North West

We are compiling a database of speakers of languages. If you speak a language other than French, German and Spanish and you are interested in assisting schools and other parties with enquires relating to languages, please click on the link below to read more and download a database registration form:

Database Information and Registration Form
 

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for – the LAFTAs is back! If you’re aged between 13 and 21 and live in the UK, become a film star, director or producer for the day for your chance to win fantastic prizes!

To enter the competition, just make a two-minute video showing why languages are important. Fill in an application form and send your clip in to LAFTAs before February 2010 – they’ll put it on our YouTube page and pass it on to the regional judges and, finally, to a celebrity judging panel. All the details are to be found on their website, see link below.

Your video can be in any style you like - from comedy to thriller! You can enter in one or more of our special categories, including this year’s London 2012 theme and A World of Languages category. There are over 300 languages spoken in the UK. We’re looking for clips which demonstrate the world of languages there is out there to explore. You can enter as an individual or a group.
 

If your video is shortlisted you’ll be invited to a glamorous award ceremony in summer 2010 where you’ll find out who’ll be walking away with an LAFTA this year. Prizes include trips to France, Germany and Spain, iPod Touches and vouchers for different shops.

To view past entries, click on the following link: www.youtube.com/thelaftas

With the North West being such a culturally diverse place, we really encourage you to enter this competition. It would be fantastic to see someone from the North West win the LAFTA Award!

For more information on this competition, visit www.languageswork.org.uk/laftas

A new feature of this year's Routes into Languages North West Language Enrichment events was a fabulous new competition - local pupils who attended were asked to submit a photograph with a written account of their day.

Not prepared for the amount of entries, we spent the summer sifting through some excellent accounts. Writing about their favourite taster session, culture or ambassador, some of the entries received were creative, some were colourful and others were very inspired.
 

In the end, however, only three could be selected. It was a hard job, but we eventually chose what we think were the best. Please click on the names to see the winning entries.

Runners up, winners of 1gb ipod shuffles: Sukhveer Singh, William Hulme's Grammar School and Keely Knight, Fearns Community Sports College.

The winner of the 2008/09 Language Enrichment Event Ipod competition, who gets a 8gb Ipod Touch, was: Elle Cropley, Irlam & Cadishead Community High School.

Thank you to everyone who submitted a piece. Keep up the language learning!

All important dates have been pencilled in and the 2009/10 Routes into Languages North West information pack will soon be making its way to all schools in the North West.

Addressed to the Head of Languages, schools will receive a copy of the latest Routes North West Newsletter detailing how far we've come over the last year and what lies ahead. Also included will be booking forms to the biggest events of the coming year; the winter Langauge Enrichment events, the NWULA event and an exciting Italian event.

If you have any questions regarding the pack or any of the events please don't hesitate to get in touch. Likewise if you'd like to request a pack or need a replacement, contact routes@mmu.ac.uk.

Aiming to Create Perfect Language Partnerships

Over the last year, we have been approached by various institutions seeking teachers of community languages to run classes; Likewise, individuals have come to us looking for institutions who need a language tutor, and we have also helped schools set up lunch time language clubs with Student Ambassadors, some of which were hugely successful. This has prompted us to set up the Routes Into Languages NW Language Exchange.

We want to help schools and individuals establish links and build partnerships across the North West.

So whether you are looking for a teacher, a school, or someone to run an after-school club, please get in touch with us. Advertise on Language Exchange and we can help you find what you want.

We are also interested to hear from contacts with European schools who may be looking for a British partner for pen pal schemes or even Exchange trips.

If you have something to advertise through Language Exchange, please email routes@mmu.ac.uk with your details.

View a copy of the flyer here.

As we enter the third year of the project, Routes Into Languages North West is showing no signs of abating in its relentless mission to bring community languages to the masses.

2009/10 promises to be a bigger and busier year than ever as we continue to build on the valuable experiences learned from the first two years. With a wider range of school events planned along with the ever popular Language Enrichment Events doubling, we are reaching more pupils than ever before, encouraging schools to look at the languages they teach.

Our growing army of Student Ambassadors are ready to visit the schools of the North West, eager to highlight the many benefits of language learning in Higher Education. The streamlined Teacher Training programme is reaching more and more community teachers, raising both the quality and exposure of community language teaching in the Greater Manchester area.

