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.