shonibare - gorgeously recognisable artist

The Serpentine Gallery shows some fabulous contemporary art:

Yinka Shonibare CBE: Suspended States - Serpentine Galleries

With the artist talking about their latest show on BBC radio:

Front Row - Yinka Shonibare, Sean Shibe, cinema and digital decay - Yinka Shonibare, Sean Shibe, cinema and digital decay - BBC Sounds

With more photos and examples here:

Yinka Shonibare Builds a Sanctuary of Safety at Serpentine - Ocula Advisory

Some reviewers think it's just the same as before:

The British-Nigerian artist’s first solo London show in more than two decades is full of his signature beautiful African fabrics subverting familiar colonial figures – just like the last one

Yinka Shonibare CBE: Suspended States review – gorgeously recognisable, but is that enough? | Yinka Shonibare | The Guardian

Other reviewers look at the politics:

Yinka Shonibare considers the tangled relationship between Africa and Europe at Serpentine South

Yinka Shonibare presents ‘Suspended States’ at Serpentine South | Wallpaper

Artist Yinka Shonibare has brought Winston Churchill down to size

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earth day 2024

This year's Earth Day promises to be very big indeed:

Earth Day: The Official Site | EARTHDAY.ORG

The theme this year is Planet vs. Plastics:

Earth Day 2024 | Activities & Resources for April 22 - Earth Day

As reported today:

Over the past 60 years, around eight billion tons of plastic has been produced, according to a recent study in the journal Science Advances — 90.5 per cent of which has not been recycled. As a result, this year’s Earth Day theme— “Planet vs. Plastic”— demands a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

Just how big of a challenge is this? What type of numbers are we talking about? Here’s some perspective:

• In 1950, the world produced just two million tons of plastic. We now produce over 450 million tons.
• Half of all plastics ever manufactured have been made in the last 15 years.
• Production is expected to double by 2050.
• More than one million plastic water bottles are sold every minute.
• Every year, about 11 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the ocean.
• Only 9% of plastics ever produced has been recycled.
• Plastics often contain additives that can extend the life of products, with some estimates ranging to at least 400 years to break down.

Plastic is literally everywhere

An advertisement from the American Plastics Council in a 1997 edition of the New Yorker suggested that plastic wrappers and containers were the “sixth food group” that were there to keep contaminates out of our food.

Earth Day 2024: Planet Vs. Plastic

Here's some background:

Earth Day is a global event which aims to highlight the importance of protecting the environment. It takes place every year on 22 April.,It was set up in 1970 by Gaylord Nelson, a US senator and environmentalist, and Denis Hayes, a graduate student at Harvard University...

The 2024 theme, "Planet vs. Plastics", aims to raise awareness of the harms of plastic pollution for human and planetary health. Previous events have covered a range of environmental issues, from climate change and clean energy to protecting species and the benefits of tree planting. This year's focus comes ahead of an historic UN treaty on plastics, which is expected to be agreed by the end of 2024. More than 50 countries, including the UK, have called for an end to plastic pollution by 2040. But the organisers of Earth Day want to go further, and are calling for a 60% reduction in the production of all plastics by 2040.

What is Earth Day, when is it and what has it achieved? - BBC News

Corporations are getting in on the act - although how effective these promotions are...

Win Disney+ National Geographic Galápagos Islands Cruise: How to Enter

Apple Celebrating Earth Day and International Dance Day With New Apple Watch Activity Challenges - MacRumors

Or is it greenwashing, again...

Reclaiming Earth Day from corporate greenwashing – The UCSD Guardian

How Capitalism Stole Earth Day

Earth Day 2024: Greenwashing is the order of the day

Perhaps more importantly, people are doing things:

Rochdale News | News Headlines | Family event to celebrate Earth Day to be held at Number One Riverside - Rochdale Online

Discounted unlimited travel on Salisbury Reds buses for Earth Day | Salisbury Journal

Celebrate Earth Day in Lancaster district - Beyond Radio

And around the world:

Armenia Changes the World, One Sapling At a Time - Earth Day

Earth Hour 2024: Hyderabad monuments to turn dark today evening; All you need to know | Mint

World Earth Day 2024 Matters In South Africa - iAfrica

And very locally:

Celebrate Earth Day in the Brockton, Taunton area with clean ups 2024

Loose Women films at Eden Project for World Earth Day - Cornwall Live

It's not just plastic:

Earth Day 2024: Importance Of Reducing Carbon Footprint

On Earth Day, don’t forget fish - The Korea Times

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the key language learning benefits of graded readers

There are some great resources out there to help students on their way:

Jay Doubleyou: graded english readers

With many of these resources also coming with something to listen to:

Jay Doubleyou: english easy readers - audio books

Here's a good introduction:

What are Graded Readers for ESL Students? | Wiki | Twinkl

Here's a further guide from the British Council:

Using Graded Readers | TeachingEnglish | British Council

And here's an excellent overview from the latest EL Gazette:

Some are turning their nose up at graded readers, but teachers Willy Renandya and George Jacobs argue that the books are a valuable tool to improve the reading skill.

As language educators, we constantly seek effective ways to support and enhance our students’ language learning experiences. One powerful yet often neglected strategy is the use of graded readers.

Graded readers are widely acknowledged to be highly beneficial for many areas of language proficiency. They are specially written or revised reading materials tailored for various proficiency levels and designed to meet the varied interests of our students. Students can experience the joy of reading a fiction or non-fiction graded reader on practically any topics that pique their interest at any proficiency level. Graded readers provide beginning students with an excellent bridge to gradually move to reading non-graded, unabridged texts.

Here are some of the key language learning benefits of graded readers:

...

Top grades for graded readers! - E L Gazette

With some further academic research here:

The Benefits of Graded Reading - ProQuest [also: (PDF) The Benefits of Graded Reading]

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listen to bbc radio 4!

How do you wash your dishes?

Is it better to wash your dishes by hand or use a dishwasher? This question from listener Eve has got to be among the most hotly contested debates out there. She wants to know which method uses more water and which is more energy efficient. To find out, we speak to a man who's spent decades studying the differences - Professor Rainer Stamminger from the University of Bonn in Germany.

Sliced Bread - Dishwashers - BBC Sounds

How often do you spend time in the garden?

Michael dons some gardening gloves and gets grubby. It’s no surprise that digging, hoeing and heaving bags of soil around is great for our physical fitness. But Michael learns how gardening can also impact our microbiome from Dr Hannah Holscher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She explores how gardening can boost the gut microbiome, benefitting our health and wellness. Our volunteer Caspar, tests his green fingers by growing some kitchen herbs and visiting a community garden.

