I’ve noticed quite a few opportunities for upskilling in recent days, shared by the various cultural organisations, and thought I’d share some for those who may not have seen them. Some opportunities are cross phase and others are phase specific with several specifically aimed at primary practitioners.

SPANISH DAY FOR TEACHERS IN LEEDS – Sat, 16th March: The Spanish Embassy Education Office, the University of Leeds, and the Junta de Castilla y León are organizing a Spanish day in Leeds aimed at teachers of Spanish and future teachers from secondary, university, and further education.

There will be presentations and workshops with practical ideas for the Spanish class. A Spanish lunch will be served.

Registration is free, but places are limited (on a first come, first served basis). Information and free registration: https://bit.ly/spanish-day-in-leeds

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Series of online workshops: from February 6 to March 19, 2024. 4 independent and online workshops.

-Next workshop, Saturday, February 27, 2024 (16:30-17:30): «Elemental querido Watson: misterios y enigmas en la clase de ELE», organized jointly with Andalucia TRADE and with the collaboration of CERVANTES ESCUELA INTERNACIONAL.

More information and free registration (before the 25th February): https://bit.ly/talleres-andalucia-feb-marzo-2024

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Face-to-face training days in collaboration with Edinumen:

– Saturday, March 2, 2024 (9:30-13:00) in Newcastle, organized jointly with the University of Newcastle and with the collaboration of the University of Alicante.

– Tuesday, March 5, 2024 (16:00-17:30), in London, in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes.

Free registration and programme: https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/reinounido/convocatorias-programas/formacion-profesorado/historico-formaciones/edinumen-marzo-2024.html

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Grants for an immersion course in Spain (Ávila, Segovia and Santander) – Summer 2024

14 one-week immersion courses in July or August 2024 in Ávila, Segovia or Santander aimed at British/Irish teachers of Spanish.

The grant covers the course, accommodation and meals, as well as the cultural programme.  The grant does not cover the journey to Spain or the return to the UK. Travel and/or health insurance is also not included

This call is not for Spanish nationals. Application period will be announced from March.

Further information and programmes: https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/reinounido/convocatorias-programas/formacion-profesorado/historico-formaciones/cursos-verano-espana-uned-uimp-2024

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Immersion course in Santiago de Compostela (Spain), April 2014

Registration is now open for the Spanih teacher training course “Curso de actualización para el profesorado de ELE: lengua, cultura y didáctica” organised by the University of Santiago de Compostela.

Details

Dates: 8th – 12th April 2024

Number of hours: 20 (face-to face)

Contents:

•    Nuevas tecnologías en el aula de ELE

•    Dinámicas de proyecto, actividades cooperativas y pedagogías innovadoras

•    Lengua y cultura española( literatura, cine y música)

•    El Camino de Santiago en el aula el ELE

•    Actividades culturales incluidas en el curso:

•    Visita guiada a la ciudad monumental

•    Visita guiada al Patrimonio Histórico artístico de la Universidad

More information about registration, prices and accomodation:  gene.gonzalez@usc.es

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Immersion and methodology courses in Palencia, Salamanca, Burgos, Valladolid, Burgos and Segovia. Different dates throughout March, July, August and October 2024. https://www.educacionyfp.gob.es/reinounido/convocatorias-programas/formacion-profesorado/historico-formaciones/2024-cursos-mester.html

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·  Let’s Get Started with German in Primary School (Berlin, 21.04.2024- 27.04.2024): This opportunity is fully funded and aimed at non- specialist primary teachers and their headteachers (England/ state school  only), who intend to introduce German or  strengthen the status of German at their schools. The programme consists of two strands:  A combined language and pedagogical training course (A1/A2level) and a specially curated incentive trip. Participants can apply for this fully funded course by submitting a motivational letter (application deadline: 04.03.2024).
 
·  German Teachers’ Day for secondary school teachers (Saturday, 24 February 2024): Join us for the German Teachers’ Day “Engaging Learners – Keep them keen” in London, organised by the Goethe-Institut in cooperation with ALL Association for Language Learning. Registration Deadline: 12.02.2024. 
 
·  Action-Oriented Teaching – Practical Approaches and Strategies (Online professional development): Discover the advantages of digital tools to actively engage students in this practice-oriented online course. Register by 12 February 2024. 

