OUNDLE LINGUA 2019 - Oundle School
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OUNDLE LINGUA 2019
Introduction
It’s been another busy year in the Adamson. The first School Centred
Initial Teacher Training (SCITT) dtrainees joining the Oundle Modern
Languages Department, eight trips, penfriend letter exchanges external
speakers, DELF exams and the BLC business event.
This year’s edition of Lingua brings you the best of the year in our
department as well as show some of the adventures and musings of our
keen linguists. With information about the new SCITT teacher training
programme, an interview with our recent addition to the team, Miss Ford,
and some of the statistics from the Oundle School Modern Languages
Survey, we hope that you will enjoy the 2019 edition of Lingua.
Editor: Miss Charlotte Hignett (French and Russian)
Many thanks to the following pupils for their help at Lingua Vols as well to
the various contributors to this edition of Lingua for their time and effort.
Khayali Kanabar (2Sco), Emilia Giacco (2Sco),
Esme Lawson-Tancred (4K), Carys Nokes (4K).
Front cover: Khayali Kanabar (2Sco)
2 Oundle Lingua 2019
Lingua 2018 Department News The National Modern Languages SCITT������������������� 4 European Day of Languages������������������������������������������� 5 Real-lives Languages���������������������������������������������������������� 5 Meet the MFL department: Miss Ford����������������������� 5 Oundle School’s Budding Linguists Russian and Chinese at Pre-U – a Good Idea?�������� 6 Why I Chose German in 2nd Form������������������������������ 6 French����������������������������������������������������������������������������������6 Spanish������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 8 German�������������������������������������������������������������������������������9 Chinese����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 10 Russian Learning Russian Through the ‘Stans!���������������������� 11 Italian���������������������������������������������������������������������������������12 Arabic���������������������������������������������������������������������������������12 The Oundle School Modern Languages Survey�����������������������������������������������12 Oundle Pupils’ Musings Implementation of Chinese Educational Methods in UK Schools���������������������������������������������������13 Which are the Best Apps for Learning a New Language?������������������������������������������������������������������ 14 Listen!������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Can Learning a Language Make You Happier and Help You Live Longer?�������������������������������������������15 Department Highlights From Over the Year������������������������������������������������������������� 16 Oundle Lingua 2019 3
Welcome to the 2019 edition of Lingua
Departmental news Maintained sector: Thomas Deacon Academy, Ormiston
Bushfield Academy, Longsands Academy, Sir Christopher
The National Modern Languages Hatton Academy, Catmose College, Prince William School
Kettering Buccleugh Academy
SCITT
Trainees are mentored by the School language teachers
Pupils studying languages at Oundle this year will have
allocated a and work with some of their classes. All of the
noticed a few new faces around the Adamson Centre and
the eagle-eyed amongst them may have noticed teaching
sessions taking place in A1, where the ‘pupils’ are adults. The
Modern Languages Department has set up a teacher training
‘hub’ for modern languages as part of a national scheme
called the ‘National Modern Languages SCITT’. The acronym
‘SCITT’ stands for ‘School Centred Initial Teacher Training’.
This government scheme was created to help tackle the
shortage of modern languages teacher in our schools. It is
unique in being the only teacher training course focussed
on one core subject area. The scheme runs across state and
independent schools.
Of the 13 schools that form the Oundle hub, trainees take on
placements at two of them. The current partner schools are:
Independent sector: Oundle School, Oakham School,
Stamford High School, Bedford School, Bedford Modern
and Rugby School
4 Oundle Lingua 2019
trainees in the hub come to Oundle every two or three Real-lives Language
weeks for a day of pedagogy, currently taught by Katrin
Sredzki-Seamer, the course leader in Sheffield, Sara Davidson For the first time last summer, 13 Germanists and 48
(Head of Modern Languages) and Karen Paone (Italian and Hispanists in the Fourth form sat the CIOL Real Lives
Spanish teacher) exam. Real Lives is a real world multiple-choice listening
comprehension exam suitable for Fourth form cadets.
Selection to become a trainee is via a rigorous application It teststesting their language skills in adventure and
and interview process, trainees are impressive linguists from leadership situations, linked to the services in which
all walks of life, which currently includes a mix of: Oxbridge emergencies require clear and accurate communication
graduates, career changers, foreign nationals, many already and understanding. The real-life elements have also been
have some experience of working within a school setting. designed as a way of countering the declining interest in
Trained in the latest MFL pedagogy and influences, they languages in schools. Last year, Oundle had a a 98% pass
bring fresh ideas to the department and provide additional rate. Ella Aisher (W 5th) and Rohan Scott (SC 5th) achieved
support to both teachers and pupils. the highest marks in the German and Spanish exam
A side benefit of the scheme has been the partnerships respectively and were awarded with a trip to the Awards
and links established with the Universities of Sheffield and Ceremony at the Institute of Linguists with Mrs Davidson
between the other partner schools. This is leading to the and Mr Smith. This year, the number of Oundle entries has
development of further projects. doubled and we wish the candidates lots of luck!
