You might have heard this – each Chinese character tells a story. Chinese characters, also known as Hànzì (汉字), have the distinction of being among the oldest known written languages with a rich history spanning approximately five thousand years. In contrast to alphabetical letters, Mandarin uses logograms as visual symbols that directly represent entire words or combinations of words. This taster session will help you reveal the mystery of Chinese characters. You will gain a better understanding of the pronunciation, the structure, the logic and the philosophy behind the characters. Presented by Xiaoyan and Minrong, Professional Development Assistants at the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools.

Artificial Intelligence is taking the world by storm. Have you ever thought about using it for language learning? No matter how techie you are, the possibilities to sprinkle a little bit of computer magic into your learning routine are endless…and easier than you think! Get AI to create language learning materials based on your interests, use AI as a language partner to chat with and correct your work, and practice reading, writing, and vocab with AI. Presented by Josh Goldsmith, a UN/EU Accredited translator and interpreter, Founder and Chief Educational Officer of techforword, and Co-Founder of the AI Language Club.

If you have stared at too many rules and grammar tables and find yourself glazing over, anxiously waiting for the moment you get it all wrong, then Kerstin Cable would like to help. In this session the native German speaker, polyglot (10 languages, favourite Welsh), host of the Fluent Show podcast and author of the Language Habit System, Fluency Made Achievable and The Vocab Cookbook, will reveal the hidden mistakes you may be making when you study, how you can create a fun approach to learning grammar, and why it’s easier than you think to express yourself in another language.

Now more than ever UK business need linguists for their international sales and marketing roles. This talk from Joanne Alexander Sefre, a speaker of 6 languages who has had a successful international career utilising her language and cultural skills, will make the case why students today, more than ever, should cultivate languages skills in order to maximise future employment opportunities. Joanne worked internationally in the field of pharmaceuticals and food before setting up her own exporter, sales and translation agency which, 30 years later, is busier than ever importing products into the UK.

Over the past few centuries, regional languages have been beaten to within an inch of their lives across Europe, with many dying out completely. In this seminar, George Wilson, MA in Comparative Education from UCL and author of ‘A Comparative Study of Regional Language Policy in Brittany and Wales’, explores the importance of preserving regional languages, and considers the role that education can play in protecting and promoting them. Using examples from France and the UK, the session will examine some of the challenges inherent in such approaches and how different regions are striving to overcome these in order to secure the role of their regional languages in a plurilingual future.

Aimed at language learners at all levels, this is a workshop presented by Scotland’s National Centre for Languages which has already been seen by over 4,000 learners within schools in Scotland over the last 18 months. In this talk, Sheena Bell, SCILT Professional Development Officer, and Lisa Hanna, SCILT Deputy Director will explore how languages can contribute to success in a wide range of jobs and careers. They will introduce learners to the importance of languages and their associated skills in the workplace, break down stereotypes of careers that use languages, identify appropriate career pathways, and hear examples of people who use languages in their daily work.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

German, known for its rich history, literature, and economic prowess, fascinates language enthusiasts worldwide. However, there are also lots of negative stereotypes surrounding the German language. Harsh, blunt or aggressive, only used by people who bark orders? On the contrary, German possesses a rhythmic quality that can captivate the hearts and minds of those who dare to explore its intricacies. The German vocabulary is filled with words that have no direct translation in other languages, revealing a unique perspective on life, emotions, and experiences. As a native German speaker and language teacher, Dr Barbara Gräff, a language teacher and intercultural competence trainer based in Salzburg with a PhD in Applied Linguistics, would like to convince you that German is indeed a beautiful language well worth learning and is excited to share her insights and tips to help learners embark on a journey toward mastering this fascinating language.

RF Kuan is something of a powerhouse in publishing at the moment – her English language novels (with Chinese settings) are popular across Booktube, Boostagram and Booktok. But her books such as The Poppywar, Babel and the upcoming Katabasis are the latest in a line of Chinese popular fiction dating back to 1904’s 月球殖民地小說. This talk, of interest to fans of literature both in Chinese and in translation, would trace the history of Chinese science fiction, its reflection of Chinese culture and how it mirrors the burgeoning Westernisation of 20th Century Chinese literature. Presented by Darren Lester, a classicist with a Master’s in Applied Linguistics who has taught Classical and Modern Languages in primary and secondary for over 16 years.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

Over 7000 languages exist in the world, but 23 account for half the world’s population. Some specialists even believe that before the end of this century, 80% of the world’s languages could disappear. Why is this? What – if anything – can be done? This talk considers processes such as code-switching, borrowing and decreolisation, which can all ultimately lead to language shift and language death, as well as ways in which languages can be preserved or revitalised, why it is considered important to do so, and whether or not it is actually realistic. Presented by Dr Rebecca Mitchell of the University of Cambridge. No previous knowledge of linguistics is required!

