using a drop-down menu. Our regular competitions and awards are presented in a more visually appealing format.

We are pleased to introduce some new features to you. The website now has a tailored search function, meaning you will be able to find exactly what you are looking for, quickly and easily. We have a new section aimed directly at parents, and a separate, additional section to support practitioners in parental engagement. And don’t forget to check out our new professional learning opportunities for session 2019-20

Work is still ongoing. Over the coming months we will update content in the Senior Phase. Look out also for further information on the exciting new Languages Employability Award. Thanks to everyone who has been involved in informing our work. If you would like to add your voice, or provide feedback on the new site, or if you have noticed anything out-of-place, please do get in touch through our feedback form. We would love to hear from you.

Book now for 2019-20! SCILT professional learning menu

24 May 2019 (SCILT)

The SCILT professional learning menu 2019-20 is now available for booking online! 

Remember all of our professional learning sessions are free to book by teachers and local authorities. You find a date and a venue and get in touch with us. 

Participants last year said:

• ‘The presenter was very helpful and answered all our questions. I feel more confident now.’ (Teacher, East Dunbartonshire) 
• ‘It was succinct and gave teachers opportunities to compare experiences and share ideas about how to teach the course.’ (Teacher, East Lothian)

To request SCILT input in your school or local authority, please complete the online form via the link below.

Additionally, look out for our newly published series of webinars, running throughout the year. 

New for 2019-20! SCILT series of professional learning webinars

24 May 2019 (SCILT)

New for session 2019/20, a series of SCILT professional learning webinars.

These webinars offer an alternative to our face-to-face workshops. Practitioners may wish to get together to participate in the live streaming of events which will include opportunities for online discussion. Alternatively, the recorded version can be used as a stimulus for collegiate discussion, in-service days or as part of individual practitioners’ professional development.

Registration will be advertised via the weekly SCILT e-bulletin and on the National Modern Languages Hub prior to these publicised dates.

• Glow login will be required
• Recordings will be available to watch again on National ML Hub under the Anytime Learning tab

Keep an eye on our e-bulletin and social media channels for details of how to register for these webinars in the new session. 

OU/SCILT primary languages course

31 May 2019 (SCILT/OU)

We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the OU/SCILT primary languages course, which will be running again from October 2019. In light of positive feedback and popularity of the first year of the course, we are now also delighted to offer a second year, post-beginners’ course. The latter would be suitable for those who have successfully completed year 1 and wish to continue their studies, or for those who are looking to begin studying at a more advanced level.

• The courses will run from October 2019 to July 2020, and will develop language and pedagogy skills; language learning is provided by the Open University and pedagogy is provided by SCILT.  The courses are aligned to the Scottish curriculum and support the 1+2 languages approach.
• Both courses are delivered online with two opportunities to attend face-to-face day schools. 
• Learning is very flexible and participants can study at a time and place of their choosing.
• Each course carries a fee of £252, reflecting the input and student support for the language and pedagogy strands from both organisations.

Funding may be sponsored through your school or Local Authority who can register on your behalf.   Initial registration information must be submitted to the OU by Monday 17 June 2019 and LAs should contact Scotland-Languages@open.ac.uk.  
Students also have the option to fund the fee themselves. In this case, an interested teacher should contact the OU directly at Scotland-Languages@open.ac.uk.

Here is some further information:

Beginners level

• will be offered in a choice of four languages - French, German, Spanish and Mandarin plus study of primary pedagogy with direct application in the classroom.
• takes students to the end of the equivalent to level A1 of the Common European Reference Framework for Languages.
• allows students to gain 15 university credits for the language study.
• also gives students the option to gain GTCS recognition for the pedagogy study; all students will receive a certificate on successful completion from SCILT.
• study hours will be approximately five hours per week, including time spent on the direct application of the new skills in the classroom.

Post-beginners level

• teachers who have started studying one language in the beginners level of the course would need to continue studying the same language at post-beginners level.
• teachers who already have some basic knowledge in one of the four languages can directly enrol on the post-beginners level course to further develop their skills in that language and learn about primary languages pedagogy (without having to have studied beginners level).
• will follow the same format as the beginners level course and will be offered in the same four languages (French, German, Mandarin and Spanish).
• will teach primary languages pedagogy in more depth and cover:
  • the skills of writing and reading,
  • IDL with a special focus on outdoor learning as well as links with other key subject areas through CLIL,
  • learning and teaching of languages in multilingual contexts/communities.
• will have the same:
  • number of study hours,
  • assessment structure,
  • accreditation with 15 university credits,
  • optional GTCS recognition for the pedagogy strand, as above ;
• in their language study, students will reach the equivalent of the end of level A2 of the Common European Reference Framework for Languages (end of post-beginner level).
• after completing both courses, students would then be in a good position to go on to study one of the standard language courses at the OU should they want to improve their knowledge of the language even further.

