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Year of the Ox Education Pack
According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we enter the Year of the Ox on 12 February 2021.
These education resources contain information and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese culture. Your pupils can read a version of the traditional story of the New Year Race, create shadow puppets of the main characters and make a traditional Chinese lantern.
These resources are suitable for primary years and adaptable for early secondary years and older.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Resources, News from language & education organisations
University of Dundee distance learning courses
11 January 2021 (University of Dundee)
Registration for the University of Dundee 25-Week Intensive courses by distance learning in French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish is now open and extended until 15 January 2021.
These courses are accredited at 20 SCQF credits. They will take students from the basics up to a standard equivalent to a Scottish Higher and beyond. They are taught by online distance learning via the University of Dundee virtual learning environment. From week 1, students on the courses will have a weekly online session with a native language tutor to give them the chance to practice what they have learnt and to clarify any queries they may have.
More information is available on the University of Dundee website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Language Learning - Adults, News from language & education organisations
Why Speak Chinese 2020
8 December 2020 (Chinosity)
Create and share a 1-minute engaging video about any shocking, funny, or weird experiences you had while learning Chinese for the chance to win two round trip flights to China! Please showcase your Chinese speaking skills in the video as well. Open to all learners of Mandarin aged 13 and over. Submission deadline 15 January 2021.
Visit the Chinosity website to find out more.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, HE, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Discovering China is back!
3 December 2020 (CISS)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, CISS news
Beyond the Panda free virtual sessions
18 November 2020 (RZSS)
FREE virtual Beyond the Panda sessions available for all primary levels linking science with Mandarin language learning. Delivered on Microsoft Teams within Glow. Fully booked this term but taking bookings now for the new year. Booking up fast! Email srobb@rzss.org.uk.
Also see the Beyond the Panda website for follow-on resources.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Cross-Curricular Working, Language Learning, Resources, News from language & education organisations
£10m Mandarin scheme set for expansion despite teacher recruitment struggles
24 October 2020 (Schools Week)
A £10 million programme to improve children's fluency in Mandarin is set to be extended.
The government-funded Mandarin Excellence Programme (MEP) was launched in 2016 to get "at least 5,000 young people on track towards fluency in Mandarin Chinese by 2020" and train "at least 100 new qualified Chinese teachers by the end of the programme".
When the programme, run by University College London's Institute of Education (IOE) and the British Council, started there were 1,000 pupils across England learning Mandarin.
The IOE said the 5,000-pupil target had been exceeded by the last academic year.
The contract has been extended to this year, with about 7,000 pupils now taking part in 75 schools nationally.
But in contrast, 69 teachers have achieved qualified status on the UCL IOE Chinese Language PGCE – 31 shy of the target.
An IOE spokesperson said by summer next year, 83 IOE PGCE graduates will have finished their courses, adding that "in collaboration with other providers a grand total of more than 100 newly qualified teachers of Chinese will have been trained since 2016".
A spokesperson for the Association for Language Learning praised the MEP for its success, but said it wanted "to see the funding of such projects extended to other languages to allow everyone access to learning a language".
Posted in: Chinese, England, Funding, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Vacancy: General Manager (CISS)
6 October 2020 (CISS)
Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), based in Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SCILT) requires a General Manager to support the network of Scotland's Confucius classrooms across Scotland. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland.
The successful candidate will be part of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools team based within SCILT at the Ramshorn building in Glasgow's city centre but flexible working is supported. The centre leads 46 Confucius classrooms across Scotland, including secondary, primary and specialist classrooms.
The General Manager will support the Director with the strategic overview, management and quality assurance of CISS projects. S/he/they will take a lead role in the promotion of Chinese language and culture in response to the Scottish Government's China Strategy and the 1+2 languages policy. S/he/they will contribute to the development of corporate and operational plans in order to achieve the strategic aims and objectives of CISS, in line with priorities determined by Scottish Government, Confucius Institute Headquarters (CIH), the Chinese International Education Foundation (CIEF) and the University of Strathclyde.
The successful candidate will be a fluent Mandarin speaker and able to use language to negotiate and conduct business. The candidate will have substantial management experience within institutions/organisations. An understanding of the Scottish education system would be an advantage. An excellent networker with an entrepreneurial flair, will be able to work effectively with a wide range of Chinese and UK stakeholders in government, academia and industry. S/he/they will be confident to develop strong partnerships with all stakeholders.
For full details and to apply visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy portal. Closing date for applications is 19 October 2020.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, CISS news
Autumn immersion week
1 October 2020 (Language Learning Scotland)
Calling all S5 and S6 Modern Languages students studying French, German Spanish and Mandarin. From 12-16 October 2020, Language Learning Scotland is running a virtual language immersion week. Come along to learn more about the culture, the course and so much more!
Meet like-minded language lovers and hear talks from native young people and industry professionals. Get help and advice on navigating your way through Higher and Advanced Higher with tips for memorising grammar and vocabulary.
Visit the LLS website for more information and to apply.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, Immersion, Language Learning, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators
17 September 2020 (University of Oxford)
The Queen's College Translation Exchange is inviting expressions of interest in our new competition for schools, The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators. The prize launches this month with ready-made resources designed to be used around European Day of Languages (26 September) and International Translation Day (30 September). The competition is for students of French, German, Mandarin, or Spanish across four levels in Key Stages 3-5.
The competition is inspired by the 'Juvenes Translatores' competition run by the European Commission, for which UK students are no longer eligible.
More information can be found on the attached document or on the competition website.
Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators (538 KB)
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Translation, News from language & education organisations
e-Sgoil Study Support Webinars
11 September 2020 (e-Sgoil)
Young people from across Scotland are participating in a series of live study support webinar lessons being delivered by e-Sgoil.
Building on the success of the e-Sgoil 'lockdown' offer - where over 3,000 young people from across the country participated in real-time e-Sgoil lessons from their homes - the package of study support seeks to complement the work being done by schools by providing free, live, interactive webinar lessons in an extensive range of courses at Level 5 (National 5) and Level 6 (Higher).
Twenty courses are currently on offer in the evenings, in a range of subjects including French, Gaelic, Gaidhlig, Mandarin, Spanish, Business Management, Chemistry, Computing Science, Eachdraidh, English, History, Maths, Music, Physics and RMPS.
e-Sgoil Study Support live webinar lessons are scheduled to run for a period of eight weeks in the first instance and employ a 'flipped' learning approach, where participants undertake prior learning using supplied resources before attending the real-time 45-minute webinar lesson, hosted in Glow. All e-Sgoil live webinar lessons are delivered by subject specialists and are scheduled after school in the evening.
Angus Mclennan, Head Teacher of e-Sgoil commented:
"e-Sgoil is delighted to offer Senior Phase pupils from across Scotland the opportunity to participate in a wide-range of live webinar lessons that will reinforce school-based learning. Each webinar lesson is a stand-alone learning experience, so new participants are welcome to sign-up to join future sessions".
Young people can sign-up directly by simply accessing the e-Sgoil Study Support registration form at www.e-sgoil.com
(Pupil Glow login details and Scottish Candidate Number (SCN) are required as part of the registration process).
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
StampIT language learning resources
7 September 2020 (StampIT)
StampIT offers resources to help teach primary learners different languages using the medium of stamps. Follow the relevant link below to find out more about the latest additions to the resource bank:
Let's Look at China - StampIT's new Let's Look at China Mandarin learning pack with workbooks, Powerpoint presentation for teachers; detailed CfE links across literacy, arts, language and social studies aimed at upper primary level. Investigates the culture and language of China.
Find out all about StampIT - Sandie Robb, Association of Scottish Philatelic Societies Development Officer and Royal Zoological Society of Scotland Language Project Coordinator, explains the concept in this video and how the various courses and resources can assist with language learning but also include links to the wider curriculum.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations, Japanese
Teachers Learning to Teach Languages: OU-SCILT Programme
20 August 2020 (Open University/SCILT)
Teachers Learning to Teach Languages (TELT) is an innovative, distance learning professional learning programme offered by the Open University in partnership with SCILT. The course begins in October and lasts nine months. TELT is open to all primary teachers, and secondary teachers with a secondment in primary, across Scotland. The course materials and tutorials are all delivered online, and we hope to be able to have an optional face to face day school in May 2021 dependent on pandemic safety advice at that time.
Typically Scottish local authorities sponsor their teachers, however a small number of previous participants have financed themselves. If you are interested in finding out if sponsorship is available for you please contact the Languages Development Officer in your local authority.
For more information about self-funding please contact Scotland-languages@open.ac.uk
The aim of the programme is to increase and improve language provision in primary schools. Teachers simultaneously learn a new language and the skills to teach that language in the classroom. The languages strand is offered in four languages – French, German, Mandarin and Spanish – and at two levels – beginners and post-beginners. The pedagogy strand covers a diverse range of pedagogical approaches i.e. embedding an additional language, exploring target language cultures, play and games, interdisciplinary contexts.
What's the course really like though? Hear what Mel and Gwen, two previous participants have to say.
The modules all begin on 3 October, with some induction activities ahead of that, and the fee per module place in Scotland is £258.00
Details of the commitment in terms of time and effort on these modules at the TELT website's FAQs.
Potential sponsors can use an online Expression of Interest form to let us know about any teachers who are interested in the programme and would have their fees paid by sponsorship from their local authority or individual school. The deadline to submit Expressions of Interest for sponsored places is 31 August. Submitting the Expression of Interest form doesn't commit organisations to going ahead with sponsorship at this stage, or to a particular number of places. Formal registration paperwork would be issued after submission this online form, and the number of places can be increased or decreased following that.
Teachers who are interested but would be paying their own fees (self-funding), should contact scotland-languages@open.ac.uk The registration deadline for self-funding students is 10 September.
Visit the Open University TELT webpage for more information on the programme.
Similarly, for any other questions you have please don't hesitate to contact scotland-languages@open.ac.uk
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, CPD, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, SCILT news, News from language & education organisations
StampIT website updated
10 August 2020 (StampIT)
StampIT is the Association of Scottish Philatelic Societies youth programme where children can discover a world of stamps through interactive games and activities. StampIT also provides a number of ideas for teachers to use stamps across the curriculum. Stamps are a great medium for learning about a wide range of subjects including arts, music, history, geography, science, sport, culture and languages.
StampIT is launching 'Stamp over October'. This series develops various skills and increases knowledge across the curriculum for the broad general education phase. The range of activities cover experiences and outcomes in many areas within expressive arts; language and literacy; mathematics; sciences; social studies and technologies. The activities will also last beyond October!
See the attached flyers for more information and visit the website for a range of games and activities for learners of French, Spanish, Mandarin and Japanese.
StampIT - new activities (304 KB)
Stamp over October flyer (826 KB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Chinese, French, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations, Japanese
Heriot-Watt's search for £9m cuts puts university's languages department at risk
6 August 2020 (The Times)
A Scottish university is reviewing the future of its entire foreign languages department as it looks at how to cut its wage bill by £9 million over two years.
Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, widely seen as Scotland's centre of excellence for translation studies, has commissioned an external review into French, German, Spanish and Chinese classes.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning - Higher Education, Languages in the press
Genes And Musical Ability Both Affect How People Hear Tonal Languages
27 May 2020 (Forbes)
In some languages, the meaning of each word is not only conveyed by the order of its syllables, but also by the pitch. Tonal languages such as Cantonese, Mandarin or Yoruba are difficult to learn for people who are used to non-tonal languages like English. They require you to be able to pick up on subtle pitch differences, and new research suggests that your ability to do so may be genetic. However, they also noted that genetics only played a small role. Whether or not someone had taken music lessons was more likely to affect how well they hear lexical tones.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Around the World resources
8 April 2020 (British Council)
We all know the importance of keeping connected whilst distancing. That's why we've curated a special collection of our favourite resources about life and culture in different countries around the world. Designed by specialists and tested by teachers, our resources are packed with ideas and projects to help you plan face to face or online classes and support parents with home-learning.
Why not plan a virtual trip around the world for your students and choose which countries you'd like to explore together? We're always here to help you bring the world into your classroom, wherever your classroom is.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Spanish, Cross-Curricular Working, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Resources, News from language & education organisations, Arabic, Polish
SCEN surveys
31 March 2020 (SCEN)
SCEN has drawn up two short surveys, one to gather information ahead of our website revamp, and another to gather information on people's experience with our events and ambassador programme.
Together, they take under ten minutes to fill out, and would be a great help to us in gaining a better understanding how we can improve our engagement and communication.
If you could please complete the surveys from the two links below, and share them with any peers, colleagues, students, or friends you know have an interest in or affiliation with SCEN, it would be much appreciated.
We ask that you please complete the surveys by Monday the 20th of April, so that we can act on the data gathered as soon as possible. Thank you in advance for your participation.
SCEN Website Survey - 3 Minutes to Complete
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KD7CH37
SCEN Events and Ambassadors Survey - 4 Minutes to Complete
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KQJCNQD
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Online beginner Mandarin classes
30 March 2020 (CISS)
E-Sgoil Mandarin - Flyer (197 KB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Technology, CISS news
Beyond the Panda resources for home learning
30 March 2020 (RZSS)
New online books for home learning. Everyone can access these and they include a good mix of science and Mandarin. These are different from our other online content as they don't require to be downloaded and printed. They also all include sound files and Mandarin learning points.
At present, there are books which provide an online experience of the giant panda expert visit aimed at upper primary level and the Chinese Endangered Species outreach. In addition there is a book version of the Science Specialist Confucius Classroom 'China's animals and habitats'. Finally, a section comparing China and Scotland. This China/Scotland project is in partnership with the JASS scheme.
All the books are available on the Beyond the Panda website.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Learning - Primary, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations
The Great Languages Challenge
The Great Languages Challenge can be completed during a planned lesson or also set as a language-themed homework task. We even have a blank version available that students can use to design their own challenges for their classmates or peers in their partner school overseas.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations, Arabic
Modern Languages webinars
19 March 2020 (SCILT/CISS)
Along with our partners at e-Sgoil, the SCILT and CISS teams are currently working on live webinars to support youngsters working on National Qualifications in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Gaelic. This will compliment the work already being done by teachers across the country so that youngsters due to sit National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher qualifications do not have their learning interrupted. We will give further information via our usual networks and social media.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish
Vacancy: Professional Development Officer
3 March 2020 (SCILT/CISS)
Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SCILT) requires a Professional Development Officer to support the network of Scotland's Confucius classrooms and the learning and teaching of languages across Scotland. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland. The successful candidate will be part of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools team based within SCILT as the Ramshorn building in Glasgow's city centre. The centre leads 44 Confucius classrooms across Scotland, including secondary, primary and specialist classrooms.
The Professional Development Officer will be responsible for developing and delivering a broad range of support measures to develop the learning and teaching of Mandarin in Scottish schools and communities. This would include, for example, leading professional learning workshops and managing projects such as national awards/competitions and other promotional events.
The post holder will support practitioners to turn policy into practice in order to create a positive impact on learners. This will be based on identification of practitioners' needs, with particular reference to the place of Mandarin and languages in general, within the National Improvement Framework and the Scottish curriculum. The post holder would, therefore, need extensive experience of leading recent initiatives that promote and support language learning.
Please note, the successful candidate need not be a fluent Mandarin speaker.
Visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy portal for full details about the post and to apply by 22 March 2020.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, Teacher Education, SCILT news, CISS news
Mandarin dream: The UK pupils vying for a trip to Beijing
17 February 2020 (BBC)
Pupils from across the UK headed to London for the national final of a Mandarin speaking competition.
At stake is an all-expenses-paid trip to Beijing where they can test their language skills for real.
See the video.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Modern Language Assistants 2020-21 applications open
The British Council Language Assistants team is now welcoming requests from host schools, colleges, universities and local authorities for the 2020-21 academic year.
Language Assistants are an invaluable resource for the development of language skills and the raising of inter-cultural awareness. Language Assistants can help learners build their confidence while gaining new cultural insights. Assistants are native speakers of French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin from our 14 partner countries around the globe.
Visit the website to apply or contact the Language Assistants team for more information at Languageassistants.UK@britishcouncil.org
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Cultural Diversity, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
Scotland-China Association primary schools competition 2020
6 February 2020 (Scotland-China Association)
Open to all pupils in P5, P6 and P7 in Scottish schools, this year's competition from the Scotland-China Association asks students to design a kite.
Kites have been made and flown all over the world for thousands of years, and are very popular in China. The aim of the competition is to inspire the creativity of Scottish primary school pupils and to encourage them to learn more about Scotland and China. Entries should explore ideas which demonstrate understanding of links between Scotland and China through the design for a kite. We are working in partnership with RZSS Edinburgh Zoo, where the prize giving will be held.
Individual or group entries are welcomed and should take one of the following forms:
Craftwork (for example an actual kite)
Video/media/film (no more than 10 minutes long)
Embroidery/stitching/textile
See the attached flyer for more information and the entry form, which must accompany all submissions. The deadline for entries is 15 May 2020.
Scotland-China Association Primary Schools competition 2020 (213 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Science Specialist Confucius Classroom / Beyond the Panda
29 January 2020 (RZSS)
The RZSS offer the following education programmes to support the teaching and learning of Mandarin in schools.
Science Specialist Confucius Classroom - limited FREE sessions at Edinburgh Zoo extended to June 2020. We have two sessions available within our Specialist Classroom. Please note the updated conditions. Please see the attached pdf for details.
Beyond the Panda - new booklet available which details the overall Beyond the Panda programme and provides guidance on the website. The booklet includes a planning and learning map detailing various Mandarin language topics, the games within the programme and where to find them. See the attached pdf for more information.
RZSS Confucius Classroom - what's on offer 2020 (341 KB)
Beyond the Panda booklet (2.49 MB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
Language competitions
RZSS and our partner StampIT have launched language competitions. All are based on a fantastic activity which covers many curriculum objectives starting with just one postage stamp. Tell the story of a Spanish, French, Chinese or in fact any country/language stamp. Full details are on the attached pdf leaflets. There are specific leaflets for Spanish, French and Mandarin. There is also another leaflet 'Stamps from around the World' and for this competition any topic (including any language) can be entered. This activity links to the RZSS & StampIT language series.
The competition will continue to run each year, therefore there is no time limit for entries. However for entries to be shown in the 2020 Scottish Annual Congress, please send by 1 March 2020. Entries are encouraged from all age groups. Example pages are shown but younger pupils can still enter and possibly draw around the stamp and write a word or two in the language as appropriate. Pupils can enter more than one of the competitions.
Check out the attached leaflets for more information on each of the competitions. If anyone has difficulty in finding stamps, please contact Sandie Robb - SRobb@rzss.org.uk.
French stamp competition (3.11 MB)
Mandarin stamp competition (4.84 MB)
Spanish stamp competition (1.26 MB)
World stamp competition (2.64 MB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Spanish, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Multilingual Debate 2020
21 January 2020 (Heriot-Watt University)
Heriot-Watt University's Multilingual Debate is an annual event that showcases the interpreting skills of undergraduate and postgraduate students. The event takes the form of a formal debate with two multilingual teams arguing for and against a motion of topical interest in a range of languages. The teams deliver their views in their various native languages (French, German, Spanish, English, Arabic, Chinese, British Sign Language (BSL)).
The audience is mainly made up of pupils coming from Scottish and English secondary schools, along with university undergraduate students considering entering the interpreting profession, as well as government and local authority representatives, The audience participates by listening to the arguments, putting questions to the speakers in the languages represented and voting on the motion.
The Multilingual Debate 2020 will take place on Wednesday 25 March at Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh campus. Two sessions are available and bookings are now being taken. Schools can book up to 15 tickets free of charge.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, Interpreting, Language Learning, Translation, News from language & education organisations, Arabic, BSL
Mandarin eclipses French, say private school heads
8 January 2020 (TES)
Mandarin is the best language for pupils to learn in today's world, while French lags far behind in importance, according to girls' school headteachers cited in a poll published today.
The survey, conducted by the Girls' Schools Association (GSA), which represents independent all-girls schools across the UK, found that 38 per cent of heads feel Mandarin is the most important modern language for pupils to learn.
This is despite pupils' quicker progress in European languages, according to a language expert, who also argues that more job opportunities area available for French and German speakers.
Spanish was the second most popular option among the headteachers polled, with 31 per cent choosing it as the most important language, while 7.1 per cent chose Russian.
Just 2 per cent of those surveyed said French is the most important language for pupils to know.
A further 21 per cent selected "other", with many commenting that any modern foreign language is useful for pupils.
[..] But Teresa Tinsley, who wrote the British Council's 2019 Language Trends report, said schools needed to consider the practicalities of opting for Mandarin over languages spoken by geographical neighbours, such as French and German.
[..] Ms Tinsley said she supported the introduction of Mandarin to give pupils more variety in the languages they learnt, but said European languages tended to support pupils' literacy in English, which could not be said of Asian languages.
(Note - subscription required to read full article).
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Why we offer Mandarin and Spanish, not German and French
20 December 2019 (TES)
Secondary head Chris Woolf explains why he ditched the modern language stalwarts in favour of giving all students the chance to learn Mandarin and Spanish.
It was very quiet. There was no one to talk to. There were no phones to ring. There was no one knocking on the door. Getting in early to make some progress before students and staff arrived for the day was pointless: they wouldn't be here for another nine months. It was June 2015 and I had been appointed founding headteacher of Pinner High School.
Much of the next year was spent making and enacting plans. But foremost in my mind, on those quiet days when the school had not yet come into being, was the curriculum. What should it look like?
A lot of it would be traditional, of course: English, maths, science. However, there was an opportunity to make it a bit more exciting, too. This is how we came to ditch French and German, teaching Mandarin and Spanish to every child in the school instead.
Mandarin teaching has increased over the past 20 years but it is still offered by only a minority of state schools. Even then, it is usually in addition to the more traditional languages. We didn't want it to be an add-on – we wanted it to be the main event.
Meanwhile, the number of students taking Spanish at GCSE has soared, while French has fallen markedly. But trying to counter the former and respond to the latter were not our only drivers.
Governors asked appropriately challenging questions. Why? What's wrong with French and German? Through telling audiences about our language options as I toured local primaries to promote the school, I honed my response. When schools first started teaching modern foreign languages, we looked to our nearest neighbours in Europe for the most useful ones to learn: French and German.
But the world has changed. If we look to the future, we want jobseekers of the 2020s to be equipped for success, and that means a more dynamic approach. Teaching students in an English-speaking school Mandarin and Spanish means that they get to study the top three most widely spoken languages in the world. That must be a good thing.
Having settled on Mandarin and Spanish, I had to consider who would be eligible for these languages. This was an easy decision: everyone. We are a truly inclusive school and we believe that everyone can access the same curriculum, given the proper support.
Then I had to actually make it happen. I had expected recruiting Mandarin teachers to be difficult. However, when I advertised, there was a strong field to pick from and we now have brilliant colleagues.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Get ready to celebrate Chinese New Year on 25 January 2020!
This education resource from the British Council is packed full of exciting ideas and activities from across the curriculum, helping you and your pupils celebrate Chinese New Year 2020 and the Year of the Rat.
Play the sound files and practice saying the names of different Chinese festivals and greetings in Mandarin. Read a traditional story about a pair of ambitious rat parents trying to find a husband for their daughter. Get creative making rat finger puppets, Tangram puzzles and steamed rice dumplings. Learn together about Tomb Sweeping Day, the Spring, Moon and Dragon Boat Festivals and read letters from Chinese children about how they celebrate with their friends and families.
This resource is suitable for primary years and adaptable for early secondary years and older.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
Scottish school pupils show off their language skills in Mandarin Speaking Competition
Over 40 pupils from 14 Scottish Schools put their linguistic skills to the test on 26 November as they bid to be crowned Scotland's best Mandarin speakers. They took part in the Glasgow heat of this year's British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition, held at the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) within Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SCILT).
The winners of the heat will be announced next month after all the UK heats have been completed, and they will be put forward to the final in London in February 2020 with the overall winner winning a fully-funded educational and cultural visit to China. Now in its sixteenth year, the national competition aims to build interest in Chinese language and culture.
Mr Jiayi Chen, Teacher of Mandarin at Kinross High, said:
"Learning Mandarin has been incredibly important at Kinross High and our pupils gain so much confidence when using the language and taking part in the competition. We've seen a big impact from the opportunity to put language skills to use outside of a classroom setting. It's also great to see that many of our students have been inspired to continue studying languages to a higher level."
As the most spoken language in the world, Mandarin is recognised as a valuable skill for young people in the UK to acquire. 77 per cent of British business leaders surveyed in 2018 saying that speaking Mandarin will give school leavers a career advantage. Research by the British Council has found that Mandarin is the second most important foreign language for the UK's influence on the global stage.
However, the numbers of pupils studying Mandarin are low when compared to other languages. This year, in Scotland for example, just 232 pupils took the Scottish National 5 exam in Mandarin compared to more than 10,720 students who took French and over 7000 pupils who took Spanish.
Jackie Killeen, Director, British Council Scotland said;
"It's wonderful to see so many Scottish Schools and pupils involved in the Mandarin Speaking Competition this year – and we're delighted to help host this event in Glasgow. Mandarin Chinese is a vital language world-wide and this competition provides a powerful way for students not only to enhance their language skills but also to broaden their horizons for life and work in the global economy. We wish all the pupils and Schools the very best for the heats and the final".
Fhiona Mackay, Director, Scotland's National Centre for Languages, added;
"SCILT is delighted to host the Scottish heats of the British Council's annual Mandarin Speaking Competition. These events highlight the importance of languages as key skills for life and work and showcase the talents of youngsters across the country who are enthusiastically learning Mandarin. It's certainly not easy an easy task to speak in a language you are learning in front of a panel of distinguished judges and I am impressed by the young people's courage, motivation and commitment. The confidence that is developed by taking part in such an event will serve them well throughout their school careers. Regardless of the outcome of the judges' final decisions, everyone who takes part is a winner!"
Since 2003, around 3,000 young people from across the UK have entered the competition – with some of these pupils later going on to graduate in Mandarin Chinese.
Pupils can compete in the Individual Language Ability or the Group Performance section. In the Individual section, contestants give a short presentation in Mandarin and translate sentences from English into Mandarin. In the Group Performance section, groups of five students of mixed Mandarin experience perform a piece of drama in Mandarin, involving imaginative performances and drama.
The national final of the Mandarin Speaking Competition will take place in London on 5 February 2020.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, CISS news
Celebrate Chinese New Year 2020 in Edinburgh
28 November 2019 (The List)
Kick off the Year of the Rat in the Scottish capital, with ceilidh dancing, larger-than-life art installations, language tasters and more.
Known for their charming nature and spirited wit, those born under the sign of the Rat will have extra reason to celebrate their astrological year in 2020, as the capital prepares to usher in Chinese New Year with a dynamic cultural programme to be found throughout the city.
The larger-than-life lantern spectacular returns to light up Edinburgh Zoo as Giant Lanterns: Lost Worlds (until Sun 26 Jan) transports visitors back 570 million years into Earth's pre-history. Come face-to-face with dinosaurs, beasts of the Ice Age and forgotten megafauna in this spectacular display of over 600 beautifully crafted lanterns. The zoo will also be hosting a Chinese New Year Reception to start the year on the right foot, with the date yet to be determined. Another welcome return to this year's programme is the Edinburgh Official Chinese New Year Concert (Tue 21 Jan), which will take place beneath the hallowed dome of Usher Hall and showcase the talents of the Guizhou Song and Dance Troupe.
Posted in: Chinese, Languages in the press
Internships in China for undergraduate and postgraduate students and recent graduates
Whatever your ambitions for the future, your internship will help you stand out from the crowd. New industries and work opportunities in China are rising faster than the skyscrapers that accommodate them, and China may soon overtake the US as the world's largest economy. Companies across the world will value your experience of China's culture and business practices.
You'll also benefit from weekly Mandarin lessons and take part in business and cultural activities, offering you valuable insight into the customs and traditions of China.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Study Abroad
RZSS China Mobile Library - What's on offer?
7 November 2019 (RZSS)
The RZSS China Mobile Library is available throughout Scotland free of charge. Choose from the 'panda pack package' which includes panda expert visits with free panda packs of resources or Chinese Endangered Species outreach sessions. More information can be found on the attached pdf flyer. Please include all the details requested in your email if you wish to book.
RZSS China Mobile Library - what's on offer (358 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
RZSS Science Specialist Confucius Classroom - What's on offer?
RZSS Specialist Confucius Classroom has limited free places for two sessions at Edinburgh Zoo.
Our P3-P4 'It makes Panda Sense' session is available to book from October through to December.
Our P5-P7 'China's animals and habitats will be available from January to April but bookings are being taken now. The P5-P7 session is in our new amazing immersive space!
Please read the attached pdf flyer for more information and please include all the details requested in your email if you wish to book.
RZSS Confucius Classroom - what's on offer (342 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, Resources, News from language & education organisations
The best languages to study for future job opportunities
6 November 2019 (The Telegraph)
Your Year 9 French teacher was right: learning a language can open a lot of doors. Not only will your fluency allow you to travel to distant corners of the globe, but having a degree in a language can make you highly employable.
Mastering a language has always been impressive to employers: it shows tenacity and commitment, but can also come in handy if they work with overseas clients.
Now, language skills are more sought after than ever, given the potential impact of Brexit on British industry, according to the CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Report 2018. "The need for languages has been heightened by the UK's departure from the European Union," the report states.
The British Council has also stressed the need for young people to learn a foreign language in order for Britain to become a "truly global nation". In their most recent Languages for the Future report in 2017, the British Council listed the following as the most important languages for the UK's prosperity: Spanish, Mandarin, French, Arabic, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Japanese and Russian.
Even though multilingualism is needed for the UK's prosperity, just 1 in 3 Britons can hold a conversation in a foreign language, according to the report from the British Council.
So, those who can speak another language are more needed than ever - as is clear from the 2018 CBI/Pearson Education and Skills Report, which surveyed almost 500 British employers and calculated which languages are most desirable to them. The following are the results from that report and, thus, the best languages to study for graduate employment.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Business, Careers, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press, Arabic, Brexit
The Ramshorn and Graveyard Digital Trail - now available!
If you find yourself in the Merchant City area of Glasgow why not complete our new 'The Ramshorn and Graveyard' digital trail? Pupils from Glasgow Gaelic School, Holyrood Secondary, Shawlands Academy and St Roch's Secondary worked with SCILT and Global Treasure Apps to create a multilingual trail around the new SCILT and CISS premises. The trail encourages visitors to learn about the history of the area by following clues set by the pupils, and gives people the chance to test their language skills.
The Ramshorn and Graveyard Digital Trail is available to download from Global Treasure Apps in Arabic, English, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Mandarin, Polish, Spanish and Urdu.
Find Global Treasure Apps on the App store or Google Play.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, SCILT, Technology, SCILT news, Arabic, Polish, Urdu
Prestigious Scottish school to open Chinese campus
22 October 2019 (ECNS)
Architects have begun construction on the Chinese outpost of a top-ranked Scottish school that will offer bilingual education to elementary and high school students.
Fettes Guangzhou is a collaborative venture between Chinese education company Bright Scholar and Edinburgh-based Fettes College, opened in 1870, which counts former United Kingdom prime minister Tony Blair among its alumni.
Set to open in September next year, Fettes Guangzhou will be the brand's first international campus.
The school will be dual-curricular, offering up to 2,000 students aspects of both the British and Chinese education systems. Fettes Guangzhou will teach boys and girls and take full boarders as well as day students.
"Fettes Guangzhou will be a true reflection of Fettes College internationally, fully adopt our ethos, provide an outstanding academic education, focus on sector-leading pastoral care and introduce a wealth of co-curricular activities to broaden the horizons of all of its students," said Bruce Dingwall, who is deputy chair of the Fettes Trust.
Situated on the northern outskirts of Edinburgh, Fettes College was named Scotland's top independent secondary school in 2018 by The Sunday Times School Guide, which uses results from General Certificate of Secondary Education, A-Level, and International Baccalaureate exams to determine its rankings.
Several high-profile individuals have attended Fettes, including 2015's Nobel Prize in Economics winner Angus Deaton, Academy Award-winning actress Tilda Swinton, and sinologist Roderick Mac-Farquhar, who served as director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University.
Bright Scholar is China's largest operator of international and bilingual schools, and the company has made a string of investments in British education in recent years.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Bilingual Education, Languages in the press
SQA Advanced Higher Languages Course Reports 2019
14 October 2019 (SQA)
SQA has published Advanced Higher Gaelic (Learners), German, Italian and Chinese languages course reports for the 2019 exam diet.
The reports provide information on candidates' performance.
Visit the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage to access the reports.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Gaelic, German, Italian, Scotland, Language Learning, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations, SQA
Chinese tourism boom makes businesses mind their language
21 September 2019 (The Times)
They come for castles, clan history and clootie dumpling only to be thwarted by the language barrier.
Crowds of Chinese tourists who travel thousands of miles to visit Scotland every year are being wooed by canny restaurateurs and retailers keen to help them spend their currency and now Roy Brett, owner and head chef at the Ondine seafood bar, is looking for Mandarin-speaking serving staff.
Subscription required to read full article
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Careers, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Autumn term Chinese classes
19 September 2019 (Confucius Institute for Scotland)
The Confucius Institute for Scotland in Edinburgh offers a diverse programme of evening classes for the general public to enjoy learning Chinese. Autumn 2019 courses will start week beginning 30 September and booking for these classes is now open.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition 2019/20
Applications are now invited for the British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition 2019/20.
The competition provides a great, fun opportunity for secondary school students to practice and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills along with the chance to win a week in Beijing!
