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Immigration Museum and Podcast Launch

Immigration Museum and Podcast Launch

October 17 from 4:30 pm – 6:00pm

Summary

On October 17, VicTESOL hosted an engaging educator’s tour at the Immigration Museum, offering both professional development and an opportunity to explore some of the museum’s latest exhibitions. The evening began with a chance for participants to connect over a selection of tea, coffee and delicious food platters, providing a relaxed atmosphere to chat and network.

Immigration Museum educator Gurmeet Kaur then presented some of the updated resources and educational programs for students visiting the museum. Her insights gave attendees fresh ideas on how to incorporate the museum’s diverse resources and themes into classroom learning. Following this, we heard from Dr. Katrina Tour and A/P Melissa Barnes who officially launched the Voices in TESOL podcast series. The podcast promises to be an invaluable resource for educators in the TESOL community and was a highlight of the evening!

After the presentations, educators had the chance to explore the museum’s exhibitions. The Joy exhibit was a standout, featuring vibrant artworks by Australian artists and interactive elements, including a playful oversized soft bunny and a “Share Your Joy” wall where visitors can reflect on what sparks joy in their own lives. The Videoland exhibit, filled with 90s nostalgia, also provided a fun walk down memory lane! Attendees agreed that the event was a great success and are looking forward to incorporating some of the ideas back in their educational settings.

Resources

Photos from the session

 

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Metacognition and EAL Teaching

Metacognition and EAL Teaching

September 17 from 4:30 pm – 5:30 p

Summary

In this online presentation, Dr Lilly Yazdanpanah discussed the importance of metacognitive thinking for both EAL teachers and students. Dr Yazdanpanah provided participants with a clear definition of both cognition and metacognition and spoke of the benefits to teachers who make space in their teaching, to engage in the reflective practice of systemically considering how their students best learn. Through metacognitive thinking, teachers can become more intentional in their practice, and foster a deeper understanding of their students’ learning experiences.

Additionally, Dr Yazdanpanah emphasized the benefits of teaching metacognitive strategies to students and modelling reflective thinking in the classroom. By demonstrating how to think about their own learning, teachers can guide students to plan for, monitor and evaluate their learning.  During the session, practical examples were shared to illustrate these strategies in action. Through explicitly supporting EAL students to consider the ‘what’, ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘when’ of their learning, Dr Yazdanpanah demonstrated that EAL students can become more empowered learners.

Resources

Download (PDF, 2.07MB)

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What Grammatical Knowledge is Powerful for Specialist Language Teachers?

What Grammatical Knowledge is Powerful for Specialist Language Teachers?

September 10 from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm

Summary

On 10 September, we were pleased to have Dr Chris Corbel present the third in his series of webinars for VicTESOL. This webinar focussed on powerful grammatical knowledge for specialist language teachers. Chris first briefly outlined the concept of powerful knowledge. He then explained two types of powerful grammatical knowledge relevant for specialist language teachers:

  • Grammatical know-how – procedural knowledge, the skill of ‘grammaring’. This means the ability to apply grammatical constructions for communicative purposes, to teach grammatical constructions for communicative purposes and to learn about grammatical constructions.
  • Grammatical know-that – propositional knowledge, threshold concepts. This means understanding the core concepts that underpin grammar, not mastery of the details.

This session provided lots of grammatical food for thought for both beginner teachers and experienced EAL teachers.

Recording

Resources

Download (PDF, 1.72MB)

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“Eye-opening”: How we can use multimodal texts with school staff to support more inclusive school and classroom narratives

“Eye-opening”: How we can use multimodal texts with school staff to support more inclusive school and classroom narratives

September 5 from 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Summary

In this professional learning session, Ms April Edwards, a Teaching Specialist in English and Literacy Education at the University of Melbourne, led an online session on the role of multimodal texts in promoting inclusivity within schools. This session delved into plurilingualism and multilingual teaching approaches that benefit EAL/D (English as an Additional Language and dialect) students. Key concepts discussed include “Language Interdependence Hypothesis,” which highlights the interconnected nature of students’ language learning across their linguistic repertoires.

This session inspired participating EAL teachers by validating multilingualism, encouraging pride in students’ home languages, and offering practical strategies such as language timelines to incorporate students’ diverse linguistic backgrounds into lessons. It also showcased the impact of recognizing students’ language skills, prompting teachers to reflect on and enhance their own language-inclusive practices.

Attendees were grateful for the learning opportunity and were given the chance to share their own personal and professional experiences.

VicTESOL would like to thank April for generously sharing her knowledge and experience and for her valuable contribution to the VicTESOL professional learning community.