Course codes are as follows:

Beginners level	LXT192 French	LXT193 German	LXT197 Mandarin	LXT194 Spanish
Post-beginners level	LXT191 (language choice will come as a second step once students have registered)

New job profile on the SCILT website

9 November 2018 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used. 

We have a new profile from David Cant, Managing Director of Albion (Overseas) Ltd, a company which helps UK businesses to enter the Russian market. After learning French and German at school, David tells us that he took up Russian by chance at university - a choice which became life-changing.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how languages can play a part.

Read more...

Language Trends Scotland

5 November 2018 (SCILT)

SCILT has published Language Trends Scotland 2012-2018.

Finding include:

• Entries at Higher in Modern Languages have recently experienced a drop in entries but are still above 2012 levels. Relative to the S5-S6 cohort, however, there has been an increase.
• Entries at Advanced Higher in Modern Languages are on an upward trend overall, with a slight decline in 2018. Relative to the S6 cohort, uptake has also increased.
• Entries at Advanced Higher in the lesser studied languages (Gaelic Learners, Italian and Mandarin) have been variable.
• Entries below Higher in Modern Languages dropped significantly after 2012, the year which marked the official end of the 'Languages for All policy. Relative to the S4-S6 cohort, languages have higher percentage uptake than two of the three sciences (Biology, Physics), with only Chemistry showing a percentage increase.

Read more...

New job profile on the SCILT website

2 November 2018 (SCILT)

We have a range of job profiles on our website where language skills are being used. The latest addition comes from Erin Duffy, a student of Spanish and Linguistics at the University of Glasgow.

Erin is currently teaching in Spain and tells us her knowledge of languages has also enabled her to study and work in China. Her language skills have been integral to the job opportunities she has acquired and helped her form friendships across the globe.

Teachers, share Erin's profile with your pupils to demonstrate the advantages and benefits of learning languages.

Read more...

Support for DYW agenda

28 September 2018 (SCILT)

SCILT has published a series of videos demonstrating the value of languages in a variety of sectors. Contributors include Judy Murray and Jim Fleeting from the SFA. The series looks at languages in the creative industries, hospitality and tourism, engineering, health and business. 

To complement this resource, SCILT has produced a toolkit to support schools in organising their own business and language events. These might include:

• careers fairs
• promotional talks
• partnerships with schools and individual businesses
• business brunches

Read more...

Languages Beyond School

21 September 2018 (SCILT)

As the UCAS application process gets underway, make sure any pupils thinking of continuing their language studies check out the Beyond School section of our website.

This section contains useful information to help senior pupils decide on the different language courses and options available once they have left school, at college, university or as part of a gap year. There are links to courses available in Scotland and across the UK.

Pupils, parents, guidance and careers staff should all find this section of our website useful.

Read more...

Advanced Higher pupil workshops - Glasgow and Edinburgh

21 September 2018 (SCILT)

Due to high demand for our events earlier in September, we are running three more Advanced Higher pupil workshops. These are taking place in:

• Glasgow - Monday 8th October 10am-12 midday, University of Strathclyde
• Glasgow - Monday 8th October 2-4pm, University of Strathclyde (this event is now fully booked, you can register on the waiting list on Eventbrite)
• Edinburgh - Thursday 11th October 11am-1pm, University of Edinburgh

This is a pupil workshop which will focus on what is required at Advanced Higher level. We will look at ways of tackling;

• the overall purpose question in the reading
• the discursive writing
• the portfolio
• the talking

This will also be an opportunity to meet with your peers and set up links so you could support one another in your studies. 

Schools should register on behalf of their pupils. Please indicate when registering how many pupils will be attending. While this event is for pupils, teachers may wish to attend and this should be reflected in the numbers when you register.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue (MTOT) multilingual poetry competition 2018-19

14 September 2018 (SCILT)

Today we're launching the 2018-19 Mother Tongue Other Tongue (MTOT) multilingual poetry competition in Scotland.

