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Learning from Home: Supporting EAL students remotely – Recordings from PL sessions (5 May & 7 May 2020)

 

Online discussion forum and mini-presentations
Tuesday 5 May & Thursday 7 May, 4:00-5:45pm

  • Clare Blackman & Jessie Sambell (Blackburn English Language School)
  • Emily Tucker (Carringbush Adult Education)
  • Nathan Chong (Brunswick English Language Centre)
  • Jennifer Peck (Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre- LMERC)

VicTESOL provided an online space for teachers to come together to discuss their experience of teaching and supporting EAL students remotely during the COVID-19 crisis.

The session began with a number of mini-presentations with presenters sharing what they have implemented so far and their reflections on the experience of remote teaching and learning. This was followed by small group discussions between participants in which there was an opportunity for participants to share their experience and also hear what other teachers are implementing, sharing tips and advice for future learning. Librarian Jennifer Peck from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) then presented some of their multilingual and EAL online resources.

Click here to access the information shared by Jennifer Peck from the Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC).

Click here to view the ideas and the resource list compiled from teacher comments and discussions during these professional learning sessions.

Click here to join the teacher discussion forum on Facebook ‘LBOTE Families and home learning’.  Click here to access further information on the VicTESOL website about this discussion group.

Click here to access information relating to the Department resources.

Download (PDF, 415KB)

Download (PDF, 768KB)

Download (PDF, 221KB)

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Teaching EAL learners online using video conferencing

To download an edited PDF of powerpoint:

Download (PDF, 657KB)

To download the resource links page:

Download (DOCX, 15KB)

Victoria Butterfield, Voula MacKenzie, Heena Sharma, Panayiota Kai
The Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program of the Victorian School of Languages (VSL)
Tuesday 28 April, 4-5pm
Online Webinar

Are you faced with the challenge of teaching your EAL students online during the COVID-19 crisis?

This session provided practical strategies for teaching EAL online, followed by a Q and A session with a panel of expert primary and secondary EAL teachers who work with the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program.

Participants learnt tips and strategies for the effective use of videoconferencing to teach EAL learners. Examples were shown of how engaging lessons can be conducted online for F-10 EAL learners at all levels.

This professional learning session focused on working with EAL students who have access to videoconferencing software at home.

About the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program [VNAP]
The Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program supports new arrival EAL students using video conferencing sessions delivered through a distance education model at the Victorian School of Languages (VSL). The Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program (VNAP) is specifically for newly-arrived EAL learners in remote country schools who cannot access an English Language School or English Language Centre.

Victoria Butterfield is co-coordinator and a teacher in the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program (VNAP). She is a highly accomplished EAL teacher who has taught in English Language Schools and Centres in Victoria for the past twelve years. Since 2017, Victoria has taught in the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program to support newly-arrived EAL learners and teachers in regional Victoria.

Voula MacKenzie is an experienced EAL, Information Technology and Humanities teacher, who has taught in Victorian secondary schools, English Language centres and most recently at the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program (Distance Education) hosted at the Victorian School of languages campus in Thornbury. Since 2014, Voula has led the development of the Virtual EAL program, which began as a pilot project, and is now an established program with 65 students throughout rural Victoria. Voula co-coordinates the program.

Heena Sharma is a generalist teacher specialising in EAL. She has worked in government Primary schools for over 15 years and in collaboration with Panayiota Kai teaching EAL. Heena Sharma joined the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program team in 2017.

Panayiota Kai is a generalist teacher specialising in Languages and EAL. She has taught in government Primary and Secondary schools for over 20 years. Panayiota has worked as an EAL Coach, trained EAL Leaders and offered PD on EAL issues. Panayiota has been part of the Virtual EAL New Arrivals Program as Curriculum Co-ordinator since 2015.

Teacher Discussion Forum: LBOTE Families & Home Learning

Are you concerned about your LBOTE students accessing schoolwork at home because their families come from different language backgrounds or parents do not speak English?
Do you have questions about how you can engage parents so that students can learn more effectively at home?

Click here to join the discussion.