The coming year includes:

• Winter Language Enrichment Events aimed at Year 9s
• Summer Language Enrichment Events aimed at Year 8s
• Cornerhouse Projector GCSE Film Study Sessions for pupils of Mandarin Chinese, Arabic, Urdu and Italian
• Community of Lesser Taught Languages (COLT) Conference
• Italian Celebration Day
• Teacher Training for community teachers of Arabic, Urdu and Mandarin Chinese
• NWULA Languages Now event
• A DVD for schools
• Student Ambassador talks
• A Level day for learners of Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Urdu
• After school and lunchtime language clubs run by Student Ambassadors

If you would like more information on any of these activities, or if you would like to join in by having a Student Ambassador visit your school or would like Routes NW to help out at a language event in your school, please contact routes@mmu.ac.uk.
 

“I really enjoyed the day learning new languages and experiencing other cultures. This trip has inspired me and many others to take languages to a further level.” – Elle Cropley, Irlam and Cadishead Community High School, Manchester.

As the school year closes, the wildly popular Language Enrichment Events have come to an end. Over the past few months, nearly one thousand Year 8 and 9 pupils from all across the North West have descended on our partner universities to experience community languages. They have come away with not only experiences of completely new cultures, but with a desire to continue learning languages.

“The day has taught me just how significant languages are and how important the role that they play in the world today actually is. The event has definitely persuaded me to carry on studying at least one language to A Level standard.” – Nadia Younis, Sale Grammar School, Sale.

Each event consisted of a Why Study Languages talk and tasters from two of our four community languages - Arabic, Chinese, Urdu and Italian. With each language tutor a native of their particular culture, pupils were greeted with living languages rather than unfamiliar words in a textbook. Fun and involving lessons took the edge off these languages and cleared the myth of their presumed difficulty.

"I think it made me feel differently about taking a language at University because it showed me languages could still be fun. I think the whole event has encouraged me to go to University and take a language." – Abi Henshall from Ulverston Victoria High School.

The main event, however, was found in our multicultural market, a series of rooms each offering up a slice of life from the different cultures. Pupils tried their hand at Arabic belly dancing, Chinese painting and sculpture, making masks of the Italian Carnivale, donning traditional Urdu garb and henna hand painting. A few even had a lesson in Opera singing.

“My Favourite part of the day was the multi cultural market because it gave me a chance to find out about other cultures, about the world they live in and learn some of their language." - Hayley Khan, Bispham High School, Blackpool.

Each school attending was given their own Student Ambassador, who stayed with the class throughout the day, talking to the pupils, telling them about university life and the benefits of language learning. Each Ambassador was either a native speaker of one of the community languages, or is studying one of them.

“Both students and staff were buzzing after their day with you. Thank you very much for inviting us; it is especially important to us who live in rural backwaters to be able to access this sort of event.” - Miriam Bailey, Assistant Head, John Ruskin School, Coniston, Cumbria.

New this year was a fabulous ipod competition for those who attended. All pupils had to do to enter was simply produce a written piece on the one aspect of their day they found most rewarding/interesting/fun and submit it to their teacher along with a photo of the event. Their teacher then selected the pick of the class and sent them to us before the closing date. We now have the daunting task of sifting through a multitude of entries to pick one overall winner and two runners up. It will be no easy assignment either, as the quality of entries has taken us all by surprise. The winner will receive an ipod touch while the two runners up each get an ipod shuffle. Winners will be announced very shortly.

“Our intake has increased because of your valuable contribution. Some of our year 10 that were taken last year are talking about doing it at college. We would love to do it every year because it has a great impact on our intake.” – MFL Teacher from Burnage Media Arts College, Manchester.

All in all, this year’s Language Enrichment Events were a huge success. Teachers and pupils went home satisfied, and hopefully the day will stay with quite a few of them. We are planning to expand the LEEs next year, running a set in winter and summer so please check back regularly for details. A big thank you to all who helped out and all who attended.

“Can I also thank you for that very inspirational day you put together for us, it has already had a very positive impact on our languages learners.” - Fabien Massonnet, MFL Teacher, Bispham High School, Blackpool.
 

Check out more photos of these Language Enrichment Events by following the link below! 

www.flickr.com/photos/routesintolanguages/collections/72157615880336944/
 

On Thursday 26th February the North West Consortium Project held a Community Languages Teachers’ Symposium. Sixteen people attended the symposium – including teachers from mainstream and supplementary schools, Language Tutors and Teacher Trainers and a representative from Manchester City Council. After an update on the work the North West Consortium team has been doing, there were discussions about matters affecting the teaching and learning of community languages. The attendees looked at ways to improve the links between mainstream and supplementary schools and ideas were generated for how the North West Consortium can continue to support community languages in both these sectors.

If you would be interested in attending similar events in the future please email routes@mmu.ac.uk

To view a copy of the presentation delivered at the Teachers' Symposium click here (Microsoft Powerpoint).

To view minutes from the evening please click here.