Il est assez courant d’entendre que, dans le cadre d’une pédagogie active et promouvant la démarche heuristique, “tout” doit venir des élèves sans que soit réellement précisé ce que “tout” recouvre ou ce que “venir des élèves” veut dire. Peut-être convient-il déjà de rappeler qu’en matière de pédagogie, il est assez handicapant et limitatif d’avoir … Continue reading “Tout doit venir des élèves… ou pas…”
Frankenstein was published in 1818, written by a very unconventional young woman. Its genesis is as intriguing as its lasting influence. Without a volcanic eruption, Frankenstein and the vampire fiction genre may never have seen the day. In 1815 Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted violently, in the largest and most deadly eruption recorded anywhere in … Continue reading “Frankenstein at 200”
Ireland has long been one of the most socially conservative countries in the European Union. But things have been changing and the country’s current Prime Minister is a sign of the times. Since the creation of Irish Free State in 1922, the post of Taoiseach*, Ireland’s equivalent of Prime Minister, has been held by … Continue reading “Changing Ireland”
There were various celebrations and exhibitions planned to mark the 70th anniversary of the beginning of West Indian mass immigration to the U.K., with the arrival of the Empire Windrush at Tilbury Docks in London on 22 June 1948. Instead, a scandal has grown up about the treatment of the “Windrush Generation” that led to the … Continue reading “What About Windrush?”
La troisième édition de la Semaine de langues vivantes se déroulera dans des établissements scolaires du 14 au 19 mai 2018 autour du thématique “Partageons les langues”. C’est l’occasion de sortir les langues des salles de classe, ou d’y faire rentrer des langues ou des locuteurs différents. Quelques idées d’activités d’établissements participants aux éditions précédentes … Continue reading “The Week of Languages 2018”
May 4 is international “Star Wars” Day in honour of the pun on this date: “May the fourth be with you.” In the movies the phrase “May the Force be with you” is used to wish an individual good luck and good favour with The Force. Since it began in 1977, Star Wars, an epic … Continue reading “May the Fourth Be With You”
Grenoble University is offering a free online MOOC on using digital technology to aid language teaching and learning. The six-week Massive Online Open Course will look at four different approaches to integrating technology in language teaching. The philosophy of the course is not just to assume that anything using digital technology is good, but to … Continue reading “Free Online Course on Digital Language Teaching”
A hundred years after some British women got the right to vote, there is finally a woman among the statues of political and democratic heroes on Parliament Square outside the Palace of Westminster. London Mayor Sadiq Khan unveiled the statue of Dame Millicent Fawcett on 24 April. There had been an organised and popular movement … Continue reading “Suffragist Honoured”
La pratique théâtrale permet de libérer la parole, d’une part grâce au jeu, mais aussi grâce au travail corporel. Lorsque le corps est en action, lorsque les gestes accompagnent les mots, il est plus facile de s’exprimer. L’aspect ludique permet également de débloquer la parole. C’est pourquoi un travail avec des professionnels, comme j’ai pu … Continue reading “Drama Activities in English Class”
Britain’s Prince Charles has long been recognised for his involvement in ecology. Now the Queen is turning to conservation, protecting forests all over the Commonwealth, from a tiny 2.5 hectare site in Antigua and Barbuda to the 6.4 million hectares of the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada. The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy originated in an idea … Continue reading “The Queen Goes Green”
