why don't the british learn foreign languages?

Why do the Brits just not bother with learning foreign languages?

Jay Doubleyou: britain is bottom of the class when it comes to second languages

Jay Doubleyou: immigrants with no second language? it’s true britishness

Is it because they don't really need to?

Jay Doubleyou: do the brits really need to learn a foreign language when everyone speaks english?

Or is it because they don't want to speak anything 'foreign'?

Jay Doubleyou: brexit: and what the british think of themselves

Here's the opening of a recent piece which asks these questions:

Why are foreign languages so taboo for Brits?

Language learning in most UK schools is both feared and loathed

 by Olivia Stringer

 12/10/2020

Foreign languages have always been tricky for most Brits, but that shouldn’t be a reason for the government to discourage them.

---

Diminishing opportunities for language learning

Since the British public in 2016 voted to leave the European Union there has been an increasing rise in racism and xenophobia. A report by the Home Office found that in the 2016/2017 reporting period the UK experienced a 27 per cent and 35 per cent increase in racially and religiously motivated hate crimes, respectively.

There appears to be a correlation between this and the dramatic decrease in the number of students choosing to study languages in recent years.  A report by the British Council suggests that just over a third of state schools noted that leaving the EU has had a negative impact on student motivation and/or parental attitude towards language learning.

A further issue is that the government have increasingly prioritised STEM subjects, while cuts to education have had a devastating impact on language courses in schools. The NEU reports:

‘the cumulative impact of funding cuts since 2011 meant by November 2017, 50% of colleges and schools that responded to a survey had dropped Modern Foreign Language courses’.

...

Why are foreign languages so taboo for Brits? | Shout Out UK

.

.

.

political education in the uk

The British government has brought in new guidelines about what can be taught in schools:

Plan your relationships, sex and health curriculum - GOV.UK

It depends on your politics if you think these are a good thing or not.

On the left: 

The government has ordered schools in England not to use resources from organisations which have expressed a desire to end capitalism.

Schools in England told not to use material from anti-capitalist groups | Education | The Guardian

Legal threat over anti-capitalist guidance for schools in England | Schools | The Guardian

"It's laughable to put talking about alternatives to capitalism on par with racism."

Education figures hit out ‘censorship’ of anti-capitalism in new teaching guidance | Left Foot Forward

On the right:

No, the government has not banned anti-capitalism from schools: The outrage over the government’s new guidelines shows how politicised education has become.

No, the government has not banned anti-capitalism from schools - spiked

ANTI-CAPITALISM material has been banned from being taught in English schools, but what is anti-capitalism and what does it mean?

Anti-capitalism meaning: What is anti-capitalism materials as English schools banned? | UK | News | Express.co.uk

A row over extreme organisations supplying teaching material for pupils highlights the murderous folly of socialism: It’s eighty years since Stalin attempted to starve my father to death in Siberia. Perhaps that’s why I think as I do about the latest controversy over capitalism.

Enemies of capitalism have no place in school | Comment | The Times

Somewhere in the middle:

Anticapitalism wasn’t banned in English classrooms during the cold war – why is it now? Materials produced by groups with “extreme political stances” have been barred from English classrooms by the UK government under new guidance for the relationships, sex, and health curriculum. Most of these extreme principles – racism, antisemitism and authoritarianism – are uncontroversial. But the list also includes opposition to capitalism: the “desire to overthrow democracy, capitalism, or the end to free and fair elections”.

And from foreign propaganda media!

Banning Anti-Capitalist Material In Schools Could 'Mute Debate', Warns Political Literacy Body - Sputnik International

Here's something a bit more interesting:

A story picked up by the UK media at the end of September passed almost unnoticed. As The Guardian reported, “The government has ordered schools in England not to use resources from organizations which have expressed a desire to end capitalism. Department for Education guidance issued on Thursday for school leaders and teachers involved in setting the relationship, sex and health curriculum categorized anti-capitalism as an ‘extreme political stance’ and equated it with opposition to freedom of speech, anti-Semitism and endorsement of illegal activity.”

As far as I know, this was the first time such an explicit order had been given; nothing like this happened even in the darkest periods of the Cold War. One should also note the words used: “a desire to end capitalism.” Not an intention, a plan, a program, but simply a desire – a term which can be applied to almost any statement (“True, you didn’t say it, but it’s what you desire…").