A further benefit is that, should a vacancy crop up in the
department, we have direct access to high calibre recently
trained linguists which are normally hard to come by in the
current climate.
Oundle pupils, OO’s or even parents who are keen linguists
and think they might want to become a language teacher
should keep us in mind…
European Day of Languages
The European day of Languages is a Council of Europe
initiative which has become a bit of an annual tradition
at Oundle, helped by our diverse and multicultural
community. On the 26th September, teachers taught Meet the MFL Department: Miss Ford
different languages such as Maori, Japanese, Turkish,
Esme Lawson-Tancred (K 4th)
Swedish and Lithuanian, opening pupils’ eyes to entirely
sat down with Miss Ford
new language families. In some cases, pupils took to the
(Arabic and Russian) to learn
board and enthusiastically taught the likes of Latvian, Tamil,
about her journey into
Cantonese, Russian and Yoruba to the rest of their sets.
languages and teaching.
Other departments joined in too, introducing tasters to
their lessons. In one Chemistry lesson, the challenge was What was the first language
to pronounce the Welsh word, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogery- you learnt?
chwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. A great day was topped English is my first language
off with either a Turkish or Spanish lunch in house! but I also grew up learning
Mauritian Creole, which is
the language my Mum speaks
with her family. Spoken on the island of Mauritius it’s a
dialect of French mixed with an indigenous language from, I
think, Madagascar. My family all spoke that and I remember
not understanding them but now I speak it fluently.
Where did you go to University and did you take a
year abroad?
I went to university in Durham and I took a year abroad,
spending six months in Morocco and six months in Russia.
Oundle Lingua 2019 5
What is the most interesting things about learning as tricky conjugations and the concept of perfective and
a language? imperfective verbs.
I guess language is inextricably linked to the culture that it
Learning these languages has been very rewarding. I have
comes from as you learn so much from the country/countries
visited China twice and the last time I was offered an
and the people. Just from learning the language you learn
internship in Warsaw by a Chinese company for this summer.
about their habits, their customs and their nuances.
I have also made a lot of close friendships with people
If you could learn another language what would it be from Latvia, Ukraine and Russia thanks to speaking Russian
and why? with them.
If I could learn another language I would learn Urdu because Angelo Giacco (L L6th)
I can already read it and my Mum speaks it. It’s also a bit like
Arabic in that it’s an ancient, very poetic, beautiful language. Why I Chose German in 2nd Form
My Mum never taught me unfortunately.
I chose to learn German this year in second form because
If you could go to any country, where would you go? I was born in Stuttgart, Germany. I have really enjoyed
learning German so far with Frau Davidson and find it
I think I would go to Finland to see the Northern Lights, but
interesting comparing German, English and Latin words. I
it’s very cold. Finnish is also a really cool language; I think it’s
think that German is a much simpler language to learn than
got about twenty cases.
if you were learning English for the first time because it is
Have you ever made any embarrassing language mistakes? so structured!
Yes, when I was in Russia I wanted to ask how to wash a piece Last year I visited Stuttgart with my family. Stuttgart was
of clothing, but I actually asked how to shoot it! originally developed as a stud farm for the Counts of a
Do you have any advice for people trying to learn Württemberg, which is how it gets its name; Stuot an old
new language? German word for a stud horse, and Garten which means, as
you can probably guess, garden. In fact, I found it interesting
Inhibition is not your friend! Just go out there and make as
that the horse logo for Porsche is because Stuttgart is the
many mistakes as possible and enjoy it, don’t be afraid and talk
headquarters for Porsche! It was, and still is, a major location
to as many people as you can in as many different contexts as
in Germany for manufacturing, including Mercedes-Benz.
you can. You can’t learn everything in a classroom.
The funny thing is that, although Stuttgart is home to
Oundle School’s Budding car manufacturers, you don’t even need a car as you can
travel everywhere either by foot, U-Bahn (street trains) or
Linguists S-Bahn (city trains). I couldn’t help noticing the mix of old
and new architecture which was due to the heavy damage
Russian and Chinese at Pre-U – that Stuttgart sustained in WWII. We visited the Altes
Schloss from the 10th Century, which has been through
a Good Idea? a lot including both world wars and was the home to the
I have studied Chinese and Russian for three and two years counts and dukes of Württemberg! As my German improves
respectively. I chose Chinese as, my grandfather has always I look forward to visiting more and more places in Germany
recounted lyrical stories of his adventures in China and I and Austria.
developed a love of China. I chose Russian because I wanted
another challenging language and I am interested in a career Doireann Hockel (Sco 2nd)
French
in diplomacy or intelligence which Russian complements well.
I also knew little about Russia, so I saw it as a way to discover
another culture. I really enjoy learning both languages.