·  DLL – Deutsch Lehren Lernen: New courses starting in March: Would you like to expand or refresh your didactic knowledge, try out new things and expand your teaching skills? Two DLL courses (Deutsch Lehren Lernen) will be starting in March: DLL 2 “How do you learn German as a foreign language?” and DLL4 “Tasks, exercises, interaction”. Registration deadline: 27.02.2024. 

Applications for Professional Enrichment Programme are now open
The Professional Enrichment Programme offers qualified UK teachers a funded opportunity to visit a German school for 1-2 weeks during the 2023-24 school year to develop skills and knowledge through intercultural exchange.
 
The programme is open to teachers of all disciplines and you don’t need to have an existing link with Germany to take part. Teachers can either visit their partner school or be matched with a German host school.
 
Application deadline: 1 March 2024 
 
On Tuesday, 27 February at 4.30pm we are hosting a Q&A webinar to answer your questions and provide guidance. You can register to attend via our website.
 
More information: https://ukgermanconnection.org/pp/programmes/professional-enrichment-programme/
 

2024 French Summer School for Primary School Teachers

Location: Alliance Française de Normandie, Rouen, France
Date: Sunday 28 July 2024 to Sunday 4 August 2024
Eligibility: Primary School Teachers teaching French
Content: General French language group courses will be offered (20h) as well as 2 workshops focused on French phonics. This summer school is intended to help teachers upskill their proficency in the language in order to feel more confident in the classroom. Please note that the course will not cover the pedagogy of teaching French and will not provide any teaching materials or techniques.
Fees: Training fees, breakfast, dinner and accommodation in a French host-family are covered by the Institut français du Royaume-Uni. Travel expenses will be incurred by the participant.

More information and registration here

Arabic Language Teacher Training Bursary Programme

QFI will begin accepting applications for its 2024-2025 Arabic Language Teacher Training Bursary Programme in mid-February 2024. The bursary will provide £2,000 towards the costs of a language teacher training programme that offers placement in the Arabic language. In addition to these funds, QFI will provide accepted candidates additional support that includes mentorship and attendance to CPD events and conferences.

Interested applicants can apply here in mid-Feb or contact ukarabic@qfi.org with any questions.

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Hopefully there’s something there that has caught someone’s eye. Perhaps I’ll highlight some other CPD opportunities in another post in the near future. There are certainly a few ALL opportunities in the next few weeks!

The annual conference of the Association for Language Learning (ALL) is fast approaching. This year Language World will be held in Kenilworth on Friday 8th and Saturday 9th March. The theme is Language – a unique ingredient of learning.

As the website says:

We will consider together many aspects of education today in multilingual Britain. What is unique about our subject? In what ways does the learning of a language support learners today beyond the classroom – from being a child to becoming an adult? What are the ingredients of a healthy learning experience?

• Culture and International Contact
• Curiosity and Observation
• Connection at a personal level
• Communication through all skills and modalities
• A strong outward looking curriculum and external examinations

Following on from our conference last year we will continue to consider how the brain affects learning and how this can inform curriculum planning, the impact on teaching of the new GCSE and the importance of developing the intercultural agility needed to promote and support tolerance and respect for others. We are living through changing, somewhat challenging times and collaborative work is essential. We all benefit from access to research from around the world and collaboration across the key stages to university or training and jobs post 16 enables progress as we learn from each other. https://www.delegate-reg.co.uk/lw2024/

Keynote speakers include HMI Bianka Zemke and Professor Kate Borthwick, and there are more than 70 talks offered over the two days with something for every type of language learning. You can have a look at the programme here

I’m presenting on Saturday afternoon about how to make International links, something about which I’m really passionate; as a British Council Ambassador for many years and Global Schools Alliance Ambassador I do all I can to promote the value of the global dimension. You can see what I said last year when I shared the importance and impact of international links and global learning at Whitehouse Common Primary.

Whether you attend for one day or for both, I hope to see you in Kenilworth. If you can’t, be sure to follow events on Twitter/X – look out for the hashtag #LW2024 and I’ll try to give you a flavour of the event in a post at the end of March.

