London

CAPITAL L RESOURCE FOLDER LAUNCH

Capital L will celebrate the launch of its Resource Folder with a day of workshops and a show case of activities.

The event is aimed at language teachers, borough language coordinators and other professionals involved in promoting language learning at school and college level. It will be an opportunity to experience and learn about a range of Capital L language enrichment activities that have been successfully delivered in the last three years. All activities are supported by comprehensive lesson plans and relevant resources. After the event teachers will be able to adapt the activities at their schools and/or engage with Capital L workshop leaders.

All participants will receive a certificate of attendance.
 

Endangered Languages Week at SOAS

There are approximately 7,000 languages spoken on earth today and half of them are under threat from larger languages and are not being passed on to children. Through films, displays, discussions and workshops Endangered Languages Week 2011 looks at what is being done to document, archive and support endangered languages around the world.

The activities:

1. Endangered Languages Workshops

Through a workshop run by Endangered Languages academic experts, students will be introduced to some of the subfields of the study of language and have their awareness raised of language diversity and language endangerment, both in London and in the wider world.

After a short general introduction delivered by SOAS two lecturers, the students will break into small teams. In their teams, the students will take part in a series of hands-on mini-workshops, hosted by undergrad and postgrad students of linguistics at SOAS, in which they will solve problems or perform small tasks, such as writing their name in a different script, greeting someone in a different language, drawing a family tree of the languages spoken in their own families or completing a quiz on the languages of the world.

The two academics involved will be Dr Sophie Salffner and Dr Candide Simard; experts in their field, and members of the Languages of the Wider World Centre for Excellence, and the Endangered Languages Academic Programme at SOAS respectively.

This unique workshop will engage with students directly and actively to arouse their curiosity about language, using their own experience as a starting point.

2. Tour of SOAS

Students will be taken on a guided tour of the university by current SOAS students, visiting the Library, Student Union common room, and Brunei art gallery. This will be an opportunity for students to ask questions and learn about the experience of studying in higher education and to get a feel for a university environment.

The students

Your students should be in Year 9 and interested in one of the following subjects: languages, geography, history, economics, politics. Students will further develop their awareness of linguistic diversity and endangerment, raising their analytical, critical thinking, and team work skills as well as experiencing life on campus.

Priority should be given to those who would be the first generation in their family to attend University. This is a widening participation event and is intended to “fast forward the tape” and give students a first-class experience of study at University level.

Confirming places

This event is designed to accommodate 30 students. If you would like to bring a group of students to participate in this exciting event please contact me as soon as possible on either jb73@soas.ac.uk or 020 7898 4113.

The above dates are currently provisional.

State secondary schools and supplementary schools in London will be invited to participate in a competition to create a class wall display or an individual's set of 3 still photos + commentary in the target language to give an idea of "Our Area", or "Postcards from London" (in the target language). Details from terry.king@ucl.ac.uk.

Take a look at the competition poster.

This activity is aimed at Years 8 and 9 at state secondary schools and supplementary schools.

Turkish Immersion Saturday Academy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

The Turkish Immersion Saturday Academy is a project taking place across four consecutive
Saturdays in May:

Saturday 7th May, 10:00 – 12:30

Saturday 14th May, 10:00 – 12:30

Saturday 21st May, 10:00 – 12:30

Saturday 28th May, 10:00 – 12:30

It is being offered to students who are Turkish speakers, in years 9 to 11, and who have been entered for GCSE
Turkish. Priority should be given to those who would be the first generation in their family to attend University, and who are taking exams this year.

Each weekly session will consist of two language lessons by a SOAS academic as well as a
chance to meet current SOAS students and find out more about higher education. Students will
also receive information about studying languages at universities as well as about other language
qualifications; and refreshments will be provided.

The aims of the project are to help prepare students for their GCSE Turkish examinations
(particularly by improving their written skills), to give these students the opportunity to experience
the university environment, and to raise the profile of world languages in general.
 

A three day immersion language programme for Y9-10 speakers of Urdu taking place at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

The programme will consist of language classes in the morning and group work in the afternoon. The language classes will be specifically designed to help students improve their Urdu language skills. For the afternoon, participants will be given a choice of project titles and work in groups with SOAS student ambassadors to prepare a presentation in whatever format they choose. The presentation will be delivered on the last day.

Students will also receive information about studying languages at university, how languages could enhance their career prospects, and about other language qualifications. SOAS and Capital L will liaise with their secondary schools about alternative language qualifications.

The Urdu community is one of the largest bi-lingual communities in London, yet in many cases, children either don’t have the opportunity to learn to read and write in their home language or feel that there is no benefit in doing so.

This activity will provide them not only with the opportunity to develop their reading and written skills, but also increase their awareness of the benefits and opportunities for studying and obtaining a recognised qualification.
 

Mastering Your Language is an AS Level Revision Programme which will provide a 3-day intensive course in French, German and Spanish for 60 students. It is open to AS Level students of either French, German, Spanish or any combination of these languages.

You will have the opportunity to review and revise core topics with language academics from the University. The programme will be split up to ensure you can prepare for your exams in an interactive environment. During the three days you will develop your reading, writing, listening and oral skills as well as enhance your cultural awareness of your
chosen language. Places are limited.