Plus, of course, there was the (now usual) addition of “anti-Semitism,” as if a desire to end capitalism is in itself anti-Semitic. Are the authors aware that their prohibition is in itself anti-Semitic: it implies that Jews are in their essence capitalist?

Why this sudden panic reaction to communism? Is it fear that the pandemic, global warming and other social crises may provide an opportunity for China to assert itself as the only remaining superpower? No, China is not today’s Soviet Union; the best way to prevent communism is to follow China.

Zizek: Covid crisis sparked fear of communism & China’s rise as superpower. But best way to prevent communism is to FOLLOW China — RT Op-ed

And:

Schools have been hurled into the centre of a “culture war” by the publication of unexpected guidance thought to have originated in Downing Street that targets divisive educational issues.

Last year, The Times reported that Downing Street had been polling on “culture war” issues such as trans rights – which feature in the guidance – to see if they could be “weaponised” in an election.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said the guidance bore “all the hallmarks of having been thrown in by Number 10 in the expectation that there will be a massive row”. But she added: “The more we engage with them in culture wars, the more they get off and escape the litany of incompetence, which is where we need to focus.”

How schools became the battleground of Cummings's culture war

.

.

.

how is the english language teaching industry doing?

Like every industry trying to find its way through these difficult times, the English Language Teaching business is having problems.

“The future is very uncertain" – ELT stakeholders raise concern over closures

Things are being made worse in the UK with Brexit:

Fears for foreign exchange trips as peers urge Government to scrap plans to force all children from Europe to carry passports

English UK outlines ELT kickstart initiative after visa victory

But even the Irish are making it difficult for students:

Irish govt asks English language schools to stop recruiting int'l students

No more international students for English language schools in Ireland? – Study International

But there are clear signs of optimism.

Schools are beginning to open:

Online English Language provider TopUp Learning has announced its acquisition of Tti School of English in London, as the school prepares to re-open for face-to-face classes on October 19.

UK: TopUp Learning acquires Tti School of English

The virtual market is booming:

ELT programs are gaining momentum because of globalization, urbanization, and the desire for better education and employment opportunities. With the advent of the Internet, information and communications technology (ICT) tools are being used to provide learning content in digital formats.

Digital English Language Learning Market Report (2019-2025) | The demand for the Market will drastically increase in the Future… – PRnews Leader

With more resources being offered:

UK education providers are helping teachers, parents and students respond to the impact of COVID-19 worldwide - GOV.UK

And a recent survey shows that those in the industry are expecting a very good 2021:

Agents & schools forecast gradual recovery for language travel sector

.

.

.

what's a 'native speaker' of english? part two

It's a tricky question:

Jay Doubleyou: what is a 'native speaker' of english?

And it's mixed up with race:

Jay Doubleyou: what is a 'native speaker' of english? the issue of race...

For example:

Native English speakers who are of Asian descent or candidates with Asian looks will NOT be considered Native English speakers (Caucasians ONLY) from the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada need apply

Who is a native speaker of English?- eChinacities Answers | answers.echinacities.com

Racism in the English language teaching industry | Ahmar Mahboob - Academia.edu
Native speaker: A unitary fantasy of a diverse reality | JALT Publications

Which countries, then, have English as a 'native' language?

List of countries by English-speaking population - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
List of countries where English is an official language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Top 10 English Speaking Countries | OMG Top Lists

Do Indians or Americans speak better English?
Is India or US the biggest English-speaking country? | Antimoon Forum

Who 'owns' the language?

Jay Doubleyou: who owns english?

Is the divide between native and non-native so clear?

native english speaker vs. non-native speaker
[General] Native english speaker or not ???
A native English speaker?

What does it mean to be 'born' into a language?

How do you define a native speaker?
How would you define "native speaker of english"?

Certainly, there are many 'native' speakers whose first language is x - and still they are not capable of achieving everything on this list;

The individual acquired the language in early childhood and maintains the use of the language.
The individual has intuitive knowledge of the language.
The individual is able to produce fluent, spontaneous discourse.
The individual is communicatively competent in different social contexts.
The individual identifies with or is identified by a language community.
The individual does not have a foreign accent.

First language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There are more Nigerians who speak English than British:

Can a Nigerian be classified as a Native English speaker? - Yahoo! Answers
Nigerian English - definition and examples of Nigerian English

And 'Indian English' is becoming a rival to American English:
Indian English - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indians beat English at their language - Times Of India
India's New 'English Only' Generation - NYTimes.com

And it goes much further:

Globalization and Englishes: Native speakers' reaction to the growth of Indian and Chinese English varieties | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC

.