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley - Get Gardening - BBC Sounds

How do you like your history?

Greg Jenner is joined by chocolate historian Alex Hutchinson and British TV legend Richard Osman to explore the culinary and cultural history of chocolate - Britain's favourite confectionery. Just what did the Maya use to flavour their cacao? How did cacao become chocolate and find its way into our shops and hearts? And why did a family feud change the entire branding of a much loved chocolate bar?

You're Dead to Me - The History of Chocolate - BBC Sounds

How much do you know about the Irish actor Cillian Murphy?

Cillian Murphy played Tommy Shelby in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders, a role that brought him a huge audience and much critical acclaim. Before that he’d played Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy, starting his collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Nolan, and has most recently starred in Nolan’s Oppenheimer winning a Golden Globe and receiving an Academy Award nomination. The Irish Times named him as one of the greatest Irish actors of all time.

BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs - Seven things we learned from Cillian Murphy's Desert Island Discs

How much do you know about professional wrestlers?

Professional wrestlers Drew and Lee have been like brothers ever since adolescence. When one betrays the other in the heat of a tumultuous night in Glasgow, the two men find themselves entangled in a bitter grudge that goes way beyond the confines of the wrestling ring, with violence and bitterness spilling over into the real world…
In Radio 4's Sideways – the podcast about the ideas that shape our lives – Matthew Syed delves into the world of pro wrestling to shed light on the hidden values and harsh consequences of grudges.
Can grudges ever be beneficial? Or will they always be destructive?

BBC Radio 4 - Sideways, 57. Grudge Match - Why do we hold grudges and can they ever be good for us?

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dumbing down high culture

What do we mean by 'high culture'?

Jay Doubleyou: high vs popular culture

Jay Doubleyou: high culture > popular culture --- high register > low register

Jay Doubleyou: romeo + juliet and west side story

And what do we mean by 'dumbing down'?

Jay Doubleyou: dumbing us down [and school]

Jay Doubleyou: education: dumbing us down [and Prussia]

Jay Doubleyou: brexit, trump and dumbing down [the cult of ignorance]

What about opera? Does it have to be 'dumbed down' to make it 'popular'?

I'm a young opera fan - we don't need them to be dumbed down for us (March 2024)

Daily Research News Online no. 8123 - Research 'Dumbing Down' Opera? (March 2008)

But what a snob! Or is this critic criticising with tongue firmly in cheek?

What’s so good about young people? I only ask because English National Opera seems so desperate to entice the yoof that it is willing to let them through the door in their pyjamas and slippers, and possibly in nothing more than their birthday suits if that whole dressing-up lark feels like too much effort.

This week, ENO enlisted the help of Blur’s Damon Albarn (well into middle age) and Terry Gilliam (old enough to start resembling a badger) in an attempt to woo a younger audience. Albarn and Gilliam, who both dress like 14-year-old boys, launched the Undress for the Opera initiative, which invites newcomers to turn up in their jeans and trainers instead of the usual suits and frocks. The London Coliseum will also offer beer promotions, “club-style bars” and “specially themed cocktails”. Come to the opera and get as drunk as you like, kids!

If you don’t like the music, Gilliam (hopefully) joked that you could “wear your earphones”. Meanwhile, the ENO’s artistic director, John Berry, said that “there are lots of people who are put off by the way opera is presented…We’re going to greet you when you come through the door, look after you and make sure you have a really fantastic evening.” Eeww! Please don’t!

Why are we so obsessed with courting young people? They’ve got no money, and when they do they spend it all on super-strong alcohol, rolling tobacco and condoms. The few young people who do want to spend their savings on Don Giovanni hardly need the promise of hooch as an incentive. Does this craven appeal to young folk make an institution look cool? No. It just makes it look like a sad teenager trying to attract the focus of their unrequited love.

I have never been to the opera – not because you have to dress up, or because, in the words of Gilliam, I think it is “for a bunch of old farts – the bourgeoisie in dinner jackets”. I haven’t been to the opera because it generally costs a small fortune. So while it’s great that ENO will be making 100 seats available for 25 quid, it would be even better if we could sit in those seats in our finery, without the threat of a pint of beer down our backs. You don’t need to lure people to The Magic Flute by turning it into The Pig and Whistle.

Dumbing down won't attract the young to the opera

Finally:

Jay Doubleyou: register: populism, culture wars and woke [how Trump speaks, defining populism...]

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the real price of learning english

How much does it cost to learn English?

How much does it cost to learn English in the UK? ‹ Frequently Asked Questions ‹ Frequently Asked Questions

And are there other approaches?

How Much Does It Cost To Learn English? Can You Learn English For Free?

But is the system fair?

The true cost of science’s language barrier for non-native English speakers

The latest EL Gazette discusses this, starting with another discussion:

Back in December, an intriguing and divisive article appeared in the Guardian. The article, titled ‘English still rules the world, but that’s not necessarily okay’, was written by lecturer in public policy and administration at the University of Ulster, Michele Gazzola. In it, Michele discusses the position of the English language in today’s modern world, and the implications it has for those who speak it as a second language. Specifically, Michele says there is a real cost, financially and socially, to both countries and individuals.

What is the real price of ELT… - E L Gazette

Finally, maybe the costs of not learning a second language need to be considered:

A Cost/Benefit Analysis of Learning a Second Language | Language Trainers UK Blog

The True Cost of (Not) Learning a Second Language for International Education - Gateway International Group

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how to teach/learn reading

TEACHING READING:

How can we teach the reading of English has become a big discussion points:

Phonics and the battle for literacy: experts cross pens in the ‘Reading Wars’! - E L Gazette

The latest EL Gazette is dedicated to 'how to teach reading':

ELG2402 Feb Issue 488

Including:

Asking the right question: teaching reading to bilingual learners - E L Gazette

Embracing English learners in a Science of Reading era - E L Gazette

Here's more of the basics:

A step-by-step set of procedures: 

Teaching Reading to ESL Students

With the same in more detail:

How to Teach Reading to ESL Beginners: 6 Strategies for Improving Reading Comprehension | FluentU English Educator Blog

Here we look at a specific approach:

Guided Reading: a Powerful Tool for Teaching Reading Skills to ESL Learners | Learn English

Here's a teaching reading poster:

