Kaplan International Languages’ Post

As my time in Salamanca has now ended, I’d like to take a minute to reflect and share all the things I’ve been able to do, and places I’ve been able to see! 1️⃣ Semester 1: Professional Development I’ve been lucky enough to be placed on a study abroad programme which gives me more personal time than a typical academic year, and I’ve been able to take advantage of this and achieve many certifications which will serve to benefit me in my future. These include: 🗣 THE TEFL INSTITUTE OF IRELAND: 120hr Certificate, 30hr Teaching Online Certificate, & AI in Language Teaching Certificate. ⚖ LexisNexis UK Legal Research: Foundation Certification & Advanced Certification. 2️⃣ Semester 2: Intercultural Understanding (and the luxury of budget travel!) I began in March by visiting Portugal 🇵🇹 (Lisbon/Sintra/Porto), and Belgium 🇧🇪 (Brussels/Leuven). As a student of Spanish language, my ultimate goal was to immerse myself in Spanish culture. I spent the rest of semester two trying to cover every corner of Spain! 🇪🇸 (Salamanca/Madrid/Segovia/Seville/Valencia/Bilbao). ❓ Finally — do I recommend studying abroad? The short answer is yes! (but if you’re looking for a breakdown of why I recommend international study, keep reading!) 🗣 Language Benefits: a more natural and pressure-free environment to learn a language — while you may have classes to attend and exams to complete, these are often designed specifically for you, and allow you to learn more than just vocabulary and grammar, but also facial expressions, gestures, and all those things that really make a language. Language immersion removes the rigidity of grammar and vocabulary and promotes intercultural understanding, making you much better at thinking on your feet! 📚 Academic and Professional Success: A higher number of students who study abroad have achieved an Upper Second Class or higher compared to students who stay in one place. Furthermore, students who complete the Erasmus programme are 44% more likely to hold managerial positions 10 years after graduation, and also more likely to find work sooner than their peers after graduation. 🧠 Personal Growth: moving to a country where you may not know anyone, and you may not speak the language fluently, is not at all easy! Everyday tasks become anxiety-inducing and it can be very easy to begin to feel isolated and alone despite being surrounded by people. Living abroad is amazing, and provides you with amazing experiences, but it is not always easy! Perseverance in your year abroad proves your adaptability and encourages personal growth. If you're a student considering study abroad, feel free to reach out! If you're a Queen's student, remember that Go Global Week will be happening this October! I'll be there if you have any questions 🤝 #QUBGoGlobal

Another grad school post! When I was in grad school at the University of Arizona, I took a class on language learning in study abroad programs. I did this project, which I then presented as a poster at the University of Arizona College of Education TLS Colloquy in 2013. It was just using available data (mostly student blogs) and interviews with them and their program coordinator, so it wasn't super scientific in terms of measuring their actual language learning. But what I was trying to get at were the program factors that helped and hindered their ability to use the language (in this case, German) socially while abroad. What I found was, unsurprisingly, students who made more German-speaking friends and participated in extracurriculars like choir trips reported much higher language learning gains than students who mostly stuck to an English-speaking orbit and used German in more transactional situations. Although there are factors that a program could focus on to try to enhance these opportunities for students, some of it is going to come down to students' own personalities and interests, as well. How is this relevant for what I'm doing now? Glad you asked! While being able to immerse oneself in the language, such as in a study abroad program, is the dream of many language learners and can lead to huge gains for language acquisition, it's still not guaranteed to be magic - and there's also no requirement that you _have to_ go abroad to make any gains at all. Even within our own classes, language clubs, and online language communities, we can create and participate in opportunities to use the language socially, helping learners establish friendships and share interests while using the language, which can help lead to amazing language gains. Plus, having the activities be more interesting can lead them to _want to_ immerse themselves in it to learn more - so that they're more likely to look for scholarships for study abroad, programs to teach English in other countries, etc. Let's hear about your experiences with study abroad or language learning in the comments! Special thanks to Binghamton University and Leipzig University for having such awesome students for this project! #LanguageLearning #LanguageTeaching #TransitioningTeacher Teaching Solved #Entrepreneurship #StudyAbroad #InternationalTravel #German