Recording

Resources

Download (PDF, 1.18MB)

ry to come

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Factors influencing EAL teachers’ uptake of AI for teaching and implications for professional development

Factors influencing EAL teachers’ uptake of AI for teaching and implications for professional development

August 15 from 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm

Summary

Factors influencing EAL teachers’ uptake of AI for teaching & implications for professional development covered a study on factors that impacted EAL (English as an Additional Language) teachers’ adoption of AI in teaching, presented at the VicTESOL Professional Learning session by Louise Smith and Dr. Tanya Tran.
The study, conducted with AMES Australia, explored the role of AI in education, focusing on institutional and teacher-related factors that influenced AI use. It highlighted findings from a survey of EAL teachers on their experiences, digital skills, and preferences for professional development (PD) tailored to AI integration.
Key findings revealed that many teachers rated AI as important and felt comfortable using it, with a preference for PD that included practical and reflective activities. Teachers also suggested improvements for tools like the MyAMES Chat app to better support diverse student needs. The presentation concluded with suggestions for future research to explore the broader impacts of AI on teaching practices and teacher collaboration in PD solutions.

Recording

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Exploring strategies for educator wellbeing

Exploring strategies for educator wellbeing

13 June 2024, 5:15 pm – 6:30 pm AEST

Summary

1. Defining Wellbeing
Alexandra began by defining wellbeing as encompassing the health of the whole person, including physical, mental, social, and emotional aspects. Wellbeing is strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction, influenced by our surroundings and actions, and can change over time. It’s important to note that wellbeing is not a one-size-fits-all concept and requires long-term, sustainable solutions adapted to individual needs.

2. Frameworks for Understanding Wellbeing at Work
Alexandra introduced the PERMA framework as a tool to understand and enhance wellbeing at work. The PERMA model includes:
Positive Emotions: Experiences that contribute to overall happiness and resilience.
Engagement: Being fully absorbed in activities that balance challenge and skill use.
Relationships: Developing meaningful connections with others.
Meaning: Having a sense of purpose and feeling that one’s work is valuable.
Achievement: Accomplishing goals and feeling a sense of competence and pride.

3. Benefits of Setting Boundaries for Wellbeing
Setting boundaries is crucial for maintaining wellbeing. Alexandra emphasized that boundaries help individuals manage stress, prevent burnout, and maintain a healthy work-life balance. Boundaries allow educators to say ‘no’ when necessary, ensuring they do not take on more than they can handle and protecting their time and energy for activities that support their wellbeing.

4. Strategies for Self-Care to Enhance Job Satisfaction, Resilience, and Wellbeing
Alexandra discussed various self-care strategies, including:
Physical Wellbeing: Engaging in regular physical activity and ensuring adequate rest and nutrition.
Emotional Wellbeing: Practising self-compassion, mindfulness, and seeking support when needed.
Professional Wellbeing: Setting realistic goals, celebrating achievements, and continuing professional development.
Social Wellbeing: Building strong relationships with colleagues and participating in a supportive community.

Alexandra also highlighted the importance of creating sustainable habits and reflecting on individual needs to develop a personalised self-care plan.

By integrating these strategies, educators can improve their job satisfaction, resilience, and overall wellbeing.

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Non-native English Language Teachers’ Stories: Constructing Cosmopolitan Professional Identities in Australia

Non-native English Language Teachers’ Stories: Constructing Cosmopolitan Professional Identities in Australia
30 April 2024, 4:00 – 5:15pm AEST, Online

Summary

In this professional learning session, Non-native English Language Teachers’ Stories: Constructing Cosmopolitan Professional Identities in Australia, Nashid Nigar shared her recent PhD findings. In her research she interviewed 16 participants, using a hermeneutic phenomenological narrative (HPN) approach, examining the professional identity construction of immigrant English language teachers (ELTs) in Australia, who speak English as a second or additional language. Nashid discussed the concept of “hybrid professional becoming”, which transcends the binary construct of native and non-native ELTs. This allows for a ‘fluid identity shaped over time by transnational professional agency, ideologies of power, race, language, and cultural intersection’.

The session was a powerful showcase of the challenges and opportunities that exist within the Australian education system. It provided valuable insights into the experiences of immigrant ELTs and how we can foster a ‘richer, more inclusive teaching and learning environment’. Attendees were grateful for the learning opportunity and were given the chance to share their own personal and professional experiences.

VicTESOL would like to thank Nashid for generously sharing her research and for her valuable contribution to the VicTESOL professional learning community.

