[Skip to Page Head]

Department Reviews

MODERN LANGUAGES

This has been a year of major change with the introduction of the IB and the new GCE specifications. The IB has given us the opportunity to teach languages from beginners’ level (ab initio) right through to the bilingual option. Staff involved in the programme are enthusiastic about the freedom the IB offers them. We also view the new AS very positively and hope that the improvements to the course will encourage even more girls to include a language in their skills portfolio post 16.

A new departure for us this year has been a peer support network, where the IB girls have supported girls lower down College who may need a little help or just some practice before their oral exams. One of the IB bilingual students went one stage further and organised ‘Une journée internationale de la Francophonie’ which was highly motivating for the girls who took part. The Chinese department has also developed a buddy system which has proved highly successful, whereby Chinese girls are partnered with non-native speakers to help them not only with pronunciation and speaking, but also to share their culture.

We continue to provide many opportunities for the girls to put their language skills to use outside the classroom. This year we have held poetry reading competitions for LC1 French and LC3 Italian, and ten girls studying Chinese in LC3 and UC4 took part in the National Chinese Reading Competition at the British Museum. At SFC level, by which stage the girls have a good language level, we have held reading groups after College, a film club organised by the Spanish IB girls and opportunities for debate in ‘Le concours de plaidoiries’ and the final of the European Youth Parliament at Durham University and for the first time this year, five girls took part in the ‘Juvenes Translatores’ competition, pitting their translation skills against other budding linguists from across the EU. Of course there is no better way to practise language skills than to visit the country in question and this year has seen trips to France, Spain and China. We are very lucky that once again we have managed to secure places on the British Council’s Immersion Course in China which offers a great linguistic experience and insight into this fascinating culture. I am very grateful to all members of the department who have given up their holiday time to accompany these trips.

Not only have we gone out beyond the confines of CLC, we have welcomed many visitors to our department. We have continued our now well established link with St John’s primary school who brought their year 6 pupils to enjoy a French breakfast and language activities working with our UC4 girls. We have also initiated a link with Pittville School which is still in its infancy but we hope to develop it further. In January, we hosted the annual conference for modern language teachers in the independent sector, which is an important opportunity for staff to network, look at new resources and refresh their skills. This month we were very happy to host the pre-departure conference for schools from the south west on behalf of the British Council which gave our students a glimpse of what to expect in less than 3 weeks time when they go to Beijing and Shanghai.

‘La bonne bouffe’ is always high on the French department’s list of priorities and this year has been no exception, with cookery sessions to make crêpes and madeleines, a ‘soirée française’ at the Hotel du Vin which included wine tasting and a farewell meal for the SFC2s at ‘Le Petit Blanc’. The LC2 Spanish girls enjoyed making paella with Mrs Mooney and were very keen to take the recipe home to make for their parents. Not to be outdone, the Chinese department decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year in style and took nearly 100 girls to Real China for a fabulous buffet meal.

One of the advantages of teaching languages is that we are not confined by a tight specification and we are able to share our particular interests and passions with the girls, whether this is through literature, history, music or cinema whilst at the same time teaching the language. In addition, this year staff have shared their knowledge of Spanish twentieth century politics with girls studying history IB and our Chinese colleagues gave the girls in the History Society a first hand insight into life under the Cultural Revolution. Dr Quirighetti gave a different but equally fascinating talk on her perspectives on China having spent a sabbatical term last year studying and working in China.

Yes, we have been very busy!

News

Vicky Tuck – Telegraph Articles

Vicky Tuck – Telegraph Articles

Please see the links below for the latest Telegraph articles written by Vicky Tuck. 26 April 2010, 26 March 2010, 05 February 2010, 11 January 201...

Read More

Henley Royal Regatta

Henley Royal Regatta

On the 30th June 2010, twenty rowers including staff set off at 8:30am for an exciting trip to Henley. On the coach, whilst complimenting each other’s...

Read More

Rabbit

Rabbit

Performing in the cast of 'Rabbit' was a brilliant experience because I had immense fun and learnt so much at the same time. I had the chance...

Read More

IB Results

IB Results

There was a palpable sense of excitement in College as we awaited our first set of IB Diploma results and I warmly congratulate staff and girls on the...

Read More

Hunchbacks, Knights, Dwarves and Giants

Hunchbacks, Knights, Dwarves and Giants

A talk by Dan Evans on the Gonzaga of Mantua and their ArtistsThe art historian, Dan Evans, commenced his presentation on the court of Mantua with a s...

Read More