🌍 Hello! ¡Hola! 你好! 🌟 Did you know that being bilingual can be a significant asset on your college application? 🎓 Colleges appreciate students who embrace diversity and different languages. Here's a tip: 📚 Take a Foreign Language Course: Enroll in a foreign language course, and if possible, continue studying it until your senior year. It's not just about fulfilling requirements; it's about demonstrating your commitment to broadening your horizons. Do you already have some fluency in another language? 📚 Look for community service opportunities where you can use your language abilities to help others. 📚 Join cultural clubs at your school or in your community related to your heritage language. Being an active member shows engagement. 📚 Look for summer internship opportunities with international companies where you can utilize your bilingual skills. 📚 Research opportunities to study or volunteer abroad during a gap year to further enhance your language fluency. 📚 On your extracurricular list, note any bilingual activities like translating at events, singing in choirs in other languages, writing for multicultural newspapers, etc. So, which language are you interested in learning or already proficient in? Share with us in the comments below! Let's celebrate the beauty of language diversity! 🗣️ #CollegeAdvising #CollegePrep #CollegeGuidance #SagelyAdvising #CollegeApps

If you went to university, can you remember WHY you made that decision? 🤔 Insights shared by Vartika Khandelwal and Tom Lowe at yesterday’s Graduate Employability conference about students’ motivations for choosing to university in the first place, sparked a very distinct memory of my own. I DO remember making that decision twenty-one years ago, very vividly. And, my sequence of thoughts went a little something like this… 💭 “I’m not ready to grow up. I’m not ready to leave the school-like environment and get a real job.” 💭 “I like the idea of being carefree for a few more years. I want to learn new stuff, make new friends and have lots of fun.” 💭 “I’m good at languages and I love learning about other cultures through their native tongue. I don’t know what my other options would be, or what job I want anyway. Okay, I’ll study languages.” 💭 “I want a course that doesn’t just teach me languages, but teaches me how to apply them to real life AND gives me the maximum amount of adventure time - studying abroad.” 💭 “There are only two universities offering the course I want that gives me two whole years abroad - Liverpool John Moores University university and Newcastle University” 💭 “I’ve heard Newcastle is a fun and friendly place, but if I’m going abroad for two years, I might as well stay at home in year one to save up for my travels.” So, I studied Applied Languages French and German at Liverpool John Moores University with a year at the Fachhochschule Köln 🇩🇪 and a year at Aix-Marseille University 🇫🇷 This rather clueless and relatively nonchalant decision-making process for what was actually one of the most important decisions of my life, landed me a degree that I thought would only give me one of two options for my career - to become a translator or an interpreter. But, in the end, an experience that offered me so much more… 🧠 Meta skills, like learning and adaptability, the ability to spot patterns and solve problems 💪🏼 Resilience to handle situations like losing my passport in a foreign country and going overdrawn on my overdraft 🦄 An explorer’s mind full of creativity and curiosity, big picture thinking and attention to detail 💁🏼♀️ Confidence with faking it ‘til I made it and the ability to laugh at myself when I got things wrong 🗣️ A promise to never let my Scouse tones destroy my attempts to preserve the beauty of the French accent 🧑🏼🍳 Some truly horrendous dining experiences as I learned to fend for myself in the kitchen 🐵 Four whole years of not fully growing up and reinforcing my desire for a lifetime of adventures 👯And, maybe most importantly, making friends for life who feel more like family Jonathan Lowry Rachel Sakhi ❤️ Why did YOU choose to go to university? 👇👇🏻👇🏼👇🏽👇🏾👇🏿 #whyiwenttouniversity #university #highereducation #decisionmaking #mindlessacademy #languagesstudent

