A week ago, five other students of AS German and I returned to England after spending a week in Wiesbaden. Whilst in Wiesbaden, we all had very different experiences, which were largely shaped by the type of work experience placement each of us had. Personally, I carried out my work experience in a museum, where I had the chance to learn all about tourism, the way the museum worked and the exhibits themselves, as well as completing a complex, philosophical translation concerning the relevance of women to the meaning of wisdom. In addition, I also assisted in the museum’s education department, which provided me with an opportunity to see how children acquire language and to improve my own basic vocabulary.
The other placements took place in a kindergarten, primary school, hotel, theatre and newspaper, where the tasks were varied but the hours short enough to allow us plenty of time to spend both with each other and our host families. During the weekend, we were all taken to Frankfurt as well as various other places, which was an excellent opportunity to visit a new place and get to know our exchange partners better. As a group, we visited the cinema, received a tour of the town and were treated to luxury cakes. The importance of foreign links was emphasised at a reception at the town hall, where we realised how privileged we were to have such an opportunity. For me, this was one of the highlights of the week, because I was invited to make a speech thanking all of those involved in the exchange, which I know I would never have had the ability to do a year ago.
Overall, we all agreed that our spoken language has improved considerably as a result of the exchange in a way that it would never have done by merely sitting in a classroom; we were exposed to many registers of speech and had to think quickly in numerous situations. In addition, the way of life allowed us to become more independent and confident whilst in a foreign country, and many of us have made friends and connections which will hopefully be a part of our futures.
Ich hoffe, dass viele andere Schüler in der Zukunft solche Möglichkeiten haben werden. Wir möchten noch einmal unserer fleißigen Lehrerin danken.
Bis zum nächsten Mal!
Showing posts with label Student blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Student blogging. Show all posts
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Sunday, 23 January 2011
Reasons to learn languages
Last year, only 16% of those completing their GCSEs obtained the "English Baccalaureate", a new initiative of Education Secretary Michael Gove. The baccalaureate consists of five GCSEs: English, mathematics, a science, a humanity and a foreign language. Gove proposes that this be considered the benchmark of success, an idea which is not unreasonable considering that equivalent qualifications are already an expectation in most other developed countries.
The foreign language is the component which most often hinders a pupil in obtaining this qualification. Last year was the first year in which French was no longer one of the top ten GCSEs in terms of number of entries, a figure which has been falling ever since it became optional to study a language after the age of fourteen. Such little emphasis on the study of other languages, especially in comparison to our European counterparts where it is usually compulsory until the age of eighteen, is shocking, considering that:
The foreign language is the component which most often hinders a pupil in obtaining this qualification. Last year was the first year in which French was no longer one of the top ten GCSEs in terms of number of entries, a figure which has been falling ever since it became optional to study a language after the age of fourteen. Such little emphasis on the study of other languages, especially in comparison to our European counterparts where it is usually compulsory until the age of eighteen, is shocking, considering that:
- From 2012 entry onwards, it will be neccesary for all those applying to University College London to offer a language at GCSE level.
- Only medicine graduates enjoy a better rate of employment and higher level of salary than those who graduate in modern languages.
- Depite the common belief that "everyone speaks English", the figure is actually only 25%. It is also polite to attempt to speak to others in their own tongue when abroad, instead of arrogantly assuming a knowledge of English.
- Knowledge of another language improve's ones understanding of their own.
- However good a translation is, there is no substitute for Moliere, Brecht, Flaubert or Kafka in the original language.
These are just a few reasons why language learning is important, but widespread media concern over the decline in students choosing to study them does suggest that an overhaul in teaching methods and perhaps the curriculum is needed.
Qu'est-ce que vous pensez?
(source: timesonline)
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Oxford Language Competition Success
Below is wonderful write up by Jessica, one of our year 12 students who studies AS German with Miss Sheehan, regarding a recent success that they had concerning languages. Enjoy!
On Wednesday 20th October, my parents and I spent a lovely day in Oxford. The reason for this was my success in the “Think Kafka” competition, which was organised by the Modern and Medieval Languages Faculty of Oxford University.
I was sent a link concerning the competition in May by Miss. Sheehan. I immediately decided to enter, mainly because I was eager to find out more about German literature. I also thought it would be a good way to have a break from revising for my GCSEs...
I had heard of the German writer Kafka, but in reality I knew little of his life or his work. There were three categories: “The Best Translation of a Kafka Story”, “The Best Essay on a Kafka Story” and “The Best Creative Response to a Kafka Story”, of which I chose the latter. This was mainly because I had no idea how I would go about writing an essay about one of the stories, and I had little inclination of how to do a translation.
Each of the categories offered a choice of two stories. Of the two that I had to choose between, I chose “Ein Kommentar”, because I immediately saw how I could interpret it as a metaphor for life. After reading it several times and a discussion with Miss. Sheehan, I decided to continue the story. I chose to write it in German, mainly because it felt more natural and I had had little previous opportunity to use the language creatively.
Writing my response was quite difficult; it was tricky to structure it, and I had to teach myself much of the grammar I needed, for it is not usually taught at GCSE level. Several redrafts later, my story was ready to send.
Winners were to be notified a week after the closing date. On that day I was travelling to Elbeuf on the school work experience exchange, so I forgot all about it. It was not until the Saturday morning, when I was strolling peacefully along the pavement in Rouen with my exchange partner and her family, that my Dad rang me. As he read the letter to me over the phone, I learnt that I was a joint runner up in the competition! Having never succeeded in any form of competition before, I started jumping around in excitement, an excitement which quickly decreased when I realised that I would now have to explain in French why I was so happy.