Public speaking is an important skill for students of a second language as they are required to deliver classroom presentations and to do oral examinations. Speaking in public is not something innate, but something that can be learned. This seminar will examine how students can be trained to deliver good presentations, what strategies can be implemented to build up their confidence to present in another language, to master their fear(s) of presenting, what steps to take to prepare a good presentation, how to prepare for delivering a presentation, what to do and what not to do during a presentation. Presented by Carmen Garcia del Rio, Senior Lecturer at the University of Dundee, with more than 25 years of experience in the field of teaching Spanish.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

Do you have any idea of how many words there are in Spanish and where they come from? Which words has Spanish borrowed from other languages? Are there any international words and phrases used in Spanish? Do you know of any words in Spanish which are too difficult to translate? Presented by Javier Ramos Linares, a Spanish Language and Education Adviser at the Spanish Embassy Education Office (Consejería de Educación), this talk will try to answer these questions, to discuss the history of Spanish and its contact with other languages and we will see how this path has enriched and shaped the language as a plural and diverse communication tool for 600 million speakers.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

Increasing structural and systemic problems within the education system are seeing more and more parents opt for home schooling at KS3 and 4. One of the joys of home schooling is that it allows students to follow their own interests and for some this will include language learning. This presentation will cover some of the pleasures and problems of learning languages for home schoolers, including, but not limited to: qualifications, interacting with others, group or one-to-one lessons, learning opportunities beyond language lessons and re-integration into the education system at 16+. Presented by Samantha Cruickshank, online private tutor for French and German with QTS and experience of teaching French and German at Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 and beyond.

Teacher of British diplomats preparing for senior positions at the embassy in Jakarta, Ati Kisjanto’s students enjoy learning language through culture, taboos and superstition. For example, an Indonesian will never buy a house or apartment on the thirteenth floor or number thirteen or have a house on the end of a T-junction (tusuk sate/ satay skewer). Ati has lengthy chats with her students about Indonesians’ belief in ghosts, the spices and recipes from different regions, and the local culture that creates a fun way to learn idioms (buaya darat – literally “land crocodile”, means womaniser). Maybe this is your route to master the language.

In this workshop you will learn about six language learning strategies that will help you develop excellent pronunciation and fluency. The strategies are simple and very effective for students of any language. Applying them will enable you to manage effectively and enjoy more the process of learning as well as gaining confidence in your language learning abilities. Presented by Maria Blanco, Senior Lecturer in Spanish at the University of Westminster and a language learning strategies coach with more than 20 years experience teaching Spanish as well as coaching students and training language teachers on language learning strategies.

A presentation for learners with a look at how to maximise their language learning whilst abroad, through immersion in the language and culture, whilst setting specific learning goals for themselves and cultivating a positive mindset; and then a deeper dive into how focussing on a particular interest, passion or hobby in the local community, whilst abroad, can help with learning and confidence in communicating about a specific topic. Presented by Cate Franks, a legal researcher with a background in human rights law who has founded a small children’s charity, Children’s Helpers Worldwide, that works in partnership with locally-run organisations in five countries and focuses on education, health and poverty-relief.

The term Family Language Policy/Plan suggests that the responsibility for crafting and maintaining one is strictly a family matter. While parents are the architects of their child’s bilingual journey, it is crucial to acknowledge the instrumental role that schools play in this process by fostering language development, cultural understanding, and providing resources and support for effective language management at home. In this presentation Maria Potvin, a language consultant who supports parents in navigating all aspects of their family’s bi-/multilingual journey, will delve into these key aspects and explore effective strategies for schools to support family language planning.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

Although there is a lot of research around multilingualism, very little is known about how primary school children in the UK perceive and construct their linguistic identity. In this session, participants will find out how they can empower multilingual children while helping them shape their identity through simple activities which at the same time promote cultural understanding and challenge the teachers’ bias. While gaining an insight about the tribulations and continuous negotiations that multilingual children undergo, the activities proposed recognise and celebrate the cultural heritage which alongside strengthening the home-school link also supports multilingual families in their journey. Presented by Angelica Lazor who has recently completed a master’s degree on multilingualism and identity and who is currently completing a course with UCL focussing on Leading Behaviour and Culture.

A quick interactive session aimed at beginners in the language.

