National Statement for Languages Education in Australian Schools National Plan for Languages Education in Australian Schools 2005

1
Leading Languages Education A national
project to assist the implementation of the
National Statement and Plan for Languages
Education in Australian Schools
2005-08 "This initiative is funded by the
Australian Government Department of Education,
Science and Training under the School Languages
Programme."
2

• National Statement forLanguagesEducation in
  Australian SchoolsNational Plan for Languages
  Educationin Australian Schools 20052008
• MINISTERIAL COUNCIL ON EDUCATION,EMPLOYMENT,
  TRAINING AND YOUTH AFFAIRS(MCEETYA)

3

• Points to be Considered
• Political commitment - MCEETYA commitment
• Through learning languages our students and the
  broader Australian community gain important
  benefits.
• National Developments Projects (Handout)
• Addressing many of the issues raised in previous
  years.
• Indication of progress
• Implications for school leaders
• - Jurisdictions and schools need to take into
  account matters relating to quality and provision
  (Localised decision making)
• Time of Strategic Alignment
• - Government Education Departments
  Universities Principals Staff Students, the
  Business Sector

4

• An initial four-year Plan
• for 2005 2008
• The Plan focuses on six nationally agreed
  inter-dependent strategic areas.

5
6 Inter-dependent strategic areas

• Teaching and Learning
• Teacher supply and retention
• Professional learning
• Program development
• Quality assurance
• Advocacy and promotion oflanguages learning

6
Advocacy and promotion oflanguages learning

• Underpinning principle
• Leadership and advocacy at all levels, including
  high profile community members, educational
  leaders, teachers and students, are required to
  facilitate quality improvement in languages
  education.
• (Leading Languages Education Project APAPDC)

7
Leadership

• Tony Liddicoat Languages and School Leaders
  The place of languages in education
• While some aspects of good programs are the
  province of the language teacher, many depend on
  school leadership. In fact, school leadership has
  been identified in many studies as the crucial
  variable in the success or failure of a language
  program. (Anthony J. Liddicoat University of
  South Australia)
• 2. ACSSO Languages Study
• a strong sense already shaping up that
  strategic leadership from the Principal is an
  essential fulcrum point in a successful,
  (participative, interactive, effective) Languages
  Education program. (Source Rupert Macgregor
  ACSSO)
• 3. MLTA
• The role of the principal is pivotal in
  determining the success of a Languages program.
  (Melissa Gould-Drakeley - President of MLTA of
  NSW)
• Dr Phillip Mahnken University of the Sunshine
  Coast (2006) School principals are utterly key
  motivators for languages. If they do not visibly
  endorse it, talk it up, promote it as a
  discipline that lifts childrens literacy skills
  and cultural awareness, it does not do well.

8
Leadership/Lead-a-shipLeading the Learning -
Principals
9

• The Leading Languages Education Project
• A Professional Learning project aimed at
  principals and school leaders.
• The focus is leadership.
• This project aims to promote greater awareness
  and deeper understanding among principals and
  school leaders of

10

• The nature of languages education and the
  significant role it can play in preparing
  students for life and work in the 21st Century
  (IcLL)
• Factors contributing to effective sustainable
  languages programmes
• Action at the national level to support languages
  education (MCEETYA Working Party, strategic
  national projects under the SLP and AGQTP, ELTF,
  ACSSO)

11

• Project Components
• Face-to-face forums in states territories
• 2006 ACT (2 Nov) SA (3 Nov) Vic (15 Nov) Tas
  (16 Nov)
• 2007 NSW, NT, Qld WA
• A webpage
• Electronic and print communications.

12
Forum Outcomes

• Principals and School Leaders attending the
  state and territory forums will
• be informed about Intercultural Language
  Learning
• be provided with current information about
  languages in their state and territory
• be informed about national developments in
  languages teaching and learning
• hear from colleagues about what works and
  how it works in their schools
• have an opportunity to discuss issues related
  to languages programmes in schools.

