20 Language Worlds Language World 1990 was the Association for Language Learning’s 1st national conference. ALL was formed in 1990, from seven founder associations, with Brian Page as its president. At the University of Exeter, 24-26 March 1990, delegates discussed the National Curriculum & Language Entitlement, Task-based Language Learning, and Languages Throughout Life. Elsewhere, the first democratic elections took place in East Germany, and British Satellite Broadcasting (BSB) made its debut. Language World 1991 took place at UMIST in Manchester, 22-25 March 1991. Talks included National Language Policies in the UK, European Industry’s Language Needs and the Secondary Curriculum. President Brian Page observed that ‘constant moving of the goalposts means that we really do not know from one day to the next what the National Curriculum might be’... Elsewhere, Chesney Hawkes was number 1 in the charts, and the US completed removal of all cruise missiles from Greenham Common. Language World 1992 ventured north of the border, to Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, 10-13 April 1992. Bob Powell was ALL President, and talks included Method & Mythology, The Tao of Language Teaching, and Age, Imagination & Logic in Learning Languages. Elsewhere... in Europe, the Maastricht Treaty was signed, establishing the European Union, and in the UK, Betty Boothroyd was elected as Speaker of the House of Commons by 372 to 238 votes. Language World 1993 returned to UMIST in Manchester, 2-5 April 1993. ALL President Bob Powell was ‘sure you will return home invigorated and refreshed by the experience!’ Talks included Using Drama Techniques in Language Learning, Authoring CALL, and Bringing Life to the HE, AE & FE Classroom. Also in April 1993, The Bluebells were ‘Young at Heart’, and CERN announced that the World Wide Web would be royalty free, and available for all. Language World 1994 went to the University of Southampton, 25-28 March 1994. ALL President Bob Powell promised ‘THE event in the calendar for language teachers and trainers across the UK’, and a packed programme included: Examinations in Less Taught Languages, Making Sense of Foreign Language Education and Back to the Future? For those with the time to look elsewhere, Radio Five Live made its first broadcast, and Silvio Berlusconi became prime minister of Italy. Language World 1995 was at the University of York, 31 March – 3 April 1995, with ALL President Madeleine Bedford. Another crammed schedule included: Socrates: the New EU Programme, French Language Training for Eurostar Train Drivers, and Primary Take-off with Lingua Support. In the UK charts, Take That were ‘Back for Good’, and ‘PhOneDay’ put a ‘1’ in every area code in the land, making telephone numbers even more difficult to remember..! Language World 1996 again visited the West Country, at the University of Exeter 29 March – 1 April 1996. In the European Year of Lifelong Learning, ALL President Madeleine Bedford highlighted ‘contributions from many eminent practitioners drawn from all sectors of language education & training, and beyond’, including: Lifelong Teaching for Lifelong Learning, and The European Challenge. That same year brought us ‘Our Friends in the North’ and Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’. Language World 1997 was at the University of Keele, 11-13 April, and included: Coming to Terms with GNVQ, The Internet & the MFL Teacher, and Languages as part of Vocational Programmes in FE/HE. ALL President Madeleine Bedford paid tribute to ‘the many ALL members who work so hard for the organisation’. Also in 1997, Labour won a landslide general election victory, and St Ives MP Andrew George, became the first MP to use the Cornish language in the Commons as part of his maiden speech. Language World 1998 went to the south coast: “The Way Ahead: language strategies for the millennium” was at The Brighton Centre, 3-5 April 1998, with ALL President Margaret Tumber. Workshops included: Putting Languages on the National Agenda, The Art of Stress Management, and The Place of Language Colleges. Also, the Good Friday Agreement was signed in Belfast, and Spanish celebrities took part in a marathon 48-hour reading of Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote. Language World 1999 “Raising Standards” revisited the University of York, 26-28 March 1999, including: Where are we going with the Nuffield Languages Inquiry? and The Agenda for School Improvement. ALL President Peter Downes explained: “(this) is an opportunity for classroom teachers... to refresh themselves with good ideas’. Almodovar's ‘All About My Mother’ won an Academy Award, and the first elections to the Welsh National Assembly were held. Language World 2000 “Celebrating Diversity”, took place at the University of Derby, 30 June - 2 July 2000, with ALL President John Trafford. Workshops included: Motivation Musik im DaF Unterricht, Las Vueltas de la Historia and Svolgere l’Arte del Parlare; along