Heats will be held in Belfast, Glasgow and London during November and December 2019 with the final taking place in London on 5 February 2020.
See the attached flyer for more information and visit the website for eligibility and entry criteria.
Entry deadline: 14 October 2019.
Mandarin Speaking Competition 2019-20 information (114 KB)
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Yakety Yak Language Cafés
26 August 2019 (Yakety Yak)
Improve your foreign language conversation in a local café, in a small group with an experienced tutor.
in the relaxed atmosphere of local cafes and bistros in Edinburgh and Glasgow
in small groups of similar level of fluency
with a tutor who is a native speaker for each group
each session normally has a minimum of 2 tutors to cater for most abilities
No need to book - just drop in. However, if it is your first time with us, we recommend you phone or email us to discuss your level and the best session for you first
Conversation classes commence from 2 September 2019. Visit the website for details of sessions running in both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning - Adults, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese
We have job profiles on our website covering a wide range of careers where languages are in use. Our latest addition comes from Stephanie Mitchell, a Civil Servant in the Scottish Government who has previously worked in Europe and Asia, thanks to her language skills. Stephanie shares her experiences and how vital languages have been throughout her life and career.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Business, Careers, Language Learning for Work, SCILT news
Beyond the Panda resources - update
19 August 2019 (RZSS)
The China Mobile Library panda packs are now available online and free! Although the expert visits and outreach have been free of charge since November 2018, the resources in the panda packs used to be either on loan or available to purchase. They are now available online to all - beyondthepanda.org.uk under the China Mobile Library section.
Associated expert visits and outreach sessions are still free and include different materials and resources which are only available on booking. These enhance the learning from the panda packs. Free teaching training sessions can also be booked. See the attached document for more information and visit the website.
Beyond the Panda - update (328 KB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations
OU/SCILT primary languages course
31 May 2019 (SCILT/OU)
We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the OU/SCILT primary languages course, which will be running again from October 2019. In light of positive feedback and popularity of the first year of the course, we are now also delighted to offer a second year, post-beginners' course. The latter would be suitable for those who have successfully completed year 1 and wish to continue their studies, or for those who are looking to begin studying at a more advanced level.
The courses will run from October 2019 to July 2020, and will develop language and pedagogy skills; language learning is provided by the Open University and pedagogy is provided by SCILT. The courses are aligned to the Scottish curriculum and support the 1+2 languages approach.
Both courses are delivered online with two opportunities to attend face-to-face day schools.
Learning is very flexible and participants can study at a time and place of their choosing.
Each course carries a fee of £252, reflecting the input and student support for the language and pedagogy strands from both organisations.
Funding may be sponsored through your school or Local Authority who can register on your behalf. Initial registration information must be submitted to the OU by Monday 17 June 2019 and LAs should contact Scotland-Languages@open.ac.uk.
Students also have the option to fund the fee themselves. In this case, an interested teacher should contact the OU directly at Scotland-Languages@open.ac.uk.
Here is some further information:
will be offered in a choice of four languages - French, German, Spanish and Mandarin plus study of primary pedagogy with direct application in the classroom.
takes students to the end of the equivalent to level A1 of the Common European Reference Framework for Languages.
allows students to gain 15 university credits for the language study.
also gives students the option to gain GTCS recognition for the pedagogy study; all students will receive a certificate on successful completion from SCILT.
study hours will be approximately five hours per week, including time spent on the direct application of the new skills in the classroom.
Post-beginners level
teachers who have started studying one language in the beginners level of the course would need to continue studying the same language at post-beginners level.
teachers who already have some basic knowledge in one of the four languages can directly enrol on the post-beginners level course to further develop their skills in that language and learn about primary languages pedagogy (without having to have studied beginners level).
will follow the same format as the beginners level course and will be offered in the same four languages (French, German, Mandarin and Spanish).
will teach primary languages pedagogy in more depth and cover:
the skills of writing and reading,
IDL with a special focus on outdoor learning as well as links with other key subject areas through CLIL,
learning and teaching of languages in multilingual contexts/communities.
will have the same:
number of study hours,
assessment structure,
accreditation with 15 university credits,
optional GTCS recognition for the pedagogy strand, as above ;
in their language study, students will reach the equivalent of the end of level A2 of the Common European Reference Framework for Languages (end of post-beginner level).
after completing both courses, students would then be in a good position to go on to study one of the standard language courses at the OU should they want to improve their knowledge of the language even further.
Course codes are as follows:
LXT192 French
LXT193 German
LXT197 Mandarin
LXT194 Spanish
LXT191 (language choice will come as a second step once students have registered)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, CPD, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Qualifications, Teacher Education, SCILT news
Queen Elizabeth II Can Speak This Foreign Language After Learning It Privately
5 November 2018 (International Business Times)
Queen Elizabeth II can speak at least one foreign language fluently after getting a private education by governess Marion Crawford.
Harriet Mallinson, a journalist for Express, revealed that Her Majesty can speak French fluently. French is regarded as the official language in 29 countries. But the Queen has used her knowledge in the language during her visits to France and Canada.
In 2014, the Queen went to Paris for a state visit and met with former President Francois Hollande. The two discussed the weather in French. During her fifth French State Visit at the Elysee Palace in Paris, the monarch also gave an address in both English and French. A year later, the Queen spoke with a schoolgirl from Dagenham in French.
But Mallinson noted that the most impressive instance was when the Queen went to Quebec in Canada and gave a speech in French for a straight 10 minutes. French language expert Camille Chevalier-Karfis commented on the Queen's French-speaking videos.
"Her reading skills were excellent – both pronunciation and rhythm were very good, but you could feel she was quite tense," she said.
In related news, the Queen isn't the only royal that can speak French fluently. Prince Charles and the Queen's three other children can all speak the language.
Prince Harry greets audience in 6 languages (CNN, 31 October 2018)
Posted in: Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Skills, Languages in the press, Arabic
Zoo fun with Mandarin - Free mini classes at Edinburgh Zoo
30 October 2018 (RZSS)
Zoo Fun with Mandarin is a mini Mandarin language course with a difference. It is an opportunity to learn Mandarin whilst also finding out about animals at the zoo and RZSS projects. The course is suitable for 8 years to adult and these are family learning sessions so children must be accompanied by an adult to attend.
RZSS Edinburgh Zoo hosts the first science specialist Confucius Classroom in the world.
Zoo Fun with Mandarin (391 KB)
Posted in: Chinese, Parental engagement, Family learning
Internships in China
Spend two months in China with a Generation UK – China internship
Live in one of six booming Chinese cities while gaining experience in an industry of your choice. There are start dates throughout the year - choose the date which suits you.
Applications are open now for current undergraduate and postgraduate students at UK universities, and those who have recently left university. The deadline is 2 December 2018 (23:59 BST).
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
Get ready for Hallowe'en!
23 October 2018 (Various)
It's that time of year again and to help celebrate Hallowe'en in the languages classroom we've compiled a range of spooky resources! Click on the relevant link below for more information:
Spooky goings on! (Primary Languages Network) - the network regularly produces seasonal resources for their members. For Hallowe'en this year non-network members can download the activity sheet as a "freebie" from the Active Lingo shop (just select your target language) and search for the sheet "Spooky Statements".
Five songs for Days of the Dead for elementary Spanish classes (Mundo de Pepita)
MFL Halloween treats (TES) – resources in French, German and Spanish, some free, some paid.
Euroclub Schools Halloween Zone (Euroclub Schools) - Halloween quiz with French, Spanish and Italian vocab).
German ghost stories (FluentU) – some link to written narrative, some to audio versions. Contains list of spooky vocab.
Le Chat Noir (Talk in French) - spooky French-English short story with audio narration.
Hallowe'en activities with Camembear (Headstart Languages) - find out about Hallowe'en in France.
Rachel Hawkes language learning website (Rachel Hawkes) - scroll down for Spanish Hallowe'en activities.
German and Spanish Halloween vocabulary ppts (Teaching Ideas)
Eight Evil Lessons for Halloween (Scots Language Centre)
Chinese Halloween vocabulary (Transparent Language)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, Scots
SQA course reports for Advanced Higher Modern Languages 2018
1 October 2018 (SQA)
The course reports for Advanced Higher Chinese, French, Gaelic (Learners), German, Italian and Spanish are now available on the SQA website.
SCHOLAR online tutor sessions for Modern Languages
19 September 2018 (SCHOLAR)
The schedule of online tutor sessions for Higher and Advanced Higher Modern Languages 2018-19 is now available online.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence, Language Learning, National Qualifications, Resources, News from language & education organisations
CLPL for Beyond the Panda
5 September 2018 (RZSS)
Would you like to find out more about 'Beyond the Panda' and what it offers to assist Mandarin language learning? As the first science specialist Confucius Classroom in the world, we would like to invite you to a FREE session for teachers at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo on Tuesday 6 November 2018.
Find out answers to these questions and more:
What is a 'panda box'?
How can our programme mix science with language?
What else does the programme offer?
What does a science specialist Confucius Classroom mean?
Two CLPL sessions available 10.30-12.30 and 3.00-5.00 on Tuesday 6 November. Booking essential as limited to 20 teachers per session. Open to Primary and Secondary teachers.
Meet Sandie Robb, the RZSS language specialist along with Hù Wáng, our Confucius Classroom teacher.
Contact srobb@rzss.org.uk or 07963 070654 to book a place.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Cross-Curricular Working, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese speaking competition 2018/19
3 September 2018 (British Council)
A great, fun opportunity for students to practise and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills.
Taking part in the competition:
increases students' motivation for learning the language
develops vocabulary and improves pronunciation
raises confidence for oral examinations
encourages students to interact with their classmates
inspires students to discover more about Chinese culture.
The prize is a week in Beijing! Students will visit historical sites, interact with Chinese students and experience Chinese culture with the British Council, who have over twenty years' experience in running cultural exchanges with China.
Applications for the 2018/19 competition are now open. Apply by Friday 5 October 2018.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to download the application form.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, FE, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Chinese tourists flock to North Yorkshire chippy
A fish and chip shop in North Yorkshire has translated its menu for Mandarin and Cantonese speakers to cope with an influx of Chinese tourists.
Scotts Fish and Chips near York has seen coachloads of visitors wanting to try the traditional dish.
The passion for the chippy has been put down to the fish and chips Chinese president Xi Jinping shared with then Prime Minister David Cameron in 2015.
Manager Roxy Vasai said more than 100 Chinese tourists were visiting a week.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Languages in the press
A-levels: proportion of students in England getting C or above falls
16 August 2018 (The Guardian)
The proportion of students in England gaining C grades or above in A-levels fell back this year, driven by a relatively weaker performance among girls, as schools and students continue to grapple with the introduction of new, more intensive exams.
[..] Modern languages continued their baleful downward trend, with nearly 8% fewer entries in French, German and Spanish. More A-level students took Chinese this year than German.
Some new perspectives on the 2018 A level results: STEM gap remains but decline in foreign languages exaggerated (HEPI, 18 August 2018)
A-levels: Humanities decline 'sign of EBacc failure' (TES, 17 August 2018)
A-level results: foreign languages suffer further slump (The Guardian, 16 August 2018)
British Council comments on A Level languages 2018 (British Council, 16 August 2018)
Decline in humanities A levels affecting university entries, warns British Academy (British Academy, 16 August 2018)
A-level language decline raises danger of monolingual society (Association of School and College Leaders, 16 August 2018)
A-level results day 2018: Chinese overtakes German for first time (The Telegraph, 16 August 2018)
Chinese overtakes German as third most popular foreign language (The Guardian, 16 August 2018)
A-level results: Language entries down as Chinese overtakes German (TES, 16 August 2018)
A-level results: Pupils 'not put off by language difficulty' (TES, 16 August 2018)
A and AS level trends in modern languages 2002-2018 (UCML, 16 August 2018)
The arts teach us how to express ourselves – and give us freedom to fail (The Guardian, 16 August 2018)
Teenagers turn backs on A-level French and German (The Times, 15 August 2018) Note - subscription required to read full article)
A-level French, German and music in danger of disappearing from classrooms, heads warn (iNews, 15 August 2018)
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, England, Language Learning, Language Learning - Decline, Qualifications, Languages in the press
Scottish youth to explore the way of the dragon...
13 August 2018 (4barsrest)
Carnoustie High School Band will head east this September to become the first youth brass band to tour China.
The remarkable opportunity came following a performance at the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow in 2016 for the renowned Confucius Institute for Scotland.
Such was the success that it led to the school's head teacher Donald Currie being contacted to set the ball rolling on the ambitious initiative — and now, after almost two years of research and fundraising the band will fly out on 7th September for 15 unforgettable days of music and cultural learning.
Confucius Hubs are based in schools and seek to make links with local communities throughout Scotland — with Carnoustie serving the Angus area. It promotes the joint planning of cultural activities, sharing ideas and resources to stimulate the learning and teaching of Chinese language and culture.
The band will fly out from Glasgow, and after a short stop in Dubai will carry on to China where they will enjoy seven days in Tianjin and seven more in Beijing before their return.
While in Tianjin, the band members will be learning Mandarin, as well as performing three concerts. They will also visit Chinese families and schools, enabling the young musicians to experience Chinese culture first hand with a chance to learn Gongfu (Chinese martial arts), Tai Chi, and the ancient arts of calligraphy and mask painting.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Cross-Curricular Working, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Thousands more pupils to learn Mandarin ahead of Brexit
An expanding academy chain plans to teach Mandarin to thousands of pupils across its schools, to prepare them for life in post-Brexit Britain.
The Co-op Academies Trust will offer Mandarin Chinese to more than 10,000 students.
The trust, which runs schools in Greater Manchester, Leeds and Stoke-on-Trent, is working with the Swire Chinese Language Foundation, which supports the training of specialist Mandarin Chinese teachers.
(Subscription required to read full article)
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, England, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press, Brexit
Shanghai teacher immersion course 2018
7 August 2018 (CISS)
A group of teachers from Scotland spent two weeks in July immersing themselves in new cultural experiences in Shanghai, China.
A typical day consisted of an early start, breakfast in the Shitang (canteen) followed by Mandarin classes. Everyone greatly enjoyed the lessons as beginners were well supported whilst the more experienced speakers were sufficiently challenged.
This was followed by a cultu ral excursion or experience. For most this was the highlight of the trip as it allowed everyone to apply their learning and to experience authentic Chinese culture.
Highlights in Shanghai included a riverboat cruise by night, showcasing the breath-taking skyline, relaxing from the hustle and bustle experiencing Tai chi, and producing calligraphy and hearing stories behind the characters.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Study Abroad, Teacher Education, CISS news
Middle class parents use harder GCSEs like Mandarin as a 'signalling device', says Education Secretary
31 July 2018 (The Telegraph)
Middle class parents are using "harder" GCSEs like Mandarin to signal that their children are high achieving, the Education Secretary has said.
Damian Hinds said it is not just an "attainment gap" that separates rich and poor students, but also a gulf in expectations and knowledge about the system.
"For middle class parents there is an awareness that there are harder and easier subjects," he said. "As parents we encourage their children to do the harder ones - whether that's Maths, History or these days Mandarin - because we know they can be a signalling device to universities and employers.
Posted in: Chinese, Baccalaureate - English, Language Learning, Qualifications, Languages in the press
Crisis as Scots businesses struggle to hire Mandarin speakers amid Chinese tourist boom
17 June 2018 (Daily Record)
Shop owners in Scotland's busiest tourist traps are struggling to hire Mandarin speakers to cope with a spike in Chinese customers.
Retail outlets, hotels and restaurants are advertising in shop windows as well as online to try to attract staff with specialised language skills.
Balmoral Cashmere in Edinburgh have put out a call for applicants in a street-front display. Last week saw the first direct flight from China to Scotland.
Official figures show 41,000 Chinese visitors are coming to the country every year.
Highlands hotelier Willie Cameron said: "The Chinese are also buying into hotels and investing so there is business tourism too. "I struggled to get a Mandarin-speaking receptionist. There aren't very many Mandarin speakers in Drumnadrochit but the websites for all my hotels are translated into Mandarin."
Visits from Chinese tourists are worth an estimated £36 million to the Scottish economy, with the average spend per day exceeding £70. Chinese visitors spend about £900 per visit across 12 nights.
Dr Nathan Woolley, director of the Confucius Institute at Glasgow University, said there is an increasing interest from students and business workers to study Mandarin to augment their skills.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Business, Language Learning, Language Skills, Tourism, Languages in the press
China to create cultural heritage centres in universities
The Chinese government has announced plans to establish 100 "cultural heritage" centres at universities throughout the country that will run academic programmes and conduct scientific research in a bid to promote traditional Chinese culture.
The ministry of education said that it will "build about 100 excellent Chinese traditional cultural heritage sites" in universities and colleges nationwide by 2020, including 50 this year, and support institutions to "focus on ethnic folk music, ethnic folk arts" and folk dances, dramas and operas.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Partnership Working, Languages in the press
150 hours to learn Mandarin – and teach it
7 June 2018 (TES)
Hundreds of primary school teachers will have the chance to learn and teach new languages within seven months, under a scheme being expanded after a successful trial.
The distance-learning programme - the first of its kind in the UK – sees primary teachers study either French, Spanish, German or Mandarin and develop the skills to teach the language in the primary classroom at the same time.
After a pilot involving 54 teachers from 49 Scottish schools across nine local authorities in 2017-18, next year the scheme will be available throughout Scotland. Welsh and Northern Irish schools are also expected to sign up.
Teachers taking part will spend about five hours a week from October to June - around 150 hours in total - but they will start teaching the languages to pupils before completing the course.
The scheme, run by The Open University and SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages, will be launched in Edinburgh today.
Posted in: Primary, 1+2, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, CPD, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, Languages in the press
Press Release: Teachers to learn to teach languages in the classroom
7 June 2018 (SCILT/OU)
An innovative scheme teaching primary teachers languages and how to teach those languages to pupils is being expanded across Scotland for the first time. The first of its kind in the UK, the distance learning programme will see primary teachers study French, Spanish, German or Mandarin and develop the skills to teach the language in the classroom at the same time.
Launching across Scotland today (Thursday 7 June) at an event in Edinburgh where guests will hear from pupils and teachers, the programme is now available to primary school teachers in all local authorities following a successful pilot which featured 54 teachers from 49 schools across nine local authorities in 2017/18. The programme is a partnership between The Open University and SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages based at the University of Strathclyde.
Designed to support the Scottish Government's '1+2' language policy, which aims to enable all pupils to learn two additional languages from primary level onwards, the programme will link up with the cultural organisations of France, Spain, Germany and China to facilitate immersive summer schools for participating teachers. At the same time, schools will also have the opportunity to make connections with schools in the countries whose language pupils are learning.
Dr Sylvia Warnecke, lecturer in languages and programme lead at The Open University, said:
"The key thing about this programme is its flexibility, meaning that teachers in every part of Scotland – whether urban or rural – will be able to learn together and share their experiences and ideas, helping each other to bring the language they're learning to life in the classroom.
"We've already had teachers from the pilot project tell us that their pupils love it and are really engaged. They have been instrumental in starting after school language clubs and making links with schools in other countries. It's exciting that all teachers, schools and pupils in every part of Scotland now have the chance to learn together through this programme."
Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT, said:
"We see this as an important collaboration between our two universities, local authorities and teachers. The course is focused on developing teachers' confidence so they are able to create exciting and motivating lessons for their pupils. In this way we can make sure that languages feature as an integral part of the Scottish curriculum and that youngsters are given their full entitlement to language learning.
"The teachers' commitment to developing their skills is humbling. Their willingness to embrace their own learning in order to benefit their pupils' experience highlights the professionalism and dedication that is the mark of the teaching profession."
Gwen McCrossan, Principal Teacher for 1+2 Languages, Argyll & Bute, said:
"This course is ideal for the geographical situation of Argyll & Bute. We are delighted to be able to take part, as it provides a quality learning experience for teachers who would otherwise find it difficult to access language training. The course is also unique because it is tailor-made for primary school."
The pilot project has been shortlisted in the partnership category in this year's Herald Higher Education Awards. Such is the interest in the programme following its pilot phase and ahead of its wider rollout, it is expected that teachers from Wales and Northern Ireland will join the next presentation starting in October 2018.
A short video featuring teachers who participated in the pilot talking about their experience of the programme is available on YouTube.
Further information on how to sign-up for next year's course is available on SCILT's website
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, 1+2, CPD, Cross-Sector Working, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, Teacher Education, SCILT news
More and more British children are learning Chinese – but there are problems with the teaching
6 June 2018 (The Conversation)
A drop in the number of secondary school students learning languages in UK schools is fuelling concerns about the country's global competitiveness, particularly after Brexit. Discussions among both politicians and the media centre on the worry that the UK is being held back globally by its poor language skills. The UK economy loses roughly £50bn a year due to a lack of language skills in the workforce.
British Council and British Academy reports all critique modern foreign language (MFL) teaching in the UK. They also express concern about the lack of learning in state schools compared to independent schools and the widening gap between disadvantaged children and an internationally mobile elite. It is well acknowledged that there is a need to move beyond relying on English as a lingua franca.
In line with this, Chinese, an emerging key world business language – and widely predicted to be key to UK business post-Brexit – has become a foreign language option for some UK students in recent decades. Teaching is beginning to thrive across schools and universities as a principle modern foreign language.
Unsurprisingly, private schools – recognising the language as a new source of cultural capital – were the first to offer the new subject. But some newly established schools, especially particularly poor and disrupted schools in the state sector, have also shown interest in featuring Chinese in the school curriculum. They have been able to do so due to the Confucius Institute programme and the related Confucius Classroom programme initiated by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) in 2004.
The Confucius Classroom program partners with UK secondary schools or school districts to provide teachers and instructional materials. The costs of such programmes are shared between Hanban and the host institutions (the UK colleges, universities, schools or school districts). By adopting Chinese as one of the taught languages in the curriculum, disadvantaged British schools hoped to indicate to parents that they provided something special and ambitious.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, Languages in the press
Word Wizard Final 2018: Motivating young people in their language learning
18 May 2018 (SCILT/CISS)
S1-S3 pupils from across Scotland took part in the national final of Word Wizard at the Scottish Parliament on 11 May 2018. Word Wizard is a multilingual spelling competition for pupils learning French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish. Forty-eight learners from ten local authorities and independent schools competed in the final in front of an audience of teachers, supporters and guests.
Each year pupils and teachers report that the competition increases motivation, enhances language performance and improves attitudes to language learning. Word Wizard promotes literacy skills amongst pupils and helps schools develop partnership working with universities.
A teacher entering pupils into the final commented: "It provided our pupils with a huge sense of motivation and excitement for learning languages."
A pupil competing in the final said: "I liked learning new vocabulary and getting to show it off to everyone."
Word Wizard is organised by SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages based at University of Strathclyde, in partnership with the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland.
Fhiona Mackay, Director of SCILT said of the competition: "It's wonderful to see so many young people taking part in the Word Wizard competition representing a wide range of local authorities. Having an understanding of another language can really transform a person's life and encourages the development of a whole range of important skills. Through such events, SCILT aims to offer teachers really motivating ways of enhancing the curriculum so that Scottish young people can reap the benefits of learning languages."
Word Wizard supports the Scottish Government initiative, "Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 approach" by offering a diversity of languages as recommended by the report. The targets laid out in the Scottish Attainment Challenge are about achieving equity in educational outcomes, with a particular focus on closing the poverty-related attainment gap. One of the key drivers is improved literacy.
In March 2018, 190 pupils from 14 local authorities and independent schools competed in semi-finals in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh to battle it out for a place at the prestigious final.
Word Wizard is supported by the University Council for Modern Languages Scotland (UCMLS) and the final was sponsored by Joan McAlpine MSP
Full details of the winners and further information on the competition can be found on the SCILT website.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Scottish Parliament, SCILT news, CISS news
Aberdeen primary school announces official launch of Mandarin language hub
7 May 2018 (Evening Express)
An Aberdeen primary school has announced its new hub for promoting the teaching of Mandarin.
Danestone School launched its Confucius Classroom, which will be a central location for all Aberdeen-based primary schools teaching the language to pupils.
It aims to boost skills in children in line with Scotland's 1+2 languages policy, which allows every child the opportunity to learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue by 2020.
The hub concept promotes joint planning of cultural activities, sharing ideas and resources to stimulate the learning and teaching of Chinese language and culture. The launch event included children singing in Mandarin, and a mixture of Scottish music and dance.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, 1+2, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press
Yell school joins Chinese culture programme
1 May 2018 (Shetland News)
The Chinese ambassador to the UK was in Yell on Tuesday (1 May) to launch Shetland's second Confucius Classroom Hub.
Mid Yell Junior High School is now part of the Confucius programme, which aims to teach Scottish youngsters about Chinese culture and Mandarin language, after Sandwick Junior High School joined in 2016.
Ambassador Liu Xiaoming and his wife Hu Pinghua visited Yell alongside minister-counselor for education Wang Yongli and representatives of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools.
They met councillors and staff from Shetland Islands Council, as well as Mid Yell pupils who entertained the guests with traditional Shetland music and songs - as well as Chinese songs and dance.
Good Evening Shetland (BBC Shetland, 1 May 2018) Listen to the news item about the new Confucius Hub from 00:48 onwards.
Confucius Classroom Hub launched at Mid Yell JHS (Shetland Islands Council, 1 May 2018)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Arabic to be taught to Syrian refugee children in Scotland
28 April 2018 (The Scotsman)
E-Sgoil is now being expanded to teach a range of subjects to pupils all over Scotland after initially being created in response to teacher recruitment problems in the Western Isles.
And Angus MacLennan, head teacher of e-Sgoil, said there were now plans to recruit a teacher to offer Arabic lessons.
The move is in response to an anticipated demand from pupils.
[..] E-Sgoil is also hoping to recruit online tutors to teach Mandarin in response to a demand from pupils in the Western Isles.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Teaching, Technology, Languages in the press, Arabic
Tories attack language teaching 'failures'
26 April 2018 (The Times)
The number of pupils taking Higher French and German has fallen as interest in Italian and Chinese rises.
The number of pupils studying any Higher modern languages fell 6.2 per cent between 2016 and last year. Pupils studying Higher French fell by 14 per cent to 3,918 and German was down 13 per cent from 1,020 to 89. The number of students taking Higher Spanish hit 2,809, up 8 per cent on 2016; Italian rose 21 per cent to 264; Chinese languages grew in popularity by 16 per cent to 129; and Urdu rose by 13 per cent to 104. Those learning Gaelic at Higher level fell by 18 per cent, to 69.
(Subscription required to read full article).
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, National Qualifications, Languages in the press, Urdu
Irvine brothers wine and dine with First Minister in China
20 April 2018 (Irvine Times)
Two Irvine brothers have hosted a dinner with Nicola Sturgeon in China after winning a year-long scholarship in the Far East.
Twins Owen and Robin Wilson wined and dined the First Minster last week during her current visit to China.
The brothers, who are 18, flew out to Beijing last year after both winning a place on the coveted Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) Scholarship Programme which, in partnership with Strathclyde University, sees 23 students picked to live in China and attend Tianjin Foreign Studies University for a full academic year.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Scottish Government, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
China stories: 500 words competition
17 April 2018 (University of Liverpool)
A new 500-word short story competition – with entries judged by best-selling author Philip Pullman – is being launched ahead of the 2018 Liverpool Literary Festival.
The China Stories competition is looking for submissions across a broad range of categories. Winners will see their work published in a special anthology and take part in a writing session with the Royal Society of Literature, as well as receiving vouchers to spend as they wish.
Stories can be about anything, but to coincide with Liverpool's China Dream season all entries should have a Chinese theme.
Entries are invited from primary and secondary students and should be submitted by 20 July 2018.
Further information can be found on the University of Liverpool website.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, FE, HE, Chinese, Awards, Cultural Diversity, News from language & education organisations
Glasgow hotel to teach staff 10 new languages so they can welcome international guests
16 April 2018 (Glasgow Live)
A city centre hotel is extending a warm welcome to guests from all over the world - and in 10 different languages too.
Apex City of Glasgow's concierge and reception staff are learning key phrases from 10 of the most commonly spoken languages among the hotel's guests.
The move is part of a #WarmerWelcome project rolled out across Apex hotels, the Bath Street branch included.
Staff will be learning a how to speak in German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Swedish, Norwegian, Japanese and Danish.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press, Japanese
How Netflix's increasing use of foreign language content is helping to fight xenophobia
14 April 2018 (The Independent)
Netflix's increasing use of foreign languages is building a global community where English isn't king.
And it's about time, as we need every tool we have to fight rising xenophobia.
Narcos may have kicked off this trend, but it goes way beyond just reading the subtitles. An audience of 104 million Netflix subscribers are devouring content in Spanish, German and Arabic.
Nielsen released viewer numbers on two original Netflix programmes that debuted the same week: the sci-fi movie Cloverfield Paradox drew in 5 million viewers in the first week, and Altered Carbon, a television series based on an English book, brought in 2.5 million viewers. In both instances, leads spoke a language other than English throughout its run time. Chinese actor Zhang Ziyi plays an engineer in Cloverfield, and all her lines are recited in Chinese. Mexican actor Martha Higareda's dialogue in Altered Carbon is primarily English, delivered with a hint of accent. However, she frequently reverts to her native Spanish in the series, as do the actors who play her family members. Co-star Waleed Zuaiter, who plays her partner, also speaks Arabic in key scenes.
The streaming service is producing popular programming depicting foreign and first-generation English-speaking actors, each communicating in their native tongue. The English speakers simply respond without skipping a beat. The implication is that they understand one another and choose the language they're most comfortable responding in.
Posted in: Chinese, Spanish, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press, Arabic
Mandarin will give school leavers career advantage
11 April 2018 (UCL/CISS)
More than three in four British business leaders believe speaking Mandarin will give school leavers a career advantage over their counterparts, according to a survey published today.
Amongst over 1,000 senior business decision makers questioned by YouGov for the UCL Institute of Education-delivered Mandarin Excellence Programme, more than three quarters of respondents said that speaking a high level of Mandarin would be beneficial to school pupils in their future careers.
On average, 28 per cent thought that the advantage would be 'significant' – with this rising to 31 per cent amongst those working for companies with an annual turnover of £10 million or more.
While 69 per cent of those surveyed felt that Mandarin Chinese skills, particularly speaking, would be important for British business and the economy in future, 66 per cent said that it was currently difficult to recruit fluent speakers from within the UK workforce. When asked about language learning more widely, 82 per cent agreed that language teaching in schools "should reflect important potential growth markets for British trade and business".
You can read the full article on the UCL website.
Opening Doors in Scotland
There is no doubt that languages, including Mandarin, open doors to a range of opportunities. For example, the pupil immersion course which offers young people the opportunity to attend a language and culture immersion course in China. For more details please see the CISS website.
CISS also offers 6th year school leavers the opportunity to apply for the Tianjin Scholarship. To find out more about this exciting chance to learn mandarin in Tianjin for a year, please see our website where you can read blogs from our present Scholars.
There are also activities provided by CISS through our partners, for example Scottish Opera and Edinburgh Zoo. Please visit the CISS website for more details or get in touch with ciss-info@strath.ac.uk.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Business, Cultural Diversity, Economy, Language Learning for Work, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, CISS news
Scottish students in China
8 April 2018 (Scottish Government)
Scottish students will get the opportunity to live and study in China through funding for the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools Scholarship Programme.
The £754,000 investment in the work of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) was announced as First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met some of the current scholars in Beijing on the first day of her visit to China. She learned how the scheme has helped to build links between young people in both countries, improving language skills and widening horizons for those taking part.
Applications for the programme are open to 6th year pupils in Confucius Classroom Hubs around Scotland. So far 70 Scottish students have been awarded scholarships.
Sturgeon announces funds to allow more pupils to study in China (The National, 9 April 2018)
SNP is 'wildly irresponsible' on China's Confucius Institutes (The Herald, 10 April 2018)
The work of Confucius Institutes has many benefits for Scotland (The Herald, 12 April 2018)
Confucius Institute crackdown predicted as global inquiries mount (THE, 12 April 2018)
Tories probe Chinese institutes amid academic freedom fears (The Herald, 14 April 2018)
What does Confucius say about our attitude to modern China? (The National, 14 April 2018)
Nicola Sturgeon: Developing cultural links between Scotland and China (Evening Times, 17 April 2018)
Why higher education links between Scotland and China are so vital and growing (Insider, 20 April 2018)
"He who learns but does not think, is lost!" (Holyrood Magazine, 25 April 2018)
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Scottish Government, Study Abroad, SCILT news, CISS news
The state secondary school where the only language taught is Mandarin
22 March 2018 (TES)
In a school serving one of the most deprived areas of Edinburgh, Mandarin is the only language on offer.
Learning Mandarin has tended to be an opportunity only available to a minority of Scottish pupils, often in private schools.
But in a school serving one of the most deprived areas of Edinburgh, Mandarin is currently the only language on offer.
In October, when Castlebrae Community High's only modern languages teacher left for maternity leave, it struggled to replace her – but then the school received some external investment to teach Mandarin.
This enables it to share a teacher with several other schools in the city. The subject is taught in the first and second year. Next year, some pupils hope to continue it in their third year, with the aim of achieving a national qualification in the language.
