UCL/SOAS Languages of the Wider World CETL Cristina Ros i Sole UCL/SOAS Languages of the Wider World CETL Cristina Ros i Sole Crossing Frontiers Languages and the International Dimension University of Cardiff, 6-7 July

 A SOAS & UCL collaboration, funded by the HEFCE.  Aims : to promote, foster and support excellence in the teaching and learning of Languages of the Wider World (LWW): Middle East, Africa and Asia, Russian and other Slavonic and East European Languages, Hebrew and Yiddish, Dutch, and Scandinavian languages  One of the only two CETLs in the UK devoted to language learning and teaching.

 Building on the expertise of the language departments of UCL and SOAS;  Raising the national and international profile of academic activities devoted to these languages.  Development & evaluation of curriculums, learning materials and language learning methodology.  Providing personal development and opportunities for language teachers

Bridging the gap between pedagogical research and classroom practice Challenges of LWW pedagogies Disseminating innovation and good practice within LWW Promoting technology-enhanced and blended language learning and blended language learning

 Reflection and Research  Materials and Curriculum development  Learner and Teacher Training  Dissemination

Identification of teaching practices and innovation Integration of new learning & teaching approaches Learners’ profiles, motivations & identities RESEARCH TOPICS

Do current foreign language methodologies apply to LWW? Do LWW learners use technologies in a different way? Do LWW different identities and learner profiles necessitate new pedagogies ? Does culture & ICC need to be taught differently? Some questions addressed…

 Seminar Series on Languages of the Wider World Pedagogies: forum for presenting and discussing research into the teaching and learning of LWW. External and internal speakers invited on:  Multicompetence,  Motivation,  ICC,  Heritage Language Speakers,  Virtual Learning Environments for Language Learning,  Endangered Languages.  Workshops Research & Teacher Training  Surveys  Language teachers’ approaches to teaching LWW  Learners’ profiles, needs and motivations and use of new technologies.

 Coordination of good practice within and across institutions (UCL and SOAS) through meetings, workshops & seminars.  Dissemination of good practice outside UCL/SOAS: presentation at conferences, organising external workshops (e.g. needs of LCTL, Heritage Language Speakers, teaching of ICC for LWW).  Collaboration with similar international organisations. DISSEMINATION

To enhance students’ experience of learning LWW by..  producing new textual and oral materials;  extending already created language learning models to LWW: e.g. CALL/CMC templates such as MALTED or Virtual Dutch;  using student-generated material in tandem projects with students in another country;  extending the cross-sector CALL initiatives, such a CROSSCALL  developing interactive VLEs for the writing of non-Roman scripts;  designing collaborative language-learning platforms between SOAS/UCL and other UK and overseas institutions. MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT

LEARNER AND TEACHER TRAINING  The creation of a web resources and discussion for language teaching staff;  Creating a new course and qualification for teacher training for LWW for HE teachers as well as school and teachers working in the community.  Designing and staging courses in generic language learning skills for students embarking on the study of a new language;  Staging in-sessional training workshops on the preparation of textual and/or virtual language materials

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Currently funding projects in 34 different languages. See website for more details.

Thanks Cristina Ros