Annual Report 2024 - Flipbook - Page 96
#ThinkLanguages Week
17,500 Students
Action: 3.A.1-8
3.B.1
200+ schools
10 Universities
14 Cinemas
Overview:
#ThinkLanguages is an annual Transition Year (TY) festival of languages and cultures held in schools
nationwide and facilitated by PPLI. It includes a combination of interactive workshops, inspiring talks, fun
quizzes and activities. Since the inaugural event in 2018, it has evolved and expanded exponentially. In 2024,
#ThinkLanguages continued as a week-long celebration, with partners providing additional opportunities for
students to experience the fun of learning languages in a variety of contexts nationwide.
Main Aims:
•
Celebrate languages together in schools, higher education institutions and other organisations that can
support foreign languages on a national level
•
Support teachers to showcase languages in the school and what languages offer beyond the classroom
•
Excite and engage TY students about the languages and cultures around them within the wider
community and around the world
•
Promote inclusion and the many personal, social, professional, and cultural benefits of language learning
•
Encourage TY students to choose languages at Senior Cycle and into third level education
•
Engage with the local community to raise awareness of the benefits of language skills
Activity:
Now in its seventh year, #ThinkLanguages Week took place in schools, universities and other venues
nationwide from Monday 18 November – Friday 22 November 2024. Over 200 schools were involved in the
flagship event, with over 17,500 TY students celebrating languages and cultures in their school and locality.
Resources and Teacher Support
Online information sessions and Communities of Practice for teachers were held in September and October
to provide input and support in relation to project management of the festival in schools, as well as to
provide an opportunity to share ideas and experiences of previous festivals. For those who could not attend
these meetings, a series of #ThinkLanguages Teacher Tips videos were shared online.
A full communication programme with schools took place from September to December via the Languages
Connect website, social media channels, a dedicated Facebook group, and ongoing email correspondence
informing of registration deadlines, partner offerings, resource availability and competition details.
Participating schools were sent printed starter packs including a handbook and promotional posters. They
also received full event kits customised for the number of participating students in the school.
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- PPLI ANNUAL REPORT 2024 -