Teaching reading | TeachingEnglish | British Council

Here we go a little deeper in helping students:

7 Tips to Improve Your ESL Students’​ Reading Comprehension • LatinHire Online Tutoring

LEARNING READING:

Keeping it deep, reading is in itself a good thing for learing a language:

Improve your English through Reading | EnglishClub

Here's a pretty comprehensive list of specific skills:

How to Improve Your English Reading Skills: 22 Tips and Strategies | FluentU English

The British Council has got some great reading tasks at different levels:

Reading | LearnEnglish

Here's Emma from mmmEnglish with some great ways to improve reading:

The Best Way To Improve Your Reading Skills 📖📚 English Tips! - YouTube

It's possible to work on speaking when reading:

Reading Tips to Improve Pronunciation for ESL Students

Here's a good list of 'easyish' novels:

9 great novels to help improve your English - Blogs | Pearson Languages

And here are some ideas on reading 'easy readers':

5-step guide: How to improve your English by reading simple books

Finally, here are some great resources online to help further:

Free Websites to Practice English at Home | The New York Public Library

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krashen and the comprehensible input theory

Prof Krashen is a very influential language professor:

Jay Doubleyou: krashen quotes

He very much believes in 'language acquisition':

Jay Doubleyou: how to acquire a language in one year - and not 'to learn a language'!

And reading is key to that:

Jay Doubleyou: reading really is the best way to improve (your own and a second) language

Jay Doubleyou: from narrow reading and listening to fluency: part two

Here's an overall look at Krashen:

Jay Doubleyou: krashen and second language learning

But there are questions about his approach:

Is everyone WRONG about Stephen Krashen's "comprehensible input" theory? - YouTube.

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pronunciation: getting students to understand better and to be better understood

It's important to work on students' pronunciation regularly and often:

Why Pronunciation Teaching Should Be the Number One Priority

Teaching Pronunciation to EFL Students – TEFL-Toolkit.com

It is a matter of increasing awareness:

Jay Doubleyou: english pronunciation is crazy

Jay Doubleyou: 'four ears' or 'four years'?

Jay Doubleyou: connected speech

Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation

Jay Doubleyou: chunking

Here are some approaches that might help:

Jay Doubleyou: shadowing

Jay Doubleyou: singing songs to learn english

Jay Doubleyou: practical dictation > online texts and audio

Jay Doubleyou: pronouncing cat, cut and cart in english

Jay Doubleyou: sound scripting

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the grammar discovery approach to learning langugages

How do we teach and learn the grammar of a language?

The EL Gazette looks at a method :

In this article, teacher Joanna Buckle delves into the grammar discovery approach. But what is it and does it work?

One nineties development in English language teaching was the ‘grammar discovery’ approach. It’s now been around long enough to have been incorporated into a number of textbooks. In this method, students are given a set of examples of a particular grammar point, such as the present simple tense, and asked to extrapolate the rules for its use from the context. But how much theoretical backing does this approach have?

...

The grammar discovery approach - E L Gazette

Here's a good explanation, plus an example:

The idea is that students will ‘discover’ the grammar through a series of steps (these might be tasks, language awareness activities, pictures, questions, etc) and will deduce both the form and the meaning from the context(s).

Grammar teaching: The discovery technique | Article | Onestopenglish

Here's an excellent piece giving real insights:

It can be difficult for language teachers to make learning grammar in a language classroom interesting and engaging for students. After all, these rules and rubrics need to be learnt, understood, memorised and then put into repeated practice. So how can teachers make learning key grammar concepts more interesting? This blog post examines the two main approaches to learning grammar (i.e deductive and inductive) and then focuses on the inductive approach (also known as guided discovery) in further detail.

Deductive vs. inductive grammar teaching

It is widely acknowledged that there are two main approaches to teaching grammar in any language. As outlined above, these are known as deductive and inductive approaches.

• A deductive approach is when the grammar rule is presented by the teacher and the student produces language based on that rule.
• An inductive approach is when the rule is inferred by the student through some form of guided discovery. (i.e the teacher provides the students with a way to discover the rules for themselves.)

Notably the former approach is clearly more teacher-centred. But it does allow language teachers to deliberately highlight the item for attention and can also allow more time for actually practising it in spoken or written form. Given that inductive approaches are more learner-centred, we’ll make that the focus for this blog post, although it is worth pointing out that these approaches are usually most beneficial for students who have a base knowledge of the language. It’s clearly easier to work things out for yourself if you already have some knowledge in a subject.

What is Guided discovery in grammar teaching?

According to the British Council: “Guided discovery, also known as an inductive approach, is a technique where a teacher provides examples of a language item and helps the learners to find the rules themselves.”

In detail, guided discovery is a way for language educators to encourage students to make their own explanations for grammar / language rules with the support and guidance of their teacher. It’s a powerful alternative to the traditional “chalk and talk” approach and aims to mimic the way most people naturally learn a language i.e by picking up the rules as their learning and experience grows.

...

How guided discovery could transform your grammar teaching

And here's a video showing how it can be done:

Work it out yourself - Helping students with grammar, with Chris Redston - YouTube

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how to counter propaganda/paranoia/conspiracy theories... 2: counter it with the same!

There's an interesting new book out - with a little video introduction from the author:

From one of our leading experts on disinformation, the incredible true story of the complex and largely forgotten WWII propagandist Sefton Delmer – and what we can learn from him today. Peter Pomerantsev introduces us to Sefton Delmer, the anti-hero of How to Win an Information War: The Propagandist Who Outwitted Hitler.

From one of our leading experts on disinformation, the incredible true... | TikTok

The book has a wider purpose:

The Journalist Who Tried to Fight the Nazis With Radio Stories

In “How to Win an Information War,” Peter Pomerantsev looks to a World War II propagandist for lessons in the battle between Russia and Ukraine.

Book Review: ‘How to Win an Information War,’ by Peter Pomerantsev - The New York Times

His book is the Radio Times book of the week:

JOIN THE RADIO TIMES BOOK CLUB TODAY! – Radio Times Shop

With more from the FT:

“How do you win an information war?” asks Peter Pomerantsev in the introduction to his new book, before addressing its animating question with a personal flourish: “What can you do when those you love . . . slip away from you under a quicksand of lies, and move mentally into an alternative reality where black is white and white is black?”

The critical word here, it took me some time to realise, is “war”. In a war you do everything possible not to lose. It isn’t about posing your better values against the enemy’s, but about undermining popular belief in their “truth”.

