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Preparing students for the VCE EAL Exam

Online Presentations and Discussion Rooms, Tuesday 6 October, 4-5:30 pm

Naomi Weiler, Stephanie Georgiou, and Maria Papasotiriou

Are you preparing students for the VCE EAL exam? Get ideas and strategies from three experienced EAL teachers and join us afterwards for small group discussions.

Presenters

Stephanie Georgiou has more than 18 years of experience in teaching EAL. She has worked in the adult, Catholic and government sectors, continuing her ongoing tenure at the Department of Education and Training.  She has managed and coordinated multiple programmes throughout her career. This includes setting up a government funded bridging program for refugee students and most recently as Language Centre and EAL coordinator managing the learning of international students and teaching staff within that program. She has run numerous in-house in-services for staff on teaching strategies for EAL students.

Maria Papasotiriou is the Head of EAL at Wellington Secondary College, a large government secondary school in the south eastern suburbs of Melbourne. She is an experienced VCE EAL teacher and has taught local and international students from culturally diverse backgrounds, including refugees with disrupted schooling. She has previously presented at the VATE Conference and has been an English assessor for VCAA.

Naomi Weiler is the EAL Unit 1-4 Coordinator and Gifted Learners’ Leader at St Francis Xavier College. Naomi has ten-years teaching experience in English, EAL, Humanities and Accelerated Subjects. Naomi will be presenting on Section A of the exam. Her approach to the Listening Task is based on the explicit teaching of skills and knowledge to aural content.

Session Resources

Section A Resources – Naomi Weiler, St. Francis Xavier College

Download (PPTX, 604KB)

Section B Resources – Stephanie Georgiou, McKinnon Secondary College

Download (PPTX, 809KB)

Download (DOCX, 312KB)

Download (DOCX, 31KB)

Download (DOCX, 27KB)

Download (DOCX, 28KB)

Download (DOCX, 21KB)

Section C Resources – Maria Papasotiriou, Wellington Secondary College

Download (PPTX, 202KB)

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Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence

The Victorian Multicultural Awards for Excellence are currently open and taking nominations.

Proudly coordinated by the Victorian Multicultural Commission on behalf of the Victorian Government, the annual awards honour the outstanding achievements of Victorians who strengthen multiculturalism in our great state, recognising people, groups and organisations that foster cross-cultural understanding, build social cohesion and support people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in all aspects of life.

Now in its 19th year, the awards feature 15 categories that recognise the many ways Victorians are supporting one another to strengthen multiculturalism. This year the awards include four education sub-categories recognising early childhood services, schools, vocational education and training settings and not-for-profit organisations.

Nominations are now open until 18 October 2020. To find out more or nominate for an award please go to https://www.multiculturalcommission.vic.gov.au/multicultural-awards-for-excellence.

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Special Meeting: Ratification of Revised VicTESOL Constitution

The VicTESOL committee is inviting members to participate in the ratification of the revised VicTESOL constitution.

VicTESOL has undertaken a review of the constitution, assisted by an expert legal team from Clayton Utz.

The conversation started last year when we became aware that the current constitution was no longer fit for purpose and needed to be refreshed to reflect the Model Rules for Incorporated Associations, under the Associations Incorporation Reform Act 2012.

The legal team at Clayton Utz prepared a brief of advice, taking into account the legal requirements and the practical operations of VicTESOL. They developed a draft constitution, based on the Model Rules, as well as a document showing the differences between the existing and proposed constitutions.

VicTESOL is holding a meeting to ratify the draft constitution, to be held via Zoom at 7pm on 14th October 2020. Click here to register to attend this meeting.

The Committee urges all interested members to attend on 14th October to discuss and vote on the proposed model. If you are unable to zoom in please read the documents below and provide written feedback to VicTESOL.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Proposed new rules:

Download (PDF, 276KB)

Summary of differences against exisiting constitution:

Download (PDF, 94KB)

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Meeting graduate standards for working with EAL/D learners – Dr Jenny Barnett

Tuesday 8th September 2020

Download (PDF, 2.17MB)

If you expect to work with EAL/D learners in your teaching career, then you will want to be familiar with the EAL/D Elaborations of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. In this webinar, Jenny went through some of the thinking behind the document and showed how it can serve teachers both in their preparation and their practice.  As convenor of the original writing group, she aimed to bring the EAL/D Elaborations to life, and to answer questions from the participants.

This webinar was aimed at Initial Teacher Education students and pre-service teachers.

Please click here to access the EAL/D Elaborations of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.

