A Whole School
Approach to
Promoting
Languages
2015 AFMLTA Conference
Nathan Lane
Curriculum Leader: eLearning, St Columba’s College
President, JLTAV Inc.
Learning intention
 Understand a variety of ways to promote
languages and the languages
department across the school
You Tube
 Clip 1
 Clip 2
 Clip 3
Value adding to the
educational experience: Events
for Students
 Study Tours
 Immersion days with other schools
 Languages Week and excursions/incursions at each
year level
 Competitions held each term (poster, art, singing,
cake making)
 Sister school relationship (including teddy bear
exchange project http://ozjapantbe.blogspot.com)
Sample Immersion Day
Program

St Columba’s girls say ‘Languages Prayer’

Whole group warm up activity: Radio Taiso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjXfbdR9jCo

Lucky prize draw
Japanese
•
30 mins: Getting to know you games...1)
personality bingo, 2) choose M&Ms and say
something in Japanese according to chosen
colour
•
50 mins: Break into 5 groups (10 mins per
activity) and rotate through different activities
•
Activity 1: Bingo
•
Activity 2: Family vocabulary/katakana domino
games
•
Activity 3: Kendama, daruma otoshi and taiko
drum playing (with rubbish bins)
•
Activity 4: Vocabulary/hiragana puzzle boards
•
Activity 5: 1) Whispers – girls sit in circle. Teacher
whispers a word in Japanese and students
whisper the word to each other. Aim is for the
end student to say the same word. 2) foam
cube games
Lunch break

Final activity: Draw design on Japanese fan
•
Italian

15 mins: as a whole group getting to know youchoose a colour and say something about
yourself in Italian –example yellow-say the
colour

Giallo- la pasta e` gialla

10min-metteres su la torre pendente
Activity 1: Tombola

Activity 2: Indoor bocce

Activity 3: Celebrity heads

Activity 4: Writing comp – best slogan for
Immersion day. Poster writing about the day –
key words in the middle of the poster will be in
Italian

Activity 5: Italian whispers
Lunch break

Final activity: Jigsaw activity
Students are given a passport and receive a stamp on completion of each activity
Value adding to the
educational experience: Events
for Parents and Students
 Year 7 Languages Parent Evening held in March
 Year 9 Languages and Careers Dinner held in July
Strategically placed at these year levels:
 Year 7 – to get parents ‘on board’ with their
daughter’s language learning from the start of
secondary school
 Year 9 – at the end of Year 9 students choose whether
to continue with their language studies
Year 7 Languages Parent
Evening
Format of the Evening
 20 minutes to meet other parents, enjoy
French/Italian/Japanese food and collect language
promotional materials…calendars which include the
winning poster competition artwork, Victorian
Multicultural Commission Cultural Diversity Week
resources, ‘Why Learn French/ItalianJapanese’ and
other language promotion brochures)
 30 minute lesson with languages teacher
Year 7 Languages Parent
Evening
Year 7 Languages Parent
Evening
Feedback
Why did you attend the event?
 I attended the parent language evening firstly because I believe
it is very important to participate in my child’s education and
grab any opportunity I am offered to learn about and be part of
what my daughter is learning and experiencing. Secondly
because my daughter is learning Japanese...a language that is
foreign to me so any information offered to me is a bonus.
Were your expectations met?
 Yes definitely and more!! It was a wonderful evening beginning
with each language teacher speaking in their language and
discussing the positives of learning a language, followed by an
abundance of food and drinks to enjoy. We then went off to our
own language class and it inspired me to go back and learn
French again. It was a fun class communicating only in French.
From this I got a good insight to Year 7 French.
Year 9 Languages and Careers
‘Christmas in July’ Dinner
Program
Time: 6:30-8:30
Japanese Drumming Performance
Entrée (Japanese)
Guest speaker: Dr Russell Cross
Senior Lecturer in Language and Literacy Education
Melbourne Graduate School of Education
‘The Importance of Learning Languages’
Main Course (Italian)
Three former students share their journeys in using French, Italian and Japanese
French: Aimee Bradley, Italian: Nadine Di Blasi, Japanese: Laura Roberts
Dessert (French)
Tea and Coffee
Year 9 Languages and Careers
‘Christmas in July’ Dinner
Feedback
Why did you attend the event?

My daughter is studying French currently and I wanted to support and
encourage her to continue with a language to Year 12 and beyond

To help my daughter make a decision on keeping her language
throughout her time at St Columba’s

I attended the dinner because my daughter is studying French. I also
believe that given the school has gone to the effort of hosting a
language event it is my responsibility to attend and participate in my
daughter’s learning.

It sounded like a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a dinner with my
daughter. Also was interested in listening to the ex students of the
school and their achievements.
Suggestions for the future

I feel that the student speakers need to focus more on the
educational side of their languages experience in particular the VCE
year and how it has helped them in their chosen careers.
Simple initiatives

Magnets (including text on next screen)

‘I ♥ 日本語！’ (French/Italian) pens given to new Year 7 students,
buildings around school labelled in French/Italian/Japanese and
English, languages bookmarks (handout), languages prayer translated
into French, Italian and Japanese and displayed in every classroom
(available on College website)

Languages quotes (handout) – translate into French/Italian/Japanese,
laminate and display around school

Information on school website

Mini flags in the front office

Raising the French/Italian/Japanese flag out the front of the school for
significant events (e.g. the arrival of students from our sister school)

Staff morning teas (French/Italian/Japanese theme)

French/Italian/Japanese classrooms
Links with other curriculum
areas
Humanities at Year 8: Medieval Japan
Art: Students creating artworks in the style of the target
language being studied
English: target language related texts where possible
Music: teach songs in target language
List of ways to promote
languages and cultures
 I already do this
 This would work for me
 This wouldn’t work for me
Excursions/Incursions
 Museums
 Art gallery
 Guest speakers
 City/zoo trails in the target language
 Primary school visits (reading together in the target
language)
 Recording speaking tasks at a radio station
 Restaurant visits (ordering in the target language)
 Consulate visits
 Cultural performances/workshops
Year 10 Japanese Inquiry Unit
Involving the community
Models of Contemporary Learning project

5 minute story

Unit plan
Essential Question:

‘Where can I take my Japanese?’
Learning Intention:

Promote an understanding of how Japanese can be used beyond school.
About the unit:
A ‘Model of Contemporary Learning’ in that it:

Is inquiry based

Links with the community

Develops ICT skills

Provides a real/authentic context for learning and developing Japanese
skills

Can easily be adapted for other languages

Available at http://www.scootle.edu.au
myfuture website
 Bullseye Posters
http://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/d
o_you_enjoy_or_are_you_good_at_languages_-_a4c.pdf
 Bullseye Lesson Plan:
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/tools-andresources/learning-tools-for-secondarystudents/bullseye-posters-explore-occupations-byschool-subject
Additional resources

Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC)
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/cultures/Pages/lmerc.aspx

Learning and Teaching Support
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/discipline/languages/
Pages/default.aspx

Promoting Languages Learning
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/curriculum/Pages/languagepromotion.
aspx

Languages Open the Door to a Bigger World
http://languagesopenthedoor.afmlta.asn.au/

Modern Language Teachers’ Association of Victoria (MLTAV)
http://www.mltav.asn.au/

Love of Language (NEW)
http://loveoflanguage.com.au/

Bilingual Stories
http://bilingualstories.com.au/

Promoting Languages: AIS NSW
http://www.aisnsw.edu.au/Services/PL/LanguagesSecondary/Pages/Promoting%20Languages
.aspx