The Language Teacher Network – Sydney Greater West will hold its Term 1 meeting on Wednesday 27 February 2019.

Date: Wednesday 27 February 2019
Time: 4:00-6:00pm
Venue: Rouse Hill High School
Agenda: 
- New Stage 6 assessment requirements
- Implementation of the new K-10 language syllabus

1. Please enrol via MyPL course code NR18042 and choose the appropriate session.
Non-DoE teachers are welcome, and can also create a MyPL profile and enrol. Instructions are attached below.
2. For catering purposes, send an email to RSVP to simone.wampfler-howie.1@det.nsw.edu.au.

​All language teachers K-12, teaching or living in the area, are welcome to attend.
​Networks are a great way to stay fresh, get new inspiration and be supported.

For further information, please contact the network leader, Alicia North.

NESA has released new Stage 6 Extension course prescriptions for 2020-2024 for the following languages:
- Arabic

• - Chinese
• - French
• - German
• - Indonesian
• - Italian
• - Japanese
• - Modern Greek
• - Spanish.


• The Languages and Culture team (Learning and Teaching Directorate – Secondary Education) will develop new language-specific support materials, to be published on the NSW Department of Education’s curriculum website.

Expressions of interest are invited from experienced teachers/head teachers of Stage 6 Extension language courses who would like to develop the support materials. Each language-specific writing team will consist of up to 3 teachers.

Successful applicants will be required to attend training and/or writing days at our offices in Darlinghurst for up to 5 days. The writing teams will commence early Term 1 2019.

The Languages and Culture team will provide release to attend training and/or writing days. Travel and accommodation costs may also be reimbursed, if required.

This project will provide teachers with the opportunity to develop their capacity as a curriculum leader and may be used as evidence for higher levels of accreditation.

Statement of duties of language-specific writers:

• - commit to develop high quality resources and support materials for the new Stage 6 Extension course prescriptions within set timeframes
• - collaborate both face-to-face and virtually with other language-specific writers in their teams
• - commit to participate in up to 5 days of writing.

Selection criteria:

• - language teacher or executive member (with language-teaching background) at a NSW public secondary school – permanent or temporary
• - experience in teaching Stage 6 Extension course for the relevant language
• - capacity to develop and design high-quality resources and support materials
• - demonstrated ability to work as part of a collaborative team.
   
  All applications require the endorsement of the applicant’s current principal. Please complete the attached form, including the selection criteria, and email as a PDF to Maxine Acosta by 5pm Wednesday 12 December 2018.

For further information contact Maxine Acosta, Language Officer, on 9266 8540 or at maxine.acosta4@det.nsw.edu.au

New course prescriptions for the 2020–2024 Higher School Certificate for Stage 6 Extension courses in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish have been published and are available to download from the syllabus section of the NESA website.

Implementation of the new course prescriptions will commence at the start of Term 4, 2019 for the 2020 HSC examination.

Schools are reminded that the study of texts prescribed for any Year 12 course may not begin before the completion of the Year 11 course and applies to the study of a prescribed text in any medium, including the film of a novel.

For more information, visit the website.

This is the final instalment of our K-10 syllabus question and answer series, looking at questions asked by teachers at the Languages K-10 syllabus familiarisation and planning workshops earlier this year.

This post focuses on the transition into Stage 6 and questions that haven't fitted into any of the earlier categories. 

You can find previous posts on implementation, syllabus content and outcomes, target language use in the classroom, three learner groups, learning across the curriculum content, programming, Program Builder, the role of language and culture, assessment, reporting, school registration and ongoing support by clicking on the 7-10 category on the right hand side of the Languages NSW News page.

Transition into Stage 6
Q: If we’re going to cater for 3 learner groups, will Stage 6 have 3 learner groups in all languages? Interesting that current discussion is on not running some courses in 2019/2020, eg Indonesian in Context.
A: At this stage, there is nothing to indicate that current Stage 6 language courses will change to reflect the learner groups outlined in the K-10 syllabuses. Differentiated Stage 6 courses exist for Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean.
The decision to suspend the Indonesian in Context course after the 2019 HSC examination is related to low student enrolments (see more information below).
 
Q: When will new Stage 6 syllabuses be released?
Q: With all these changes in K-10, when will the Stage 6 courses change to align with these new objectives and outcomes?
A: The current Language in Context and Language and Literature courses are being reviewed, and NESA sought feedback in Term 3 2018 through a range of consultation opportunities. Feedback included:

• - the need for the curriculum to cater for the diversity of learners
• - development of skills and capabilities for the future
• - school-based assessment
• - providing opportunities for assessing and reporting student achievement relevant for post-school pathways.

There are currently no plans to review other Stage 6 language courses.
 
Q: Will the Stage 6 Language in Context (formerly Heritage ) course continue?
A: Stage 6 courses are offered based on student interest. If candidature in a course falls below 15 students in each of three consecutive years, the course is suspended. Please refer to the table on NESA's website for more information.
 