All students who are learning a language at school, college or university, or who speak a native language at home, can get involved in celebrating their linguistic and cultural diversity through creative poetry writing as there are options to enter in either the Mother Tongue or Other Tongue category. All entries must be the students' own, original work.

For more information about this year's competition and previous events, visit our MTOT website and register to take part! The closing date for registrations is 26 October 2018.

Read more...

The return of Business Brunches 18-19: Language skills in the world of work

7 September 2018 (SCILT)

Would you like to invite 10 of your S3-S6 pupils to discover the benefits of language skills in the world of work and engage with a variety of dynamic employers to encourage learners to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their education, and beyond school? Look no further….

For the fifth year in succession, SCILT, in partnership with Developing the Young Workforce and the University Council of Modern Languages Scotland will be hosting a series of five Business Brunch events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness over the course of December this year, and January 2019.  Registration will open at 9am on Friday 14th September.

Find out more on our Business Brunches webpage.

Read more...

Support for promoting languages via DYWScot Founders4Schools

30 August 2018 (SCILT/CISS/Founders4Schools)

SCILT/CISS would like to bring the DYWScot Founders4Schools online platform to the attention of all teachers, especially language teachers looking for support for promotional events.

This free platform allows teachers to explore businesses in their area and invite them to visit their school to attend language promotions, careers events, deliver workshops or meet with school parents.

To find a business in your area simply visit the Founders4Schools website and select 'Create event+'. Enter the school postcode, and the platform will allow you to explore who is available to support your event. You can select what type of support you are looking for and your preferred date.
 
Remember requests do not necessarily have to be only for one-off events, and you may be able to build a lasting relationship with the business contact.

Visit the DYWScot Founders4Schools website for more information. 

Read more...

Help us continue collaborative cross-sector action for languages

27 August 2018 (SCILT/UCMLS)

To make 1+2 a reality we need to act with one voice for languages! So do join us at the University of Dundee on Saturday, 15 September 2018 for a half-day conference where SCILT/UCMLS evaluate past actions and plan new ones.

We will finish with a networking lunch and wine to celebrate 25 years of UCMLS. For catering purposes, please sign up by 7 September via Eventbrite. 

Read more...

Updates from SQA - Modern Languages

24 August 2018 (SCILT/SQA)

Revised Higher Specimen Question Papers for use in session 2018-19 onwards are now available on the main Higher Modern Languages webpage.  Revised marking instructions for Directed Writing are currently only available in the Specimen Question papers.

Exemplars of Higher Directed Writing valid from session 2018/19 with associated commentary written in line with the revised marking instructions for Directed Writing are now available.  There are currently 8 exemplars in French and Spanish with other languages available in due course.

Exemplars of Higher Assignment-writing valid from session 2018/19 with associated commentary written in line with the marking instructions for assignment-writing are now available. There are currently 6 exemplars in French, German and Spanish, with other languages available in due course.

All exemplars can be found on www.understandingstandards.org.uk

Exemplars of talking performances at Higher valid from session 2018/19 are now available. These include associated commentary written in line with the marking instructions for performance-talking.  Exemplars of talking performances at National 5 are also available. Both can be found on the understanding standards area on the SQA secure website.

Read more...

SCILT CLPL

24 August 2018 (SCILT)

SCILT CLPL

Refreshed and raring to go? Us too! New school year = new SCILT CLPL menu. Featuring a variety of workshops for primary colleagues, for secondary colleagues and one workshop specifically aimed at bringing primary and secondary colleagues together. Our free professional learning is learner-focused, practice-led and evidence-informed. Booking now open! More information on our CLPL menu.

OU/SCILT Teaching Primary Languages programme

There is still time to register for the sector-leading Open University Scotland/SCILT Teaching Primary Languages programme. The course will be available to all primary practitioners but also secondary teachers who teach at primary level. We have produced an FAQ document with further detail about the course for your information.

This blended professional learning programme combines primary languages pedagogy and beginner's language learning.  Choose from beginner's French, German, Mandarin or Spanish. The course fee is £240.00 per student. There are plans to offer teachers, who enrol on the course, a summer school experience which will offer immersion in the language to boost confidence and provide ample opportunities to learn more about the cultures in which the language they are studying is spoken. The summer school is not part of the course, it is optional and can be booked separately. More information on this will be published in due course.

