News

Sydney CBD/East network presents Dr Gianfranco Conti

9/9/2022

We have some exciting news! We have booked Dr Gianfranco Conti to present at NSW School of Languages (NSL) on Tuesday 20 September. NSW public school teachers from any network are welcome to attend, but places are limited.

On the day we will explore:

Developing fluency & spontaneity: cognitive and affective factors
Designing input-to-output sequences: a backward design approach
Modelling through listening & reading
Building towards output tasks
Output tasks implementation
Corrective Feedback & Assessment

Please enrol via MyPL:
Course code: NR25838
Session name: Gianfranco Conti - Sydney CBD/East network event
Date: Tuesday 20 September
Time: 9:00 am-3:00 pm
Venue: NSW School of Languages, 35 West St, Petersham NSW 2049. Please note that onsite parking is limited. NSL is closely located between Lewisham and Petersham train stations.

Cost: $100 - via interschool journal to NSL.

As places are limited, and for those who cannot attend in person, we have requested an online presentation as well - details coming soon.

For any enquiries or further details, please contact Evia Kyriacou.

Language Teachers Network – Armidale

7/9/2022

The Armidale Network is inviting you to its Term 3 meeting, which will take place at Armidale Secondary College.
The focus of the meeting will be on student-centred learning and Pear Deck.

Please register on MyPL.
Course code: NR25533
Event: Armidale and Surrounds Network Meeting - Term 3
Date: Monday 12 September - Week 9
Time: 3:45-5:15 pm
Venue: Armidale Secondary College, 56-72 Crest Rd, at the Japanese room - C204. Please call Deb once you arrive at the front office and she will meet you and bring you to the room after signing in.

For more information, contact the network leader, Deborah Moore.

Language Teachers Network – Illawarra

7/9/2022

The Illawarra Network is inviting you to its Term 3 meeting, which will take place at Figtree High School.

Please register on MyPL.
Course code: NR18042
Event: Illawarra Network, Term 3 2022
Date: Wednesday 14 September - Week 9
Time: 3:30-4:30 pm – a light afternoon tea will be provided
Venue: Figtree High School – please park in the main teachers' car park

For more information, contact the network leaders Evia Kyriacou or Kristen Faraday.

Language Teachers Network – Sydney North

6/9/2022

The Sydney North Language Teachers Network is inviting you to its Term 3 meeting, which will take place on Zoom. This session will focus on games for primary and secondary, and language clubs in schools.

Please register on MyPL to receive the Zoom link.

Course code: NR25533
Event: Sydney North network meeting on games and language clubs
Date: Monday 12 September - Week 9
Time: 4:00-5:30 pm

For more information, contact the Network Leader Margaret Wajs.

Language Teachers Network – Virtual

6/9/2022

The Virtual Network is inviting all rural and regional teachers to its Term 3 meeting on Wednesday 14 September 2022. The focus of the meting will be on exit tickets and Pear Deck, presented by Coreena Allen and Alisa Stephens.

Please register on MyPL.
Course code: NR18042
Event: Term 3 Virtual Network Meeting
Date: Wednesday 14 September - Week 9
Time: 4:00-5:00 pm
MS Teams link: Click here to join the meeting

If you have any questions please contact Renetta Wolfe

Differentiation and inclusion

5/9/2022

A big part of differentiation is equity, in which students are provided with the right learning experiences for their needs. This is different to equality, in which all students have access to the same resources.

This got us thinking about inclusive education and inclusion in languages. Inclusive education means that all students can access and fully participate in learning, alongside their similar-aged peers, supported by reasonable adjustments and teaching strategies tailored to meet their individual needs.

Classroom culture influences our thoughts, perceptions, behaviours and how we treat others. Language classrooms have a unique role in understanding other cultures and perspectives, developing communication skills that promote understanding and empathy for others. We are also in the unique position that our content often requires students to share information about the personal worlds, so it’s even more important we provide safe places for them to do so.