.

.

if you can't teach, then become a copywriter

Copywriting is the act or occupation of writing text for the purpose of advertising or other forms of marketing.^[1] The product, called copy or sales copy, is written content that aims to increase brand awareness and ultimately persuade a person or group to take a particular action.^[2]

Copywriters help create billboards, brochures, catalogs, jingle lyrics, magazine and newspaper advertisements, sales letters and other direct mail, scripts for television or radio commercials, taglines, white papers, social media posts, and other marketing communications.

Copywriting - Wikipedia

There are lots of websites offering tips (and courses) on how to become a copywriter:

How To Become A Copywriter (without any experience at all) | by Neville Medhora | Medium

7 Steps to Becoming a Professional Copywriter

How to Become a Copywriter with No Experience | 2020

Complete Copywriting Tutorial - Examples, Tips and Formulas - YouTube

How to Become a Copywriter (NO Experience, Portfolio or Degree)

There are the general places to go looking for work in the 'sharing economy':

In-demand talent on demand.™ Upwork is how.™

And there are the specific places to go:

iWriter: Content & Article Writing Service - Buy Articles

Article Writing Services | iNeedArticles

Become a Guest Post Author - Guestpost.com

SEO Marketplace for backlinks, web design, website traffic, and online marketing - SEOClerks

SEOReseller, White Label SEO & SEO Outsource Provider | SEOReseller

For those who are teachers and who need to branch out in these strange times, there is special advice:

From teacher to copywriter : copywriting

We Write to Teach: What My Time as a Teacher Taught Me About Copywriting

From Teaching to Working at Home as a Copywriter

From Teacher to Full-Time Writer: California Man Finds Fulfillment, Unlimited Potential in Copywriting Career

From Public School Teacher to World-Traveling Copywriter | HuffPost

.

.

.

sweden and coronavirus: part two

How to tackle Covid has become a political issue as much as a health one:

Jay Doubleyou: the politics of covid

And the country that has given most focus to this debate is Sweden:

Jay Doubleyou: sweden and coronavirus

Two months on, and the debate is hotter than ever...

The libertarian think-tank, the FEE, thinks Sweden has been doing a great job:

5 Charts That Show Sweden’s Strategy Worked. The Lockdowns Failed - Foundation for Economic Education

Sweden Now Has a Lower COVID-19 Death Rate Than the US. Here’s Why It Matters - Foundation for Economic Education

Elon Musk on Lockdowns: ‘Sweden Was Right’! - Foundation for Economic Education

BBC: Sweden’s Economy Is Doing Way Better Than the Rest of the EU During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Foundation for Economic Education

However, the graph the FEE presents is now out of date.

This is from half an hour ago:

Template:COVID-19 pandemic data - Wikipedia

In other words, the numbers are going up - like everywhere else:

Sweden: Students Told To Stop Partying As Coronavirus Cases Rise

Sweden's coronavirus cases keep rising, but official says it is not a second wave | Reuters

This is from today's Time magazine - click on the link below to read the complete piece:

The Swedish COVID-19 Response Is a Disaster. It Shouldn’t Be a Model for the Rest of the World

BY KELLY BJORKLUND AND ANDREW EWING

OCTOBER 14, 2020 5:00 AM EDT

Kelly Bjorklund is a writer and human rights activist who has worked on public policy and advocacy with elected officials, civil society and media for two decades.

Andrew Ewing is a professor of molecular biology and chemistry at the University of Gothenburg and a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences.

The Swedish COVID-19 experiment of not implementing early and strong measures to safeguard the population has been hotly debated around the world, but at this point we can predict it is almost certain to result in a net failure in terms of death and suffering. As of Oct. 13, Sweden’s per capita death rate is 58.4 per 100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University data, 12th highest in the world (not including tiny Andorra and San Marino). But perhaps more striking are the findings of a study published Oct. 12 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which pointed out that, of the countries the researchers investigated, Sweden and the U.S. essentially make up a category of two: they are the only countries with high overall mortality rates that have failed to rapidly reduce those numbers as the pandemic has progressed.

Yet the architects of the Swedish plan are selling it as a success to the rest of the world. And officials in other countries, including at the top level of the U.S. government, are discussing the strategy as one to emulate—despite the reality that doing so will almost certainly increase the rates of death and misery.

