West Midlands

Pupils will attend a session in the language they are currently studying (typically F, Ger or Sp) and in a new, less widely taught language. In the afternoon, they will be able to get a feel for studying at university by attending a First Year-level lecture. Your pupils will also meet undergraduate students who will be able to tell them about their experience of studying a language at university and who will give them a short tour of Birmingham University’s beautiful green campus.    

Please note that places are limited and that bookings will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis  

For further details and to book, please contact:

Sonja Bernhard

University of Birmingham

School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk

Tel 0121 414 2564

FLAGS stands for “Foreign Language Awareness Group for Schools”. The idea is to introduce pupils to a new language and thus get them inspired and enthusiastic about language learning. FLAGS works as an e-mentoring project: The language learning content is delivered via WebCT, our virtual learning environment. With the help of undergraduate student e-mentors, the pupils work their way through up to nine online language learning sessions. 

We pioneered FLAGS last year in three schools with FLAGS Italiano – it was a fun learning experience for us all! This year, FLAGS will run with six schools and there is a choice of languages: FLAGS Italian and Japanese will be offered in the autumn (between 29 September - 12 December), FLAGS German in the winter/spring (between 12 January -27 March).

The exact project dates are to be arranged with each participating school.

Download more information on how the project works here

Places for this project are now fully booked. However, we can arrange for schools to use the FLAGS WebCT sites, which offer an introduction to Italian, Japanese or German in nine lessons. Schools could use these sites to run their own language clubs.

If interested, please contact:

Sonja Bernhard

University of Birmingham

School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk

Tel 0121 414 2564   

FLAGS stands for “Foreign Language Awareness Group for Schools”. The idea is to introduce pupils to a new language and thus get them inspired and enthusiastic about language learning. FLAGS works as an e-mentoring project: The language learning content is delivered via WebCT, our virtual learning environment. With the help of undergraduate student e-mentors, the pupils work their way through up to nine online language learning sessions. 

We pioneered FLAGS last year in three schools with FLAGS Italiano – it was a fun learning experience for us all! This year, FLAGS will run with six schools and there is a choice of languages: FLAGS Italian and Japanese will be offered in the autumn (between 29 September - 12 December), FLAGS German in the winter/spring (between 12 January -27 March).

The exact project dates are to be arranged with each participating school.

Places for this project are now fully booked. However, we can arrange for schools to use the FLAGS WebCT sites, which offer an introduction to Italian, Japanese or German in nine lessons. Schools could use these sites to run their own language clubs.

If interested, please contact:

Sonja Bernhard

University of Birmingham

School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk

Tel 0121 414 2564   

The Active Languages project will begin on Thursday 13th November 2008 with a full day event for participating schools at the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Campus. This introductory event for teachers of MFL and PE/Sports will provide advice, demonstrations and practical sessions delivered by secondary schools and Youth Sport Trust representatives. After learning how effective this combined form of teaching can be, you will then have the chance to begin planning your own Active Languages project, with your school colleague, that can be delivered in your school later in the year. Projects might involve pupils producing guide books in the target language for a school trip abroad, or learning how to play a new sport through a new language – you can tailor your project to suit your school and your pupils. We encourage schools to develop projects that are aimed at pupils in Year 8, although this is flexible. All participating schools will have an opportunity to bid for funding (up to £1k) to run their Active Languages project during 2008/09. Representatives from the Routes into Languages programme will be on hand to offer help and support throughout the length of your project. 

In order to take part, you will need to book a place for yourself AND a colleague from your school’s PE and Sports department. There are places for a maximum of fifteen schools to take part in this project, so all bookings will be handled on a first come, first served basis.

 Please note that the morning sessions will involve active participation in the activities. It is therefore recommended that you arrive dressed in appropriate sportswear (for example, track suit and training shoes) and be prepared to take part.  You may also wish to bring a fully charged laptop to assist with Action Planning for your own Active Languages projects in the afternoon. 

If you would like any further information on this project please don’t hesitate to contact Sonja Bernhard on 0121 414 2564 S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk or Kat Stevenson on 0121 204 3872 K.E.Stevenson@aston.ac.uk.

Intensive 3-day Mandarin Chinese and Japanese Language Courses at the University of Birmingham for Gifted and Talented Y12 Pupils

28 - 30 July 2008

About the courses:

You have a choice of either a Chinese or a Japanese three-day course at the University. You will be studying on campus and will be taught by tutors from the University's Centre for Modern Languages.

Each day starts at 10am and finishes at 3.30pm, with a lunch break from 12.45-1.30.

You will learn the basics of the language, such as introducing yourself, giving personal information, counting, telling the time, shopping, talking about your family. You will also gain some insight into the Chinese/Japanese writing system and will explore interesting facts about China and Japan. In the afternoon, activities will centre on cultural topics and activities such as: origami, calligraphy, songs, role play...

Please note that these courses are non-residential, i.e. the participants do NOT stay over night at the University.

For booking and further information contact:

Sonja Bernhard

University of Birmingham

Centre for European Languages and Cultures

Birmingham B15 2TT

S.Bernhard@bham.ac.uk 

Tel: 0121 414 2564

Fax: 0121 414 3834