This Tuesday (27th June) I’ll be speaking at the L.E.A.D. TSA Hub Online Primary Languages event. Jo Darley has put together a really interesting programme covering learner autonomy, linguistic thinking, “quality first” teaching for all, literature and culture, and the value of supporting and celebrating languages through global communication.

I’m really excited to be taking part. My presentation will be about the benefits of international links and global communication in the primary classroom. As a primary languages teacher, it will be heavily influenced by the impact of my young linguists but also refer to the effect on the whole school.

It’s a full day, online conference starting at 915 and running until 330. You can join live for the whole day, pop in as you can, or watch it all back later with the recording being available for 30 days after the event. As I’ll be teaching all day (until my session) I’ll be doing the latter!

There are still tickets available at this link if you’re interested. If you’re planning on attending, let me know so I can give you a shout out!

If you read my post a few weeks ago about my recent presentations, you may be interested in an article I wrote for the Global School Alliance.

In it, I wrote about the international journey of Whitehouse Common Primary and why it has been so important. Click the link below the image to read it.

While you’re there, why not have a look at the other posts from schools around the world, sharing their projects and the impact it has had on their school communities. It’s free to join the Global School Alliance and there are many interesting opportunities to be found on their platform.

After the success of last year’s competition, the bSmall Young Language Learner Award returns.

This year the theme is…

Children aged 6-11 are invited to submit a story written in a language other than English. On the website https://bsmall.co.uk/ylla  you can find template, notes for teachers/ parents/ tutors and a downloadable entry form for entrants to submit the finished story.

Winners will receive books from the bSmall and the opportunity to have their work published in PDF form on the website.
The closing date for entries is Monday 5th June and winners will be announced on June 26th.

You can read about last year’s contest and see the top three entries in this post

Once more I’ve been asked to be on the judging panel. I’m really looking forward to reading all the entries. So, if you’re looking for a way of celebrating the coronation in class, or you fancy supporting your class/children in writing a story about celebrating a festival, a birthday or special event, why not join in the challenge.

Good luck!

I’ve had a busy few weeks and I’ve finally found a moment to catch up with myself. As I have done for many years now, I took my pad and pens to #LW2023 and sketchnoted all the sessions I attended. I tweeted them as I completed them but I promised to collect them all in one place for easy access. And here they are! Thanks to all the speakers for their interesting presentations that all left me with lots to think on!

If you’d like to see how someone else saw the same (and some different) sessions, have a look at Clare’s sketchnotes!

On Saturday I was once more at InstitutoVicente Cañada Blanch in London for the annual Talleres de español run by the Consejería de Educacción. It had only been 9 months since I was last there as the 2021 edition was postponed thanks to the C word and I was once more privileged to be asked to speak. More of that later!

The day started with a keynote to get you thinking by Crista Hazell who talked about The Joy of Language Learning.

My tweets at the time summarise the bits I particularly liked:

‘If you feel joy inside, you can’t help but share it!’ @CristaHazell talking about finding that joy in language learning. 100% agree! #talleresdeespañol

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

“You are adored!” @CristaHazell There are challenges but there are learners to whom you’re making a difference and bringing joy. And a world that you are doing your bit to change. #talleresdeespañol

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

“Learning a language starts before you’re 11.” Amen to that! @CristaHazell acknowledges the great work that’s done at Primary in language learning and asks that it’s recognised, not ignored. @ALLPrimary #talleresdeespañol2022 #primarylanguagesrock

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

They certainly make me happy! #talleresdeespañol @CristaHazell pic.twitter.com/Ldq2CjZfE4

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

Reasons to learn languages! pic.twitter.com/Ezly5BRclP

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

Following this, I attended a marvellously active and fun session led by Eva Rodríguez Moya entitled «JugaÑol: el poder del juego como herramienta de aprendizaje» during which she shared a number of ideas and techniques that are used in her classroom to enable learners to recall and use Spanish as the language of communication. I loved the energy and pace of the delivery as well as the great ideas, and it was good to see that others use gesture as a key way of embedding vocabulary and structures. I will certainly be using “Hola Año x” with my classes – a simple way to keep the class on their toes. I recommend you check out Eva’s presentation when it’s available!

