2025 Winter Term Week 9

Anthropic, one of the world’s leading AI companies, recently featured in a bemused Financial Times article because of advice it has been giving to job applicants. The firm asks candidates not to use “AI assistants during the application process.” Is there something ironic about this? Perhaps, but it should not come as a surprise. The company’s justification is that they want to “understand your personal interest” and “evaluate your non-AI-assisted communication skills.” As Claude 3.7 Sonnet – Anthropic’s flagship chatbot -- helpfully explained when I asked it to evaluate the policy of its makers: “For a company building AI systems, it's particularly important to understand a candidate's unassisted capabilities as a baseline before seeing how they might leverage AI tools in their role.”

If an AI company insists on assessing candidates’ non-AI-assisted communication skills, are universities and other institutions of learning justified in doing the same? At the LSE Language Centre, we are asking language learners to develop and prove their ability to write and speak without the help of AI, and in my experience, learners want to be able to do this. There are good reasons for not wanting to depend on AI when it comes to learning languages. Research suggests that learning vocabulary and applying grammatical rules depends on building neural pathways and cognitive abilities that only develop through the struggle of formulating thoughts in a new language.

However, this does not mean that we should not explore the possibilities that AI might offer in becoming more proficient and independent speakers and writers. Is it helpful for learners to have drafts checked by chatbots and ask them for explanations? How reliable and accurate are explanations given by Claude, ChatGPT and Copilot? Do learners feel assisted and empowered by using AI? Can AI-assisted writing be a scaffold and improve learners’ ability to write unaided? As teachers and learners, we are beginning to understand and evaluate ways of using AI to improve language learning and teaching without sacrificing the development of independent language skills and critical thinking.

Dr Peter Skrandies
Language Coordinator - German and Linguistics

Are you feeling pressure as the end of the academic year approaches? How about trying Taichi?

I spent a year living in a Chen style Tai Chi school in China and return as often as I can to continue training with my teacher (Shifu) Fu Nengbin. I started one afternoon where I didn't have anything to do and joined a friend who was attending a class: I was immediately hooked! The way people moved quietly (you could only hear me stepping in a room of 25 people) with a wonderful slow flow, together with the fact that it was a martial art, really caught my attention and have not looked back since. Below are some of the many benefits of Tai Chi:

• Grounding: Connect with your body and the present moment, helping you feel more centered and stable.
• Mindfulness: Enhance your awareness and focus, which can be incredibly beneficial during study sessions and exams.
• Relaxation: Release tension and stress through gentle movements, promoting a sense of calm and peace.
• Balance: Improve your physical balance and coordination, which also translates to better mental equilibrium.

I will be leading a special Tai Chi session designed to help you find balance and relaxation, both physically and mentally. Please see below for more details, I hope to see you there!

Inés Alonso García
Teaching and Learning Facilitator

Whether you're new to Tai Chi or have some experience, this session is open to all.

The two-hour session will be led by Inés Alonso García, who has been practising Tai Chi for more than 25 years and teaching for almost 15.

This introduction will be a great opportunity to explore Taichi and see how it can be a fantastic tool for your wellbeing.

Take a break from your academic work and recharge!

The session will take place on Wednesday, 2 April at 3pm in the Desert Room at the LSE Faith Centre.

Sign up here!

To Year 1, 2, and 3 students who have yet to complete LSE's UGS Survey.

With just three weeks left to share your experiences and be entered to win a cash prize of up to £500, please take 10 minutes to complete LSE's UG Survey.

I want to see you benefit from change in your time at LSE and your feedback will help shape what happens next.

Previously, Language Centre student feedback has resulted in:

• A Quizlet Plus account for all Language Centre Undergraduate students.
• A Skritter account for all Language Centre Undergraduate students studying Mandarin.
• More course option choices in Year 4 of your programme.

One of the reasons we can do this is because of the feedback you provide and our high response rate in surveys. This quality feedback allows us to continue to access funding to provide things for you.

Take the UG Survey

My aim is to collect views from at least 50% of the students in our department, that’s only a few more responses to gather. This threshold is important as it not only gives me a fuller understanding of your experiences, but also sends a strong message, to both our department and the School, about the changes that you and your peers would like to see and helps us prioritise what comes next.

If you don’t have time to take it now, we will be sending further reminders until the survey closes on 6 April (or until you’ve completed it!). If there is a reason you don’t want to take part, please let me know more about why, so we can consider this for future engagement.

Thanks.

Dr Neil McLean
Director

On 5 April, we are holding a one-day conference on language learning and teaching and AI. We are looking for two or three language students who would like to take part in a panel, explaining their use of and thoughts on AI supported software, such as ChatGPT. You would have 10 minutes or so to speak about this to a room full of language teachers (!) and followed by a Q & A. Neil will be chairing, so it will be friendly and doable. If you are be interested, please email Dr Neil McLean directly.

