The Linguist is a languages magazine for professional linguists, translators, interpreters, language professionals, language teachers, trainers, students and academics with articles on translation, interpreting, business, government, technology
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@Linguist_CIOL JUNE/JULY The Linguist 29 SECTION HEADER OPINION & COMMENT With the gates of the nation's schools closed and the prospect of an entirely virtual term ahead, the education of our young people becomes a significant challenge. After only a week or two, teachers were reporting how intensive they were finding online teaching, and unions were commenting, quite understandably, on the unreasonableness and unsustainability of trying to replicate a normal timetable remotely. Most academic departments are having to face the reality of working entirely electronically for the first time, creating anxiety for teachers, as they realise the enormity of the task ahead – not just in terms of new ways of working but also in terms of resources. However, at Farlington School in West Sussex, where I am Head of Curriculum, none of this applies, especially in the modern foreign languages (MFL) department. We could never have known, but our decision to become a Google School, more than four years ago, has placed us in the enviable position of being able to continue with language education uninterrupted. Since September 2019, French, German, Italian and Spanish have been taught exclusively using Google Slides and Docs. We have developed a unique collection of resources for each language, which is characterised by authentic material linked to YouTube and foreign online publications, plus our own bespoke resources and grammar, all structured around a clear, engaging and consistent layout with high-definition images. As this is a normal way of working for Farlington language students, the transfer to online teaching and learning has been smooth. Students access their resources through Google Classroom and classes are taught live on camera through the Google Meet facility. As an independent school, we were fortunate to have been able to invest in 1:1 Chromebooks two years ago, which means that every student has a school-managed device that they use both in class and at home. Parents have been delighted with virtual lessons. Behaviour and focus have been superb, and some students even claim they prefer it. However long we find ourselves in this situation, the school will continue to do its bit – in these most trying times – to provide those much-needed linguists of the future. David Walker-Smith MCIL Email linguist.editor@ciol.org.uk with your views Online classrooms as standard I am Italian, my husband is British and we live in the UK, so when we had children I thought both languages would naturally be part of their life. I spoke and read to them in Italian, but as my husband doesn't speak Italian, I also spoke to them in English – the main language of our household. When my eldest started asking me to interpret while we were with my family, I realised the importance of using the languages on a more equal footing. The challenges involved in teaching my mother tongue to my children are many and varied: the common language in and outside the home is English; my family lives abroad, so there is no daily communication in Italian; and access to literature and videos, or even to local family groups where the main language is Italian, is limited where we live in Wiltshire. I have friends in similar situations and they also find it challenging to maintain a balance between the two languages. One of the main problems is that when children start school they seem to channel their language skills using English only. So am I succeeding in raising my children bilingually? Only time will tell. I now speak Italian to them all the time, except when I pick them up from school or when they want to explain something they have experienced in their native environment. They seem to find it easier to express themselves and their emotions in English, but they do understand Italian. My nine-year-old speaks Italian with my family, can read some Italian and occasionally tries to write in Italian. He also watches DVDs and sings songs in the language, as does my four-year-old. Covid-19 restrictions are challenging our use of Italian further, however, as I am homeschooling in English and my husband is working from home. Should I be more assertive with their learning of my native language? Perhaps, but I believe in education as a growing interest more than an imposition. I hope that, with maturity, they will both take my native language more seriously. After all, they love going to Italy to visit family. A positive side of the current crisis is that we now WhatsApp with my family daily. Both Raising children bilingually © SHUTTERSTOCK