SCEN Update February 2023
Welcome to the Year of the Rabbit!
2023, and the Year of the Rabbit, are predicted to be the Year of Hope. At SCEN we share our hope that schools, young people, and teachers confront the many challenges now facing them and that there is a bright future ahead for language learning and teaching in general, and of course for the learning and teaching of Chinese in schools and in higher education.
There are fresh hopes now of young people being able to travel to (and from) China once again as the country opens up post-Covid and airline companies are providing scheduled direct flights from the UK. We hope that through time such flights will be increasingly affordable.
9th SCEN YOUTH SUMMIT: “MANDARIN STORIES” & SCOTTISH SCHOOLS MANDARIN READING COMPETITION
John McIntyre Conference Centre, University of Edinburgh
Friday 9 June 2023
SCEN will be hosting the first National Youth Summit since the start of the Covid Pandemic on 9 June 2023, a gap of nearly four years.
The event will be largely hosted by school students who are involved in Mandarin learning, and will provide a showcase of work going on across Scotland in learning Chinese language and about China.
We very much hope that young people and teachers from schools across Scotland will be able to take part in the event, share with fellow students their progress and encourage younger school students to see of the value of learning Mandarin and about China.
The event is being supported by the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS), CISS Alumni (who will be presenting their own experiences in studying and working with China), the Chinese Consulate, and the many friends of SCEN.
Please click the button below to download a Participation Form for those interested in attending, to be returned to Megan Hammell at admin@scen.info. Please return the Participation Forms to Megan by 4pm on 31 March 2023 at the latest to ensure that your school will be able to participate in this exciting event!
In addition to a showcase of Chinese learning in schools, we will also be hosting a Scottish Schools Mandarin Reading Competition. For details on this competition, and the registration form, please see the buttons below.
Please return these forms to Megan Hammell at admin@scen.info by 4pm on 31 March 2023.
SCEN YOUTH EVENT IN GRANTOWN GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Along with colleagues in Grantown Grammar School (the Confucius Hub school in Highland region), SCEN will be hosting an event in the school on Wednesday, 31 May 2023. This will be largely hosted by school students and will be along the lines of similar events organised recently in Grove Academy (Dundee), Boroughmuir High School (Edinburgh), and Kinross High School (Kinross).
As well as students from Grantown, we will be welcoming students from other schools in the area, both primary and secondary. We will be supported by CISS, CISS Alumni, the Chinese consulate, and local representative bodies interested in supporting the development of Mandarin learning in the area.
If your school would like to organise a similar showcase event on the learning and teaching of Chinese, please let us know by contacting admin@scen.info.
RESEARCH PROJECT ON THE TEACHING OF MANDARIN ACROSS SCOTLAND
In the next few weeks, we shall be supporting the start of a major research project on the learning and teaching of Mandarin across Scotland. The project will identify where and how Mandarin is being taught, and the added value to learners embarking on the study of the Chinese language. The project is supported by the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools (CISS), SCEN, and is led by Professor Antonella Sorace of Bilingualism Matters. Two post-graduate researchers have now been appointed to work with the project, they are Yajun Liu and Maggie Mroczkowski, both University of Edinburgh. They will be in touch with a range of schools across the country in the next few weeks. Once the project is complete, we hope to organise a major conference event on the future of Mandarin learning and teaching in schools in Scotland.
SCEN CHINESE TEACHING CLUB
The next meeting of the online Club will be held on 24 February at 15.30. It will be hosted by Lynnette Doherty, teacher of Mandarin in Aberdeen City. The Club is an increasingly valuable forum for teachers across Scotland to exchange information and views and we would encourage teachers of Mandarin, wherever you are based, to join us. If you are new to the Club, or for further information please contact Megan Hammell at admin@scen.info.
SCEN TRUSTEES AND ADVISORY COUNCIL
SCEN Trustees met on Thursday, 3 February. The SCEN Advisory Council is scheduled to meet on 17 February.
We look forward to a lively discussion!
