By Anne Grydehøj (SELCS Scandinavian Studies) 

The More than Words symposium was a full-day event on 14 June 2023 which focused on language teaching and learning at UCL and in schools. The event was hosted by the Languages Stream within UCL Centre for Humanities Education with organising members from the School of European Languages, Culture and Society (SELCS) and the School of Slavonic and East European Studies (SSEES).   

It was an inspirational day and one which provided many insights and ideas. An overarching purpose of the symposium was to broaden the perspective of the individual educator and university tutor and place their work in the wider context. A further function of the symposium was to create space for dialogue between stakeholders involved in all stages of language teaching, and to encourage networking and future collaborations across UCL and between the sectors. It is evident that holistic and collaborative approaches are needed to counter the current decline in language provision in the UK. If children are engaged with language learning in primary school, they are more likely to bring an interest in languages and culture with them into secondary school and to continue throughout education.  

During this event, scholars and teachers representing different languages and different educational institutions gathered to exchange knowledge and build understanding and dialogue around the status quo and the prospects of language teaching and learning across the educational system and its different stages.  

In the symposium’s first roundtable, we heard presentations by representatives from different UCL units involved in language teaching and learning: Christine Hoffman (CLIE), Luke Pearce (English), Gesine Manuwald (Greek and Latin), Sonia Gollance (Hebrew and Jewish Studies), Wei Li (IoE), Claire Thomson (SELCS) and Ramona Gonczol (SSEES). The panellists introduced their organisational units and shared their perspectives on the current situation for language teaching and future challenges in this area at UCL.  

A panel discussion about languages at UCL with representatives from different departments involved in language teaching and learning.

The afternoon was dedicated to a second panel with invited speakers from primary and secondary schools alongside other stakeholders directly involved with language teaching in schools. Camilla Smith (IOE), Caroline Conlon (IOE and National Consortium for Languages Education), Elizabeth Threadgold (ELS, Connah’s Quay High School, Wales), Ella Teskey (Head of Inclusion, Park View Secondary school, Haringey), Vicky Prior (Head of Languages, Burntwood School, London), Valentina Vereha (primary teacher, Lyon Park Primary School, London), Tom Pandolfino (teacher of Russian, French, and German, City of London School), Stephanie Versen (Modern Foreign Languages Coordinator, Gospel Oak Primary School, London) gave us insights into – among other things – language provision in schools, the transitions between university and school (teachers) and the other way in terms of supply of language teachers (students), community languages, and lesser-taught languages.  

An attentive audience listening to the speaker.

The roundtable was followed by a workshop where participants worked in groups reflecting on areas of existing and potential future collaboration between schools and universities. The groups were asked to consider barriers to and opportunities for enhanced interaction between primary, secondary, and higher education under specific headings: raising aspirations; increasing A-level numbers for languages / encouraging and supporting students to carry on with languages; accreditation of language competence beyond GCSE and A-level; heritage languages; language skills and knowledge outside school; cultural enrichment / diversity.  

Valentina Vereha, a primary teacher at Lyon Park Primary School, London, says:

“I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the exceptional symposium on language teaching and learning. The event was truly enlightening and provided valuable insights into the world of language education. It created a platform for meaningful connections and collaboration. I wholeheartedly commend the organisers for their outstanding efforts and thank them for contributing to the advancement of language education. ”

Working in small groups to reflect on areas of existing and potential future collaboration.

Before the concluding remarks, delegates were invited to view the showcase exhibition  Not Just Words: Learning Languages through Art and Objects currently on at UCL Art Museum where it can be viewed until 15 December 2023.  

This was the first in a series of events under the provision of the UCL Centre for Humanities Education Language Stream. The stream will be reflecting on presentations, conversations, ideas and feedback we collected during the event with a view to creating follow-up collaborative activities between UCL and schools.