Countries that locked down early and/or used extensive test and tracing—including Denmark, Finland, Norway, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam and New Zealand—saved lives and limited damage to their economies. Countries that locked down late, came out of lock down too early, did not effectively test and quarantine, or only used a partial lockdown—including Brazil, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Sweden, the U.S. and the U.K.—have almost uniformly done worse in rates of infection and death.

Despite this, Sweden’s Public Health Agency director Johan Carlson has claimed that “the Swedish situation remains favorable,” and that the country’s response has been “consistent and sustainable.” The data, however, show that the case rate in Sweden, as elsewhere in Europe, is currently increasing...

Why the Swedish Model for Fighting COVID-19 Is a Disaster | Time

.

.

.

"teaching tracks": learning through songs

Learning a language through music and songs is not only fun but very effective:

Jay Doubleyou: listening to song lyrics will help your pronunciation

Jay Doubleyou: learning english through musicals

Jay Doubleyou: music lessons from the british council

Jay Doubleyou: every song has its lesson plan - part two

Jay Doubleyou: more learning through music: lyrics training

Here's a review of a new book out which looks at "how music can help develop language learner proficiency":

Teaching Tracks: Top Ten | E L Gazette

Here's the website with a free sampler:

Teaching Tracks – Inspired by songs and lyrics for ELT

And here's a video introduction:

 

Teaching Tracks - Top Ten - YouTube

.

.

.

what does your taste in music say about you? part three

There have been several studies over the years looking at what our taste in music says about us:

Jay Doubleyou: what does your taste in music say about you?

Jay Doubleyou: what does your taste in music say about you? part two

More research is just out:

True blues? How music reveals a fan’s personality | News | The Times

With more here:

Country music fans are extroverts and blues lovers are emotionally stable: Spotify claims musical taste can reveal your character and is granted a patent to 'personalise user experience based on personality type'

• Spotify researchers had volunteers complete a personality type questionnaire
• They then compared the answers to the users listening history on the platform
• They found a clear link between music preferences and users personality type 
• The company has been granted a patent that uses personality types to change the tone of voice used in spoken word messages delivered within the service 

By RYAN MORRISON FOR MAILONLINE 

PUBLISHED: 05:26 EDT, 9 October 2020 | UPDATED: 06:08 EDT, 9 October 2020

The music you listen to can indicate your personality type, a study claims, with country fans more extroverted and blues lovers more emotionally stable. 

Spotify asked 5,808 volunteers to complete a personality test that rates them on openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness and emotional stability.

It then looked at their musical history and found that the songs people listened to could predict their personality type with 'moderate to high accuracy'. 

For example, people who like Aretha Franklin and soul music generally tend to be more agreeable, and lovers of folk music are more likely to be open.

Spotify was this week granted a patent for technology that uses personality types to 'personalise user experience' by changing the tone of voice used in spoken messages delivered within the service. 

The research team behind the music study was also involved in the new patent, which uses a similar questionnaire to determine personality type. 

Country music fans are extroverts and blues lovers are emotionally stable, Spotify study shows | Daily Mail Online

But some aren't happy:

Spotify has a patent for personality tracking technology – and it’s pretty creepy stuff - Music Business Worldwide

.

.

.

free live classes from celebrity instructors

There are so many online learning resources and it's difficult to know where to turn.

This looks very inviting - and it's from the Variety Tutors stable:

Featured Class Collections

Explore what sparks your curiosity. Learn all there is to know.

Experience exclusive classes taught by celebrity instructors and top experts.

Several months ago, we launched free live celebrity classes led by Mayim Bialik, Julianne Hough, Coyote Peterson and others. The response has been incredible with hundreds of thousands of people signing up for these classes. We have more on the way as well with some huge names! These are another part of our growing list of free, live classes.

We think these free resources will positively benefit students entering this uncertain back-to-school season.

Join celebrity instructors as they teach their favorite topics

.

.

.

how to teach on zoom

The elgazette has come up with just the right suggestions for the moment.

Click on the link below for some activities:

Anastasia Antonova explores solutions and workarounds for some common issues when working with Zoom

The situation we now find ourselves in with Covid-19 has led many English teachers around the world to use online platforms to conduct their classes. After teaching offline my entire career, the sudden shock of having to use the internet for teaching left me in the dark, to say the least. What made it even more terrifying, was the sheer variety of platforms available, and trying to discover which one worked best for me. Nevertheless, out of the handful available, I feel that Zoom is the most versatile and useful platform in teaching English online, regardless of the age or level of your students.

