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ACTA 2022 Conference Wrap-up

ACTA 2022 Conference-Pushing the Boundaries

26 – 28 September
Hilton Hotel, Brisbane, Queensland

Over the course of 3 days and after two years of Covid related delays, people from across Australia came together in sunny Brisbane to share knowledge, learn and network with others in the TESOL community.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Pushing the Boundaries”, and the conference program certainly did this. There were at least two presenters who zoomed in, including the conference opening keynote speaker Professor Ee Ling Low, and a range of workshops which focused on everything from the history of EAL Policy in Australia, to the current situation for Indigenous and Torres Strait Island EAL/D students, to how drama can be used to assist EAL learners.
The conference also featured a workshop of ACTA’s Early Childhood Principles, a session on ACTA’s National Roadmap for EAL/D education in schools, and the launch of a book titled Decisions and Dilemmas of Research Methods in Early Childhood Education edited by VicTESOL’s own Dr Anne Keary, as well as Professor Janet Scull, Associate Professor Susanne Garvis, and Professor Lucas Walsh.
Victoria and VicTESOL were very well represented at the conference, with numerous speakers from our state being supported by VicTESOL, and a large Victorian contingency being present.
Congratulations to Conference Organising Chairman Gae Nastasi and the rest of her team on a very successful event!

We look forward to seeing everyone in Melbourne for the 2025 ACTA Conference…

VicTESOL Committee members, and teachers and academics from Victoria at the 2022 ACTA Conference in Brisbane

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Teaching Resource

Teaching Resource – Language Portraits

Developed by Kimberley Smith, Blackburn English Language School, in collaboration with Julie Choi, Senior Lecturer in Education (Additional Languages) in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education

This in-class teaching and learning task provides an opportunity for students to explore and communicate their linguistic identities and language practices and the role these play in shaping their experiences as language learners.

Download (PDF, 112KB)

Download (PPTX, 5.56MB)

Download (PDF, 284KB)

Download (PDF, 171KB)

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AMEP Virtual Roadshow – Resources for the EAL Framework

October 12 from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Summary

At the recent AMEP Virtual Roadshow – Resources for the EAL Framework webinar, TESOL teachers from across the country zoomed in to hear Mary Wallace from LWA provide a detailed introduction to a range of future focussed resources that are being rolled out to support Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) providers deliver the future national curriculum for AMEP, the EAL Framework. She highlighted the key features of three sets of resources: a new series of booklets designed for pre-certificate level learners called English Ready; the updated AMEPOnline that will be available from Course in Initial EAL to Certificate III in EAL (Access); and the AMEP Digital Literacy Framework and Guide and companion Teacher Resources. All of these resources will be made available free of charge to teachers, regardless of whether you teach in the AMEP or not. These valuable resources, funded by the Department of Home Affairs, are a welcome addition to the suite of tools available to teachers of EAL in the adult sector.

Recording

Resources

Presentation

Download (PDF, 2.56MB)

Useful Video

AMEP Digital Literacies Framework: key principles

Useful links

AMEPOnline (homeaffairs.gov.au)

Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) – Background (homeaffairs.gov.au)

Department accredited VET courses | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

EAL Framework “101”: A Beginner’s Guide to the Victorian EAL Framework Curriculum – VicTESOL

EAL Framework 101 (2): How to approach delivery and assessment of a group of units – VicTESOL

EAL Framework 101 Session 3: Teaching a Unit (Adult sector)

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2025 ACTA Conference

2025 ACTA Conference

Sign up to the VicTESOL Ebulletin for updates on the 2025 Melbourne ACTA Conference – TESOL: Shaping the Future

Sign up at the website here http://eepurl.com/djZb4r and feel free to email VicTESOL at victesol@victesol.vic.edu.au if you have any queries about the conference!

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NGV Resourcing Events 2022

NGV Resourcing Events

Summary

Two professional learning events for EAL teachers were held with a focus on works in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria. These were on 8 and 15 September and took place online. Leah Santilli, Outreach Educator for the NGV, with assistance from her colleagues, Anna Zobel and Lily Feiner (8 September) and Tess Rangelov and Amy Duncan (15 September) showed us some wonderful works and discussed ways that they might be the focus of some engaging lessons with EAL learners, both school aged learners and also adults.

In the first session we saw some amazing shields from the NGV collection that were from various Australian Indigenous peoples. We discussed their creation and usage and looked closely at the patterns, colours and shapes of them, as well as at how they were displayed together in the Gallery. We took part in an activity involving drawing one of the shields that we could see and developing the language to describe it.

