We’re seeking the views of all modern languages teachers in a questionnaire about the Curriculum for Excellence draft experiences and outcomes for modern languages.
It would be appreciated if as many primary and secondary languages teachers could respond as it’s your opportunity to comment on:

whether you agree with the rationale for the changes proposed
what improvements are required to the current documentation
what support is […]

A series of special units designed to boost Scotland’s links with China is to be opened in schools across the country. The Confucius Classrooms aim to give pupils lessons in Chinese language and culture.
They will also be used to organise trips to China and develop links with Chinese people living in Scotland. Education Secretary Fiona Hyslop has […]

The BBC reports that Cambridge University has dropped its requirement for applicants to have a language GCSE because too few pupils now take them.
Independent schools still tend to offer languages, despite them being no longer compulsory beyond the age of 14. However, only 17% of state primary schools offer them and less than half of […]

CILT hosted an e-Conference last week as part of the ‘Our Languages’ project on community languages. Pupils from both maintained and supplementary/complementary schools from the project clusters were invited to participate in the online discussion. Participants discussed the languages they speak, how they prefer to learn and which languages they believe people will be learning in […]

All Scottish primary schools are invited to join the Junior Language Challenge, the only national language-learning competition of its kind in the UK.
The JLC was started six years ago with the aim of encouraging children under the age of 11 to develop a lifelong passion for language learning, by using cutting-edge multimedia software to learn up to three […]

Gaelic’s effect on economic growth in Scotland is to be investigated by public agencies, reports the BBC website.
The study will look at how many organisations employ staff in posts where Gaelic is deemed to be an essential skill.
Meanwhile, Highland Council is to consider setting up a Gaelic translation unit.
The plan is to provide the authority […]

Chris Gallacher from the British Council talked about eLanguages and the capacity to make links and share information and resources.
The eLanguages website allows you to host your own section, see your partner’s information, learn about ICT and learn another language and culture.
You can explore a model project, find out more about why teachers are engaging […]

Speaker - Stephen McCrossan, North Lanarkshire Council
What this workshop’s about
North Lanarkshire schools have established strong links with schools in Mallorca. Stephen will outline how videoconferencing has strengthened these links and enhanced the learning experience of the pupils. He will demonstrate the features of the Marratech videoconferencing software and describe examples of its use in the […]

Presenter - Wendy Adeniji, freelance ICT trainer and consultant, Bradford
What this workshop’s about
Wendy looks at how we can move away from ‘Death by Powerpoint’ and use the interactive whiteboard effectively to encourage use of the target language, to teach and reinforce grammar and to create activities that motivate pupils.
The workshop
Wendy is from Yorkshire and worked […]

Kath Holton leads a workshop on the myriad of ways you can use digital voice recorders and fun plug-ins like Voki on your school blog or website, in an effort to improve students’ performance in foreign language speaking.
The MFLE already carries some ideas on using digital voice recorders in the preparation of speaking assessments, but […]