Page 4 - Languages Victoria December 2019

Languages Victoria
Although more detailed reports on Professional Learning and other activities will be presented shortly, I would like to highlight some standout moments of 2019.
MLTAV 2019 Annual Conference
Our 2019 Conference ‘Languages: 2019 – Reality, Relevance, Rethinking’ supported 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages (IY2019) by dedicating both Conference keynote and afternoon Plenary session to highlight aspects of our own Indigenous Languages. Professor Rachel Nordlinger FAHA, Director, Research Unit for Indigenous Languages, ARC Centre for Excellence for the Dynamics of Languages, School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne, provided an engaging keynote highlighting lengthy fieldwork undertaken to document the linguistic elements of a small group of Indigenous languages. Dr Nordlinger’s keynote ‘The genius of Australian Indigenous languages, and why they are important for all of us’ engaged us by highlighting the dedication shown by researchers to reconstruct, preserve and understand the complexities of our Indigenous languages.
The Plenary session by Aunty Lee Healey, Dhagung Wurrung (Taungurung) Elder and Dr. Pandora Petrovska, RTO Manager, Victorian School of Languages entitled: ‘Our Language – Our Mother tongue: Reviving Endangered Aboriginal Languages in Victoria’ moved many of us to tears as we were taken by Aunty Lee on her personal journey of rediscovering her language and her identity and the personal significance of this journey to her.
MLTAV partnerships
The conference launch of the 2019 Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) Schools’ Program showcasing the eight language films chosen for this year further consolidated the Association’s long partnership with MIFF. The partnership is extended by the joint collaboration in developing the accompanying film-specific webinars providing teachers with a resource offering both language and film analysis. Our partnership links with cultural organisations such as MIFF and the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) continue and as a result provide valuable additional opportunities for languages teachers to expand their school programs as well as their own professional learning.
The MLTAV is currently in discussion with the NGV about a modified collaboration in 2020. The MLTAV looks forward to continuing these partnerships in 2020 with planning for next year well underway.
MLTAV Vice-President and Conference coordinator Heather Brown will provide a more detailed report on the 2019 Conference shortly.
Page 4 Volume 23 Number 2