We then looked at a couple of works by Australian painter, John Glover: https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/5631/ & https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/98550/. These works are featured in the NGV’s learning resource titled: Colony to Nation. https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/school_resource/colony-to-nation/ .  Adaptions of the materials from this learning resource for use with EAL learners were done in 2021 as part of a collaboration between NGV, VicTESOL and Blackburn English Language School.

For the first session, the Gallery staff were in the Ian Potter Centre at NGV Australia in Federation Square and “led us” virtually around the Gallery, showing us the works, and giving us a feel for what was going on – some visitors to the Gallery at the time took interest in what Leah was telling us and tagged along. In the second session, on 15 September, the Gallery staff spoke to us from the NGV International on St Kilda Road. Again, their excellent coordination and camera work gave us a feel of the activity in the Gallery. The focus this time was on more contemporary works: one by Lee Krasner titled Combat https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/5213/ and the other, Haystacks at Moret – Morning light https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/4366/ by Alfred Sisley. How we might lead our learners to notice things in these works and the ways that language might be developed around this were discussed with lots of opportunities for participants to make suggestions.

Overall, these two sessions were highly engaging and we thank the staff at NGV, in particular, Leah, for their great work and time in preparing and presenting to VicTESOL members and others. We look forward to future events with NGV.

Colony to Nation for EAL teaching and learning (NGV Resourcing Event 1)

Recording

Please note that this recording will be made available until October 2022 ONLY.

Resources

Overview of the Colony to Nation Resources, including EAL adaptations

First Contact: Draw a Shield Activity

See Think Wonder Activity

Compare and Contrast Activity

Changes to Australia’s Environment: Cause and Effect Activity

EAL Meet & Teach with NGV (NGV Resourcing Event 2)

Recording

Please note that this recording will be made available until October 2022 ONLY.

Resources

Example Artworks

Questions you can ask about the artworks – Questions allow students to think out loud and elaborate on the ideas and questions of others.

  • What do you see when you look at this work?
  • What does this art work make you think? Think about the way it was made, what it means, about the artist or their interests/passion/intention.
  • What does the artwork remind you of?
  • You could even connect it to the name of the artwork or when it was made.
  • What do you wonder about this artwork?
  • What language could we attribute to this artwork?
  • How would this painting have been painted – with what? how would the canvas have been situated
  • If this painting was a person, what would their personality be like?
  • What would life be like if you were in this painting? What can you see? What would you be doing? (Looking at the Haystacks image) What season would it be? What kind of farm is it? How might the farmers be feeling? What time of day is it?

Some teaching ideas and activities from the padlet

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EAL Framework 101 Session 3: Teaching a Unit (Adult sector)

Recording

Summary

EAL Framework 101 Session 3: Teaching a Unit (Adult sector)

September 14 from 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm, Virtual Event
On 14 September another successful EAL Framework 101 session was held with approximately 300 adult sector EAL teachers from across Australia zooming in to hear teachers from Victoria share their knowledge.
Anita Cameron provided a refresher session on good practice adult sector TESOL, engaging the audience to share what they do in their practice. Suzanne Gatz and Harleen Pala shared how they unpacked and designed delivery for a low-level speaking unit and Mary La Riccia shared how she and her colleagues collaborate to design formative tasks that map to a reading and writing unit from Cert III in the curriculum.
The quote of the evening was from Harleen, reminding us to always go back to the curriculum to guide our teaching – “The devil is in the detail but importantly the level is the detail”.
This session showed attendees how to incorporate the detail that exists in the curriculum into meaningful learning experiences for adult learners through “foraging, adapting and creating” resources.
Attendees really appreciated the speakers’ willingness to share.

Resources

Anita Cameron Presentation and Padlet 

Download (PDF, 592KB)

Suzanne Gatz and Harleen Pala Presentation and Resources

Download (PDF, 1.77MB)

Download (DOCX, 100KB)

Download (PPTX, 286KB)

Download (DOCX, 1.23MB)

Download (DOCX, 21KB)

Download (DOCX, 3.01MB)

Download (DOCX, 173KB)

Download (DOCX, 24KB)

Download (PDF, 107KB)

Mary La Riccia Presentation and Resources

Download (PDF, 788KB)

Download (PDF, 748KB)

Also mentioned:-

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ACTA National Roadmap for EAL/D Education in Schools briefings (released May 6th, 2022)

Summary

ACTA has been undertaking a series of briefings on the release of the ACTA National Roadmap for EAL/D Education in Schools. ACTA has been concerned for some years at the erosion of specialist English language provision for over 600,000 Indigenous, migrant and refugee students in Australian schools. This erosion is due to Commonwealth devolving all responsibility for EAL/D education to State and Territory governments and these jurisdictions’ school autonomy policies diverting earmarked (Gonski) funding away from EAL/D learner support though flexible, global school budgets.

