✅Check out HRER news for details of the Call for Papers for #IAHRE2026 conference ‘Re-imagining Human Rights Education in a Turbulent World’ ✅26-27 May 2025 Muenster, Germany ✅Abstracts due 3 Nov 2025 www.tandfonline.com/journals/rhr...

Looking forward to contributing to this seminar on 'Professional agency & language policy in the context of the Curriculum and Assessment Review' @camedfac.bsky.social on 30th Oct with Norbert Pachler, @wendya-b.bsky.social @zhu-hua.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social and others. In-person & online ⬇️

Disadvantaged students ‘more likely to miss out on GCSE foreign languages’ www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...

Are you working on language policy? Do you like Spain? Then apply for the Language Policy Forum 2026 in Spain! 22-23 April, @ucm.es Venue details, plenary speakers, abstract deadline and submission form on our website: langpol.ac.uk. Go go go! 👇

"That's not real teaching then is it?" "Isn't that just crayons and that?" "You just did it to work with women, I know your game!" And these are family members and friends...

'I have additional ideas, beginning with better respecting the glittering diversity of languages emigrants bring to the UK. We wrongly dictate that assimilation in western countries requires shifting to English monolingualism' www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This new Handbook brings together the viewpoints of academics, practitioners, artists and people seeking refuge in Scotland to explore the global learnings that can be gained from this context. 30% off your print copy with code HIR30 and digital version available open access! buff.ly/j12AWU2

Prize draw @queerbritain.bsky.social

A new post for teachers interested in language teaching history. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/08/wilh...

Social mobility in Britain is low 👎 The majority of the public feel that this country is unfair and unequal. And our research shows that chances of success are heavily shaped by socio-economic background. But lots can be done to change this ⬇️

Find my recently edited book "Language Policy as Practice: Advancing the Empirical Turn in Language Policy Research" with Palgrave here: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

There is now a 🔓 1-page summary of our @berj-2025.bsky.social paper on co-creating #linguistics materials with teachers on the OASIS database 👉 www.oasis-database.org/details/mctu... #langsky #mflsky #edusky

Belfast.

www.ox.ac.uk/news/arts-bl... Nearly 50% of A* grades for A Level German go to native speakers. The exams are too hard for pupils who have learned the language in school. The exam boards cite this as "discriminating well".

💬 "Research by the Sutton Trust finds younger people especially attuned to these disparities: only 21% of 18 to 24-year-olds believe everyone has the same chance to succeed." Our research cited in @uk.theconversation.com 👇

It’s a challenge coming up with homework ideas where AI can’t be used to cheat. Using a sentence builder for chunk learning is one. This is another (kind of) frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2018/01/goog...

In our final LSP opinion piece, Biddle and Andrews present inspiring examples of close-to-practice research. The entire collection underlines the vital role of collaboration. Let's all work together! @charlesforsdick www.lspjournal.com/post/how-can...

✨ The Languages in UK Education special issue is now complete! Many thanks to our guest editors @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social for compiling this important collection, and to every contributor for sharing bold ideas to shape language education policy. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com

How can we turn the UK’s 'cold spots' for language learning into 'hot spots?' 🔥📚 J. Biddle & J. Andrews highlight practical grassroots projects across the UK that show what works: @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social www.lspjournal.com/post/how-can...

“We’re at real risk of language education being accessible only to young people in the most affluent schools in England. This would be a disaster, shutting many young people out of essential education” : @cforsdick.bsky.social

What does it really mean to think like a linguist? Charlotte Ryland argues it's time to move beyond grammar drills and embrace creativity, culture, and collaboration in language education. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/think-l... ✍️ Collection Edited by @wendya-b.bsky.social & @cforsdick.bsky.social

Curriculum and Assessment Review: ILCS, ALL and UCFL issue a statement. 'The development of a sustainable model for language provision across the whole of the educational sector is of the highest concern to all members of the subject community' Read the statement: ilcs.sas.ac.uk/research-pol...

These topics are much more complex and nuanced than a few lines can address, but glad that a couple of the educational issues I raised, including the need for more explicit commitments to antiracism in the curriculum, made the cut in this piece.

💬 What if stories—not grammar drills—were the key to unlocking language learning? Jonathan McBride explores how storytelling can transform language lessons, boost motivation, & help every learner succeed. 📚✨ @wendya-b.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-pow...

Pleased to have contributed to this systematic review of literature on academic selection in the UK, led by Ian Cantley. Consistent with the emphasis on evidence in NI education policy, it offers a robust evaluation and synthesis of the research. bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Final call! Are you are teacher educator (early years, primary, secondary, third level, FET) in Ireland? Share your perspectives!

𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭 & 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬! We speak to Sabrina Fitzsimons about her latest research - “Just plough on and pretend it’s not happening” - buff.ly/boyhwrh Full show out Mon 8am on YouTube & Spotify @DCU_IoE @DCU_Research David S. Smith RGU #burnout #educator #research

❓Why do so many pupils 'start over' with languages when they reach secondary school? ✏️ In this opinion article, Rowena Kasprowicz calls for practical steps to fix the transition gap—and take primary language learning seriously. 🧵 Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/bridgin...

🗣️ Why are fewer students in Scotland choosing languages—even with strong government backing? @fionabarclay.bsky.social explores how a lack of “language capital” shapes public perceptions, gendered choices, & declining uptake—and proposes 3 steps for change. 🔗 www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

@themhra.bsky.social is hiring another Policy Postdoctoral Researcher 🎉 This is an amazing opportunity for ECAs to gain policy experience, and I couldn’t recommend working with @wendya-b.bsky.social and @cforsdick.bsky.social more highly! Find out more here: tinyurl.com/mvzce4nt

"ChatGPT [is] a symptom of a totalizing cultural paradigm in which passive consumption and regurgitation of content becomes the status quo. It's a symptom of the world of TikTok and Instagram and perfecting your algorithm, in which some people are professionally deemed the 'content creators,'...2/4

whenever i encounter people who say they can't understand shakespeare verses I always send them this clip from the 2019 Shakespeare in the Park production of Much Ado About Nothing

Sociolinguistics as a marketing slogan 👏 This could be used for pretty much any connection and destination, but of course it works best when it targets the dominant normative centre. (Speaking about normative centres, the fact that this is Marseille and not Paris makes it all the more complex...)

Episode 127 of Liam’s podcast is another good one. Talking with Jonathan McBride about ‘CI’ approaches as opposed to grammar-led. liamprinter.com/podcast/

💬 What can primary school French and Spanish teachers learn from Irish-Medium classrooms? Thomas Rogan explores how immersion-style techniques used in Irish-Medium Education could transform modern foreign language teaching in mainstream primary schools. 📖: www.lspjournal.com/post/languag...

❓What if every child in Northern Ireland had the chance to learn another language in primary school? Sharon Jones explores how language education can boost wellbeing, creativity, and connection in a post-conflict society—and why it's time to make it a priority. www.lspjournal.com/post/towards...

Looking forward to welcoming colleagues from near and far to Maynooth on June 13th-14th for sharing, discussion, debate, and analysis of all things CLIL at World CLIL 2025. Registration closing at end of week. #CLIL #plurilingualism #pluriculturalism

Many of us were inspired to be language learners by our international experiences - Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch make a powerful case for the need for this for young learners today. @lspjournal.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social

🌍 What happens when international exchanges vanish from schools and universities? Vicky Gough and Philip Harding-Esch argue for restoring international experiences to the heart of language learning—for all learners, not just a privileged few. www.lspjournal.com/post/interna...

Joy to spend the afternoon at @tcddublin.bsky.social to hear @ashleyscottharris.bsky.social deliver the final public lecture on French Studies, focused on her forthcoming book… on the écrivain médiatique in contemporary French literature

In our next @lspjournal.bsky.social opinon piece @clairegorrara.bsky.social and Lucy Jenkins explore the new curriculum for languages in Wales. What could the rest of the UK learn from what Wales is doing? www.lspjournal.com/post/new-cur... @cforsdick.bsky.social

📚 What if a bilingual nation like Wales rewrote its curriculum to rethink language education? 💬 Can International Languages thrive in a learner-led system? Read the piece by @clairegorrara.bsky.social & Lucy Jenkins, part of our Languages in UK Education series: www.lspjournal.com/post/new-cur...

It's here! Linguistic Insecurities and Authorities, published by @johnbenjamins.bsky.social, written by me!

New on my blog. frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/05/what...

🧠💬 What if primary language lessons weren’t just about grammar—but also about empathy, creativity, and global awareness? In a new Languages in UK Education piece, @suzannegraham.bsky.social and Alison Porter rethink the purpose of early language learning.📖 : www.lspjournal.com/post/rethink...

Here is the next of our opinion pieces in @lspjournal.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social by Suzanne Graham and Alison Porter: www.lspjournal.com/post/rethink... This important piece on primary education should be read by anyone interested in the ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review.

OK, this is wild. In September 2023, geophysicists across the world started monitoring a very odd signal coming from the ground under them. It was picked up in the Arctic. And Antarctica. It was detected everywhere, every 90 seconds, as regular as a metronome, for *nine days*. What the HELL? 1/

What about Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Irish, Ulster Scots?

✊🏾 New in our Languages in UK Education series: Lisa Panford explores how England’s language teacher shortages are being filled by educators from the Global South—without adequate anti-racist support. We need ethical recruitment and retention. Read more: www.lspjournal.com/post/the-rec...

Really interesting and well-informed discussion of how we can address some of the challenges and benefits of recruiting and retaining languages teachers of colour from the global south. Lisa Panford's #OpinionArticle is useful for practitioners, researchers and of course, policy-makers to consider!