In this article, I will address some of the most common problems facing those who are teaching online, and how they can be solved. I will also explore some of the different tools that Zoom has to offer, and how they can be used in interesting and efficient ways. Lastly, I will explore three activities to make Zoom lessons more fun, interactive and engaging.

This article is based on my experiences with a group of elementary adult students that I had been teaching for some time before taking our lessons to the world wide web. Nonetheless, everything here can be used with students of different levels and ages.

Zoom tools

One of the main reasons why I chose Zoom for conducting my online lessons is down to the variety of different tools it offers.

To start, the teacher and students have the ability to share their screens. This way everyone can be involved and easily follow the flow of the lesson from task to task. The ability to share audio and video is also very useful for listening tasks. In my classes, we often watch videos from YouTube, TedEd, TubeQuizard and Edpuzzle, and use these for discussions both in pairs and as a class, and as a lead-in to the topic of the lesson, and for detailed listening and pronunciation practice.

Zoom also offers a virtual whiteboard, which can be used for brainstorming as a class, where every student gets the opportunity to write their ideas, opinions and comments on a topic or a problem. Moreover, this tool comes in handy when I want to present a new topic, vocabulary or a piece of grammar to the students. It can be used in the same way as a ‘real world’ whiteboard. Other than presenting topics and ideas, this tool also helps me to set semi-controlled or free speaking activities in teams or pairs, by writing the instructions to a task.

Another tool that I use in every lesson is the breakout room. I pair students and put them in different rooms to answer questions, discuss topics or problems and play board games. This is a great tool for free speaking practice. It is also good for online mingling activities, such as ‘find someone who’, where students circulate around the rooms (controlled by the teacher and timed) to find the right person for the statements or questions offered.

“Honing the skills of your students through fun, interactive activities is 
easy through Zoom.”

To set the context of the lesson in a more engaging way, we often do a quick survey using the ‘polls’ tool. This allows everyone to be involved in the poll, and this is then followed by class discussion. It works amazingly well for activating student’s schemata on a topic, to help them remember what they know and to set further pair or group discussions.

Problems and Solutions

Nevertheless, there are some challenges with using any online platform in this context. In this section, I will highlight some of the main issues I have faced and how I keep the lesson going.

Firstly, and what may be the biggest issue, is the Internet. As a rule, everyone should aim to find a location with a stable connection. That being said, your students may end up with the prompt ‘unstable internet connection’ presenting itself on their screen, resulting in down time, and the inability to speak to the teacher or other students. If this persists, the most feasible solution is to ask the students to type short answers in the chat so they can be included and not feel entirely left out.

In addition, students who do not have a laptop or desktop may end up using mobile devices, which makes participating more difficult, as they may not be able to comment or type text on screen during the use of the virtual whiteboard. Fortunately, Zoom has a pop up chat which allows students to communicate with each other through text. One workaround is for the

students to write their comments in the chat and have the teacher transfer them onto the whiteboard for later discussion.

Another inevitable issue with online learning is that students can feel distant and less engaged in the lessons. This may cause students to be reluctant to speak, give feedback and share their opinions. This can be overcome by giving students appropriate time to communicate in pairs, so they become more familiar with the format of the lesson, and by tailoring tasks to be more relatable and engaging.

On the flip side, during open class discussion, students might accidentally speak over each other, which can be chaotic. If needed, the teacher can nominate students to speak one at a time, which also allows plenty of time for them to express themselves fully without being interrupted. The teacher can also control students’ microphones, letting them only speak one at a time.

Last but not least, there can be a problem while sharing audio and video materials for in-class activities. To tackle this problem, the materials can be given as homework tasks before the lesson. The materials can then be discussed during the lesson and worked on for grammar and lexis input. Alternatively, it can be set as homework after the lesson, for students to look into in their own time and then checked in the following lesson.

Activities for online learning

All that being said, honing the skills of your students through fun, interactive activities is easy through Zoom. Here, we will see a few activities I have used with students of different levels and ages, which you can also adapt for your own classes.

Lessons available at: https://taplink.cc/anastasia.british

...

Ideas for remote Zoom lessons | E L Gazette

.

.

.