Sydney Institute for Community Languages Education. Supporting and researching linguistic diversity in Australia.

The Community Languages Teaching Program (Foundation - Distance Mode) is a professional development course for teachers working in community languages schools. It is organised as a series of weekly online sessions. The course balances research and theory with classroom practice, building on teachers’ own experiences and their work in the classroom. Each session examines a different aspect of community languages teaching.

Aims

The aim of this course is to help you develop a better understanding of your role as a Community Languages teacher.

Outcomes

• Be familiar with current ways to teach languages and be able to select and apply what is most useful to your own classroom
• Feel confident in developing lessons and material s to suit your teaching situation and group of students
• Understand recent research into language learning and teaching, second language development and education in general
• Be aware of resources that can support your teaching
• Have planned pathways for your own future professional development

Content

1. Orientation to teaching in your Community Language School - Course outcomes and expectations; returning to study; participants’ needs; learners’ needs; teaching community languages in Australia; child-centered learning
2. Behaviour management - Creating a positive learning environment; strategies to improve behaviour in the classroom.
3. Child development and language learning - Concepts of child development; first and additional language learning; growing up in bilingual contexts
4. Approaches to teaching language - Overview of language teaching methods; communicative methodology:  theory and practice
5. Teaching oral language through picture books - Evaluating picture books; creating oral language activities using picture books with beginning learners
6. Teaching oral language through factual texts - Engaging older language learners with factual texts; creating and using digital resources
7. Teaching skills: classroom communication - Reading aloud; asking questions; giving explanations and instructions; organising group work; using text books
8. Teaching skills: lesson planning - Introduction to the K-10 Languages Framework; creating lesson plans; scaffolding student learning through sequenced activities
9. Reading to learn, learning to read - How children develop reading; second language teaching and learning; using reading in the community language classroom
10. Teaching and developing reading skills - Various strategies to develop reading skills in a community language
11. Writing to learn - How children develop writing; strategies for developing writing skills
12. Teaching grammar in context - Teaching grammar and language in context; different types of writing for different purposes
13. Mixed level classes - Identifying different levels of language competence in the classroom; adapting lessons and activities
14. Teaching skills: lesson planning 2 - Planning a sequence of lessons from learning outcomes; integrating listening, speaking, reading and writing activities
15. Assessment for learning - Understanding assessment, testing and evaluation; different audiences; developing assessment tasks; planning from the K-10 framework
16. Assessing and giving feedback - Providing feedback information to students and parents.
17. Evaluation, Revision and Presentations

Intended audience

Community languages teachers registered with the NSW Department of Education Community Languages School Program.

Delivery modes

• Online via CANVAS
• Face-to-face, presenter-taught training
• Online training via the platform Zoom

Delivery style

• 17 weeks - Approximately 60 hours of work is required to complete this program. 
• At least three hours per week of study and one-half day attendance observing classes at a day school. You will cover one topic per week independently with compulsory attendance at face-to-face workshops to provide additional help and guidance.
• Three compulsory face to face workshops at the University of Sydney. Venue to be confirmed.  
• Compulsory interactive activities and online class discussions.
• In depth reading and proactive application of learning and classroom practice will be required.

Materials

Any course handouts are provided electronically using Dropbox.