With the Paris and Orléans trips as old favourites, and the
The similarities are very few: perhaps only the difficulty and
relatively new addition of the immersive trip to Nice to stay
the lack of definite and indefinite articles. The differences,
with host families, the French department has been busy
apart from the obvious use of characters in Chinese
travelling around France this year!
compared to the Cyrillic alphabet in Russian, include:
word order - which is very important in Chinese but quite The Fifth Form trip to Nice in October saw 12 pupils stay with
malleable in Russian; verbs - there is no conjugation in French families (who only spoke French!), spend time at a
Chinese and past and future forms are incredibly easy to local language school where they took intensive classes in
form, whereas in Russian verbs are quite challenging with topics related to their IGCSE and travel around the beautiful
unidirectional and bidirectional verbs of motion, as well French Riviera. Highlights included the eating of numerous
6 Oundle Lingua 2019
crêpes and glaces, making perfume in one of the most challenging and controversial topics such as whether
famous perfumeries in Eze and spotting the homes and cars spending money on culture is a waste and whether women
of the rich and famous in Monte Carlo. Everyone agreed that should stay at home with their children! Although they went
their French had improved by the end of the trip but were through to the semi-finals, they were unfortunately beaten
ready for another week of holiday without any school at all! by the ultimate winners who were some excellent debaters
from Hills Road Sixth Form College.
21 Lower Sixth pupils were met with glorious spring weather
as they arrived in Paris at the start of the Easter holidays
for four days of immersion in French language and culture!
Pupils were treated to a gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower
from Place de la Concorde, an art tour of Montmartre by
very knowledgeable local guides and a fashion show in
Galéries Lafayette. Although the pupils were also lucky
enough to witness (from a distance!) the Gilets Jaunes
protests around the city, they agreed that the delicious
typical French dinners every evening were the best part of
the trip!
The French Society, led by Mr Gunson, invited two
distinguished guests to address pupils in the summer term.
Firstly, Dr Toby Garfitt of Magdalen College, Oxford, paid
a visit and spoke about the Tirailleurs Sénégalais – the
The Third and Fourth form trip to Orléans remains as popular Senegalese Riflemen - who fought in both world wars.
as ever, with pupils having the opportunity to try out a Whilst a rather niche topic, pupils found Dr Garfitt’s talk very
French brasserie, and of course speak in French with their entertaining and it even inspired an Independent Research
new exchange partners and their families who they stayed Project of one pupil!
with. Not only did the pupils improve their French over the
Mai 1968 being a cultural favourite of the French
course of the week, they came back with lots of confidence
department meant that its 50th anniversary did not pass
after being able to the use the language in real-life situations!
without notice. A level teachers drew it into their teaching,
In January this year, Oundle put forward four pupils to the linking it closely with grèves and manifestations.The French
ISMLA debating competition held at the Perse School. Rory Society also invited University Challenge star, Matthew Chan,
Cronin (S L6th), Grace Gibson (K L6th), Adam Hutchinson to address pupils on the near-revolutionary riots and their
(G L6th) and Alice Sze (N L6th) all spoke eloquently on consequences today.
Oundle Lingua 2019 7
48 pupils sat DELF examinations this spring with a 100% pass Following on from the trip, a number of pupils have been
rate! 37 Fifth form pupils sat the B1 test and 11 Lower Sixth inspired to spend part of their gap year in South America!
pupils the B2. The DELF-DALF examinations are accredited by
the French government and are required for acquiring French
citizenship or studying in a French university. Congratulations
to all!
Spanish
Twelve Sixth formers studying Spanish spent their February
half term completing work experience in Córdoba, Spain.
The trip gave pupils full immersion into the language,
where they worked for four hours a day in a wide variet of
placements These included: pre-school crèches, shops,
The Lower years’ Spanish course is based around the cultures
the reception desk at a museum, an Arabic baths and a
of Spanish speaking countries. The second form had to give
vets! Afternoons were spent visiting the beautiful sights
presentations in small groups to the first form. The
of Córdoba, and they even watched a Spanish film at the
presentations were on towns within different regions of
cinema without subtitles! At the weekend, pupils went to
Spain, including Adalucía, Castilla y León, Aragón and
both Granada and Seville where they visited the famous
Cantabria.
Moorish Alhambra Palace in Granada and the Alcázar Palace
in Seville, giving them all a real sense of the rich legacy left by The presentations had to include all sorts of information such
the Moors in Andalucía. as typical food and famous landmarks and local attractions.
Alongside the presentations there was some classic Spanish
and Latin American food for pupils to try. The food included
olives, homemade guacamole, frijoles and a delicious cake
made with Dulce de leche!
Other highlights of the year for the Spanish department
include making masks for the Day of the Dead in November
and one of our SCITT trainees, Miss Dales, gave a lesson
where First form pupils conducted interviews with each
other and their peers marked them according to their
creativity, pronunciation, and of course, accuracy of Spanish!
Miss Blacknell and Mr Turnbull took a group of Fifth to Upper Miss Dales has spent most of the year with Oundle School,
Sixth form pupils to Buenos Aires, Argentina during the has been involved in team-teaching Spanish with Miss Paone.
