Students from 57 countries gathered in London recently for the world’s most diverse language lesson.
Breaking world records was the intention for English UK London and accommodation provider London Nest as they set out to break the previous record of 50 and include the highest recorded number of nationalities in a single language class.
Taught on a five-a-side football pitch in central London, the 57 students included nationalities as diverse as Benin, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mongolia, and Yemen.
The Guinness Book of World Records demands specific requirements for validation and this attempt was no different. Of course, all participants would have to stay for the entire duration of the lesson, which had to be no less than 30 minutes long. There had to be two independent spectators who would oversee the undertaking as well as two official timekeepers. In addition, all of this had to be confirmed and booked long before the event began.
The lesson topic was ‘talking about your free time using phrasal verbs’ and involved reading, writing, listening and speaking, conducted both in pairs and in groups.
The world record attempt was intended to celebrate the huge number of international students taking language courses in England’s capital as well as the city’s general diversity. London is often considered to be one of, if not the most diverse place in the world.
It is also the most common place for students to take language courses in the United Kingdom, a fact that surely did not escape the attention of English UK London or London Nest in their attempt to break the record.
The lesson is yet to be included in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the data recorded by the spectators and timekeepers is yet to be fully processed by their stringent requirements. It is likely, however, that the record will be added in the next few weeks.
Look forward to it in the next edition of the famed record book and make sure you try and reach your own personal language goal by the time it comes out.
