Modern Languages Blog

MultilingualFamily is a new website for families living the UK looking for support.

The aim is to have an easy ‘place’ where families can find out about other families speaking the same language around them so that they can form playgroups, etc. There is also a resources section about the different languages and anything to do with parenting bilingually.

The German Embassy is pleased to invite nominations for the German Teacher Award 2006. The three winners will each receive a personal prize of £750 and a certificate. The prizes will be presented by the Ambassador at a special ceremony at the Embassy. Please send nominations which should be around one page and signed by the head teacher, to the Goethe-Institute, 50 Princes Gate, Exhibition Road, London SW7 2PH, for the attention of Noemi Zell.

Glenn Malone reports that Google Maps are now available for the whole of Europe. This could be really useful for language learning students, as they use Google Maps with other web sites (Allociné, Deutsche Bahn, SNCF…) to fill in detail about restaurants, bars, cafés, train stations, resorts, tourist sites… on the Google streetmap. Students as experts and contributors, once more, providing knowledge that will help the world.

For a reason unbeknown to most of our non-driving 15 year old students learning it, traffic reports sometimes feature in coursework and examinations. Well, here is a resource that could make that learning a little more relevant, perhaps, and a little more motivating, certainly. The Internaute’s Automobile live traffic site allows students to choose an area of France, see the real-time traffic report in images. Then, perhaps, they could use this as a backdrop for a TV show production which includes a traffic report or, for that matter, the stimulous for a podcast online radio show which, by its nature, might feature a traffic report. What do you think? Useful resource, or should we not bother teaching traffic jams to our kids?

This hard-hitting article from Libération looks at the unsettling phenomenon of ‘le happy slapping’. The article will only be available for a week or so, but might be worth keeping for Advanced Higher Arts and Media sections.

Two great – and long – articles in the Guardian reflecting on how new technology is affecting our brains. In the comment article you are able to add your own views, although it might be worth first reading Susan Greenfield’s piece, where she points out that new technologies might provide a way out of the Ritalin nation we are currently developing.

What do you think? Are new technologies eating the minds of our youth or are they providing a means to work, learn and play that are more powerful than most of us can appreciate?

Here’s a set of seven short paragraphs based on seven video games which have become blockbuster films. Great reading for any year.

Via the PiE blog, Mark is setting himself a real challenge – trying his own medicine, if you will:

Welcome to this blog, a journey in one person’s attempts to master a new language. My name is Mark Pentleton and I have set myself a challenge: to learn Mandarin Chinese. My language-learning career began in 1983 when, as an 11 year-old I started French at secondary school. Since then I’ve formally studied Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, and in later life picked up some German, Norwegian, Catalan and most recently Japanese.

So… I’ve decided to make this a linguistic and technical challenge: I’m actually challenging myself to learn Mandarin Chinese only using technology-based resources. That means no books, no audio cds, no teacher or class. Only what I can find online!

You can follow Mark’s Virtual Mandarin learning log and diary as he struggles – or maybe doesn’t struggle too much – in his bid to learn a language entirely online. Should make interesting regular reading.

If your students are fans of Lost (and they are then they’ll be fascinated by the French interest in the second series, too:

Devenue culte en France comme aux Etats-Unis, la série “Lost, les disparus” revient en juin sur TF1. Avant la saison 2, découvrez quelques secrets du tournage.

Read the dossier now.

Jane Renton, HMIe Modern Languages for Scotland, says in a Scotland on Sunday article that schools should be discussing foreign language films and stars such as Audrey Tautou instead of relying on textbooks to teach pupils how to speak other languages properly.

Read the full article:

SCHOOLS should be discussing foreign language films and stars such as Audrey Tautou instead of relying on textbooks to teach pupils how to speak other languages properly, according to a leading schools inspector.

Jane Renton claims pupils would be less likely to drop French, German, Spanish or Russian if they were not “spoon-fed” a curriculum of basic words and grammar but discussed popular European culture instead. Such a change in learning would encourage teenagers to continue their studies on to Higher grades, eventually allowing them to speak a second language “in proper sentences”, rather than being able to do little more than order coffee or ask directions to the beach.

Renton, the chief languages inspector for schools watchdog HMIE (Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education), says unless more interesting content and better teaching methods are used to develop practical abilities Scotland will fail to overcome its “monolingualism“.

Her comments received the backing of teaching unions and opposition parties last night, who said a failure to improve language skills would harm the Scottish economy.

Renton said: “If we are going to increase uptake and cure our monolingualism then we need to get children interested in what they are actually learning. They should be learning about what is happening in the real world instead of asking for directions or ordering coffee.”

Renton recently inspected a school where a group of S3 boys were learning French by discussing Amelie, the Hollywood hit set in Paris which starred Tautou, during a class. Other good examples included film-making in foreign languages and senior pupils staging a German play. Renton said: “The pupils were far better motivated because it was interesting and they could relate to what they were learning.”

Teaching of all subjects is facing massive change in 2008 under the Scottish Executive’s “Curriculum For Excellence” review. Ministers’ stated intention is to “de-clutter” the curriculum, allowing pupils to learn subjects in greater depth and ensure smoother progression between primary and secondary school.

Bill McGregor, general secretary of the Headteachers Association of Scotland agreed that modern languages teaching needed a shake-up. He said: “The textbook and blackboard approach is a bit old hat. Pupils should be discussing foreign culture and using new technology to broaden their ability.”

Fiona Hyslop, the SNP’s education spokeswoman, added: “We need a step change in modern languages teaching.”

Check out the MFLE’s Cinema and media section for interesting ways to introduce world culture to your students, including watching foreign-language DVDs.