October half term where pupils got a snapshot of what life The French and Spanish setsthat she has been working
was like in an Argentinian school, sang ABBA on the radio, closely with will be sorry to see her leave at the end of
experienced daily life through staying with local host families the academic year, we wish her the very best on her next
and ate a lot of alfajores, or typical Argentinian biscuits. teaching appointment.
Pupils found it fun getting to grips with the local accent and In December, Synergy, a versatile trio who play all sorts of
some even came back with a bit of an Argentinian twang! Spanish music paid a visit to Oundle to perform a number of
8 Oundle Lingua 2019
sets for a large number of our Spanish learners. The pupils A firm favourite with Oundle’s Germanists is the Christmas
loved hearing a variety of different music styles and, as you trip to Winter Wunderland, which sees pupils visit Tübingen
can see, the pupils were even allowed to join in with the and Herrenberg. Highlights of last December’s trip included
music making which they thoroughly enjoyed! making chocolate at the Rittersport factory (after a tour!)
where pupils could choose their own fillings for their bars;
German ice-skating in the snowy weather and a visit to a traditional
German Christmas market.
The German department continues to enjoy close links with
a school in Hamburg as well as its established trips to Leipzig,
Berlin, and Winter Wunderland in Tübingen.
The German department’s first trip of the year kicked off
in October half term when seven Sixth form pupils travel
to Berlin and Leipzig to improve their German and broaden
their cultural knowledge of the country. Highlights included
a visit to the Abgeorgnetenhaus (Berlin’s parliament
building) where we joined discussions on topics including
Brexit, went to a meeting hosted by Greenpeace about
climate change, and visited the multi-cultural Kreuzberg
with a guide from Lebanon who had grown up there. The
evenings in Berlin were spent at the theatre. ’ Klassenbuch’,
During the Easter holidays, ten Fourth Form pupils set off to
was a contemporary production about 21st century
stay with German host families in Hamburg. Pupils attended
social issues which affect young people today. The acting
lessons at a Gymnasium with their new exchange partners,
was outstanding, although the colloquial language was
experiencing a different teaching and learning style to that
a challenge for us. The second play was an improvised
of Oundle. Other highlights of the trip included playing mini
production in the style of Hitchcock, where the audience
golf, visiting the beautiful ‘Miniatur Wunderland,’ a boat tour
decides various elements of the play, such as location and
of Hamburg on the River Elbe and eating traditional German
props. We were very impressed by the quick wit of the cast.
food such as Currywurst mit Pommes. Pupils were really
For the last few days of the trip, we stayed in Schulpforte, positive about their better knowledge of the language upon
a boarding school about 40 minutes from Leipzig, set in a their return and are looking forward to their partners visiting
beautiful former monastery cloisters. We went to lessons Oundle in June so that they can see what British culture
with the pupils and enjoyed experiencing a different looks like!
school system. The nearby town of Naumburg is home to
Fun in the German department doesn’t stop at trips; a
Naumburger Dom, a cathedral that has just been approved
number of cultural and linguistic events are held back
as a UNESCO World Heritage site and it was truly awe-
in Oundle too! An Oundle favourite is the traditional
inspiring!
Oktoberfest celebration for the Sixth Form in which pupils
For our last day, we went to Weimar, home to Goethe and can wear lederhosen or a dirndl and recreate the traditional
Nietzche. The cultural atmosphere was delightful, and we fun of Oktoberfest in Munich. The new launch this year was
also enjoyed a lunch of pork, sauerkraut and dumplings! Karneval in February year for Third form Germanists. It is a
traditional German celebration that marks the start of Lent in
Ruben Sector (S U6th) Germany. We enjoyed a traditional German meal of Pretzels,
Oundle Lingua 2019 9
Wurst and Berliner (donuts with every tenth one filled with congregating in The Cloisterssaw an outing of our usually
mustard instead of jam – another quirky traditional from Adamson bound Chinese dragon. The whole school was
Germany)! then treated to a Chinese New Year lunch, which was
truly delicious.
For those who are studying Chinese, the band Transition,
who sing in both English and Mandarin, provided live
entertainment. They are a British three-piece indie-rock
band that has achieved a significant fan base in Asia with
their catchy cross-cultural hits. Their first set featured top
hits such as 对不起， 我的中文不好 “Sorry my Chinese is not
good” and 前进 “Olympic Dream”.
It has also been a successful term in both internal and
national competitions. The Society for Anglo-Chinese
Understanding (SACU) and Peking University returned
to Oundle to present certificates and prizes to winners
A new project was launched this year by Bente, the German of the Joseph Needham Essay Competition. Pupils were
department’s language assistant, who has set up a penfriend asked to write an essay drawing on someone from Britain
link with a German school for our Second form Germanists. or China, past or present, who has contributed to Anglo-
The pupils were involved in making Christmas cards for their Chinese understanding and friendship. They were asked to
new friends, an opportunity which allowed pupils to use illustrate lessons from their approach and behaviours which
their new knowledge of German with actual German native are helpful pointers for young people seeking to become
speakers! Above are a group of German students who seem successful global citizens today.
very happy with their cards from their Oundelian penpals!
