The role of schools in supporting settlement: Focusing on wellbeing in migrant and refugee education.
August 30 from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm, Virtual Event
Summary
This session explored the vital role schools play in the settlement journey of migrant and refugee-background students. Mollie Daphne (Secondary School Teacher & PhD candidate, Victoria University) unpacked key frameworks which support the conceptualisation of settlement as a multifaceted, multidirectional process shaped by various factors. Throughout the session, participants were invited to consider the roles schools can play, through collaboration with other services, towards supporting the academic and social and emotional needs of newly arrived children and young people.
The session also including an engaging panel of presenters who all currently work in schools, supporting newly arrived students: Elena Di Mascolo, Sarah Douglas, Meagan Becker and Megan Salter. The panel discussed the challenges schools face in seeking to address settlement needs and shared examples from their own extensive professional experience of practical ways schools can advocate for and support young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00Association Officerhttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngAssociation Officer2023-09-18 12:14:552023-09-18 12:35:08The role of schools in supporting settlement: Focusing on wellbeing in migrant and refugee education.
September 6 from 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Virtual Event
Summary
Participants had the opportunity to learn about Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) and the resources and assistance available.
2022 VicTESOL Symposium Impacts of Traumatic Refugee Experiences on Learning and Behaviour
Allison Green and Matt Roger (Foundation House)
Summary
In their session “Impacts of Trauma on Learning and Behaviour”, Allison Greene and Matt Roger from Foundation House presented insight into the practical strategies and theories to support students impacted by refugee experiences. Allison and Matt began by providing some of the theory around refugee trauma and then invited participants to investigate 2 fictional case studies of students from refugee backgrounds. In small groups, teachers discussed some of the concerns that were evident relating to the students’ learning, engagement and behaviour and then shared some possible strategies to support them in their transition to Australian schooling.
The provision of knowledge and practical examples provided by Allison and Matt, along with the reflective discussion, assisted educators to develop their trauma informed lens. The session allowed for participants to explore connections between trauma reactions and supportive responses, and consider how our various educational settings can be a restorative space for students and families from refugee backgrounds. Participants in the session were given some excellent resources to take away which included further strategies and support for teachers when dealing with students’ trauma reactions and disclosures. For further information, resources and professional learning educators can visit the Foundation House website at https://foundationhouse.org.au/.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00Association Officerhttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngAssociation Officer2022-11-30 14:56:102022-12-07 11:43:13Impacts of Traumatic Refugee Experiences on Learning and Behaviour
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.
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.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00Association Officerhttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngAssociation Officer2022-06-03 11:01:332022-08-09 21:47:49Supporting young people from a refugee background in the education system
Explore Immigration Museum’s digital resources and content that can expand learning experiences for EAL learners. Museum resources include migration stories, cultural stories, and objects, timelines and personal stories investigating a myriad of Australian identities. This professional learning program was designed for EAL and classroom teachers. Resources can be adapted to suit a variety of subjects, including Humanities, English, Civics and Citizenship. Presented by Immigration Museum Educators in collaboration with VicTESOL.
Gurmeet Kaur is the Education Program Producer at Immigration Museum and is an experienced former classroom teacher of English and Humanities. She has also worked on international programs such as Teach for Bangladesh and researched intercultural education in schools across Japan, Australia, and UK. Gurmeet studied International Relations and History at the London School of Economics and Political Sciences before completing her qualifications in Education.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00David Kezilashttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngDavid Kezilas2021-09-07 20:02:542021-09-07 20:07:11Resource page – Immigration Museum and VicTESOL: Integrating culture and language for EAL learners
VicTESOL, the state association for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) & Multicultural Education, held our annual Symposium on Tuesday 31 August. This was live online event from 4-5:30pm AEST. For this event, we had a panel of speakers, experts in TESOL and multicultural education and related fields who discussed what they see as implications of the COVID pandemic for the field of teaching English as an Additional Language (EAL) in Victoria and Australia.
They discussed what TESOL might look like in the next few years and in the longer term as a result of what we are currently experiencing. With the pausing and slowing of some programs during the pandemic, is there a chance that TESOL and other programs may change? Is there a chance that while there are no new arrivals that existing programs and services will be affected, not only in the short term, but also in the longer term? How might this look? What might be some of the advantages of possible changes? What might be some less positive consequences of change during and post COVID? What can we do to prepare ourselves for ensuring we maintain and build on the quality of EAL and associated learning and support that has been established over many, many years?
You can view the recording of the event here:
Panelists:
Jessica Bishop, Migrant Information Centre (Eastern Melbourne)
Margaret Corrigan, CEO of Carringbush Adult Education and President of the Australian Council of TESOL associations
Dr Susan Creagh, Honorary Senior Lecturer, School of Education, The University of Queensland
Associate Professor Russell Cross, Language and Literacy Education, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Carmel Guerra, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Centre for Multicultural Youth
Mark Melican, Principal of Blackburn English Language School
Matt Rodger, Senior Schools Support Officer – RESP Education & Early Years Program Practice & Sector Development, The Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture
The panel was chaired by Dr Shem Macdonald, VicTESOL President and Lecturer at La Trobe University.
To view the collated comments of participants from the registration process, see below. Participants were asked to identify one positive and one negative coming out of their experience of working in the TESOL field during the pandemic. .
The recent issue of TESOL in Context contains an editorial related to the topic covered in today’s session. It is referred to within the symposium event.
Teaching and learning English in the age of COVID-19: Reflecting on the state of TESOL in a changed world
Many thanks to all who were involved in this event.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00David Kezilashttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngDavid Kezilas2021-08-31 23:23:312021-09-02 15:40:05*Resources Page* VicTESOL Symposium 2021 – TESOL in a time of COVID: Implications and Possibilities
A lot of professional learning quite rightly focuses on the global, big-picture ideas of teaching and learning, but what about a small, everyday practice of successful teaching. In this series of vignettes, EAL teachers showcase a single activity, idea or resource that they find to be effective in the EAL classroom, and discuss how and why it works. This vignette is generously contributed from Rosemary Abboud, Dandenong North Primary School. It focuses on an Arrange and Describe activity which she uses with primary-aged EAL students. We thank Rosemary for donating her time and expertise.
There is a wealth of EAL expertise out there! Why not share it with the EAL community? We are keen to showcase this practice of teachers in primary, secondary and adult sectors. If you would like to contribute a vignette about an activity you find to be effective in the classroom, please email plcoordinator[at]victesol.vic.edu.au
Online Event – Presentation and Conversation Rooms
This was an opportunity for teachers who are at a similar stage of their careers to share practice with teachers from other schools and institutions. A big part of this session was EAL resource sharing with Jennifer Peck from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) and and Eileen Wan (Blackburn English Language School). They presented on LMERC’s online and physical resources. This session was for pre-service teachers and early-career teachers (0-2 years) of EAL students, and teachers who are new to teaching EAL students.
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00Association Officerhttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngAssociation Officer2021-06-03 15:31:322021-06-06 18:56:38Online Resourcing and Networking session for pre-service, early-career EAL teachers and teachers new to EAL
Jacky Springall Tuesday 10 November 2020, 4:00-5:30pm AEDT Online Workshop This practical workshop was based on the premise that EAL teachers need to be pro-active in integrating a focus…
https://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.png00Association Officerhttps://i.imgur.com/aeJqqIF.pngAssociation Officer2020-11-11 09:19:562023-04-18 15:14:13Teaching Pronunciation: It’s never too early – Jacky Springall