Q: How do we support Stage 4-5 "heritage" students to prepare for their HSC?
A:The differentiated content for students with prior learning/experience and students with a background in the language supports teachers to provide appropriately challenging content for students who may wish to study Language in Context or Language and Literature courses in Stage 6. Reviewing the examples (dash points) under the intended learning (dot points), will provide guidance on the level of grammar and vocabulary which would be appropriate for students commencing a Stage 6 Language in Context course.
 
Q: Backward mapping HSC language courses to meet the needs for Language Continuum students K-10?
A: Each Continuers language syllabus has a comprehensive outline of the grammar and structures that will be examined throughout the Stage 6 course. Teachers who are preparing Stage 5 students for the Stage 6 Continuers courses will find all the information they need to guide their teaching in each of the Stage 6 language syllabuses.
 
Q: Where do the prior learners go in Stage 6 when the Indonesian in Context is not offered anymore?
A: NESA can provide guidance in specific circumstances.
 
Q: Stage 6 Beginners course eligibility – if a student takes Korean in Year 10, what happens?
A: If the only time they study Korean is in Year 10, for no more than 100 hours, they are eligible for the Stage 6 Beginners course.

Other
Q: How do you effectively differentiate tasks?
A: To assist with the development of differentiated tasks and teaching and learning activities, each language syllabus provides three levels of content for Stages 4 and 5, with examples of intended learning to illustrate differentiation for the three broad learner groups.
Teaching to three broad learner groups is more relevant in some schools than others. If you teach a language in an area where there are significant numbers of students in each of the learner groups, you may like to approach your local area network leader and suggest differentiation as a topic for future professional learning in that forum.
The department is currently reviewing its professional learning in relation to differentiating based on student ability, for re-release in 2019.
 
Q: With such a focus on speaking the target language in the classroom, and a noticeable decline in the standard of language skills of university graduates, will the universities change their major/minor criteria, for example I have had a practicum student who didn’t study the language (her major) until she started university and her language level is terrible (not because of the course, but because of the hours she has studied the language for)?
A: NESA works with tertiary institutions to develop criteria for initial teacher education courses.
 
Q: How will I teach languages in an open learning environment?
A: The teaching of languages in combined/open-plan learning spaces is a new challenge for many teachers. Professional networking between colleagues will be invaluable, and the Languages NSW Yammer page would be a good place to start reaching out to colleagues who are also ‘learning by doing’.
 
Q: How can you influence UAI/ATAR domain that scales down languages and therefore the importance of languages?
A: A student’s ATAR and scaling of courses are managed by the Universities Admission Centre (UAC) – you can find more information on the UAC website.
 
Q: How does NESA only acknowledge K-10 syllabus, when many students only start learning language in Year 7?
A: Instead of offering two pathways like the Australian curriculum: Languages, the NSW K-10 syllabuses acknowledge that there are multiple entry points for students learning a language – some students enter Kindergarten already speaking the language, others have their first encounter in Stage 4. The continuum of learning ensures that language learning is age- and Stage-appropriate, and that students can engage with the language in ways appropriate to their cognitive ability and previous experiences at every Stage of learning. Outcomes are broad enough to support teachers in planning appropriate teaching and learning activities, regardless of a student’s entry point.
 
Q: How heavily mandated will it be for teachers trained in a language to deliver all classes?
A: Staffing is a school-based decision. There is no mandate for a teacher trained in a specific language to deliver all lessons for that particular language course. However, as mentioned at the workshops, languages have been identified as a priority area by NESA, and quality language teaching is best delivered by language teachers wherever possible.
 
Q: How can regional and rural non-language trained teachers gain skills to teach a language and the new syllabus? Are there qualified teachers to support? Intensive holiday courses? Weekend courses? Ongoing courses? Semester 3 unit start courses with NESA accreditation?
A: The Languages and Culture team supports teachers to maintain and develop their language skills by offering funding support to attend immersion opportunities offered by foreign government agencies, for example:

• - Goethe-Institut’s Sommerschule
• - Alliance Française’s Carnet de vacances
• - Japan Foundation’s intensive seminar.

These opportunities are advertised through languagesnsw.com.
Some universities and foreign government agencies run distance education courses in a range of languages.
In addition, the Languages and Culture team offers a mentoring program for early career language teachers called the Virtual Languages Mentoring Network (VLMN). This program matches early career language teachers with an experienced, language-specific mentor for two years. The VLMN will be recruiting new ‘mentees’ for 2019-20 in Term 4 through an EOI process which will be advertised on languagesnsw.com.
 
Q; What PL is available for actual language learning to teach languages, especially in rural schools?
A: See above.
 
Q: In running this “roadshow”, have you noticed any differences or patterns that emerge as issues in regional schools?
A: We had expected significant differences between the experiences of teachers in metropolitan and regional schools. Contexts vary so much across schools in both metropolitan areas and regional areas, that sometimes teachers have more in common with schools located in a very different geographical area than one located in the same city. One difference we were expecting was that regional schools would have more Stage-based classes (for example Years 7 and 8 in one class), but we found this happens quite often in metropolitan schools too. Language teachers face many of the same challenges regardless of their location.
 