In October, 12 pupils will head to Beijing to experience Chinese language and culture for themselves.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Chinese Arts and Culture Festival, Edinburgh 3-5 August 2018
Last year over 2,000 people attended the Third Chinese Arts and Culture Festival at Edinburgh Fringe. This year a Chinese Youth Arts and Culture Festival will be added. Jie Song, Chairman of the Scotland-China Chamber of Commerce, says that the organisers are now selecting and registering Chinese youth performances, all from famous schools/youth organisations in China
Jie Song explains that during the festival, she is looking for more engagements and links with local education sectors in Scotland. If any local education sectors/companies/organisations would like use these opportunities to build up relationships and business links with these Chinese visitors, please forward your proposal to Jie Song, so that it can be included in the Festival plan.
Posted in: Chinese, News from language & education organisations
SCEN Digital Map
After the work of the Mapping Chinese Working Group, driven by SCEN and the Confucius Institute for Scotland, SCEN has created a Digital Map of schools, colleges and universities in Scotland involved in the teaching and learning of Chinese and about China. The principal aim is to encourage more sharing and collaboration.
Posted in: Chinese, Partnership Working, Languages in the press
OU/SCILT languages course for primary practitioners
15 March 2018 (Open University in Scotland/SCILT)
Due to the success of the initial pilot of the course developed by the OU and SCILT, LXT192/4 Learning to teach languages in primary school (French/Spanish), we are delighted to now be able to extend the offer to all Local Authorities. The course will be offered for the following languages: French (LXT192), German (LXT193), Spanish (LXT194) and Mandarin (LXT197).
For the next presentation of this course starting in October 2018, registration will open on 1 April 2018. The course fee is £240.00 per student.
The course will be available to all primary practitioners but also secondary teachers who teach at primary level. We have produced an FAQ document with further detail about the course for your information.
In order to make the enrolment process as smooth as possible, we advise that in the first instance Development Officers contact Sylvia Warnecke at the Open University (s.warnecke@open.ac.uk ) with a list of the names and email addresses of teachers planning to study this in their Local Authority. We aim to complete enrolment by late June 2018 to allow time for planning staffing and timetabling.
And last but not least, we are planning to offer teachers, who enrol on the course, a summer school experience which will offer immersion in the language to boost confidence and provide ample opportunities to learn more about the cultures in which the language they are studying is spoken. The summer school is not part of the course, it is optional and can be booked separately. More information on this will be published in due course.
Policy makers, local councils, local authorities, MSPs and Consulates may also be interested in an event celebrating last years' pilot course, Primary school teachers learning to teach languages - A celebration, being held in Edinburgh on 7 June 2018.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, CPD, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, Teacher Education, SCILT news, News from language & education organisations
15 March 2018 (Heriot-Watt University)
The Multilingual Debate 2018 takes place on Wednesday 21 March at Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh campus. As with previous years, the event is being streamed live over the internet. Schools should visit the website for information on how to participate in the online stream.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, Multilingualism, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Employ a language assistant for 2018/19
Language Assistants provide an interactive language resource for your classroom. We recruit our assistants directly from their home countries, meaning their language and resources are always up-to-date and, importantly, authentic.
Native speakers of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Chinese and Irish, they help pupils to build their confidence, develop conversational skills, boost motivation for learning, and better understand other cultures. Feedback from schools with a Language Assistant noted an improvement in pupils' listening and speaking skills.
Not only that, many teachers have found that having a native speaker to talk to and share teaching ideas with can reinvigorate both their teaching practice and their own love for language learning.
So, with applications now open for the 2018/2019 academic year, there hasn't been a better time to ensure your classroom has access to the best language learning resource around – a native speaker.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to apply for your language assistant by 31 March 2018. Please note that the deadline for Chinese Language Assistants is 1 June 2018.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, News from language & education organisations
Have we reached peak English in the world?
27 February 2018 (Guardian)
One of Britain's greatest strengths is set to diminish as China asserts itself on the world stage.
Posted in: Chinese, English - Dominance, Languages in the press
Edinburgh Zoo hosts Scotland's biggest celebration of Chinese New Year
15 February 2018 (Herald)
The Giant Lanterns of China at RZSS Edinburgh Zoo is set to host Scotland's biggest celebration of Chinese New Year, which begins on Friday, February 16 to welcome the Year of the Dog featuring traditional performers and street food native to China.
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Languages in the press
There must be easier fads to follow than teaching Mandarin
The Foreign Service Institute of the US state department says it takes a native English speaker roughly 2,200 hours to become proficient in Mandarin. To learn Spanish – or French, or any number of other nontonal languages that use the Roman alphabet – the FSI estimates it takes roughly 600 hours. I may be wrong about this, and am happy to be proved so, but my hunch is that my children will never be proficient in Mandarin, in spite of the New York public school system's vague belief to the contrary.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Learning - Primary, Languages in the press
Opening of the Confucius Hub at Culross Primary School
14 February 2018 (Queen Anne High School)
A group of QAHS pupils and staff attended the opening of the Confucius Hub at Culross Primary School yesterday. The Hub is a fantastic learning and teaching resource for our cluster primary schools and we look forward to working collaboratively with the Culross Hub to deliver an engaging Chinese language and cultural curriculum.
S3 pupils Bethany McIntosh, Katherine Smith and Abbie Carrie gave an eloquent presentation, delivered in Mandarin, about their experiences of learning the language. After musical performances from Culross pupils, three of our senior pupils (Fiona McArthur, Erin Moyes and Matthew Godsell) demonstrated their skills on the Chinese drums to rapturous applause from the audience!
Culross Primary Hub Launch (1.33 MB)
Our Story: Chinese New Year in Perth
13 February 2018 (BBC Radio Sotland)
BBC Radio Scotland recorded a radio programme called Our Story: Chinese New Year in Perth. This tells the story of the Chinese Community in Perth. As part of the programme the BBC visited Kinross High School to record pupils being taught Mandarin, preparing a Chinese dance performance and discussing their summer Bridge camp experience.
Ricefield workshop and merchandise catalogue
30 January 2018 (Ricefield)
Ricefield has just released its new merchandise and workshop catalogues, offering a range of Chinese art and craft supplies and the opportunity to bring Chinese culture into the classroom for a varied learning experience.
Ricefield Arts & Cultural Centre is Scotland's leading charity and social enterprise for the exploration and promotion of Chinese culture, contributing to the diversity of cultural fabric with an excellent reputation for delivering original and inspiring creative experiences for schools, community organisations, and art audiences.
Please note there is a charge for resources and workshops.
Scotland China Association's Chinese Competition for Primary 5, 6 and 7
23 January 2018 (SCA)
The Scotland-China Association national competition for pupils from Primaries 5, 6 and 7 has been launched. If pupils from your school plan to enter, please let the organisers know by 23 February 2018. Entries should be submitted by 18 May 2018 and winners will be invited to the awards ceremony in June at Edinburgh Zoo, where they will enjoy a talk and a visit to the Zoo, as well as receiving their prizes. The overall winning school will receive a RZSS Beyond the Panda Outreach visit to their school and hold the Tom Murray Trophy until the next competition.
Please see attached document with entry details and a sample of the Chinese Scottish tartan which is a resource for the competition. SCA hope you will encourage your school to take part and that pupils will find the competition interesting and fun!
SCA schools competition 2018 (552 KB)
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning - Primary, News from language & education organisations
The year of the dog: primary education pack
23 January 2018 (IOE / British Council)
To help primary schools celebrate Chinese New Year and the Year of the Dog, UCL IOE and the British Council have developed some creative teaching resources.
The education pack is free to download. It contains information and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese language and culture.
Your pupils can read a traditional story to find out how Er Lang and his dogs captured the Monkey King and learn to give commands in Chinese to our animated dog called Dumpling (Jiaozi). You can also read letters from Chinese children about their pets and get creative making clay dogs and paintings and cooking Chinese dumplings!
Posted in: Chinese, Resources
'The future's still Mandarin' despite lack of interest
12 January 2018 (TESS)
Undeterred by a low uptake, campaigners vow to keep pushing the language in Scotland
Subscription required to access full article.
Bai Meigui Translation Competition now open!
9 January 2018 (Writing Chinese)
The University of Chinese Writing Chinese Network runs an annual translation competition. This year it is open exclusively to secondary school students. The winning writer will be mentored by a professional translator and have their translation published in a journal.
The competition deadline is midnight (GMT) on 26th February 2018.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Translation, News from language & education organisations
Mapping the learning of Chinese and about China in Scotland
23 November 2017 (SCEN)
SCEN are keen to give all young people in Scotland the opportunities they need, and to that end, it is looking to find out the current situation with regard to learning Chinese and about China in Scotland. SCEN has published a report, 'Mapping of the Learning of Chinese and about China in Scotland's Schools' following on from a survey carried out by SCEN and the Confucius Institute for Scotland. Access the report through the link below.
For further information or to comment, please contact Dr Judith McClure, Chair of SCEN.
Posted in: Chinese, Statistics, News from language & education organisations
Report on Sixth China Youth Summit on 3 November 2017
8 November 2017 (SCEN)
Great thanks to distinguished guests, talented presenters, and all delegates! SCEN's Sixth China Youth Summit was a great success. This magnificent set of photos taken by Fraser Nelson of Simon Jones Media provide a taster of the day.
Presenters were described in the adjectives contained in the scores of glorious emails SCEN has received: Fantastic, Impressive, Energetic, Keen, Inspiring, Exciting!
The President of SCEN, Lord Wilson of Tillyorn KT KSMG FRSE, said that he was delighted to hear the presenters of all ages speaking Mandarin with a commendably accurate and natural use of tones and accents.
See the comments of the students brought together by Ellena Zhou from St Ninian's High School, East Renfrewshire.
Word Wizard 2018 - new semi-final added!
3 November 2017 (SCILT/CISS)
SCILT's Word Wizard competition is returning for its fifth year and we are delighted to announce we are adding a fourth semi-final date!
In addition to the semi-finals already taking place at the Universities of Strathclyde, Aberdeen and Dundee, in collaboration with the UCMLS, this year we will be holding another semi-final at Edinburgh College.
Word Wizard is a multilingual spelling competition open to S1-S3 pupils learning French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin or Spanish. The competition provides a perfect opportunity for language teachers to address The Attainment Challenge by allowing pupils of all levels the chance to excel in language learning. Word Wizard develops skills in acquisition of vocabulary, pronunciation, spelling, recall and public speaking; not to mention the many literacy outcomes it addresses. This hugely motivating competition encourages links with other curricular areas and with health and wellbeing, culminating in a high profile celebration of language learning.
Visit SCILT's Word Wizard webpage to find out more about this year's competition and to register your school.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
Tianjin scholarship
13 October 2017 (CISS)
The application process for the Tianjin scholarship 2018-2019 is now open. Further information about the scholarship which offers young people the opportunity to study Mandarin in Tianjin can be found on our website. The closing date for applications is Monday 6 November 2017.
Please note that we can only accept applications from current 6th years in an authority with a Confucius Classroom hub.
If you have any questions or would like any further information, please contact ciss-info@strath.ac.uk.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Funding, Language Learning, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, CISS news
Inside the UK's first bilingual English and Chinese primary school
7 October 2017 (Financial Times)
As a girl growing up in an English-speaking household in Singapore, Prema Gurunathan grudgingly studied Mandarin. Now a mother in west London, she is taking no chances with her own son.
When he turned one Ms Gurunathan insisted their household in Hammersmith speak Mandarin for half of each week. She recruited an au pair from east Asia (she prefers not to say exactly where, for fear of tipping off the competition). And last month, she and her husband enrolled the three-and-a-half year-old at Kensington Wade in London, Britain's first primary school to offer full Mandarin immersion for its pupils.
"It's intellectual, it's cultural and it's 'future-proofing', if you will," said Ms Gurunathan, a self-confessed "tiger mom" and policy wonk, explaining her school choice. "And it's fun."
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Immersion, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
2017-18 Tianjin Scholars Blogs now live
The first blog entries from a number of Tianjin Scholars are now available to read on the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools website.
Posted in: Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, CISS news
Glasgow named one of the top cities in the world to learn about Chinese language and culture
20 September 2017 (Glasgow Live)
Glasgow is officially home to a world leader in the teaching of Chinese language and culture.
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) has been appointed a Model Confucius Institute by the global headquarters, Hanban.
The centre, based at the University of Strathclyde, is one of only 40 facilities out of 500 across the globe to be given the status.
Bosses have also announced the institute, which is open to people from all over the country, is set for a move to a new HQ at the university's Ramshorn Theatre.
The Grade A-Listed building is being given a £2 million refurbishment - which includes a substantial investment by Hanban - to develop it as a publicly-accessible hub for learning and cultural exchange.
The new premises will have the capacity to host performances, conferences and exhibitions.
A plaque marking the new status of the institute was unveiled at a conference attended by Scottish Higher Education Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville.
Liu Xiaoming, China's Ambassador to the UK, was also a keynote speaker at the event, held to mark the fifth anniversary of the foundation of the Institute.
Strathclyde Principal Professor Sir Jim McDonald said: "As a leading international university, we are extremely proud of our academic links around the globe and our diverse student and staff community.
"This prestigious accolade for our Confucius Institute reflects the important role it plays in improving understanding of Chinese language and culture across Scotland, and we congratulate everyone involved on their fantastic achievement.
"I'm particularly pleased that the Institute's move to its new headquarters on campus will enable even more schools, businesses and community groups to benefit from increased educational and economic opportunities, with a further 10 Confucius Classroom Hubs being announced today."
China bolsters Confucius Institute culture scheme in Scotland (The Times, 20 September 2017)
Confucius Hub opens at Braehead Primary (Stirling Council, 21 September 2017)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Cultural Diversity, Funding, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, Strathclyde University, Languages in the press
A great, fun opportunity for students to practice and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills. The competition also offers the chance to win a week in Beijing.
Find out more about the competition and how to apply. Entry deadline is Friday 6 October 2017.
Former Carnoustie High pupils in dream China scholarship trip
16 September 2017 (The Courier)
For most young university freshers, leaving the nest for the first time is a daunting experience. But two former Carnoustie High pupils have taken a bigger leap than most by flying half way around the world as part of a prestigious scholarship programme.
[...] The pair are two of only 22 young people from across Scotland to be awarded a full scholarship to study Mandarin at Tianjin Foreign Studies University for the 2017/18 academic session.
They both studied the language at the school's Confucius Classroom Hub - one of only 34 in Scotland - and were active members of the Mandarin Club.
The pair successfully interviewed for the programme after initially attending a 17-day language immersion course in Tianjin last year, organised by the university's Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS).
Posted in: Chinese, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Chinese language classes
12 September 2017 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's programme of Chinese classes for the autumn term will start 25 September 2017.
Classes on offer range from beginner to advanced levels. This autumn, in addition to our usual evening classes, we will also offer a short daytime course running 2.5 hrs per week for five weeks - Chinese for Travellers. Ideal if planning a visit to China or just as a taster course.
Visit the website for course details and registration, or to find out about other events and opportunities offered by the Confucius Institute for Scotland.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Learning - Adults, News from language & education organisations
International teacher mentoring conference for Hanban teachers across Scotland
24 August 2017 (CISS)
On Friday 10 November, CISS will be facilitating our international teacher mentoring conference for Hanban teachers across Scotland and their mentors in Scottish schools.
Please ensure that the teacher who is mentor attends the day with their mentee as we will have a range of speakers and workshop facilitators including SCEL, GTCS, Staff Development Strathclyde and ourselves. We would like to include other teachers who are interested in mentoring as well as our Hanban teacher mentors so please contact CISS to register.
While it is essential the Hanban teacher mentor can attend, other interested teachers are welcome.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, CISS news
What not to do: Tips from a returning Tianjin scholar
Having returned from her year on the scholarship programme, Maeve MacLeod shares her experiences and advice on making the most of China.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, CISS news
Vocab Express League of Champions 2017
21 August 2017 (Vocab Express)
The next League of Champions competition from Vocab Express will be taking place from 28 September to 4 October 2017.
It's a fantastic way to engage students in vocabulary building by challenging them to compete against other schools across the UK and from around the world.
The challenge will feature French, Spanish, German, Greek, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew and Latin competitions.
The challenge is free to all schools subscribing to Vocab Express. In addition, there are 150 free school places available to non-subscribers, each for up to 150 students. Free spaces are still currently available!
Visit the website for more information and to register your school.
Teachers can also sign up for guest access to a free trial of the Vocab Express platform using their school or academic e-mail address.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Urdu
Beyond the Panda programme for schools
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) Beyond the Panda programme has been further revised and contains some new materials, in particular the new P1-P3 panda boxes.
The programme now has two main parts:
China Mobile Library - loan of the panda boxes followed by an expert visit
Outreach workshops - Education Officer led workshops
See the attached brochure for full details of the Beyond the Panda programme.
There's also an opportunity for schools to book a Beyond the Panda special event at Edinburgh Zoo during 'The Giant Lanterns of China' installation between December 2017 and February 2018. The session will include whole class interactive activities and Mandarin language games. See more information and how to book on The Giant Lanterns of China brochure attached.
You can also visit the website for more information about the RZSS and its activities.
Beyond the Panda brochure (1.75 MB)
Giant Lanterns of China specials (901 KB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Cross-Curricular Working, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Braehead Primary School Stirling - Getting to grips with languages!
15 August 2017 (SCILT/CISS/Braehead PS)
The children of Braehead Primary have been making languages come alive through a collaborative project with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) at Stirling Castle. This project saw P5 pupils working in groups on a number of different tasks. The end result was a virtual tour of Stirling Castle in Chinese, signage in Chinese, language training for castle tour guides and maps of the castle in Chinese. Learners' literacy skills benefited from the project, and their understanding about the world of work increased.
You can see the film in Chinese, set within the castle walls, on the school's YouTube channel. The film will be entered for the British Film Festival awards in London in October.
The project had a positive impact on the wider school community. The school has recently launched a Chinese character challenge. This is a whole-school competition where one character a week is introduced on their interactive wall in the dining hall – highly visible to all. At the end of term, pupils and teachers will take part in a quiz based on these characters with Chinese-themed prizes up for the taking! Pupils continue to produce language podcasts in Chinese and other languages. The podcasts can be accessed via the Braehead Primary Languages Café on the school's website.
There are six classes at Braehead learning Chinese as L3 from P4 to P6. The P5s are the trailblazers and have been learning the language for nearly two years.
Read the full case study of the project for replicable ideas for your own school context to support partnership working and help your school deliver on Developing the Young Workforce.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Business, Citizenship, Cross-Curricular Working, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Language Skills, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, SCILT news
Which language should we teach in school?
2 August 2017 (MEITS blog)
Increasing motivation for language learning in UK schools and encouraging children to maintain their languages study past the point at which they have the chance to stop is an ongoing challenge. One important question here is: to what extent are success and motivation linked to the particular language pupils study?
The myth of the monolingual Brit, who refuses to speak foreign languages, has been supplemented in recent years by the narrative that we are not only unwilling, but also unable to speak foreign languages. For example, the 2012 European Survey on Language Competences, which sought to provide comparable data on standards of achievement in 15-year old learners across 16 participating countries, showed pupils in England languishing at the bottom of the table, where the learning of the first foreign language (French) was concerned.
The figures, however, tell a slightly different story when we consider the learning of the second foreign language. For example, Sweden, which had topped the charts for English proficiency, languished at the bottom when it came to the learning of the second foreign language (Spanish); learners in English secondary schools who were studying German as a second language did better.
Leaving aside the difficulty of providing robust data from such surveys, this study provides support for the idea that the language learned really does matter. Motivation for English learning is so strong in most parts of the world that for many learners it is now a life skill as much as a foreign language. Motivation for studying the second and third foreign languages, however, can be as difficult to achieve in other parts of the world as it is for the first in our own setting.
In Europe and the rest of the world English's position as the foreign language of choice remains unassailable. For example, the 2017 Eurodice Report, which provides key data on teaching languages at school in Europe, reports that in 2014 virtually all EU students (97.3 %) studied English during the entire period of lower secondary education. After that came French (33.7 %), German (23.1 %) and Spanish (19.1 %), with other languages rarely studied.
The question of which language should we teach our learners in England remains a source of debate.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, England, Language Learning, Language Policy, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations, Arabic
Bonnyrigg school establishes links with China
21 July 2017 (Midlothian Advertiser)
It's been a very busy time for Hawthornden Primary School.
Following their successful school show 'Hairspray', Hawthornden pupils have excelled themselves again by performing at the launch of the Confucius Primary Hub.
The audience was entertained by P7s performing a Dragon Dance, a Fan Dance and Looking for a Friend. P6s performed a colours song in Mandarin. P3 pupils, who attend Mandarin classes at the Children's University at Queen Margaret, amazed everyone by reading and translating a Mandarin story. Chinese colleagues praised their accents and pronunciation.
S4 Lasswade High School pupils also performed a dance to show primary pupils how Mandarin can be continued in high school.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Languages in the press
A traffic-light system to drive pupils towards learning Chinese
7 July 2017 (TESS)
Forgive me if I get straight to the point, but I know time is sparse for teachers and this message is important. There are five key reasons that every child should learn Mandarin Chinese. And they are as follows:
China is one of the world's oldest and richest cultures, with more than 5,000 years of history and the world's longest continuous writing system. Learning Mandarin Chinese will open the door to a wealth of literature, poetry and art and gives students a unique insight into a fascinating culture.
China is also the most populous nation in the world and Mandarin Chinese is spoken by more than one billion people. In many countries, Mandarin Chinese is becoming the most popular foreign language and it is likely to become Asia's future lingua franca. Speaking Mandarin will create opportunities for work and travel throughout Asia – and beyond.
Almost a quarter of internet usage is conducted in Chinese, while China's economy is the second largest in the world. Proficiency in Mandarin Chinese is hugely beneficial for a career in business or the diplomatic service, and it is now one of the priority languages for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Learning Mandarin Chinese is mentally stimulating and challenging; research has shown that while English speakers only use the left temporal lobe, speakers of Mandarin use both left and right. One advantage of this increased brain activity is that Mandarin speakers are more likely to have perfect pitch. In addition, learning to write characters can help with motor skills and visual recognition.
The unique challenges of learning Chinese engage and motivate learners who might not be your "typical linguists": mathematicians enjoy the logicality of the language; artistic children may enjoy "drawing" characters; musical children can distinguish and recall the tones more easily; children who struggle with dyslexia find relief in not having to learn another set of spelling and phonology rules.
That's all very well, you might claim, but the school timetable is crowded and integrating a new subject area would take up that time we don't have.
To counter this line of argument, I offer you a traffic light of options to ensure every child in your school can learn Mandarin.
Read the full article in TESS online, 7 July 2017 (subscription required).
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
SQA update - National 5 Modern Languages
SQA (23 June 2017)
The following documents will be available for all National 5 Modern Languages courses by the afternoon of Friday 23 June:
Coursework assessment task - assignment (writing)
Coursework assessment task - performance (talking)
Course support notes
The course support notes will be added to the National 5 course specification as an appendix. The course specification will then be updated to version 2.0 and the date will change to June 2017, but there is no further change to the content of this document.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations, Urdu
Chinese intensive courses
22 June 2017 (Heriot-Watt University)
The Scottish Confucius Institute for Business and Communication at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh is holding two Chinese summer courses in July.
Follow the appropriate link below to find out more about the course and to book your place:
Intensive beginners 1 (10-14 July 2017) - for complete beginners with little or no knowledge of Chinese
Intensive beginners 2 (17-22 July 2017) - for those who have either completed Intensive beginners 1 or have equivalent knowledge of the Chinese language
New earpiece translates foreign languages as you have a conversation
20 June 2017 (The Independent)
A new device that delivers foreign language translations directly to your ear almost instantly has just gone on sale.
The Translate One2One has been hailed as a real-world equivalent of the Babel fish, the famous fictional creature from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
It's powered by IBM's supercomputer, Watson, and takes between three and five seconds to complete a translation and play it to you.
It currently works across English, Japanese, French, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German and Chinese.
However, both people in a conversation need to be wearing one.
Lingmo International, the company behind it, claims the Translate One2One is clever enough to avoid common translation stumbling blocks.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Technology, Translation, Languages in the press, Japanese, Portuguese
Modern Language Assistants (MLA) Projects 2016-17
15 June 2017 (SCILT / British Council)
Every year language assistants try to make languages really come alive for young people in Scotland's schools, e.g. by initiating a language exchange, participating in language competitions, or by organising immersion days.
In this blog you can browse through the work of last year's assistants. You can search the slides either by language or by school year group. Enjoy, and we hope you will be inspired to follow in their footsteps!
Posted in: Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Teaching, SCILT news, News from language & education organisations
Funding available to partner with schools in China
9 June 2017 (Access China UK / Education Scotland)
Funding is available for schools to set up a successful sister school partnership with China or if you already have a sister school this can be used to re-activate the partnership. The funding is provided by Access China UK Education, which specialises in setting up and supporting schools with active relationships. The deadline to access the fund is 26 June.
Posted in: Chinese, Funding, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Are Chinese-English bilingual schools the future of primary education?
7 June 2017 (The Telegraph)
There are just two classrooms at Kensington Wade, a shiny new independent prep school opening in west London in September, and at a glance, they look the same. Colourful charts cover the walls, storybooks line the shelves, the odd toy lies around. Peer a little closer, however, and a certain difference becomes clear.
"There isn't a word of English in here," the headmistress, Jo Wallace, says as we pause in one of them. It's true – the charts contain only Chinese symbols, the books are in Mandarin, and laid out are traditional oriental fans, scrolls and artwork. Even the school's world map, which might normally have Europe at the centre of the picture, instead shows gives Asia and the Pacific the limelight.
"That's what we mean by this being totally immersive learning," Wallace says, "the children will switch as soon as they're in here, and that's how they'll begin to think in two ways."
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, England, Immersion, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Mandarin success in Scottish schools
6 June 2017 (Spectrum Sino)
Recently-launched efforts to teach Mandarin in Scottish schools have been hailed for the interest they have created amongst children to learn more about Chinese culture, history and language.
Schools across the country have celebrated the opening of their Confucius classroom hubs.
"Confucius classroom" set up in north-east academy (Press and Journal, 8 June 2017) - item about Oldmachar Academy
Mandarin lessons going down a treat (Barrhead News, 6 June 2017) - article about Cross Arthurlie Primary
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Celebrating BLC success!
2 June 2017 (CISS)
Pupils from Lasswade High School were presented with certificates and a badge each on Wednesday 31 May for completing an app which they designed for young Chinese visitors to Edinburgh Castle.
The S3 pupils had researched Edinburgh Castle, making a visit before and after designing the trail (the latter visit to test it). With the support of the app company, 'Global Treasure Apps', they created a trail for young speakers of Chinese who might visit the castle. This is an age group the castle want to attract to the premises more effectively; moreover, the number of tourists from China is increasing all the time. After London, Edinburgh Castle is the second favourite spot for Chinese visitors to the UK.
The S3 pupils worked in teams and the winning team all received a phone charger from the app company.
The pupils will build on their success and most will continue with Mandarin into S4.
This is a good example of a Business Language Champions (BLC) project impacting on uptake in the Senior Phase: working together with outside partners such as Historic Environment Scotland, the app company and CISS.
Visit the BLC pages of our website for more information about the scheme and to find out how schools and businesses can get involved.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, Scotland, Business, Careers, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, CISS news
Which language would ease our way in the post-Brexit world?
We Brits are pretty settled in our role as monoglots. Our default tactic of "speak English slowly and loudly so others can understand you" served us well enough – and then Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European commission, put the boot in by claiming recently that "English is losing importance."
Is this really the case? Experts are divided.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Languages in the press, Russian, Arabic, Brexit
CISS Spring 2017 newsletter
24 May 2017 (CISS)
The Spring 2017 CISS newsletter has now been published online. It is a great showcase of all the fabulous work being done across Scotland to promote Chinese language and culture.
You can view and download the newsletter on the CISS website.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, CISS news
Chinese Language Assistants grants
The British Council and HSBC are providing up to ten grants of £3,890 to cover the costs of hosting a Chinese language assistant. Schools can apply individually, or with up to two other schools if intending to share an assistant. Apply by 31 May 2017.
Apply for a Chinese language assistant by 31 May
Chinese language assistants are native speakers of Mandarin who have experience of teaching overseas and can support students and teachers across the curriculum. Schools can still apply to host a language assistant for the 2017/18 academic year. Apply by 31 May 2017.
Posted in: Chinese, Foreign Language Assistants, Funding, News from language & education organisations
China Bridge for school leaders in the UK
Applications are open for China Bridge, a professional development and networking opportunity in China for primary and secondary school leaders, heads of languages and heads of further education colleges in the UK.
Funded by Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters) and delivered by the British Council, the programme enables successful applicants to visit China to connect with Chinese schools and learn more about teaching Chinese language and culture.
Participants will receive support to help them initiate and sustain Chinese school links before, during and after the visit. Travel, accommodation and expenses in China are covered by the programme. Schools must pay for their own flights.
The deadline for applications is 12.00 on 23 June 2017. Visits will take place from 28 October – 5 November 2017.
Young Language Learner Award - 2017
15 May 2017 (B small publishing)
The Young Language Learner Awards are back!
B small publishing are inviting children and young people to write a four-page story in a foreign language they are learning (choose from Chinese, English, French, German, Italian or Spanish) to be in with a chance of winning books worth £50.
One winner will be picked from the under 6 category and one winner from the 6 and over entries.
Visit the website for full details and to submit entries by 15 June 2017.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Language Perfect World Championships 2017
12 May 2017 (ALL)
This year's Language Perfect World Championships take place from 15 - 25 May.
Students participate in the world's largest online languages event over 10 days with the chance to earn certificates and qualify for awards and prizes by translating between their target language and English. The competition is relevant for everyone, whatever their ability.
The first 500 schools to register will receive 50 free entries. (ALL members can register all students for free).
Find out more about the competition via the ALL webpage and the competition website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Language Skills, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic
Update to CISS Professional Learning Menu 2016-17
The CISS 2016-17 professional learning menu 'Making Chinese work for you' has been updated to include two new cross-sector workshops:
Parent/carer engagement with the learning of Mandarin
Coaching and mentoring for your Hanban teacher/volunteer
Visit the Professional Learning page of the CISS website to find out more and to arrange a learning event.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, CISS news
Consul General Pan Xinchun Visits Fettes College
9 May 2017 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China)
On 4 May, Consul General Pan Xinchun paid a visit to Fettes College where he delivered a speech to the students and had a cordial meeting with the headmaster Michael Spens.
In his speech, Mr. Pan spoke highly of the Fettes College for its outstanding achievements in education. He indicated that well-educated students with global vision need knowledge about China. As the second largest economy, China has made huge contributions to the global development. He introduced the close links between China and Scotland by giving examples of people's daily life. Mr. Pan said, the demand in other countries for Mandarin speakers is increasing as China's cooperation with the rest of the world is deepening with a growing number of people learning Chinese language and culture. In Scotland alone, nearly 30,000 students from primary and secondary schools are learning. He encouraged the students to work hard and gain more understanding about China so as to build a bridge of friendship and cooperation between China and Scotland.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press
Apply now for a fully funded Chinese Language Assistant!
The British Council and HSBC are pleased to announce that up to ten grants of £3,890 will be offered to cover the costs of hosting a Chinese language assistant for the academic year of 2017/18.
This is a pilot scheme for UK schools in 2017/18 and is intended to support the Sustainable Development Goal "ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning". Successful schools will have the full costs of hosting a Chinese Language Assistant covered from mid-September 2017 to the end of June 2018.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to download an application form.
Application deadline: 31 May 2017.
Posted in: Chinese, Foreign Language Assistants, Funding, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Biscuits galore!
20 April 2017 (CISS)
For some S2 pupils from Elgin Academy, the term began with a busy and exciting visit to Walkers Shortbread HQ in Aberlour, Moray.
The pupils have been studying Mandarin since January with the support of the Hanban teacher Sufang Wang and under the guidance of Jerome Lestienne, PT of Modern Languages. The pupils presented to members of the International team from Walkers and the HR team. The presentations reflected what they had learnt so far, which included simple greetings, some numbers (and how to express numbers with hand gestures) and explanations of what is peculiar to the Chinese language such as learning tones, characters, etc.
The presentations also incorporated advice on effective "dos and don'ts" of Chinese Business Etiquette. These were well received by the International Team, who later explained they are increasingly doing business with China. It is now one of the top ten countries with whom they deal and in the near future will be opening an office in Shanghai.
Pupils were judged on presentation skills, clarity of delivery, content, structure and language skills. (The latter were judged by members from CISS and the Hanban teacher.) The winning group were generously rewarded with a prize and all pupils left with a goodie bag.
Pupils were asked questions by the team regarding how they found learning Chinese. They replied they had found it interesting and were grateful to have the chance to learn some Chinese whilst at school.
The Director of the International Team thanked them for the useful and stimulating presentations. He highlighted the fact that future employees with such knowledge would be most welcome for the company to employ.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, Scotland, Business, Careers, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Language Skills, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, CISS news
China visit a Scottish first for brass band
14 April 2017 (Guide and Gazette)
Carnoustie High School Brass Band will play in the People's Republic of China following a concert they performed earlier this year in the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow.
The concert was for the Confucius Institute for Scotland who were so impressed by their standard of playing that they set in motion a plan to have the youngsters visit China in a cultural exchange.
The institute contacted Donald Currie, headteacher at Carnoustie High School, and requested the band make the trip next year.
Carnoustie High is the Confucius Hub for Angus and the Confucius classrooms are hubs based in schools and serving the local community.
The hub concept promotes joint planning of cultural activities, sharing ideas and resources to stimulate the learning and teaching of Chinese language and culture.