The newly established National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE) is a new initiative led by UCL’s Faculty of Education, working with the Goethe-Institut and the British Council and funded by the DfE. They aim to develop, support and future-proof a collaborative network of up to 25 lead hubs, each comprising up to seven partner schools, to reinvigorate and strengthen system-led leadership in languages across England. Hear how and why this initiative is going ahead and what you can do to take part. Speakers include Caroline Conlon, Associate Professor (Education) and NCLE Director of School Partnerships and Professional Development and Tracy Williams from the Trent and Thame Languages Hub.

MFL teacher for 10 years working with children from nursery to sixth form in the UK, France, and Morocco, Madeleine Handaji believes languages are not simply about exams and exercises in a text book, they are alive and dynamic. She will use her experiences as departmental lead, member of SLTs, running a school for refugees and being a published writer on North African geo-politics to make the case that it is our responsibility to open our pupils’ eyes to the role of languages on the world stage and show how modern foreign languages can open up a plethora of opportunities and experiences.

What we know about bilingualism has traditionally been shaped by the concept of native monolingual speaker. Research on bilingualism defines levels and effects of bilingualism in terms of distance (“non-native”, “near-native”, “native-like”) or differences (‘advantages’ or ‘disadvantages’) from native monolingual norms. The public understanding of bilingualism in Western societies is also typically conditioned by comparisons with monolingual parameters. I will show how interdisciplinary research that combines the strengths of linguistic, cognitive and social models deconstructs the notion of the ‘monolingual speaker’ as a default point of reference. This, in turn, opens up new ways to understand bilingualism in society. Presented by Antonella Sorace, Professor of Developmental Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh and founding director of the non-profit organisation Bilingualism Matters, which has 34 branches in four different continents.

This updated and fresh session for 2023, presented by two regular and popular Language Show speakers, revisits the subject of creating meaningful and memorable grammar experiences in the languages classroom using authentic materials after a year of delivering training on this to primary and secondary learners. With new ideas which aren’t rocket science and won’t be a chore, Crista Hazell, passionate and creative languages teacher, author, Linguascope webinar host, SLE in MFL and education consultant, and Dr Judith Rifeser, languages teacher (primary, secondary and HE), researcher, filmmaker and long-standing committee member of ALL London, will help teachers to unlock the power of grammar and authentic materials with examples from a range of languages from KS2 all the way through to KS5, based on the principles shared in last year’s talk.

Listening skills are vital if children are to become successful language learners but tuning into the sounds and rhythms of a new language can be challenging, particularly for monolingual learners. Full of practical strategies, games and inspiration, this session will explore the many ways that we can empower our pupils to develop the listening skills that will underpin their speaking, reading and writing and enable them to make progress in the target language. Presented by Ellie Chettle Cully, primary practitioner, specialist French teacher, Languages and International Dimension Lead at Hazel Community Primary School in Leicester, PGCE student trainer, organiser of the Leicester ALL Primary Hub and primary-languages blogger.

Presented by Sandie Robb, Language Project Coordinator for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and creator of their ‘Science in the Language Class’ programme, which links projects where RZSS works worldwide to the languages spoken, this is a presentation for primary and secondary language teachers introducing the programme and its innovative FREE online resources for Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Mandarin and Gaelic along with FREE virtual and/or outreach sessions available to schools, depending on location, in Spanish, French and Mandarin.

In this talk Nadine Chadier, Directrice du Bilinguisme at St Jerome Bilingual Primary, will share how language learning is used in her school inclusively to bring out the best in pupils. Whether they started in reception or joined later in year 5, there are a plethora of strategies to welcome pupils and bring out the best learning in them. The school believes this has a strong effect on pupils’ confidence and resilience that they transfer to other subjects and which creates a multilingual bubble of peace.

This session will take a multidimensional panel approach and will address the value of multilingualism and how to valorise all languages spoken in our schools; how policy and pedagogy can support constructive change; how we can strengthen support for teaching, learning and assessment; and how we improve cooperation between mainstream and supplementary schools; the way forward taking inspiration from international perspectives. Speakers include Vicky Gough, Schools Adviser, British Council, Bernardette Holmes MBE Honorary Professor and NCLE Director, and Antonella Sorace, Professor of Developmental Linguistics and Founding Director of Bilingualism Matters, plus others to be confirmed.  We will address priorities for England but will include insights from the devolved nations and the wider Anglophone world.

How do we plan for, implement, review and deliver truly ‘world-class’ education in our MFL classrooms and beyond? What are the key features of a ‘world-class’ curriculum? How do we best prepare our young people to be ‘world-class’ linguists and citizens in the 21st century? Presented by Sarah Towlson, Head of Languages at Repton Abu Dhabi, leader of the MFL Networks for the Repton Family of Schools and British Schools Middle East and published educational author, having taught for 10+ years in the UK and internationally.