We have nothing Language Centre specific this time, but there are always many events/workshops around LSE, here are a selection happening next week – do check the following websites for future opportunities: LSE Generate, Public Events, LSE Life, LSESU:

Tuesday 25 March, 6-8pm: Building Resilience: Cultivating Your Inner Capacity to Navigate a Changing World, LSE Generate

Wednesday 26 March, 6-7.15pm: Unlocking potential starts with how you think, Public Events

Thursday 27 March, 4-5.30pm: Discover 3 ways to make shorter, smarter exam revision notes, LSE LIFE

Sunday 30 March, 2-8.30pm: LSESU Women in Business Conference, LSESU

Alex still has one more slot booked in the The Little Huddle for this term. Please drop-in and see him.

He also reminds you of a number of helpful activities and resources – no matter what stage you're at with your career planning. These include:

• Our CareerHub platform, which is where you can book appointments with me and other Careers Consultants and discuss whatever you'd like (such as, starting out with your career thinking, CVs and cover letters, applications, practice interviews, LinkedIn and further study options)
• Our core events programme, which offers information and hands-on sessions relating to a wide range of career development opportunities. These events are also bookable on CareerHub.
• Our "Discover" events programmes (which are bookable on CareerHub), which provide opportunities to connect with employers, hear from alumni and practise specific skills related to a wide range of sectors (including sustainability, consulting, international organisations, conflict and security, careers in China, and tech)
• Our Moodle course on "Understanding Careers: How can I make the most of my time as an LSE undergraduate", which is designed to shine light on a range of considerations for your career planning and development
• Our guides to a variety of different employment sectors, including the arts, charities and the voluntary sector, education and teaching, fast-moving consumer goods, financial services and health
• Our online tools, which include the School's "Ask an Alum" service, a CV checker platform, support for planning for interview questions, virtual work experience programmes with leading organisations, a portal for practising psychometric tests (which are commonly used in graduate scheme applications), and a web-based practice interview platform.

What’s your favourite part of London?

My local park, Ruskin Park.

What’s your favourite spot on campus?

The Lincon’s Inn Fields area.

What is the most useful advice you can give to a new student?

Always talk to your teachers if you are struggling with any aspects of the course.

What is the best thing about your job?

The students!

How do you relax at the weekend?

Sometimes doing nothing is the best way to relax, but I love doing guided tours at Tate Britain on weekends.

Do you prefer the sea or the mountains?

The sea, but close enough to the mountains

What’s your favourite season and why?

Late spring and early summer, because I love the light and the long days.

What was the last book you read?

Adiós Cordera, by Leopoldo Alas Clarín.

Who gets it?

All Language Centre undergraduate students get this support when studying abroad or taking part in a study trip.

What is it?

The Language Centre earns income from our work on the LSE Summer School and for LSE Extended Education. We decided some years ago to establish a fund to help you with travel costs for study trips and your year abroad. Find our more here.

When do we get it?

You'll get an email to let you know when to put things in place to access this funding. This will be in the Spring Term for your year abroad (and Fudan Summer Programme) and about a month before any of our organised study trips.

What is it?

Each year we invite all our Year 3 students to take part in our Research Internship.The project is intended to give experience of doing research in the area of intercultural communication and works towards a publishable output. Everything is supervised by the Language Centre Director, who guides in terms of literature and methodology.

When is it?

It is run in September each year and the internship takes place on campus.

Is it funded?

Yes, each intern receives 140 hours funding based on the London Living Wage.

Green themed week

You may be aware that LSE Green Week has been taking place this week – to support this our Conversation Circle volunteers will be holding green and sustainability themed discussions next week – why not sign up to participate? This is the result of a collaboration between the Language Centre and the LSE Careers Green Impact team. We still have two weeks of sessions left this term and don’t forget Tandem Learning, the Language Gateway and the Digital Resource Finder for extra language practice.

Volunteer for the Language Centre – 2025/26

Would you like to volunteer next year to lead Conversation Circles or Bitesize Speaking sessions? If you are interested take a look at the LSE Language Community to see what it’s all about and/or drop us an email at Language.Centre.Teaching.Learning@lse.ac.uk Helen is also in the Little Huddle (G.08) from Mondays to Wednesdays if you would like pop in and get more information. You can also ask this year’s volunteers about their experience volunteering – if you don’t know any from your course, ask us and we’ll put you in touch!

There is so much happening around LSE, if you want to look up what is available try this very handy section of the LSE Website: Menu of Opportunities.

Be sure to follow us on the Student Hub and Instagram – we post regularly and this week on Instagram you will find images from the Study in China Pre-Departure session at the Chinese Embassy and the Study Abroad Leavers’ Reception.