Summary of SQA Course Reports for Higher and AH Modern Languages 2016
We have summarised the Course Reports for Higher and Advanced Higher Modern Languages and Gàidhlig. These reports highlight areas where candidates performed well in the 2016 exam and areas where they encountered difficulty.
They contain sound advice for both teachers and pupils in the run up to this year's exam diet.
The full report for each language can be accessed on the SQA website under the Verification and Course Reports tab.
The summary reports are attached below and can also be found on the Senior Phase, Essentials for Planning page on the SCILT website under the SQA Qualifications tab.
Summary of SQA Course Reports for Higher Modern Languages 2016 (422 KB)
Summary of SQA Course Reports for Higher Gaidhlig (386 KB)
Summary of SQA Course Reports for AH Modern Languages (419 KB)
Summary of SQA Course Reports for AH Gaidhlig (382 KB)
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, National Qualifications, SCILT news, SQA, Urdu
Chinese L3 resources
In order to build capacity for L3 in Scottish schools throughout Scotland, CISS has focused on developing a variety of resources. The latest L3 materials can be used to support the introduction of Mandarin as the L3 by using stimulating cultural contexts, whilst carefully building in progression. They are the first of a series of L3 resources which will support non-specialist Chinese teachers – including complete beginners! – as well as specialist Chinese teachers. The resources favour a gentle progression and will help practitioners embed Chinese into their learning context. These resources can be used as stand-alone resources or in conjunction with The Happy Emperor ebooks 1-5.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Chinese, 1+2, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, CISS news
Mapping Chinese survey
9 March 2017 (SCEN)
At the meeting of Confucius Institute Directors last year, we all decided that it would be a great help if we shared information about the teaching and learning of Mandarin at all levels in Scotland. We want to map all the opportunities to learn Chinese accurately, and to share it with everyone to help with productive links between schools, colleges, universities and businesses.
We would like to invite primary and secondary school teachers to complete our online survey to help gather this data.
Visit the SCEN website for the survey link. Please complete by 31 March 2017.
3 March 2017 (SCILT)
For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile from Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS).
Working on conservation projects around the globe, Sandie explains how knowing even a little of a language is respectable and polite when working with colleagues worldwide.
Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Spanish, Business, Careers, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, Resources, SCILT news, Japanese
For relevant, labour-market focused career advice on languages, direct from the workplace, read our latest Job Profile from Katie Targett-Adams, a professional singer and harpist currently based in Hong Kong. Teachers, use this resource in your classroom to enhance learning about the world of work.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Business, Careers, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Promoting Languages, SCILT news
Chinese New Year comes home to roost for students
14 February 2017 (Falkirk Herald)
Pupils from all over the Falkirk area gathered at Larbert High School for a double celebration with a far Eastern flavour. The youngsters, including pupils from Graeme High School and Ladeside Primary School, marked Chinese New Year and also acknowledged Larbert High's new status as a Falkirk Council Confucius Hub with song and dance performances, Chinese cuisine and art displays during the event.
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Cultural Diversity, Languages in the press
Boost language attainment with a Modern Language Assistant
Modern Language Assistants bring authentic language and culture to the classroom. In a recent survey of host schools, Heads of Languages reported improved exam results – raising standards in under-performing students and motivating talented students to achieve more. The support of an Assistant is particularly valuable with the on-going focus on languages in the 1+2 initiative, and can particularly help to complement the development of language teaching in primary schools.
The British Council Language Assistants programme draws on over 100 years of experience with overseas education authorities to provide a trusted, high quality service.
Applications are now open! For more information visit the British Council website.
In 2016 the Erasmus+ UK National Agency awarded nearly €1.2m+ to Scotland's schools and colleges for Key Action 2 (KA2) Strategic Partnerships, and 70% of Scottish applications for school-only partnerships were successful. The next Erasmus+ funding deadline is 29 March. If you are planning to apply, access our tailored guidance for school-only applications and school education applications; pre-recorded videos; and telephone support sessions.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Foreign Language Assistants, Funding, Language Ambassadors, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
Many Languages, One World - 2017 student essay contest
7 February 2017 (Many Languages One World)
The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), in collaboration with ELS Educational Services, Inc., (ELS) invites students, 18 years and older, who are enrolled in a full-time course of study at a college or university, to participate in the Many Languages, One World Essay Contest.
The essay should discuss global citizenship and cultural understanding, and the role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these and must be written in one of the six official languages of the United Nations (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian or Spanish).
Visit the Many Languages, One World website for more information about the competition and how to enter. Submission deadline is 16 March 2017.
Posted in: FE, HE, Chinese, French, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Citizenship, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Multilingualism, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Arabic
The made-up language with just one speaker
3 February 2017 (BBC)
When it comes to learning languages, it's often thought the Swedes are rather good at it, the Dutch brilliant, and the British, rather poor. Student, Melissa May, who is from southern England, is perhaps the exception that proves the rule. Not content with mastering many languages including German, French and Spanish, she decided to invent a completely new one, with its own unique script. It is called Skénavánns. She told James Menendez about it.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Skills, Languages in the press
Principal Assessor and Deputy Principal Assessor - Higher Chinese languages
23 January 2017 (SQA)
SQA is inviting applications for a Principal Assessor in Higher Chinese Languages to lead the team as well as a Deputy Principal Assessor (DPA) in Higher Chinese Languages. The DPA is a new role in a slightly altered structure which will become operational for Diet 2017. The primary role of the Deputy Principal Assessor is to support the Principal Assessor.
Details of both roles can be found by following the relevant link below to the SQA website:
Principal Assessor in Higher Chinese Languages
Deputy Principal Assessor in Higher Chinese Languages
Training and support will be provided for both roles.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
Scottish Education Awards 2017
19 January 2017 (Scottish Education Awards)
The Scottish Education Awards celebrate the hard work and success which takes place in Scottish education. They recognise the achievements of people who dedicate their lives to children and young people and showcase the valuable work and innovation in Scottish classrooms.
There's still time to submit nominations for the Awards, so get your entries in for the Making Languages Come Alive (Primary) and Gaelic Education/Duais Foghlam Gàidhlig.awards before the closing date of 15 February 2017.
Visit the Scottish Education Award website to make your nomination.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations, Urdu
Pass the Panda across Scotland
Conservation charity the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) is excited to announce the official launch of its brand new 'Panda Pass It On' game for schools. The game, which is part of the conservation organisation's Beyond the Panda education programme, launched at four schools in all four corners of Scotland on Tuesday 17 January: St. Patrick's, South Ayrshire; Lasswade High, Midlothian, Portree Primary, Isle of Skye and Forehill Primary, Aberdeen.
With only four copies of the game available, the intention is for schools to keep the fun, learning resource for a week before passing it on to other schools. The panda games will hopefully make their way across Scotland, with each school logging their location through a QR code on the back of the game, which will allow RZSS to follow the games as they travel.
Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: "I'm incredibly excited about the launch of the Panda Pass It On game. It is the first of its kind and is a fun way for children to learn more about China, its history, culture and language as well as their famous animals, the giant pandas. It will be really interesting to track the games as they travel to different schools."
The game forms an introduction to the Beyond the Panda education programme, which is designed to promote cross-curricular learning, with pupils investigating and discovering more about China. The materials cover Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes in science, topical science, social studies, language and literacy. This is delivered through an outreach programme with fun, interactive games led by an education officer from RZSS, or in the case of the Panda Pass It On game, by itself.
The programme is sponsored by the Confucius Institute for Scotland at the University of Edinburgh with support from the Scotland China Education Network and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools at the University of Strathclyde.
For more information, please visit the RZSS Beyond the Panda website.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Chinese, Scotland, Cross-Curricular Working, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
CISS professional learning menu update
16 January 2017 (CISS)
The CISS CLPL menu for 2016-17 'Making Chinese work for you!' has been updated.
Visit the CISS website to view the brochure and for information on booking a professional learning session.
Posted in: Early Years, Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, CISS news
SQA update to AH Modern Languages guidance on past paper usage
The SQA has produced updated guidance documents on the use of past paper questions for Advanced Higher Modern Languages (Chinese, Italian, French, Spanish, German and Gaelic learners).
These can be found on the SQA Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage under the 'Specimen Question Papers and Marking Instructions' section.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Curriculum for Excellence, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations, SQA
Eilidh's next year of study is full of Eastern Promise
1 January 2017 (Milngavie Herald)
Eilidh McConnell, a sixth year pupil at Douglas Academy in Milngavie, has won a scholarship to study and work in China next year.
Eilidh, who will defer her University place for a year, competed with other Scottish pupils and was interviewed in Strathclyde University for the place. The opportunity is offered by the Confucious Institute of Scotland which seeks to promote Chinese language and culture in Scotland.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Funding, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Generation UK – China Scholarship programme
Through Generation UK, the British Council have opened up a range of opportunities in China, giving students the chance to experience the country, language and culture while gaining valuable skills for the future.
One student from the University of St Andrews shares her experience of taking part in the Generation UK - China Scholarship programme.
Read Victoria's story and find out more about the opportunities available on the British Council website.
Posted in: Senior Phase, HE, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
Report shows progress in promoting modern foreign languages in Welsh schools
14 December 2016 (Welsh Government)
The number of pupils learning Mandarin has more than doubled according to a new report on a drive to increase the use of modern foreign languages in Welsh schools (Weds 14th Dec).
In October 2015 the Welsh Government published Global Futures, a plan to improve and promote modern foreign languages in Wales and today a new report on the progress made has been published.
It comes as the Education Secretary will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Spanish Government to improve and promote the teaching and learning of the Spanish language in Wales.
The MOU builds on a range of activity being carried out in Wales by the Spanish Embassy Education Office.
Posted in: Chinese, Spanish, Wales, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, Research, Statistics, News from language & education organisations
Heriot-Watt Multilingual Debate 2017
12 December 2016 (Heriot-Watt University)
Heriot-Watt University's Multilingual Debate is an annual event showcasing the interpreting skills of undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The 2017 Debates will take place on Wednesday 22 March with two multilingual teams arguing for and against a motion of topical interest in a range of languages. There are two Debates; one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
The Multilingual Debates are open to schools, colleges and universities and aim to stimulate interest and dialogue among young people in the international politics and social issues of the modern world whilst also setting language acquisition in a realistic context.
The topics for the 2017 Debates have just been announced and can be viewed on the YouTube video.
Visit the Heriot-Watt website for further information.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Cross-Curricular Working, Interpreting, Multilingualism, Promoting Languages, Translation, News from language & education organisations, Arabic, BSL
Chinese Language Pack 2017 - Year of the Rooster
According to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we enter the Year of the Rooster on January 28, 2017. This education pack for UK primary schools contains information and activities to help teachers and pupils learn more about this important spring festival and explore Chinese culture and language.
High Fives for the Fifth SCEN Summit
5 December 2015 (SCEN)
Read an account of the Fifth SCEN China Youth Summit.
High Fives for the Fifth SCEN Summit (583 KB)
Which languages should be taught in schools and why?
The Polish prime minister Beata Szydło has called on Theresa May to introduce Polish classes for children in English schools.
It raises interesting questions about what languages we teach in schools and why. Szydło also called for more support for the 831,000 Poles living in Britain. Introducing the language could help communities feel more integrated.
In the past language choices have been for different reasons. In 2010 the government decided to train 1,000 Mandarin teachers to work in secondary schools in England due to China's increasing influence on the global economy. Those in favour of the move said the next generation would need to understand Chinese culture and use its language.
Which languages do you think children should learn and why? Should an emphasis be put on how useful that language may be in the future? Or should the decision be made based on the needs of the local community?
Which languages have been most or least helpful to you? Which one did you enjoy learning and why? Did you grow up speaking another language at home? How would you have felt if your fellow pupils had studied it in school? Share your views with us.
The importance of Polish lessons in a post-Brexit world (The Guardian, 29 November 2016)
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Policy, Research, Languages in the press, Polish, Brexit
Media Release: Confucius Classroom launches in Moray
29 November 2016 (All Media Scotland)
A facility dedicated to promoting closer cultural links between school pupils in Moray and their counterparts in China was formally opened today.
The Confucius Classroom is part of a growing network of hubs – currently standing at more than 20 – being set up across Scotland to help promote Chinese language and culture in schools.
The Moray hub is based at Elgin Academy and will be resourced for children and young people from across the area to study all aspects of Chinese life.
It will also serve as a base for two teachers from China who will work closely with a total of 14 local secondary and primary schools during the current session.
The teaching posts are funded by Scotland's National Centre for Languages at Strathclyde University where the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools is based.
Opportunities will also exist for teachers from Moray schools to undertake exchange visits to China, while pupils will also be able to take part in language immersion courses in Chinese schools.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Metro Deaf School to make history with Chinese sign language
27 November 2016 (Star Tribune)
St. Cloud State University and the Metro Deaf School in St. Paul have joined forces to include deaf and hard-of-hearing students in a first-of-its-kind cross-cultural exchange. The Metro Deaf School has opened a "Confucius classroom" for students to learn Chinese sign language, history and culture.
Posted in: Chinese, Languages in the press, BSL
Rapping up Mandarin
18 November 2016 (TESS)
If you want to get an insight into what your YouTube-fixated, viral-hungry students are looking at online this year, you won't go far wrong if you spend some time with a few Asian hip hop artists. Be it the viral thrust and wry wit of Indonesia's Rich Chigga, the America-breaking ferocity of South Korea's Keith Ape or China's hottest new hip hop property, Higher Brothers, this is one of the year's most dominant, and credible, trending genres.
This rise of Asian hip hop comes at a fortuitous time for London teacher Adam Moorman. While his approach to teaching Mandarin to key stage 5 students at Fortismere School in North London was not inspired by his students' preoccupation with the new stars of rap, it certainly feeds into it: he's getting his class to rap in Mandarin themselves.
"It's much easier than you think," Moorman says. "Mandarin is a monosyllabic language with a much more limited range of sounds than English. If you discount tones, there are around 400 syllables in Mandarin, compared with more than 8,000 in English. So it's a lot harder to come up with rhymes in English than in Mandarin."
Students are asked to create raps as preparation for their speaking exam. Guided on content by the key topics in the qualification (pollution, for example) and on complexity by the exam marking criteria, they write, practise and then perform the raps, which are recorded. Moorman explains that rap is a useful tool to get students talking for a number of reasons. First, he says that Mandarin is an inherently musical language, so it lends itself to the genre. Second, learning a language requires repetition, and keeping that engaging is tough – writing and performing a rap gives students a compelling reason to go over sentences again and again. Third, the nature of rap means that dexterity of vocabulary is rewarded – so there is an incentive to learn more phrases and be innovative with them.
"Many teachers find that, as students move through KS4-5, they become frustrated by the difficulty of constructing longer passages of speech," Moorman explains. "Some of the fun, freshness and simplicity of language-learning at KS3 disappears.
"This approach tackles that by combining rhythm, rhymes and repetition in an enjoyable and memorable way that shifts the focus from painstaking book-based learning, but achieves the rewards of independent research, drafting and practising."
The full article can be accessed in TESS online, 18 November 2016 (subscription required).
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Methodologies, Languages in the press
Grab opportunities in this Century of Asia
16 November 2016 (The Scotsman)
Scotland's people have, historically, been our greatest asset, making a significant impact both within the UK and abroad. The impact made overseas by Scots has been remarkable given our small population.
The Scottish Government's own strategy incorporates "the Four Is" s as highest priorities, beginning with "Investing in our people and infrastructure in a sustainable way". But are we doing enough to unlock the true potential of Scotland and embrace the opportunities that arise, even in a post-Brexit environment?
A critical factor for Scotland will be the ability of its companies and institutions to engage effectively with many new markets. The majority of these sit in Asia and require a special knowledge of practices and customs to ensure success. Since most companies in Scotland are SMEs this means that they need to wake up to the need to create market entry strategies and produce the right products and services to attract both investors and customers or clients.
[..] Learning starts at an early age. The Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) was founded in 2006 by Dr Judith McClure to bring together individuals, national agencies and associations keen to promote the teaching of Chinese language and culture in Scottish schools.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Languages in the press, Brexit
Language assistants risk being lost in translation
Most schools still do not have access to a modern language assistant, new figures show, amid fears that the scheme will wither away if a key source of funding is stopped.
Native speakers of foreign languages have long come to Scotland to work in schools and help teachers to bring those subjects to life. But as local authorities cut budgets, their numbers fell as low as 72 by 2013-14.
Figures obtained by TESS show that the provisional number of modern language assistants (MLAs) has risen to 146 this year, including 23 in independent schools.
The data from British Council Scotland – which arranges for MLAs to work in the country – show increased numbers in all five languages that are part of the scheme: French, German, Italian, Mandarin and Spanish.
But there is still some way to go to match the 278 MLAs that were working in schools in 2005-06 – the highest number since existing records began in 2003.
The picture also varies markedly around the country: 18 of Scotland's 32 local authorities have no MLAs, while Edinburgh has the most with 25, and even a small council like Angus has as many as 19.
Lucy Young, head of education at British Council Scotland, said that councils often used funding from the Scottish government's 1+2 languages programme to recruit MLAs at an annual cost of about £10,000 per assistant.
Under the programme – being rolled out in all primary schools – pupils are expected to have knowledge of two languages other than their own by the time they reach secondary.
But this key funding is due to be stopped in 2020 – putting schools' access to MLAs at risk.
Read the full article on TESS online, 11 November 2016 (subscription required).
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Foreign Language Assistants, Funding, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
First Chinese classroom to open for Moray school pupils
4 November 2016 (Press and Journal)
School pupils in Moray will be transported from the north-east to the Far East with the opening of the region's first Chinese classroom.
The Confucius base is scheduled to open at Elgin Academy at the end of the month with language and culture lessons for students. Two Chinese-speaking teachers will be based in the classroom, but will take lessons at five other secondary schools and eight primary schools in the region.
The initiative will also open up the opportunity for pupils and staff to take part in courses in the Asian country.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
By the numbers: the decline of specialist subjects
Although archaeology is going to be withdrawn as an A-level option, there are other subjects that attract far fewer students.
[..] In Scotland, the lowest number of entries for a subject at Higher was for Gaelic as a foreign language, with 84, while 92 students took Urdu.
The full list of lowest entry A Levels / Highers is available in TESS online, 4 November 2016 (subscription required).
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Gaelic, Italian, Scotland, England, Language Learning - Decline, National Qualifications, Languages in the press, Urdu
Word Wizard 2017 - registrations now open!
SCILT's Word Wizard competition is returning for a fourth year and we are delighted to announce that registrations are now open!
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
Europe's first ever bilingual Chinese-English school to open in London
19 October 2016 (The Independent)
The first school in Europe to teach all its students in both English and Chinese is to open in London next year.
Founders of Kensington Wade, a dual language independent prep school, say children as young as one will be taught in Chinese, and all those who attend the school will leave fluent.
Provisions for the school's opening come amid renewed emphasis from the British government on the importance of teaching Chinese as a second language, in order to prepare future generations for the global market.
Posted in: Chinese, Bilingual Education, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Inverclyde Academy pupils' modern languages day is a winner
6 October 2016 (Greenock Telegraph)
Inverclyde Academy youngsters explored other cultures as part of a day celebrating modern languages.
Third year pupils also served up coffee and cakes to their guests, who included language ambassadors from Strathclyde University and Mandarin speakers.
Principal teacher Sarah Bell invited along experts in British Sign Language, as she widened out the European day of languages.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, Scotland, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press, BSL
The world's quirkiest phrases
29 September 2016 (BBC)
To celebrate International Translation Day, we asked translators from across the globe to tell us their favourite expressions. Here are 11 of the most surprising.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Celebrating Languages, Translation, Languages in the press, Arabic, Polish
Scotland strengthens links with China: top Scottish legislator
29 September 2016 (Xinhua)
The links between Scotland and the Chinese side are going from strength to strength in parliamentary, economic, cultural, and educational sectors, said a top Scottish legislator Wednesday evening.
Addressing the reception to celebrate the 67th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China at the Chinese Consulate-General in Edinburgh, Scottish Parliament's Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh reviewed the exchange of visits of top-level officials from both sides, the Chinese language mania in Scotland, the Chinese students studying in Scotland, as well as people-to-people exchanges.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, Partnership Working, Languages in the press
The top 9 languages for the highest-paid jobs in Britain
26 September 2016 (The Independent)
Learning a second language can be extremely lucrative for your career opportunities.
And after jobs search engine Adzuna analysed over 1 million live job postings on its website, it found out that some languages are more likely to get you a higher paid job than others in Britain, when employers advertised for jobs looking for someone who was at least bi-lingual.
Considering the UK voted to leave the European Union — dubbed a Brexit — and the nation does not know what that would entail for the jobs market, Adzuna's cofounder pointed out that having a second language could become even more sought-after, especially if businesses look to relocate overseas.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Business, Careers, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press, Russian, Japanese, Arabic
Language Immersion Days for Higher and Advanced Higher
20 September 2016 (UWS)
The Languages for All team at University of the West of Scotland (UWS) are offering language immersion classes in French, German, Mandarin or Spanish to support Higher and Advanced Higher students.
The half-day classes are designed to suit the academic needs of students who wish to enhance essential skills in language such as reading, writing, speaking and listening. These classes will prepare students for their SQA final exams.
The classes can either be held in one of the UWS campuses - Ayr, Dumfries, Hamilton or Paisley. Alternatively UWS lecturers can travel to your local authority facilities.
To find out more and how to arrange a session, visit the UWS website.
New student profiles on the SCILT website
New additions to our job profile section this term come from students currently undertaking courses which also allow them to develop their language skills.
Our two latest profiles come from students in the Tourism sector:
Amy-Jo Fairbairn, who is studying for a HND in Travel and Tourism at the City of Glasgow college.
Gail Leslie who, after completing her HND course in Travel and Tourism, is now embarking on a degree in Business Studies at UWS..
Whilst choosing different languages to learn, both can see the value of language skills for their future careers and personal lives.
Read their profiles and others on our website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Business, Careers, Language Learning, Language Learning for Work, Promoting Languages, SCILT news
CISS new staff members
9 September2016 (SCILT/CISS)
We are pleased to welcome 3 new members of staff to the CISS team!
We have recently been joined by Li Tian, who takes over as the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools Chinese Director, and Yi Zeng, teacher of Mandarin. Also joining the team is our new modern apprentice, Briony Burns.
You can find out more about our new staff members via the 'contact us' section of our website.
Posted in: Chinese, CISS news
HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese speaking competition
The competition, organised by HSBC and the British Council, offers a fun opportunity for secondary students to practise and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills.
Participating students have the chance to win a week in Beijing, visiting historical sites, interacting with Chinese students and experiencing Chinese culture.
Visit the British Council website to find out more and to apply by 7 October.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
Pupils across England start intensive lessons in Mandarin
7 September 2016 (UK Government)
A new £10 million Mandarin excellence programme will see at least 5,000 young people on track towards fluency in Mandarin Chinese by 2020.
Hundreds of secondary school pupils in England have already begun intensive lessons in Mandarin Chinese as the first initiative of its kind is rolled out across the country.
Secondary school pupils will study Mandarin for 8 hours a week over the course of the next 4 years through the programme - a significant increase on the time pupils currently spend on the subject.
Mandarin Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, and is seen as important for young people in the UK to master in order for the country to remain globally competitive in the future.
Posted in: Chinese, England, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Policy, News from language & education organisations
1 September 2016 (Vocab Express)
Share in the excitement and energy generated by the Vocab Express League of Champions. The championship will run from Wednesday 28 September until Tuesday 4 October 2016. It's a fantastic way to engage students in vocabulary building by challenging them to compete against other schools across the UK and from around the world.
The challenge is free to all schools subscribing to Vocab Express. In addition, there are 150 free school places available to non-subscribers, each for up to 150 students.
There are currently 84 free non-subscriber school places left. Visit the website for more information and to register now!
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Urdu
Fresh drive for Chinese investment in Ayrshire
29 August 2016 (Carrick Today)
The drive to bring fresh investment and new jobs to South Ayrshire has been taken to an international audience from China.
South Ayrshire Council has hosted a delegation from Shanghai, in a visit which marks growing links between Scottish and Chinese cultures.
Chinese visitors currently contribute more than £100 million to the Scottish economy, with more than £530 million of goods shipped from Scotland to China in exports. China itself is the world's largest goods exporter, reaching out to markets across the world.
[..] South Ayrshire Council has been actively working with the Confucius hub, jointly funded by the Scottish Government and Hanban Confucius Institute Headquarters, to promote Chinese language and culture in our secondary schools.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Partnership Working, Languages in the press
Cultural Classes in China
25 August 2016 (Claire Smith / CISS)
For 2 weeks in July I had the opportunity to visit Beijing on a language immersion course with a group of 20 teachers from all over Scotland. We were there as guests of the Beijing Culture and Language University to learn Mandarin and experience the culture of this amazing and, at times, intense city.
Language classes were held every morning, with the focus on vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and pronunciation. As Mandarin is a tonal language it is a challenge to learn but it proved useful when exploring a city where English is not widely spoken! In the afternoon cultural activities were organised. We visited the main landmarks of Beijing, including Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. A trip north took us to the awe-inspiring Great Wall. On the afternoons when we weren't sightseeing, we stayed on the university campus to learn calligraphy, tai chi and experience a traditional Chinese tea ceremony.
This fantastic opportunity to further my knowledge of Chinese language and culture has enabled me to develop my practice – in both the teaching of Mandarin and China as an interdisciplinary topic. This term, I will also run a calligraphy class, where pupils will learn an ancient skill and the story behind the Chinese characters. For my own professional development, I am continuing to learn Mandarin through books and podcasts and in December I will take the HSK 1 exam.
This experience, along with the friendships I made and strengthened, is something I will never forget. Beijing is a city like no other – a mixture of ancient architecture and modern structures, of chaos and calm, of communism and capitalism, of east and west. At times it seemed daunting, but led by Meryl, Professional Development Officer from CISS, we were in excellent hands!
Posted in: Chinese, CPD, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Study Abroad, Teacher Education, CISS news
SCEN Newsletter
23 August 2016 (SCEN)
The latest newsletter from SCEN is now available online. This includes dates of upcoming events for Autumn 2016.
Business Language Champions at Broughton High School
15/08/2016 (SCILT)
Pupils at Broughton High School in Edinburgh had the opportunity to find out how languages are relevant to a career in hospitality when they visited The Balmoral Hotel.
S3 pupils attended a series of workshops to develop their understanding of the hospitality industry as well as their intercultural awareness and interview skills.
The Modern Languages Department at Broughton High School found this to be an invaluable experience for the pupils, particularly the impact of visiting a workplace.
A pupil who took part in the project said: "I learned a lot about cultural awareness and about how The Balmoral Hotel goes about things. I have learned to think more about my response to someone of a different culture."
The visit to Harvey Nichols was part of the wider Business Language Champions project running in the school. Business Language Champions is run by SCILT and helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers.
After the initial visit, learners were tasked with developing an internal information leaflet which would support the hotel, sharing their knowledge of relevant Chinese language and culture with the hotel staff.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Language Learning for Work, SCILT news
Beyond the Panda
1 August 2016 (RZSS)
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland's 'Beyond the Panda' programme for schools has been designed to enable learners to explore a variety of topics within the overall context of giant pandas and China. The programme offers different activities to cater for primary and secondary pupils.
See the attached flyer for more information and how to get involved. Or visit the RZSS website for more information about the organisation and their work.
Beyond the Panda school leaflet (777 KB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
SCHOLympics competition
The SCHOLympics is a multi-disciplinary, scholarly competition that is open to all students who have access to SCHOLAR via their individual username and password. It features an extensive range of questions from the subjects that are currently available in the SCHOLAR programme, including a Mandarin listening comprehension which requires speakers or headphones, and questions from our brand new, soon to be published, English courses. The questions are set at Higher level or below.
The competition will be open between Monday 25 July until Wednesday 28 August 2016.
Visit the SCHOLAR website to find out more.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
20 June 2016 (Vocab Express)
Create a languages buzz around your school to kick-start the new academic year!
The challenge is free to all schools subscribing to Vocab Express. In addition, there are 100 free school places available to non-subscribers.
Visit the League of Champions website to find out more and to register for one of the free school places.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Urdu
Word Wizard Final 2016!
10 June 2016 (SCILT/CISS)
S1-S3 pupils from across Scotland took part in the National Final of Word Wizard at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre on 24 May 2016. 46 learners from eight local authorities and independent schools competed in French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish in front of an audience of teachers, supporters and guests.
Visit our Word Wizard Final 2016 webpage to read the full list of prizewinners and to see photos from the event.
Visit China with Chinese Bridge for UK schools
Are you interested in encouraging the teaching and learning of Mandarin in your school?
Chinese Bridge is offering an exciting opportunity for school leaders, heads of languages, and local authorities. If you want to invest in your own professional development, link with a school in China, or encourage teaching Mandarin and Chinese culture in school, this Hanban funded visit could be just what you need.
Travel, accommodation and expenses in China will be covered by the programme, but schools must pay for their own flights.
Successful applicants will be offered a place on a week's visit to China from 22- 29 October 2016 and will be invited to take part in a pre-departure briefing to prepare for the visit.
Only 60 places are available, so visit the British Council Schools Online website to find out more and make sure you apply online by 12 noon on 7 July.
Posted in: Chinese, CPD, Funding, Language Teaching, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad, Teacher Education, News from language & education organisations
SCILT publishes new Business Language Champions case study
Business Language Champions helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers. A partnership between Walkers Shortbread and Elgin Academy demonstrated to S3 pupils the importance of languages in the food and drink industry, and the importance of this industry to the Scottish economy. The project demonstrated how the learning of a language can enhance their career prospects as well as developing their skills for learning, life and work.
Pupils were tasked with creating cue cards for the Walkers Shortbread International Sales Team to use on future trips to China. The cue cards had to be in Chinese. They then worked with the Chinese teacher to create the content for these cue cards, carrying out research in their own time. To conclude the project, the young people delivered presentations to support the work they had done on their cue cards directly to the International Sales Team, an impressive achievement and one which was positively acknowledged by staff at Walkers Shortbread.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Language Learning for Work, Partnership Working, SCILT news
Chinese Consul General Pan Xinchun Attends the Scotland-China Association Primary School Art Competition Prizegiving
1 June 2016 (Chinese Consulate General, Edinburgh)
On 27 May, the Scotland-China Association (SCA) Primary School Art Competition Prizegiving was held in the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. Chinese Consul General Pan Xinchun attended the event and presented the prize to the winners.
Consul General Pan expressed his congratulations to the winners, sayiing he was very pleased to see so many students entered the competition and created lots of excellent art works centered on China. Though they have never been to China, the works of Chinese Dragon, Giant Panda and Zodiac Monkey they created are so lively and impressive. With the development of the China-Scotland relations, Chinese language and culture become more and more popular among Scottish teenagers. So far, 5 Confucius Institutes have been established in Scotland, and more than 20,000 primary and secondary students are learning Chinese language and culture.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
The latest edition of the CISS Newsletter has been published. It includes stories from the Hanban teachers and news from the hubs, including recent accolades and hub launches. You can read the newsletter online on the CISS website.
Business Language Champions helps schools and businesses to build exciting and sustainable partnerships to equip young people with international communication and employability skills for their future careers. A partnership between Johnstons of Elgin and Elgin Academy demonstrated to S2 pupils the importance of languages in the textile industry as well as developing employability skills within an interdisciplinary context. Learners considered marketing strategies for promoting textile goods in China and delivered a presentation to a "Dragon's Den" judging panel.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, Business, Careers, Language Learning for Work, SCILT news
9 May 2016 (Generation UK/British Council)
Whether you're looking to pick up an internship in accounting, architecture, engineering or just about any other industry, Generation UK-China can help provide funding for your trip and make sure you make the most of your time in China.
Companies across the world are looking to engage with China, and value employees with experience in China immensely. New industries and work opportunities in China are rising up faster than the skyscrapers that accommodate them. Developing a connection with China could be the smartest choice you can make right now.
There are two-month internships available for applicants aged 18 years and over who are currently enrolled full-time at a UK university or who have graduated from a UK university within the past year. Whilst the ability to speak Mandarin is not essential, it is recommended successful applicants learn some of the basics.
Full details of the available opportunities, funding and application process can be found on the British Council's Study, Work, Create web portal.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Funding, Language Learning, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
Study a language at LSE this summer
25 April 2016 (LSE careers blog)
Did you know that the LSE Language Centre offers summer courses? Each year, 'Summer Languages' has grown to include more languages, levels and courses of different levels of intensity. You may want to consolidate the language skills you have learned during the academic year, or you may want to try learning a language as a beginner. You could even restart learning a language you were taught at school.
More information about all the courses and languages available can be found on the LSE Summer Languages website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese
Brian's 'staunin ma lane' as a Chinese poem interpreter
21 April 2016 (Southern Reporter)
Borders language expert Brian Holton is launching his 16th book this evening in Melrose – unveiling a collection of Chinese poetry translated into Scots.
Staunin Ma Lane is a fairly unique specimen, in that the author translates classic Chinese poems into not only English, but also Scots as well.
In fact, Brian is listed in Wikipedia as "the only currently-publishing Chinese-Scots translator in the world".
"One of my aims is to show Chinese poetry is not necessarily as serious as people might expect," he says. "There are a good range of voices to be heard."
It turns out that there are social similarities between Chinese poets of the eighth century and Scots of today, and their poems can bring to light an affinity with alcohol, loneliness and philosophical meandering.
