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We’re also launching a festive competition: prizes include Radio Lingua language courses, a free creative language workshop (click for some examples) and an iPad. This competition is being run in conjunction with Apple Solution Expert in Education XMA. Further details of how to enter the competition will be available in the next few days. Please check back to find out how you can win an iPad for your classroom.

Please note that this competition is restricted to Scottish primary and special schools.

Today Radio Lingua Schools is supporting a group of Scottish language students who are in the European Parliament in Strasbourg taking part in a Euroscola debate. The students come from schools in Glasgow City Council, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire and over the past three days have been taking part in a variety of linguistic and cultural activities in an attempt to develop their confidence in French. Activities have included street surveys, active learning challenges and cultural visits. The video below gives a flavour of what the students have experienced.

This week Radio Lingua Schools has been working with 15-16 year old students from across Scotland at the S@S Accelerate programme, part of the Strathclyde University’s Innovative Routes to Learning project. The participating students signed up for a week of language-learning activities and over the past few days have taken part in challenges and debates, learned some Italian, Japanese and Zulu, and have created multilingual radio shows in French, German and Spanish.

The students have learned how to produce podcasts using GarageBand, recording their voices, applying filters and adding jingles and sound effects. They’ve had the opportunity to practise their language skills and increase their confidence in speaking. Their podcasts can be downloaded from the links below.

Group 1 – download mp3

An celebrity chat show featuring interviews with Audrey Tautou in French and Antonio Banderas in Spanish.

Group 2 - download mp3

Comparing the relative benefits of holidaying in Madrid or Paris.

Group 3 - download mp3

Strathclyde University Radio interviews with language students about their experiences working and studying abroad.

Group 4 - download mp3

Agony Aunt Tía Dolores solves callers’ problems in a phone-in radio show.

Well done to all the students who have taken part!

Euroscola days take place around 20 times each year and give the young people of Europe a chance to discuss a variety of themes including sustainable development, education, environment and citizenship. Today 21 countries are represented and there are some 520 students in the hémicycle of the European Parliament.

By way of preparation for today, the Scottish students have undertaken a series of activities which have helped to develop their confidence in speaking French. These have included language workshops, street questionnaires and a cultural and linguistic challenge. Radio Lingua Schools has supported all of these activities. It’s also been our responsibility to maintain a blog throughout the visit and parents, friends and teachers back at home have been following the visit through EuroscolaOnline.com. Earlier today each delegation was presented to the chamber by one or two students from each country. We broadcast the proceedings live from the hémicycle and parents and school friends at home in Scotland were able to join us in Strasbourg.

For further information about the work of Radio Lingua Schools in Strasbourg, see also Projet Citoyen.

In November 2009, Radio Lingua Schools supported Projet Citoyen, an East Dunbartonshire initiative which aimed to raise awareness about European citizenship. With the help of a grant from the European Parliament, a group of sixth year students spent six days in Strasbourg finding out about the work of the Parliament. Radio Lingua Schools’ role was to support the project both in terms of language input on the visit, and by helping the students to document their experiences through a blog which was maintained throughout the trip to Strasbourg.

A key feature of Projet Citoyen was that the students had to disseminate their learning to other students in their own schools, and on a wider basis. They designed a web-based video quiz aimed at younger learners (11-13 year olds), asking questions about Europe and the European Union. The The quiz was developed in conjunction with the History and Modern Studies departments in their schools, and all students contributed by providing questions. During the visit to Strasbourg, the top ten questions were chosen and three students volunteered to present the quiz, working with Radio Lingua Schools director Mark Pentleton to film the questions in various locations around Strasbourg.

The quiz is now being released on the Projet Citoyen website, and it is hoped that schools throughout the UK and further afield will find it a useful resource to help younger pupils learn about Europe. Take the quiz yourself and let us know what you think of the resource!