North East

This year will see our succesful Festival of International Culture heading to Durham.

The Festival  will comprise of all sorts of different activities to raise awareness of the need for language learners in the UK. We will endeavour to focus on the fun, active and practical side to learning new languages and cultures.

The event will last for half a day and take place between 9:15 and 12:30. It will be split between language taster sessions and practical introductions to new cultures and practices such as dance, martial arts and music.

The purpose of the day is:

1) To introduce the idea of learning a new language to school pupils.

2) To show the students the benefits and opportunities that language learning can offer.

3) To give them an idea of what life in higher education is like

This year the festival will be scaled down somewhat. Unfortunately this means we are forced to reduce the number of school groups able to take part in the Festival so get your booking in quickly to avoid disappointment.

The Festival this year is open only to groups of year 8 or 9 pupils who will NOT have taken their GCSE options before the 23rd March.

After the success of previous year's Festivals we will be continuing the tradition in the Centenary Year of Modern Languages at Newcastle University.

The Festival this year will comprise of all sorts of different activities to raise awareness of the need for language learners in the UK. We will endeavour to focus on the fun, active and practical side to learning new languages and cultures.

The day will be split between language taster sessions and practical introductions to new cultures and practices such as dance, martial arts and music.

The purpose of the day is:

1) To introduce the idea of learning a new language to school pupils.

2) To show the students the benefits and opportunities that language learning can offer.

3) To give them an idea of what life in higher education is like

This year in an effort to encourage continuity beyond the Routes into Languages project, the Festival of International Culture will be organised Newcastle University Modern Languages Society with support from Routes into Languages and Newcastle University School of Modern Languages. Unfortunately this means we are forced to reduce the number of school groups able to take part in the Festival so get your booking in quickly to avoid disappointment.

The Festival this year is open to groups of year 8 pupils only.

Want to have your say? Tell us now!

We are delighted to hear that Routes into Languages will carry on until July 2012. We have been advised to modify our activities given reduced budgets and the changes in the 'languages landscape' with the English Baccalaureate amidst many other features.

Do you teach languages? Or, are you involved in the promotion of the teaching and learning of the subject? Or do you work in teacher training of languages? If so, we would like to hear what you think of Routes NE and how we should continue into this new phase.

• What should we continue to do?
• What activities have we not implemented in the North East which have proven success elsewhere?
• How can we adjust our strategy to match the current 'landscape'?

We would pleased if you can join us on 8th March, 3-5.30pm, at Newcastle University (Howden Room, King George VI Building). We can accommodate late arrivals at 4pm. Please indicate when booking if this applies.

If you cannot make it, but have answers to the questions above, please email: r.f.o'rourke@ncl.ac.uk with the subject heading: NE CONSULTATION

 This is a combined meeting with the Routes NE and Links NE Advisory Committees.

Another in our programme of film study days for VI formers in the North East in collaboration with the Tyneside Cinema. This day will see a re-run of the succesful film day held in the autumn featuring Les Choristes.

Les Choristes is a 2004 French drama film directed by Christophe Barratier. Co-written by Barratier and Philippe Lopes-Curval, it is an adaptation of the 1945 film A Cage of Nightingales (La Cage aux Rossignols), which in turn was adapted by Noël-Noël and René Wheeler from a story by Wheeler and Georges Chaperot.

Widely successful orchestra conductor Pierre Morhange (Jacques Perrin) returns to France when his mother dies. He reminiscences about his childhood inspirations through the pages of a diary kept by his old music teacher Clément Mathieu (Gérard Jugnot). In 1949, a young Pierre (Jean-Baptiste Maunier) is the badly behaved son of single mother Violette (Marie Bunel). He attends a boarding school, Fond de L'Etang, for "difficult" boys presided over by strict headmaster Mr Rachin (François Berléand). New teacher Mathieu brightens up the place and assembles a choir, leading to the discovery of Pierre's musical talents.

For a more detailed plot synopsis please click here.

To download the study pack for this film, please visit the Resources page.

The Spanish Cafe Presents...

Pinchos y Cine: Jamón Jamón - Tuesday 1st February 2011 - 5.30pm

Spanish nibbles and refreshments from 5.30 in the foyer of Elvet Riverside room 141 followed by a short introduction in Spanish and a screening of Jamón Jamón (dir. Bigas Luna, 1992) at 6.15pm in Elvet Riverside room 141.

Please visit the Spanish Cafe website for more information.

Are you looking for an informal and sociable way of improving your French, German or Spanish?

Why not come along to the Teesside Language Cafe?

Tuesday 8th February 2011 from 6pm - 8pm, Dickens Inn Coffee Shop, Southfield Road (Main Dickens Inn entrance)

To find out more please contact Angelika Flynn or simply turn up on the day.

You don't need to be fluent to join, but as this is not a language course it is not suitable for complete beginners.

Newcastle University Stammtisch meets for the first time this semester next week and is open to everybody, who likes a nice and cheerful talk in German.

Tuesday, 2nd February 6.30 pm at „Bar Kollo“ (22Leazes Park Road / first floor) - a great location for sitting, eating, drinking and chatting…

Please contact Franzi Schultz if you have any queries.

The next in our programme of succesful film study days for VIth formers in the North East in collaboration with the Tyneside Cinema will feature the film Maria full of Grace (María llena eres de gracia).

This is a 2004 joint Colombian-American film, written and directed by Joshua Marston, who won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Although the movie depicts rural life in Colombia, it was actually filmed in Ecuador. The title is a double-entendre alluded to on the poster—a simultaneous reference to the Hail Mary and to what Maria carries in her into the United States.

Lead actress Catalina Sandino Moreno was named Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in the 77th Academy Awards. She is one of three Hispanic actresses to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, together with Mexican actress Salma Hayek for Frida (2002) and Spanish actress Penelope Cruz for Volver (2006).

For a plot synopsis please click here.

Realising the Strategic Importance of Languages
Join our high profile speakers and expert panel from business, schools, universities, and government at the easily accessible Royal Station Hotel in Newcastle.

We will hear from Baroness Coussins and Richard Hardie as keynote speakers followed by workshops in which we can formulate responses to their address - either as questions put to them in plenary, or as actions for us in our own schools and institutions.

We will hear from an expert panel and be able to put questions to them on the challenges and solutions present in teaching and learning languages in UK schools and universities.

By the end of this session we will have:

•explored ways of thinking differently about language learning in schools
•shared examples of our own best practice from curricular organisation to classroom craft
•started to develop strategies for our own schools in realising the strategic importance of languages
•gained a deeper understanding of the national 'languages landscape'
 

This event is funded jointly by Routes into Languages and Links into Languages North East

How to use languages to get ahead in the job market

Wednesday, 17th November 13:00 – 16:00, Northumbria University

The languages employability event returns for a second year after last year's success. This is an opportunity to attend a number of sessions on making the most of your languages qualifications when it comes to finding work either using your languages in the UK or securing a placement abroad.

There will be the opportunity to pick the brains of an amazing Professional Panel including delegates from:
Dickinson Dees LLP, Procter & Gamble, Theatre Royal, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, IT, Events Management, freelance translation and many more…
 

There will also be workshops taking place covering the following topics: securing a work placement abroad, interview dos and don’ts, making the most of Routes into Languages for your CV, making the most of languages for your CV.