Presented by a team from University of Glasgow and SCILT, this talk will offer an insight into the use of art as a method for developing inclusive and effective multilingual approaches to teaching languages. They will discuss the the teacher development project ‘Multilingualism through Art’ (MtA2023) which supported teachers working in increasingly multilingual environment and those who wanted to help their traditionally monolingual pupils see themselves as emerging multilinguals. Working with teachers from mainstream primary schools, a Gaelic medium education (GME) school and a Polish complementary school, the talk will present feedback offered by participating teachers, a project padlet with art-based resources, techniques and strategies to enthuse, engage, educate and motivate students.

In this special panel session, native speakers, polyglots, historians, and lovers of all things Latin American, all of whom are also fantastic languages teachers, will be making the case for languages and how we can make this come alive to learners in our classrooms. With primary and secondary teachers plus a polyglot gamification tech whizz sharing perspectives on what makes learners fall in love with a language and want to carry on learning beyond school, we hope you will come along and be inspired! Chaired by Language Show regular Crista Hazell, with educational software developer and polyglot Richard West-Soley, City of London Academy languages teacher Maud Waret, MFL teacher Adam Lamb aka Señor Cordero, Rosendale Primary French teacher Miriam Parijanian and Specialist Leader of Education in T&L and MFL, Jennifer Wozniak-Rush. (Linguascope are proud sponsors of the Language Show).

Part of the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE), a new initiative led by UCL’s Faculty of Education working with the Goethe-Institut and the British Council and funded by the DfE, GIMAGINE has been set up with the specific goal to raise the profile of studying German in-depth, up to GCSE and A-level. Find out from Andrea Pfeil, Deputy Director of the Goethe-Institut and Head of the Languages Department for Northwest Europe, about this and the many other ways in which they can support German teaching in your school.

Presented by Katherine Miller, a secondary trained French teacher who has been specialising in teaching primary since 2006 and nursery since 2011, this seminar looks at ways of exposing children to a variety of languages beyond specialist teaching and also to celebrate the languages that children speak. Principally this has to be through aural resources as the children usually can’t read independently and Katherine has identified a number of methods of incorporating these. Methods are largely child-led with many of the resources out for them to interact with in free play.

GCSE MFL courses have come and gone over the past 30 years but the need to be creative in the classroom remains a constant. In this talk Elaine Gelder, a teacher of MFL and EAL for 35 years, former Head of Department, Assistant Head, Head of Teaching, resource writer, trainer and examiner with 24 years working in challenging and deprived areas in the north of England, will look at how you can build pupil confidence to speak in the target language, assess listening in a supportive environment, help your pupils to commit language to memory thus supporting them with recall and retrieval and use what you currently do to teach the new GCSE specifications.

Presented by Witold Wozniak, Lead Practitioner, Head of French, co-Coordinator of the Kingston-Merton primary languages network, teacher at KS2 to KS4, exam board associate and author, explore the power of retrieval practice as a tool to make lessons stimulating, interactive and vibrant. Witold will explore diverse techniques that can be easily adapted in both primary and secondary.

Joseph Mees teaches French and Spanish and is currently Deputy Head of Languages Faculty at Kellett School, the British international school in Hong Kong. Joseph trained at University College London and his pedagogy is centred around the university of Cumbria approach, which primarily aims to foster students’ spontaneous target language production. In this talk, Joseph talks about his experience of implementing the use of song to not only embed and practise structures and grammar points, but also as a springboard for further discussion in the target language.

Join Joe Dale as he delves into the fascinating world of AI and its application in language teaching. In this engaging presentation, Joe will demystify the fundamentals of AI, unravel the mysteries of large language models, and explore the true potential of ChatGPT. Discover the numerous benefits of using AI tools in the classroom, from enhanced resource creation to personalised learning experiences. Gain valuable insights into the challenges of integrating AI tools and learn effective strategies for successful implementation. Be inspired as Joe navigates through the dynamic landscape of AI in language education, empowering educators with invaluable knowledge and practical tips. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the exciting possibilities AI brings to language teaching!

The new GCSE format requires language departments to revisit their KS3 current curriculum in order to prepare learners for the new style exams. Juliet Park, Director MFL for a Yorkshire based multi-academy trust and trainer and advisor for AQA, will share her experiences of being on AQA’s Teacher Panel for Reform and the new exams that were trialled in her school. She will demonstrate how her departments are successfully adapting their schemes to promote linguistic mastery, engagement and motivation and highlight which aspects of the new AQA assessments require a re think in our teaching.