My presentation was entitled A few of our favourite things and highlighted as many of the things that my pupils say they enjoy as I could fit into my time slot! As is often the case, I had far more to say than there was time to share, and below you can find my slides (minus a couple that can’t be shared which unfortunately means you can’t see the videos of my class retelling El Nabo Enorme or reciting Doña Pito Piturra)

A few of our favourite things – Talleres.pptx from Lisa Stevens

I did manage to share that I see myself not a Spanish teacher but as a languages teacher and that whilst the language in which my pupils should have made ‘substantial progress’ by the end of Y6 is Spanish, I am also teaching them how to be language learners which is just as important if not more so. What i ran out of time to share was the range of things that we do to celebrate languages as well as our amazing Erasmus+ project that is just coming to an end. Perhaps I can share that next time… hint hint 😉 You can see the slides anyway.

If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. I’d be happy to answer!

Thanks to the rail strike I couldn’t stay for the afternoon sessions but I did enjoy a lovely lunch and a good chat with lots of enthusiastic joyful people. at the end of the day, I shared the tweet below which I feel summed up my experience. Here’s to the rainbow unicorns! 🌈🦄

I think after the sessions I’ve attended and the people to whom I’ve spoken today, this is very appropriate! I definitely admit to rainbow unicorn-ness 🌈 🦄 #misuperpoder #talleresdeespañol2022 #spanishteachers @CristaHazell @senorcordero @CARMENAB65 @consejeriauk Jane, Eva pic.twitter.com/rMfJ7ykeEW

— Lisibo (@lisibo) June 25, 2022

Early in October I took part in the Talleres de español at Instituto Español Vicente Cañada Blanch in Portobello, London. It was quite a treat to attend and participate in a face to face conference, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day in spite of the pouring rain and general exhaustion!

My presentation was entitled Take One Book, considering how one book can be used as the inspiration and impetus for a wide variety of activities in the primary language classroom. You can read a little about it and view my slides in a previous post.

When I was asked to speak, the organisers asked if I would be willing to write up my talk for publication in a special edition of TECLA, the Consejería magazine. I agreed and the magazine has just been published. I am really proud to be part of such a prestigious publication, and hope that it is well received and useful to readers.

Below is the first page and you can download the whole article below that.

Other contributions include an interview with Baroness Coussins, an article on using important artists as the vehicle for Spanish learning, and a report on using MFL projects to build bridges at QKA in Peterborough where 52 languages are spoken by the school community. The full list of articles is below. I’m looking forward to reading through the articles over the holidays when I have time to digest.

A few weeks ago I presented at The Language Show Live. My subject was Using ‘literature’ to support Pirmary Language teaching and learning. You can read all about it here.

At the time, people could only access the session if they had bought a ticket (although I shared my slides in the post above!) The good news is that anyone who wants to catch it can now watch the video via The Language Show channel on Youtube. In fact, you can watch any of the presentations – and there were many!

The list of presentations is available here and by clicking on the link at the end of the description, you can view a recording in most cases. I’ll be catching up on several as I missed the majority of the week preparing for a school visit to Austria!

My presentation is below. And if you fancy sharing your favourite tipple and/or snack for watching conference presentations, please feel free to leave a comment below.

BTW I had a glass of Grüner Veltliner at the end 😉 🥂 If you fancy sharing your favourite tipple and/or snack for watching conference presentations, please feel free to leave a comment below. 🤣

This evening I presented at The Language Show. For the second year running, this was not at Olympia or Earl’s Court, but from the comfort of my dining room. I was joined by a good number of attendees given the timing (1715 of a Friday evening) including at least one who was enjoying their Saturday morning coffee in the States, others enjoying a cup of tea and another with a G&T. Sounded good to me!

My presentation was on the theme of Using ‘literature’ to support primary language teaching and learning and, having looked at the National Curriculum Languages Programme of Study for some context and a dictionary for a definition, I launched into my talk during which I highlighted a number of types of ‘literature’ and the reasons why we might choose that genre, before giving some examples and some ideas of how they can be used to engage, inspire, teach and provoke in the primary language classroom. I shared some sequences of activities as well as referring to a number of posts that explain in greater detail what I wanted to share.

Below are the slides – if you have any questions or just want a comment, please leave it below or tweet me @lisibo

Using 'Literature' to support primary language teaching and learning from Lisa Stevens

It’s not too late to sign up for Language Show which continues on Saturday and Sunday. Find out more here.