1. At 11:00 UK time next Tuesday 14^th May, the latest in the Lancaster Talks on Linguistics series is on Corpus Linguistics. Three short lectures – a nice idea! – from Elena Semino on Corpus linguistics and healthcare, Vaclav Brezina on New tools and methods in corpus linguistics & Dana Gablasova on Corpus linguistics and data-driven learning. More info and registration here https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/linguistics/events/lancaster-talks-on-language-corpus-linguistics/

2. At 18:00 UK time next Wednesday 15^th May from OUP, The role of music in the classroom with Michael Lacey Freeman. More info and registration here https://events.oup.com/oxford-university-press/The-role-of-music-in-the-classroom and Michael’s abstract here

Music has always had a key role to play in language learning and this is why most of us can remember fragments of foreign language songs from our childhood. These songs, or pieces of songs can creep into our subconscious and stay there. Music sticks in the mind and for this reason, it can help us as teachers to recycle, and reinforce language structures in the classroom, and it can assist students in retrieving important vocabulary. It can also, however, serve many other purposes in the classroom. If used appropriately, it can increase levels of attention, confidence, and engagement, all ingredients that make for motivated students. But how do you find the right music and when should you use it? Join me in this presentation about how to use music to obtain the best results for your students.

3. Also from OUP, the latest issue of ELTJ is a special issue on positive psychology and wellbeing https://academic.oup.com/eltj/issue/78/2 The introduction to the issue by Pia Resnik and Sarah Mercer is free to view, as are the Key Concepts in ELT piece on Intercultural Communication by Will Baker and the piece on ELT teachers’ agency for wellbeing by Giulia Sulis, Astrid Mairitsch, Sonja Babic, Sarah Mercer & Pia Resnik. PDF of the introduction below.

4. Find where your country is in the Reporters without Borders 2024 World Press Freedom Index? https://rsf.org/en/index

5. And, finally and invertedly, a new statue in Washington DC https://tinyurl.com/3e2p7485