Young people in Britain aren’t bad at learning languages – but the school system doesn’t make it easy for them Tweet Skype Reddit Pinterest 0 LinkedIn 0 Email Following the recent publication of Dr Caroline Payant’s article about the importance of plurilingualism in language education, we are republishing this article by Dr Abigail Parrish, lecturer in languages education at the University of Sheffield, about the state of foreign language education in the UK: According to a senior British diplomat, British young people’s poor language skills played a role in the UK’s decision not to ..read more

Can embracing plurilingualism transform education? Published: Dr Caroline Payant, an applied linguist at Université du Québec à Montréal in Canada, is exploring the power of plurilingualism – the use of multiple languages – in language education. She highlights the potential of plurilingualism to reshape not only our classrooms, but also our perceptions of language, culture and identity. Talk like an applied linguist Input — the information that an individual receives (e.g., hearing speech or reading text) Language repertoire — the collection of (partial) language knowledge that someone ..read more

Navigating the maze of reading comprehension for first grade learners Published: At the University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada, Dr Marie-France Côté, studies the complexities of reading comprehension among first grade French-speaking learners in Quebec. She is looking at the difficulties in assessing these early years students and working on a new and more reliable assessment tool called ESPACE. Talk like a… reading researcher Anaphora — the use of a word referring to a word used earlier (or, sometimes, later) in a text to avoid repetition (e.g., the pronouns he, she, it and they) Cogn ..read more

Boosting employment prospects for neurodiverse people through video game development Published: Despite often having the potential to be huge assets to the workforce, people with Autism Spectrum Disorder often face discrimination and have difficulties obtaining and maintaining jobs. Professor Leanne Chukoskie, from Northeastern University, and Professor Pamela Cosman, from the University of California San Diego, in the US, are combatting this through a unique internship that champions the skills of neurodiverse interns and trains them how to negotiate the workplace. Glossary Autism/autis ..read more

How is climate change affecting accounting and business? Published: Climate change is creating unprecedented risks for businesses around the world, which is making investors nervous. A key way that businesses can address this anxiety is through disclosing how they impact, and are impacted by, climate change. Dr Sanjay Banerjee of the University of Alberta in Canada is researching how businesses are going about this, and what this means for future policy and regulation. Talk like an accounting researcher Capital — wealth in the form of money or assets Carbon tax — a tax on the usage of fo ..read more

Why schools need to take sun safety more seriously Tweet Skype Reddit Pinterest 0 LinkedIn 0 Email With spring finally here and warmer weather (hopefully) around the corner, Dr Julie Peconi, Senior Research Officer in Health Data Science at Swansea University, explains why schools need to take sun safety more seriously: Despite the UK’s rainy climate, there is a one in six risk of developing skin cancer. Children, especially, should take extra care as severe sunburn as a youngster more than doubles the chance of developing skin cancer later on. But new resear ..read more

Can statistics help to uncover the ocean’s secrets? Published: There are still many mysteries about the ocean. While this vast store of water is known to support life and help mitigate the impacts of climate change, scientists are constantly making new discoveries about how the ocean functions. At Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, Professor Joanna Mills Flemming and her team are developing new statistical methods to study ocean data, uncovering insights into fish populations and how the ocean’s inhabitants will respond to climate change. Talk like a statistical ecologist Acous ..read more

What makes nursing a dream career? Published: In a world grappling with healthcare staffing shortages, exploring the exciting field of nursing has never been more crucial. Dr Kathryn Halverson, from the Department of Nursing at Brock University, Canada, shares insights into the challenges, rewards and opportunities awaiting the next generation of nurses. Talk like a nursing educator Ageing population — a higher percentage of people in a community getting older (65 years or above), leading to growing challenges in healthcare Burnout — when an individual feels extremely tired, stressed and ..read more

How wearable tech can combat Parkinson’s disease Published: Every time we move around, our body is performing a complex array of tasks to move us in the direction we intend to go and to keep us balanced as we do so. A number of diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease, damage this process. At the Balance Disorders Laboratory at Oregon Health & Science University in the US, Professor Fay Horak is investigating how exercise regimes and wearable technologies can help people with Parkinson’s disease to regain mobility and autonomy. Talk like an neuroscientist Biofeedback — a technique that ..read more

How are archaeologists uncovering the secrets of an Ancestral Maya boomtown? Published: Famous for their large stone pyramids, and with advanced skills in construction, agriculture and mathematics, the Ancestral Mayas were once a powerful civilisation that lived across much of modern-day Mexico and Central America. Dr Meaghan Peuramaki-Brown, an archaeologist at Athabasca University in Canada, leads the Stann Creek Regional Archaeology Project to investigate the ancient town of Alabama in Belize. Along with Matthew Longstaffe, from the University of Calgary, and a team of local Mayas, they a ..read more