Pomerantsev’s main current enemy is Vladimir Putin’s Russia, about whose complex and effective propaganda regime the academic and writer — who was born in Soviet Ukraine to dissident parents — has already written two books: Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible (2014), and This Is Not Propaganda (2019). Both were written before Putin launched his all-out bombs and guns war on his European neighbour.

How To Win an Information War was written in a time when Russians who are contacted by their Ukrainian friends and relatives, and told what is actually happening, usually respond with disbelief and rejection. Ordinary Russians have become unreachable by the living truth. Meanwhile in the US up to 40 per cent of Americans believe that the last presidential election was “stolen” and it is conceivable that the corrupt author of this fiction will become US president again.

So that’s what we face, and few questions keep democrats — conservative or liberal — awake at night like the one that Pomerantsev poses. It’s a question he answers by suggesting to us that we reflect on the extraordinary career of Britain’s top wartime counter-propagandist, Sefton Delmer, who was an all-out commander in the information war against Nazi Germany.

How to Win an Information War — a history lesson in effective counter-propaganda

Here he is talking to The Spectator:

Peter Pomerantsev: How To Win An Information War | The Spectator

Here is his view earlier on how to counter propaganda:

Jay Doubleyou: how to counter propaganda/paranoia/conspiracy theories... 1: enjoy culture and the arts

Meanwhile in Russia:

Jay Doubleyou: the propaganda wars today

The Soviet-born British journalist looks at the psychology:

Jay Doubleyou: the politics of humiliation today

... and the theatre:

Jay Doubleyou: politics as theatre

Finally: how Russia is currently winning the information war:

Jay Doubleyou: information wars

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london has a new museum

A new museum is opening in London:

Dedicated to creative opportunity and its power to bring change. Two free cultural destinations – V&A East Storehouse and Museum – will open up the V&A collection for all, celebrate making in all its forms and create new possibilities for everyone.

V&A East · V&A

This is what a design magazine thinks:

We preview the V&A East Museum in London | Wallpaper

This is the actual website of the new museum:

V&A East

There's a lot going on - with a museums website looking at it all:

New look inside V&A East Storehouse as collection move begins

This week, the director talks to some teenagers about what he wants them to do - and he lets them handle some of the museum's artefacts:

Gus Casely-Hayford, director of V&A East, is on a mission to create a new kind of museum in the Olympic Park. He wants to attract a diverse audience of 16-25-year-olds, the kinds of young people least likely to be found in the great museums of South Kensington. Part of his plan is to take objects from the collection into schools and to tell their powerful stories. So we are with him in a school for students who have been excluded from other institutions as he opens the treasure chest... Gus also shares his own story of discovering art in books and then travelling to museums and galleries, as a terrified teenager, to encounter the real thing. A life-changing experience.

BBC Radio 3 - The Essay, A Museum in the Making, 11/03/2024

With a piece in the Radio Times to accompany the series:

A safe space - 5 Mar 2024 - Radio Times Magazine - Readly

Last year, we had a look at how the project was going:

V&A East's plans to shake up the art world - YouTube

Here's their first exhibition next year - with a video trailer:

The Music Is Black: A British Story - Exhibition at V&A East Museum · V&A

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'popular opera'

Can opera be popular?

THE MAGIC FLUTE:

Perhaps it depends on which opera:

The Magic Flute, ENO review: A tonic for the soul

This is what people think about it:

Mozart's The Magic Flute ǀ English National Opera - YouTube

What''s a 'foley artist'?

Meet The Foley Artist | The Magic Flute | ENO - YouTube

The Magic Flute | Buy Opera Tickets for 2023/24 | ENO

Foley (filmmaking) - Wikipedia

WEST SIDE STORY

Here's someone who took the opera and did something different - from twenty minutes in:

Howard Goodalls Twentieth Century Greats 3of4 Leonard Bernstein - YouTube

This is West Side Story:

West Side Story - Wikipedia

Which Spielberg filmed last year:

Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios - YouTube

But here's the original from 1961:

West Side Story - Prologue - Official Full Number - 50th Anniversary (HD) - YouTube

West Side Story ' Dance at the Gym ' Mambo 日本語字幕 - YouTube

West Side Story - Cool (1961) HD - YouTube

It really is a 'great piece of art':

The Great ‘West Side Story’ Debate - The New York Times

Why West Side Story is a Masterpiece - YouTube

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL:

But can anything like this become 'popular'?

Thomas Adès: The Exterminating Angel (recorded live at the Met) - YouTube

It's on in Paris at the moment:

The Exterminating Angel - Opera - Season 23/24 Programming - Opéra national de Paris

And had a fabulous season at the Met in New York:

The Exterminating Angel

Review: If You See One Opera This Year, Make It ‘The Exterminating Angel’ - The New York Times

The composer was inspired by the film:

The Exterminating Angel (1962) ORIGINAL TRAILER [HD 1080p] - YouTube

'POPULAR OPERA':

Where to go for opera?

Five Best Operas for Beginners - The Operas You Should See First - Keep It Classical - YouTube

And in English?

Habanera from Bizet's Carmen ǀ 2020 Opera Season ǀ English National Opera - YouTube

Bizet - Carmen (sung in English) (ENO, 01.07.2015). Part II - YouTube

With subtitles!

Verdi's Don Carlo with English Subtitles (Alagna, Pieczonka, Maximova, Petean, Prestia) - YouTube

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listening to bbc radio

The Radio Times is a weekly magazine listing the UK's TV, radio and streaming - and their Radio listings guide | Radio Times opens out a lot of listening possibilities. Just click on a programme to get more details - and see if you'd like to listen.

The magazine itself has a daily list of recommnded listening - in "Today's Choices" - with a couple of examples here:

On Star Trek: Thursday radio - 22 Nov 2022 - Radio Times Magazine - Readly

On the race to the North Pole: Broadcast - BBC Programme Index

There is a lot to listen to - but you just need to register with a UK address to be able to listen.

Here are a couple more places to explore what's on offer:

Jay Doubleyou: short history series on bbc radio

Jay Doubleyou: talking about music - on audio

Jay Doubleyou: north, east, south, west - what do they mean?

