How can schools encourage students to take languages further? – open thread

Learning languages: is technology alone enough to persuade 16 year-olds to continue studying a foreign language at an advanced level? Photograph: Alamy

As technology marches ever forwards the world itself is shrinking; students today can hold Skype conversations with friends in Japan or India as easily as they can speak to the person sitting at the next desk in class. But speaking English can only get students so far; in fact just 6% of the globe are native English speakers so there is a pressing need for students to embrace languages and continue with their study beyond the compulsory age of 16.

Language teachers know this. Back in May language consultant Joe Dale wrote an article which highlighted the amazing ways in which language teachers are harnessing the power of technology. Long gone are the days of repetitive grammar translation exercises with many teachers now looking to incorporate social networking sites, video conferencing and blogging into their lessons to allow students to learn in a mode they feel comfortable and engaged with.

But is technology alone enough to persuade 16 year-olds of the substantial benefits of taking a language further? The British Academy currently has a series of awards on offer which are aimed at exploring, showcasing and rewarding the very best practice and innovations of teachers around the country whose techniques are improving take-up of languages in the post 16 sector.

One of last year's winners of the British Academy award was the Dallam School in Cumbria. Staff at the school had been facing an uphill battle to try and get both students and parents in the primarily rural and monocultural area to grasp the importance of language learning. They won the award for rolling out a programme which saw the formation of bilingual tutor groups which would immerse the children in Spanish or French for short bursts of time, two or three times each day. Headteacher Steve Holdup said: "Students coming out of tutor lessons or at break could be heard chatting unselfconsciously in French or Spanish."

So what have you done in your school to encourage learners to take up languages? Do you have a tutor group scheme like Dallam School or maybe you have initiated a multi-lingual reading circle or similar? Tell us what you do and how you do it by making a comment below.

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Footballers who get 'booked' to encourage children to read more and improve reading standards

Although even Henry Kissinger’s diplomatic skills will not help Queens Park Rangers escape relegation from the Premier League, the London side’s former player Ryan Nelsen has selected the politician’s heavyweight work On China as his favourite adult book.

The choice is among the more surprising choices in a scheme using Premier League footballers to encourage children to read more. Every top division side picked a player to select his favourite book from both childhood and adult years.

For Nelsen, a New Zealand defender who left QPR shortly after the survey to become manager of Toronto FC in Canada, the choice may not be quite so surprising – he holds a degree in political science from Stanford University.

Nelsen was not the only player to throw in an unconventional choice, however – Wigan Athletic midfielder David Jones, currently on loan to Blackburn, opted for Adrian Galsworthy’s? history book The Complete Roman Army.

He may have been aping the all-conquering Australian cricket team, who were urged to read Sun Tzu’s Art of War by their coach John Buchanan before the Ashes series in 2001 to use ancient war tactics for a sporting advantage.

Most of the other players chose books by or about sports stars, presumably in the hope that some inspiration rubbed off. Norwich City’s Jonathan Howson has chosen Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer, Chelsea’s Ross Turnbull went for Rafael Nadal’s autobiography Rafa: My Story and Sunderland’s Adam Johnson picked Blessed by George Best.

When it comes to children’s books, there is no doubt that Roald Dahl is the footballers’ favourite author with seven of the 20 opting for his books.

The scheme has already been a phenomenal success in improving children’s reading standards, according to research published by the National Literacy Trust. It shows that 75 per cent of the pupils taking part improved their reading age by between six months and a year in just 10 weeks. Three out of four said they now read more because they know that footballers read – and half had joined their public library.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Clint Dempsey – who chose The Hobbit as his favourite adult book and Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle as his top children’s book – said: “I encourage everybody to read as much as possible because knowledge is power and makes you a more rounded person.

“Not every story will interest you but when you find one that does it can be really fun to get wrapped up in the story.”

Per Mertesacker (Arsenal): A Life Too Short: The Tragedy of Robert Enke by Ronald Reng

Sylvain Distin (Everton) The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

Gael Bigirimana (Newcastle United) Hinds’ Feet On High Places by Hannah Hurnard

Ryan Nelsen (ex-QPR) On China by Henry Kissinger

David Jones (Blackburn Rovers) The Complete Roman Army by Adrian Goldsworthy

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