F.W. De Klerk, South Africa’s last President of the apartheid era, and instrumental in ending it, has died aged 85. Frederik Willem De Klerk was born into an Afrikaner political dynasty and after a short career as a lawyer became a career politician. He was elected an MP in in 1972, scaling the ranks of … Continue reading “Death of F.W. De Klerk: Last Apartheid-Era South African President”
It’s Anti-Bullying Week in U.K. schools from 15 to 19 November. The theme is kindness, how saying one kind word can potentially break the cycle of bullying. It lends itself well to a language activity on expressing kindness. There are lots of teaching tools on the Anti-Bullying Alliance site. The secondary school lesson plan is … Continue reading “Anti-Bullying Week”
The This is England short film festival in Rouen has a specific programme of short films for lycée classes covering topics from ballet to hip hop, flat earth theory to fox hunting. If you sign up for a lycée showing, your students will see ten films ranging in length from 1m30 to 16 minutes. There … Continue reading “Short Films with your Lycée Students”
Every year, the Education Ministry finances 400 courses in language and culture in EU countries for language teachers in primary or secondary. Applications need to be in by 17 January 2022. The two-week courses take place during the summer holidays. This year there are two in Dublin and two in Norwich (England), from 11 to … Continue reading “Travel to Dublin or Norwich for Language Training Courses”
Les études de psychologie et de neurodidactique peuvent fournir des outils pratiques pour les enseignants. Vous pourrez découvrir l’importance du contrôle inhibiteur au collège lors d’une conférence interactive le 24 novembre 2021. Le contrôle inhibiteur, c’est la capacité cognitive permettant de résister à un automatisme lorsque ce dernier n’est pas pertinent. Au quotidien, nous avons … Continue reading “Résister à ses automatismes au collège: webinaire”
Damon Galgut had been shortlisted twice before but 2021 was third time lucky. His novel The Promise mixes the history of a family and his country over four decades. The titular promise shows up power, class and racial divisions in South Africa. Galgut, who was born in 1963, explicitly connects the novel to the political … Continue reading “A South African Author Wins the 2021 Booker Prize”
In a short and moving speech to the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Elizabeth Wathuti highlighted the plight of of populations in sub-Saharan Africa who are suffering the worst effects of climate change, which is threatening their livelihoods and even their lives. As a teenager in 2016, Wathuti founded the Green Generation Intiative in Kenya, which … Continue reading “Young Kenyan Activist Asks World Leaders to Open their Hearts to Climate Victims”
The expanse of the Marvel Cinematic Universe timeline is about to get much wider with the arrival of Eternals, whose storyline will span thousands of years. Directed by Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), Eternals is visually distinct from many other Marvel films and Zhao’s soft touch has elevated the film beyond what is traditionally expected of superhero … Continue reading “Eternals: A Team is Born”
The interwar period was a highly creative time for the relatively young art of photography. An exhibition at the Jeu de Paume in Paris features an extraordinary collection of photographs from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Some 230 photographs from the Thomas Walther collection, acquired over the last 20 years, give an overview of … Continue reading “Photographing the Modern”
To “remember, remember the fifth of November”, as a children’s rhyme says, A1+-level pupils can watch a slideshow about Bonfire Night. At A2-A2+, useful links can be made with the history curriculum It’s worth giving pupils a few basic facts about the failed plot and the annual celebrations. This Powerpoint presentation from the UK Parliament … Continue reading “Guy Fawkes Webpicks”