Jay Doubleyou: china, the bbc and disinformation

Jay Doubleyou: walter benjamin on the radio in english

And:

Jay Doubleyou: radio 4 in 4 minutes

Jay Doubleyou: poetry on bbc radio

Jay Doubleyou: drama on radio 4

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 4's history of ideas - animations

Jay Doubleyou: sharing our lives with wolves: on bbc's shared planet

Jay Doubleyou: history from objects: the british musem, radio 4 and neil macgregor

Jay Doubleyou: the listening project - listening to britain

Jay Doubleyou: just a minute

Jay Doubleyou: sport on the radio - in english

Jay Doubleyou: getting the most out of bbc radio 4 - for esol students

And finally:

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 6 to help you with your english...

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 5 to help you with your english...

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 4 to help you with your english...

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 3 to help you with your english...

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 2 to help you with your english...

Jay Doubleyou: bbc radio 1 to help you with your english...

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the lunatic fringe in sleepy ye olde england...

There's an interesting town in South West England which is not exactly a 'sleepy, olde-worlde place':

On the ‘Welcome to Totnes’ sign that greets people to the town somebody added ‘Twinned with Narnia’ below it. It’s been removed since by those who don’t have a sense of humour, but to me it’s a perfect description of Totnes. The town has been described as ‘New Age’, ‘Alternative’ and even ‘eccentric’ but however you like to describe it, Totnes is different to any other town in the South Hams, or even Devon for that matter. Totnes - Twinned with Narnia - Easymalc's Wanderings

Since the pandemic, however, there has been what many consider to be a very disturbing ‘challenge to complacency’ happening, with anger in Totnes as Covid ‘anti-vax’ propaganda was posted through letterboxes

At the same time as this disquiet was being expressed last summer, a lot of attention was being paid by the wider 'mainstream media' to "Narnia": Totnes, Transition Town & Conspiracyland.

As covered in a new series on BBC Radio 4:

What’s happening in the Devon town of Totnes? The small town of Totnes in Devon is known for its warmth and open-mindedness, gong baths and healing crystals, but a fault line has emerged between the minority who’ve been drawn in by disinformation laced with hate and those who are fighting against it. Some in the town were drawn into a conspiracy theory movement during the pandemic, one whose monthly marches and rallies persist to this day. A conspiracy theory newspaper called The Light seems to have played a key part in the division there. BBC disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring investigates how the theories that dominate its pages are changing the town. Marianna in Conspiracyland – 1. Entering Conspiracyland – BBC Sounds

This has been challenged by some who, by no means conspiracy theorists, 

At the end of my street in Totnes a huddle of people gather around a trestle table each week hawking newspapers. They’re surrounded by rhetoric denouncing vaccines, denigrating the government and even denying climate change. The newspaper is The Light, a controversial print publication that describes itself as the ‘uncensored truth’ with links to inflammatory ideologies and far right figures. As a journalist, I know I should probably stop and find out what they’re about but I know they see me as the MSM (mainstream media) and I fear I’d probably get a barrage of abuse. So even though I happen to love engaging in conversation with people who see the world differently to myself, I tend to cross the high street...

It’s a bit bonkers. But it’s not ‘dangerously crazy’ as Totnes resident Peter Shearn suggested this week. He was interviewed by BBC journalist Marianna Spring for her documentary Conspiracyland which was released on BBC Sounds and Radio 4 and expressed his fears about the impact that The Light and its cabal was having on the town. Conspiracyland documents the rise of conspiracy theories since the pandemic - people who largely believe that Covid-19 and the vaccine are a form of governmental control. Totnes is one of several hubs across the UK where The Light is passed out on the street, but it has become a central focus because it’s a town that has always embraced alternative thinking.

And by making Totnes the central focus, it exacerbates its image as a slightly crazy - even dangerously crazy - place to hang out. In actual fact, it’s a liberal-thinking, sustainably minded, increasingly affluent town where alternative views are embraced. Sometimes those alternative views venture into conspiracy. I loved Marianna Spring's documentary for shining the light on a growing movement that is emerging in many parts of the country. But it's not representative of most of Totnes. It’s a small, straggly band of people with a megaphone giving away a free newspaper that very few read in a tucked away corner of the high street. I would call them the lunatic fringe (maybe because I'm in the MSM). If you don’t like it, just cross the street. I live in 'Conspiracyland' Totnes and it may be bonkers but it's not dangerously crazy - Jacqui Merrington - Devon Live

This 'lunatic fringe' is appearing in other Devon towns: last summer there was a lot of disquiet in very 'sleepy Devon', with the conspiracy newspaper The Light still circulating in Sidmouth.

And late last year, concern over extreme opinions was still being expressed in Totnes, and a couple of months ago, in the next county, Glastonbury residents were shining a light on the publication spreading disinformation in their town.

Here is the latest February edition of the The Light to look through.

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compartmentalization as a way of managing

Twenty years ago, we learnt that the most important foundation of mental health treatment was 'dead':

Psychoanalysis Is Dead ... So How Does That Make You Feel? - Los Angeles Times

Psychoanalysis is a theory of psychopathology and a treatment for mental disorders. Fifty years ago, this paradigm had great influence on the teaching and practice of psychiatry. Today, psychoanalysis has been marginalized and is struggling to survive in a hostile academic and clinical environment.1,2

Is Psychoanalysis Still Relevant to Psychiatry? - PMC

The founder of psychoanalysis was very critical of alternative approaches:

Compartmentalization, a term coined by Sigmund Freud, is a defense mechanism, which is a strategy the psyche uses to avoid feeling anxiety, especially related to internal conflicts. With compartmentalization, the person separates feelings or thoughts that contradict each other into different “compartments” in order to avoid the cognitive dissonance that arises when a thought or feeling we have starts to contradict a different thought or feeling that we are also aware of.

What Does It Mean to Compartmentalize? - Choosing Therapy

It is seen rather negatively:

Compartmentalization is a form of psychological defense mechanism in which thoughts and feelings that seem to conflict are kept separated or isolated from each other in the mind.[1] Those with post traumatic stress disorder may use compartmentalization to separate positive and negative self aspects.[2] It may be a form of mild dissociation; example scenarios that suggest compartmentalization include acting in an isolated moment in a way that logically defies one's own moral code, or dividing one's unpleasant work duties from one's desires to relax.[3] Its purpose is to avoid cognitive dissonance, or the mental discomfort and anxiety caused by a person having conflicting values, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, etc. within themselves.

Compartmentalization (psychology) - Wikipedia

However, this approach can be very helpful:

Compartmentalization in Everyday Life

Compartmentalization can be part of everyday experience, especially in situations when life can benefit from a little separation. Some may draw boundaries between work and play; others may make allowances for mistakes and setbacks.