Posted in: Chinese, Translation, Languages in the press, Scots
SQA National 5 Modern Languages Course Reports Summary
We have summarised the SQA National 5 Course Reports for all languages. These reports contain important information on how candidates performed in last year's exams. Teachers may find it useful to share some of the key messages of these reports with candidates in advance of this year's exams.
The summary document can be found on the Essentials for Planning in the Senior Phase section of our website.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, SCILT news, SQA, Urdu
SCEN Letter April 2016
10 April 2016 (SCEN)
The latest news and events from the SCEN are now available in this April 2016 Letter.
SCEN Letter April 2016 (316 KB)
Angus and Shetland Launch their Confucius Classroom Hubs
The Confucius Classroom Hubs have launched in Angus and Shetland. The launches coincided with Chinese New Year and the CISS Sichuan Opera theatre tour.
The Angus Confucius Classroom will be located in Carnoustie High School, and the Shetland Confucius Classroom will be hosted by Sandwick Junior High School.
Both launches were a testament to the hard work of all staff and pupils involved. You can read more about the launches on the CISS website:
Launch of Shetland Confucius Classroom Hub
Launch of Angus Confucius Classroom Hub
Making Themselves Heard: Chinese Sign Language & Deaf China Online
7 March 2016 (What's on Weibo)
February 21st marked the United Nations International Mother Language Day, so-named for its recognition of mother tongues across the world. It was also the day that sign language interpreter and performer Xiaoshu Alice Hu (Austria/China) called attention to the inclusion of sign languages, Chinese Sign Language in particular, in the celebration of international mother languages.
Hu, who speaks Chinese, Austrian and English sign language, posted a picture of herself holding a sign, saying: "Please don't ignore our Deaf's Mother Language-Chinese Sign Language!" with the hashtag #中国手语 (ChineseSignLanguage).
Spoken Chinese is commonly perceived as one of the world's hardest languages to master. Aside from the hours spent deciphering thousands of characters, learners are also confronted with four subtly differing tones that are at first almost indistinguishable to the foreign ear. In day-to-day conversation, a perfect combination of light inflexions and stresses on each syllable can make-or-break a sentence from native fluency into complete nonsense.
With this in mind, it is rare to find discussions on what it is like to master Chinese without hearing the sounds and tones that so famously characterise it, yet for the Chinese Deaf community, this is a daily means of communication.
How to…teach a trilingual primary curriculum
Blending English, Thai and Mandarin Chinese into a seamless experience.
(Read the full article on pages 44-45 of TES online - subscription required).
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Methodologies, Multilingualism, Languages in the press
Employ a language assistant in Scottish schools
Employing a British Council language assistant is a unique way to broaden your students understanding of the world, improve their language skills and increase their cultural awareness.
Language assistants are dynamic, enthusiastic native speakers of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Russian, and are usually undergraduates or recent graduates. As we recruit language assistants directly from their home countries, their language is up-to-date, the classroom resources they provide are relevant and authentic, and they will be well placed to connect with students on their own level . Simply put, employing a language assistant provides the kind of learning experience that cannot be found elsewhere.
The deadline for applications has been extended to 31 May 2016. Visit the British Council website to find out more and to apply. Follow the relevant section on the webpage to find out specifically about employing a Chinese language assistant.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, Foreign Language Assistants, News from language & education organisations, Russian
Bairns enjoy access to Chinese culture
23 February 2016 (Shetland News)
A HUB providing access to the teaching of Chinese language and culture for pupils throughout Shetland was officially launched in Sandwick on Tuesday.
The event was attended by representatives of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), along with councillors, staff and pupils from ten schools throughout the islands.
There were also short performances by the Chongqing Sichuan Opera House – which also gave a free show at Mareel on Monday night – and young fiddle and accordion players from the South Mainland.
The creation of a Confucius hub in Shetland, one of 16 across Scotland and funding by the Scottish and Chinese governments, will provide resources and support to allow young people the opportunity to learn more about Chinese language and culture.
Since October, Ying Zhang has been teaching Mandarin Chinese to pupils at Sandwick and other primary and secondary schools in Shetland. Lessons include language skills as well as broader aspects of Chinese culture, such as food and music.
Ms Zhang also offers language workshops for school staff and provides a link to her home school, Tianjin 102 High School, in the Tianjin municipality in north east China.
Interview on Radio Shetland (BBC Radio Shetland, 22 February 2016) - Fan Lin (CISS) talks about performances by the Chongqing Sichuan Opera House taking place in Shetland (listen to the interview from 24 minutes into the show)
North-east councillors assert commitment to Doric… and Mandarin
5 February 2016 (The Press and Journal)
Aberdeenshire councillors have cemented their commitment to both the region's native dialect – and a far Eastern tongue.
Both Doric and the Chinese language of Mandarin have been earmarked as priorities in Aberdeenshire's schools.
Councillors were given an update on the implementation of the "one and two languages initiative" across Aberdeenshire Council's schools at yesterday's education, learning and leisure committee.
The progress of the scheme – which ensures that youngster learn two languages in addition to their mother tongue – was hailed by councillors.
Posted in: 1+2, Chinese, 1+2, Community Languages, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
From language assistant to Chinese government official
5 February 2016 (British Council Voices)
When Abbey Heffer arrived in China in 2013 as a language assistant, she could barely order dinner at a local restaurant in Mandarin. Now, the first female foreign national in history to work for the Chinese government, she can talk and write to her friends and colleagues in Chinese.
Bring Chinese language and culture alive in the classroom with a Modern Language Assistant
Mandarin is a vital language of the future - the Chinese economy is expanding rapidly, almost a quarter of internet usage is in Chinese, and it is the most widely spoken language in the world.
Give your students an opportunity to practice, improve and enrich their language skills with a native speaker. There is nothing as satisfying or rewarding as communicating in Mandarin and being understood by someone who speaks the language.
Support your students in becoming effective communicators and prepare them to be global citizens.
Posted in: Chinese, Foreign Language Assistants, News from language & education organisations
Shakespeare Lives 2016
This Shakespeare Lives schools' pack has been created by the British Council in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death in 2016.
Specially designed to encourage learning across the curriculum, the resource is split into five key themes; Leadership and Power, Family and Relationships, Identity and Equality, Fate and Destiny, Justice and Rules. Within each themed section you will find a wide range of activities for pupils aged 7-14. These can be used as starting points in individual lessons or as elements of a cross-curricular project, which could be carried out with a partner school overseas.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to download the pack. On the site is a link to a number of videos created as part of the celebration. In addition to the English version, the 'Shakespeare Lives in 2016' animation is also available on YouTube in French, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Mandarin.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Italian, Spanish, Resources, News from language & education organisations, Arabic, Portuguese
Chongqing Chuanju Theatre Sichuan Opera Group Tour
To celebrate Chinese New Year CISS is delighted to welcome the Chongqing Chuanju Theatre Sichuan Opera Group to Scotland for a tour of Chinese Opera performances in February 2016.
We have a number of free tickets available for schools in three locations:
20 February at the Tivoli Theatre, Aberdeen
22 February at Mareel, Shetland
24 February at Platform Theatre, Glasgow
Please see the attached flyer for more details.
Tickets will be issued on a first come first served basis and the allocation per school is a maximum of 30 tickets.
Please contact ciss-info@strath.ac.uk by Monday 1 February 2016 to request tickets.
Opera Poster 2016 (732 KB)
Heriot-Watt University's Multilingual Debate is an annual event that showcases the interpreting skills of undergraduate students on our Languages (Interpreting and Translating) degree programme, as well as the developing professional skills of postgraduate students on our MSc Interpreting and Translating programmes. The event takes the form of a formal debate with two multilingual teams arguing for and against a motion of topical interest in a range of languages. The teams deliver their views in their various native languages (French, German, Spanish, English, Arabic, Chinese, British Sign Language (BSL)).
The audience is mainly made up of pupils coming from Scottish and English secondary schools, but also university undergraduate students considering entering the interpreting profession, as well as government and local authority representatives. The audiences participated in the debate by listening to the arguments, putting questions to the speakers in the languages represented and voting on the motion.
The Multilingual Debate 2016 takes place on Wednesday 23 March at Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh campus.
To find out more about the debate topics and how to sign up to attend a session, see the video presentations in Arabic, BSL, Chinese, English, French and Spanish on the Heriot-Watt website.
Posted in: Senior Phase, HE, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Scotland, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Multilingualism, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Arabic, BSL
SCEN in 2016: Empowering, Enterprising, Networking, Bridging!
18 January 2016 (SCEN)
The latest news update from SCEN has been published.
SCEN in 2016_ Empowering, Enterprising, Networking, Bridging! (89.3 KB)
SCEN Learning of Chinese Project
Plans are once again in action for the SCEN Learning of Chinese Project in East Lothian primary schools. A wide range of schools will be participating in the programme which started in 2012 and which is growing in momentum as the years progress. The programme is supported by Chinese student volunteers from Edinburgh University via EUSA and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools along with research led by Bilingualism matters and evaluative evidence collected, analysed and presented by an Educational Consultant in languages.
You can read more about this project on the CISS website.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, 1+2, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Partnership Working, CISS news
New guest blog: Tim Nash, Minute Mandarin
12 January 2016 (Speak to the Future)
We are pleased to share the following piece written by Tim Nash of Minute Mandarin - 'Mandarin Chinese is 87% easier than we thought.'
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Many languages, one world - student essay contest
11 January 2016 (ELS Educational Services)
Full-time university students are invited to write an original essay (2,000 words or less) discussing global citizenship and cultural understanding and the role that multilingual ability can play in fostering these. The essay should reflect your personal, academic, cultural and national context.
Essays must be written in an official language of the United Nations that is not your first language or primary language of instruction during your primary or secondary education.
Essays should be submitted by Thursday 31 March 2016.
Visit the competition website for more information..
Posted in: HE, Chinese, French, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Arabic
SQA Higher Modern Languages Course Reports (2015)
7 January 2016 (SCILT / SQA)
We have summarised the Higher Modern Languages Course Reports and highlighted the key messages across all the languages.
These reports contain information on how candidates performed in the 2015 exam diet and give important advice on how to prepare candidates for forthcoming examinations, as well as for the Performance of Talking
The full reports can be accessed on the SQA website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, National Qualifications, SCILT news, News from language & education organisations, SQA, Urdu
Year of the Monkey education pack
Discover what 2016's Year of the Monkey symbolises using our new pack filled with fun activities for primary pupils based on Chinese culture and traditions. Start preparing for Chinese New Year, explore the mythology behind the Chinese zodiac and uncover what the Year of the Monkey actually means in 2016.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Resources, News from language & education organisations
CISS Winter Newsletter 2015
16 December 2015 (CISS)
The CISS Winter Newsletter 2015 has now been published. This edition includes stories on trips to China, recent hub launches and pupils meeting First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Beijing.
To read more about the fabulous work being done across Scotland to promote Chinese language and culture see the newsletter on the CISS website.
Take part in the Mandarin taster classes
This year British Council is offering schools the opportunity to apply for a free Chinese language assistant to deliver a one hour taster class to their students during February.
The classes are ideal for schools who are considering the introduction of Mandarin to their curriculum in the future.
Visit the British Council website to find out more and to apply by 18 December.
SQA updates - Advanced Higher Modern Languages
14 December 2015 (SQA)
The SQA has updated a number of files on their Advanced Higher Modern Languages webpage.
A list of updates is attached and the files can be accessed on the SQA website.
SQA Updates - December 2015 (205 KB)
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
SCILT Christmas webpage now live!
Are you looking for ways to bring the festive season to your languages classroom?
SCILT have compiled resources from around the world for use with your pupils, from songs and games to interactive advent calendars. Find out how Christmas is celebrated in France, Germany, Spain and around the world!
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, SCILT news, Scots
Scotland China Association competition for primary schools
The aim of this competition is to stimulate interest in Chinese culture amongst primary schoolchildren in Scotland. Children are encouraged to explore Chinese culture and to enjoy expressing what they learn.
The subject of the 2016 competition is:
Celebrating fifty in the year of the monkey
SCEN December update
The latest news and events from SCEN are now available.
This latest update includes a report on the Fourth SCEN China Youth Summit, held at Heriot-Watt University on 27 November.
You can also read about the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland's China Mobile Library as well as take notes of some important dates for 2016.
SCEN update December 2015 (48.3 KB)
Word Wizard 2016 - last chance to register!
26 November 2015 (SCILT/CISS)
Registrations for Word Wizard 2016 close on Monday 30th November, don't miss out on the chance to enter this motivating and challenging competition!
Open to S1-S3 pupils to compete in French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin or Spanish, Word Wizard provides learners with the opportunity to improve their vocabulary, pronunciation and memory skills in a competition format.
In partnership with UCMLS this year we have semi-finals in Aberdeen, Dundee and Glasgow. Sign up now to receive the first set of word lists and start practising!
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Motivation, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
Scotland-China Association Primary Schools Art Competition 2016
23 November 2015 (SCEN/SCA)
For 50 years, the SCA has been a society of people in Scotland furthering interest in the culture, history and modern progress of China. Help to celebrate this connection in painting, drawing, calligraphy, poetry, video or sound.
There are 3 entry categories:
The closing date for entries is 25 March 2016. Prize-giving will take place on Friday 27 May 2016, with the Tom Murray Memorial Prize to be awarded to the school with the best standard of entries.
Please register your interest by the end of 2015 with: scacompetition2016@scotchina.org
For more information, visit the SCA website.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
Generation UK: China Network
Managed by the British Council, the Generation UK: China Network aims to:
create a vibrant network of UK nationals with experience in China from across different industries, professions and age groups
provide a platform for UK nationals with experience in China to interact with one another to develop entrepreneurial, business and academic connections related to China
extend and deepen the engagement of young British nationals with China once they have returned to the UK, strengthening the legacy of student exchange and the Generation UK-China campaign
showcase the benefits that experience of China brings to an individual's employability and skills development
To find out more and join the group visit their LinkedIn webpage.
Miss Scotland Mhairi Fergusson jets off to bid for world beauty crown
21 November 2015 (Evening Times)
MISS Scotland 2015 Mhairi Fergusson has jetted off to China ahead of competing in the 65th Miss World 2015.
And learning some of the Chinese language and culture is one of the challenges she has set herself.
Miss World 2015 takes place in Sanya, China on December 19 and the fashion student at Glasgow Caledonian University is hoping to bring home the coveted crown.
Meet the Mandarin-speaking Chelsea wonderkid who's pledged his allegiance to Scotland: Ruben Sammut
Playing for Chelsea and being fluent in Mandarin, it's fair to say midfielder Ruben Sammut isn't your average young Scottish player.
But the exciting 18-year-old is determined to use playing for Scot Gemmill's Under-19 squad this week in Ireland as a launchpad to a long career for club and country, thanks to help from the likes of John Terry.
Word Wizard 2016 - regional semi-finals added!
Registrations for Word Wizard 2016 are now open for your French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish pupils to develop their vocabulary, spelling and memory skills.
This year we have 3 semi-finals in venues across the country - in the Universities of Strathclyde, Dundee and Aberdeen. Schools can now choose to attend the semi-final which is most convenient for them.
The Stage 1 word lists were sent to registered schools this week, so sign up now to take part in this exciting and motivating competition!
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
Tianjin Scholars
3 November 2015 (CISS)
The latest post from the Tianjin Scholars is up on the blog. This month scholar Amy Lewis writes about settling into life in Tianjin, travelling to classes and the delights of Chinese street food. Check out her post 'Learning. Travelling. Eating'.
Languagenut supports 1+2
3 November 2015 (SALT)
Languagenut is a professional teaching tool that offers teaching resources across 19 world languages, including French, Spanish, German, Italian, Gaelic and Mandarin. Languagenut also supports EAL students by offering 80 native languages as support to learn English.
It is the perfect tool to support the 1+2 approach to language learning, as all audio files are recorded by native speakers. With a range of games, songs and stories, Languagenut supports the four key skills of language learning: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In addition, Languagenut offers special integrated tools which allow teachers both create their own classes and content, and also set and track homework, generate certificates and evaluate students' progress in real time. These timesaving tools help teachers to deliver more personalised teaching and customise lessons to fit each individual.
Accessible at school and at home and through GLOW, Languagenut helps to bridge the gap between classroom and home learning and is free for all Scottish schools.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations
Hatching little Chinese speakers at Britain's first bi-lingual Mandarin-English nursery
At just two-years-old Barclay can already say "hello", "bubbles", "wash hands" and several other words in Mandarin. Ursula, also two, can say "fish", "horse" and "more food" and her Mandarin vocabulary already stretches to more than 50 words.
But this isn't Beijing or Shanghai, and neither are Barclay's or Ursula's parents Chinese. Both children are English and this is a day care centre housed in a Welsh Presbyterian chapel in the City of London.
Welcome to Hatching Dragons, Britain's first bilingual English-Mandarin nursery.
Here children like Barclay and Ursula are just as likely to sing a Chinese nursery rhyme as an English one. Numeracy games are played with Chinese characters as well as Roman numerals and lunch includes not just sandwiches, but spring rolls and fried rice.
Posted in: Early Years, Chinese, Bilingual Education, Immersion, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Edinburgh leading the way in pupils studying Mandarin
31 October 2015 (Edinburgh Evening News)
Thousands of children across the Capital are studying Mandarin – as schools here surge ahead of counterparts in the rest of Scotland.
New figures show 2576 youngsters were taking lessons in the language last year, with 29 city primary schools and 12 secondaries now providing dedicated tuition. And a further five high schools have expressed an interest in participating.
Posted in: 1+2, Chinese, Language Learning, Languages in the press
30 October 2015 (SCILT/CISS)
Scotland's National Centre for Languages and Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, in partnership with The University of St Andrews, are proud to announce the return of Word Wizard for its third year!
Motivate your French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish pupils by taking part in this spellbinding multilingual spelling competition!
Building on the success of last year's competition, this year we are holding 3 semi-finals across the country - hosted by the universities of Strathclyde, Dundee and Aberdeen.
Visit our Word Wizard 2016 webpage for more information and to download the Teacher's Pack and Registration form.
Ulster University language staff in Confucius Institute closure warning
23 October 2015 (BBC News)
Modern languages staff at Ulster University (UU) have warned its vice-chancellor that its Confucius Institute may have to close.
Opened in 2012, the institute aims to develop academic, economic and social ties with China.
The university's vice chancellor Prof Paddy Nixon has said the institute is not at risk.
UU decided to close its school of modern languages earlier this year as part of a response to budget cuts.
However, it said they would "continue to support the teaching of Chinese" in schools across Northern Ireland.
Posted in: Chinese, Northern Ireland, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Language class demands in NI can be met by FE colleges, says UU vice-chancellor
The vice chancellor of Ulster University (UU) has said demand for modern language learning in Northern Ireland can be met by further education colleges.
Professor Paddy Nixon was giving evidence to the Stormont Committee for Employment and Learning.
In September, UU said it would close its school of modern languages.
He said the university was "no longer funded to provide the degrees people might like."
Responding to a question from committee chair, UUP MLA Robin Swann, Prof Nixon said that FE colleges could teach languages at the level needed in Northern Ireland.
"The FE provision in languages is actually - particularly when it's about spoken languages as opposed to what a university should be doing, which is a different thing altogether - quite extensive."
"So there is an ability for the system in Northern Ireland to support language provision at the level we need it for business and industry."
Ulster University language staff in Confucius Institute closure warning (BBC News, 23 October 2015)
Posted in: Chinese, Northern Ireland, Language Learning - Further Education, Language Learning - Higher Education, Languages in the press
UK-China School Partnerships Programme
What's the UK-China programme all about?
The programme promotes learning and exchange between UK and Chinese teachers and students.
Both you and your Chinese partner school will work together on a joint project, either Shakespeare Lives or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) between 1 January and 31 December 2016.
Grants of £1500 per school are available to be used during the project for teacher visits, professional development courses or project expenses.
Visit the UK-China School Partnerships Programme website to download the application form. The deadline for applications is 15 November 2015.
Posted in: Chinese, Funding, Partnership Working, News from language & education organisations
All pupils to learn two foreign languages by high school
It's the pioneering programme aimed at making language learning as easy as un, deux, trois.
Every pupil in the Capital will receive lessons in at least two foreign languages by the time they leave primary school under radical plans aimed at helping them keep pace with peers across Europe.
City bosses have confirmed they want to introduce the new scheme, called 1+2, by the start of 2017 – three years ahead of a national deadline set for 2020.
Youngsters will be offered classes in core languages including French, Spanish and Mandarin, as well as Gaelic, Scots and "heritage" tongues such as Polish and Farsi.
The Edinburgh roll-out is part of a Scottish Government-led initiative which will see all children learn a second language from P1 and have experience of a third from P5 at the latest.
Parent leaders in the city have hailed the development and said it would help prepare youngsters for the modern world.
Posted in: Primary, 1+2, All Languages, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, 1+2, Community Languages, Language Learning, Language Policy, Scottish Government, Languages in the press, Polish
SCHOLAR Modern Languages sessions
8 October 2015 (Heriot-Watt University)
The SCHOLAR programme offered by Heriot-Watt University offers a number of support sessions in a variety of subjects for students undertaking National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher examinations.
Attached is the programme of online events taking place from October 2015 to March 2016 to support Modern Languages.
For more information about the SCHOLAR programme visit the Heriot-Watt SCHOLAR website.
SCHOLAR Modern Languages 2015 (2.72 MB)
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Scotland, Language Learning, National Qualifications, Resources, News from language & education organisations
'British students should jump at the chance to learn Mandarin', says Chinese School teacher
6 October 2015 (TES)
One of the stars of 'Are Our Kids Tough Enough? Chinese School' says schools should embrace the opportunity to teach the language as an essential 21st-century skill.
This is proving an exciting year for Chinese Mandarin teachers in this country. Despite education facing budget cuts, putting thousands of teaching posts at risks and threatening the quality of teaching and learning, chancellor George Osborne announced a £10 million investment towards helping schools to teach Mandarin, with the aim of getting an additional 5,000 students speaking the language by 2020.
It might be controversial to many British teachers, who teach core subjects and deliver the essential knowledge and skills, but it is certainly music to the ears of many Mandarin teachers, and to those who are about to train to teach the language in the UK.
'More of us need to say 'nǐ hǎo' to Mandarin Chinese'
5 October 2015 (The Telegraph)
Languages are crucial for work and life in the global race, and Mandarin Chinese is one of the front-runners, says Vicky Gough.
At the end of last month, George Osborne vowed to invest £10 million in UK schools so that more pupils can learn Mandarin Chinese, just like his daughter, Liberty.
But should we really be encouraging more of our young people to say 'nǐ hǎo' ('hello') to Chinese? 'Shì de' (yes), we should!
The reality is that languages, in general, are crucial for work and life in the global race, and Mandarin Chinese is one of the frontrunners. Not only is it already spoken by more than a billion people worldwide, but China is recognised as the world's second biggest economy with many expecting it to wrest the top spot from the US by 2050.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press
Chinese language scholarship opportunity 2016-2017
The Confucius Institute for Scotlands Schools and our Chinese partners, the Tianjin Education Commission and the Tianjin International Chinese College, are delighted to offer selected Scottish pupils a one-year scholarship to learn Chinese in Tianjin for the academic year 2016-2017. This life-changing opportunity is one of a kind in Europe and rewards the commitment that Confucius Classroom Hubs in Scotland have demonstrated in the promotion of Chinese language and culture.
Attached is a letter with further details and an application form. We would be grateful if you could circulate to your hub schools as soon as possible. The closing date for applications is Friday 6 November 2015.
Applications should be returned to katie.hawkins@strath.ac.uk.
Many thanks for disseminating this information to interested pupils.
Scholarship cover letter 2016-2017 (204 KB)
Scholarship application form 2016-2017 (54.0 KB)
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning, Study Abroad, CISS news
Mandarin lessons to get £10m boost, says Chancellor
22 September 2015 (BBC News)
Mandarin in English schools will get a £10m boost, and 5,000 more pupils will learn it by 2020, George Osborne has said on a visit to China.
The cash will be used to recruit and train teachers to teach the language to GCSE level, said the Chancellor in a speech to the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Mr Osborne suggested Mandarin would be more "relevant" than traditional options like French or German.
He revealed his daughter, Liberty, was already learning China's main language.
Mandarin teaching in schools to receive £10m boost (TES, 23 September 2015)
Posted in: Chinese, England, Funding, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Tianjin Scholars' Blog
11 September 2015 (CISS)
Each year, CISS facilitates scholarships for school leavers at the Tianjin International Chinese College, China. On Sunday 6 September 2015, the 2015-16 cohorts of Tianjin Scholarship left Scotland and began their year living and studying in China.
The scholars will we be updating us on their adventures in the Far East, on their blog. The first post is by scholar Gregor McIntyre. Keep checking back for their monthly updates.
Young Applicants in Schools (YASS)
10 September 2015 (Open University)
The Open University's Young Applicants in Schools Scheme (YASS) gives S6 students in Scotland the opportunity to study at higher education level without leaving friends and family behind. Study fits around school work and social lives, encourages independent learning and builds confidence.
YASS is designed to bridge the gap between school and full-time university and help able and motivated students stand out from the crowd. Over 500 young people from more than 100 schools took Open University modules last year.
YASS is a unique opportunity for S6 students in Scottish schools to bridge the gap between school and full-time university through independent learning. Run by The Open University in Scotland, YASS offers motivated and able students a chance to study a range of university level modules in school alongside their other studies. Language options are available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning - Secondary - Post 16, Languages - Higher Education, Transition, News from language & education organisations
Happy Emperor and other stories
4 September 2015 (SCILT/CISS)
We are very pleased to publish the 5th animated e-book in the Happy Emperor series. This new adventure sees the Happy Emperor and his friends celebrating the Moon Festival and will help teachers develop children's talking and listening, reading and writing skills in Mandarin.
Including interactive activities for use on a whiteboard, PC or tablet, the e-book presents an engaging way of introducing and practising simple vocabulary including food, clothes and telling the time. We hope you'll enjoy using the e-book and would love to hear what you think of it and how you've used it with your learners.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Resources, SCILT news, CISS news
Entry is now open for the HSCB/British Council 2015/16 Mandarin Chinese speaking competition!
The competition is a great, fun opportunity for students to practise and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills. It is open to UK secondary schools and further education colleges and entrants must be non-native speakers of Chinese.
Visit the British Council website to find out more and apply by 9 October and your students could win a trip to Beijing.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
SQA vacancies - Visiting Assessors for AH Modern Languages
28 August 2015 (SQA)
SQA is currently seeking to recruit additional Visiting Assessors (VA) to conduct Talking assessments at Advanced Higher level in Modern Languages.
Applications can be found following the relevant links below. You will also find information here relating to contract specification, selection criteria and key performance measures.
Chinese languages
Closing date for all applications: 1 November 2015.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, National Qualifications, News from language & education organisations, SQA
Reversing the modern language trend
24 August 2015 (SecEd)
With a focus on Mandarin, Dr Judith McClure discusses the need for local partnerships to inspire pupils to take up languages – an essential skill for the 21st century.
Jon Bon Jovi sings Chinese love ballad
Jon Bon Jovi is aiming to woo his Chinese fans by releasing a music video of him singing the most famous Chinese love ballad.
Set in a recording studio, it starts in soft focus as the soulful opening strains of The Moon Represents My Heart cue up.
The song popularised by Taiwanese superstar Teresa Teng in 1977, is sung from the perspective of a woman whose love is being questioned - her answer is that her love is as eternal as the moon.
Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival - Moon Festival
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar after Chinese New Year. This year the festival will fall on 27 September.
To tie in with the Festival, the British Council has developed an education pack to help primary schools celebrate the event with lesson plans, an assembly plan, activities and supporting materials.
Download the free pack now from the British Council website.
HSK Chinese Proficiency test success
20 August 2015 (St Ninian's High School Glow blog)
Many congratulations to the pupils who attended the HSK Chinese Proficiency Test in June and achieved a pass.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Skills, Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
Press Release: Scottish Scholars showcase their year in China
Scottish Scholars showcase their year in China
On Wednesday 12th August 2015, the 12 Scottish young people, who were pioneers on the very first Tianjin Scholarship, showcased their year in China. The Scholarship Showcase was held in the Technology and Innovation Centre, at the University of Strathclyde. The event was organised by the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools based at the University of Strathclyde and was attended by Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, the Vice Consul General Zhang Huazhong, the upcoming Tianjin Scholars of 2015-16 and family and friends.
The showcase was an opportunity for the scholars to demonstrate their language skills and tell about their adventures living and travelling in China. This is the only scholarship of its kind in Europe and is highly competitive
Katie Hawkins, Project Coordinator for CISS said, "I could hardly believe my ears when the young people spoke at the showcase, their level of fluency was incredible! Everyone at CISS is so proud of what these young people have achieved over the last 10 months. Not only have they acquired a new skill, which will undoubtedly stand them in good stead for the future, but they have grown in confidence and become true global citizens!"
(L-R) Iesha DeSwarte, Gemma Haggerty, Jamie Lindsay, Kathryn Cowie, Taniya Mobarik, Peter Reid, Deputy Consul General Zhang Huazhong, Chris McNulty, CISS Director Fhiona Fisher, Greg Kennedy, Connor Cloughley, Cameron Smyth, Natalie Hotchkiss
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) is based within SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages, at the University of Strathclyde. It is a national centre funded by the Scottish Government and Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters of China. Hanban and SCILT have agreed to strengthen educational cooperation between China and Scotland; support and promote the development of Chinese language education; and increase mutual understanding among people in China and in Scotland.
The Tianjin Scholarship runs yearly from September to July. School leavers from Confucius Classroom hubs across Scotland can apply. The Tianjin Municipal Education Commission cover all in country costs, including accommodation, food and tuition. The young people cover the cost of their airfare.
For more information please contact Sarah Macfarlane on 0141 444 8163 or scilt@strath.ac.uk.
Website: www.strath.ac.uk/ciss/
Twitter: @CISSStrathclyde
Facebook: http://bit.ly/cissfacebook
Instagram: @cissstrathclyde
Create a languages buzz around your school to kick-start the new academic year! The championship will run from Wednesday 30 September until Tuesday 6 October 2015. It's a fantastic way to engage students in vocabulary building by challenging them to compete against other schools across the UK and from around the world.
The challenge will feature French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew and Latin competitions.
The challenge is free to all schools subscribing to Vocab Express. In addition, there are currently still 50 free school places available to non-subscribers, each for up to 150 students.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese, Polish, Urdu
West Lothian teenagers take part in Chinese Bridge Summer Camp
13 August 2015 (Daily Record)
West Lothian teenagers have had the chance to learn about Chinese culture first hand during a visit this summer.
Ross Bertram, Katie Lumsden, Gemma Shearer, Shannon McManus of The James Young High School in Livingston and Thomas Hendry of Bathgate Academy jetted out to China to take part in a two-week language and culture immersion course with more than 80 other young people from across Scotland.
The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp ran from July 12 to 27 and welcomed young people from all over the UK. The programme offers young people the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture and sample it firsthand whilst also learning Mandarin.
Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) worked with schools around Scotland to put forward Scottish pupils to take up this exciting once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Word Wizard 2015 final - now with photos!
13 August 2015 (SCILT/CISS)
After announcing the Word Wizard 2015 prizewinners back in June, we have now published the photos from the Final in the Scottish Parliament on 29th May.
Visit our Word Wizard 2015 Final webpage for the full list of prizewinners and to view the photos via our Flickr album.
You can download any of the photos by right clicking on the image and selecting 'Save as'.
Press Release: Scottish pupils meet First Minister in Beijing
Scottish pupils meet First Minister in Beijing
On Sunday 26th July 2015, 86 pupils and 14 teachers from across Scotland met with the Rt. Hon Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister for Scotland at the Kerry Hotel in Beijing. The event was organised by the by the Scottish Affairs Office at the British Embassy in Beijing to give the First Minister an opportunity to hear from the pupils about their time in China.
The pupils were in China taking part in a two week language and culture immersion course. The First Minister spent time talking to the pupils about their language learning and culture classes as well as their visits to local landmarks, schools and host families.
Katie Hawkins, Project Coordinator for the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), based at the University of Strathclyde said, "The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp offers a unique and exciting opportunity for Scotland's young people. In Beijing the pupils met the First Minister and showed her what they had learned. It was a true mix of cultures!"
The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp ran from 12-27 July 2015 and welcomed young people from all over the UK. The programme offers young people the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture whilst learning Mandarin. CISS worked with schools around Scotland to put forward Scottish pupils for this opportunity.
The Chinese Bridge Summer Camp runs yearly in July. Fifth year pupils from each of the Confucius Classroom hubs in Scotland take part. The Confucius Institute Headquarters, Hanban, cover all in country costs, including accommodation, food and transport. The Scottish Government makes a contribution towards the cost of the international airfare. The young people also make a contribution towards the cost.
Scots university link with China
11 August 2015 (Evening Times)
A SCOTS university is hoping to increase its involvement with China and its higher education institutions.
University of the West of Scotland has formed a partnership with Young Chinese Professionals Scotland which unites and promotes young Chinese in the living and working in the country.
The new agreement will also result in the university increasing its China-related research and cultural activities.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Languages in the press
Language study bounces back after a decade of decline
10 August 2015 (The Herald)
A long-term decline in the number of pupils studying languages at Higher appears to have been reversed.
New figures show most modern languages have seen an increase in entries in 2015 after years where numbers have fallen.
Statistics from the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) show French has seen a 10 per cent increase with entries rising to 4,572.
Spanish continues a remarkable rise over the past decade with entries rising 28 per cent to 2413.