The German department also hosted the Business Language
Champions events earlier this year in which pupils were
involved in creating and marketing products using German.
This was a great opportunity for pupils to use German for a
new purpose completely unrelated to their exams and team-
building was the key to success. A number of teams from
regional schools took part and fun was had by all!
Chinese
It has been a busy year in the Chinese Department. Joining
the world-wide festivities of the Chinese New Year of the Thomas Caskey (L 4th) wrote a fantastic essay on Deng
Pig, Oundle pupils were treated to a number of different Xiaoping and was awarded a cheque for £100 as the winner.
events. At break time, the Oundle community and pupils He set out very clearly his definition of a ‘global citizen’ and
10 Oundle Lingua 2019made a good case for Deng Xiaoping. Runner-up prizes were Kyrgyzstan on a map, so you can imagine my choosing them
awarded to Rohan Scott (Sc 5th), who wrote about AC Scott as gap year destinations raised some eyebrows. My decision
and William Crane (Ldr 4th) who wrote about Li Hongzhang to visit these former Soviet republics came primarily from a
in a very brave essay on a difficult subject, including a good desire to practice my Russian (I took GCSE Russian in 6th
description of one of China’s great ‘modernisers’ which, in Form) before university, but also for a bit of adventure.
the 19th century meant embracing western technology.
Finally, Angelo Giacco (L L6th) and Evan Ball (G L6th) had
the distinction of qualifying for the final of the HSBC/
British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition in early
February. Over 600 pupils who are studying Mandarin took
part in the initial heats of this very prestigious competition,
and Angelo and Evan were judged to be among the top 10
in their respective categories. Held at the British Museum
the grand final of the Mandarin Speaking competition saw
more than 130 pupils from across the country vying to
be recognised as the country’s best non-native Mandarin
speakers. Pupils were required to make a two minute
presentation in front of the judges and audience, followed
by questions on their speeches. In the intermediate-plus
category, Evan was then presented with a scenario to In Kyrgyzstan, I was able to experience cultural traditions
talk about which he had 45 seconds to prepare for. In the that have seen a recent resurgence since the Soviet Union’s
advanced category, Angelo was given three translations to collapse. I met an eagle hunter, rode on horseback through
complete on the spot, and then had 45 seconds to prepare the mountains, watched a game of “ulak tartysh” (polo with a
a speech about the topic of healthy eating. Very well done headless goat), slept in a nomad’s yurt, and swam in glacier-
to both! fed lakes. Uzbekistan was a complete contrast, very hot and
dusty - it reached over 40 degrees at times! There, I visited
Russian the ancient Silk Road cities of Samarkand and Bukhara with
their incredibly beautiful blue-tiled mosques and medressas,
and the historic bazaars and caravanserais still in use today.
The Russian department has been busier than ever this year,
with Miss Ford joining the ever-growing department as well
as the introduction of the Pre-U course in the Sixth Form.
The traditional spring festival, Maslenitsa, was very welcome
given all the blinis (pancakes) and was a great opportunity
for our pupils to mix and speak some Russian with the native
speakers we have at Oundle. The other highlight of the year
was the Russian Society’s inaugural lecture by Professor
Tomila Lankina from the London School of Economics who
gave an insightful talk on whether Russia was winning the
Global Information War. The talk drew pupils from all year
groups and all backgrounds and it was especially interesting
for pupils to hear what our pupils’ Russian peers thought
about Russia’s place on the world stage too! Many thanks to
Jacob Jones (Ldr L6th) for organising the talk.
I cannot recommend both Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan more
As Russian resources for English-speaking learners are often
highly as alternative destinations for Russian learners. Not
few and far between, we make every effort to engage with
only are they cheap and the visa systems much easier than
the Russian teaching community around the UK. Miss Ford
Russia’s, you will struggle to meet kinder or more welcoming
attended the Russian Teachers’ Group Annual Conference in
people on the planet. Whether I was navigating the Tashkent
London in March and came back with lots of fresh ideas for
metro, or trying to fit my rucksack under my bunk on the
listening activities and translation!
sleeper train, people were always friendly and more than
Learning Russian through the ‘Stans! pleased to bear with my stumbling Russian.
A lot of people wouldn’t be able to point out Uzbekistan or Olivia Buchan (W 17)
Oundle Lingua 2019 11Italian were immersed in a workshop, involving ‘code-breaking’
and deciphering words written in Arabic script. Miss Ford
enjoyed the opportunity to judge the annual Arabic poetry
Although one of the smaller departments in the Adamson, declamation competition at Eton school, showcasing the
the Italian department is one that never fails to incorporate enthusiasm and dedication of British students to Arabic and
culture into lessons and enjoys testing out new teaching Middle Eastern studies. With more and more people moving
ideas. This year, Mr Battilocchi joined the department for a to the Middle East, pupils are showing a real aptitude for a
couple of months as a SCITT teacher trainee. Miss Paone is difficult but valuable language that opens the doors to over
very actively involved in the SCITT programme as a mentor, 22 countries.