🌍 Breaking Language Barriers: How Studying Abroad Enhances Your Language Skills 🎓✈️ Are you passionate about learning new languages and breaking down communication barriers? Studying abroad offers a unique opportunity to supercharge your language skills like never before. Here's how: 1️⃣ Language Immersion: Immerse yourself in a language-intensive environment. Living and studying in a foreign country exposes you to everyday conversations, slang, and colloquial expressions, accelerating your language-learning journey. 2️⃣ Cultural Context: Language and culture are deeply interconnected. By engaging with locals, you gain insights into the cultural nuances embedded in the language, making your language acquisition more authentic and meaningful. 3️⃣ Conversational Fluency: Regular interactions with native speakers enhance your conversational fluency. You'll gain confidence in using the language in various situations, from ordering food at a local eatery to engaging in academic discussions. 4️⃣ Language Diversification: Studying abroad allows you to explore multiple languages in a multilingual environment. You may encounter regional dialects or have the chance to study additional languages, broadening your linguistic repertoire. 5️⃣ Global Networking: Building connections with international peers exposes you to various languages beyond the host country's official language. This exposure fosters cross-cultural communication and an appreciation for linguistic diversity. 6️⃣ Academic and Professional Advantages: Multilingual individuals are highly sought after by employers and academic institutions. Language proficiency enhances your resume and demonstrates your adaptability, making you a valuable asset in the global job market. 7️⃣ Empathy and Understanding: Learning a new language goes beyond words. It cultivates empathy and a deeper understanding of different cultures and perspectives, enriching your personal and professional relationships. 8️⃣ Personal Achievement: Mastering a foreign language is a significant personal achievement. It opens doors to new experiences, friendships, and opportunities, broadening your horizons in ways you may have never imagined. Whether you're interested in perfecting a language you've been studying or starting from scratch, studying abroad offers an immersive and rewarding language-learning experience. Embrace the challenge, embrace the culture, and embrace the power of breaking language barriers! Share your language learning experiences or language goals in the comments below. Let's celebrate the joy of learning languages and the transformation it brings to our lives! 🌎✨ #StudyAbroad #LanguageSkills #LanguageImmersion #CulturalContext #ConversationalFluency #LanguageDiversification #GlobalNetworking #AcademicAdvantages #EmpathyAndUnderstanding #PersonalAchievement #MultilingualMindset

More benefits of teaching abroad: 🎤Language acquisition🎤 Teaching in another country can be a fantastic opportunity to learn a new language or improve your language skills. Immersion in a language-rich environment can significantly enhance your language abilities and open up new opportunities for personal and professional growth. 🌍Building global connections🌍 Teaching abroad allows you to build a network of international contacts and forge lifelong friendships with people from different backgrounds. This network can provide future opportunities for collaboration, cultural exchange, and personal growth. 🥰Fulfilling and rewarding experience🥰 Teaching is a noble profession, and educating students from different cultures can be highly rewarding. The impact you make on the lives of your students can be profound, and the gratitude and respect you receive can provide immense job satisfaction. 🥇 Gaining a global perspective🥇 Teaching abroad helps broaden your worldview and deepens your understanding of global issues. Experiencing life in another country can challenge your preconceptions and expand your perspectives, making you a more compassionate and global citizen. 🏆 Personal enrichment🏆 Lastly, being a teacher abroad offers a chance for personal enrichment and self-discovery. It can be a transformative experience that helps you grow as a person, build resilience, and gain a deeper sense of self-awareness. Do you have anything to add? Comment below!

My Linkedin might tell you I lived in 6 different countries, speak 3 different languages, have 3 Master's degrees and worked in multiple industries in various disciplines. But what Linkedin doesn't tell you is that: 🇨🇳I have a Chinese passport, so international mobility is never easy. 🇪🇺 I didn't qualify for Erasmus (because I am not European), but I called every major university in Spain and asked if they would take me on as an exception. 🇪🇸 I learnt Spanish in a month or so, not because I am a language genius, because I stayed up until 2am everyday studying. 🇧🇪 I could have chosen a better university for CEMS (LSE, NUS, Sydney University etc), but I chose LSM in Belgium purposely so I can learn French. 🎓 I financed the entirely 10 years I was in University all by myself, not a penny was taken from my parents. Here is what I learnt: 1. Your passport might be an obstacle, but not a blocker. 2. You can learn ANY language, not just Chinese, Spanish, but also Python, R, Typescript, JavaScript, C#, etc. It would be hard work, but you can definitely learn it. 3. Be INTENTIONAL about what you learn and where you go, because every decision you make today will have a butterfly effect down the line. 4. Don't let ANYONE tell you you cannot do something, you can do anything you set your heart to. 5. Doesn't matter if your family has a lot of money or has nothing, it's great to have a lot money, but it's better to have earned it. 6. You are not your passport, your university, your family, your job title, your company or your ex-employers, you are what you know, what you choose to do it and how you treat people. Good luck.