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, don't delay! Speak to your local authority languages Development Officer first, then they can contact Sylvia Warnecke at the Open University (s.warnecke@open.ac.uk ) to confirm your enrolment on the programme.

European Day of Languages 2018

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.

Read more...

Supporting bilingualism and EAL

23 August 2018 (SCILT)

Education Scotland, Glasgow City Council and SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages) are delighted to be able to offer a free online learning opportunity highlighting the benefits of bilingualism, practical strategies teachers can use to promote and support bilingualism in their classrooms, background information on policy and legislation, and useful resources and links to other sites.

The module has been developed to to support the New Scots Refugee Integration Strategy. It will provide practitioners who work with bilingual learners an improved awareness of what bilingualism is and help to promote a more inclusive learning environment. 

See the attached flyer for more information. The free module can be accessed on the Glow website.

Read more...

SCILT weekly news bulletin – key messages from June 2018 survey

20 August 2018 (SCILT)

In June 2018, we invited subscribers to SCILT’s news bulletin to take part in a survey to establish how the bulletin is currently used and whether the bulletin could better meet the needs of subscribers in terms of content and delivery. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey. Key messages are below. 

Key messages

The bulletin aims to share key research, policy, news, events, opportunities and resources relating to language teaching and learning with language professionals across Scotland. It is distributed once a week by email.

SCILT’s bulletin is found to be useful

100% of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement ‘I find SCILT’s e-bulletin useful’.

SCILT news is considered to be the most useful section of the bulletin

Subscribers find SCILT news the most useful section followed by news from language and educational organisations. Languages in the press is considered to be the least useful section.

Of the types of content in the bulletin, 18% of subscribers consider this to be the most useful. This is followed by CLPL opportunities (17%) and recently published reports and research (15%).
Updates on qualifications and policy updates as well as classroom resources were next (14% each).

Funding opportunities were deemed to be the least useful (8%).

Subscribers suggest content within the bulletin could be improved to include examples of good practice; languages across sectors; updates from Government; cross-curricular developments and opportunities.

The majority of bulletin subscribers find the bulletin easy to use

Suggestions to improve usability include introducing a drop-down menu and reducing the number of clicks to get to an article. SCILT will consider these suggestions within the parameters of MailChimp functionality.

The majority of subscribers would like to continue to receive the bulletin on a weekly basis.

Subscribers take action as a result of receiving the bulletin

This includes signing up pupils for an event (16%); entering pupils for a competition or making pupils aware of an opportunity (15%); signing up to a professional learning opportunity (14%); using a new resource to support their teaching (13%); obtaining information leaflets or promotional literature (12%). Subscribers also stated that they had shared information from the bulletin with colleagues.

New job profiles on the SCILT website

17 August 2018 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used. 

We have two new profiles for the start of the new school session:

• Lorne Gillies is an award winning journalist whose language skills have enabled her to connect with people around the world, whilst helping her understanding of English.
• Ian Ross is a specialist in international trade and investment. Dealing with several Chinese companies, he tells us cultural awareness is as important as learning the language.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how languages can play a part.

External review of SCILT published

13 August 2018 (SCILT)

As part of our self-evaluation and quality improvement activities, SCILT commissioned Bruce Robertson OBE to conduct an in-depth, external review of the organisation. The final report was published in August 2018. It has given us important insights into how we can best move forwards in a changing educational landscape. 

Read more...

SLR Summer 2018 edition online now

13 August 2018 (SCILT)

Read contributions from the United States, Wales, Finland/France and Scotland on language promotion efforts, mentoring from university students, students' use of the target language in class, the impact of combining art with languages in a primary class, and strategies for increasing language uptake in the senior phase.  Check out our other sections to find links to: the new National Framework for Languages (Selected Publications), more contributions from the American perspective (Selected Articles), the national UCMLS conference for all language stakeholders on 15 September (Selected Events).  

Read more...

STEM and language skills recognised as a valuable combination

25 June 2018 (SCILT)

Glasgow Gaelic School was recognised for their work with languages and STEM at a ceremony on 8 June 2018 at Glasgow Science Centre. The ceremony was part of the Young Engineers & Science Clubs (YESC) Scotland annual celebration of STEM and Glasgow Gaelic School received the Languages Award.

This is the first time languages have been recognised at this event, and the school were awarded for a project that focused on developing their local school community to make it more sustainable, eco-friendly and safer. The all-female team won £100 and a trophy for their school.