Posted in: Senior Phase, 1+2, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, 1+2, Language Learning, National Qualifications, Policy, Qualifications, Languages in the press, Russian, Urdu
The teaching of Chinese in the UK
10th August 2015 (British Council)
Alcantara Communications have published a report on the teaching of Chinese in the UK. The report puts forward a framework of seven key objectives with recommendations within each mapped to different groups of stakeholders. These are:
Policy-focused recommendations:
1. Align high level aspirations with appropriately-targeted and resourced action on the ground
2. Build a UK-based teaching force for Chinese in UK school systems
3. Coordinate efforts and monitor the success of the strategy
Recommendations relating to teaching and learning:
4. Provide a coherent 'learning journey' for pupils starting in primary school or in the first years of secondary school through to higher education
5. Develop capacity in the management of Chinese in UK school systems
6. Develop a body of expertise and shared professional understanding in the teaching of Chinese language and culture in a UK context
7. Provide advocacy for Chinese to enhance appreciation of the benefits of a knowledge of Chinese language and culture amongst pupils, parents, teachers, school leaders and the general public.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
Insight: Why Scots face a language barrier
8 August 2015 (The Scotsman)
Our children's lack of foreign language skills cry out for a shake-up in education policy, and yet constant upheaval in our schools may be one of the problems, writes Dani Garavelli.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, 1+2, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, 1+2, Curriculum for Excellence, Language Learning, Language Policy, Language Teaching, National Qualifications, Qualifications, Scottish Government, Languages in the press, Russian, Urdu
Bannerman High pupils success in Shanghai
28 July 2015 (Glasgow City Council)
Three pupils from Bannerman High School, who are attending the Shanghai International Youth Summer Camp with young people from 22 countries, have been awarded second place for their presentation and exhibition about Scotland.
S4 pupils Heather Finlay, Alicia Harvey and Emma Hastings, who are studying Chinese at the school, are accompanied on this international trip by their teacher, Jenny Chang.
Fhiona Fisher, Director of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) based at the University of Strathclyde and who facilitated the trip said: 'This is an outstanding achievement for the pupils from Bannerman High School and their teacher. They have shown the world how great young people from Glasgow can be!'
The Shanghai International Youth Summer Camp runs from 21-30 July 2015 and welcomes young people from all over the world. CISS worked with schools in Scotland to put forward three pupils for this unique opportunity.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, News from language & education organisations
First and Second Level Modern Languages Learning Map Updates
27 July 2015 (Education Scotland)
Updates to first and second level learning maps are now available on the Education Scotland website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Scotland, 1+2, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations
Confucius institute head to host First Minister event in Beijing
26 July 2015 (CISS/University of Strathclyde)
The head of a University of Strathclyde-based centre for the promotion of Chinese language and culture has hosted an event welcoming Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, to Beijing.
Fhiona Fisher, Director of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), was invited by the British Embassy in the Chinese capital to provide the opening remarks and introduce Ms Sturgeon at the event, which was held to mark the start of a summer immersion course for school pupils from Scotland.
In the course, 80 pupils, accompanied by 14 teachers and three CISS staff members, are spending two and a half weeks in Beijing and Tianjin, learning Mandarin and visiting places of cultural and historical interest.
The First Minister met pupils on the course at the event, held at the Kowloon Ballroom of the Kerry Hotel, Beijing, on Sunday 26 July. She also met Xu Lin, the Director General of Hanban, an agency affiliated to the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The First Minister also announced that Scotland is to benefit from a further 21 Confucius Classroom hubs to teach primary pupils Mandarin and boost their language skills.
Mrs Fisher said: "I am delighted to have been invited to host this event in Beijing. The First Minister's presence underlines the importance of the work we do in CISS to promote understanding and awareness of China - the world's most populous nation and one of its fastest-growing economies.
"Hearing a language used by native speakers, in a country where it is the national language, is a valuable way of developing linguistic skills. The participating pupils will benefit greatly from the immersion course, not only in enhancing their understanding of Mandarin but also in the opportunity they will have to gain insight into Chinese culture.
"China is one of Strathclyde's most significant overseas markets. Our role at Confucius is in keeping with the University's international ethos and is designed to cultivate knowledge of China in prospective future students."
Hanban will provide additional funding to extend the Confucius classroom hub programme. It will also offer Local Authorities help to fund partially an extra six Mandarin teaching posts across Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said: "We want our young people to be better prepared for life and work in a multicultural, global marketplace and Mandarin is one of the world's most widely spoken languages.
"Evidence shows that early language learning improves literacy and that young children learn languages more easily. Extending the Confucius Classroom learning programme to primary schools will improve language learning opportunities to more Scottish pupils, in addition to the 20,000 who already benefit.
"We now have the golden opportunity to make a difference in how language skills are offered and delivered to our young people. I am determined to give all of our young people every opportunity to improve their language and literacy skills and raise attainment for every child in Scotland."
The immersion course is jointly funded by CISS and Hanban. It is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority on successful completion.
CISS was established in 2012, after the Scottish Government made the initial proposal for the Institute to Hanban. The Institute's work is aligned with the Scottish Government's '1 + 2' policy, which aims to ensure all pupils learn two languages in addition to their own, and has secured the place of Mandarin Chinese in the programme.
In partnership with Hanban, the Scottish Government, Tianjin Education Commission and other stakeholders, CISS has established, and currently leads, 16 Confucius classroom hubs around Scotland, covering 21 local authorities, and works with around 20,000 pupils in more than 300 schools. It has increased the number of Confucius classroom hubs in Scotland from nine to 16.
CISS was named global Confucius Institute of the Year by Hanban in 2014, in recognition of its enhancement and promotion of the teaching of Chinese language and culture.
Mandarin lessons programme extended to include primary schools (STV, 26 July 2015)
More Mandarin in schools (Scottish Daily Mail via Pressreader, 27 July 2015)
21 new Confucius classrooms (Scottish Government, 27 July 2015)
Scots primary children will soon learn Mandarin (The Scotsman, 27 July 2015)
Human rights group accuses Sturgeon of 'laying out red carpet for Chinese charm offensive' (The Herald, 27 July 2015)
Sturgeon in China: FM announces in Beijing that primary school children in Scotland will learn mandarin (The Herald, 27 July 2015)
West Lothian teenagers take part in Chinese Bridge Summer Camp (Daily Record, 13 August 2015)
Mandarin lessons to be offered at primary school age (The Herald via Pressreader, 27 July 2015)
Posted in: Chinese
Forget French and Mandarin - Arabic is the language to learn
12 July 2015 (The Independent)
The 10-year-old was looking at the card in front of him which showed an image of a fish. "Samak," he said decisively.
He and his classmates at Horton Park primary school, in Bradford, have been learning Arabic for three years now, courtesy of a drive by the British Council to boost the take-up of the language in state schools.
These are the 10 most important languages of the future for British people (The Independent, 12 July 2015)
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Skills, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese
Word Wizard 2015 Final!
On Friday 29th May 42 talented linguists competed in the National Finals of Word Wizard 2015.
Visit our 2015 Final webpage to read all about this year's event and our impressive competitors. Photos from the event will be published soon.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
The South London academy with Mandarin on the agenda
15 June 2015 (Telegraph)
Last year, the Department for Education signalled a major expansion of Mandarin lessons in state funded schools. The main aims of the initiative included training 1,200 specialist teachers, and doubling the number of children learning the language to GCSE level by the end of the decade. With teaching of Chinese in UK schools most definitely on the move, those involved are doing all they can to further teaching of the subject.
English Language Assistant on Chinese dating show
Robbie Stanley-Smith from the UK signed up for the British Council English Language Assistants programme and found himself on a Chinese dating show! Watch snippets of his appearance.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
2015 Chinese Bridge for UK schools
Hanban are offering a week's trip for UK head teachers to enhance their professional development, inspire their school to learn Mandarin and start up a Chinese school link.
Up to 80 places are available, hosted in different areas of China nationally.
For more information and to apply by Friday 3 July 2015 visit the British Council website.
Our toddler is fluent in Mandarin. Is yours? – The new nursery checklist
9 June 2015 (The Times)
What do you look for when choosing a nursery for your child? As the father of an eight-month-old son, it's a question I've been preoccupied with for a while. You traipse round the open days, admire the finger paintings and secretly run through an internal checklist. Do the people running the place seem actually to like children? How much outside space is there? Can my son take his stuffed zebra every day? Will he learn how to speak Mandarin? Does the food look healthy? That sort of thing. (Please note you will need to subscribe to access the full article).
Posted in: Early Years, Chinese, Language Learning, Languages in the press
2015 Annual Chinese Conference interview with Meryl James
5 June 2015 (IOE Confucius Institute for Schools)
With the 2015 Annual Chinese Conference exactly one week away, excitement is mounting here at the IOE CI. We have tracked down one of our workshop leaders, Meryl James of Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SCILT) and Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), to ask her a few questions about Mandarin teaching and her role in this year's Conference.
Giant panda online game
18 May 2015 (RZSS)
Danestone Primary P7 have designed a giant panda online game. It was created by the help of AVC Media and was part of Edinburgh Zoo's Beyond the Panda Take Action Challenge. Pupils presented the game at the recent SCEN China Day and had an official launch on Friday at their school. It has some language matching games. Take a look and why not play!
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Resources
Revealing the 'Secret Malts of Aberdeenshire' In Four New Languages to Mark World Whisky Day
14 May 2015 (Scotland Food & Drink)
Zum Wohl (German), Saúde (Portugese), Santé (French), gān bēi (Chinese), Sláinte (Gaelic) or cheers (English) – there are many ways to toast a dram around the world.
To mark World Whisky Day on Saturday (May 16) four new foreign language translations of the 'Secret Malts of Aberdeenshire' guide are being launched this week by Aberdeenshire Provost, Jill Webster, at Glenglassaugh Distillery near Portsoy.
Working in partnership with local whisky producers, Aberdeenshire Council established the 'Secret Malts of Aberdeenshire' last year to highlight the less well-known range of small distilleries all within an hour's drive of Aberdeen, each with its own distinctive history, style and taste.
The guide has been well received by the tourism industry and the printing of the German language version was sponsored by a German tour company specialising in Scotch whisky tours.
The Portuguese, French and Chinese versions of the guide have been produced in response to demand from key international tourism markets.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Languages in the press, Portuguese
The 10th UK National Chinese Essay Writing Competition 2015
5 May 2015 (SCEN)
The UK Association for the Promotion of Chinese Education is organising its tenth Chinese Essay Writing Competition. Jessica Guo is keen for Scottish pupils to enter!
Find out more now from Jessica: fsjessy2001@yahoo.co.uk
The deadline is 15 May 2015!
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
Investigation called for over teaching of Chinese language in schools
4 May 2015 (The Herald)
Scotland's largest teaching union has launched an investigation to see if controversial Confucius Classrooms are hurting the teaching of other languages.
It is time for clarity on the teaching of languages (The Herald, 4 May 2015)
EIS investigation into Confucius Classrooms (The Courier, 6 May 2015)
Teaching union fears impact of Mandarin lessons for Fife pupils
28 April 2015 (The Courier)
The Fife branch of Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland), has voiced concerns about the potential impact of teaching Mandarin in Fife schools.
The union has reflected the concerns of some teachers who are worried about the potential impact of Chinese teaching on the uptake of traditional modern languages such as French, German and Spanish.
Worldwide campaign launched against Confucius Institutes (The Herald, 24 April 2015)
Wanted: home-grown teachers of Mandarin
27 April 2015 (Schools Week)
The Conservatives are promising more Mandarin teachers – and in an ideal world every young person should be able to learn it as a language of their choice. But is this a manifesto pledge that can be implemented?
Posted in: Chinese, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
The latest edition of the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS) newsletter has been published. This edition features stories from the CISS hubs, pupil perspectives on learning Mandarin and Chinese New Year events.
You can access the newsletter and previous editions on the CISS website.
SCEN update - April 2015
For the latest news and events from the Scotland-China Education Network (SCEN) see the attached pdf.
SCEN update - April 2015 (150 KB)
Call for Mandarin and Arabic to be taught from primary school
9 April 2015 (Holyrood Magazine)
Studying a foreign language should be compulsory from the year children start school in order for Scottish firms to compete in the international export market, a business group has urged.
Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Arabic and Russian have been pinpointed by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce (SCC) as "international languages of business" that must be made mandatory in the education curriculum from primary 1 onwards.
It has called on government to implement the measure by 2020 to ensure Scottish businesses have sufficient cultural and language skills to tap into a number of growing economies.
The demand is among a number of 'business asks', which also include staying in the European Union, set out as part of the Scottish Business Voice Campaign, led by the Scottish Chambers of Commerce Network.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Spanish, Scotland, Languages in the press, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese
Behind the scenes at Britain's Mandarin Speaking Competition – video
Every year the British Council runs a competition to find Britain's best young Mandarin speakers. Those that make it through to the last stage of the competition come to London to compete at the British Museum. We went behind scenes of the competition to follow Louis Carmicheal, 17, from Hull and Natalia Barton, 13, from Liverpool as they prepared for the final.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Languages in the press
Government urged to review deal for teaching of Chinese in classrooms
24 March 2015 (Herald)
Ministers have come under pressure to review a deal critics claim gives China power over teaching in Scottish schools. There are now nearly 30 Chinese language instructors operating in Confucius Classrooms across the country with officials claiming they have taught more than 20,000 children.
'UK schools advance Chinese propaganda,' activists say (The Telegraph, 30 March 2015)
Takeaway China Spring Programme
Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre have published their Takeaway China spring programme celebrating Chinese film, art and crafts.
You're invited to come for a blether at the new travelling culture cafe LiaoLiaoBa! (Chinese for let's chat about it!). Whether you speak Chinese or English, as long as you like to chat you are welcome! The cafe takes place on Saturday 28 March, 2-4pm at St Mungo's Museum and is free to attend.
See the full schedule of events from March-May 2015 on the attached flyer.
Takeaway China Programme Spring 2015 (501 KB)
Top London school triumphs with Chinese exchange pupil plan
18 March 2015 (The Telegraph)
A top London state school, determined to invite up to 10 Chinese exchange pupils, has won a challenge over a Home Office decision.
St Mary Magdalene Academy, a Church of England-funded school in Islington, has ambitions to welcome the students into its sixth form so that the pupils have "live" contact with a different culture.
[..]With a so-called global society ethos, the school wants to invite the Chinese pupils to study for the international baccalaureate. The school, which has Chinese language and culture as one of its compulsory subjects, aims to encourage its pupils "to discover their vocation in the global community".
Graduate opportunities to work at the British Council
Want to start your international career with us? Applications are now open for our 2015 future leaders scheme. You must be fluent in English and be capable and willing to learn one of the following languages: Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, French, Spanish, Portuguese or Japanese.
To find out more about the scheme and full eligibility criteria visit the British Council website.
Application deadline is 30 April 2015.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Spanish, Language Learning for Work, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese
Mothers' advice, in their mother tongue
12 March 2015 (Gathered Together / Beamis)
This blogpost features videos of parents who have been actively involved in community and school groups giving their advice to other parents in their own languages – Arabic, Chinese and Urdu.
Posted in: Chinese, Community Languages, News from language & education organisations, Arabic
The Open University 'Young Applicants in Schools Scheme' (YASS)
12 March 2015 (Open University)
YASS is designed to bridge the gap between school and full-time university, giving S6 students in Scotland the opportunity to fit study around school work and social lives. The scheme is intended to encourage independent learning and build confidence.
On this programme students may study from a wide range of subject areas across the university; from the Department of Languages, we offer beginners and intermediate modules (French, German, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Welsh), an introductory languages and cultures module and also modules in English (academic purposes and professional communication skills for business).
Funding for the scheme is through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), which fully supports students from local authority schools studying one of the modules on the scheme.
For further information please visit the Open University website and if you have any queries please contact Scotland-languages@open.ac.uk.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
LSE Research in Mandarin
12 March 2015 (LSE Language Centre)
A new series of short videos discussing LSE research in Mandarin Chinese has been launched.
Discussing and sharing their research and ideas in Mandarin with English subtitles, LSE scholars are able to engage wider academic and non-academic users in all Mandarin speaking countries and regions. The LSE Language Centre Mandarin team aims to develop teaching materials based on the content of these videos so that a range of new Mandarin courses for Academic Purposes will be offered.
Posted in: Chinese, Research, News from language & education organisations
Spring Calligraphy Classes - booking now open
9 March 2015 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Join us for a full term evening class or half term Saturday class in the art of Chinese Calligraphy and Brush Painting. Full details can be found on the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website.
Warnings over Chinese 'propaganda' in Scottish schools
9 March 2015 (The Herald)
Scottish children are at risk of hearing Chinese 'propaganda' in schools, a human rights group has warned.
Free Tibet has accused councils of "nodding through" deals putting teachers controlled by China's ruling regime in to classrooms.
The campaign group believes cash-strapped local authorities unquestioningly accepted Chinese money - and influence - to pay for and carry out teaching they could not otherwise afford as part of so-called Confucius Classrooms.
It now fears a "whitewash" of serious issues in China, such as its continued occupation of Tibet.
Campaigners: Glasgow "nodded through" deals to put China controlled teachers in classrooms (Evening Times, 9 March 2015)
Chinese as a second language growing in popularity
3 March 2015 (CCTV America)
Guess what the former Australian Prime minister, Kevin Rudd; the successful entrepreneur, Mark Zuckerberg and the U.S. President Obama's daughter, Malia Obama have in common? They all take Chinese as their second language. The study of the Chinese language opens the way to different important fields such as Chinese politics, economy, business opportunities, history or archaeology.
In 2010 alone, 750,000 people from around the world took the Official Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK). All these people from different industries, backgrounds are learning in hope to understand the often-misunderstood country better and benefit from knowing the most widely spoken language in the world whether it is for personal reasons or business opportunities.
Millions share new Chinese character
2 March 2015 (BBC News)
A new word is taking the internet by storm in China - but no one knows quite what it means. The character "duang" is so new that it does not even exist in the Chinese dictionary.
'Hong Kong: A Dream Destination for University Study' competition
25 February 2015 (Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office London)
UK secondary school students are offered the chance to win a place at a university summer school in Hong Kong!
To enter the competition, all pupils have to do is describe why they think Hong Kong would be a great place to study as a university student. Entries can be through any means – an essay or through social media, for example a video clip on YouTube, a post in a blog, and the entries should focus on the advantages of Hong Kong as a destination of pursuing tertiary education. Five winners will be selected and entries will be judged based on content, creativity and presentation. Deadline for entries is 20 April 2015.
See full competition criteria and how to enter on the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office London website.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
If you speak Mandarin, your brain is different
[..] By six to ten months children have already learned to be sensitive to the basic sounds, known as phonemes, that matter in their native language. Yet different languages differ profoundly in the sounds that are important for communication.
Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language in which the same basic sounds can refer to vastly different things based on the tone with which it is spoken. In a non-tonal language such as English, tone might convey emotional information about the speaker, but indicates nothing about the meaning of the word that is spoken.
Now a group of Chinese researchers, led by Jianqiao Ge at Peking University, Beijing, has found that these differences between Mandarin Chinese and English change the way the brain's networks work.
Chinese New Year 2015: 6 things you need to know about the Year of the Goat (or Sheep)
18 February 2015 (The Independent)
Everything you need to know about yang, pillows and primroses.
How I celebrate Chinese new year in the UK (The Guardian, 19 February 2015) - It's tough for Chinese students to be thousands of miles from their families at this time of year. But many universities hold new year events.
Chinese New Year meets Burns' Supper (China Institute, University of Strathclyde, February 2015)
Why UK teachers needn't fear teaching Chinese
17 February 2015 (British Council Voices)
Is teaching Mandarin Chinese as daunting as it sounds? The British Council's Charlotte Ogilvie hears from a few UK teachers, and shares some useful resources for teaching the language to primary school children.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
China Club
17 February 2015 (STV)
See Fhiona Fisher and Fan Lin, Director and Depute Director for the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), talk about the increase in the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture within Scottish schools and the importance of language learning in the global marketplace.
Pupils from Lochend Community High School in Glasgow have been taking up the opportunity to learn Chinese language and culture at the CISS 'China Club' at the University of Strathclyde. You can also hear from the pupils about their experiences.
See the video on the STV website.
Posted in: Chinese, Languages in the press, CISS news
Chinese new year celebrations start in Belfast
16 February 2015 (BBC News)
Chinese people in Belfast marked the start of a the Chinese New Year on Sunday with a cultural festival in Belfast city centre. See the video report.
Top Scottish sights and landmarks given Chinese names
Scottish attractions have been given Chinese names in a tourism drive which is helping promote "Strong-man skirt parties" and "Baa baa pudding".
VisitScotland said the translations for Highland Games and haggis were among suggestions put forward in a Great Names public vote across China.
Glen Coe, Splendid and beautiful valley, was the top Scottish contender in a list of 101 British landmarks.
Overall, 13,000 new names were suggested during the 10-week campaign.
Chinese give Mandarin names to Scottish landmarks (The Scotsman, 15 February 2015)
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Tourism, Languages in the press
News at a glance: Chinese Institute rewards East Dunbartonshire
East Dunbartonshire Council has won the Scottish Confucius Classroom of the Year Award at the annual conference of the Confucius Institute in China. It was chosen as one of eight authorities in Scotland to establish a Confucius Hub for teaching Mandarin.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Languages in the press
13 February 2015 (SCILT/CISS)
We have great pleasure in launching three new exciting Mandarin ebooks. These motivating stories, activities and suggestions will engage younger learners and will develop their literacy and language skills. We really hope you enjoy using them and please let us know how you have incorporated them into your classroom.
Download the three books in the 'Happy Emperor' series through the link below.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Resources, SCILT news, CISS news
Mandarin contestants invoke spaceships and evil spirits
Secondary school students have been testing their language skills in the final of the British Council's Mandarin Speaking Competition.
One school delighted judges with a comic play about what can go wrong if you turn up at a Chinese restaurant without your purse.
Another embarked on their own version of the tale of Mulan.
Just over 3,000 students take Mandarin at GCSE and the competition's aim is to boost uptake in schools.
SCEN competition 2015 - winners announced!
10 February 2015 (SCEN)
The 2015 SCEN competition invited pupils to write a piece on 'Why all Scottish students should have the opportunity to learn Chinese.'
Lily Penman, P7 (Geits), The Edinburgh Academy - see Lily's entry attached below
Joanna Martin, Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline - whose article is published in The Scottish Review
SCEN writing competition junior winner - Lily Penman (15.5 KB)
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
HSK exam registration deadline 26 February
10 February 2015 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
The deadline for those interested in taking the offline HSK exam scheduled for March 28 is Thursday 26 February 2015. For those planning to take the online exam there is a slightly later deadline of Thursday 12 March.
More information is available on the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website.
Posted in: Chinese, Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
New post-graduate language programmes for 2015
10 February 2015 (Heriot-Watt University)
In response to feedback from students, graduates, and the profession Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh has introduced several new language programmes for September 2015 entry:
MSc Interpreting
MSc Translating
MSc Arabic-English Translating
MSc Chinese-English Translating
MSc Cultural Resource Management (delivered in English)
More information is available on the Heriot-Watt website.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, Interpreting, Translation, News from language & education organisations, Arabic
The Red Poppy Ladies Percussion Group presents Mulan, The Musical
3 February 2015 (CISS)
In celebration of Chinese New Year, CISS is collaborating with the Red Poppy Ladies Percussion Group to present Mulan, The Musical.
Red Poppy combines traditional Chinese music, kung fu, dance and percussion. This unique theatrical experience is not to be missed! Tickets are available to buy from the venues - follow the appropriate link below.
7:00pm, 28 February 2015. Eden Court, Inverness
7:30pm, 1 March 2015. Queen's Hall, Edinburgh
7:30pm, 3 March 2015. Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow
SCEN Competition 2015
The SCEN Competition invited our young people to write an article entitled:
Why all Scottish students should have the opportunity to learn Chinese
SCEN had a very healthy range of entries in both the Senior and the Junior categories! Congratulations to all those who took part and are delighted to announce the winners!
The Senior Prize in the SCEN Competition 2015 has been awarded to:
Joanna Martin, S4, Queen Anne High School, Dunfermline
The Junior Prize has been awarded to:
Lily Penman, P7 (the Geits), The Edinburgh Academy
The Judging Panel were:
Kenneth Roy, Editor, The Scottish Review
Simon Macaulay, SCEN Field Worker and Chairman of the National Languages Working Group
Dr Judith McClure, Convener of SCEN
Joanna will receive a cheque for £250 and her article will be published in The Scottish Review.
Lily will receive a cheque for £100 and her article will be published in a SCEN update.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, News from language & education organisations
2015 Disability Scholarship Program
23 January 2015 (CRCC Asia – British Council)
CRCC Asia are delighted to offer two *funded China Internship Programs with the British Council, specifically for students with a disability. The successful candidates will undertake a business placement at the British Council, in Beijing and Shanghai, and obtain first hand experience of China's business and cultural environments. They will be required to complete the two-month China Internship Program during May-November 2015. The program is open to university students with a disability, and all eligible candidates from any academic discipline are welcome to apply.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, Funding, News from language & education organisations
Confucius Classroom paves way for pupil to attend Oxford
22 January 2015 (The Herald)
A Scots pupil has been accepted to study Chinese at Oxford University after learning the language at school.
Andrew Aitken, who will go to Pembroke College, is the first student in 30 years to go to Oxford from his school.
A pupil at Grange Academy in Kilmarnock he became fascinated with Chinese language and culture after attending his school's Confucius classroom.
He said: "I am excited to be accepted to attend Pembroke College, but I am still in shock. My parents are so proud of my achievements. I am also the first person in my family to attend university, so it is a bit of a shock for them too.
"I have always been interested in languages but my interest is starting to move towards politics and I am really looking forward to studying politics as part of my course."
Agenda: Stuart Picken: There are serious questions for Holyrood to ask about Confucius Institutes
The establishment by the Chinese government of Confucius Institutes in various parts of the world has evoked a wide variety of responses from simplistic appreciation to less than veiled hostility.
Glasgow Youth Film Festival
19 January 2015 (Glasgow Film Theatre)
Glasgow Youth Film Festival runs during the first week of February and will feature films in French, German and Chinese, and all screenings are FREE for Glasgow schools. For more information, visit the secondary school listings on the Glasgow Youth Film Festival website.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, News from language & education organisations
Languages pilot launched at Midlothian schools
17 January 2015 (Midlothian Advertiser)
A pilot scheme involving 13 Midlothian primary schools has rolled French language lessons to children as young as four. It is part of the "1+2 Languages Initiative" which, based on the mother tongue plus two additional languages, is aiming to revolutionise language learning in Scotland.
Posted in: 1+2, Chinese, French, Languages in the press
China's Confucius Institutes under scrutiny in Scotland
15 January 2015 (SecEd)
Scottish universities have been urged to review their hosting of Confucius Institutes after Stockholm University became the latest western organisation to cut ties with the Beijing-backed language schools. Campaigners say pressure to toe the Chinese government line on topics such as Tibet and Taiwan makes the institutes incompatible with academic freedom. Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Strathclyde universities host Confucius Institutes, with a fifth due to open at Heriot-Watt. Strathclyde also has a dedicated unit to promote Mandarin in schools.
Agenda: Stuart Picken: There are serious questions for Holyrood to ask about Confucius Institutes (Herald, 21 January 2015)
Year of the Sheep Education Pack
Celebrate Chinese New Year, the Year of the Sheep, on 19 February. Introduce pupils to the differences and similarities between the lives, languages and cultures of people in China and the UK with the Year of the Sheep primary education pack, available to download now on the British Council website.
Additional Chinese Beginner's Class
15 January 2015 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
If you were unable to secure a place on one of our 1.1 beginner level Chinese classes starting next week, act now as we have just added a new class which will start on Thursday 22 January 2015.
Visit the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website for more information and to book.
15 January 2015 (Yakety Yak Language Café)
Want to improve your conversational skills in another language? Yakety Yak Language Café offers opportunities to speak French, Spanish, German, Italian, Gaelic, Portuguese, Chinese or Russian in Edinburgh.
Sessions are held in cafés, bistros and bars and are suitable for those with a basic knowledge of the language and the ability to hold a simple conversation. A number of options are available both daytime and evening.
Check out the Yakety Yak Language Café website for more information.
Employ a Language Assistant
Language assistants help bring culture alive in schools across the country and are an ideal way to improve language learning for students and to increase their global awareness, as well as support the implementation of a 1+2 approach to language learning.
Applications to the latest round of the language assistant programme open on January 26 and bids from schools are encouraged to be submitted by the end of March. To help spread the cost, each language assistant can be shared between three schools.
Visit the British Council website for more information and to apply.
Beyond the Panda - new version now available to book!
The original Beyond the Panda programme was launched last year, but this brand new version introduces some new areas and most of all has exciting new games and models unique to RZSS.
The outreach involves numerous skills where the pupils investigate, discover, extract information and provide solutions.
The workshop is for P5-7 where the pupils learn about China and the giant panda while playing educational games: for example, jigsaws comparing habitat and political maps; a giant panda timeline game; a closer look at bamboo and now a section on Chinese characters and simple Mandarin. Sessions are 1.5 hours and maximum number of pupils 36.
For more information and how to book, visit the SCEN website.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, News from language & education organisations
6 January 2015 (CISS)
The CISS winter 2014 newsletter has now been published. This edition includes stories on our China immersion course, the Headteacher visit to China and our Tianjin scholars. It also highlights the promotion of Chinese in Scottish schools.
You can download a copy from the CISS website.
Scottish tourist boards told Chinese language sites would tap into £125 billion market
Scottish tourist bodies should create Chinese language websites to tap into the country's £125 billion market where only a tiny minority speak English, according to the Labour Party.
Scotland's winter festivals saw an 8 per cent increase in footfall over the festive period, but Labour external affairs spokeswoman Claire Baker said tourism agencies could be doing more to promote Scotland overseas. "We need to ask are we doing enough to promote what we have, to promote and support international marketing," she said in a debate at Holyrood.
Aberdeen looks to lure world's biggest spending tourists
5 January 2015 (The Herald)
The Granite City is hoping to cash in on the world's biggest spending tourists - by launching a Chinese version of its tourism website.
VisitAberdeen hopes the move will boost its share of the £128 billion China spends every year on overseas leisure and business - an average of 50 per cent more than Americans.
Would you fly 5000 miles to see Aberdeen? (The Telegraph, 8 January 2015)
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Tourism, Languages in the press
Falkirk students selected for China scholarship
23 December 2014 (Falkirk Herald)
Four school pupils from Falkirk will be saying 'nin hao' to a gap year with a difference. While their former classmates and friends enter the workplace or continue their education, the sixth year students will spend a year in China, learning Mandarin and seeing a new culture. Sara Cassidy from Falkirk High and Gao Toole, Nicola Ferguson and Gregor McIntyre, all from Larbert High, have won scholarships to study in Tianjin starting next September.
Five things you must do in China (if you're feeling brave)
17 December 2014 (British Council blog)
To really understand and enjoy another culture, you need to jump right in. So says Charlotte Hawker, who's working as an English language assistant in Nanjing, China.
If you are fortunate enough to make it over to China, here are a few things she recommends to really immerse yourself in the culture and improve your Mandarin along the way.
Vacancy: Depute Director - CISS
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, based within Scotland's National Centre for Languages, urgently requires a Depute Director to support Confucius Classroom hubs across Scotland. There are currently 12 hubs but new hubs will be developed over the next two years giving Scotland a total of 21 Confucius Classroom hubs. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland.
The Depute Director will be responsible to the director for the overall running of CISS. They will take a lead role in the development and promotion of Chinese language and culture in response to the Scottish Government's China Strategy and the 1+2 languages policy. They will also oversee the work of the CISS team and contribute to the development of corporate and operational plans in order to achieve the strategic aims and objectives of CISS, in line with priorities determined by Scottish Government, Hanban and the University of Strathclyde.
For more information and an application form, visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy webpage (vacancy ref 233/2014). Closing date for applications: 11 January 2015.
Posted in: Chinese, 1+2, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, CISS news
HSK Exam Dates 2015
15 December 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
For any student keen to test their developing Chinese language skills or to ensure their eligibility for scholarship or sponsored visit to China, holding an HSK certificate of competence is vital.
In 2015 our Institute will hold exams on three Saturdays: 28 March 2015; 16 May 2015; and 5 December 2015.
Studying Chinese? Read this before you choose your name
Many students of Chinese adopt a Chinese name. Emily Liedel shares her advice on how to find one that feels and sounds right.
Third SCEN China Youth Summit At Gleneagles
Over 300 delegates came together at Gleneagles on 7 November 2014 for the Third China Youth Summit organised by the Scottish-China Education Network (SCEN).
The theme of this year's event was China and Scotland at Home, celebrating the relationship of friendship, collaboration and mutual understanding between Scotland's schools, colleges, universities, professions and businesses. Pupils and teachers from 33 primary and secondary schools attended and the highlight of the day was- as ever- the excellent presentations offered by the pupils about their learning experiences.
Read more about the day in the attached report and visit the SCEN website for photographs from the event and feedback from student attendees.
Report - The Third Annual SCEN Youth Summit (191 KB)
SCEN competition
A reminder that the closing date for the SCEN competition is drawing near!
Entries for the SCEN Competition, in collaboration with The Scottish Review and its Editor Kenneth Roy, should be a written article (maximum 850 words for senior students, 200 words for primary and S1-S2 students) on the following:
'Why all Scottish students should have the opportunity to learn Chinese'
The winning entry will be published in The Scottish Review!
