Language World 2001 “Motivation… for all!” revisited UMIST in Manchester, 6-8 April 2001, with ALL President Steven Fawkes who referred to ‘the advent of the European Year of Languages in 2001 opening up the international dimension’.
This year there was also a GCSE Conference prior to LW2001 to discuss changes to the subject criteria of GCSEs.
Plenary speakers included: Kate Green, Principal Subject Officer for MFL, QCA; Maureen Burns, Head of Policy and Communications with the General Teaching Council; Alwena Lamping, Independent Teaching Consultant, The TALK Project; and ALL Presidents Brian Page, Bob Powell, Madeleine Bedford, Margaret Tumber, Peter Downes, John Trafford, and Steven Fawkes.
Sessions included:
• Using an OHP, Daniel Tierney, University of Strathclyde;
• New GCSEs: linear or modular? The choice is yours, Steve Harrison, Chief Examiner and Co-author of Francoscope and Anna Lise Gordon, Teacher Trainer and Co-author of Equipe;
• Motivate your pupils with manga! Naruki Enomoto, Assistant Adviser, The Japan Foundation Nihongo Centre; and
• European Languages Awards, Brian Page, first ALL President and chair of the UK jury for the European Awards of Languages.
Elsewhere, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft took off on a six-month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet; same-sex marriage became legal in the Netherlands – the first country to allow it; and S Club 7’s ‘Don’t Stop Movin’ reached number 1. Twice.