Modern Languages Blog

Register online at www.scottishlearningfestival.org.uk or call the ticket hotline on 0870 421 1938, for keynotes, spotlight and seminars.

Highlights for modern languages include:

Live Lesson for MFL: Short Film and Moving Image Texts lighting up Language LearningCode: E1D Seminar Date: 23 September 2009 Start Time: 15:00

Modern Languages: The Experiences and Outcomes in Practice

Code: M1G  Seminar Date: 24 September 2009 Start Time: 10:30

The Herald reports: One in eight of all school children in Scotland’s largest city does not speak English as a first language, new figures show.

Read more on this article: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2512964.0.English_not_first_language_for_one_in_eight_Glasgow_pupils.php

The UK has just issued its third report on its implementation of the Council of Europe’s European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. 

Read more from Eurolang website 

http://www.eurolang.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3181&Itemid=0

How Gàidhlig is doing

Scottish Gaelic has made progress with the new Gaelic TV channel, and Bòrd na Gàidhlig have announced their new language plan for Highland Council. However, despite strong Scottish governmental support, overall there’s still the lack of adequate provision of relatively easy to achieve items such as bilingual signage, and the language plans, required by the Gaelic language act, need to be adopted by all the councils in Scotland.  The TV channel is also hamstrung from not being available through as a regular terrestrial channel on Freeview, the UK standard provider.

Find the full report on the Council of Europe website http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/education/minlang/Report/

Turismo Valencia has just launched an exciting competition  for 14-18 year-old students of Spanish in the UK. Three students will win a football course run by Valencia FC Foundation in early July with the chance to meet team players and train alongside their promising youngsters.

To take part in the competition you should enrol on the Destination Valencia website and create an advert for the city of Valencia - the proposal must be in Spanish and is limited to one entry per student. For more information email Manuel Balaguer Carmona  asesoriaedimburgo.uk@educacion.es 

http://www.destinovalencia.com/uk09/destino-valencia.php?

Radio Scotland ’s Morning Extra programme on Monday was about Languages in Schools. This can be listened to on BBC i-player until Monday June 8 from the following link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kr5sy/Morning_Extra_With_The_Investigation_Languages_in_Schools/

The Herald reviews this year’s French Higher available from

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/education/display.var.2511541.0.French_An_accessible_paper.php

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

As a public organisation Learning and Teaching Scotland is required by the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 to produce a Gaelic Language Plan. LTS recognises the unique and essential contribution of Gaelic to the rich and diverse cultural life of Scotland. The draft Gaelic Language Plan sets out clearly how LTS will use and support the use of Gaelic in the delivery of its services, working closely with Scottish Government, Bòrd na Gàidhlig and other key partners and stakeholders.

www.LTScotland.org.uk/aboutlts/whatwedo/draftgaeliclanguageplan/index.asp

The Curriculum for Excellence website has published the modern languages experiences and outcomes online

You can also create and save your own personalised groups of outcomes for planning use. Find out more from http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/curriculumforexcellence/languages/modernlanguages/index.asp?