Recording

Resources

Download (PDF, 4.97MB)

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LWA, ESL Reads, and LMERC at the 2023 Symposium

LWA, ESL Reads, and LMERC 

VicTESOL Symposium 2023.
Friday 13th October, 2023, The Academy of Teaching and Leadership

Alfredo Landeros, Lauren Piovesan, and Ruth Woolven

LWA

Summary to Come

ESL Reads

It was a delight to participate in the Symposium and to engage with so many passionate EAL educators. I thoroughly enjoyed speaking to many EAL educators about the challenges of sourcing age-appropriate texts for their secondary and adult EAL learners, and being able to share our resources with teachers. Learning about the different EAL settings across Victoria and attending the interesting sessions was a highlight!

ESL Reads is a Digital Resource Library for EAL Teachers, providing relatable reading material in both digital and printable formats, accompanied by teacher notes, worksheets and EAL curriculum mapping.

If you are seeking new resources for your classroom, please see our website eslreads.com or feel free to get in touch at admin@eslreads.com.

Languages & Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC)

LMERC is a specialist resource centre for educators across all sectors with both digital and physical resources to support EAL teaching and learning. This includes academic and practical teacher resources; culturally inclusive fiction and non-fiction; games and storytelling kits and realia (puppets, masks, clothes and toys).

We regularly provide bi-lingual dictionaries and picture books, readers and other resources to support your students in schools across Victoria. If you need any resources, you can visit us in Carlton, email for suggestions or look through our catalogue and request items. We have a growing collection of ebooks and audio books that you can access through the catalogue.

We send a newsletter once a term with information about our new resources, professional learning opportunities and relevant articles. Please email if you would like to receive the newsletter.

Telephone: (03) 9349 1418
Catalogue: lmerc.softlinkhosting.com.au
Opening hours: weekdays 9am-5pm, including school holidays

How to Join LMERC and select Register in the top right-hand corner

How to get to LMERC

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2023 VicTESOL Symposium Unpacking of Keynote and panel sessions

2023 VicTESOL Symposium
Unpacking of Keynote and panel sessions

Facilitated by various VicTESOL Committee Members

Summary

Following the keynote video presentation and panel discussion, symposium participants broke into groups to unpack the ideas and concepts presented. This acted a teacher-sharing and networking session, facilitated by VicTESOL committee members, where participants worked in small, multi-sectorial groups to discuss their learnings and how this applied to their context.

Groups captured their discussion using a shared Padlet page, guided by the following questions:
1) Reflect on your own learning-to-teach experiences – what was the most memorable experience and why?
2) What do you see as the relationship between theory and practice?
3) Consider a memorable student you have taught in the past – describe what his/her learning ‘looked and felt’ like, and why?
4) How do you think professional learning has shaped or continues to shape your knowledge and practice?
5) How prepared were you for the classroom? What did you learn once you were a practicing teacher that you didn’t in your ITE?
6) How important are mentors and experienced colleagues to the development of you as a teacher?
7) What does a dialogic approach mean for you in your practice? Within/between schools/ different institutional settings/sectors?
8) Is the transition between ITE and the classroom different for different sectors – eg schools vs adult?

After the Padlet activity, the small groups then reported back to the facilitator and larger group, which enabled a rich discussion that drew on a wealth of experience and knowledge. It was a valuable opportunity to explore the formative experiences of everyone’s early teaching careers. VicTESOL extends their gratitude to the participants for sharing their expertise and experience and their contributions to this resource.

Resources

Download (PDF, 357KB)

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Multilingual authors ‘standing taller’ in arts-rich translanguaging spaces

Multilingual authors ‘standing taller’ in arts-rich translanguaging spaces
15 February 2024, 4:30pm – 5:30pm, Online

Summary

In this professional learning webinar, Dr Julie Choi and Dr Rafaela Cleeve Gerkens introduced us to some of their recent work around translanguaging in collaboration with community organisation Kids’ Own Publishing. They began with a discussion around what teachers might already do in their own classrooms to bring students’ home language into their learning. They then provided us with some practical and visual examples of a 6-week case study that involved year 4 EAL students participating in a bookmaking experience. Julie and Rafaela discussed how to foster students’ identities as resourceful multilingual writers and the importance of using arts-rich experiences. They also allowed participants to reflect on any challenges they have encountered when drawing on plurilingual strategies. The evidence highlighted how translanguaging and playful multimodal opportunities can support and lead language interactions where students can build their identities in the classroom. Thank you to both Julie and Rafaela on a very informative and useful session!

Recording

Resources

Download (PDF, 18.69MB)

TQ article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/tesq.3279

Kids Own Publishing: https://kidsownpublishing.org.au/