August 2022

From the President

The AFMLTA National Assembly, held in Sydney on 13-14 July 2022, was a great occasion with state and territory Presidents or their delegates meeting face-to-face for the first time after two years. Included in the Assembly agenda was the election of Executive Officers for the coming year. It was a great honour to begin my two-year term as President of the AFMLTA. I thank Nathan Harvey for his leadership as President over the past two challenging years. I know I will be able to rely on Nathan’s experience and continuing support as he moves into the role of Immediate Past President. I welcome back those colleagues who are continuing in or have been reappointed to their roles (see below) and extend a sincere welcome to Miyako Matsui who is new to the role of Promotions Officer. I look forward to working with these officers and with our state and territory partners as we continue to provide vision, leadership, advocacy, and support for quality teaching and learning of languages.

Gillian Cordy, President, on behalf of the AFMLTA Executive Team: 

2022 Executive Committee

Immediate Past President: Nathan Harvey

Vice-President: Anne-Marie Morgan

Secretary: Kylie Farmer

Treasurer: Sherryl Saunders

Babel Editor: Andrew Scrimgeour

Information Officer: Amanda Pentti 

Promotions Officer: Miyako Matsui

Save the date!

24th AFMLTA International Languages Conference 2023

Date: 7-9 July 2023

Venue: TBC, Perth, WA

Registration: Open soon.

Update

Towards a National Languages Plan and Strategy project (NLPS project) has been a federally-funded project that focuses on the learning of all languages, including First Nations languages and community languages in school and community contexts. The object of the project is to support the Australian Government effort to increase the uptake of languages learning in schools.

At the heart of the project has been the extensive consultation with key stakeholders across the country. After seeking data from jurisdictions, sectors and teachers, there was a period of initial analysis and synthesis. The result was a Discussion Paper Altitude and Amplitude: The case for a blue-sky blueprint for Languages Education in Australia.

The Discussion Paper was used as a reflection document for National Summit of 60 leaders from across Australia and Focus Groups involving over 350 teachers of languages in mainstream classrooms in each state and territory, teachers of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander languages and teachers who teach in community languages contexts. Insights from both group were invaluable, with overwhelming support for all goal areas and each of the goals as included in the Discussion Paper. The full Discussion Paper remains available on the AFMLTA's National Languages Plan and Strategy website.

The two research reports of the project, The State of Languages Education in Australia: Participation and provision and Towards a National Plan and Strategy for Languages Education in Australia have both been submitted to the Department of Education for consideration. The AFMLTA Project Team are very hopeful that permission to publish the research reports will be granted very soon. The research reports outline the data and provides an analysis that supports the recommendations that envisions a blue-sky future where all students are supported in learning their home languages and English and are supported in learning at least two other languages in meaningful and substantial ways.

Online Versions of the AFMLTA Professional Standards

Digital versions of the 2021 AFMLTA Professional Standards for Accomplished Teaching of Languages and Professional Standards for Lead Teachers of Languages are available on the AFMLTA website.

These updated digital versions complement the range of resources available on the AFMLTA website Professional Standards page, including the AITSL-aligned documents and the language-specific versions of the standards available for 7 languages. 

We encourage you to explore these to support reflection on practice and planning for future growth in your role as a teacher of Languages.

Representation

Members of the AFMLTA Executive recently presented sessions at a range of conferences recently including the MLTAQ, the New Zealand Association of Language Teachers, the MLTANSW, the MLTAWAWA and the MLTAT. Presentations included:

• AFMLTA's project work on behalf of the Australian Government Department of Education's - National plan for languages education: Outcomes of a profession-led collaboration
• Language background other than English and the development of Literacy and Numeracy
• AFMLTA's Professional Standards.

Advocacy

AFMLTA has made contact with the recently appointed Minister of Education to advocate for Languages Education.

Professional Learning

Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language (COEDL)

End of Centre Event

Date: 28 September-30 September 2022

Venue: The Shine Dome, 15 Gordon Street, Acton ACT

National Symposium on Japanese Language Education (NSJLE) 2022

Theme: Be Inspired, Be Inspiring.

Date: 4-5 November 2022

Venue: State Library Victoria, 328 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC

Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities (LCNAU)

LCNAU Seventh Biennial Colloquium

Date: 28-30 November 2022

Venue: The University of Melbourne, Carlton, VIC

Modern Language Teachers Association of Victoria (MLTAV) Conference 2022

75th Anniversary Conference + Dinner

Date: 2 December 2022

Venue: Novotel on Collins, Melbourne

Registration: Registrations open on the MLTAV website soon.

Language Teachers Association of the Northern Territory (LTANT) Conference 2022

Date: 9 December 2022

Venue: TBC

Registration: Registrations open on the LTANT website soon.