Modern Languages Blog

‘Languages from the Cradle‘ is a European Union funded project to collect the lullabies of Europe. Lullabies in the original European languages, with their translations and background will be available for families, schools and children to use.

Lullabies in multiple languages are a perfect way to introduce new languages into a family setting. Every European country has its own culture of lullabies but this project will allow you to cross the cultural divide and sing and play other wonderful lullabies in your homes.

Very young children who hear these songs will remember them later when starting to learn foreign languages. Indeed, research shows that lullabies do much more than lulling a baby to sleep. They provide opportunities for children’s growth and development as well as promoting a loving relationship between parent and child .

You can get involved and contribute to this project. Please note every contributor to the project will receive a free copy of the final products of the project (subject to limited availability).

To find out more about the project, visit the Lullabies of Europe website.

The Scotsman reports that pupils at a Lothians high school are forging links with China ahead of this year’s Beijing Olympics.

Bathgate Academy is pairing up with Weifang Middle School – built on the site of the Japanese internment camp in which Edinburgh sprinter Eric Liddell died.

The pupils will also take part in workshops on Chinese culture, including drama, dance, tai chi, storytelling and puppet making. The move is part of China Now, a nationwide celebration of links between Scotland and China.

The French Film Festival UK, now in its 16th year, continues its annual celebration of le cinéma français from Friday 7 to Thursday 20 March 2008 with 32 films, 10 cities, 14 venues, exhibitions, school screenings, personal guest appearances and a great atmosphere.

The Glasgow Film Theatre and Edinburgh Filmhouse will be showing a range of French films for the festival. More details soon in our Cinema listings section.

Ofsted marked yesterday’s International Mother Language Day with the release of a new report, Every Language Matters, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of initial teacher training in languages other than French, German, Irish, Spanish and Welsh.

The education watchdog said that languages such as Arabic, Bengali and Mandarin should be given higher status in England’s schools to give more pupils the opportunity to learn them.

The report also praised the series of Curriculum Guides for Community Languages published by CILT and Goldsmiths as ‘an invaluable resource for trainees and teachers’.

Teresa Tinsley, Director of Communications at CILT, the National Centre for Languages said:

‘The benefits of language learning are not limited to the small group of the world’s languages we call ‘modern foreign languages’. Learning a community language such as Panjabi can highlight the relevance and practicality of using another language in everyday life, as well as helping intercultural understanding and social cohesion.

For those pupils who already speak another language, taking it to a higher level, gaining literacy in it and a qualification, can be an important step forward in social and personal development, as well as enabling them to make practical use of an asset.

CILT’s leaflet, Use it or Lose it, provides further advice for pupils who want to know how their languages can work for them.

Communicate, the annual ICT conference organised by Scottish CILT and Learning and Teaching Scotland, will be held on Saturday March 8, 2008, in the Management Centre at the University of Stirling.

You can view the programme on the MFLE website. The cost is £95.

If you are interested in attending, please email Amanda Reeman-Clark at Scottish CILT (amanda.reemanclark@stir.ac.uk).

If you wish to speak to someone about the conference, please phone Karen Coleman at Scottish CILT on 01786 466290 or email her (k.o.coleman@stir.ac.uk).

Speaking assessments for GCSE modern foreign languages will change to make them a more accurate reflection of pupils’ ability and their capacity to respond to real life situations, Schools Minister Jim Knight has announced.

From September 2009 students will be assessed on different occasions during Key Stage 4, rather than face a single ‘oral’ examination at the end of the course.

Read this story on the DCSF website.

An influential group of experts is putting pressure on the Scottish Government to take urgent action to make Scotland more multilingual, the Herald reports.

Figures show that the number of school pupils taking modern language Highers has slumped by nearly 60% since the 1970s. The group has highlighted an ‘apartheid’ in foreign language study in Scottish universities and fear the nation is becoming less competitive in the global economy as a result.

Other experts have observed what is described as ‘a worrying trend’ towards the increasing dominance of French, which is the result of having a large pool of teachers, rather than demand. Scottish Enterprise said that Mandarin and Russian would be the most relevant to the Scottish economy.

Dr Murray Hill, the Scottish representative on the UK Standing Conference of Heads of Modern Languages in Universities, is spearheading the campaign.

He has gained support from heavyweight language and industry groups in calling for the Scottish Government to implement an effective strategy with funding support to halt the decline, believing the nation is being left behind by European neighbours.

Positively Plurilingual, a report published by CILT on the contribution of languages to UK education and society, is now available to order free of charge from the CILT online shop.

The report highlights the major linguistic asset that the UK has in its multicultural population, which, if developed wisely, has the potential to benefit society as a whole as well as improving the life chances of individual children.

At the online shop you can also order free copies of Talking World Class, a report highlighting the impact of language skills on the UK economy, and the pocket-sized Key Facts leaflet linked to the report. The new More Key Facts will be available shortly – visit the online shop over the coming weeks for details.

Other highlights of the online shop include the free Languages Work resources, which promote the true value of languages in the workplace and beyond. They are particularly aimed at teenagers and include factsheets, posters and postcards. These resources are designed for use by:

• Individuals and parents
• Teachers and lecturers
• Careers advisers

You can also browse our European Day of Languages resources, which include EDL badges and t-shirts as well as a free resource pack consisting of a selection of posters and stickers. New EDL resources will be added for 2008 – keep an eye on the website for updates!

Visit the CILT online shop.

A Bute language teacher has been so successful in establishing links with overseas schools that she has been appointed as an ambassador for the British Council. Cathy McKirdy, who teaches languages to pupils at all the island’s primary schools, will support schools across the country in their attempts to develop overseas partnerships of their own.

Read more on the Buteman website.

One quarter of UK companies (26%) have lost out on business because their staff cannot speak a foreign language, according to a new report released by Hodder Education last week. The independent research conducted by Gfk NOP reveals that insufficient language skills in the workplace has meant that 17% of companies have not been able to pitch for business globally. The survey of over 500 UK companies also found that 10% of companies incurred costs having documents translated.