Attached please find our differentiation infographic (updated to include the importance of being responsive, as part of ongoing formative assessment) and an inclusion infographic for your classroom, to remind students about the importance of inclusion.

Embedding Aboriginal pedagogies in language teaching – support document

5/9/2022

The Languages and Culture team and the primary languages team have joined forces to develop the new Embedding Aboriginal pedagogies in language teaching document. This resource supports language teachers K-12 to embed Aboriginal perspectives in their teaching practice, while maintaining the focus on core curriculum content.Aboriginal perspectives are found in Aboriginal processes, rather than in Aboriginal content.

This resource was developed with support from the department’s Aboriginal Educational and Wellbeing Officers. It unpacks each of the 8 Aboriginal ways of learning within the context of language learning, including how to align each process with languages pedagogy and suggestions for communicating with students about each process.

You can find the Embedding Aboriginal pedagogies in language teaching document on both the Early Stage 1 to Stage 3 page, and also on the Learning across the curriculum page of the languages website.

Support for Early Stage 1-3 includes:

- sample Stage 3 lesson sequence with Aboriginal pedagogies – eating at a restaurant
- Stage 3 learning map – eating at a restaurant.

Support for Stages 4-5 includes:

- Stage 5 generic unit on food trucks – highlighting where Aboriginal processes are embedded into teaching and learning activities to help identify these connections in your own units of work
- Stage 5 learning map – food trucks.

Statewide staff meeting – recording and slidedeck

31/8/2022

Thank you to the 82 teachers who joined us for the live session on Tuesday afternoon, when we explored 'Differentiation in the languages classroom'. For those who weren't able to make it, the recording is now live on our YouTube channel and the slide deck is attached.

differentiation-for-sharing.pdf
File Size:	3168 kb
File Type:	pdf

Statewide staff meeting – differentiation

29/8/2022

Differentiation – the what and the how in languages
In response to your feedback, we will be presenting Differentiation in the languages classroom, one of the most requested topics by languages teachers.

The session will have a strong focus on practical strategies, linked to the theory, and will highlight the many ways you are most likely already differentiating. We hope the attached infographic whets your appetite - it will form part of our presentation.

To enrol, please go to MyPL and search for course code NR29242, then select the session Languages statewide staff meeting - Week 7, Term 3, 2022. (Remember, if you have attended a SWS meeting before, it will say 'Completed'. Ignore that and click on the course, then select the upcoming meeting by clicking the circle next to its name. Then click the red 'Re-enrol' button at the top of the screen.)

Course code: NR29242
Session name: Languages statewide staff meeting - Week 7, Term 3, 2022
Date: Tuesday 30 August
Time: 4:00-5:00 pm
Venue: MS Teams – the link to the meeting will be emailed to you with your enrolment confirmation

Everyone is welcome and we look forward to seeing you there!
The session will be recorded for anyone who cannot make it, and we will also share our slide deck.

For more information, please contact Evia Kyriacou.

Language Teachers Network – Sydney CBD/East

26/8/2022

The Sydney CBD/East network is inviting all language teachers to its Term 3 meeting on Thursday 8 September 2022. The focus of the meeting will be on Engagement motivation and retention, presented by Katherine Brownlee.

Please register on MyPL:
Course code: NR25533
Event: 2022 Term 3 Language Network Meeting Sydney CBD/East
Date: Thursday 8 September - Week 8
Time: 4:00-5:30 pm
Venue: NSW School of Languages, 35 West St, Petersham and Microsoft Teams.
The school is located between Lewisham and Petersham train stations. Parking is available on West St or the staff car park. Please enter via that gate. Then proceed to the A1 classroom by following the signs.
MS Teams link: Microsoft Teams
Please specify your attendance by completing this one question survey as afternoon tea will be provided at the venue.
You are more than welcome to share this information with any other language teachers/educators who are interested. Bring along your laptop or other device.

If you have any further questions, please contact the network leader, Ke Fan.