1000 Words for Belonging

Neela Doležalová

How can we acknowledge the multiple languages and dialects that are present in young people's lives? And what happens if we don't? Teacher, writer and creative producer, Neela Doležalová, hosts this new 4-part podcast about language, creativity and belonging in the classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

  1. 06/08/2025

    The Power of Language

    In this final episode of '1000 Words for Belonging', Neela reckons with the poster on her old classroom wall that instructed students to speak in English ‘at all times’. Why was it there? Is it still there? And if it troubled her so much, why didn’t she take it down? To help answer these questions, Neela speaks to teachers, Dan Lea and Ro, Senior Lecturer from the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies, Dr Joe Ford, and Speech and Language Therapist, Warda Farah. Plus, some fascinating new data from Teacher Tapp is discussed.   Credits Producer and Presenter: Neela Doležalová Consultant Script Editor: Talia Randall Mix and Master: Jamie Payne Cover Art: Calixte Davis   Instagram: @words4belonging   '1000 Words for Belonging' is produced using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and through a grant from the University of London’s Knowledge Exchange Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    58 min

  2. 05/06/2025

    Is Tech Killing Multilingualism?

    In this third episode of '1000 Words for Belonging', a simple community arts project opens up a digital can of worms. Why is it so difficult to print and publish text in multiple languages? Why do some fonts shape-shift between documents and devices? In her quest to understand this technological puzzle, Neela speaks with typeface designer and researcher, Sahar Afshar, and Marie Thaut and Rezwana Uddin from the SOAS Sylheti Project.   Credits Producer and Presenter: Neela Doležalová Consultant Script Editor: Talia Randall Mix and Master: Jamie Payne Cover Art: Calixte Davis   Instagram: @words4belonging   '1000 Words for Belonging' is produced using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and through a grant from the University of London’s Knowledge Exchange Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    49 min

  3. 04/23/2025

    The Language Trade-Off: English or 'Other'?

    In this second episode of '1000 Words for Belonging' Neela questions if there is a trade-off between maintaining a home language, and other academic goals. Should multilingual families 'just focus on English' for the sake of a child's education? These questions are explored with two legendary educationalists: Dan Lea, a Primary School Leader working on the London/Essex border, and Prof. Li Wei, the Director and Dean of the UCL Institute of Education (IOE). Credits Producer and Presenter: Neela Doležalová Consultant Script Editor: Talia Randall Mix and Master: Jamie Payne Cover Art: Calixte Davis Instagram: @words4belonging '1000 Words for Belonging' is produced using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and through a grant from the University of London’s Knowledge Exchange Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    45 min

  4. 04/09/2025

    The Language Body Map

    Welcome to the first episode of '1000 Words for Belonging'. In this episode Neela has conversations with some of her students, her friend Ped, and Dr. Naomi Wells about the complicated emotions that can arise in the classroom in relation to language. How do teachers feel in a multilingual classroom? Does our school system influence how young people relate to the languages in their lives? And, what is the impact of lost languages within families and between generations? Credits Producer and Presenter: Neela Doležalová Consultant Script Editor: Talia Randall Mix and Master: Jamie Payne Cover Art: Calixte Davis Instagram: @words4belonging '1000 Words for Belonging' is produced using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and through a grant from the University of London’s Knowledge Exchange Fund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

How can we acknowledge the multiple languages and dialects that are present in young people's lives? And what happens if we don't? Teacher, writer and creative producer, Neela Doležalová, hosts this new 4-part podcast about language, creativity and belonging in the classroom. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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