#ThinkLanguages FAQs

#ThinkLanguages is an annual TY event, facilitated by Languages Connect that highlights the many cultural, personal and career benefits of modern foreign languages. It takes languages out of the books with a great mix of live and pre-recorded workshops, a fun interactive nationwide quiz, inspiring speakers and lots more! Find out more here

There is no cost for the school to register. #ThinkLanguages is fully funded by the Department of Education and facilitated by PPLI as part of the Languages Connect strategy.

Take the time to check out the #ThinkLanguages page and watch some of the videos from previous years to get an understanding of what is involved. If you wish to take part this year you must register your school. Registration usually opens in September. You will then receive an event starter pack with a planning handbook that will take you through the steps involved in planning your school’s event. A number of resources are also available to download, which will assist you with getting started. To view resources click here 

Check out our Top Tips Videos that give teachers and students advice, as well as tips and tricks on how to best run #ThinkLanguages Week in their school.

This is totally up to you and your school! #ThinkLanguages can be as big or as small as you want it to be, depending on your individual school context. We suggest dedicating at least one full day to celebrating foreign languages during the week but you can choose a model that works best for your school context.

When planning, you should consider using our support materials, checking in with our dedicated Facebook group and make sure to give yourself plenty of time for brainstorming, deciding on event content and preparing for the big day.

#ThinkLanguages is an event for Transition Year students in registered post-primary schools. The resources we supply, including any live workshops allocated to schools, will only be provided for TY students. However, it may be possible to extend the celebrations beyond TYs in other ways e.g. getting students with other languages from another year to help with workshops and other relevant activities.

Yes, Languages Connect will provide online support, a starter pack and event pack to all registered schools. These include a planning handbook, student task cards, posters and sign-up sheets. 

A mix of supports including a pre-recorded opening ceremony, interactive quiz and online workshops, as well as the chance to have a live workshop at your school will also be made available to registered schools. Our partners also typically have a number of activities and resources available for the week of #ThinkLanguages

Promotional material for use on the day will also be provided to all schools registered to take part in #ThinkLanguages Week. 

Languages Connect provide a very exciting 30-minute Opening Ceremony for schools to kickstart their day with. It includes insights from inspiring speakers whose language skills have enriched their lives in many ways! Make sure to include it in your event schedule. A link to access this will be shared in the week before the event.

We host an interactive national quiz for #ThinkLanguages Week.

• The fun quiz lasts 30 minutes and is a mix of languages and culture trivia.
• Registered schools can enter as many teams as they wish but may only enter once. We recommend teams of four. Each team will need access to a device with internet connection to participate.
• More instructions and the link to join will be shared in the week prior to the event.

Unfortunately, the quiz must be played live and only runs daily during #ThinkLanguages week at 10:00am and 2:00pm

Many of the universities nationwide are celebrating #ThinkLanguages Week with us this year with a number of options on offer to schools. Perhaps some TYs can take part in an on-campus workshop, or you may wish to have a student ambassador visit your school and speak about their experience studying languages. Find out more of what’s on offer and how to reach out to your local university here 

There will be a wide selection of 30-minute pre-recorded workshops available for schools to include in their days’ festivities. With 25 to choose from, including Portuguese and Capoeira, Spanish and Tapas, and Danish and Design, they will be a great addition to any schedule. Check out the full list of workshops here. All links will be available the week before the event.

If you invite guest speakers and explain you are organising a school event, they may be happy to take part without charging a fee.

Languages Connect will be sending live workshop facilitators to some registered schools and will cover this cost. Unfortunately, only the cost of allocated live workshops can be covered by Languages Connect – if you organise a workshop directly, you will be liable for any fees required.

We suggest keeping the workshops to 30 minutes to help you coordinate your day with the pre-recorded workshops which are all 30 minutes long. This will keep all the students interested and give them the opportunity to explore many different languages.

Starter packs will be sent to all registered schools – these include the Planning Handbook with lots of helpful tips for planning your event. There are also posters for display in the school to start building momentum for the day. There is also a host of supports available here to help plan a great #ThinkLanguages Week event at your school, including a handy Planning Tracker with key dates and tasks captured. Full Event Packs with fun resources and prizes for participating students will be sent out to all registered schools in early November. You can also reach out to the #ThinkLanguages support team at thinklanguages@ppli.ie with any queries you may have. 

This year, we were delighted to welcome back some amazing partners who showed students how languages come alive beyond the school gates! They arranged an assortment of fantastic activities which were a great addition to a #ThinkLanguages festival lineup. For more information about last year’s partners click here.

Yes, we have some material, including promotional posters and our handbook, available in Irish and to download here

Follow our social media channels and use the hashtag #ThinkLanguages. We also recommend you become a member of our dedicated Facebook group where you will get all the latest updates as well as have the opportunity to discover what other teachers are doing for their festival of languages and cultures. You can also ask questions from teachers who have been involved in the past and perhaps get some inspiration! Join now here.

#ThinkLanguages is a national TY event, facilitated by PPLI as part of Languages Connect, Ireland’s Strategy for Foreign Languages in Education 2017-2026.

Registered participants for #ThinkLanguages receive planning guides, support materials and resources for planning their local event.