Dr Jenny Barnett worked for many years in TESOL teacher education at the University of South Australia, offering pre-service and in-service courses with a focus on inclusive pedagogies and curriculum design. Her research interests have centred on learning and teaching English in settings ranging from multilingual city schools to remote Indigenous communities and South East Asian universities.

https://docs.acara.edu.au/resources/EALD_Learning_Area_Annotations_Maths_Revised_February_2014.pdf

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Using the Foundation to Level 6 Literacy Teaching Toolkit to support EAL learners

Download (PDF, 348KB)

Yan Yao Choong, Department of Education and Training

Wednesday 12 August, 4:00-5:00pm

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/Pages/default.aspx

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/english/literacy/literacy-teaching-toolkit-map-v4.pdf

The Literacy Teaching Toolkit provides practical advice and high impact teaching practices to improve student outcomes in reading, writing and speaking and listening. In 2019, the Foundation to Level 6 Literacy Teaching Toolkit (F-6 Toolkit) was updated to include specific strategies to differentiate for EAL learners.

This webinar introduced the EAL content incorporated in the F-6 Toolkit and how it may be used to support EAL learners. The session was aimed at primary school teachers.

Yan Yao Choong is a Senior Project Officer at the Department of Education and Training (the Department) with ten years of TESOL teaching experience. She has taught English in Korea and tutored EAL students at VCE level. She has worked in Western English Language School and Blackburn English Language School teaching primary-aged migrant and refugee students. Yan Yao was a Primary Curriculum Coordinator at Blackburn English Language School before joining the Department in 2018. She now works to support teachers of EAL learners in conjunction with other areas in the Department.

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Translanguaging in the Classroom- Dr Sue Ollerhead (Macquarie University)

In this workshop, Dr Sue Ollerhead discussed the important role that students’ home languages play in their classroom learning. She explored the rationale for using translanguaging as a pedagogical approach…

This content is available for VicTESOL members.
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Redress: Special issue on Refugee Education

The latest issue of the Association of Women Educators’ journal, Redress, is a special issue on Refugee Education.

“The edition includes insights from educators and those working with refugees as well as personal and compelling stories from refugees themselves. The impact of relocation under difficult circumstances can only be truly understood by those who have experienced it and we are grateful for the people who have been honest and open in sharing their story. The importance of education and the role it can play to bring hope and a better future to young people is a recurring theme. The role of teachers and especially their ongoing support can’t be underestimated. The contribution they make to individuals is confirmed through these personal reflections.”

Click here to visit: http://www.publications.awe.asn.au/redress-december-2019

You may also be interested in the Refugee Education Special Interest Group – For further information or to join the group (free-no fee involved) please visit: http://refugee-education.org/

The articles in Redress include-

  • COLLECTIVE ACTION FOR ADVOCATING FOR BETTER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES FOR STUDENTS FROM FORCED MIGRATION BACKGROUNDS: EPISTEMIC COMMUNITIES AND AN IMPERATIVE TO CARE by Sally Baker, Chair, Refugee Education Special Interest Group; University of New South Wales and members of the Refugee Education Special Interest Group: Sally Morgan, Monash University; Meera Varadharajan, University of New South Wales; Lesley Cioccarelli, Canberra Institute of Technology; Elena Killiakova, Independent Researcher; Karen Dunwoodie, Deakin University
  • YOUNG PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM: EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITIES AND ACCESS by Sally Morgan
  • TRAPPED IN PROTECTED REFUGEE CAMPS: ‘PLEASE HELP ME TO SURVIVE’ by Suban Kumar Chowdhury, Anne Keary and Eisuke Saito
  • I WISH THEY WERE LIKE YOU: REFLECTIONS OF A STUDENT FROM A REFUGEE BACKGROUND by Ali Hazara and Karen Dunwoodie
  • GIVING BACK, PAYING FORWARD: LESSONS LEARNED FROM RESEARCHING WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTH FROM REFUGEE BACKGROUNDS by Jane Wilkinson, Faculty of Education, Monash University and Mervi Kaukko, Faculty of Education and Culture, Tampere University
  • ‘EVERYTHING’S ABOUT ENGLISH…’ ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE AS A DIAGNOSIS OF DEFICIT FOR STUDENTS FROM REFUGEE BACKGROUNDS by Melanie Baak and Emily Miller
  • A COHESIVE SOCIETY: OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT by Adele Rice AM and colleagues
  • A DREAM LIFE IN MY SECOND HOME by Samira Mohammadzadegan

Plus a lot more. Click here to have a look!

ATESOL ACT Professional Learning Online Event: Share your best lesson

ATESOL ACT warmly invites you to their next fabulous Professional Learning event, Share Your Best Lesson on Saturday, 15th August 2020 from 3.00pm to 5.00pm on Zoom.  Click here for further information.

 

Bookings and Prepayment ESSENTIAL by COB Tuesday 8th August 2020
To book for this event, please visit: atesolact.org.au/events