The new Languages Award has been introduced in partnership with SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, based at the University of Strathclyde. It recognises the link between languages and STEM. Competency in languages opens the doors to international STEM markets and results in more and better communication. Teams competed for the Award in Gaelic, German and Spanish to showcase the work that has being done in their clubs over the year. 

The annual ‘Celebration of STEM’ event at Glasgow Science Centre marked 30 years of STEM clubs in Scottish schools. Over 250 pupils from 44 primary and secondary schools across the country took part in challenges such as ‘Don’t Waste a Drop’ and ‘Knots to Watts’. It was also an opportunity to demonstrate the excellent and diverse activities taking place in their clubs.

YESC Scotland is a Scotland-wide primary and secondary school education programme run by the Scottish Council for Development and Industry and supported by public and private sector members. Their projects are designed to grow interest and spark enthusiasm in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects by encouraging young people to have a go at fun, hands-on activities and experiments. Pupils work alongside their teachers, real engineers and scientists putting their problem-solving skills to the test on themed investigations that will feed their curiosity and fire their imagination.

For more information on YESC Scotland, visit their website.

Culinary and language skills put to the test

25 June 2018 (SCILT/City of Glasgow College)

A new cookery competition saw almost 50 school children from across Scotland attend City of Glasgow College to test their culinary and language skills.

The LinguaChef competition is a partnership between Scotland’s flagship college and SCILT (Scotland’s National Centre for Languages).

It brings together languages and food; challenging primary and secondary school pupils to create an international main dish from a country whose language they are learning in school, or which is spoken at home.

May Donald, Curriculum Head for Food at City of Glasgow College, oversaw the competition and said:

“I jumped at the chance for our college to be part of this new and exciting competition and look forward to being involved again in the future. We are used to hosting high profile events but this was one with a twist given the widely differing age ranges of the competitors.

“The contest also offered us an ideal opportunity to engage with potential future students as those taking part got to see round our incredible facilities at City campus, while some of our own students assisted on the day which provided a great learning experience for them.”

Angela de Britos, SCILT at Strathclyde University, said:

“LinguaChef is a fantastic way of showcasing both the culinary and linguistic skills of pupils in primary and secondary schools across Scotland. We see this as an opportunity to have fun with food and languages whilst honing other important skills such as team-work, communication and IT. This is another great example of the cross- sector work going on in the languages community in Scottish schools, colleges and universities and we are thrilled to be working with our colleagues from City of Glasgow College in this initiative.”

Pupils from Marr College in Ayrshire who won the S1-S3 category said:

“It was really fun and I’d definitely do it again. I feel like I learned a lot of skills in cooking, languages and working with my team.” Their teacher added: “This was a fantastic opportunity for the pupils to research the history and background of a dish, work together and learn new vocabulary in the target language.”

Margaret Aitken, Curriculum Head, Languages said:

“We are delighted to work with SCILT to promote language learning and especially in a vocational context. It was so pleasing to see the enthusiasm of the pupils and the high standard of entries”.

The recipe for the main dish, including ingredients and instructions, were given both in the language of the chosen country and in English. Three finalists from each of the age categories were selected to attend Grand Finale where they had the chance to prepare, cook and present their dish to the professional chefs and judges at City of Glasgow College.

The pupils got the chance to discuss their dish with the judges (mainly in English but with bonus points for use of target language too) and decorate their presentation table with artefacts representing the country and culture.

Book now! SCILT and CISS professional learning programmes

8 June 2018 (SCILT/CISS)

The brand new SCILT secondary professional learning menu and CISS professional learning programme for 2018-19 are now available for booking! 

Remember all of our CLPL workshops are free to book by teachers and local authorities. You find a date and a venue and get in touch with us. 

To make a booking please email SCILT to receive a link to the request form.

Participants last year said:

‘It was so refreshing to attend a course which was entirely relevant and where the speaker was so knowledgeable.’ (Teacher, East Lothian) 

‘Both presentations were very informative and I got a lot out of focussing on the new writing folio as well as using the benchmarks.’ (Teacher, Perth & Kinross)

Primary teachers can sign up now for the OU/SCILT ‘Learning to teach primary languages’ programme in French, Spanish, German or Mandarin. The course is a balance of target language learning and pedagogy. It begins in October and the cost is £240. Find more information via our FAQs and email Sylvia Warnecke, the Staff Tutor at the Open University Scotland to enrol.

