Welcome to the fourth edition of Netword Languages Direct, the ezine for teachers who work in adult and further education.

Adult education news

'Is the world our oyster? Languages for life'
CILT’s Summer Conference for teachers and managers of adult languages in adult and further education is on Wednesday July 8th at the Institut Français, London.

This year's exciting event brings together teachers and managers of language programmes to consider the way forward for adult language learning, given the challenges and opportunities posed by government policy and funding. The day offers panel debates with keynote speakers, teacher workshops on resources, methodology and accreditation, an exciting publishers’ exhibition and tours of the Institut Francais.

Review of the National Language Standards - Your views needed
CILT is consulting across the UK to review the National Language Standards. They form the basis for vocational qualifications in languages including sign language. The review will be completed by May 2010.

Can you help?
You could help us make sure we get the content right, and write the standards in a way that is clear to everyone who uses them: in the first instance by

• clicking into and completing this questionnaire,
• forwarding this link to your colleagues

For more information, please contact Helen Astley

Narrowing Participation in Adult Learning
The annual Adult Learners' Week survey of adult participation in learning of all kinds shows a sharply widening gap between the educationally privileged and the educationally excluded.
The survey - Narrowing Participation - published by NIACE on Friday 8 May - shows that the proportion of adults currently learning, or having done so in the last three years, has risen by 1% from 38% in 2008 to 39% in 2009. However, the proportion of adults currently learning in the UK - 18 per cent - is at its lowest level since the Labour government was elected in 1997.

The Public Value of Adult Learning;a seminar on the public value of adult learning: why now?
30 June 2009, 12.30pm to 4pm, London
The independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning (IFLL) is due to report in September 2009. It has brought together an impressive range of national experts whose contributions will inform an authoritative and strategic framework for lifelong learning in the UK. The framework will include a broad rationale for public and private investment in lifelong learning, and a re-appraisal of the social and cultural value attached to lifelong learning by policy-makers and the public. In its final stages, a rigorous appraisal of the social benefits of adult learning will be invaluable for all those working in the field of adult learning. More...

Conversational language skills are needed at work - CBI Education and Skills Survey 2009
For the second year in a row the CBI’s survey of employers highlights their needs for people with competence in foreign languages . The survey shows that the importance of languages to UK firms is set to grow as they operate in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. 74% of employers interviewed in the survey are looking for candidates with conversational language skills.
To read the full report visit the CBI Website.

Diploma in Languages and International Communication
This Diploma is a new qualification aimed at students aged 14 to 19 and due to be taught from 2011. Blending theory and practice, it will show how languages can be applied at work and at leisure. The innovative programme also proposes to teach young people intercultural skills and introduce them to translating and interpreting. There’s an opportunity later this year for colleges, universities and other centres offering adult language learning to get involved by forming a local consortium to deliver this Diploma from 2011.
More…

Community Languages - Our Languages
Those of us involved in adult language learning may be inspired to consider the new approaches to developing community languages through partnerships by looking at the activities of the successful ‘Our Languages’ project.
This DCSF initiative has the core aim of bringing together in partnership mainstream and complementary schools. By ‘complementary schools’ we mean all schools run on a voluntary basis after school hours or on weekends; these are also known as ‘supplementary’, ‘mother tongue’ and ‘Saturday’ schools. This year over 90 schools have been involved in joint projects, mainly focused on developing schemes of work and teaching materials in a wide range of languages. There are 45 case studies of collaboration posted on the website. Parents can use the database in the ‘Schools directory’ section to search for complementary schools by region and language. There is also a section on career development for teachers from both sectors.

Featuring your initiatives from across the country

Free CPD Sessions for MFL teachers and trainee teachers
Routes into Languages are running a series of CPD sessions in London running from 29th June – 3rd July to coincide with the Capital L Summer School.
Sessions include:

• Working with Languages across the curriculum
• Innovative On-line Multimedia Training Videos for Teachers
• Synchronous on-line teaching

To register onto any of these courses or for further information, please email routes@soas.ac.uk

Further resources

New resources from LSIS/QIA
Cliffhanger Studios is bringing out a new installment in the next few weeks to add to the Italian, German, French, English and Spanish that is already available. A polish version will be available soon. The activities can be adapted for a range of situations, levels and learners and the resources can be used to prepare and present engaging role-play activities.
See the Teaching and learning website for more information.