Q: Do you suggest trying choices of learning tasks to fit with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles? How much variation of a learning task is a good idea?
A: UDL is a framework for instruction based on three guiding principles:

• - representation – giving learners different ways of acquiring information, knowledge and skills
• - action and expression – encouraging students to use different ways of demonstrating what they know
• - engagement – tapping into learners' interests, challenging and motivating them to learn (Rose & Meyer, 2002).

The task-based approach of the new K-10 syllabuses naturally supports these principles. A range of tasks will support and engage students. It’s important to remember, however, that when students are given a choice of assessment of learning tasks to demonstrate their learning, the tasks must target the same outcome/s so that teachers can measure student success in a valid and reliable way.
 
Q: When and how can we include Life Skills outcomes in our own teaching programs?
A: For some students with special education needs who are not able to access the mainstream curriculum, particularly those with an intellectual disability, Life Skills outcomes and content can provide relevant and meaningful learning experiences. The relevant outcomes and content for Life Skills students can be found in the syllabus after the content for Stage 5. It is important to remember that the decision about whether a student should follow a Life Skills program is a collaborative one, taken by a number of different stakeholders including the principal, the learning and support team, teachers, the student and the student’s family. Teachers cannot decide independently to teach Life Skills outcomes .
NESA’s website has a section on Collaborative Curriculum Planning which may be helpful when considering differentiation for students with special learning needs.  
 
Q: If we have international students arriving in Year 9 or 10, do they have to do a mandatory 100 hours language course to qualify for the RoSA? If so, can we do that in Stage 5?
A:  Students transferring from overseas into Stage 5 don’t have to do the mandatory 100 hours of language learning to be eligible for the RoSA. Principals have delegated authority from the Board to deem that the mandatory requirements in all key learning areas have been met. Please visit the NESA website for more information.
 
That's the final instalment of our Languages K-10 syllabus questions and answers! Remember to get in touch with the Languages and Culture team if you need any further information about any of the above, or come up with more questions.

Happy programming! 

Lynda.com is an online learning platform where you can access a range of self-paced educational courses taught by industry leaders on technology, software, business and creative skills.

Lynda.com is now available for Year 11 and Year 12 students to access.

Although Lynda.com does not provide language-specific content, language teachers, year advisers and executive could use this website to:
- supplement course material work in the classroom
- flip the classroom
- provide individual support to students by creating promotional materials and video playlists for students to access
- enhance students' technology and software skills for specific projects
- increase students' future-focused transferable skills.

Lynda.com is also a useful tool in reaching teacher professional and personal goals. It is accessible via the DoE portal and can be downloaded by clicking the “My training” tab. ​

The NSW Department of Education has developed support materials for the following Stage 6 courses:
Chinese and Literature
Indonesian and Literature
Japanese and Literature
Korean and Literature.

The materials were developed by practising teachers in NSW public schools, and can be accessed from the education.nsw.gov.au website or via the links above.

NESA is reviewing the Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean in Context, and Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean and Literature Stage 6 syllabuses.

Have your say on the draft frameworks by completing a survey, attending a consultation meeting, and/or submitting a written response to the project manager. Consultation will be open from 23 July 2018 to 2 September 2018.

• Language and Literature Stage 6 draft framework (PDF, 48 pages, 1.25MB)
• Language in Context Stage 6 draft framework (PDF, 48 pages, 1.21MB)
  

In March 2018, teachers and key stakeholders had the opportunity to provide feedback via an online survey or written submission. Thank you to everyone who participated. Read the Language and Literature Stage 6 (PDF, 16 pages, 303KB) and Language in Context Stage 6 (PDF, 16 pages, 451KB) Syllabus Review Reports and Broad Directions.

Complete the surveys
Language and Literature Stage 6 survey
Language in Context Stage 6 survey

Register for a consultation meeting
Meetings will be held from 4.00 to 6.00 pm with tea and coffee from 3.30 pm.
Thursday 26 July – Club Burwood RSL, Burwood
Monday 30 July – Kingsgrove RSL, Kingsgrove
Monday 6 August – Pymble Golf Club, St Ives
Completing a draft framework consultation meeting will contribute to 2 hours of NESA Registered PD (addressing 6.2.2 and 7.4.2) from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher Accreditation in NSW.

Submit a written response
When submitting a written response, please include your name or organisation’s name and contact details. Submit your response to the project manager – Lyn Sully, lyn.sully@nesa.nsw.edu.au, 02 9367 8152

Official notice

Effective: Immediately
The current HSC Course Prescriptions 2014–2018 for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish Extension courses have been extended to include the 2019 HSC examinations.

New course prescriptions for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek and Spanish Extension courses for HSC examinations from 2020 will be published on the NESA website in 2018.

The 2014-2019 HSC Course Prescriptions for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Modern Greek, and Spanish Extension courses are available to download in the syllabus section of the NESA website.
​
For more information, contact:
Lyn Sully 
Inspector, Languages 
(02) 9367 8152 
@LanguagesNESA

New resources have been uploaded, including sample units of works and assessment tasks for French, Italian and Indonesian for Stages 4 and 5.  

Sample numeracy tasks developed by teachers can also be accessed on the Stages 4 and 5 page. 

The Stage 6 page has some new sample units of work for French Beginners and Indonesian Beginners. ​​