Mr Battilocchi observed lessons, was involved in team
teaching and was proactive in leading lessons at times too.
Pupils really enjoyed his enthusiasm and were sad to see him The Oundle School
leave to undertake placements in other local schools.
Modern Languages
Survey
The Lingua editorial team decided to a conduct a survey
earlier this year to find out exactly what pupils at Oundle
School thought about their ability in languages and the
importance of languages to them and their futures. 349
pupils took part and here are some of the results:
How many language(s) are you learning currently?
(349 responses)
Panetone proved a firm favourite with the Fourth form when
they tasted Italian food before Christmas. Pupils used the
tasting to talk about the food in Italian, and to learn more
about an Italian Christmas.
Small class sizes in the Pre-U Italian course mean that there
How many languages do you consider yourself able to hold a
is often ample time to discuss topics in greater depth,
conversation in? (349 responses)
undertake projects where pupils later present to their peers
and speak a lot more Italian! Here, a new technique in which
pupils use buzzers with different sounds is being used. The
buzzers can be used in a variety of ways, such as replacing a
hands-up approach or spotting linguistic errors.
Arabic
Learning Arabic is an exciting and unique opportunity, and
demand for the language is certainly on the rise, not only in Do you think learning modern foreign languages is useful?
British schools but across the world! This year the third form (349 responses)
have been grappling with the challenging yet rewarding task
of learning to read and write the Arabic alphabet, as well as
learning how to describe their daily lives and environment.
The Arabic department has held several taster sessions for
the second form, who have enjoyed learning basic greetings
and introductions. Interest in the language and culture of
the Arabic world was demonstrated by a large group of
pupils from various prep schools across the country, who
12 Oundle Lingua 2019Which language(s) do you speak at home? Responses excluding English:
• Russian • Korean • Thai
• Cantonese • Italian • Malay
• Mandarin • Hindi • Telugu
• Yoruba • Gujarati • Arabic
• Japanese • Spanish • French
• Dutch • Farsi • Igbo
• Danish • German (& Swiss German) • Izon
• Punjabi • Tamil
• Czech • Gaelic
Have you ever tried to learn a language by yourself? If so, which? Responses include:
• Portuguese • Swahili • Hungarian
• Norwegian • Modern Greek • Esperanto
• Japanese • Sign Language • Welsh
• Russian • Italian • Korean
• German • Xhosa
Oundle pupils’ Musings In order to initiate the “Shanghai Approach”, the Department
for Education has invited over 100 teachers from Shanghai
to introduce their methods into primary schools up and
Implementation of Chinese down the country. The results have exceeded expectations,
Educational Methods in UK Schools with many predicting the UK to fly up the ranks of the PISA
tests from the low 20s into the teens. The Shanghai teachers
There are countless numbers of cultural differences between
noted specifically on the children’s intelligence, enthusiasm
the UK and China, such as food, politics, and daily customs.
to learn and even their concentration in class. But, at the
But one cultural difference that has recently been brought
moment, this effect is localised in only a few schools. In order
to international attention is the difference in the education
for the full implementation of the Shanghai Approach many
systems.
factors must be taken into consideration.
In the past few years, China has proven to the world its
One thing that the vast majority of the Shanghai teachers
educational prowess. In recent years the city of Shanghai has
noted was the difference in the day-to-day structure of
been scoring top results in international assessments such
schools. A key difference is that students in Shanghai get
as the triennial PISA tests. These test maths, reading and
homework every day, with a test every week. In the UK pupils
science. As a result Western nations, particularly the UK, are
can expect maths homework only once or twice a week. This
now looking to China for educational advice.
means that, by the time the next lesson comes around, many
The Shanghai Maths Project, endorsed by book publishing primary school children forget the hastily taught concepts
giant Harper Collins, is slowly being instigated into primary due to lack of consolidation. Already homework is a heavily
schools across the UK. This project introduces the method debated subject in the UK and many parents are striving to
that Shanghai schools have used to teach their students abolish homework all together, and so there is an issue in the
Maths for over 25 years. This focuses around the concept 一 concept of “one lesson, one exercise”.
课一练 (Yī kè yī liàn); translation: one lesson, one exercise.
In addition, teachers in China have far less contact time with
The idea is that students can be taught a new concept every
classes; between 25-30% of their school day compared to
single lesson.
80-90% in the UK. Instead, class sizes are larger. This gives
In addition, the “Shanghai Approach” also encourages an Chinese teachers the time throughout the day to observe
atmosphere of student equality: a teacher may only move onto others’ lessons in order to tweak their own methodology.
the next topic if every student understands the current one. But with larger classes comes less control (in the UK at least).