Participants in the pilot programme said:

“The tutors have been very encouraging and supportive both in their comments on the forum and during the online tutorials.”

“I think [the tuition] has been excellent. Everyone has been so helpful and accommodating!”

Additional online and face-to-face professional learning opportunities will be offered by SCILT during the year. To keep up-to-date with these opportunities as they arise, please sign up to the SCILT weekly news bulletin.

Our SCILT/CISS professional learning flyer outlines the diverse types of CLPL opportunities we offer. Please email SCILT with any queries about these options.

New for session 2018-19 - Advanced Higher workshops for pupils

8 June 2018 (SCILT)

New for session 2018-19, SCILT will be delivering three workshops for pupils studying Advanced Higher modern languages. These will take place in:

• Glasgow - Wednesday 5th September 2-4pm, University of Strathclyde (Please note this event is now full. You can join the waiting list on Eventbrite in case places become available closer to the event)
• Dundee - Thursday 6th September 2-4pm, University of Dundee (Please note this event is now full. You can join the waiting list on Eventbrite in case places become available closer to the event)
• Inverness - Monday 10th September 11am-1pm, Millburn Academy

This is a pupil workshop which will focus on what is required at Advanced Higher level. We will look at ways of tackling;

• the overall purpose question in the reading
• the discursive writing
• the portfolio
• the talking

This will also be an opportunity to meet with your peers and set up links so you could support one another in your studies. 

Schools should register on behalf of their pupils. Please indicate when registering how many pupils will be attending. While this event is for pupils, teachers may wish to attend and this should be reflected in the numbers when you register.

Read more...

Press Release: Teachers to learn to teach languages in the classroom

7 June 2018 (SCILT/OU)

An innovative scheme teaching primary teachers languages and how to teach those languages to pupils is being expanded across Scotland for the first time. The first of its kind in the UK, the distance learning programme will see primary teachers study French, Spanish, German or Mandarin and develop the skills to teach the language in the classroom at the same time. 

Launching across Scotland today (Thursday 7 June) at an event in Edinburgh where guests will hear from pupils and teachers, the programme is now available to primary school teachers in all local authorities following a successful pilot which featured 54 teachers from 49 schools across nine local authorities in 2017/18. The programme is a partnership between The Open University and SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages based at the University of Strathclyde.

Designed to support the Scottish Government’s ‘1+2’ language policy, which aims to enable all pupils to learn two additional languages from primary level onwards, the programme will link up with the cultural organisations of France, Spain, Germany and China to facilitate immersive summer schools for participating teachers. At the same time, schools will also have the opportunity to make connections with schools in the countries whose language pupils are learning.

Dr Sylvia Warnecke, lecturer in languages and programme lead at The Open University, said:

“The key thing about this programme is its flexibility, meaning that teachers in every part of Scotland – whether urban or rural – will be able to learn together and share their experiences and ideas, helping each other to bring the language they’re learning to life in the classroom.

“We’ve already had teachers from the pilot project tell us that their pupils love it and are really engaged. They have been instrumental in starting after school language clubs and making links with schools in other countries. It’s exciting that all teachers, schools and pupils in every part of Scotland now have the chance to learn together through this programme.”

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT, said:

“We see this as an important collaboration between our two universities, local authorities and teachers. The course is focused on developing teachers’ confidence so they are able to create exciting and motivating lessons for their pupils. In this way we can make sure that languages feature as an integral part of the Scottish curriculum and that youngsters are given their full entitlement to language learning.

“The teachers’ commitment to developing their skills is humbling. Their willingness to embrace their own learning in order to benefit their pupils’ experience highlights the professionalism and dedication that is the mark of the teaching profession.”

Gwen McCrossan, Principal Teacher for 1+2 Languages, Argyll & Bute, said:

“This course is ideal for the geographical situation of Argyll & Bute. We are delighted to be able to take part, as it provides a quality learning experience for teachers who would otherwise find it difficult to access language training. The course is also unique because it is tailor-made for primary school.”

The pilot project has been shortlisted in the partnership category in this year’s Herald Higher Education Awards. Such is the interest in the programme following its pilot phase and ahead of its wider rollout, it is expected that teachers from Wales and Northern Ireland will join the next presentation starting in October 2018.

A short video featuring teachers who participated in the pilot talking about their experience of the programme is available on YouTube.