Download (PDF, 290KB)

 

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eBulletin – April, 2020

Read the April VicTESOL eBulletin online now.
Click here to read online.

And if you would like to subscribe to receive future updates please click here.

ATESOL ACT invites you to an online event: Virtual Tour of the National Portrait Gallery to explore the theme of “Identity” 2-3pm Thursday 23 April 2020

In collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in Canberra, ATESOL ACT is hosting a fantastic virtual tour of the NPG this Thursday 23rd April from 2 – 3pm.

The tour has been specially arranged to suit EALD teachers in the school and adult sectors. It explores the theme of identity through the NPG’s wonderful collection of paintings of Australians from many different walks of life and achievements.

ATESOL ACT invites you and your colleagues to join us. The event is FREE for all ACTA association members, including from interstate (and $30 for non-members). Booking is essential.

To book for this event, please visit: atesolact.org.au/events

Download (PDF, 162KB)

2020 VicTESOL Membership- Renew now! *2019 memberships have now expired*

Thank you to all VicTESOL members for supporting VicTESOL- this enables the association to provide opportunities for professional learning, networking and access to information & resources relating to the TESOL sector. As all 2019 memberships have now expired (on 31 March 2020), we encourage you to renew your membership!

Being a member of VicTESOL is full of advantages. Not only are you supporting English language teaching, learning and multicultural education but you have access to a wide array and network of professional development sessions and industry contacts.

Benefits of VicTESOL Membership–

  • Discounted rates to all paid VicTESOL professional learning events- click here for information about upcoming events.
  • Access to all of VicTESOL’s Member Resources found on our website.
  • Support the ongoing advocacy and development of your local Victorian TESOL/EAL organisation.
  • Add your voice to discussions about language teaching and learning.
  • Network with colleagues and develop yourself professionally.
  • Be a part of placing EAL learning productively across all curricula.

Thank you to members who have already renewed their membership for 2020! 
VicTESOL appreciates your ongoing support, especially during these uncertain times.
If you would like to join or renew, but are having financial difficulties, please contact us to discuss.

Click here to renew your VicTESOL membership!

  • Automatic membership renewal is now available.
  • FREE membership for pre-service & recently graduated teachers is now available- click here for details.

If your need to update your membership details before you renew please click here.

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VCE EAL Listening to Texts – How to Teach and Assess

Download (PDF, 1.42MB)

Listening skills are ones we all employ, both passively and actively, but how do we teach and evaluate them as part of VCE EAL assessment?

In this session you will consider how to develop and embed valid EAL listening assessment into every outcome of Units 1-4 through the completion and analysis of an existing assessment tool and subsequent creation of a task based on evidence-based listening assessment practices.

As a passionate EAL, Spanish and 7-12 English teacher as well as an active VicTESOL committee member and second language learner, April is highly experienced in the areas of first and additional languages education. She completed her Masters thesis on VCE listening task assessment at the University of Melbourne and is currently training undergraduate and post graduate teachers at La Trobe University in literacy, secondary EAL pedagogy and curriculum and interdisciplinary education. She recently developed materials for the DET Koorie Outcomes Unit to promote the use of EAL teaching practices for improved social and academic outcomes for Victoria’s Indigenous students.

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eBulletin – March, 2020

Read the March VicTESOL eBulletin online now.
Click here to read online.

And if you would like to subscribe to receive future updates please click here.

Cancelled: VicTESOL Whole-day Adult TESOL event- Creative pedagogies for teaching adult EAL learners

Upcoming event cancelled: VicTESOL Whole-day Adult TESOL Event- Creative pedagogies for teaching adult EAL learners (Friday 20th March 2020).

Unfortunately, due to the current uncertainty around coronavirus, in the interest of public health safety, this event has been cancelled for Friday 20th March 2020.

VicTESOL is planning to reschedule this event. In the meantime, we are exploring options around offering some additional professional learning using an online platform.

In accordance with the VicTESOL Event Refund Policy, we are able to offer you a refund or credit for the rescheduled activity.