Presented by Witold Wozniak, Lead Practitioner, Head of French, co-Coordinator of the Kingston-Merton primary languages network, teacher at KS2 to KS4, exam board associate and author, Witold will present a number of ready-to-go strategies that can be applied throughout your lessons whether for primary, KS3 or GCSE.

‘Pride in Languages’ is an initiative by Linguascope, sponsor of the Language Show, aimed at providing support and resources to Modern Languages teachers. From making our classroom and department corridor visibly LGBT-friendly environments, to making existing resources more inclusive, there are simple things every teacher can do to make a big difference. This talk will explore resources and strategies teachers can implement straightaway, as well as look at the bigger picture to help plan for inclusivity. Presented by Stéphane Derône, MFL teacher for 7 years before going on to create the Linguascope website. Stéphane has been involved in teacher-training for over 20 years, is author of many educational books and interactive products and is a committee member of ALL.

In this session, Joe Dale will demonstrate creating engaging virtual cultural tours using AI tools like ChatGPT, Google My Maps, and Google Earth. He will showcase personalised narrated photo stories made with Remove.bg and explore AI tools like Autodraw and Scribble Diffusion for custom illustrations. Gap-fill exercises and emoji-based activities using Wheel of Names and Spin the Wheel will be introduced too. Joe will also showcase Animated Drawings, allowing students to bring their hand-drawn pictures to life and explain how students can use a screen recording tool to narrate the results, promoting speaking skills.

Gamification in MFL, at any level and to practise any skill, is a perfect tool to create real communicative scenarios to develop second language acquisition and motivate learners. It develops independent skills, provides superpowers for the learning journey and is a great opportunity to reshape and personalise our teaching to the specific needs of our students. Most importantly, digital gamification and mini digital projects allow our students to take their learning experience outside the classroom. This session, presented by Esmeralda Salgado, AST and Head of MFL at Princes Risborough School with 23 years teaching experience from KS2 to KS5 in both state and Independent sectors, author of educational blog https://mflcraft.blogspot.com and Silver Winner of the Pearson National Teaching Awards in 2022, will provide practical examples of both traditional and digital games and purposeful tasks to make students practise the language in their listening, reading, writing and speaking.

Presented by Kate Clifton, a secondary languages teacher of 10 years and now a writer of teaching resources and provider of CPD for MFL teachers (aka Kate Languages), Kate will describe how to take one good-quality target language text and exploit it in at least 7 different ways, including skills that are going to be vital in the new GCSE. Not only does this save teachers masses of time, but it also enables students to understand the text in depth and ultimately use it to produce their own language.

Learning to express yourself in a new language is ideally both identity forming and horizon broadening. For this, the curriculum needs to represent all learners and at the same time stir up their curiosity about and appreciation of other peoples and cultures. Curriculum development of this kind is both intellectual enterprise and social justice. How do we do it with integrity, whilst balancing the perennial constraints of limited time and national examinations? This session is suitable for primary and secondary language teachers. Examples in French, German and Spanish. Presented by Dr Rachel Hawkes, past President of the Association for Language Learning (ALL), former Co-Director of the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy, an experienced Head of Modern Languages, AST and SLE, co-author of several textbooks and currently Director of International Education at the Cam Academy Trust.

In this session, Silvia Bastow will talk about effective questioning strategies in the language classroom. What are the most impactful questioning techniques we can apply to ensure we cater and include all our learners? Silvia will explore strategies that she and her colleagues use successfully in their school context that are low effort for the teacher but high impact for the student. She will share practical examples as well as resources that can be used or adapted for any classroom, any language, and any phase. Silvia Bastow is a Subject Leader and teacher of German at Ercall Wood Academy with over 18 years of teaching experience, SLE, Research Lead, member of the ALL council, GCSE examiner and Fellow of Chartered College of Teaching.

There are high expectations around children having a knowledge-rich and rigorous curriculum, but how do we ensure that this is also fun, motivating and engaging, and all the while making sure that children are making excellent progress. In this session, filled with real examples from a range of primary schools, which will also show examples of children’s work, see how an MFL curriculum can have a strong impact on progress, motivation and engagement. Presented by Wendy Adeniji, co-author of ‘the Ultimate Guide to primary languages’ (2022), a teacher, trainer, author of language teaching resources and has been a principal of two schools. She has previously inspected for Ofsted and has considerable experience in the field of MFL pedagogy.

