A face to face mentoring project which will see language
undergraduates or native speaker international students go into schools
regularly to act as Assistants or Mentors.
For more information please contact us at routes@aston.ac.uk or on 0121 204 3872
A whole class e-mentoring project involving language assistants sending blogs on a monthly basis to a whole class of Year 8 or 9 pupils. Teachers should guide the class through a
written response which they return to the Assistant.
Students taking part in the programme are also invited to attend a
Languages Day at University of Wolverhampton where they can learn about opportunities for linguists in
careers and for further speaking practice with their mentors.
For more information please contact us at routes@aston.ac.uk or on 0121 204 3872
An e-mentoring programme designed to raise the achievement of A-lelve students. Students will attend the University of Wolverhampton for a "getting to know you" session and speaking practice with their mentors. Students are expected to make fortnightly communication via an e-portfolio blog with their student mentors.
Students taking part in the programme are also invited to attend a Languages Day at University of Wolverhampton where they can learn about opportunities for linguists in careers and for further speaking practice with their mentors.
For more information please contact us at routes@aston.ac.uk or on 0121 204 3872
University of Warwick volunteers will visit schools in the region during the Spring and Summer terms to work with students with the aim of improving oral language skills, stimulate interest in language and culture, and
act as role models.
For further information please contact us at routes@aston.ac.uk or on 0121 204 3872
FLAGS (Foreign Languages Awareness Groups for Schools)
This e-mentoring project, hosted by the University of Birmingham, aims to raise the enthusiasm for language learning in Year 9 pupils by offering them a 9-week Web CT course in a new language. The pupils are supported in their learning by undergraduate e-mentors. The languages for the autumn are Italian and Japanese - FLAGS German will run from January till March.
FLAGS stands for “Foreign Language Awareness Group for Schools”. The idea is to introduce pupils to a new language and thus get them inspired and enthusiastic about language learning. FLAGS works as an e-mentoring project: The language learning content is delivered via WebCT, our virtual learning environment. With the help of undergraduate student e-mentors, the pupils work their way through up to nine online language learning sessions.
We pioneered FLAGS last year in three schools with FLAGS Italiano – it was a fun learning experience for us all! This year, FLAGS will run with six schools and there is a choice of languages: FLAGS Italian and Japanese will be offered in the autumn (between 29 September - 12 December), FLAGS German in the winter/spring (between 12 January -27 March).
The exact project dates are to be arranged with each participating school.
Places for this project are now fully booked. However, we can arrange for schools to use the FLAGS WebCT sites, which offer an introduction to Italian, Japanese or German in nine lessons. Schools could use these sites to run their own language clubs.
If interested, please contact:
Sonja Bernhard
University of Birmingham
School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music
Tel 0121 414 2564
In partnership with the Youth Sport Trust, the West Midlands Consortium for Routes into Languages is coordinating the Active Languages project that aims to take languages out of the classroom and combine fun language learning with sports and exercise.
The Active Languages project will begin on Thursday 13th November 2008 with a full day event for participating schools at the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Campus. This introductory event for teachers of MFL and PE/Sports will provide advice, demonstrations and practical sessions delivered by secondary schools and Youth Sport Trust representatives. After learning how effective this combined form of teaching can be, you will then have the chance to begin planning your own Active Languages project, with your school colleague, that can be delivered in your school later in the year. Projects might involve pupils producing guide books in the target language for a school trip abroad, or learning how to play a new sport through a new language – you can tailor your project to suit your school and your pupils. We encourage schools to develop projects that are aimed at pupils in Year 8, although this is flexible. All participating schools will have an opportunity to bid for funding (up to £1k) to run their Active Languages project during 2008/09. Representatives from the Routes into Languages programme will be on hand to offer help and support throughout the length of your project.
In order to take part, you will need to book a place for yourself AND a colleague from your school’s PE and Sports department. There are places for a maximum of fifteen schools to take part in this project, so all bookings will be handled on a first come, first served basis.
Please note that the morning sessions will involve active participation in the activities. It is therefore recommended that you arrive dressed in appropriate sportswear (for example, track suit and training shoes) and be prepared to take part. You may also wish to bring a fully charged laptop to assist with Action Planning for your own Active Languages projects in the afternoon.
If you would like any further information on this project please don’t hesitate to contact Sonja Bernhard on 0121 414 2564 S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk or Kat Stevenson on 0121 204 3872 K.E.Stevenson@aston.ac.uk.
Are you interested in a career with languages? Would you
like to know more about working in translation, interpreting and related areas?
On this Careers Day, you will be able to talk to people who
work as translators, interpreters, or project managers in the translation
industry. The presenters of the Careers Day are graduates of Aston University's
translation programmes.
To register for your free place or for more information,
please contact routes@aston.ac.uk.
This event is organised by the School of Languages and Social Sciences as
part of the programme for the National Network for Translation.
These 3-day courses are held at the University of Birmingham for gifted and talented Y12 pupils. They combine an introduction to the languages with an introduction to Chinese and Japanese culture.
Intensive 3-day Mandarin Chinese and Japanese Language Courses at the University of Birmingham for Gifted and Talented Y12 Pupils
28 - 30 July 2008
About the courses:
You have a choice of either a Chinese or a Japanese three-day course at the University. You will be studying on campus and will be taught by tutors from the University's Centre for Modern Languages.
Each day starts at 10am and finishes at 3.30pm, with a lunch break from 12.45-1.30.
You will learn the basics of the language, such as introducing yourself, giving personal information, counting, telling the time, shopping, talking about your family. You will also gain some insight into the Chinese/Japanese writing system and will explore interesting facts about China and Japan. In the afternoon, activities will centre on cultural topics and activities such as: origami, calligraphy, songs, role play...
Please note that these courses are non-residential, i.e. the participants do NOT stay over night at the University.
For booking and further information contact:
Sonja Bernhard
University of Birmingham
Centre for European Languages and Cultures
Birmingham B15 2TT
Tel: 0121 414 2564
Fax: 0121 414 3834
During this event,
pupils will hear from two enthusiastic local business representatives about the
ways in which they have made use of their language skills throughout their
careers.
Following the
morning's inspirational talks the pupils will take part in ‘hands-on' marketing
workshops run by Brian and Angela for which prizes will be awarded to the best
team. Finally, the pupils will have a chance to practice their business
language skills with workshops in French, German and Spanish.
80 pupils will be visiting the University of Birmingham
on 13th June to mark the start of the Euro 2008 Championship with a
day of football and German!
Pupils will learn all the German vocabulary they'll need to
play their mini-tournament in the afternoon and their fellow classmates will be
on the sidelines waving their German banners and singing German football songs.
The pupils will also attend a workshop on the popular German film, Das Wunder von Bern, which follows Germany's surprise World Cup victory over Hungary in Switzerland in 1954.