with taster courses in Panjabi, Arabic and Russian. Also that summer, Big Brother arrived on our TV screens, and France won the football European Championship, Euro 2000. Language World 2001 “Motivation... for all!” revisited UMIST in Manchester, 6-8 April 2001, with ALL President Steven Fawkes; covering Adult Tutor Skills, Reflections on Motivation, and Motivating through the Primary–Secondary Gap; as well as Making Languages Sexy. Elsewhere, the Mars Odyssey spacecraft took off on a six- month, 286-million-mile journey to the red planet, and S Club 7’s ‘Don’t Stop Movin’ reached number 1. Twice. Language World 2002 “Building Bridges” went back to Yorkshire, visiting the University of York, 12-14 April 2002. ALL President Terry Lamb presided over a jam- packed programme, all about Building Bridges - between Primary & Secondary, between Sectors, and for Gifted & Talented Pupils; plus - How to Make your Languages Department Cool. 2002 also saw the launch of the National Languages Strategy: Languages for all, languages for life; BBC4; and (ahem) Footballers Wives. Language World 2003 “Next Steps” was at the University of Bath, 4-6 April 2003. This year saw the return of Steven Fawkes as ALL President, as well as: Twenty Reasons for Teaching Community Languages to Primary School Pupils, Let’s Sing & Dance in Japanese, The Language Learning Ladder and Language Learning & ICT. Elsewhere, the UK Government formally recognised British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in its own right, and Europe experienced a scorching summer heatwave. Language World 2004 “Reaching Out” came to the University of Oxford, 2-4 April 2004. ALL President Bill Musk aimed to ‘reflect the enriching effect of languages within the education system’, through plenaries such as The Promotion of Language Learning & Linguistic Diversity at the European Level and workshops such as Reaching New Adult Learners and Reaching the Parts that Languages don’t Normally Reach. Also in April, MPs' took part in ‘Back to School Day’ to highlight the children across the world who don't go to school, and McFly topped the charts. Language World 2005 was at the University of Kent at Canterbury, 1-3 July 2005. ALL President Barry Jones emphasised “Creating Opportunities”, to enhance teaching & learning, through ICT, innovation, motivation and cross-curricular work. Elsewhere, Live 8 concerts took place around the world to highlight the Make Poverty History campaign and the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2012 Olympic Games will be held in London. Language World 2006 “Working Together” was back in the North West, at the University of Manchester, 7-8 April 2006. ALL President Kathy Wicksteed introduced a one day conference on ‘Every Learner Matters’, as well as a wider programme of plenaries and workshops infused with cross curricular, cross sector & cross European working. Meanwhile, Gnarls Barkley was ‘Crazy’, and floods caused chaos in Central Europe. Language World 2007 returned to the University of Oxford, 30-31 March 2007. ALL President David Wilson highlighted the importance of “Expanding Horizons”, and ‘positive messages about the importance of language learning.’ The programme expanded into multimedia, the world of work, EFL, Europe, and language teaching worldwide. And all in just two days! Also in March, the BBC reported that bilingual children do better at school, and Red Nose Day raised ~£40 million for Comic Relief. Language World 2008 was at the University of Oxford, 11-12 April 2008. ALL President Helen Myers’ theme was “Pulling the Threads Together”: ‘the chance to ...pull together to create strong and sustainable outcomes, resulting in really effective learning’. Talks included Linking Sport & Languages; ALL You Need to Know about Languages in the New Secondary Curriculum and Routes into Languages. Meanwhile, Liverpool was Capital of Culture, and Boris Johnson became Mayor of London. Language World 2009, at the University of Leicester, 3-4 April 2009, was about “Grasping the Nettle”. ALL President Pauline Swanton invited delegates ‘facing all manner of challenges‘, to ‘share experiences and information, learn new skills and catch up on news and views‘. The conference, as ever, embraced and supported languages of all kinds and in all sectors, with a wide variety of sessions and contributors. Elsewhere, Spain had Europe's first case of swine flu, and London hosted the G20 summit. Language World 2010 is on at the University of York, 26-27 March 2010, and our theme is “Building on Firm Foundations – Steps to Success”. Language World is your opportunity to catch up with all that’s best in the world of language teaching. Where else under one roof and over just two days can you find top thinkers in language education, leading practitioners, policy makers and passionate teachers ready to share ideas and exchange views? Join us at Language World 2010. For more information, go to: http://tinyurl.com/LWBooking. .