Currently browsing tag

Language Learning, Page 6

New initiative to help boost the language skills of teachers

The BBC has reported that a network of language teaching hubs is to be set up across England, aimed at boosting the language skills of teachers. The £1.8 million programme will provide support in the languages of the curriculum, including speaking, writing, grammar and translation skills, to approximately 2,000 primary and secondary school teachers over a period of two years. To read the article, visit the BBC website. Continue reading →

New national curriculum makes languages compulsory from age five

The Telegraph has published an article discussing the introduction of a new national curriculum this week in primary schools, which is making languages compulsory for children aged five to seven. The new curriculum, which will also see the introduction of a new computing syllabus, has been designed to ‘stop English pupils falling behind their peers in other countries’. To read the article, visit the Telegraph website. Continue reading →

Free language learning app reaches new levels of success

The Guardian has published an article about the journey and ambitions of Luis von Ahn, creator of the free language learning app, Duolingo. Launched in 2012, the app now has 40 million registered users worldwide and engages its users with its unique design and teaching methods. Von Ahn’s hope is that it will continue to allow anyone who has internet access to learn a language for free. To read more about the Duolingo app and its creator, visit the article page on the Guardian website. Continue reading →

Spanish may become the ‘dominant’ language in schools

TES Connect has reported on a prediction by Andrew Hall, the chief executive of exam board AQA, that Spanish is soon likely to become ‘the most commonly-taught foreign language in UK schools’. The report follows this year’s GCSE results, which showed an increase of more than 20,000 Spanish GCSE entries since 2012. To read the full article, visit the TES Connect website. Continue reading →

Modern Languages represented at 2014 Eurocall conference

Julie Watson and Kate Borthwick are amongst colleagues from Modern Languages attending the 2014 Eurocall conference, taking place from 20-23 August 2014 at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Julie’s presentation entitled ‘Sizing up the online course: adapting learning design to meet growing participant numbers’ will take place on the second day of the conference. Continue reading →

Presentations for Reshaping Languages in Higher Education conference now available

Following the highly successful Reshaping Languages in Higher Education conference, organised by the Centre for Languages Linguistics and Area Studies (LLAS), at the Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton, earlier this month, a number of the presentation slides are now available online. To access these, visit the conference pages on the LLAS website. Continue reading →

LanguageBox: A resource for language teachers and students

Teachers and students of languages who wish to share and access teaching and learning materials online may be interested in LanguageBox, an open repository that allows storing, sharing and managing language learning resources, created by the University of Southampton. Language students can also find helpful learning resources. Over 30 languages are represented in LanguageBox. LanguageBox is free for anyone to use. To find out more, visit the LanguageBox website. Continue reading →

Modern Languages staff to present at Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference this week

A number of staff from Modern Languages at the University of Southampton, including Jennifer Jenkins, Irina Nelson, Julie Watson, Kate Borthwick and Patricia Romero de Mills will be presenting this week at the Reshaping Languages in Higher Education Conference, taking place at the Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton on 9 and 10 July 2014. For further details about the conference including information on plenary speakers and a provisional programme, visit the conference page on the LLAS website. Continue reading →