Students will have to develop more discipline in order for the
Professor Zhu Xiaohu of the Shanghai PISA Centre said Shanghai Approach to work effectively, and there will also
that “We [Shanghai] rank world best in Maths and Science, have to be a complete change in timetabling in schools.
not because of the performance of our top students, but
because of the small gap between high and low performers. For these factors above to be achieved there will have to be a
High quality is matched by high equality”. complete shift in the mindset of British families. The Chinese
Oundle Lingua 2019 13value education as the sole opportunity for self-improvement, for languages. However, a lot of these features can be
status and a position in society. Success in examinations is accessed with the free version also. The gist of TripLingo is to
more highly regarded than any other form of improvement teach you many important phrases for your holiday, ignoring
including economic success. Educational ambition is intrinsic grammar rules, and specific vocabulary. The phrasebook
to the national psyche. In contrast, the UK place importance offers a long list of phrases divided into separate sections,
on other extracurricular activities and have the view that “all such as “Just the Basics”, “Basic Conversation”, and “Eating
roads lead to Rome”, not just the road of examination success. & Drinking”. These phrases are perfect for important
questions and statements that might come up during a trip.
We must also consider the practicality of introducing
While apps like Duolingo are a better choice for actually
the Shanghai Approach into every UK school. In China,
learning a language, TripLingo helps you handle anything and
only Shanghai children benefit from this high standard of
everything when traveling.
education, with rural schools having very few resources and
funding, despite Xiaohu’s preaching of “high equality”. This Finally is Memrise. Available on both iOS and Android,
huge education disparity causes only 24% of rural students to Memrise is a very popular app as it uses a widely-loved way
go to University, in comparison to 80% of Shanghai students. of learning: flashcards. It focuses completely on learning
As the UK starts to adopt Chinese strategies, the government vocabulary and word lists: gamifying standard flashcard
must also consider the affordability and feasibility of the learning by using audio, images, and memory techniques to
educational reformations, especially considering the yearly help you associate words with one another for easier recall.
education cuts currently inflicted upon many schools. It also has different sections which you conquer as you learn
each word list. This is a great way for complete beginners,
It is clear that the cultural differences between the UK and
however it shouldn’t be overused. This is because learning
China definitely mean that adopting Chinese methods into
words in context is much more effective in the long-term
UK schools is not a “copy and paste” job, but rather an
than simply learning word lists.
adaption to suit the British mindset and to discourage a
disparity in education standards on a national scale. Overall, these are all great apps to use if you’re wanting to
learn a language, but they all are adapted to suit a certain
Evan Ball (G L6th)
purpose; long-term learning, short-term learning, and
Which Are the Best Apps for Learning vocabulary learning.
a New Language? Emilia Giacco (Sco 2nd)
Learning a new language can be difficult, but it is easy with
Listen!
the right app! To help you find out which one is best for
you, here is the Lingua Magazine review of the three best Two summers ago, I went to Tokyo to visit my sister and
language apps. to study at a language school for two weeks. Among my
classmates were two Senegalese and a Frenchman. Despite
First of all is Duolingo. The popular app has 300 million the fact that I was conversing in French with ease and at
users worldwide, a very large variety of languages available length on WhatsApp with one of them, when we spoke face to
to learn, and can be downloaded on iOS and Android. The face, I realized that conversation was nigh impossible; I would
best thing about the app is that it is completely free unless ask him to repeat and I still wouldn’t understand him. I could
you want to remove adverts in the app. Duolingo has a fun blame it partly on his Senegalese accent or their slang, but the
interface, which makes it addictive. You can earn badges, truth remains that I couldn’t actually speak to my new friend.
climb up the leaderboards, and collect lingots, which you Quite embarrassing, and very absurd. I knew that if there
can then spend on things like outfits to dress your Duolingo were subtitles floating around when people spoke, I would
mascot in. Personally, the most effective game element in understand them much better, but that’s not how it works.
Duolingo is the streak count, as it creates a healthy addiction
to language learning. However, Duolingo focuses mainly I had a similar experience with English. I learnt English with
on vocab learning, and explains grammar rules vaguely. Chinese people and watched mostly American tv with
Overall, Duolingo is a great app, and is highly recommended, subtitles on. I was not attuned to British English and it took
especially for beginners wishing to learn long-term. some getting used to. More importantly, I had a thick accent
until probably quite recently, which I wasn’t aware of until my
Secondly is TripLingo. TripLingo is perfect for learning the friend told me.
complete basics of a language before a holiday or trip. The
app can be downloaded on iOS and Android, and there is a It wasn’t great being told that I had an accent, I’ll admit that,
free version and also a premium version. When you choose however benign the comment was. It alienated me and
premium, you gain access to over 2000 phrases in each made me self-conscious. Now, the vast majority of people
language, unlimited voice translator use, and audio lessons will always speak with an accent in a foreign language. It’s
14 Oundle Lingua 2019completely normal and natural; even British people don’t all Can Learning a Language Make You
speak in the same way. Moreover, accents are fascinating
Happier and Help You Live Longer?