Further information on how to sign-up for next year's course is available on SCILT's website

Vacancy - CISS Professional Development Officer

31 May 2018 (SCILT/CISS)

The Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools, based within Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, requires a Professional Development Officer to support its network of Confucius Classroom hubs. There are currently 44 hubs (with a further 3 pending approval) across Scotland, including secondary, primary and specialist hubs. This is an exciting opportunity to work at a national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland.

Closing date: 19 June 2018

Read more...

OU/SCILT course nominated for the Herald Higher Education awards 2018

30 May 2018 (SCILT/OU Scotland)

SCILT, together with The Open University in Scotland, has been named as a finalist in  the Herald Higher Education Awards 2018. 'Primary School Teachers Learning to Teach Languages’ project, facilitated as a partnership between SCILT and OU Scotland, is shortlisted for the Partnership Award. The award winners will be announced on June 28 in Glasgow.

Read more...

Smithycroft pupils learn the value language skills in the construction industry

22 May 2018 (SCILT)

Young people from Smithycroft Secondary had the opportunity to engage with the construction industry at an event held at University of Strathclyde on 16 May 2018. S3 students presented plans for a dream house, drawn up in French, to a panel of experts. The challenge demonstrated the relevance of language skills in a work context and aimed to encourage pupils to continue with their language studies into the senior phase of their secondary education. Through partnership working with a local business, pupils had a chance to develop their understanding about the world of work and gain meaningful employability skills.

The panel of experts included Derek Hill, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Architecture at the University of Strathclyde, Elizabeth Norton, Development Officer for Italian and Latin at Glasgow City Council, Matt Hodgman, Depute Head from Smithycroft Secondary and Janette Kelso from Scotland’s National Centre for Languages (SCILT).

A teacher attending the event said: “This was a fantastic project and showcase event for our pupils - for many it was their first time in a university environment. It has made our learners think more deeply about the importance of language learning and the possibilities and opportunities it may open up to them in the future.”

One of the young people added to this, and commented: “Presenting in front of others was scary but once we got started we really enjoyed it – we were surprised how well we did! It made me think a lot more about using French with another subject or in another type of job.”

The event was organised by Smithycroft Secondary’s Modern Languages Department with support from SCILT, working in partnership with local business Dreamstones.

Fhiona Fisher, Director of SCILT said: “Projects such as these are a really important way of providing young people with high quality careers advice delivered by the business people themselves and of demonstrating to them the value of language skills in our increasingly globalised world”.

Meaningful employer engagement and providing relevant careers advice are both key recommendations of Scotland’s Youth Employment Strategy, “Developing the young workforce”. This business engagement event supported these aims by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world.

This collaboration between schools and businesses supported Scotland’s International Policy to equip young people with international communication and employability skills that they will need in our increasingly globalised society and economy.

Latest edition of SCILT newsletter published

22 May 2018 (SCILT)

Read about SCILT’s latest efforts to celebrate and promote languages, including promoting skills for work, parental engagement and cross-sector working. There are some inspiring stories from local authorities as well as an opportunity to find out more about the work our partners have been doing to support language learning in Scotland.

Read more...

New promotional postcards available designed by learners

21 May 2018 (SCILT)

Earlier this year, SCILT invited pupils in S1-S3 to design a promotional postcard for SCILT to use at events to give to pupils and parents to promote the importance of language learning. The winning postcard was to contain key messages on the value of language skills and to have an eye-catching design.

We received 86 entries from seven schools. There were lots of great designs and many of them contained clear, powerful messages.

In the end we selected two winners:

• Ailie Robertson from Stirling High School designed Why learn a language?
• Ellie Rawding from Loudoun Academy designed The world at your fingertips

We are delighted that both winners could attend the Word Wizard final to collect their certificates and prizes.

Their designs are now available for schools to order from the SCILT website.

 

Read more...

Business Brunches 2018 webpage now live!

18 May 2018 (SCILT)

The Business Brunches took place earlier on this year across Scotland, and supported DYW and the Scottish Attainment Challenge by giving young people the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the role of languages in the business world. 

Read more...

Word Wizard Final 2018: Motivating young people in their language learning

18 May 2018 (SCILT/CISS)

S1-S3 pupils from across Scotland took part in the national final of Word Wizard at the Scottish Parliament on 11 May 2018. Word Wizard is a multilingual spelling competition for pupils learning French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish. Forty-eight learners from ten local authorities and independent schools competed in the final in front of an audience of teachers, supporters and guests.

Read more...

