Latest News
All the latest news from the world of languages and language teaching.Schools Week: Ofqual chief criticised over ’embarrassing’ claim teacher grades ‘more accurate’ than exams
The head of England’s exams regulator has been criticised over his “embarrassing” claim that teacher-assessment grades were “likely to give a much more accurate” reflection of students’ capabilities than exams. One former policy adviser even suggested the comment...
Independent: Teacher-assessed grades are better than exams, Ofqual chief says
GCSE and A-Level students did not sit exams this year and will instead be awarded grades by teachers. Teacher assessment of pupils is a better and more “accurate” way of awarding grades than formal exams, the government’s qualification regulator has said. Simon Lebus,...
The Guardian: Students apply to UK version of Erasmus foreign study scheme
More than 40,000 students could be offered places in new Turing scheme – though costs may not be fully covered. The government’s replacement for the Europe-wide Erasmus student exchange scheme appears to have got off to a flying start – although experts warn that the...
Japan Olympics
As well as the sporting events that dominated broadcasting in Summer we spotted this cultural aspect of the Games : https://japaninsides.com/196-countries-are-getting-represented-in-ambitious-kimono-project-for-tokyo-olympics/ As reported on Twitter by...
10 best Spanish series on Netflix right now
Watching TV shows and films in a different language is the most effective and practical way of learning that language. RM from BTS confirmed this by talking about how he managed to learn English by just watching the highly popular show Friends. If you are a native...
Schools Week: £4m Latin excellence programme: What you need to know
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has vowed to tackle Latin’s “reputation as an elitist subject” with a new scheme to boost take-up of the subject among disadvantaged pupils. He unveiled the £4 million “Latin excellence programme” over the weekend, in a move...
theconversation.com: Thinking of taking a language in year 11 and 12?
Thinking of taking a language in year 11 and 12? Here’s what you need to know. This article is part of a series providing school students with evidence-based advice for choosing subjects in their senior years. Some students elect to study languages in their senior...
BBC Sounds:
Music Planet brings the WOMAD experience into the studio with live sets by some of the artists who would have been playing at the festival this weekend, including Italian collective Amaraterra with pizzica music from the country's south-eastern region, Welsh guitarist...
theconversation.com: The political history of dubbing in films
English-speaking audiences rarely come across dubbed films and television programmes. This probably explains why they tend to find dubbing so, well, weird. Dubbed voices usually sound a bit flat and never quite sync up with the mouths we see onscreen. This can be...
Young refugee child teaches Greek Language to other kids worldwide
A young Palestinian refugee on the Greek island of Leros, who arrived on a rickety boat from Turkey in December 2018, has set up a page called “Learn Greek” on social media to teach the language to children worldwide. The amazing story of Sabri Madi, who was just 13...
Which language did people want to learn most in each country
Language is one of the critical components pertaining to the identity of a nation; and learning another language can help enrich the experience of someone who is visiting a country — but teaching yourself to speak a foreign language can introduce you to the culture of...
Handwriting Is Better Than Typing When Learning a New Language, Study Finds
In our daily lives, we spend a lot more time tapping at a screen and typing on a keyboard than writing with pencil and pen, so does handwriting tuition still offer anything useful? Absolutely, according to a new study. Researchers tasked 42 adult volunteers with...
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