because they each tell a story of where you’ve come from
and where you’ve been. However, in my case, I felt that Without doubt, learning a second language is an
my accent was preventing me from being understood, and extremely valuable asset. For example, it can boost career
from understanding others. I had based my learning too opportunities. Multilingual people are able to communicate
heavily around reading and writing, ignoring arguably the and interact with many different clients: this is something
more important aspect of modern languages: being able to that employers love. It gives you a competitive edge over
comprehend and communicate spontaneously, something others who haven’t yet learnt an additional language.
that the tame text lying on a piece of paper won’t push you
Even if you’re not in the workplace yet, language learning
to do. In addition, the spoken language tends to be more
still has great benefits. For instance, it can boost your self-
informal and might require a different set of vocab. So here’s
confidence. If you are shy then learning a second language
what I’ve found useful:
is perfect, as you will automatically get better at speaking
Netflix/ Movies/ TV/ E-stream sometimes being a couch to people.
potato is a more effective way of achieving fluency than
Confidence naturally increases after being able to master
reading a book or a newspaper. Don’t watch it with English
something new, and this is no different with languages. The
subtitles unless you have to, watch it with the subtitles in
techniques used in learning new languages result in a larger
that language. You can always pause. You know you really are
sense of open mindedness: after being able to learn one new
fluent when you can watch movies without the subtitles.
language, you’ll immediately be able to say “yes, I can”.
Radio/ podcasts A great way to learn languages on the
In addition, speaking skills are a great doorway to making
go or when you’re doing chores. Not only do you learn
new friends and broadening life experiences. Knowing more
the language, but you also learn about current affairs and
languages broadens your horizons and is a great way to meet
culture. Don’t just put it on in the background, though, and
and get to know new people.
actually pay attention to it. This is quite demanding and if
you can’t understand at least 40%, try watching Netflix with Learning a second language has amazing benefits for your
subtitles on first. Personally, listening to the BBC has really mental health too. It helps improve your memory. A study
helped me with thinning my accent, as I noticed how I spoke found that bilingual children performed much better than
differently compared to native speakers. You can download monolingual children on tasks which used their working
radio apps on your phone, they’re completely free and memory. The conclusion of the study was that the knowledge
always available! of more than one language had contributed to their success
and their better working memory. Learning new languages
I usually listen to audiobooks with the physical book in front
keeps your brain healthy for longer. Bilingual people have
of me. In this way, I know how they words are spelt and
been shown to have better cognitive abilities than people
pronounced. It also helps me stay engaged and brings the
know only one language. The study suggests specifically that
story to life. The vocabulary is likely to be difficult, so make
bilinguals score better on tests of reading, verbal fluency and
sure your book is the right level for you and focus on getting
intelligence: all of which undoubtedly contribute to being
the gist of it. You can even repeat after the narrator.
better students.
Make a list on Quizlet of the new words you’ve learnt that
Scientists have found that people who can speak for than
you think are worth remembering (ie not too obscure). Go
one language usually develop dementia up to five years later
over the newer ones regularly and consolidate the old ones
than monolingual people. Speaking more than one language
whenever you have a spare minute. Put the sound on.
provides constant exercise for your brain, and keeping
At the end of the day, the important thing is to be your brain active is one way in which to delay the onset of
understood and to understand, and you should never be dementia.
ashamed of your accent, because you have gone out of your
Emilia Giacco (Sco 2nd)
way to speak their language – and that takes courage, effort,
and sincerity, and it shows.
Alice Sze (N L6)
Oundle Lingua 2019 15Department Highlights From Over the Year 16 Oundle Lingua 2019
Oundle Lingua 2019 17
18 Oundle Lingua 2019
Oundle Lingua 2019 19
Oundle School is situated in the quintessentially English market town
of Oundle, about 90 miles north of London, with pupils taking their
place within this community, not isolated from it. Oundle has long been
associated with the very best of modern independent education, especially
boarding education. It is a place where people matter and where the pupils
are at the heart of all that we do and every decision we make.
The School’s history dates back to 1556, when Sir William Laxton, Master of
the Worshipful Company of Grocers and Lord Mayor of London, endowed and
re‑founded the original Oundle Grammar School, of which he was a former pupil.
Our pupil-centred education recognises Oundelians’ natural curiosity
and ability. A love of scholarship – the Life of Learning – is an aspiration
for every one of our pupils and staff and the education we provide aims
to develop in our pupils the skills, attitudes and habits of mind that will
sustain them throughout a long life, enabling them to flourish both at
School and beyond. The challenges our pupils will face in the world beyond
School will require of them adaptability and emotional intelligence, as well
as the best academic qualifications of which they are capable.
We take seriously our responsibility to our pupils so that they can emerge
as decent, open-minded adults: ambitious about what they can go on to
achieve and contribute, but never arrogant.
Oundle School
The Great Hall, New Street
Oundle, Peterborough PE8 4GH
Tel 01832 277122
www.oundleschool.org.uk
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