Page 6 - Accents December

Languages Victoria
audience were confident of the necessity of teaching languages at an early stage.
The Panel debate was followed by Patji Dawes award presentation. I then attended sessions about Palawa Kani language in Lutruwita (Theresa Sainty); feedback and error correction strategies (Kati Varela); the use of games in the classroom (Kathleen Duquemin), and unpacking the Australian curriculum (Veronique Canellas).
Keynote 3 was delivered by Professor John Hajek from the University of Melbourne who shared a model on how to frame language promotion inside and outside the classroom, and discussed some challenges and opportunities of languages education.
In conclusion, I would like to thank the Grant Committee of MLTA NSW for the grant to attend the Conference. It gave me a wonderful opportunity for professional development and networking.
Report on the AFMLTA Conference, Hobart, July 2019
by Amy Kang
Smiths Hill High School
As the fortunate recipient of the First Timer grant, I had the privilege of attending the 22nd AFMLTA International Languages Conference with two colleagues for a highly anticipated faculty trip, journeying from the sandy shores of Wollongong to Hobart’s beautiful Sandy Bay.
The sheer scope of an international conference was undeniably electric in that we were immersed within a thriving microcosm of the Languages teaching community and able to engage in professional dialogue with passionate colleagues from across the country and even the Tasman Sea. What resulted was a heightened awareness of language learning climates, policies and practice between states and most remarkably, the shared experiences of Languages teachers largely irrespective of sector and state. For instance, Jane Zaun’s sobering analysis of attitudes underpinning low retention rates in Queensland secondary language programs mirrored national trends of declining Languages learning cohorts, which was similarly reflected in the crowded seminar room for Ellen Moffatt’s session on ‘High impact Languages teaching for student retention’. Both presenters provided innumerable strategies to boost retention which could be translated to any school context, ranging from peer teaching, fostering learner metacognition, incorporating authentic resources in the TL and tried-and- tested explicit teaching (‘Nothing will replace you, ever’, emphasises Moffat).
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