In this session, Joe Dale will dive into the realm of YouTube and explore numerous productivity tips and tricks to maximise your learning experience through video content. Discover how to take effective notes, control playback speed, and utilise features like subtitles and automatic translation to enhance autonomy in your learning process. Joe will also showcase the power of Chrome extensions and demonstrate how ChatGPT can further augment your YouTube learning journey and create listening comprehension activities. Join us for an insightful session filled with practical strategies to get the most out of using YouTube as a valuable educational resource.

In this practical session Suzi Bewell, well known languages teacher and trainer (24 years in the classroom), and Esmeralda Salgado, AST and Head of MFL at Princes Risborough School (23 years in the classroom), will talk you through different ways of approaching the dictation element of the new GCSE specification for 2024. We appreciate that dictation is quite daunting and new for many language teachers so we will aim to demonstrate a number of simple, low prep dictation activities suitable for upper KS2 all the way through to KS4. Come along to find out how to make dictation engaging and dare we say…fun!

Elodie Pierre, Learning Innovation Lead and Head of MFL at St George’s Ascot with 14 years experience teaching French and Spanish in secondary schools, will demonstrate how ChatGPT works and the various ways teachers can integrate ChatGPT into their language classrooms to cultivate creativity, critical thinking, and language fluency among students. This will include specific examples, including how students can use ChatGPT to practice conversation skills and receive instant feedback, and how ChatGPT can assist students in understanding and using new vocabulary and grammar structures. The talk will also discuss best practices for introducing ChatGPT, such as providing clear instructions and guidelines for student engagement.

Jérôme Nogues, teacher of languages for over 20 years and founder & manager of global MFL competitions for schools Poésíæ and Poésíært, will show how using poetry and art, the themes behind these competitions, can engage language learners and help them to develop public speaking skills, confidence and creativity.

Now that the new GCSE specifications have bee accredited and are available for first teaching from September 2024 and first testing in Summer 2026, Helen Myers, former President of ALL, current member of ALL’s management board and Chair of the ALL London branch, will offer an objective reflection on the changes from the current GCSE, the differences between the exam boards, and a reflection on KS3 and practical ideas.

This session will focus on exploring and unpicking oracy to better support and prepare all learners in MFL to improve and develop confidence, risk taking and spontaneous speaking skills. A range of tried and tested strategies will be shared with takeaways that can be implemented in your next lesson with minimum prep but maximum impact. Presented by Crista Hazell, passionate and creative languages teacher, author, Linguascope webinar host, SLE in MFL and education consultant.

In this practical session, Suzi Bewell, well known languages teacher and trainer (24 years in the classroom) will talk you through different ways of approaching culturally-rich, accessible reading tasks taken from la Francosphère! With the new GCSE in mind, she will demonstrate a number of simple translation, comprehension and transcription tasks where the French-speaking world and its traditions are at the fore. Come along to find out how to target exam skills, whilst including high frequency vocabulary, grammar and culture.

Spontaneity in speaking a foreign language is often seen as the holy grail. But spontaneity comes from careful planning, appropriate practice so that high frequency words and phrases are fully embedded. Using principles from the excellent Group Talk methodology as well as cognitive science, such as retrieval and spaced practice and checking for understanding, this session will help you to get your pupils speaking confidently. Presented by Wendy Adeniji, co-author of ‘the Ultimate Guide to primary languages’ (2022), a teacher, trainer, author of language teaching resources and has been a principal of two schools. She has previously inspected for Ofsted and has considerable experience in the field of MFL pedagogy.

Are you ready to inspire future generations of linguists with your passion for languages and to begin a rewarding career as a Modern Foreign Languages teacher? This seminar will explain the different routes into language teacher training and what the training will involve as well as talk about the bursaries and scholarships that are available. The session will include the experience of a recent trainee and their advice for those planning to apply in 2024. Presented by Katrin Szredzki-Seamer, Director of the National Modern Languages SCITT and Lorna Payne of the British Council.

As language teachers we never stop learning. This session considers the ideas that have had most impact on me in the last three decades, and their practical implications for the languages classroom. We will consider: phonics, word frequency, memory, explicit grammar and spontaneous talk. Presented by Dr Rachel Hawkes, past President of the Association for Language Learning (ALL), former Co-Director of the National Centre for Excellence for Language Pedagogy, an experienced Head of Modern Languages, AST and SLE, co-author of several textbooks and currently Director of International Education at the Cam Academy Trust.

A very popular and regular feature of the Language Show, presented by Helen Myers and Joe Dale of the Association for Language Learning London Branch, teacher participants (MFL and TEFL) are invited to speak for a maximum of 5 minutes about their top tip for classroom practice including teaching ideas, pupil activities and resources.

