1988 Education Ministers’ Agreement

It’s probably a little known fact, but in 1988 the Ministers of Education in the then existing EU states agreed that every EU citizen should be expected to learn three community languages.
In the UK we haven’t even paid lip-service to this.
Interestingly, it was in the same year that we went to war in Iraq – and thereby making a mockery of the EU and the United Nations – that in the UK we stopped even one foreign language being compulsory post-14. I felt as if I’d been stabbed in the back. All those years that I taught language, friendship and the handshake across cultures- all crushed and irradiated in a few months. I’d had so much faith in Blair, too. The rifts that those decisions caused across Europe seemed to undo the good of all that work so carefully planned by my colleagues and myself. There was some relief that I, then as a writer who protested against the war, could express that by becoming involved in "The Lines in the Sand project", organised by Mary Hoffman, Rhiannon Lassiter and the publishers, Frances Lincoln.
We do make ourselves into a laughing-stock. How dumb we are if we cannot even manage to speak one language other than our own well, let alone the extra one those Ministers of Education agreed on back then. We are telling ourselves that all will be fine because of the primary languages initiative.
Now, I do agree, that primary school age is a good time to learn languages. I find the age of nine ideal – the child can still mimic well, the palate is not yet set, the student relies on their memory rather than looking up, but at that age, they are sociable enough to want to use their language in a real context. However, the signs are not currently all that good. The same mistakes are being made as last time, in the 70s, when primary languages were introduced. There are not enough experts. Primary teachers are not being given enough time or help to deliver that curriculum effectively – which will eventually be off-putting for the students.
If it were done well, with all the advantages there are of learning a language at that age, there is every possibility that students would not only want to carry on with that language right put to sixteen or even eighteen, but also that they would be keen to take on another. Then we may be able to keep to the agreement we made in 1988. Except, I expect we would be faced with a shortage of language teachers.

Disadvantaged by Having English as a Mother Tongue

You would think that being born into an English-speaking culture gave us huge advantages. We speak the tongue that everyone else has to learn to get somewhere in the world. But this is not necessarily so.
In fact, only one quarter of the world’s population speak English either as first language or first foreign language. Granted, it is important in certain significant areas of life – aviation, law and medicine for example –I’ve been told never to trust a doctor who can’t speak English, for instance.
But one of the main disadvantages of being a native English-speaker is that we give ourselves every reason not to bother learning other languages, I always maintain learning languages isn’t difficult, but it is hard work and it does require commitment. Because we are not forced to do it, not that many of us experience learning another culture through its language and as we get to know that culture, finding that learning its language becomes easier. Those people who speak out language have had that experience which many of us deny ourselves.
In addition, native-speakers of other languages revere English-speaking cultures and much which is written in English is translated into other languages. Far less is translated from those languages into English, so we are denied the riches of those other cultures. I can name a few books we are missing out on:
Adam, Olivier. On Ira Voir la Mer. Paris: Médium, 2002,
Cerdá, Alfredo Gómez. Noche de Alacranes. Madrid: SM, 2005
Feth, Monika. Das Mädchenmaler. Munich: CBT, 2005.
Kerner, Charlotte. Blueprint Blaupause. Berlin: Beltz & Gelberg, 1999.
Laborit, Emmanuelle. Le Cri de la Mouette, 1993. Paris: Robert Laffont, 2003.
Richter, Hans Peter. Damals war es Freidrich. Munich: DTV Junior, 2003.
- to name but half a dozen.

The Language Factory

Approved by www.curriculumonline.gov.uk, the Language Factory offers fun materials for primary children, including audio tracks, support material for the teacher – flash cards, flip charts and other material for the interactive whiteboard – in French, German, English and Spanish. Components can be ordered for as little as £20.00, bundles of the whole package in any one language up to £239.99. The emphasis is on the children remembering their French because of the catchy tunes.
I can endorse this. Once I used a very nicely produced BBC course for some of my work. Aunty also produced a cassette (yes it was that long ago) with just the songs. I used to play them as background music whilst the students did pair work. It did work as muzak and kept the noise down beautifully as well as making them concentrate. But in addition, by the end of the year, all of the students knew and understood all of the words, even if we hadn’t covered them yet. I guess it’s something to do with the repeated rhythm. The brain, I think, carries on decoding, evn when it’s not listening any more.

Montana Lingua

The Montana Lingua is an interesting method which combines learning languages with outdoor activities. The students have a real purpose for understanding and being understood in the target language. The project obtained Socrates funding. Language levels go form A1 to C2 of the European Language Passport.
The students practise the language needed for each activity before they have to use it for real. An example activity is “Blind Cow”, going from language levels A2 to C1. One blind-folded student is lead by two seeing students. The blindfolded “victim” has to ask questions and the others have to give instructions.
Vocabulary includes branch, ground, hill, tree, trunk, stone, root, hole, moss, low, steep, thick, slippery, smooth, pointed, high, damp, and deep. Commands include:
• Take a step to the right
• Take a step top the left
• Go on
• Hold tight
• Tale a step forwards
• Take a step backwards
• Stop
• Give me your hand
Exclamations include
• Watch out!
• Stop!
• Well done!
• Careful!
• Great!
• Fantastic!
• You’ve made it!
The project has produced a book, available in several languages, which outlines 24 exercises. A DVD is also available and extra material can be downloaded form the web site. Definitely worth a look. ( I have a copy of the book if nayone would liek it - written in German though. Yours for the asking - I'll just charge P & P. -£2.50)

Making the Most of Your Contacts

So, now you’ve finished the course, what do you do next? Time to take a look at the goals that you set yourself. Did you achieve what you wanted to? Have you got further than that? Have you now got some new ambitions?
We often up our game. So, now we can manage all those little transactions we want to make in shops and restaurants, but perhaps now we want to be able to have in-depth conversations with our neighbours.
Just occasionally, we may not have achieved everything we set out to do, and may want to make plans to get there.
Whatever happens, now is the time to take stock and make plans. You need to go through a similar process to the one you went through when you first decided to learn a foreign language.
One decision you may make is that you don’t want to go any further but you don’t want to lose what you already have. But more about that another day.

Torrents

A problem frequently occurs as you become more fluent in your chosen language. As you manage things quite well, the native speakers all begin to think you are quite fluent and good at their languages and they answer you in a torrent.
Number one rule: do not panic. Anticipate what they might say and work out your reply. Take your clues form others around you – in the shop or café, for instance.
If you really do not understand, insist and insist until they speak slowly enough and / or simply enough so that you can understand.
One day, this will stop happening and you will get the upper hand.
Until that day comes, practise as much as you cane.
Team up with someone form your class and practise dialogues met in class. Try saying them with different moods and emotions for variety. And keep on anticipating those turns and torrents.