George Abbot Old Boy Shows Sixth-formers How Modern Languages “Unlock the World”

Published on: 23 Oct, 2019
Updated on: 26 Oct, 2019

By Barbara Ford

chair of the Guildford Twinning Association

This month, Dr Ben Schofield, head of German at Kings College, London University, returned to his old school to give an inspirational talk to Guildford sixth-formers, his contribution to Guildford Twinning Association’s “Seminars for Sixth-formers” programme.

Dr Schofield talked to a roomful of students of modern languages from four Guildford schools on “Unlock the world through languages (or: How to Boost your A-level Skills and Where They Can Take You)”.

He aimed to “bust some of the myths about studying modern languages” and to explore the many opportunities study opens up, as well as giving practical tips on how to approach the cultural and oral elements of the A-level course.

He used real-life case-studies of modern language students who have varied, worthwhile and interesting careers, unlocking the world.

Then there was his own career trajectory, starting with a George Abbot School exchange with a school in Freiburg, Guildford’s twin town, a twinning success, taking him through studies at five or more different European universities to his present role at KCL.

Dr Schofield showed how a modern languages A-level involves developing not just linguistic skills and ability to communicate with others, but also cultural knowledge and understanding.

His practical examples focused on European cinema: a knowledge of the cultural background to a foreign film takes one’s understanding (and enjoyment) of the work to a deeper level.

He gave seriously useful practical tips for the oral exam, such as how to have basic expressions and phrases prepared to increase confidence without detracting from the spontaneity of responses.

The audience was thoroughly fired up by Dr Schofield’s enthusiasm and with luck will all go on to achieve top marks in their A-levels followed by illustrious careers.

Dr Schofield is Reader in German and co-director of the Centre for Modern Literature and Culture at Kings College London.

He originally studied German and Dutch at the University of Cambridge, then Germanic studies at the University of Sheffield, doing research at the Universities of Munich, Berlin and Passau (in Germany), and the University of Utrecht (in the Netherlands).

At one time he was simultaneously lecturer in German at London University and lecturer in Dutch at Cambridge, before joining KCL in 2008.

The GTA’s next event was a free public lecture, given in the council chamber by another top-flight speaker, Dr Helen Hughes of Surrey University. She spoke on “Old and new German films”, showing how different periods of German history gave rise to different films – the obvious example being Leni Riefenstahl’s “Triumph of the Will” based on Hitler’s rallies. She illustrated her points with fascinating film excerpts, including some rarely-seen footage.

The Guildford Twinning Association (formerly the Guildford-Freiburg Association) is a voluntary organisation supporting the twinning of Guildford and Freiburg. For more information, and how to join, see: guildfordtwinning.uk.“