Can compartmentalizing ever be helpful?

When people are dealing with a number of serious problems at the same time, it can be difficult to maintain focus to accomplish necessary tasks; putting a problem on hold by compartmentalizing can help them take action. Although disengaging with emotions isn’t a long-term solution, it can be a valuable tool from time to time.

How can people compartmentalize work?

Our jobs, particularly high-stress or high-pressure positions, sometimes seem to take over our lives. Compartmentalizing can set boundaries so that you function well at work and enjoy time away from the office.

Compartmentalization | Psychology Today

Psychoanalysis is about Why - looking deeply into our past lives to give explanations.

Compartmentalization is about How - looking at ways of managing things and looking to the future.

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official languages

We can actually communicate in more than one language:

Jay Doubleyou: we are by nature multilingual

But it gets very political:

Jay Doubleyou: imposing one language on china

Jay Doubleyou: language and politics in ukraine

Which countries have more than one official language?

Linguistic Coexistence in Europe: Countries with More than One Official Language – Braanz

List of multilingual countries and regions - Wikipedia

Which Are The Most Multilingual Countries In The World?

But recognising another language as 'official' does not always mean communication on the ground:

Languages of Israel - Wikipedia

Languages of Ukraine - Wikipedia

English is the most common official language, with recognized status in 51 countries.

Official language - Wikipedia

BELGIUM:

French-speaking Minister of Education Caroline Désir suggested making Dutch classes compulsory in Wallonia. This reform will be difficult to implement because of the critical shortage of skilled teachers and the political context.

Belgium's unity remains undermined by the language barrier

Belgium's language divide: Many young Walloons do not speak Dutch

How can Belgium overcome its regional linguistic conflicts? | Social Policy

‘It’s important that people who decide to spend their lives here also learn French and Dutch,’ top Flemish politician says.

Flemish nationalists aren’t happy with plan for more English in Brussels – POLITICO

SWITZERLAND:

The Zurich national museum, the Tages-Anzeiger and swissinfo.ch has invited us to explain Switzerland’s exceptional cohesion in comparison to other multilingual countries, as part of the debate series entitled La Suisse – et maintenant? [Switzerland – and now?]

How To Explain Switzerland’s Linguistic Harmony?

The Language Enigma Of Switzerland - Live and Let's Fly

It’s not unusual to hear Swiss people from different parts of the country chatting away in English. Not everyone is happy about this, but does using English as a lingua franca – a bridge over the Röstigraben, the country’s main linguistic divide – benefit national cohesion or harm it?

English as a common language in Switzerland: a positive or a problem? - SWI swissinfo.ch

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poetry in the esol/efl classroom

To what extent can poetry be used in the English-as-a-Second/Foreign-Language classroom?

There are practical and engaging ways to do this:

Jay Doubleyou: spell check poem

Jay Doubleyou: short texts for fun dication

Here is more fun:

Jay Doubleyou: poetry as diagram

Jay Doubleyou: football and poetry

Jay Doubleyou: tree poetry

Jay Doubleyou: the bfg: malapropisms, spoonerisms and nonsense words

About the British:

Jay Doubleyou: the british - a poem

Jay Doubleyou: grayson perry and philip larkin on the british

Here are a couple of backwards poems:

Jay Doubleyou: refugees: a poem

Jay Doubleyou: backwards poems

But we have to be very sensitive:

Jay Doubleyou: "poetry in the classroom: some kids i taught and what they taught me": three years on

How to make a poem:

Jay Doubleyou: rhyme in english

Jay Doubleyou: limericks

The EL Gazette looked at the subject recently:

On Poetry: Benefits for students and implementation ideas for educators

Creativity in the classroom can come in a variety of ways. Teacher, Matthew Kloosterman, gives his best practice on how to incorporate poetry into teaching.

Connecting poetry, as a genre, to other texts being studied invites intertextuality and deeper reading for students. Poetry is also highly personable and offers an avenue for student agency. When students select their own poems for poetry study, it encourages even more personal connections to texts.

In this article I would like to share several ideas on how poetry can be implemented and why poetry is beneficial for students:

On Poetry: Benefits for students and implementation ideas for educators - E L Gazette

To finish: WOW!

Jay Doubleyou: kate tempest poet

Jay Doubleyou: performing poetry

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backwards poems

Here's a poem which you can read from the beginning ... or the end:

Jay Doubleyou: refugees: a poem

Here's another:

Dear Humanity, It's Time To Give Up (Reverse Poem) - YouTube

And there are lots more:

5 Reverse Poems That Will Blow Your Mind - Heart

Here's how to do it:

How to Write a Reverse Poem. A poem that can be read in both… | by Cameron Bradley | Writers’ Blokke | Medium

9 Reverse Poems Your Middle Schoolers Will Love - Hey Natayle

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what is a crypto city?

Sounds a good idea?

Some are still waiting for the idea to materialise:

Waiting out Bukele's 'Bitcoin City' on a Salvadoran beach

El Salvador: The American still waiting for ‘Bitcoin City’ - France 24

Some were sceptical from the beginning:

A golden city on the coast of the tropical Pacific. A metal walkway suspended above a verdant volcano. And a glossy marina that looks like it belongs in Monte Carlo rather than a near failed-state besieged by some of the world’s most violent criminals.

The detailed gilded model released this week of ‘Bitcoin city’ – the first ever dedicated cryptocurrency trading hub, to be built on El Salvador’s western shore and powered by geothermal energy from a volcano – is nothing if not spectacular.

The grandiose project is the brainchild of the troubled Central American nation’s headline-grabbing populist president, Nayib Bukele, arguably now the world’s foremost cryptocurrency evangelist after foisting Bitcoin as legal tender on his largely bewildered compatriots last year. In September, every El Salvadoran citizen was given $30 worth of Bitcoin in a government issued crypto wallet – although many reported that the money mysteriously disappeared from their accounts.

Meanwhile Bukele, a 40-year-old former businessman and marketing executive with a serious Twitter habit and a penchant for wearing baseball caps backwards, has risked the ire of the International Monetary Fund, who say he is taking gratuitously ‘large risks’ with El Salvador’s precarious economy.

With the world’s highest murder rate, ravaged by mara street gangs, cartels funnelling cocaine from the Andes up to the United States, and an annual per capita GDP of just £3,000, you might think that Bukele had more pressing — and realistic — priorities than turning the region of La Union, an impoverished rural backwater on the Pacific Coast where Bitcoin city will be built, into the epicentre of the highly volatile crypto-revolution.