The Roadmap aims to ‘build back better’ English language and literacy provision for these students. It identifies key national policy problems and proposes solutions through twelve key actions aligned to the directions and initiatives of the National Schools Reform Agreement.

As Australia emerges from the pandemic and re-opens to the world, national leadership is needed to restore our former leading role and rebuild effective English language and literacy provision so that Australia’s English language learners, including its Indigenous learners, can participate successfully in school education and contribute to a cohesive and prosperous multicultural society.

At the online event for academics and researchers working in the field on the 16th of June, leading researchers in the field of TESOL, including Professor Constant Leung from Kings College, discussed the new ACTA National Roadmap for EAL/D Education in Schools.

At the online event for ACTA members on Monday June 20th, Dr Michael Michell encouraged State and Territory associations to contact political parties, representatives and Commonwealth and State and Territory Education Ministers to commit to implementing Roadmap actions.

At the online event for Professional Associations and Key Organisations in the EAL/D space on Monday 18th July, an extremely productive discussion was held with many suggestions for further actions being made.

Other briefings on the Roadmap have been presented to the Victorian and Queensland Council of Deans of Education, and other relevant parties.

Recordings

16 June 2022 – Academics and Researchers

20 June 2022 – ACTA Members

18 July 2022 -Professional Associations and Key Organisations in the EAL/D space

Documents

The Roadmap

Download (PDF, 896KB)

Media Release

Download (PDF, 169KB)

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EAL Frameworks 101 (2): How to approach delivery and assessment of a group of units

Summary

On 8 June, the second in VicTESOL’s popular adult sector EAL Framework 101 series was held. 328 attendees from all across Australia were able to learn from a range of presenters experienced in designing programs using Victoria’s EAL Framework curriculum.

Cathy Gill from Carringbush Adult Education presented on how their organisation plans and delivers programs to beginners. This was followed by Lyudmila Theodore from Holmesglen TAFE who spoke about Cert I and II levels and finally Frances La Riccia from Melbourne Polytechnic shared their delivery plan for a Cert III level program.

Attendees were very engaged with the speakers with lots of great questions that led to engaging discussion. Many thanks to the presenters who were so willing and open to share their experience and expertise with attendees. The final session in this series will focus on assessment…stay tuned for more details!

Recording

Presentations

Holmesglen

Download (PDF, 1.63MB)

Melbourne Polytechnic

Download (PDF, 968KB)

Carringbush

Download (PPTX, 702KB)

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Supporting young people from a refugee background in the education system

Summary

The VicTESOL professional learning event ‘Supporting young people from a refugee background in the education system’ offered participants valuable insights into working with refugee-background students.  Allison Greene and Madeleine Giummarra from Foundation House (Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture and Trauma) explored identifying and responding to trauma reactions and trauma disclosures with students, and how supports connected to the recovery goals can benefit children and young people.  Simone Cassidy and Bojana Popovic from Refugee Minor Program (Dep. of Families, Fairness & Housing) built on this understanding of the refugee experience by walking the audience through a case study, unpacking approaches and strategies that can support and empower young people within the education system.  Bojana and Simone guided the group in focussing on how we as educational professionals can work with students as they navigate educational pathways.  Allison and Madeleine also addressed the important and often under emphasised topic of self care.  They equipped the audience with a picture of what it can look like to become over or under involved within this area of work and how we can aim to achieve a balance in our work with students.  This event provided the audience with ideas that they could implement in their schools immediately, thoughts and considerations for future planning, and also ideas about how educational professionals can balance their involvement and be conscious of self care and caring for colleagues within our work.  VicTESOL would like to extend their sincere thanks and appreciation to Allison, Madeleine, Simone and Bojana for providing the opportunity for us to reflect on this aspect of our work within education.

Recording

Presentations

Foundation House

Download (PDF, 559KB)

Refugee Minor Program

Download (PDF, 554KB)

Resources

Foundation House

Download (PDF, 400KB)

Download (PDF, 3.53MB)

Download (PDF, 1.6MB)

Download (PDF, 356KB)

Refugee Minor Program

Download (PDF, 146KB)

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Primary EAL Assessment for New Arrivals

Summary In this informative and practical session, Rebekah Jones (Primary Curriculum Leader) and Barbara Dahlsen (Primary Learning Specialist) from Blackburn English Language School walked participants through a range of activities…

This content is available for VicTESOL members.
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