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing the Regional Director of Kaplan Bath and Torquay, Mark Lloyd. He explains how we got into education, the key to success in learning and remembers the most motivated student he has ever met! 🌎Tell us about the career path that led to being Regional Principal at Kaplan🌎 I studied Economics at university, but I always liked languages. I took French and German classes at school, so after graduating I took a course to become an English teacher, then spent the next few years living and working as a teacher and academic manager in Portugal and Spain. I eventually moved back to the UK as Director of Studies at Kaplan Bath, where I still work 21 years later! In 2010 I took over as Principal, and during the pandemic in 2020 I was offered the position of Regional Principal, managing the Kaplan schools in both Bath and Torquay. ⭐What do you see as the most important components for a successful language learning experience?⭐ Over the years I’ve learned that people tend to learn a language best when they’re not actually trying to learn it. This sounds strange, but our brains are naturally very good at automatically learning languages if we give them the right opportunities to do so. This means being surrounded by the language and pushing ourselves to use it to interact with people. 👏Can you share the success story of a student who particularly stands out in your memory?👏 There have been many of course, but one specific example is a Spanish student who originally came to Bath for a two-month course in early 2018. He was in his early-fifties and a successful professional, but he was a beginner who needed to learn English because he was looking to change his job. Right from the start of his course he decided he was going to make full use of every single opportunity, which included joining every social activity or excursion even if it was something completely new to him. In the end he extended his course until the summer, then he returned after the summer and stayed for nine more months! He is without a doubt the most motivated and enthusiastic student we have ever had, and because he was older than most of the other students, they all saw him as a ‘father figure’. 💡 Do you have any hidden talents, skills or habits that your colleagues might find surprising?💡 There is one habit I have learned over the years which has helped me enormously in my career – whenever I am offered an opportunity of any kind in my job, in my mind I immediately assume I am going to say ‘yes’. This doesn’t mean I do say ‘yes’ to everything, but it means I have to work hard to find reasons not to! The full interview is available on the KI Language blog: https://brnw.ch/21wLiFb #KLGSuccessStories #KaplanExperience

🌍✈️ Enhancing Language Learning: The Power of Trips Abroad 🗺️🇪🇸 This half term I was lucky enough to take 24 fantastic pupils (and two brilliant staff members) on a Spanish language and culture trip to Andalucía. Visiting some of my favourite places with a string of teenagers in tow really does show what incredible opportunities trips abroad present to pupils learning a modern foreign language. 🌟 1. Cultural Immersion: Nothing beats the experience of being fully immersed in a culture where the language is spoken. Traveling abroad exposes students to real-life conversations, dialects, and customs, helping them truly understand the nuances of the language. Visiting historical sites such as the beautiful Alhambra palace also gives them a much deeper understanding of the historical and cultural roots not only of the language but also those who speak it. 2. Real-Life Application: Trips abroad provide students with a chance to apply their language skills in practical, everyday situations. Whether ordering in a local café or explaining to the hotel receptionists that they've lost their key, these interactions boost confidence and fluency. 3. Broadening Horizons: Traveling introduces students to a world beyond the textbook. It fosters a global perspective, enriches cultural awareness, and promotes tolerance. Understanding different cultures makes them better global citizens. 4. Inspiring Lifelong Learning: The memories created during these trips can be incredibly motivating. Students return home with a newfound enthusiasm for learning, making them more likely to continue studying the language. 5. Building Resilience: Navigating a foreign country fosters independence, adaptability, and resilience. Students learn to overcome challenges and become more self-reliant, which are valuable life skills. 6. Fostering Friendships: All good trips should involve talking to new people and learning new names, often leading to the formation of lasting friendships. These connections can transcend normal school social groups and can last a lifetime. I'm looking forward to planning more transformative experiences that expand the horizons of our future global citizens 🗺️🌎 #LanguageLearning #CulturalImmersion #GlobalCitizens #LifelongLearning #LanguageTrip

Why teaching abroad is life-changing 🌍 You're young, ambitious, and ready to try something new. But, you aren't sure what. You've thought about teaching abroad. But, you aren't sure what the benefits are. Here's the thing: Teaching abroad is life-changing. - You'll experience new cultures - You'll learn a new language - You'll make a difference in people's lives But, it's not for everyone. It's for people who: - Are adaptable - Can work independently - Love travel If this sounds like you, do it. You won't regret it.