The madness of El Salvador’s Bitcoin city | The Spectator

Here's a further look:

Blockchain City | Crypto Documentary | Blockchain Technology - YouTube

There is a lot of interest, of course, from the tech and finance sectors - but how much of this is hype?

Definition of Bitcoin City | PCMag

Crypto millionaires building their own cities in Central America | MIT Technology Review

New, futuristic 'blockchain cities' are just castles in the air - Blockworks

AI generated art with the terms “solar punk cityscape, smart city, crypto city, network state”

Here’s my working definition, informed by Vitalik’s blog post on Crypto Cities, Balaji’s book The Network State, and my own experience studying and working in urban planning and city government:

A crypto city is an IRL (in real life) city with a government that uses crypto technology to operate and govern.

The word “crypto” in front of “city” doesn’t give any hints about the physical design or master plan of the city in real life. It is not associated with any particular city style like new urbanism or towers in a park, but refers mainly to the operation and governance of a city. In this definition, crypto is not short for cryptocurrency, but cryptography, which is the underlying technology that gives us both blockchains and cryptocurrency.

What is a Crypto City? - by Nicholas Bonard - Crypto Cities

There's even a game:

CryptoCities

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how to look after democracy

What is 'democracy'?

It's difficult to define 'democracy':

1 a. : government by the people. especially : rule of the majority. b. : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.

Democracy Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

The problem is that a lot of governments hold elections - but we wouldn't call them 'democratic':

Democracy Is More Than Just Holding Elections - Open Society Foundations

For example:

Putin’s antiwar rival blocked from contesting Russia presidential election | Elections News | Al Jazeera

But some twenty years ago, Russia, for example, was 'more democratic'

Russian President Vladimir Putin, After 20 Years of Rule

Or maybe not:

Why Russia’s Democracy Never Began | Journal of Democracy

This year, around 4 billion people will be voting in over 60 countries this year - but how many of these elections amount to 'democracy'?

Here's a programme which looks at how democracies are not just about elections - and how people in power can slowly but surely dismantle a democracy:

Democracies do not die in military coups. They are dismantled slowly, by libel laws, through tax audits, and procedure. Democracies are dismantled by bureaucrats and judges, not by soldiers and heavy-handed policing. It has always been thus, from ancient Rome to present-day Tunisia. The program outlines the tricks of the trade that imperceptibly kill democracies – and how examples in Mexico, Turkey, India and Poland illustrate that the autocratic playbook is nearly always the same.

Analysis - How to Dismantle a Democracy - BBC Sounds

There is a lot of advice out there to stop this happening:

Unlock Democracy [UK]

How to Protect Democracy - Protect Democracy [USA]

Freedom in the World 2020: Recommendations for Strengthening Democracy

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are we getting more stupid?

What is the 'Flynn Effect"?

The Flynn effect is the substantial and long-sustained increase in both fluid and crystallized intelligence test scores that were measured in many parts of the world over the 20th century, named after researcher James Flynn (1934–2020). There are numerous proposed explanations of the Flynn effect, such as the rise in efficiency of education, along with skepticism concerning its implications. Similar improvements have been reported for semantic and episodic memory.

Flynn effect - Wikipedia

Of course, IQ tests are very very limited in what they measure:

In 1987, Flynn took the position that the very large increase indicates that IQ tests do not measure intelligence but only a minor sort of "abstract problem-solving ability" with little practical significance. He argued that if IQ gains did reflect intelligence increases, there would have been consequent changes of our society that have not been observed (a presumed non-occurrence of a "cultural renaissance").[28] By 2012 Flynn no longer endorsed this view of intelligence, having elaborated and refined his view of what rising IQ scores meant.[34]

James Flynn: IQ may go up as well as down | Psychology | The Guardian

It seems we are going backwards anyway:

NEW STUDY REVEALS SHARP DECLINE IN AMERICAN IQ SCORES AS THE “REVERSE FLYNN EFFECT” TAKES CENTER STAGE

A new study found a sharp decline in American IQ scores in recent years, offering support for what researchers term the “Reverse Flynn Effect.”Examining a large U.S. sample, researchers from Northwestern University found that IQ ability scores in three of four key categories dropped between 2006 and 2018. Composite ability scores (single scores derived from multiple pieces of information) were also lower in recent samples.

While a decline in IQ scores may sound alarming, researchers caution that the results do not mean Americans are becoming less intelligent. “It doesn’t mean their mental ability is lower or higher; it’s just a difference in scores that are favoring older or newer samples,” said Dr. Elizabeth Dworak, a research assistant professor of medical social sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and lead author of the new study. “It could just be that they’re getting worse at taking tests or specifically worse at taking these kinds of tests.” Additionally, researchers did find that American scores in the fourth key IQ category, spatial reasoning, had generally increased from 2011 to 2018.

Ultimately, results support a global decline in IQ scores beginning in the 1990s and 2000s. This phenomenon has become known as the “Reverse Flynn Effect.”

New Study Reveals Sharp Decline in American IQ Scores as the “Reverse Flynn Effect” Takes Center Stage - The Debrief

So, are we getting more stupid?

We Are All Getting Dumber, New Science Proves, and No One Is Sure Why | Inc.com

Why are Americans getting dumber? - UnHerd

And if so, why?

We seem to be getting stupider and population ageing may be why | New Scientist

Has relying on tech made us more stupid?

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controlling ai - part three: china controlling ai

We are clearly in a 'propaganda war' - and the likes of the Chinese government are doing very well - thanks in part to the use of technology:

How China uses search engines to spread propaganda | Brookings

TikTok Has Pushed Chinese Propaganda Ads To Millions Across Europe

The Chinese government isn't too keen on a free media:

Jay Doubleyou: china, the bbc and disinformation

Jay Doubleyou: press freedom around the world

A reason given for the authoritarian model in China is its history:

Still, the goal, the aim, the ideal was the ineffable stillness of immobility. When in 1368 the new Chinese emperor inaugurated a native (Ming) dynasty to replace the defeated Mongol invaders, he ascended the throne in Nanjing. He wanted rather to immobilize the realm. People were to stay put and move only with the permission of the state—at home and abroad. People who went outside China without permission were liable to execution on their return...