13
APAPDC L5 Frame

• A School Languages Leadership
• Checklist/Tool
• A work in progress!
• FEEDBACK

14

• APAPDC L5 Frame Building Leadership in
  Australian Schools
• Leadership starts from within
• Leadership is about influencing others
• Leadership develops a rich learning
  environment
• Leadership builds professionalism and
  management capability
• Leadership inspires leadership actions and
  aspirations in others
• (Handout)
• (Australian Principals Associations Professional
  Development Council)

15
Leadership starts from within

• Critical Questions
• Why do I believe that language learning is
  important to the education of young people?
• How will I prioritise it among the rest of my
  work?
• (Joan Daltons I Teach walk the walk talk
  the talk.)

16
Leadership is about influencing others

• Critical Questions
• Who are the key players I need to influence to
  establish and sustain languages education in my
  school (such as in-school community,
  out-of-school community, system level and
  cultural associations)?
• How can I do this most effectively for each of
  these key players?
• (Advocacy and promotion of languages learning)

17
Leadership develops a rich learning environment

• Critical Questions
• What does a rich learning environment look and
  feel like for a school committed to languages
  education? (Staff/Students/Families)
• What does good language teaching look like?
• What resources need to be allocated to establish
  sustain languages education in the school?
• How will we know that we are being successful in
  developing a rich language learning environment?
• (Teaching Learning)

18
Leadership builds professionalism and management
capability

• Critical Questions
• What systems are in place to ensure the
  maintenance of languages education in the school?
• How do we encourage and support language teachers
  to engage with language teachers professional
  association?
• How do we encourage and support language teachers
  to contribute to professional networks?
• How do we ensure quality outcomes?
• (Sustainability Issue/Teacher Supply
  Retention/Professional Learning)

19
Leadership inspires leadership actions and
aspirations in others

• Critical Questions
• What opportunities are there for inexperienced
  language teachers to be supported by more
  experienced, successful teachers, either from in
  or outside your school?
• How are staff achievements acknowledged and
  celebrated?
• How does the leadership team demonstrate that
  languages education is important?
• What opportunities are languages teachers given
  to take leadership actions?

20
WORKSHOP YOUR TURN!

1. Focus QuestionsOne per table- Discussion
   Feedback
2. The L5 Frame for Leading LanguagesFeedback
3. The Challenges for LeadersAn Exercise
   (Reality/Hypothetical) As a Principal who is
   about to or who has implemented a Language
   Program at your school list the 5 most important
   factors for successful implementation on the
   paper provided. (Name School)
4. Evaluation Form

21

• ASPA/ACEL Conference Workshop Feedback
• Implications Issues
• Quality Staff
• Qualified Staff
• Leadership
• Rural Schools isolation effects
• Importance of commitment of parents to learning
  languages
• Importance of commitment of teachers other than
  Language teachers to learning languages
• KLA competition in secondary sector
• The isolation of Language teachers in schools
• Need to develop language understanding across the
  curriculum by all staff
• Leaders understanding of integration and
  immersion as critical aspects of learning to
  overcome problem of Languages being seen as
  one-off learning experience
• Transition between sectors is important in
  sustaining students engagement with learning
  languages
• Silo effect of KLAs in secondary sector.

22
REMINDERS

• Leading Languages Education Forums- State
  Territory flyers
• Leading Languages Education Website
• ACSSO Surveyhttp//www.questionpro.com/akira/Take
  Survey?id525017

23
(No Transcript)
24
(No Transcript)
25
(No Transcript)
26
(No Transcript)
27
(No Transcript)
28

• Nothingness
• (by Aharon Amir translated from the Hebrew by
  Abraham Birman)
• I woke up at night and my language was gone
• No sign of language no writing no alphabet
• Nor symbol nor word in any tongue
• And raw was my fear like the terror perhaps
• Of a man flung from a treetop far above the
  ground
• A shipwrecked person on a tide-engulfed sandbank
• A pilot whose parachute would not open
• Or the fear of a stone in a bottomless pit
• And the fright was unvoiced unlettered unuttered
• And inarticulate O how inarticulate
• And I was alone in the dark
• A non-I in the all-pervading gloom
• With no grasp no leaning point
• Everything stripped of everything
• And the sound was speechless and voiceless

29

Contact Details Dennis Flannery E
flanvase_at_iimetro.com.au PH [phone]