LLAS Centre for Languages, Linguistics and Area Studies

Collaboration in Strategic Subjects: the lesson of Modern Languages
Event date: 11 March, 2005
Location: British Academy, London

Promoting languages through cross-sector collaboration (6 May 05)
Event date: 6 May, 2005
Location: Woburn House, 20 Tavistock Square, London WC1

Widening horizons: Charting progress the Aston way
This paper discusses Aston University's Widening Participation project, providing pathways into the University via Foundation Degrees, with a view to creating a new service and knowledge-based workforce in the Birmingham region. Languages form an important part of the knowledge economy and the Languages For Life project, launched in 2001, is described. Current Aston undergraduates are recruited as ambassadors for local schools and a supporting conference was held. Ways in which the project can be developed further are discussed.

Bridging the Gap: University of Manchester
The University of Manchester's Bridging the Gap project to help students transition between GCSE, As and A2 level is described. Various forums and committees were set up to identify gaps in their respective syllabuses and events days were run at a Language College to help fill these gaps. Feedback on the events was good and it is hoped that this type of event will encourage more students to take languages at university level.

Yes, but is PEL the same as ELP?
In September 2003, Leeds Metropolitan University started delivering a new French specialist route on its BA(Hons) Primary Education and was paired with the IUFM of Montpellier in France. As lecturers from both institutions started collaborating together, we decided to look into the use of the Common European Framework and in particular the European Language Portfolio (ELP) as tools offering an element of commonality between France and the UK. How is the use of these interpreted differently in both countries? How much do these interpretations reflect a different approach to language learning and the means to achieve that learning?

LATCOF: Lessons from a secondary/sixth-form - HE consultative forum for language teachers
The University of Manchester has hosted a forum for dialogue between tertiary and secondary language teachers to share pedagogic and curricular experiences and realities with the aim of facilitating student progression and bridging the secondary-tertiary 'gaps'. Participants have been surveyed to assess the impact of the dialogue process on them and their practice and to start to identify issues of broader relevance to the sector as a whole. This paper reports the experience of participants and responses to the survey.

Big is beautiful: Institution-wide language provision for two universities
In this paper, the author describes the operation of a Language Centre which offers its services to two institutions, the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The advantages of such a system are described, especially with regard to size and diversity. The Centre sees its role as an engine of cooperation between the two institutions.

'Sharing Words': Conversation, collaboration and cultural connections
This paper examines the way in which native speakers of taught languages can be mobilised by universities for use in outreach activities. The authors suggest an empowering approach to facilitate cross-cultural communication. A questionnaire following such a scheme was administered to AS and A2 students, the results of which showed several benefits to the learners.

Towards a framework for expansion and collaboration: A web-based multilingual grammar resource

The paper aims to discuss: the use of an authoring package designed to produce interactive web-based CALL materials that integrate text and the spoken word; provide hands-on experience in the use of the authoring package; the integration of interactive web-based language teaching material into daily practice.

Collaboration programme in Modern Languages in higher education