Senior Prize (senior phase school pupils; university and college students and young professionals): £250
Junior Prize (upper primary and lower secondary pupils: £100!
Closing Date: 15 December 2014.
Please send entries electronically to the Convener of SCEN: judithmcclure12a@aol.com
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
Strathclyde's Confucius Institute wins global award
8 December 2014 (University of Strathclyde)
A Scotland-wide centre for the promotion of Chinese language and learning has been named global Confucius Institute of the Year.
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), based at the University of Strathclyde, was awarded the accolade by Hanban, a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.
The Institute provides support to more than 300 schools across the country, furthering the teaching of Chinese language and culture.
Centre in Glasgow wins Chinese language award (The Herald, 8 December 2014)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Scotsman, 8 December 2014)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Courier, 8 December 2014)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Evening Telegraph, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Motherwell Times, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (East Lothian News, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Brechin Advertiser, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Fraserburgh Herald, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Southern Reporter, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (The Galloway Gazette, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Forfar Dispatch, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Berwickshire News, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Stornoway Gazette, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Fife Today, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Midlothian Advertiser, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Linlithgow Gazette, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Kirkintilloch Herald, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Hawick News, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Inverurie Herald, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Buchan Observer, 08.12.14)
Centre wins Chinese language award (Falkirk Today, 08.12.14)
Posted in: Chinese, 1+2, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, SCILT news, CISS news
23 things that define Scotland...but what will they become in Mandarin?
5 December 2014 (The Herald)
Famous Scottish landmarks and attractions are to be "renamed" in Mandarin to promote the country in China.
The online campaign will see Chinese people suggest new names for sites such as the Royal Mile and Loch Lomond in the hope that it will spark interest and encourage more tourists to visit Scotland.
The VisitBritain project has already seen Stonehenge given the name Ju Shi Zhen - meaning huge stone clusters - and Buckingham Palace renamed Bai Jin Han Gong - a white, gold and splendid palace.
A total of 23 Scottish landmarks and foods will be put forward for suggestions, including the Loch Ness monster, haggis, kilts and the Wallace Monument.
Chinese asked to rename Scots tourist favourites (The Scotsma, 5 December 2014)
Connecting Classrooms: UK-China School Partnerships
British Council Connecting Classrooms programme offers funding for partnership activities between schools in China and the UK.
Funding applications must demonstrate how planned activities will increase global citizenship, enrich education practice, and develop an equitable and sustainable partnership between all schools involved.
Grant applications can be accepted from UK and China schools, sixth-form colleges and comparable institutions providing full-time general, vocational, technical and special-needs education for pupils aged 3-18 years old.
Further information regarding eligibility and how to apply is available on the British Council Connecting Classrooms website.
Deadline for applications is 31 January 2015.
Beyond the Panda education project - new website!
2 December 2014 (RZSS)
Thanks to a partnership with Jaguar Land Rover (China), Sandie Robb, Senior Education Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland got the opportunity recently to visit Chengdu and Ya'an - along with 10 students and 4 staff from Lasswade High School. You can see an excellent video of the trip on the 'Beyond the Panda' new website, which not only includes a wealth of information on the giant panda project but has excellent lesson plans and activities.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland outreach sessions 'Beyond the Panda' and 'Giants' are still available for schools, however they are always revised and redeveloped each year to build on new resources and ideas. Please email Sandie Robb, srobb@rzss.org.uk, for full details.
Posted in: Early Years, Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, News from language & education organisations
Principal Teacher Languages Post at Kingussie High School
1 December 2014 (Kingussie High School)
Kingussie High School are looking for a dynamic Principal Teacher of Languages, to include leading the work of new Confucius Hub. The successful candidate will also co-ordinate non-manual skills for work courses and be responsible for the schools distance learning, as well as manage the subject group of Languages.
More information is available on the Kingussie High School website.
Posted in: All Languages, Chinese, Scotland, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
Winter term Chinese classes
26 November 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Language classes for the January-March 2015 term are now open for booking and with 19 classes running over 6 levels we think we have a class to suit most people.
China-UK Connections through Culture
China-UK Connections through Culture is an initiative that builds long lasting relationships and develops exciting cultural collaborations between organisations in the two countries.
The initiative offers support, information, advice, networking opportunities and development grants to cultural organisations in China and the UK.
We are pleased to announce the launch of the 18th round of the China-UK Connections Development Grant. Deadline for applications is Sunday 7 December 2014 for visits taking place between February and July 2015. Applicants will be notified by Friday 9 January 2015.
Chinese students to boost 'brand Britain'
Chinese-speaking students are to be placed with British companies to help them break into the Chinese market.
A pilot scheme will see students from the University of Sheffield offered internships in a bid to offer companies access to Chinese language, cultural and business knowledge.
If it proves successful, the UK Trade & Investment initiative could be rolled out to other universities and trialled with other major non-European Union student groups, such as learners from India or Malaysia.
Zuckerberg's Mandarin From a Chine IV student
19 November 2014 (Huffington Post)
Unless you haven't glanced at the Internet, you should all know about Mark Zuckerberg and his press conference in Shanghai. For those of you who don't know, on Wednesday, October 21, Mark Zuckerberg took part in a Q&A in Shanghai, and to everyone's surprise he began speaking Chinese. Multiple news sources picked up the story unbelievably fast, but unfortunately took it a little too far. Many titles varied from Buzzfeed's "Out of nowhere, Mark Zuckerberg now speaks Mandarin," to CNN's "Like, OMG!! Zuck speaks Mandarin?!!" Many articles praised Zuckerberg for his fluency in the extremely tough language, but I have a slightly different opinion. I've been studying Chinese since 3rd grade, and I'm now in Chinese 4. I am also nowhere near fluent, but I've been studying the grammar, tones and speech of the language for a while now. Here are a few observations I've made about the 30-minute interview.
Wu Wenguang and `The Memory Project`- Chinese Independent Documentary Programme
Join us from 25-29 November for a truly remarkable programme of cutting edge independent documentary filmmaking in China.
The programme includes screenings of rarely shown films; discussion with the directors after each session; and culminates in a one day event of screenings, a round table discussion and a keynote address from Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies at King`s College, London.
Full programme details are available on the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website.
We invite entries for the SCEN Competition, in collaboration with The Scottish Review and its Editor Kenneth Roy. The challenge is to write an article (maximum 850 words for senior students, 200 words for primary and S1-S2 students) on the following:
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
The Third SCEN China Youth Summit at Gleneagles
Our Third SCEN Summit at Gleneagles, China and Scotland At Home, was, I am hearing, the best yet! We were delighted to take part in Homecoming Scotland 2014, as it enabled us to highlight and celebrate the relationship of friendship, collaboration and mutual understanding between Scotland's Schools, Colleges, Universities, Professions and Businesses, and their students and colleagues from China. Our 300 and more delegates enjoyed the palatial surroundings of Gleneagles and appreciated the words of our President, Lord Wilson of Tillyorn, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Mr Michael Russell MSP, and the Consul General for the PR of China in Edinburgh, Mr Pan Xinchun. We were proud to receive a letter of congratulations from Mme Xu Lin, Director General of Hanban, and, with the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, to welcome our teachers from Tianjin and to enjoy the launch of the new ebook, The Happy Emperor.
For more information, photographs from the event and feedback from student attendees, visit the SCEN website.
Chinese lessons to start next year
17 November 2014 (The Shetland Times)
Pupils as young as nine will start learning Chinese from next year, a meeting of the education and families committee heard today.
Shetland's bid to become part of the Confucius Classroom has been successful, it was confirmed last week, and planning for the innovative project will now start.
Jointly funded by the Chinese and Scottish governments, the move to introduce the Mandarin language and Chinese culture to the isles will not cost the local authority anything.
Chinese New Year workshops in your school
12 November 2014 (SALT)
Dragons in Europe invite you to bring the wonderfully vibrant and inspiring Chinese New Year celebrations to your school.
The rise of China as an economic and global power has led to the rapid spread of Chinese culture and customs round the world and Chinese language skills are now in high demand. Exploring this fascinating culture is a cross-curricula journey. There will be mythical animal tales, traditional activities, Chinese character writing and lots of smiles. Workshops will include some basic language learning, lots of culture and topical gifts for the children to take away.
*Please note there is a charge for the workshops.*
Posted in: Early Years, Primary, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
Chinese eBook now online
11 November 2014 (CISS/SCILT)
We are delighted to let you know that the first CISS eBook, Warriors: The Emperor's Incredible Army has now been uploaded to the SCILT website. This free resource was created in partnership with our fantastic colleagues at LFEE and Scottish Opera. The animated book is accompanied by a number of resources which can be used in the classroom.
A number of additional eBooks will be uploaded in due course, so keep your eyes peeled!
Posted in: Chinese, Resources, CISS news
Warwick teenager wins language competition a year after starting to learning Mandarin
10 November 2014 (Leamington Spa Courier)
A Myton School pupil has triumphed in a national language competition...just a year after he first began learning Mandarin.
Luis Martin, who lives off Emscote Road, Warwick, entered the Language Live Show at London's Olympia after submitting a video that reached the final of the Strictly 1000 Words competition.
The 15-year-old impressed the experts with the professionalism of his poetry punctuation - not to mention the actions accompanying his comical prose - to triumph in the secondary school section.
East Lothian Early Chinese Learning Project
The Scottish China Educational Network, in partnership with Edinburgh University and CISS has been working in conjunction with primary schools in East Lothian to encourage the early learning of Mandarin.
The project involved native speaking students working in conjunction with class teachers to deliver Mandarin lessons to children at P1. The evaluation, carried out by Fiona Pate HMI, makes for interesting reading and provides a thoughtful and valuable insight into how native speakers can be used to enhance primary language learning.
See the report below.
East Lothian Early Chinese Learning Project (180 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, CISS news
'Learning Chinese in schools is irrelevant to children'
1 November 2014 (Herald)
The current fashion for learning Chinese languages in Scottish schools is misplaced, an academic has warned. Dr Dan Tierney, a reader in languages at Strathclyde University, said Mandarin was hard to learn at first and had less relevance to pupils than European languages. Instead, Mr Tierney believes the Scottish Government should focus resources on languages such as French, Spanish, German and Italian in primary schools to ensure more pupils take up the subjects.
The pure joy of language (The Herald, letters, 4 November 2014)
Posted in: 1+2, Chinese, Languages in the press
Language Perfect Northern Championships 2014
31 October 2014 (Language Perfect)
The search is on for the top language student and languages department in the northern hemisphere... The Northern Championships, taking place from 3-13 November 2014 , pitches students and schools in the northern hemisphere against one another, ONLINE and LIVE, from computers and iPod/Android apps. Teachers can watch the scoreboards for up-to-the-minute updates on how their school and students are going. Maybe your school will become the champions in 2014?
Visit the Language Perfect website for more information.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic
Word Wizard 2015 now launched!
Our exciting spelling competition Word Wizard has now officially launched for school session 2014-15!
Visit our Word Wizard 2015 webpage to download the Teacher's Pack and registration form. School are advised to register to take part by Friday 28th November.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Language Skills, Promoting Languages, SCILT news
Discovery Channel Show "Oh My Buddha"
30 October 2014 (Yoyo Chinese)
The Discovery Channel show "Oh My Buddha!" takes you on a journey to discover the unknown, often overlooked, cultural overlaps China has with countries around the world. Here you can see the episodes 'India in China' and 'China in India'.
Vacancy: Administrative Assistant
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, (CISS) within SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages, is looking to appoint an Administrative Assistant for this busy centre. CISS is jointly funded by Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters and Scottish Government and is expanding to manage new Confucius Classroom Hubs around Scotland in addition to the 12 currently in place.
The postholder will be responsible for providing effective administrative and organisational support to the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools. Support will be primarily for the Project Co-ordinator and Manager of the Confucius Institute and will include events management, organisation of trips to China, responding to enquiries and monitoring CISS expenditure and income. The postholder will also be responsible for updating the CISS website and for collating the CISS newsletter and other publications.
For more information and an application form, visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancy webpage. Application deadline: 26 October 2014.
Posted in: Chinese, Careers, CISS news
Word Wizard - returning for session 2014-15!
Scotland's National Centre for Languages and Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, in partnership with The University of St Andrews, are proud to announce the return of Word Wizard for its second year!
Following on from the success of last year's competition we are once again inviting S1-S3 learners of French, Gaelic, German, Mandarin and Spanish to take part in this spellbinding competition.
We are currently taking registrations of interest from schools and the competition will officially be launched at the end of October 2014. If you would like to receive updates on the competition please email scilt@strath.ac.uk indicating which languages you are interested in entering.
Visit our Word Wizard webpage to download our 2014-15 flyer with more information on the competition.
Mark Zuckerberg speaking Mandarin sounds like a '7-year-old with a mouth full of marbles'
23 October 2014 (Independent)
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg wowed an audience at Beijing's Tsinghua University by calmly chatting his way through a 30-minute interview in Mandarin, but the internet has been a bit harsher comparing him to "an articulate 7-year-old with a mouth full of marbles."
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrities, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press
'Chinese students think British boys are gentlemen, but when they get drunk they go crazy'
Meet Xiaoyu, a student from China, home to around 19.8% of all international students at UK universities.
Paddy Ashdown: 'Learning six languages has changed my life'
From speaking Malay as a young marine, to offending his Chinese teacher with unfortunate translations, Paddy shares the twists and turns of his language adventures.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Celebrities, Language Learning - Adults, Language Learning for Work, Languages in the press
Chinese: Can't Swim, Won't Swim
12 October 2014 (Huffington Post)
Just the other week, celebrating European Day of Languages and Global Confucius Institute Day, I found myself giving a speech at London's Institute of Education to headteachers, policymakers and exams bodies on the topic of Chinese Teaching in UK Schools.
A series of blogs from the British Council on important languages for the UK's future
The final post in the British Council's weekly series on the ten most important languages for the UK's future, as identified by the British Council's Languages for the Future report, is about Mandarin Chinese. Here, the British Council's Asmaa Ibrahim explains the characters, tonal differences, and sound similarities that make the language so fascinating.
Read the other blogs in the series:
Arabic is in great demand and there's a shortage of well-qualified speakers
Russian: beautiful, complex, and a window onto the unknown
Turkish: a fascinating structure and huge influence
The French language: romantic, precise, close to English
German and hipsters: the perfect match?
Single Japanese words can contain whole worlds of experience
How good is Italian for business?
Spanish: learning to speak the language of 400 million people
Which languages the UK needs and why
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Business, Economy, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Arabic
SCEN News
7 October 2014 (SCEN)
The Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) is a voluntary association which aims to promote the teaching and learning of Chinese and about China in Scotland.
For an update on the latest SCEN activities, see the attached news summary and for information about future plans for the association, download the 'SCEN Ouline Plan 2015-2018'.
SCEN News Update October 2014 (61.0 KB)
SCEN Outline Plan 2015-2018 (330 KB)
Pupils at the hub of language
6 October 2014 (Dunfermline Express)
Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline has been named Scottish Outstanding Confucius Hub 2014 after it was awarded the title for its contribution to Chinese studies.
A successful trip to China saw Queen Anne staff and pupils take on the challenge of Mandarin lessons along with learning about Chinese culture and visiting spectacular sights such as the Great Wall. The kids got to visit Queen Anne's partner school in Tianjin, where they learned about education in China before heading home to bond with the families by watching the country's own version of the X Factor! The 'immersion trip' saw not only the pupils put to the test, but teachers too as they sat and passed Mandarin exams and came home having learned some useful words.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Chinese Celebrations Aim To Be Everyone's Cup of Tea
24 September 2014 (Edinburgh Guide)
To mark the first ever global Chinese language day, a pop-up Chinese tea house will transform The Mound in Edinburgh this Saturday 27 September. The event will feature a host of activities, including calligraphy workshops, Tai Chi sessions and lessons teaching basic Chinese phrases. Stage performances throughout the day will also showcase modern Chinese pop music, dance and classical music.
Learning Chinese: a pupil perspective
21 September 2014 (SCEN)
The SCEN National Pupil Conference was held at the University of Aberdeen on 20 June 2014. Watch this video from the day and find out what pupils think about their experiences learning Chinese.
For more information about the Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) and their activities, visit their website.
GrowStoryGrow
19 September 2014 (GrowStoryGrow)
Every year, to help celebrate the European Day of Languages, GrowStoryGrow opens up its site allowing children all over the world to experience over a hundred enchanting stories, in several different languages, for free.
This year the GrowStoryGrow is free to use from 22 - 29 September 2014 and to link with this year's centenary of World War 1 there is a very poignant story about Remembrance Day.
Visit the website for further information and to access the materials.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Resources
Early Films of China on BFI Player
19 September 2014 (BFI)
Our collection of early films of China (1901-1949) are now available online in the UK (with plans to make them available in China next year). There's an introduction to the collection on YouTube.
The collection includes clips on:
Elsewhere in China
Thoughts about the films from director Xie Fei, amongst others, are also featured.
This collection is still being researched, so always very grateful to find new information about the films. If anyone has any additional information that they'd like to share (including further information about locations), please can they email Holly Hyams – holly.hyams@bfi.org.uk.
Scottish Learning Festival (SLF) 2014 - Mandarin for life and work seminar
11 September 2014 (SCILT/CISS)
Come along and hear how to develop learners' employability skills through learning and teaching of Mandarin! The workshop will demonstrate the practice that is taking place in Broughton High School, Edinburgh. In particular, we will share how this modern language department has developed learners' employability skills and gained accreditation for them through the SQA Language for Life and Work Award. You will also hear about what Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools can do for you and discuss ideas for linking businesses and schools to create a meaningful context for learning that develops young people's language skills and their understanding of the world of work.
For further details on this and the other language-related seminars at the September event, see the Scottish Learning Festival brochure on the Education Scotland website, where you can also book your seminar place.
Posted in: Chinese, Qualifications, SCILT news, CISS news
Applications for the 2014-15 competition are now open.
The competition is a great, fun opportunity for students to practise and improve their Mandarin Chinese language skills. Winning students will win a trip to Beijing and visit historical sites, interact with Chinese students and experience Chinese culture.
See the British Council website for more information and to apply. Application deadline 10 October 2014.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, FE, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
Disability of a different character
8 September 2014 (Economist)
For a foreigner, learning how to read in Chinese sometimes feels like spot-the-difference: one of those children's puzzles where you have to find tiny dissimilarities in two nearly identical pictures.
Chinese mid-Autumn Festival - primary education pack
The Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in the Chinese lunar calendar after Chinese New Year. This year the festival will fall on 8 September. To tie in with the festival, our education pack helps primary schools across the UK explore Chinese culture and language.
Learn languages to boost your MBA
In the increasingly globalised world of work, multinational companies are looking to hire business high-flyers who can communicate in several different languages.
Europe's top business schools are responding to this need; courses at Insead, IESE, HEC, and London Business School incorporate a language requirement as well as the opportunity to learn and practise another language. Insead teaches Mandarin at Fontainbleu and in Singapore.
For some schools, a language component is a compulsory part of the MBA. The Insead MBA is taught exclusively in English, so fluency in the language is a pre-requisite, but in addition to that, another language at a practical level is also required for entry – and students are expected to add a third language by the time they finish their MBA. "At Insead we believe strongly in the importance of an international outlook and the ability to work effectively in multiple cultures," says admissions director Pejay Belland.
Doing an MBA abroad could give you a competitive edge (The Guardian, 4 September 2014)
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Languages in the press, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese
China Celebration 27 Sept - volunteers needed
28 August 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
On Saturday 27th September we will hold a special celebration on the Mound to mark the 10th anniversary of the set up of the network of Confucius Institutes around the world. We have exciting plans and to deliver our Confucius Institute Day we are looking for volunteers.
For more information visit the Confucius Institute's website.
When Chinese children forget how to write
27 August 2014 (BBC News)
In China, it takes blood, sweat and months of studying dictionaries to become a Character Hero.
Millions tune in every week to watch teenagers compete for the title. Character Hero is a Chinese-style spelling bee, but in this challenge, young contestants must write Chinese characters by hand.
[..] But the knowledge of how to compose those characters is in danger.
Vacancy: Project Co-ordinator
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, (CISS) within SCILT, Scotland's National Centre for Languages, is looking to appoint a Project Co-ordinator for this busy centre. CISS is jointly funded by Hanban/Confucius Institute Headquarters and Scottish Government and is expanding to manage new Confucius Classroom Hubs around Scotland in addition to the 12 currently in place.
You will have responsibility for the administration function of various CISS projects from inception through to completion and for supporting the Depute Director and Senior Administrator of CISS. In particular you will be responsible for managing the project administrative systems, financial monitoring, project planning as well as organising events and project activities. You will be responsible for the co-ordination of trips to China and the role will involve some overseas travel.
For further information about the role and to apply, visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancies website.
The Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, based within Scotland's National Centre for Languages, urgently requires a Professional Development Officer to support Confucius Classroom hubs. There are currently 12 hubs across Scotland; however, new hubs will be developed this year with further hubs opening in 2015-16. This is an exciting opportunity to work at national level and drive forward the strategic languages agenda in Scotland.
For further information and to apply, visit the University of Strathclyde's vacancies website.
Using two languages in one sentence not necessarily bad: Study
21 August 2014 (Channel News Asia)
Researchers from the Singapore University of Technology and Design say children speaking a mix of English and Mandarin may help them achieve a better grasp of the languages. They plan to expand their research to other mother tongue languages.
Posted in: Chinese, Bilingualism, Language Learning, Languages in the press
1+2 Pilot Schools: planning and materials published
New to the 1+2 section of our website is the 'Planning and materials from pilot schools' page. Here you will find a selection of plans and resources, many with sound files, that were created and/or used by 4 of the primary schools during their 1+2 pilot project.
All documents and presentations can be downloaded, used and adapted to kickstart or refresh your school's primary language learning (PLL).
Each pilot project had a different aim and was supported by SCILT and Education Scotland differently, in order to best meet the school's needs. To find out more details about all ten 1+2 pilot projects read the 1+2 pilot evaluations.
COMING SOON: Key messages from the pilot schools from the 2014 1+2 Learning Events.
Posted in: Primary, 1+2, Chinese, French, Spanish, 1+2, Language Learning, Language Teaching, SCILT news
Autumn Language Classes open for booking
5 August 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
A wide array of Chinese language courses are on offer for the 2014 autumn term which runs from late September to early December.
Most classes will start week beginning 22 Sept running for ten weeks and ending by 27 November. Two new beginners classes and one 1.2 class will however start one week later, have a mid-way break of one week and run through till 10 December.
Calligraphy Classes-Evening & Weekend
In autumn 2014 we are pleased to offer a choice of classes for those keen to discover or practice their skills with a calligraphy brush.
Visit the Confucius Institute in Edinburgh's website for more information.
Edinburgh Student Wins First Prize
In the 2014 global Chinese Bridge competition to find the most talented and best Chinese linguists, University of Edinburgh Chinese Studies recent graduate, Ieva Nagyte won first prize.
This year`s competition is the 13th Chinese Bridge Proficiency Competition for Foreign College/University Students. Following regional and national heats 126 contestants from 87 countries competed in this year`s global final which was held in Changsha, China.
Student of Education gets set for China
17 July 2014 (HaSS eNews (University of Strathclyde))
A student of Education is one of five students in Scotland to be selected to participate in a new summer study programme in China. Sharon Gow, a second year student of the BA in Education, will act as an ambassador for the University of Strathclyde during her 10 day visit to Shenzhen in China.
Greg's Chinese adventure
16 July 2014 (Kirkintilloch Herald)
Greg Kennedy, a Bishopbriggs-based high school pupil, has won a prestigious scholarship to study at a university in Tianjin, China, through a programme organised by CISS.
Ming: The Golden Empire on display at National Museum of Scotland
A major exhibition at the National Museum of Scotland is telling the extraordinary story of China's Ming dynasty.
The collection from Nanjing Museum, including Chinese National Treasures, will be on display in the only UK showing of the exhibition. It opens on 27 June.
Ming: The Golden Empire (Confucius Institute Scotland, 23 June 2014) - article includes booking information.
Researchers, brush up your Mandarin and get ready to spend time in China
25 June 2014 (The Guardian)
The scope for UK-China research collaboration is clear, says James Wilsdon, but we need to broaden our focus.
Posted in: Chinese, Research, Languages in the press
East Lothian pupils learn Chinese
20 June 2014 (Bilingualism Matters)
If you live in East Lothian, chances are that in a primary school near you is a group of pupils who love nothing better than running around the playground singing "happy Birthday to you" in Chinese.
On 12 June, over 400 primary school pupils, teachers and parents gathered in Musselburgh to celebrate the hugely successful Early Learning of Chinese project . There was singing, traditional Chinese dancing, and even a Chinese version of the hokey-cokey – no mean feat!
Word Wizard Final photos and video
Photos from the Word Wizard Final, featuring all of our great winners, and now available to view via our Word Wizard Final webpage.
We also have a short video, filmed throughout the day, giving some background to the competition and showcasing the wonderful skills demonstrated by all of our spellers.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, SCILT news
SCEN Early Learning of Chinese Celebration
19 June 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Over 400 primary school children gathered at Brunton Theatre earlier this month to demonstrate how much they have learned from working with Chinese volunteers from the University of Edinburgh.
Word Wizard Final 2014 webpage
Following the announcement of the Word Wizard winners last week we now have a web page celebrating the final. We will be publishing photos from this fantastic event soon!
Details of the 2015 competition will be announced later this year so stay tuned.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Scottish Parliament, SCILT news
New institute to boost link Scots-Chinese links
10 June 2014 (The Scotsman)
A new institute aimed at boosting links between Scotland and China will be opened today by Education Secretary Mike Russell.
The Scottish Confucius Institute for Business and Communication has been set up at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh after being approved by the Chinese Government's Ministry of Education last November.
It is hoped the new centre will promote business, communication and cultural links between the two nations.
Ties with China are boosted by centre (The Herald, 11 June 2014)
Mandarin on the school curriculum under languages shake-up
(Relates to England) Tens of thousands of pupils will be given lessons in Mandarin under a Government-backed drive to introduce "the language of the future" into state schools, it is announced today.
More than 1,200 specialist Mandarin teachers will be trained in the subject to give state pupils the same access to classes as their counterparts in private schools, it emerged.
Mandarin: Confucius Institute aims to boost numbers (BBC News, 6 June 2014)
Speech: Elizabeth Truss on increasing the number of pupils studying Mandarin (gov.uk, 6 June 2014)
Posted in: Chinese, England, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Word Wizard finals
6 June 2014 (SCILT)
Last Friday, 30th May, saw the final of our new Word Wizard competition take place in the prestigious venue of the Scottish Parliament. 60 pupils from schools across Scotland took part in the semi-finals in the morning, and over 100 pupils, teachers and guests enjoyed the final in the Members' Restaurant. The day opened with an inspiring speech from Maureen Watt MSP and ended with a vote of thanks from Annette Zimmermann of the University of St Andrews, who supported us in running the competition. We were delighted to have Graham Blythe from the European Commission and Ms. Lv Yanxia from the Chinese Consulate present the shields and cups to the winners. The pupils demonstrated excellent skills in spelling, vocabulary and character recognition, and displayed great confidence in doing so in front of an audience.
The winners in each category were:
French Beginner:
1st Elspeth Nicol – Ross High School
2nd Amelie Davidson – St Joseph's Academy
3rd Robert Brewer – The Glasgow Academy
French Intermediate:
1st Owen Wilson – Greenwood Academy
2nd Steffi Graham-McGill – James Hamilton Academy
3rd Emma Rattray – Dollar Academy
Gaelic Beginner:
1st Anna Gallagher – St Ninian's High School (East Renfrewshire)
German Beginner:
1st Fraser Anderson – Stewart's Melville College
2nd Charlotte Caskie – Lomond School
3rd Florence Macgregor – The Mary Erskine School
German Intermediate:
1st Eilish Murphy – St Margaret's School for Girls
2nd Freja Arnlund – The Mary Erskine School
3rd Fiona Todman – Queen Anne High School
Mandarin Beginner:
1st Francesca Tassieri – Hillhead High School
2nd Charlotte Johns – Dollar Academy
3rd William Cox – Perth High School
Mandarin Intermediate:
1st Ines Bertaso – St Ninian's High School (East Renfrewshire)
2nd Ivan Myachykov – Hillhead High School
3rd Jack Mitchell-Luker – Williamwood High School
Spanish Beginner:
1st Paul Gillon – John Ogilvie High School
2nd Georgie Cassidy – Dollar Academy
3rd Erin McIntyre – The Glasgow Academy
Spanish Intermediate:
1st Rosie Hutcheon – The Glasgow Academy
2nd Caitlin Barrie – John Ogilvie High School
3rd Ella McPherson – St Margaret's School for Girls
We would like to congratulate all pupils who reached the finals and every pupil who took part in the competition in their schools over the past year.
We hope to see lots of you entering the competition next year!
Posted in: Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Scottish Parliament, SCILT news
Motion congratulates SCILT and CISS on Word Wizard competition 2014
5 June 2014 (Scottish Parliament)
Maureen Watt, MSP for Aberdeen South and North Kincardine, has lodged a parliamentary motion congratulating SCILT and CISS on the Word Wizard competition 2014. The motion states:
"That the Parliament congratulates Scotland's National Centre for Languages and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools on the Word Wizard Competition 2014, which was held in the Parliament on 30 May 2014; recognises the S1-S3 pupils, including those from Bucksburn Academy and Hazlehead Academy in Aberdeen, who impressed the judges with their French, German, Spanish, Mandarin and Gaelic skills; notes that, in partnership with the University of St Andrews, and with the support of the Goethe-Institut, the contest encourages pupils nationally to improve their vocabulary, and highlights what it sees as the importance of language and learning."
Motions are used by MSPs to initiate debate or propose a course of action, or simply to generate support, and many other MSPs have signed up in support of this motion. It's very encouraging to have SCILT/CISS work acknowledged in this way.
Posted in: S1-S3, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Spanish, Scotland, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Scottish Parliament, News from language & education organisations
Mandarin – Is it worth the effort? Absolutely!
2 June 2014 (Engage for Education)
Today candidates are sitting Intermediate 1, 2, National 5, Higher and Advanced Highers in Cantonese and Mandarin. John Somers learned Mandarin to take up the role of First Secretary for Scottish Affairs in Beijing, where he is helping to promote and represent the Scottish Government's cultural, educational and economic interests in China. John is pictured with Iris Fu and Anjing Wang, two locally employed members of staff who work with John in the Scottish Affairs Office in Beijing.
Cable urges more UK students to study in China
27 May 2014 (The Herald)
Vince Cable is calling for more UK students to visit China on exchange trips as part of a fresh bid to boost links with the nation.
The Business Secretary has called on businesses to support a British Council programme which aims to see 80,000 UK students take part in study or work experience programmes in China by 2020. Mr Cable's call came as he visited Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou.
"The global centre of gravity is shifting eastwards to major economic powerhouses like China," he said.
"But while China sends around 100,000 students each year to the UK, we send little more than 5,000 in the opposite direction. We must raise our game. New independent research shows that a lack of language skills in the UK is costing our economy about £48 billion. The shortage of Mandarin speakers is part of the problem. I don't want young British people to get left behind.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
CISS Documentary
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Confucius Institute in China, all Confucius Institutes worldwide were tasked with making a documentary highlighting the teaching and achievements of each Institute. We are delighted to announce that the Confucius Institute for Scotland's School's documentary 'CISS Today' is now available to view on the CISS website.
Should more UK pupils be learning Mandarin?
Thousands of pupils across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to sit their Mandarin GCSE exams on Friday.
The number of students make up only fraction of those studying European languages and many argue that is a wasted opportunity which could be costing our economy billions.
The BBC's China editor Carrie Gracie reports.
The b small Young Linguist of the Year Award 2014
14 May 2014 (bsmall publishing)
The b small Young Language Learner of the Year Award is open to all children in the UK aged 6 - 11 years and will run throughout the spring and summer terms. Children can enter their stories in French, Spanish, German, Italian, or, for the first time this year, Mandarin.
You can enter in one of two categories according to your age: 6-9 years or 9-11 years. We have included nine year olds in both categories in case you want to enter with your class.
Closing date for entries is 2 June 2014.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Awards, Celebrating Languages, News from language & education organisations
SCA Primary Schools Competition 2014
The Scotland-China Association Primary Schools Competition 2014, incorporating the Tom Murray Memorial Prize and sponsored by the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools, aims to stimulate interest in Chinese culture amongst primary school children in Scotland.
The subject of the 2014 competition is 'Festivals celebrated in China'.
Children are encouraged to explore Chinese culture and to enjoy expressing what they learn.
There are three categories for entries - P1-3, P4-5, and P6-7. Entries can be in one of the following formats :
two- or three-dimensional work (up to A2 or 40cm x 40cm x 40cm respectively)
video or DVD
See the attached flyer for more information or visit the SCEN website for further details of the competition and how to enter.
SCA 2014 Primary Schools Competition (455 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, SCILT news, News from language & education organisations
News from SCEN
Download the attached bulletin for the latest news and events from the Scotland China Education Network (SCEN).
SCEN News May 2014 (164 KB)
Summer 2014 Language Courses
2 May 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
In July and early August we will run a range of Chinese courses for beginners, consolidation sessions for existing students, and an introductory character course.
See the website for details of all the courses and to register.
HSK Exam Date - 10 May 2014
The next exam date for HSK candidates who are sitting the offline exam at the Confucius Institute for Scotland is Saturday 10 May 2014.
