Submitted by Jane Durkin on Tue, 11/01/2022 - 10:51
From the Arctic to Zambia, explore where Cambridge has an impact on the world through an interactive map of stories.
The interactive map shows how research carried out by Cambridge and its partners is having a positive impact around the world.
Stories on the impact of Language Sciences-related research include:
Improving student outcomes through speaking and listening skills
Research by the Cambridge’s Faculty of Education has fundamentally shifted the teaching of oracy (how to use speaking and listening skills effectively) in classrooms across the UK. In particular, the Faculty’s Oracy Skills Framework (OSF) has significantly informed pedagogical and curriculum development in over 1,100 schools in the UK and beyond.
Changing the value of languages in the UK
Research aimed at raising awareness of the value of languages to key social and political issues of our time, and the benefits of speaking more than one language, has resulted in ‘top-down’ impact on UK language policy and ‘bottom-up’ engagement through a pop-up museum of languages.
Harnessing multilingualism in Indian primary school classrooms
The MultiLila project working with schools in India has had an impact on educational practice and policy by demonstrating that multilingualism enhances children’s cognition and that school learning critically depends on the child’s proficiency in the language of instruction.
Improving education and family wellbeing through multilingualism practice and policy
The UK is increasingly multilingual. Nevertheless, multilingual families often receive outdated advice to stop using their home languages because children may be ‘confused’ or disadvantaged in their educational attainment. The Cambridge Bilingualism Network (CBN) draws on state-of-the-art research to champion the evidence-based understanding of the benefits of multilingual upbringing.
Increasing awareness of linguistic and cultural heritage in Britain and Ireland
The Gersum Project, a joint project between the Universities of Cambridge and Cardiff, aimed to understand Scandinavian influence on English vocabulary by examining the origins of more than 900 words in a corpus of Middle English poems from the North of England. Gersum’s findings were made publicly available through an online database in late 2019.
Preserving endangered language in the Channel Islands
Mari Jones’s research has changed the way the inhabitants of Jersey think about Jèrriais and has strengthened efforts to preserve the language. Her initiatives, featuring widely in local media, have focused on the documentation and preservation of Jèrriais and on influencing language policy.