Jay Doubleyou: the great divergence

For centuries, the Chinese government has proritised stability:

The Life of Confucius: Stability in a Time of Change

Which meant that it lost the technological advantage it had enjoyed for centuries before:

Jay Doubleyou: the great divergence

It is now trying to catch up:

China’s Gotion High-Tech, Fudan University Set Up Battery Research Center

China Focus: China launches ultra-high-speed next-generation Internet backbone-Xinhua

ASPI’s critical tech tracker updates: China’s lead in advanced sensors is overwhelming | The Strategist

But for all its techonological investments, mainland China scientists have never won a Nobel Prize: 

In a 2004 paper, researcher Cong Cao argued that China’s inability to win a science Nobel was due to a combination of poor investment, the lingering effects of the Cultural Revolution, and the Confucian norms of behavior.

Why Hasn't China Won a Nobel in Science Until Now? - JSTOR Daily

There are many reasons for China’s failure to win the prestigious award. An education system enslaved to rote learning and test scores is one. Zheng Yefu, a sociologist at Beijing’s Peking University, insists that no matter what university you study at – Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard or Yale – you have no chance of winning a Nobel Prize for science if you have spent your first 12 years in a Chinese school. An exaggeration perhaps but the premise of his argument is sound: individuality, curiosity, imagination and creativity are simply expunged by the Chinese education system.

China isn’t creative enough to win a science Nobel

Yes, the mainland Chinese education system is about 'rote learning' - and certainly not about independent thought:

Jay Doubleyou: panic in the west over educational achievements in the far east

Jay Doubleyou: rote learning

I can be argued that the focus of the Chinese government's investment in technology is about control.

Here's a dark satire on social control: this is about the near future, but it's already happening in China:

Black Mirror S03E01 Airport scene - YouTube

The problem, then, is that the Chinese government wants the technology to develop, but in a very controlled way:

“It is the first time that [authorities in China] find themselves having to do a trade-off” between two Communist party goals of sustaining AI leadership and controlling information, said Matt Sheehan, a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

One person close to the CAC’s deliberations said: “If Beijing intends to completely control and censor the information created by AI, they will require all companies to obtain prior approval from the authorities.” But “the regulation must avoid stifling domestic companies in the tech race”, the person added...

China to lay down AI rules with emphasis on content control

China faces a problem familiar to dictatorships throughout history: how to strike a balance between growth-boosting innovation, which thrives in a free society, and the paranoia of an authoritarian state. Its leader, Xi Jinping, wants the country to become a hyper-advanced economy. His government is aggressively promoting the commercialisation of high technologies it likes, from electric vehicles to quantum computing.

At the same time, it is tightening the screws on those it disapproves of. In 2021 it regulated a booming online-tutoring industry into oblivion almost overnight, apparently out of fear that high tuition fees were making children’s education so expensive that Chinese were put off the idea of parenthood. On December 22nd the government took a wrench to the video-gaming industry, introducing rules to, among other things, limit how much players can spend on in-game purchases—and so how much developers can make. The market value of Tencent, one of China’s most innovative firms that also has a big gaming business, tumbled by 12%.

China is shoring up the great firewall for the AI age

It's getting competitive:

China's tightening grip on AI puts other nations at risk - Nikkei Asia

In the race for AI supremacy, China and the US are travelling on entirely different tracks | Manya Koetse | The Guardian

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multilingualism in the classroom

It's good to speak more than one language:

Jay Doubleyou: ça va?! bilingualism is good for the brain

Jay Doubleyou: two languages good, three languages better

So it's good to speak more than one language at school:

Jay Doubleyou: bilingualism and school

Jay Doubleyou: bilingual teaching today

But how can we learn and teach other languages in a ''bilingual" way at school?

Jay Doubleyou: is clil working? is the bilingual class effective? are students learning through english?

There are a couple of interesting articles in the latest E L Gazette looking at recent research:

How might schools incorporate multilingualism effectively? Multilingual Learning Specialist, Valentina Spyropoulou explains the methods and techniques used in her school.

At Optimist International School (OIS), we believe that creating a nurturing and intellectually stimulating environment, where every child feels a sense of belonging, is essential for their holistic development.

However, when a child’s strongest language doesn’t align with the language of instruction, it can present severe challenges and lead to feelings of isolation and exclusion. According to Dr Jim Cummins’ research, developing basic communication skills, like social language, takes six months to two years, while cognitive academic language proficiency may require five years or longer. This can adversely affect a student’s motivation and overall development if we, as their educators, don’t offer them ample opportunities to express themselves.

Even though English serves as our primary language of instruction, we actively embrace and celebrate our students’ and teachers’ linguistic diversity. We integrate translanguaging techniques, allowing students to use their languages flexibly for both communication and academic purposes. Translanguaging, a concept delineated by García, creates a bridge between their prior life experiences and learning, capitalising on their existing knowledge. We are committed to reflection, updating policies, and incorporating translanguaging approaches to make language instruction more inclusive and visible. This ensures students develop a solid foundation in all their languages, enhancing their lifelong language skills.

Here are some of our key strategies:

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Embracing multilingualism - E L Gazette

AND:

L1 in multilingual classrooms

In this article, Hamish Chalmers analyses the evidence for multilingual classrooms.

Attitudes to the use of L1 in the L2 classroom is an area of contradiction. Think back to when you first started to learn a foreign language; if, like me, you grew up in the UK, your foreign languages classes were probably characterised by lots of English use, while you wobbled your way into a comfortable relationship with French or German. You will have been given translations of key words. Your teacher may have used English to explain grammar rules. This will have persisted throughout your formal instruction.

However, if you grew up somewhere else, your experiences of learning English might have been different. You might have been at an international school, where the only language you heard your teachers use was English. Your playgrounds and corridors were probably decorated with signs that read, ‘Please Speak English’. You might have been praised when a teacher heard you speaking English with your friends and told off when you weren’t. If this feels like a double standard, that’s because it is.

Both standards are not without plausible rationales; grammar rules, for example, can be tricky to understand at the best of times, let alone when they are explained in a language you have not yet fully mastered. Using the L1, therefore, can be argued to expedite meta-linguistic understanding.

International school communities are often composed of learners representing a multitude of different L1s, none of which may be shared with their teachers. English, therefore, can act as a lingua franca, levelling the playing field and encouraging teachers to make accommodations for emerging English proficiency a routine part of their practice.

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L1 in multilingual classrooms - E L Gazette

With more reading here:

Multilingualism in the Classroom

Multilingualism in the classroom: benefits in education and policy recommendations | Cambridge University Press & Assessment

Multilingual Learning: How To’s and Strategies for Teacher – Sphero

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