The exam schedules are available on the website.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
Asia's mathematical advantage runs deep
25 April 2014 (TES)
Chinese culture and language give children many advantages when it comes to learning maths, but the West needn't give up. Achievement can be boosted simply by changing attitudes.
HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition 2013-14
The winners of the HSBC Mandarin Speaking Competition 2013-14 visited China earlier in the month.
Winners included John Moore from Dollar Academy who won the Beginners Individual category and Hillhead High School which came third in the Groups category. Congratulations to all the winners!
Chinese Cinema: A Broader View
7 April 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
On consecutive Sunday in April and May the Edinburgh Film Guild will be screening films from the three main Chinese cinemas - mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, and Taiwan, along with a selection of shorts from Chinese diaspora filmmakers in Singapore.
More details about the programme are available on the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website.
2014 Propeller TV Presenter Competition
27 March 2014 (Propeller TV)
On behalf of Propeller TV, the premium channel for the UK-China community broadcasting on SKY 189 and Freeview 229, I would like to invite your students to enter the "2014 Propeller TV Presenter Competition". All those who are fluent in both Mandarin and English and who are interested in presenting are welcome. The final will be held in London in early April.
It would be a great opportunity for students to practise their linguistic and presenting skills. On top of that, the winner will be given the opportunity to work as a presenter at Propeller TV.
For the rules and more information about the competition, please visit the Propeller TV website.
Deadline for applications is 14 April 2014.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, CISS news
Four winners at Chinese Bridge
25 March 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Three Edinburgh students and their tutor took top places at the UK wide `Chinese Bridge` competition for university students on Saturday March 22.
Posted in: HE, Chinese, News from language & education organisations
Consultation on The Future of Chinese Studies – A Call for Views
24 March 2014 (China-Britain Business Council)
The British Association of Chinese Studies (BACS), which represents the interests of those in the academic community engaged in China related teaching and research (language, history, social science etc.), is initiating a consultation exercise which seeks to collect stakeholder views (business, education, policy, employers) about the current and future role of Chinese Studies in the UK. A broad section of views from interested parties will provide the basis for a working group, which will then organise a 'Chinese Studies Day' to take place later this year. If you are interested in helping us develop a successful and fit for purpose Chinese Studies offering in the UK, visit our survey page. It will only take 5 minutes to complete. The deadline for views is Monday 7 April 2014.
News at a glance - South African curriculum to embrace Mandarin
Mandarin lessons are to be introduced to South African schools, ministers have said. A new curriculum for the subject would be developed with the help of the Chinese government, the Department of Basic Education confirmed.
Apply now for a Language Assistant. Bring language and culture alive with a native speaker in the classroom
Support implementation of the 1 + 2 languages policy by hosting a Language Assistant in your school.
The British Council team is on hand at every step and our dedicated online support offers everything you need to get your pupils' learning experience off to a great start. Our free service includes careful selection of the best candidate to suit your school, guidance on administration and training courses for Language Assistants.
How can Language Assistants help?
Their responsibilities can be tailored to suit your school's requirements. Assistants can support the teaching of a first (L2) or a second (L3) modern language by:
supporting teachers' language acquisition and improving their cultural knowledge
developing lesson plans and delivering classes on topics to complement different subject areas
running extra-curricular activities for additional support (e.g. lunch time clubs)
working across different areas of the Curriculum for Excellence to develop projects based on cultural themes
setting up an international partnership with a school overseas.
Where are they from?
Assistants are native-level speakers of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. They come from 15 countries in Europe and beyond.
You can also apply for a Chinese Language Assistant for free (by 31 January) or at a heavily subsidised rate (by 28 March). They work from mid-September 2014 to 26 June 2015.
Visit our website to find out more about the programme and apply. If you are a local authority school, your local authority should apply on your behalf.
Contact the Languags Assistants programme directly: assistants.uk@britishcouncil.org.
You can also read an assistant's blog on her experience of teaching French in an Angus primary school.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Foreign Language Assistants, News from language & education organisations, Russian
HSK and HSKK 10 May 2014
17 March 2014 (Confucius Institute for Scotland)
The second diet of HSK and HSKK exams of 2014 organised by the Confucius Institute for Scotland will be held on Saturday 10 May.
Spring Term Classes Open for Booking
Classes in the spring term, which will begin on Monday 21 April running for ten weeks through till w/b 23 June, are now available to book online.
Audio Lingua
12 March 2014 (Audio Lingua)
Audio-Lingua offers mp3 recordings in several languages. It is a collaborative bank of authentic audio resources, recorded by native speakers, and can be searched by level, topic and language.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese
PaiBa! Photo Club
07 March 2013 (Ricefield)
Literally meaning "Shoot it!" in Chinese, PaiBa is one of Ricefield's new, free monthly meet-ups for keen photographers to enjoy shooting and sharing photos inspired by Chinese photography and culture:
* Chinese inspired photo assignment each month
* Bring your photos along to share views and techniques
* Chat in a relaxed setting at Feast restaurant (upper floor)
* Amateurs and beginners welcome!
Featuring presentations from Chinese photographers Yao Hui, Cui Ying and Guo Xueci.
To join PaiBa please contact info@ricefield.org.uk
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Community Languages, Cross-Curricular Working, Cultural Diversity, Partnership Working
Chinese Culture and Conversation Corner
3 March 2014 (Confucius Institute for Scotland)
Chinese Culture Conversation Corners take place on Friday evenings from 5.30-7pm. Open to anyone who is learning Chinese or who has an interest in Chinese culture, each week there is a special theme.
14th March will see a focus on Chinese Musical Instruments
21st March will focus on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture
28th March will introduce you to some Traditional Games.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning - Adults
Confucius Hubs video - Mike Russell's blog
27 February 2014 (Scottish Government)
Thursday 27 February 2014: Another day.... another camera. And there have been a lot of them this week.
This morning after recording a piece on video about Higher Education for an educational website I was interviewed for a short film on the learning of Chinese language and culture.
The Hanban, which promotes Chinese language and culture abroad is a key partner for the Scottish Government in establishing Confucius Hubs and classrooms across the country. They provide resources and teachers and they are also good hosts for Scottish pupils.
The world's best Confucius Classroom, as they are known, is St Ninian's High in East Renfrewshire, and that is an official accolade they won in Beijing last year. Now each of the countries in the scheme is making a short film to contribute to a world wide project and the Scottish producers asked me to say a few words for our one.
Posted in: Chinese, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, Scottish Government, News from language & education organisations, CISS news
HSK Exams 2014 - March, May, November
The first diet of HSK exams of 2014 organised by the Confucius Institute for Scotland will be held on Saturday 15 March.
For further information visit their website.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Language Learning, Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
Fear not, Grasshopper, learning Mandarin just got Chineasy
16 February 2014 (Sunday Times)
It is one of the world's toughest languages but after a few minutes using a simple picture system devised by London entrepreneur ShaoLan Hsueh, Oliver Thring was grasping the basics.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning - Adults, Languages in the press
SCEN Network Meeting 7 March 2014
The next SCEN Network Meeting will take place on 7 March 2014, 12:30pm at Lasswade High School.
Future dates for the SCEN diary include:
University of Aberdeen, SCEN, NE Hub Conference: at the University of Aberdeen: Friday 20 June 2014
SCEN Event: the afternoon of Monday 29 September 2014
China Day at Edinburgh Zoo (probably May 2014)
SCEN Early Learning of Chinese Project Conference, with East Lothian Council and the University of Edinburgh, June 2014
Further details of the Network's activities and events can be found on the SCEN website.
SCEN would also like to highlight that Ricefield Chinese Arts and Cultural Centre in Glasgow is celebrating its 10th anniversary and is looking for new partners and projects, so please explore the Ricefield website.
Auld Lang Syne - Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe with Douglas Academy Chamber Choir
10/02/2014 (CISS)
Auld Lang Syne performed at a special concert of the Nanjing Little Red Flower Children's Art Troupe with Douglas Academy Chamber Choir at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on 7th February 2014. Filmed for the forthcoming documentary on the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools by Mark Pentleton.
East meets west as Douglas Academy choir welcome Chinese students (Milngavie & Bearsden Herald, 13 February 2014)
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, SCILT news
HSK March Exam - Registration Deadline 13 Feb
7 February 2014 (Confucius Institute for Scotland)
Registration for the first HSK exam of 2014 closes on Thursday 13th February with the exam itself scheduled to take place on Saturday 15th March 2014.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Language Learning - Adults, Qualifications, News from language & education organisations
Ideas for UK schools to teach Mandarin Chinese
5 February 2014 (British Council blog)
UK schools traditionally teach European languages, but with several current government initiatives attempting to also connect the UK better with China, the British Council's Vicky Gough answers how UK schools can help their students pick up Mandarin Chinese.
Why native English speakers can learn Mandarin Chinese more easily than they think (4 February 2014, British Council blog)
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
5 February 2014 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
The first Chinese Culture and Conversation Corner of the winter semester will take place from 5.30 pm to 7.00 pm on Friday, 7 February 2014, at Abden House. This event will focus on Chinese Creative Language. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about Chinese new words, slang and popular culture.
Visit the Confucius Institute Edinburgh website for further details of the programme.
7 Reasons You Should Teach Your Children To Speak French
5 February 2014 (Business Insider)
The New Republic's John McWhorter just came out with an essay on why we should stop pretending French is an important language.
The piece comes in response to a New York Times article about a new initiative from the French government to increase the amount of French instruction in American schools.
To be sure, it's a little heavy handed for a foreign government to be attempting to quasi-infiltrate another country's education system.
But here's why McWhorter's wrong, and why everyone should learn French.
Posted in: Chinese, French, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press
Why native English speakers can learn Mandarin Chinese more easily than they think
The government, business leaders and probably your parents (if you're at school) will tell you it's good to learn Mandarin Chinese, but the language's reputation as impossible may make you balk at the challenge. Weicong Liang, Chinese Instructor and Teaching Supervisor at the Business Confucius Institute, University of Leeds, demystifies.
The school teaching Chinese Mandarin
4 February 2014 (CBBC Newsround)
From September primary schools across England will have to teach foreign languages. Most students will learn European languages like French, German or Spanish - but Nel visited a school where students are learning the Chinese language Mandarin - see Nel's video report.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition 2013/14 Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese Speaking Competition 2013/14 who took part in the final at The British Museum on 3 February.
Scottish schools performed well in the competition with Dollar Academy winning the individual beginner category, whilst Hillhead High School came third in the group category.
The winning students will spend a week in Beijing in April, visiting historical sites, interacting with Chinese students and experiencing Chinese culture. Well done everyone!
For more information about the competition, visit the British Council website.
Posted in: Chinese, Awards, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, Language Skills, News from language & education organisations
Red tape cut for Chinese teacher visits
3 February 2014 (Herald)
Teachers heading to Scotland to promote the Chinese language will be given leave to remain in the UK for a further year after five staff were at the centre of a row.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Immigration, Scotland, Scottish Government, Languages in the press
Record year for exports to China
31 January 2014 (Scottish Government)
Exports from Scotland to China were at their highest ever level in 2013, totalling almost £560 million.
Latest figures from the Global Connections Survey have shown a rise in food and drink exports and in sectors such as chemicals and engineering, contributing to a total increase of 30 per cent from the previous year.
First Minister Alex Salmond announced the new figures in his Chinese new year message heralding the arrival of the year of the horse, noting that 'the strength of the ties' between Scotland and China will allow the solid economic link between the two countries to continue to flourish for decades to come.
Mandarin in Edinburgh Schools
30 January 2014 (Edinburgh City Council)
During a ministerial visit to Tynecastle yesterday on Thursday 30th January, British Council and Scottish Government promoted foreign language assistants. Dr Alasdair Allan, Minster for Skills and Lifelong Learning (including 1 + 2 languages) met with Mei Ling, Chinese Language Assistant who taught a S1 class.
Donna McGinley, CL Modern Languages for Edinburgh City Council on Monday, was interviewed.
Mei Ling was recorded for BBC Radio Scotland and the link to the broadcast is below.
Posted in: 1+2, Chinese, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Student blog – Peter Reid's Pupil Immersion Visit to China, Tianjin Summer Camp 2013
30 January 2014 (Engage for Education)
Peter Reid was one of the senior pupils who represented the Edinburgh Confucius Classroom hub at the 2013 Pupil Immersion Visit to Beijing and Tianjin. This is an annual visit organised by the Tianjin Education Commission (TEC) and the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools (CISS), based at the University of Strathclyde, which aims to develop young people's understanding of Chinese culture and language. The group visits many Chinese, historic monuments and takes part in cultural lessons and intensive Mandarin language classes, for which the young people receive SQA accreditation.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Immersion, Language Learning, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
FC Barcelona celebrates the Chinese New Year with a special video featuring the first team players
28 January 2014 (FC Barcelona)
Neymar, Piqué, Pedro and Sergi Roberto thank the Club's Chinese fans for their support and welcome in the Chinese New Year, which is on January 31.
It's the third year on the run that the Barça players have taken part in what is the Chinese people's most important celebration, which this year ushers in the Year of the Horse.
Barça's links with the Asian giant are increasing all the time and the Chinese language web site is now the second most important at the Club in terms of visits made.
How to teach … Chinese New Year
27 January 2014 (Guardian)
From making paper lanterns to learning about the culture and language of China, Chinese New Year lends itself to many vibrant classroom activities.
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Languages in the press
A Chinese New Year story for children
27 January 2014 (GrowStoryGrow)
A video, lesson plan and resources to support this Chinese New Year story for young learners.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources
Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is the most important holiday in the Chinese Calender. On 31st January 2014 we will say goodbye to the year of the snake and welcome the year of the horse.
Visit the CISS Chinese New Year 2014 page for ideas and resources to introduce the year of the horse to your classroom.
This page will be live from 5pm on Friday 24th January.
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Promoting Languages, SCILT news
China Lecture Series Winter/Spring 2014
20 January 2014 (Confucius Institute for Scotland)
The spring programme for the China Lecture Series 2013-14 at the Confucius Institute for Scotland has been published.
Apply now for a Language Assistant - Bring language and culture alive with a native speaker in the classroom
running extra-curricular activities for additional support (eg lunch time clubs)
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Foreign Language Assistants, News from language & education organisations, Russian
Edinburgh Zoo and SCILT's short story competition
17 January 2014 (Edinburgh Zoo/SCILT)
Open to any P5-P7 pupils who have studied Chinese culture and/or some Chinese.
A little reminder that the short story competition deadline is 31st January 2014.
Please do support this competition. The winning entry will be presented to the Chinese Consulate. Also the story will be translated (or subtitles added to a video etc) into Chinese and Gaelic. In addition there will be a small token prize for the group or class from Edinburgh Zoo.
Please remember that the story is a class entry but can take any format - it could even be of a mixed format - allowing the whole class to be involved. If it easier to work in smaller groups then we will accept up to 5 entries from the one class. Criteria - a short story, video, presentation on anything about China, Chinese culture and/or the giant panda.
It also doesn't have to be very long - we are looking for quality and not quantity!
3-5 minute video
short Powerpoint presentation
set of drawings/pictures/photographs with descriptions/anecdotes
Entries can be sent as jpegs; Powerpoint presentations; videos; etc and can be emailed to this address or sent by post on CD Roms/DVD to the address below.
Similarly, written material can be emailed as pdf or word documents or sent by post to the address below.
Sandie Robb 罗桑迪
Senior Education Officer, Discovery & Learning,
Royal Zoological Society of Scotland 苏格兰皇家动物协会
134 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6TS
tel: 0131 314 0335, mobile: 07963 070654
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Cross-Curricular Working, Curriculum for Excellence, Language Learning, SCILT news
Performance of Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe
In celebration of Chinese New Year 2014, the Confucius Institute for Scotland's Schools is delighted to offer you the unique opportunity to attend a performance by the world famous Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe. The troupe comes from one of China's first children's art institutions to combine formal education with artistic performance. They have won various awards at national and local children's dance and music competitions, and toured over 20 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, America and Africa.
We are inviting pupils, teachers and members of the public to attend for free. Please join us to experience this magical performance of traditional Chinese dance and music. Details are on the attached invitation.
To secure a place at this event please register by completing the attached booking form and return it to katie.hawkins@strath.ac.uk by Friday 31st January. Please note that there are two forms, one for schools and one for individuals.
CNY School Booking Form (2.70 MB)
CNY Individual Booking Form (2.70 MB)
Chinese New Year invitation (389 KB)
Posted in: Chinese, SCILT news
Year of the Horse - Education Pack
Introduce pupils to the differences and similarities between the lives, languages and cultures of people in China and the UK with the Year of the Horse education pack from the British Council.
The Chinese Spring Festival and Chinese New Year celebrations begin on 31 January, when according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar, we will enter the Year of the Horse.
Our education pack for UK primary schools educates young people about the world around them and gives them an understanding of other countries and cultures in preparation for life as global citizens.
Mandarin immersion course for teachers July 2014
CISS will be running a Mandarin immersion course for teachers in Scotland this summer in partnership with the Tianjin Education Commission and Hanban. This course is suitable for primary or secondary teachers who are looking to teach beginners' level Mandarin Chinese or introduce Chinese/China in their schools.
The course will take place in Tianjin between the 12th and 27th July 2014.
All costs for tuition, accommodation and food (3 meals a day) will be covered. In order to ease organisation, CISS will book flights and arrange visas for all participants but we will not cover the cost of this. The estimated cost for flights and visas will be roughly £1000. Participants will also be responsible for the cost of their own insurance.
To register for this course, please email katie.hawkins@strath.ac.uk by Friday 31 January.
Posted in: Chinese, Scotland, CPD, Immersion, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Teacher Education, SCILT news
Ni hao ma? Children as young as five set the pace with a love for Mandarin
26 December 2013 (The Independent)
Children as young as five are already learning Mandarin in British schools, as David Cameron pushes for it to replace French and German in classrooms across the country.
Pupils at RJ Mitchell Primary in Elm Park, Havering, north London, are among the first of their age group to have the lessons. The numbers learning Mandarin are set to swell in the new year as other schools react to the Prime Minister's exhortation this month to make it the main modern foreign language in schools.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, England, Language Learning, Languages in the press
British students urged: Go to China to boost job hopes
18 December 2013 (Newsbeat)
There has been a rise in the number of British people going to study in China over the past five years. The number of British students going to study in the country has risen from 3,174 to 4,250.
A charity has told Newsbeat even more young people should consider it in an effort to boost their job chances. China is already the world's second biggest economy and is expected to overtake the US in the future.
The British Council says the the UK still lags behind countries like France when it comes to sending students east.
Posted in: Chinese, Careers, Language Learning, Study Abroad, Languages in the press
Pupils as young as four to be taught Chinese
16 December 2013 (Edinburgh Evening News)
Children as young as four will be given lessons in Mandarin under radical plans to equip them for a world in which China is an emerging superpower.
The drive will see dozens of native Chinese speakers from Edinburgh University visit classrooms across the Capital and East Lothian as teachers bid to spark an enduring interest in foreign languages.
Co-ordinated by the Scotland-China Education Network, the programme is being rolled out as the Scottish Government works towards a target of having every child learn two foreign languages on top of their mother tongue, with the first taken in P1 and the second by P5.
Chinese classes P1 for pupils (The Herald, 17 December 2013)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, 1+2, Language Learning, Language Policy, Languages in the press
Chinese Language Assistants
Chinese Language Assistants are native-level speakers of Mandarin. Qualified and experienced teachers in their home country, they bring Chinese language and culture alive in the classroom and through extra-curricular activities. Hosting a Chinese Language Assistant offers the entire school community an opportunity to learn about one of the world's fastest- growing economies, while gaining language skills and an international perspective. Apply by 31 January 2014.
Posted in: Chinese, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations
CISS Newsletter Autumn 2013
The latest edition of the CISS newsletter has been published. This edition highlights the promotion of Chinese language and culture around the country. Please download the newsletter if you'd like to find out more.
CISS Newsletter Autumn 2013 (1.21 MB)
Posted in: Primary, S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, Scotland, 1+2, Celebrating Languages, Community Languages, CPD, Cross-Curricular Working, Foreign Language Assistants, Language Learning, Language Learning - Primary, Language Learning - Secondary, Minority Languages, Partnership Working, Promoting Languages, Study Abroad
The Early Learning of Chinese Project
12 December 2013 (SCEN)
Primary school pupils across East Lothian are currently benefitting from an exciting new language learning initiative co-ordinated by the Scotland-China Education Network (SCEN).
The Early Learning of Chinese project launched in October and will see Chinese speaking students from the University of Edinburgh volunteer their time to help deliver P1 Mandarin lessons between November and the end of the school year. The project is being piloted as part of the Scottish Government's 1+2 language learning proposal, a product of the National Languages Working Group.
Languages - 'Exotic' Mandarin offered to students as young as 5 (TESS, 13 December 2013)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, 1+2, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
The 2nd Annual SCEN Youth Summit
Over 70 high schools, youth groups and organisations from across Scotland came together at the Gleneagles Hotel on the 27th November 2013 for the second annual youth summit organised by the Scottish-China Education Network (SCEN). As 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King's historic 'I Have A Dream' speech, the theme of this year's youth summit was 'Our Dream' with delegates asked to share their aspirations for the future of Chinese language learning in Scotland.
SCEN Summit At Gleneagles (SCEN, 12 December 2013)
Prince William speaks Mandarin as he joins David Beckham in wildlife campaign to Chinese
6 December 2013 (Daily Express)
Prince William joined David Beckham and NBA basketball star Yao Ming in appealing to Chinese parents to think of their children and save endangered wildlife in a video message today.
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrities, Languages in the press
Calligraphy and Chinese Brush Painting Classes Jan-Mar 2014
5 December 2013 (Confucius Institute Edinburgh)
Discover the artistry of Chinese brush writing and painting with Scotland`s leading Chinese artist, ZHANG Chi. This 10 week evening class begins on 21 January 2014.
Visit the Confucius Institute Scotland website for more information.
David Cameron urges British students to ditch French and learn Mandarin
David Cameron, who has notoriously poor schoolboy French, is urging today's youngsters to abandon the language of Molière and Voltaire to concentrate on the tongue of the future – Mandarin.
In a parting shot, as he left China after a three-day visit, the prime minister said that pupils should look beyond the traditional French and German lessons and instead focus on China.
To reinforce his message the prime minister quoted Nelson Mandela, who said learning someone else's language is the best way to their heart. Cameron said: "I want Britain linked up to the world's fast-growing economies. And that includes our young people learning the languages to seal tomorrow's business deals.
French or Chinese? Whichever you learn, it's cultural subtleties that count (The Guardian, 5 December 2013)
Should more British children be learning Mandarin? (The Guardian, 5 December 2013). The Guardian invites you to take part in their online poll.
Ditch French and German lessons for Mandarin, says David Cameron as his visit to China draws to a close (The Independent, 5 December 2013)
British Academy welcomes PM announcement on Mandarin learning (British Academy, 5 December 2013)
David Cameron urges UK schools to teach Mandarin (Financial Times, 5 December 2013)
'Pupils should ditch French and German and study Mandarin instead': David Cameron wants education ties with China 'dramatically strengthened' (Daily Mail, 5 December 2013)
Why Mandarin is tougher than David Cameron thinks (The Guardian blog, 5 December 2013)
David Cameron says British schoolchildren should be taught Mandarin ahead of French or German (Daily Mirror, 4 December 2013)
Posted in: Chinese, French, Business, Economy, Language Learning, Language Skills, Promoting Languages, Languages in the press
UK-China higher education links strengthened
British Council Chief Executive, Martin Davidson CMG, hosted an event at the UK-China Business Summit in Beijing for the launch of the 'Generation UK CEO Initiative' and signing of a number of UK-China education partnership agreements. The 'Generation UK & Celebrating UK-China Education Partnerships' event brought together a mixed audience of education and business leaders to celebrate several initiatives further supporting student mobility and educational exchanges between the UK and China.
The Generation UK CEO Initiative was launched to gain the help and support of businesses in the UK and China to further expand the number of opportunities available for students through the British Council's Generation UK campaign. Generation UK was launched in June this year with support from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and aims to see at least 15,000 UK students participate in academic study or work experience programmes in China over the next 3 years.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Celebrating Languages, Study Abroad, News from language & education organisations
World Confucius Classroom of the Year
3 December 2013 (St Ninian's High School)
Following the success of winning the Scottish Confucious Classroom of the Year we are delighted to announce that the East Renfrewshire Confucius Classroom which has its foundation in St Ninian's has won the Hanban World Confucius Classroom of the Year Award 2013. This is from more than 500 entries worldwide.
The Confucius Hub aims to promote Chinese language and culture. Within St Ninian's, pupils have experienced numerous Chinese activities such as the China Week, Mandarin classes, Tai Chi lessons, Chinese dance, cookery lessons, lantern making, Chinese chess and a Chinese art project.
East Ren Chinese hub among world's top ten (Glasgow South and Eastwood Extra, 3 December 2013)
World Confucius Classroom Hub of the Year (Engage for Education, 8 December 2013)
Why the future could well be Mandarin
2 December 2013 (The Yorkshire Post)
The number of people learning Chinese is growing all the time. Chris Bond visited a language academy in Leeds to find out more.
Housed in the middle of a business park on the edge of Leeds city centre the Confucius Language Academy doesn't look too promising from the outside. But inside it's a different story where the principal and managing director Tony Xu is waiting with a welcoming smile and a refreshing cup of tea, orcha. "Here you are in a bit of China so we drink Chinese tea," he says jovially.
He has good reason to be happy. Since setting up his Chinese language academy in 2008 he's gone from teaching 15 students to running a successful business that has around 200 pupils on its books.
Dr Allan blog - the SCEN event
29 November 2013 (Engage for Education blog)
The Scotland-China Education Network (SCEN) plays a vital role in maintaining links with this country and the world's most populous, with a particular emphasis on what we can learn from each other at school level.
I have been very pleased to see the great enthusiasm of many young people from around Scotland for learning about China and Chinese, particularly in the context of our ambitious languages agenda.
Posted in: Chinese, Celebrating Languages, Language Learning, News from language & education organisations
Music and Mandarin
20 November 2013 (Create Your World Book blog)
Melody and rhythm are important to learning a tonal language like Mandarin, but learning a tonal language through music is not the same as learning a non-tonal language like French. Listening to the language's melody is critically important if you want to learn correct pronunciation or understand natural speech, but real 'music' – as in songs – is somewhat less helpful (although not useless) in learning pronunciation than it is in other languages.
I think about melody and music much more in learning Mandarin than I ever have when learning any other language. Scientific research has also confirmed that tonal languages share space with musical memory in the brain. In this post, I would like to share the many ways that thinking musically will help you advance in Mandarin, as well as how to (and how not to) use songs as part of your language learning.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources
Shortfall in the languages the UK needs the most
Three-quarters of the UK public are unable to speak one of the 10 most important languages for the country's future, a British Council report has found.
The British Council has called on government and business to work together to develop educational policy and priorities relating to languages. This follows a YouGov poll commissioned by the British Council, which found that of 4000 UK adults polled, 75% are unable to hold a conversation in any of the languages highlighted as crucial to the UK's economic standing.
The Languages for the Future report identified those languages, in order of importance, as: Spanish, Arabic, French, Mandarin, German, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Turkish and Japanese.
Read the British Council report here.
'Alarming shortage' of foreign language skills in UK (BBC, 20 November 2013)
UK warned over shortage of foreign language speakers (BBC News, 20 November 2013) - includes a link to audio item 'But why are British students so behind with foreign language skills?' BBC Radio 5 live's Breakfast reporter Rowan Bridge visited language teachers and students at Manchester College to find out. (Available to listen to until Wednesday 27 November 2013).
Britons are told they must learn languages of success (The Herald, 20 November 2013)
Arabic beats French, Mandarin beats German and Spanish is best: UK's international education body highlights most important foreign languages to learn (The Independent, 20 November 2013)
Poor Language Skills 'Hampering UK Economy' (Sky News, 20 November 2013)
Languages must be as important as maths and science, British Council says (TES News blog, 20 November 2013)
Languages - Gift of bilingualism is too often 'squandered' (TES, 22 November 2013)
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Business, Language Learning, Language Policy, Language Skills, News from language & education organisations, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Portuguese
Winter Chinese Classes Jan-Mar 2014
The winter semester 2014 at the Confucius Institute for Scotland will start on Monday, 20 Jan 2014. The institute offers a wide range of classes from beginners courses to advanced levels in this new semester.
Demystifying China in the 'Venice of the East'
James Coop, a Graduate in BSc Computer Science at Cardiff University, talks about his experience as an English Language Assistant in Suzhou, China.
Perhaps his experience will inspire you to become an ELA too. You can apply to China or one of the other 13 countries on offer by 2 December 2013.
Beyond sushi: the attractions of lecturing in Japan (THE, 14 November 2013) - Susan K Burton looks back at her time teaching at Japanese universities and wonders why more Westerners don't head east.
Posted in: Chinese, English Language Assistants, Language Learning, Language Teaching, News from language & education organisations, Japanese
¿Qué hora es? – El tiempo pasa volando
10 November 2013 (neiljones.org)
The resources attached to this post are linked to teaching the time in Spanish to beginners. In slides 22 and 59 there are links to some great websites where you can get some interactive practice taking place. The site contains a variety of resources and teaching ideas for secondary Spanish and French, with a small section on teaching numbers in Mandarin Chinese.
Posted in: S1-S3, Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources
Chinese TV - "Dad, where shall we go?"
6 November 2013 (YouTube)
A Chinese TV programme, on YouTube, which gives insight into China and the Chinese and is very good for pupils who may not know a lot about China even if they have a Chinese background.
There are subtitles all the way through so it is suitable for many types of classes/teachers/pupils. It is a TV series called: "Dad, where shall we go?" Children and their fathers are followed in various places in China. The programme aims to develop the independence of the child, to develop them as responsible citizens and get them to think and stand on their own two feet.
Follow the link below to the first episode of 爸爸去哪儿
Posted in: Chinese, Cultural Diversity, Language Learning, Resources
Scottish Confucius Institute established at Heriot-Watt University
05 November 2013 (Heriot-Watt University)
Scotland's educational links with China have been taken to the next level, after an agreement was struck to establish a Confucius Institute at Heriot-Watt University, the first to specialise in business and communication.
The Institute, the fifth Confucius Institute in Scotland, will aim to help Scottish companies to engage with China and increase the provision of Chinese language learning for business purposes.
Posted in: Chinese, Business, Language Learning, Promoting Languages, News from language & education organisations
In Spain, even toddlers learn Chinese for job hopes
03 November 2013 (The Journal)
"Xiang jiao! Banana!" says Fu Huijuan, beaming as she waves the fruit in front of her three-year-old pupil, Leon, at a Madrid nursery school.
He and his four classmates have barely learned to speak even in their native Spanish, but already they are absorbing Mandarin Chinese – as are many adult Spaniards concerned for their job prospects.
Posted in: Chinese, Careers, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
1 November 2013 (GrowStoryGrow)
GrowStoryGrow is launching 50 new bite-sized stories in 6 different languages in summer 2014.
Find out more on the GrowStoryGrow website.
On the website you will also find a story for Guy Fawkes and Remembrance Day, available for free until the end of November. Visit GrowStoryGrow.
Posted in: Chinese, French, German, Spanish, Language Learning, Language Teaching, Resources, Russian, Japanese
Trend of Modern Language Entries at SCQF Levels 4-5
SCILT have produced a document with statistics on Modern Language Entries at SCQF Levels 4-5 from 2009-2013. This is in addition to the statistics previously published:
- Trend of Modern Language Entries and Attainment at Higher in French, German and Spanish
- Trend of Modern Language Entries and Attainment at Higher in the lesser studied languages (Italian, Gaelic for Learners, Mandarin, Urdu and Russian)
Visit our Statistics on languages in Scotland page to download the PDFs.
Posted in: Senior Phase, Chinese, French, Gaelic, German, Italian, Spanish, Language Learning, Qualifications, Statistics, SCILT news, Russian
Meet the Australian children fluent in Mandarin
Australia's politicians often talk about the importance of building ties with Asia. Successive governments have promised to increase the number of schools teaching Asian languages, but in fact the number of children in high school learning Asian languages is falling. The BBC's Jon Donnison has been to one of the country's few bilingual schools.
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Bilingual Education, Language Learning, Languages in the press
Boris Johnson: 'Teach Mandarin in UK schools'
British children should be taught the Chinese language Mandarin as standard in schools, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said.
Johnson, who is studying Mandarin himself, suggested Britons should be learning as much as possible about China as the East Asian giant continues to expand its global influence.
Posted in: Chinese, Language Learning, Language Policy, Language Teaching, Languages in the press
Dragon premieres at the Citizens Theatre
In conjunction with the Confucius Institute at Glasgow University, CISS was given the opportunity to take 350 pupils from all over Scotland to see the premiere of the play Dragon at the Citizens Theatre. This wonderful co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland, Tianjin Children's Art Theatre and Vox Motus is highly unusual given that there are no words spoken throughout the play. The audience is invited to take a visual and emotional journey using their imagination. The use of puppetry, illusion and music allows this to happen.
Dragon (14.6 KB)
Posted in: Primary, Chinese, Scotland, Celebrating Languages, Community Languages, Cross-Curricular Working, Cultural Diversity, Partnership Working
We are delighted to announce the launch of the HSBC/BC Mandarin Speaking Competition 2013-2014.
Motivate your students with a trip to Beijing!
Enter your students into the HSBC/British Council Mandarin Chinese speaking competition for a chance to visit the Chinese capital. There are four categories: beginner, intermediate, advanced and group per