Languages in Lockdown - The Pains, Joys and Struggles

K. COLDWELL

I’m sure this magazine is crammed full of articles about the quarantine, and its every possible angle, so when I was asked to write one, I thought I’d pick a topic many could relate to – the struggles of studying A-level languages in lockdown. In a subject which essentially revolves around communication, the communication barriers introduced by online learning

have been even more of an issue than they are for every other subject in the school. Learning a language is difficult enough when you aren’t talking to the class over an intermittent internet connection, while trying to string together a sentence using the subjunctive without being interrupted by your family, and, frankly, I can’t say I ever wished for that to be a part of my Spanish learning experience (the interruptions and the failing signal, not the subjunctive). These problems pester us on a daily basis, in all subjects, I’m sure, but languages are uniquely challenging as they’re pretty much the only subjects where a back and forth conversation

with the teacher is actually a part of the assessment. My Spanish class is small – I believe it’s one of the smallest classes in the school. There’s only three of us, which you could consider to be a blessing or a curse, and that goes for our online learning too. Having a small meeting of four people is the only way any sort of speaking practice would even be feasible – if I was in a Spanish meeting the size of my Geography classes, for example, most people would struggle to get a word in edgeways. However, when someone in the class has some sort of an issue, be it microphones, connection issues, or their dad having a very loud conversation right next to them (no names mentioned), it leaves only two of you to answer any questions. This leads to some very, very long awkward silences when neither of the two surviving students can think of the answer. The lack of face to face contact and the awkwardness are just two minor issues I personally have with a subject which is full of benefits. I do genuinely enjoy studying Spanish. Having a small class to just talk about a variety of subjects is a great way to break up the day. The reasons I’ve struggled with online Spanish, are the exact same reasons why I find real life Spanish enjoyable; the small class size; the casual, face to face conversations and even the awkward silences when no one wants to speak. However, it is not a format that can be used online very well, especially during a global crisis. The transition to online learning has been difficult, I think we can all agree, for every student, teacher and department. It may have been difficult to different extents, but I am yet to meet someone who has not had some sort of an issue during the last three months. I know I have personally had my ups and downs, especially when it comes to schoolwork. I hope that everyone has managed to get through these rapidly changing times without too much of a struggle, but, at least, when the going gets rough, you can always find comfort in the fact it could always get worse, since you (probably) don’t do a language at A-level.