2 Workshops: Polyglots, Language Teachers and Learners

Date 22 May 2019
Time 13:00–17:30
Location Main Floor
Type Workshop

Language learning appears to be in crisis in the UK. Yet there are plenty of language ‘super-learners’, a thriving polyglot community and multiple languages being spoken in local communities.

2 workshops: 13:00 to 15:00 and 16:00 to 17:30

Open University researcher, Tita Beaven, brings A-level students, language teachers and polyglots – Richard Simcott, Lindsay Williams and Olly Richards – into two workshops with live artist, Natasha Davis, and poet, Laila Sumpton. Together they will explore why there’s disconnect between the so-called decline in languages in schools and universities, in marked contrast to the enthusiasm and dedication of polyglots. If being ‘plurilingual’ changes how you see yourself and the world, how can we inspire more people to learn more languages?