Modern Languages Blog

 The French Ministry of Education has launched a mobility programme for primary and secondary teachers called Jules Verne.

Up to 300 teachers throughout France will spend the year 2009-2010 in a school abroad. The programme, of which a full description in English is attached, is entirely funded by the French Ministry of Education.

Word file: Jules Verne programme

French teachers may already have sent applications to Scottish schools. However, Local Authorities are welcome to let me know by 22 June 2009, if they have schools willing to host a French teacher, to the following address: education@ifecosse.org.uk

Through the British Council’s eTwinning project, an East Lothian teacher has created his own version of the Eurovision song contest that has seen his school engage with 30 schools across Europe.

Inspired by both the Eurovision Song Contest and the European Year of Creativity and Innovation Yester Primary School teacher Michael Purves decided to set up Schoolovision 2009.
Each school was asked to enter a song that was representative of their country and recorded a video of it which they then uploaded to the project website.

You can watch the performances and find out who won from the Schoolovision 2009 website.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/http://www.britishcouncil.org/scotland-learning-etwinning-schoolovision

The British Council’s Chief Executive, Martin Davidson, has announced new international opportunities for Scottish schools to link with partners from the Middle East to Latin America, marking the continued growth of British Council programmes in Scotland.

Read more from the British Council and find out more about Connecting Classrooms.

http://www.britishcouncil.org/learning-connecting-classrooms.htm

In association with the Confucius Institute and other bodies, the Scottish Centre for Chinese studies is presenting a lecture on Chinese literature.
Below is some information about the lecture:

Date: Tuesday 28 April
Time: 5.15 - 6.30 pm
Location: Lecture Theatre, Hugh Robson Building 10-15, George Square, Edinburgh

Speaker: HAN Dong, Chinese poet and novelist
Topic: New Words, New Roads: Chinese Literature in the World Followed by panel discussion with translators of contemporary Chinese literature.

Download more information PDF file: Han Dong talk

This lecture is FREE. You are very welcome to attend should you be interested in China, literature or translation studies.

A team at Millburn Academy in Inverness has won the UK level of the ‘Charlemagne Youth Prize’.

Read more on the LTS International education blog

 http://ltsblogs.org.uk/internationaleducation/2009/03/25/europe-and-the-charlemagne-youth-prize/

Shawlands Academy cooked up a winning entry at a recent competition for schools in Glasgow aimed at getting pupils actively learning about employability and enterprise skills through the use of modern languages.

The Glasgow International Job Centre competition set pupils aged 14 from eleven secondary schools the task of investigating and gathering all the information needed to recruit someone for a job in another country - a task made more difficult by the fact they had to do all of it in the language of their chosen country.

Read more of this article from the British Council

The Spanish Education Office is launching a contest open to all primary and secondary schools in Scotland to give recognition to those schools that excel in the promotion and provision of the teaching of Spanish within the school. Entries must be submitted by the headship team or modern languages coordinators before April 20 2009. All the information about prizes and criteria to be awarded can be seen on The Consejería web page:

http://www.mepsyd.es/exterior/uk/es/consej/es/promocion/concursos.shtml

Spring Day for Europe is an annual programme that is open to schools in Europe and elsewhere in the world.

Teachers are encouraged to book days in their calendar to involve students in activities that focus on European themes. Spring Day enables young citizens to express their views and make their voices heard in Europe.  

The programme supports many school subjects and offers opportunities for teachers and students to experience both cultural and practical aspects of creativity and innovation.

Spring Day for Europe runs this year from 25 March to 9 May 2009. Schools of all types are welcome to register, from pre-primary to sixth form and FE colleges. Spring Day is also open to classes from organisations responsible for extra-curricular activities whose goals are to develop and strengthen skills related to the school curriculum.

For further information in the UK, contact ukspringday@googlemail.com

Spring Day for Europe 2009

Hillhead High School has been chosen as the location of Glasgow’s first Confucius Classroom, part of a network of similar units at secondaries across Scotland.

The Confucius Classroom will give pupils lessons in Chinese language and culture and will also be used to organise trips to China and develop links with Chinese people living in Scotland. Although Hillhead High is the location of the new hub, the intention is to provide a facility that other schools and communities in Glasgow will be able to use.

The initiative is being delivered as a partnership between Glasgow City Council, Learning and Teaching Scotland and the Hanban - the organisation in China with responsibility for the promotion of Chinese language and culture.

www.LTScotland.org.uk/news/2009/educational/february/news_tcm4535374.asp?strReferringChannel=ltscotland

The Scottish Government has announced that a group of Scottish pupils will undergo a Chinese immersion course this summer on a two and half week visit to China. A total of 51 pupils and nine teachers will have the chance to learn Chinese and gain first-hand experience of Chinese culture.

The study visit is being organised by Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) and the British Council, alongside the Hanban in China - the Office of Chinese Language Council International.

Read more from the Scottish Government news.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2009/02/20104349