I could not really bring myself to believe it fully though, until I was able to hold the letter in my hands myself. It was only when I popped into school to tell them the news that I realised the significance and importance of what I had achieved.
After a summer of attempting to read Goethe, the day to visit Oxford swiftly arrived. Having known a couple of people who had studied at Oxford, and having considered the prospect myself, I was eager to visit. Despite thinking about it quite a bit, I really had no preconceptions of what it was going to be like.
The first part of my prize was to have lunch at Jesus College. Just walking into a college was fantastic; the building was beautiful and felt so steeped in history. There were ten of us in total, as well as a few current students and lecturers, so we started off by introducing ourselves. This was when I found out I was the youngest by a whole year, which surprised me quite a bit. The idea of the lunch was so that we would be able to get to know one another prior to the evening reception. As we ate, we had a variety of discussions, most of which lead back to German.
The ceremony begun with a speech about the importance of learning languages, and the often lucrative careers that language graduates can enjoy. Then, Kafka’s great nephew made a speech. I was surprised to learn that he does not speak any German, despite being a relation of one of the most prolific German writers ever. He then presented the prizes. I received a personalised copy of Kafka’s “Die Erzählungen”, which includes all the stories used in the competition, as well as a postcard and £20.
After taking some photographs, we had the chance to look at the actual manuscripts of the stories. Although they were in a glass case, it was amazing to see the paper which Kafka actually wrote on, and fun to try to decipher the words which had been crossed out.
Soon afterwards, it was sadly time to leave. I am extremely glad that I had this opportunity, for not only has it left me with a clear sense of my aims for the future, but it has also given me new ideas for how I can explore literature in other languages. I have been inspired by meeting the other prize-winners and sharing our passion for languages.
On Wednesday 20th October, my parents and I spent a lovely day in Oxford. The reason for this was my success in the “Think Kafka” competition, which was organised by the Modern and Medieval Languages Faculty of Oxford University.
I was sent a link concerning the competition in May by Miss. Sheehan. I immediately decided to enter, mainly because I was eager to find out more about German literature. I also thought it would be a good way to have a break from revising for my GCSEs...
I had heard of the German writer Kafka, but in reality I knew little of his life or his work. There were three categories: “The Best Translation of a Kafka Story”, “The Best Essay on a Kafka Story” and “The Best Creative Response to a Kafka Story”, of which I chose the latter. This was mainly because I had no idea how I would go about writing an essay about one of the stories, and I had little inclination of how to do a translation.
Each of the categories offered a choice of two stories. Of the two that I had to choose between, I chose “Ein Kommentar”, because I immediately saw how I could interpret it as a metaphor for life. After reading it several times and a discussion with Miss. Sheehan, I decided to continue the story. I chose to write it in German, mainly because it felt more natural and I had had little previous opportunity to use the language creatively.
Writing my response was quite difficult; it was tricky to structure it, and I had to teach myself much of the grammar I needed, for it is not usually taught at GCSE level. Several redrafts later, my story was ready to send.
Winners were to be notified a week after the closing date. On that day I was travelling to Elbeuf on the school work experience exchange, so I forgot all about it. It was not until the Saturday morning, when I was strolling peacefully along the pavement in Rouen with my exchange partner and her family, that my Dad rang me. As he read the letter to me over the phone, I learnt that I was a joint runner up in the competition! Having never succeeded in any form of competition before, I started jumping around in excitement, an excitement which quickly decreased when I realised that I would now have to explain in French why I was so happy.
I could not really bring myself to believe it fully though, until I was able to hold the letter in my hands myself. It was only when I popped into school to tell them the news that I realised the significance and importance of what I had achieved.
After a summer of attempting to read Goethe, the day to visit Oxford swiftly arrived. Having known a couple of people who had studied at Oxford, and having considered the prospect myself, I was eager to visit. Despite thinking about it quite a bit, I really had no preconceptions of what it was going to be like.
The first part of my prize was to have lunch at Jesus College. Just walking into a college was fantastic; the building was beautiful and felt so steeped in history. There were ten of us in total, as well as a few current students and lecturers, so we started off by introducing ourselves. This was when I found out I was the youngest by a whole year, which surprised me quite a bit. The idea of the lunch was so that we would be able to get to know one another prior to the evening reception. As we ate, we had a variety of discussions, most of which lead back to German.
The ceremony begun with a speech about the importance of learning languages, and the often lucrative careers that language graduates can enjoy. Then, Kafka’s great nephew made a speech. I was surprised to learn that he does not speak any German, despite being a relation of one of the most prolific German writers ever. He then presented the prizes. I received a personalised copy of Kafka’s “Die Erzählungen”, which includes all the stories used in the competition, as well as a postcard and £20.
After taking some photographs, we had the chance to look at the actual manuscripts of the stories. Although they were in a glass case, it was amazing to see the paper which Kafka actually wrote on, and fun to try to decipher the words which had been crossed out.
Soon afterwards, it was sadly time to leave. I am extremely glad that I had this opportunity, for not only has it left me with a clear sense of my aims for the future, but it has also given me new ideas for how I can explore literature in other languages. I have been inspired by meeting the other prize-winners and sharing our passion for languages.
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