A Whole School Approach to Promoting Languages2015 AFMLTA Conference

Nathan Lane

Curriculum Leader: eLearning, St Columba’s College

President, JLTAV Inc.

Learning intention

Understand a variety of ways to promote languages and the languages department across the school

You Tube

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Value adding to the educational experience: Events for Students

Study Tours

Immersion days with other schools

Languages Week and excursions/incursions at each year level

Competitions held each term (poster, art, singing, cake making)

Sister school relationship (including teddy bear exchange project http://ozjapantbe.blogspot.com)

Sample Immersion Day Program St Columba’s girls say ‘Languages Prayer’

Whole group warm up activity: Radio Taiso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXfbdR9jCo

Lucky prize draw

Japanese Italian

• 30 mins: Getting to know you games...1) personality bingo, 2) choose M&Ms and say something in Japanese according to chosen colour 

• 50 mins: Break into 5 groups (10 mins per activity) and rotate through different activities

• Activity 1: Bingo• Activity 2: Family vocabulary/katakana

domino games• Activity 3: Kendama, daruma otoshi and

taiko drum playing (with rubbish bins)• Activity 4: Vocabulary/hiragana puzzle

boards• Activity 5: 1) Whispers – girls sit in

circle. Teacher whispers a word in Japanese and students whisper the word to each other. Aim is for the end student to say the same word. 2) foam cube games

Lunch break Final activity: Draw design on Japanese

fan

15 mins: as a whole group getting to know you-choose a colour and say something about yourself in Italian –example yellow-say the colour

Giallo- la pasta e` gialla 10min-metteres su la torre pendente- Activity 1: Tombola Activity 2: Indoor bocce Activity 3: Celebrity heads Activity 4: Writing comp – best slogan for

Immersion day. Poster writing about the day – key words in the middle of the poster will be in Italian

Activity 5: Italian whispers Lunch break Final activity: Jigsaw activity 

• Students are given a passport and receive a stamp on completion of each activity

Value adding to the educational experience: Events for Parents and Students

Year 7 Languages Parent Evening held in March

Year 9 Languages and Careers Dinner held in July

Strategically placed at these year levels:

Year 7 – to get parents ‘on board’ with their daughter’s language learning from the start of secondary school

Year 9 – at the end of Year 9 students choose whether to continue with their language studies

Year 7 Languages Parent EveningFormat of the Evening

20 minutes to meet other parents, enjoy French/Italian/Japanese food and collect language promotional materials…calendars which include the winning poster competition artwork, Victorian Multicultural Commission Cultural Diversity Week resources, ‘Why Learn French/ItalianJapanese’ and other language promotion brochures)

30 minute lesson with languages teacher

Year 7 Languages Parent Evening

Year 7 Languages Parent Evening

Feedback

Why did you attend the event?

I attended the parent language evening firstly because I believe it is very important to participate in my child’s education and grab any opportunity I am offered to learn about and be part of what my daughter is learning and experiencing. Secondly because my daughter is learning Japanese...a language that is foreign to me so any information offered to me is a bonus.

Were your expectations met?

Yes definitely and more!! It was a wonderful evening beginning with each language teacher speaking in their language and discussing the positives of learning a language, followed by an abundance of food and drinks to enjoy. We then went off to our own language class and it inspired me to go back and learn French again. It was a fun class communicating only in French. From this I got a good insight to Year 7 French.

Year 9 Languages and Careers ‘Christmas in July’ Dinner Program

Time: 6:30-8:30 

Japanese Drumming Performance

 

Entrée (Japanese) 

Guest speaker: Dr Russell Cross

Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education

Melbourne Graduate School of Education

‘The Importance of Learning Languages’

 

Main Course (Italian) 

Three former students share their journeys in using French, Italian and Japanese

French: Aimee Bradley, Italian: Nadine Di Blasi, Japanese: Laura Roberts

 

Dessert (French)

Tea and Coffee

Year 9 Languages and Careers ‘Christmas in July’ Dinner

Feedback

Why did you attend the event?

My daughter is studying French currently and I wanted to support and encourage her to continue with a language to Year 12 and beyond

To help my daughter make a decision on keeping her language throughout her time at St Columba’s

I attended the dinner because my daughter is studying French. I also believe that given the school has gone to the effort of hosting a language event it is my responsibility to attend and participate in my daughter’s learning.

It sounded like a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a dinner with my daughter. Also was interested in listening to the ex students of the school and their achievements.

Suggestions for the future

I feel that the student speakers need to focus more on the educational side of their languages experience in particular the VCE year and how it has helped them in their chosen careers.

Simple initiatives

Magnets (including text on next screen)

‘I ♥ 日本語！’ (French/Italian) pens given to new Year 7 students, buildings around school labelled in French/Italian/Japanese and English, languages bookmarks (handout), languages prayer translated into French, Italian and Japanese and displayed in every classroom (available on College website)

Languages quotes (handout) – translate into French/Italian/Japanese, laminate and display around school

Information on school website

Mini flags in the front office

Raising the French/Italian/Japanese flag out the front of the school for significant events (e.g. the arrival of students from our sister school)

Staff morning teas (French/Italian/Japanese theme)

French/Italian/Japanese classrooms

Links with other curriculum areas

Humanities at Year 8: Medieval Japan

Art: Students creating artworks in the style of the target language being studied

English: target language related texts where possible

Music: teach songs in target language

List of ways to promote languages and cultures

I already do this

This would work for me

This wouldn’t work for me

Excursions/Incursions

Museums

Art gallery

Guest speakers

City/zoo trails in the target language

Primary school visits (reading together in the target language)

Recording speaking tasks at a radio station

Restaurant visits (ordering in the target language)

Consulate visits

Cultural performances/workshops

Year 10 Japanese Inquiry UnitInvolving the community

Models of Contemporary Learning project

5 minute story

Unit plan

Essential Question:

‘Where can I take my Japanese?’

Learning Intention:

Promote an understanding of how Japanese can be used beyond school.

About the unit:

A ‘Model of Contemporary Learning’ in that it:

Is inquiry based

Links with the community

Develops ICT skills

Provides a real/authentic context for learning and developing Japanese skills

Can easily be adapted for other languages

Available at http://www.scootle.edu.au

myfuture website

Bullseye Posters

http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/do_you_enjoy_or_are_you_good_at_languages_-_a4c.pdf

Bullseye Lesson Plan:

http://www.myfuture.edu.au/tools-and-resources/learning-tools-for-secondary-students/bullseye-posters-explore-occupations-by-school-subject

Additional resources

Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC)

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/cultures/Pages/lmerc.aspx

Learning and Teaching Support

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/languages/Pages/default.aspx

Promoting Languages Learning

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/curriculum/Pages/languagepromotion.aspx

Languages Open the Door to a Bigger World

http://languagesopenthedoor.afmlta.asn.au/

Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MLTAV)

http://www.mltav.asn.au/

Love of Language (NEW)

http://loveoflanguage.com.au/

Bilingual Stories

http://bilingualstories.com.au/

Promoting Languages: AIS NSW

http://www.aisnsw.edu.au/Services/PL/LanguagesSecondary/Pages/Promoting%20Languages.aspx