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Panel of Experts: The ACTA EAL/D Roadmap

2022 VicTESOL Symposium
Panel of Experts: The ACTA EAL/D Roadmap

Chair:
Margaret Corrigan (Carringbush Adult Education)

Panelists:
Dr Michael Michell (University of New South Wales), Mark Melican (Blackburn English Language School), Assoc. Prof. Rod Neilsen (Deakin University)

Summary

Summary and Resources to come

Recording

Recording to come

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Unpacking of Keynote and panel sessions

2022 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 four 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) What’s the role of EAL teachers in your setting?
2) What is specific to your sector and what do you share with other sectors?
3) Was there anything that surprised you about what is happening in other sectors?
4) How can knowledge about other sectors
• help us support students who are transitioning to or from our sector?
• inspire us?
• inform our broad knowledge of TESOL?
• understand ourselves and our own sector?

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 and celebrate the similarities and differences across early childhood, primary, secondary and adult sectors, within local, state, national and international contexts. The aim is that this session will lead to the development of a shared resource, which will be published on the VicTESOL website. VicTESOL extends their gratitude to the participants for sharing their expertise and experience and their contributions to this resource.

Resources

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Panel of Experts: Finding the Common Ground

2022 VicTESOL Symposium
Panel of Experts: Finding the Common Ground

Chair:
Assoc. Prof. Russell Cross (Melbourne Graduate School of Education)

Panelists:
Rebecca Paic (Catholic Education Commission Victoria), Angela DiSciascio (Gordon Institute of TAFE), Mairead Hannan (Collingwood English Language School), Peter James (Richmond West Primary)

Discussants:
Prof. Ben Rampton (Kings College London), Dr Mel Cooke (Kings College London)

Summary

The symposium kicked off with an engaging panel discussion facilitated by Assoc Prof Russel Cross in response to the keynote presentation by Prof Ben Rampton and Dr Mel Cooke. Panel members from the primary, secondary, Catholic and adult sectors shared their insights on the role of EAL teachers in their setting, how much EAL teachers have in common across settings, how policy and curriculum shape the work of EAL teachers and what the important aspects are of an EAL teachers’ role in different settings. The discussion illuminated a shared passion across all sectors for the holistic needs of EAL learners and the unique and privileged role that EAL teachers play in the lives of learners that goes far beyond curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. The panel ended with thematic conclusions from Ben and Mel, who had watched the discussion via zoom from the UK.

Recording

 

 

 

 

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Learning Through Languages: Plurilingual Pedagogy in the English Classroom

2022 VicTESOL Symposium
Learning Through Languages: Plurilingual Pedagogy in the English Classroom

Michelle Andrews (Preston North East Primary school), Hien Webb (Collingwood English Language School), and Assoc. Prof. Marianne Turner (Monash University)

Summary

Summary to come

Recording

Resources

Download (PDF, 2.21MB)

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Impacts of Traumatic Refugee Experiences on Learning and Behaviour

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/.

Presentation and other Resources

Download (PDF, 1.98MB)

Download (PDF, 1.6MB)

Download (PDF, 1.81MB)

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Developing English through an understanding of how languages work

Developing English through an understanding of how languages work

Summary

On 17 November, presenters from Lexis Education showcased how they use a Systemic Functional Linguistics approach in their classrooms.

Payal Yadav detailed her experience in a New Arrivals primary setting, working with students with diverse language backgrounds. She outlined a unit of work using the description genre on the topic of animals with a range of highly scaffolded yet high challenge language activities to enable students to develop an understanding of how language works.

Imogen Lazarus presented on her work with secondary students and detailed her use of the teaching and learning cycle and explicit instruction about clause and phrase structures.

Both presenters demonstrated how they build students’ metalanguage both for learning English and learning about English. Drawing on students’ existing language resources to contrast English with their first languages was also highlighted in the session. Overall, this was a highly engaging presentation that enabled participants to learn from teachers experienced in this approach and offered a variety of practical ideas for how to develop students’ understanding of how language works using a Systemic Functional Linguistics framework.

Recording

Powerpoint and other Resources

Type

 

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Challenges and possibilities in using The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL in a Year 7 science unit: A focus on word knowledge.

Challenges and possibilities in using The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL in a Year 7 science unit: A focus on word knowledge.

Summary

Dr Anna Filipi, Dr Minh Hue Nguyen, Angie Valcanis and Emily Smith shared their research, knowledge and experience relating to their research project ‘Challenges and possibilities in using The Victorian Curriculum F-10: EAL in a Year 7 science unit: A focus on word knowledge’.

The project explored the collaboration between EAL teachers and content teachers, eliciting valuable strategies to support the learning process for students. The research and teaching team presented their clear and concise findings, highlighting ways for teachers to become more linguistically responsive within the learning environment.

The presentation outlined strategies that can be implemented into teaching to support all students to meet the linguistic demands of a learning experience. Based upon five key principles, the research / teaching team have elicited 25 strategies derived from the analysis of the science classroom. The presentation provided the audience with classroom examples, clearly outlining how teachers can be linguistically responsive; demonstrating how complex and / or abstract learning material can be made accessible to all learners. It was evident within the presentation that implementing linguistically responsive instruction would not only support the learning experience for EAL learners but has the capability to enhance learning for all students.

Please click here for a summary of the paper titled: Students’ unsolicited initiations in a science classroom as displays of competence (published in Linguistics and Education), and email Dr Anna Fillipi at anna.filipi@monash.edu if you would like to read the full paper.

Recording

Powerpoint and other Resources

Download (PDF, 1.22MB)

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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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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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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)