We are delighted to have just celebrated our annual Languages Week from 21-25 September, held to coincide with the European Day of Languages, which this year has a theme of Languages are for Everyone.
The week has been a chance to celebrate not only the languages our students learn, but the curiosity, cultural understanding and sense of discovery that come with learning another language. From Chinese calligraphy and multilingual arts and crafts to a Linguistics Olympiad session, there has been plenty to get involved in. Students have been invited to guess the language of songs, and Friday Jammin’ took on a special multilingual flavour, with student performances of an Italian aria and a Russian song!
Even lunchtime has offered a taste of the world, with a different world cuisine represented each day.
In his recent Thought Leadership blog The treasure hunt that never ends: The magic and power of learning languages, Director of Studies, James Livingstone, beautifully illustrates the continued – and increasingly vital – relevance of learning languages and the human connections it builds.
“The purpose of learning a language is not simply to be able to convert one set of words into another, but to gain access to the human beings behind those words. It teaches us to question our assumptions, tolerate ambiguity, take intellectual risks and remain curious about perspectives that are not our own. It makes the world larger.
There is no single kind of mind that belongs in a language classroom… Language learning draws on an extraordinary range of abilities: sound, pattern, rhythm, visual recognition, repetition, problem-solving, memory, creativity and communication. Different learners will find different doors into the subject.”
Read the full blog here