SCILT/CISS supporting promotional events

18 May 2018 (SCILT/CISS)

The SCILT/CISS team are now taking requests for input at promotional events for next session. Input at your promotional event may include:

• Talks promoting the value of language learning to classes/year groups/assemblies
• Providing a stall at your event such as careers fairs, parents nights or business and language events

In order to ensure all schools have the opportunity to benefit from our involvement, we are now requesting that you complete an online application form. 

You will be asked to outline how a promotional event might support your uptake in the senior phase, if applicable, and what other measures you are putting in place to address the Attainment Agenda, National Improvement Framework and Developing Scotland’s Young Workforce.

All requests for the 2018/19 session must be received by 31st October 2018 in order for schools and the SCILT/CISS team to plan effectively. 

Please email SCILT in the first instance to receive a link to the request form. 

New job profile on SCILT's website

4 May 2018 (SCILT)

For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile on Michael Dewar, whose love of languages has led to him working as a language tutor. Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.

Read more...

MTOT celebration event - webpage now live!

20 April 2018 (SCILT)

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. 

Read more...

Scottish students in China

8 April 2018 (Scottish Government)

Scottish students will get the opportunity to live and study in China through funding for the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools Scholarship Programme.

The £754,000 investment in the work of the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS) was announced as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met some of the current scholars in Beijing on the first day of her visit to China. She learned how the scheme has helped to build links between young people in both countries, improving language skills and widening horizons for those taking part.

Applications for the programme are open to 6th year pupils in Confucius Classroom Hubs around Scotland. So far 70 Scottish students have been awarded scholarships.

Read more...

Young poets’ multilingual talents celebrated

26 March 2018 (SCILT)

The multilingual talents of young poets from across Scotland were celebrated at a prestigious award ceremony at University of Strathclyde on 17 March 2018.

Children and young people from primary, secondary and early years used their language skills to create and share poetry as part of this year’s Mother Tongue Other Tongue competition. In addition, for the first time this year the competition was open to Scotland’s Further and Higher Education sectors.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue is an exciting competition that celebrates linguistic and cultural diversity through creative writing and showcases the many languages used by children and young people across Scotland, in education and at home. The competition is organised by SCILT, Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, based at University of Strathclyde. Jackie Kay is the patron of the competition.

This year, over 100 entries were submitted from across Scotland. Winning and Highly Commended entries came from schools in Renfrewshire, Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Edinburgh, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and West Lothian as well as from the University of West of Scotland, University of Dundee, University of Edinburgh, and City of Glasgow College.

One teacher said of the competition: “I am extremely proud of all our pupils. It was a wonderful chance to hear so many beautiful languages being celebrated. Thank you for this opportunity.”

Another teacher added: "Mother Tongue Other Tongue gives my quieter pupils confidence and self-worth."

One of the young competitors commented: “It has been an amazing experience.”

Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT, said: “Mother Tongue Other Tongue is a celebration of the many languages that are spoken and learned by young people across Scotland. The collection of their poems weaves a rich tapestry of voices that honours cultural diversity and pays testament to the wealth of Scotland’s many languages and cultures. We were delighted to see such a high calibre of entries this year, submitted in 29 different languages. Our congratulations go to the winners and to all who took part in the competition.”

Mother Tongue invites competitors who do not speak English as a first language to write a poem, rap or song in their mother tongue and share their inspiration. Other Tongue encourages competitors learning another language to use that language creatively with an original poem, rap or song in that other tongue. Prizes are awarded in both categories.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue is supported by creative writer Juliette Lee, the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland, Languages in Colleges and the Scottish Poetry Library.

Mother Tongue Other Tongue supports the Scottish Government initiative, ‘Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 approach’ by allowing pupils to apply their language learning in a creative way and by providing children who do not have English as their first language with an opportunity to celebrate their mother tongue.

The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. One of the key drivers is improved literacy. Through reflecting on poetry in their mother tongue and creating poetry in another tongue, learners are developing their literacy skills.

Read more...

New job profile on SCILT's website

23 March 2018 (SCILT)

The job profiles on our website cover a range of professions where languages are being used. 

Our latest addition comes from Ross Yuill, a student and front desk associate for the Marriott Hotel whose interest in Korea and its culture led to him learning the language. He's been able to apply these skills in the workplace with visiting guests.

Teachers use our profiles in the classroom to enhance learning about the world of work and how languages can play a part.

Read more...