This seminar will give trainees strategies and suggestions to make the most of their training year, talking through the challenges and finding solutions! Presented by Judith Rifeser from ALL (Association for Language Learning) with two recent trainees.

“Becoming bilingual: Funds of knowledge from learners, educators and leaders across sectors” is a Research England-funded project (March to July 2023) that involves cross-sector knowledge exchange with the aim of promoting good practice in language education. In this talk, the project’s key findings will be disseminated, collected from teachers, students and providers from within different settings who have mutually observed class practices and engaged in discussions with the research team about their experiences, challenges, ideas and beyond in language education. Examples will be presented and the audience invited to contribute. Presented by Dr Virginia Lam (Roehampton), academic researcher on her most recent research programme and interests in bilingual/multilingual people’s development.

Primary & KS3. Strategies for vocab retention, building confidence and engagement, listening, speaking, reading and even writing skills – all outdoors! Presented by Ellie Dawson, Head of Languages at British International School of Tbilisi, Teacher of German and French for 10 years.

This presentation will focus on the benefits and challenges of teaching EAL in multilingual classrooms as well as how to embrace diversity. Some key strategies will be shared on how to use multilingualism as a tool to support learning English as an additional language and learners’ own home languages to ensure inclusion irrespective of learners’ linguistic backgrounds. We will also address how to overcome language barriers in a multilingual classroom. Presented by Iva Miteva, linguist and EAL specialist who has been teaching and working with EAL pupils from different countries and backgrounds for 18 years and who has led and managed the provision for EAL pupils in a number of prep and secondary schools in London.

Knowing about German history is vital when assessing Germany’s international outlook and standing in the 21st century. Some German teachers shy away from discussing these topics but in this talk, Kate Frank, teacher of German and French in the UK for 30 years, (state schools and private) and currently teaching at St Paul’s Girls School in London, will present some ideas on how to make this content accessible and to create lessons that are rewarding for both staff and students.

Language learners can learn a lot from actors, writers, directors and video creators about how to move quickly from memorised words and phrases to real skills in a new language. In this talk, Janina Klimas, who has taught languages for over 20 years on 3 different continents, speaks 6 languages, has a BA in Theatre Arts and Foreign Languages and an MA in the Teaching of Languages, will share 25 activities for language classes adapted for secondary language classes from her training and experience in acting, writing and video creation. These activities are low-prep, get students talking from the earliest stages of study, lower anxiety and build proficiency. They are also active, fun, work in any language and can be adapted to any level.

This session aims to bring the European standardised framework for language teaching into the the English MFL classroom with practical reading and listening strategies, creative writing skills and speaking opportunities that can improve fluency in the language without losing sight if the GCSE and A Level requirements. Presented by Juliette Claro, Assistant Headteacher at Gumley House School and lecturer/linked MFL ITT Tutor for St Mary’s University Twickenham with 23 years experience teaching languages, and Manon Tournier, Head of FRENCH and DELF examiner for the Institut Français.

Teachers know how important it is to provide high quality teaching for all pupils including those with SEND. In this session Jennifer Wozniak-Rush, Assistant Headteacher for Teaching and Learning, ELE and Specialist Leader of Education in T&L and MFL at The Hollins in Lancashire, will explore the common SEND misconceptions which are detrimental to pupils. Jennifer will share a wide range of examples of good practice for an inclusive classroom that can be easily transferred into different languages.

The ability to achieve communication through language and the variety of languages that have developed to facilitate such communication are two aspects of the human species that have astonished us since time immemorial. It is not surprising that most ancient cultures produced some sort of narrative, mythical or religious, that attempted to account for both. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the question about the origins of the diversification of the human language was addressed scientifically, and comparative linguistics begun to develop as a science. This is all extremely fascinating for language professionals, but can we use this knowledge to spark linguistic curiosity in the classroom, enticing perhaps some budding linguists? Presented by Dr Florencia Nelli, Director and Language Projects Coordinator of The Communicate Project CIC and a language teacher of many years teaching at primary, secondary and higher education levels.

As we look towards decolonising the MFL curriculum, Ashni Haria, Head of MFL for 4 years, will share different ways in which to move away from focusing on just France and Spain in the MFL classroom, and discuss schemes of work that have been used in her department focusing on Africa and South America to support the teaching of French and Spanish. Ashni will share resources as well as ideas of how schemes of lessons can be put together and how to integrate this into the curriculum.

Using technology to teach languages clearly has its advantages. However, what if you don’t have access to such resources or it lets you down (again!)? In this seminar Dr Cathy Lonngren-Sampaio, Lecturer on the English Language & Linguistics and MA TESOL Programmes at the University of Hertfordshire with over 30 years experience in TEFL, will share 10 effective language teaching techniques which only require the basics – a board, a pen and willing learners!

