Welcome to Issue 38 of the Scottish Languages Review.
A central theme of this latest issue is interdisciplinary learning, and first up we have a research working paper by Fiona Barclay and Laura Thomas of the University of Stirling. Their Remembering Empire project, piloted in 2022, combines French language with history, culture and global citizenship, and has achieved notable success in its objective of motivating secondary learners to study languages in the Senior Phase, with the materials now freely available to schools across Scotland.
Another successful interdisciplinary project is Le Foot et la Francophonie, combining French and Physical Education, aimed at learners in S2 and S3 and also piloted in the wake of the pandemic. In her thought piece, Suzanne Ritchie of SCILT highlights the effectiveness of football as a means to engage learners, and in particular boys, who have often shown limited interest in language learning. The article, moreover, illustrates how the project supports and enhances broader educational goals, including developing the young workforce and decolonising the curriculum, while at the same time promoting anti-racism and global citizenship. Practitioners interested in using football as a stimulating context for language learning may be interested in looking at resources recently published by SCILT on two new projects for French and Italian respectively - Francofoot and Calciamo.
The value of interdisciplinary learning at primary level is ably illustrated by Noémie Jollet of the Department of Humanities at the University of Strathclyde and by Robert Collins and Clare Mouat of the Strathclyde Institute of Education. Built on the collaboration of students of French language with those of Initial Teacher Education, a successful vertically integrated project on Education for Sustainable Development was delivered through a French-language iteration of Climate Fresk, a card game which raises awareness of climate change. The article includes reflections on the outcomes and results of the project, as well as on some possible directions it could take in the future.
Another primary level project is the subject of a fascinating research working paper co-authored by Mary O’Reilly of Hamilton College and Alex Imrie of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh. In order to overcome challenges frequently faced in the provision of classical languages, a course has been developed to support teachers working with upper years in primary school, with a view to enabling them to assist in the establishment of Latin as a viable L3 within the 1+2 landscape. This article explains the course design and its pedagogical principles, and presents an evaluation of the pilot materials.
To bring the current issue to a close we are delighted to publish a thought piece by Simran Kaur, who is an Equality, Diversity and Engagement Officer at the University of Strathclyde. Building on her own experience as a learner, Simran considers community languages taught in complementary schools in Scotland, and proposes a range of strategies through which the provision of these could be enhanced by their inclusion within the mainstream sector, with a particular emphasis on the engagement of learners’ families and wider communities, ultimately enabling the young people to understand more fully their own complex selves.
As always, I wish to thank the editorial committee and the reviewers for their work on the current issue, together with Sarah Macfarlane at SCILT for making it all possible.
Enjoy Issue 38!
Paul
Dr Paul Hare
Professional Development Officer
Download the complete Issue 38