NDLR Modern Languages’ Community of Practice

The Conference of the Association of Third-Level Teachers of German in Ireland will be hosted by the Department of German, NUI Galway on 7 October 2006 from 11am – 4.30 pm. The theme of the conference is ‘Teaching German in Ireland Politics and Perspectives’.

The programme will include a panel discussion which will bring together representatives of various educational, political and commercial sectors. The AGM of the Association is scheduled for 4.30 – 5.30 pm, and a full conference programme will be avialable soon.

For more information please contact Prof. Hans-Walter Schmidt-Hannisa, email h.schmidthannisa@nuigalway.ie

According to a comment in a BBC news article languages are at “the point of no return” in terms of a steep decline in the numbers doing GCSEs in the subjects.

‘Scenario’ – the Journal for Drama and Theatre in Foreign and Second Language Education - is a bilingual (English – German), fully peer-reviewed on-line journal. The journal’s main focus is on the role of drama and theatre in the teaching and learning of foreign / second languages, including the literature and culture associated with these languages.  It is aimed at scholars, teachers, theatre professionals and drama- and theatre-in-education specialists. The journal has a distinctly interdisciplinary orientation, encouraging contributions from different research disciplines and fields of practice.

The first issue of ‘Scenario’ is due to appear on February 1st 2007 and the focus of the inaugural issue will be ‘Creating Scenario(s): Drama and Theatre in Language Education‘.  The editors (Manfred Schewe, Cork, Ireland; Susanne Even, Bloomington, USA) have issued a call for papers for inclusion in the February edition.

The closing date for submission is Friday, December 1st, 2006.  Further information can be found at the UCC Scenario web site at http://www.ucc.ie/en/scenario/, email scenario@ucc.ie, telephone +353 21 490 2077/2078.

The European Award for Languages-the language label, has been a major event in the languages calendar since 1998 and is simultaneously run in over 20 European countries. It recognises creative and innovative ways to improve the quality of language teaching and learning. Twelve successful projects received the Award this year. The winners were selected on the criteria of excellence innovation and the ability to serve as a model for others.

The projects awarded the prize this year were truly innovative and included the following:

• A CLIL Experience @WIT, Project Coordinators: Dr Aine Furlong and Paola Fraioli, Waterford Institute of Technology
• County Dublin VEC English Language Teaching Development Initiative, Project Coordinator, Stephen Bearpark, Co Dublin VEC, Head Office, Tallaght, Dublin 24
  
• Graduate Diploma in Education (Languages), Project Coordinator, Janet Moody, Department of Education and Professional Studies, University of Limerick, Limerick
  
• Hiberno-German Tandem: Gustaff Meets May, May und Gustaff Treffen Sich!, Project Coordinator, Carmen Creighton, Maynooth Post Primary School, Maynooth, Co Kildare
  
• i-Learning in Transition Year French, Project Coordinators, Anne Grills and Gemma Kelly, Manor House Secondary School, Watermill Road, Raheny, Dublin 5
  
• In-Service Programme For Language Support Teachers in Primary Schools Throughout Ireland, Project Coordinator, Dr Barbara Lazenby Simpson, Integrate Ireland Language and Training
  
• ITB Schools Language Programme, Project Coordinator, Maria Kenneally, Institute of Technology Blancharstown, Dublin 15
  
• Les Marionnettes-A Puppet Show in French Suitable for First Years, Project Coordinators, Fiona Cogan and Bernadette Sharkey, The Donahies Community School, Streamville Road, Dublin 13
  
• Prima (Deutsche Zeitschrift), Project Coordinator, Martina O’Reilly, CBS High School, Kickham Street, Clonmel, Co Tipperary
  
• Problem Solve, Quality Manager, Kristin Brogan, Institute of Technology Tralee, Co Kerry
  
• Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge, Project Coordinator, Anna Ní Ghallachair, Ionad na dTeangacha, Maigh Nuad, Co. Chill Dara
• The Process of Applying Lateral Thinking Skills to the Teaching and Learning of a Modern Language and Culture, Project Coordinators, Suzanne O’Brien and Eileen Geaney, St Mary’s National School, Windsor Avenue, Fairview, Dublin 3
  

For further information on the European Award for Languages and the Language Label please contact languages@leargas.ie 

Travellers passing through European Airports during this summer are being exposed to an innovative concept of language promotion. Nine storytellers from across Europe – Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary and Ireland – are promoting language learning through fairy tales. The storytellers interact in eight different languages – Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finish, French, Gaelic, German and Hungarian – thus highlighting the goal of the project; to raise awareness of language diversity throughout Europe and to encourage language learning.

The project took off from Brussels Airport Wednesday, 24 May. In July and August, the project stops over at Prague – Budapest – Helsinki – Frankfurt – Dublin and Copenhagen Airport as its final destination. They will perform in both the arrivals area and the departures area in Dublin Airport during Wednesday August 16^th with the kind cooperation of Aer Rianta.

The storytellers are:
András Faragó: Hungary
Heli Aaltonen: Finland
Katharina E. Ritter: Austria
Michal Nesvadba: Czech Republic
Mia Verbeelen: Belgium
Nathalie Bondoux: France
Niall de Búrca: Ireland
Suse Weiße: Germany
Mariane Josefsen: Denmark

For further information, please contact Julia Helber at julia.helber@bruessel.goethe.org;  Tel: +32 (0) 2 234 57 84   

For conversational French, the BBC have launched a new interactive broadband video based language course “Ma France”. It is very well produced and has a lot of useful and interesting features which might be of interest to those considering the potential of multimedia technologies.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/french/mafrance/index.shtml#