Teachers can spend hours and hours marking but for what purpose? Feedback can be really powerful. In this session Jennifer Wozniak-Rush, Assistant Headteacher for Teaching and Learning, ELE and Specialist Leader of Education in T&L and MFL at The Hollins in Lancashire, will share a wide range of strategies that MFL teachers can use to give effective and purposeful feedback so that it moves pupils’ learning on.

The New Welsh Curriculum seeks to encourage the use of Welsh throughout the entire school environment and beyond its physical boundaries. Hear from Kara Lewis and Aneirin Karadog, both lecturers at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, discuss the Welsh Language Charter, activities, games, songs, rapping and poetry being used to motivate and engage with pupils and good practice case studies designed to create more spontaneous interaction in Welsh.

Waldorf Education developed in Austria over 100 years ago. Based on the insights of Rudolph Steiner, this pedagogy for “social education” (or…”social renewal”….) is now found in over 1000 schools in 60 countries. Hear from members of the Waldorf Spanish Teachers Association based in North America how their age appropriate approach to language instruction puts the development of empathy, through a love for the language and culture being taught, as an initial goal, and how their “three-fold” lesson method can be incorporated into your classroom.

Brexit, Globish, new technologies – what do these all mean for the profession and in the EU institutions? What impact are they having if any on demand for interpretation? Discover how the day-to-day life of an EU interpreter looks nowadays. Discussion by staff interpreters from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

What does the career of a linguist in the Royal Air Force look like and could it be the job for you? Hear from Sgt Tom Markham, who uses his language skills daily in the defence of the realm, what skills service personnel need, what you can expect when applying and throughout training, and what the lifetime opportunities and benefits are for language speakers in the RAF.

Covering best practices on how to market yourself to prospective clients online (online directories, LinkedIn, own website, social media) and keep track of your marketing presence online plus tips for communicating with LSPs. Also considering other related services to translation to make yourself even more marketable and expand your client base with more work in fields such as transcription, voice over, AI, social media monitoring, sworn translation and accessibility services like Audio Description. Presented by James Powell of LSP TransPerfect, who after completing a BA and MA in Translation & Interpreting, has spent 15 years working with freelancers.

As the National Register of Public Service Interpreters is opening a register for Public Service Translators, this talk aims to explain the difference between the two activities. In addition, the talk will discuss how to train in order to become a Public Service Translator (PST), the countries where PSTs need to attend university courses or pass an official examination in order to qualify, what types of translations a PST is asked to produce, the specific terminology needed and how to create materials in order to produce quality translations. Presented by José Luis Rodríguez Olveira, Legal Translator (PST) since 1986 having worked in Spain and now in the UK as translator and interpreter in the fields of courts, NHS and Human Resources.

Chaired by Louise Jarvis, Lecturer in Politics, Languages and International Studies at the University of Bath, this presentation will cover the professions of interpreting and translation, routes into these careers, current demand for linguists in international organisations in the post-Brexit context and a brief overview of training offered at the University of Bath. Louise will be joined by University of Bath colleagues Miguel Fialho and Kathryn Wells who will also share information on their own professional areas of expertise.

The Intelligence Corps recruit and train soldiers for the British Army to work in the intelligence environment. A key and unique trade is linguists. In this talk led by Army soldier linguists, they talk about their training, job and career, opportunities and how languages are utilised in the Army as well as how young aspiring linguist could join the Army and the process involved.

A presentation on the work of translators in the institutions of the European Union based in Brussels and Luxembourg, including the languages used and the types of document and subject matter encountered. The presentation would give information on recruitment channels, including working as an in-house staff translator or as a freelance contractor, eligibility requirements and current opportunities. Presented by a member of the English language translation department of the European Commission.

Trying to decide what subjects to take at school, what to do after your degree, fancy a change of career? Many paths can lead to interpreting. Find out what skills the EU interpreting services are looking for. Hear from practising EU interpreters about what it takes to become an interpreter, what qualifications you need and how the EU freelance accreditation process works. Discussion by staff interpreters from the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Legal interpreting takes place in a number of on site venues in England and Wales as well as online. One day you might be in your local police station or Magistrates Court, the next you could be interpreting online in a solicitor/client consultation. The work is always varied, never dull and definitely not for the faint hearted! Do you need a legal background? What sort of experience and qualifications would be useful? These and other questions will be covered in this presentation by lawyer-linguist, Sue Leschen, who is also a Chartered Linguist, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) and a member of CIOL’s Interpreting Division Steering Group.