Please find below an information poster and application form.

Please note that this programme is only open to students from schools in the London area.

A school based project involving an initial workshop to introduce teachers and pupils to the storytelling project run by the French team at LSE. Students will be encouraged to tell a story through animated photo presentations developed by themselves using computer software.

The stories are told in the target language and can be chosen from different topics agreed in advance with the class teacher. The project, which is designed to span a number of weeks, involves students writing the story, selecting images and editing them into a sequence. Students will record an oral commentary to accompany the photo presentation. Computer programmes include Microsoft Moviemaker and Apple iMovie. If these are not available, powerpoint may be used.

A Multi-Lingual and Multi-Cultural Conference and Storytelling Event for Schools, Colleges and Universities, and for Storytellers of All Ages

Storytelling is a practice shared by all human cultures which has endured from ancient times to our contemporary societies. The sharing of tales, tall and short, humorous and didactic, for pleasure and for necessity was, and continues to be, essential for the survival and development of all our cultures.

The oral traditions of storytelling respect and value traditional cultures, encourage cross-generational and cross-cultural sharing, and foster the development of the precious, intangible heritage that is storytelling. It privileges speech and language, and the sharing, preserving and revitalisation of oral heritages.

Beyond the sharing of the oral storytelling and written folktale traditions across cultures, ‘storytelling’ in varying forms is also a newly emerging tool that has been affecting fields as varied as the study of management, strategy and organisation studies, military science, medicine, psychology and psychiatry. For many practitioners in these fields, storytelling is beginning to be a key competency and knowing how to deliver a story effectively combined with knowing the right story to tell is actively reshaping these, and other, disciplines.

Storytelling has also been used in education as an exercise to improve language skills as it offers students a chance to run a self-motivated project in which they have the opportunity to talk about themselves and put across a personal message.

Necessarily shape-shifting and constantly open to new influences, the story in all its forms is a place where languages and cultures meet. This event is both a celebration of that ‘place’ and an attempt to bring together multiple forms of storytelling that may not have yet met.

Two forms of Storytelling will be showcased at this event:

Showcase 1 The Story Bazaar: A Multi-Lingual Storytelling Performance Project

The Story Bazaar is an exciting creative event that conjures up the atmosphere of the bazaar – traditionally the place where traders and travellers met to exchange goods, news and tales. It was a melting-pot where different cultures and languages met, mixed and influenced each other. Stories and storytellers were, and still are, an important part of the bazaar. The oral tradition was nourished by the cross-fertilization of languages, creating new versions of stories, which were carried away by traders. As the African ending to a story goes: ‘Carry some away and bring some back’. Story Bazaar aims to inspire and encourage a creative approach to learning languages, and to re-create the dynamic atmosphere of cultures and languages to share tales.

Teachers and students in a selection of London schools are currently researching and collecting traditional folk stories in their key languages and exploring the rich cultural heritage behind those languages with a focus on engaging the students in speaking and communicating, and developing confidence in expressing themselves in those languages. The Story Bazaar is a cross-curricular activity, linking language learning with written and oral culture, history, social and cultural studies, religion, drama, and art and design. Teachers and students will gather together to perform, share their stories and celebrate the cultural heritage of their key languages.

Project led by Storyteller Sally Pomme Clayton

Showcase 2 Digital Storytelling: Why Digital Storytelling is Good for Your Students

Two emergent trends – storytelling in various fields and the use of social computing tools – can be combined to give renewed options to foreign language studies and help develop both students’ linguistic and cross-cultural skills. Students have the opportunity to develop their fluency by using their own voice while working on a personal story. DST gives them a creative space while focusing also on current issues. Key narrative skills are developed through storyboard writing and the analysis of visual material while also focusing on complex language issues. Throughout the conference, there will be presentations to outline the function of digital storytelling as a pedagogical tool through which students reflect on their experience, present it to others and improve their language skills. Examples of DST developed by students will be shown.

Project led by the LSE Language Centre team (Matteo Fumagalli; Helen Mayer; Hervé Didiot-Cook)

This event has been certified for CPD purposes by the Continuing Professional Development Certification Service. Please register your details with an event steward at the event in order to obtain a CPD certificate of attendance. If a delegate fails to register their details at the event, it will not prove possible to issue a certificate.Certificates of attendance will be emailed out within 10 working days of the event.

The shadowing project will give the opportunity for Year 11 students (from a Widening Participation background) to shadowan HE language student for a day. The pupils would attend lectures and language classes along with the university student, spend time on campus and talk to their language student about life at University.

For more information, please contact Julien Boast at jb73@soas.ac.uk or 020 7898 4113

Please note that in the case of no-shows or late cancellations, we reserve the right to invoice your school for the costs we have incurred.

This is a day for learners of French in Years 11 and 12 to demonstrate the wider links between language, culture and history. The day will give them the opportunity to not only upgrade their knowledge but experience a university setting as the event will be held at SOAS. It will consist of two main sessions - the first will look at the history of the French empire in north Africa and the second will discuss some of the cultural ramifications of this period. Some language work will be embedded in these sessions.

For more information or to book a place/date, please do not hesitate to contact us on the e-mail below.

Please note that in the case of no-shows or late cancellations, we reserve the right to invoice your school for the costs we have incurred.