Languages Podcast
Feed of Open University podcasts at and below any given subject node.
Updated: 14 min 6 sec ago
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- Dr Gibson Ferguson
- 14 min 6 sec ago
- Dr Gibson Ferguson (University of Sheffield) details the continued failure of education in sub-Saharan Africa and research that has linked this to the use of English as a medium of instruction. He argues, however, that implementing local languages is fraught with difficulties at both political and practical levels, and thus that English still has a role particularly in secondary and higher education.
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- Hywel Coleman OBE
- 14 min 6 sec ago
- Hywel Coleman OBE, (University of Leeds), delivers the key note speech at a joint Open University and British Council Symposium on English Language Teaching in International Development. Hywel speaks about the role of language skills in economic and human development, and while he notes the importance of English for things like peace-keeping missions, disaster relief and local trade, he reminds us of the importance of other factors, like governance, which keep certain countries from reaching development goals.
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- John Knagg, Head of Research and Consultancy for English, British Council
- 14 min 6 sec ago
- John Knagg (British Council) recounts the experience of working together with academics from across sub-Saharan Africa and experts from ACALAN UNESCO, UNICEF and SIL to formulate a statement of general principles for Language-in-Education in Africa, to be applied in South Sudan and elsewhere.
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- Michael Carrier, Head of English Language Innovation, British Council
- 14 min 6 sec ago
- Michael Carrier, Head of English Language Innovation, British Council, welcomes guests to a joint Open University and British Council English Language Teaching Symposium.
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- Dr Elizabeth Erling
- 14 min 6 sec ago
- Dr Elizabeth Erling, Lecturer of International Teacher Education at The Open University offers a summary of recent research that links language learning to economic gain. In this podcast, recorded at a joint Open University and British Council Symposium on English Language Teaching in International Development in London in December 2012, Dr Erling argues that while we are starting to gain a picture of the relationship between English language learning and economic value, this relationship is complex and different for each context, and thus requires new, nuanced means of investigation.