Research Article
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Year 2020, Volume: 16 Issue: 3, 1480 - 1499, 01.10.2020
https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803865

Abstract

References

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, Australian Census of Population and Housing 2011, Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/data?opendocument#from-banner=LN, accessed: 30 May 2013.
  • Absalom, M & Morgan, A 2012, ‘What language teachers want: Considering the evaluation of 18th biennial conference’, Babel, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 32 - 38.
  • Blackledge, A & Creese, A 2008 ‘Contesting ‘Language’ as ‘Heritage’: Negotiation of Identities in Late Modernity’, Applied Linguistics, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 533-554.
  • Brown, S 2008, ‘Multicultural Society, Monocultural Media: SBS-More Special Than Ever’, The Sydney Paper, vol. 20, no. 4, Spring 2008: [i]-11.
  • Carsaniga, G 1994, ‘To be or not to be: Australian 'community languages' or 'Australian community' languages: an Italo/ Australian viewpoint, Babel, v.29, no.3, Oct/ Dec 1994: 4-7,3.
  • Clyne, M 1991, Community Languages: The Australian Experience, Cambridge University Press, UK.
  • Clyne, M 2005, Australia's Language Potential, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.
  • Clyne, M 2006, 'Empowerment through the community language - a challenge', in M Pütz, JA Fishman and J Neff-Van Aertselaer (eds), Along the Routes to Power: Explorations of Empowerment Through Language, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York pp. 107- 126.
  • Clyne, M 2007, ‘Are We Making a Difference? On the Social Responsibilities and Impact of the Linguist/Applied Linguist in Australia’ Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 30, No. 1, Monash University, Australia
  • Clyne, M 2011, 'Three is too many in Australia', in C Hélot and M Ó Laoire (eds), Language Policy for the Multilingual Classroom: Pedagogy of the Possible, Multilingual Matters, Bristol, UK, pp. 174-187.
  • Clyne, M & Fernandez, S 2008, 'Community Languages in Australia', in Encyclopedia of language and education, vol. 4: Second and foreign language education, Springer Science + Business Media LLC, pp. 169–181.
  • Clyne, M, Fernandez, S & Grey, F 2004, 'Languages taken at school and languages spoken in the home: a comparative perspective', Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 1-17.
  • Clyne, M & Kipp, S 2002, 'Australia's changing language demography', People and Place, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 29-35.
  • Collins, J & Reid, C (2012) ‘Immigrant teachers in Australia’, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 38-61.
  • Crawford, J 1995 ‘School language learning: where are we really going?’, Babel, v.30, no.1, Apr/ June 1995: 20-23,30.
  • Creese, A 2009, 'Building on Young People's Linguistic and Cultural Continuity: Complementary Schools in the United Kingdom', Theory Into Practice, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 267-273.
  • DEECD 2012a, Languages in Victorian Government Schools 2011, DEECD; Melbourne
  • DEECD 2012b, 2010 - 2011 Teacher Supply and Demand Report For the Victorian Teacher Supply and Demand Reference Group, DEECD; Melbourne
  • Elder, C 2000, ‘Outing the Native Speaker: The Problem of Diverse Learner Backgrounds in 'Foreign' Language Classrooms - An Australian Case Study’, Language, Culture and Curriculum, vol 13, no. 1, pp. 86-108.
  • Extra, G 2007, 'From minority programmes to multilingual education', in P Auer and L Wei (eds), Handbook of Multilingualism and Multilingual Communication, vol. 5, Walter de Gruyter, Inc., pp. 175-206.
  • Group of Eight 2008, Languages in crisis: a rescue plan for Australia, Group of Eight Manuka, A.C.T.
  • Guest D., 2012, Title of memo: S086-2012 Change of Nomenclature from LOTE to Languages and ESL to English as an Additional Language (EAL), memo dated 6 March 2012, Department of Education and early Childhood Development, Victoria.
  • Hornberger, NH 2005, 'Heritage/Community Language Education: US and Australian Perspectives', International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, vol. 8, no. 2-3, pp. 101-108.
  • Kearney, G 1999, ‘Language before linguistics? The cart before the horse’, Babel, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 10-15,37
  • Kipp, S & Clyne, M, & Pauwels, A 1995, Immigration and Australia's language resources, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra
  • Kohler, M, Harbon, L, Fischmann, V, McLaughlin, M & Liddicoat, AJ 2006, 'Quality teaching: Views from the profession', Babel, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 23-38.
  • Leuner, B 2010, ‘Patterns of language use: Polish migrants from the 1980s and their children in Melbourne’, Babel, v.44, no.3, May 2010: 27-37.
  • Liddicoat, AJ, Scarino, A, Jowan Curnow, T, Kohler, M, Scrimgeour, A & Morgan, A-M 2007, An Investigation of the State and Nature of Languages in Australian Schools: Prepared by the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures Education University of South Australia, Dept. of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2007, Canberra, A.C.T.
  • Lo Bianco, J & Slaughter, Y & Australian Council for Educational Research 2009, Second languages and Australian schooling, ACER, Camberwell, Vic.
  • Mascitelli, B and Merlino, F 2011, ‘By accident or design? The origins of the Victorian School of Languages’, Babel, vol. 46 no. 2/3, September 2011, pp. 40-47.
  • Mercurio, A & Scarino, A 2005, 'Heritage Languages at Upper Secondary Level in South Australia: A Struggle for Legitimacy', International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, vol. 8, no. 2-3, pp. 145-159.
  • Ozolins, U 1993, The Politics of Language in Australia, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [England]; Melbourne.
  • Santoro, N, Reid, J & Kamler, B 2001, 'Making difference count: A demographic study of overseas born teachers', Australian Journal of Education, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 62-75.
  • Smolicz J, 1997, ‘Australia: from migrant country to multicultural nation’ International Migration Review, Vol.31, No.1, pp. 171-186
  • Smolicz, JJ & Secombe, MJ 2003, 'Assimilation or pluralism? Changing policies for minority languages education in Australia', Language Policy, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 3-25.
  • VSL Survey, 2011, undertaken by H. Avara, Victorian School of Languages, Melbourne
  • Weldon, P, Rowley, G, & McKenzie, P 2011, Profiles of teachers in selected curriculum areas: Further analyses of the staff in Australia’s schools 2010 survey
  • Willoughby, L 2006, 'Heritage LOTEs at VCE level: student perspectives on current programs', Monash University Linguistics Papers, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 3-15.

Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages

Year 2020, Volume: 16 Issue: 3, 1480 - 1499, 01.10.2020
https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803865

Abstract

Within Australia, the State of Victoria has the greatest ethnic diversity and the largest number of second languages used at home. It also has the highest rates of students participating in language learning at school. It is also home to the country’s largest and oldest government school for second language learning - the Victorian School of Languages (VSL) which currently teaches 45 languages to approximately 16.000 students in 40 centres across the state. This paper develops a profile of the human capital of language teachers at the VSL and explores their views, which have until now been unexplored. It draws on an extensive anonymous survey of the VSL staff (mostly teachers) with over 552 responses. The results are both predictable and yet diverse. The findings show that the staff at the VSL are demographically a unique group, as they represent a rich gathering of cultural and linguistic diversity that is unlikely to be matched in any other institution in Australia. This paper presents the views of this exceptional cohort who work in a specialised environment that proudly holds the teaching of languages as its “core business”. The survey revealed that staff are highly enthusiastic and strongly believe in the role that their school is playing in nurturing multilingualism and multiculturalism in the state of Victoria. But it also showed their deep concerns about a number of current problems in the field of languages education in Australia. It also revealed that there is currently a fragmentation of opinion on the best label for languages as a curriculum area. This paper argues that the considerations of the staff at this specialist institution are highly developed and can therefore be seen as a beacon for the concerns of professionals in the field of languages education in other educational settings in Australia and overseas.

References

  • Australian Bureau of Statistics 2013, Australian Census of Population and Housing 2011, Available at: http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/censushome.nsf/home/data?opendocument#from-banner=LN, accessed: 30 May 2013.
  • Absalom, M & Morgan, A 2012, ‘What language teachers want: Considering the evaluation of 18th biennial conference’, Babel, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 32 - 38.
  • Blackledge, A & Creese, A 2008 ‘Contesting ‘Language’ as ‘Heritage’: Negotiation of Identities in Late Modernity’, Applied Linguistics, vol. 29, no. 4, pp. 533-554.
  • Brown, S 2008, ‘Multicultural Society, Monocultural Media: SBS-More Special Than Ever’, The Sydney Paper, vol. 20, no. 4, Spring 2008: [i]-11.
  • Carsaniga, G 1994, ‘To be or not to be: Australian 'community languages' or 'Australian community' languages: an Italo/ Australian viewpoint, Babel, v.29, no.3, Oct/ Dec 1994: 4-7,3.
  • Clyne, M 1991, Community Languages: The Australian Experience, Cambridge University Press, UK.
  • Clyne, M 2005, Australia's Language Potential, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.
  • Clyne, M 2006, 'Empowerment through the community language - a challenge', in M Pütz, JA Fishman and J Neff-Van Aertselaer (eds), Along the Routes to Power: Explorations of Empowerment Through Language, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, New York pp. 107- 126.
  • Clyne, M 2007, ‘Are We Making a Difference? On the Social Responsibilities and Impact of the Linguist/Applied Linguist in Australia’ Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, Vol. 30, No. 1, Monash University, Australia
  • Clyne, M 2011, 'Three is too many in Australia', in C Hélot and M Ó Laoire (eds), Language Policy for the Multilingual Classroom: Pedagogy of the Possible, Multilingual Matters, Bristol, UK, pp. 174-187.
  • Clyne, M & Fernandez, S 2008, 'Community Languages in Australia', in Encyclopedia of language and education, vol. 4: Second and foreign language education, Springer Science + Business Media LLC, pp. 169–181.
  • Clyne, M, Fernandez, S & Grey, F 2004, 'Languages taken at school and languages spoken in the home: a comparative perspective', Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 1-17.
  • Clyne, M & Kipp, S 2002, 'Australia's changing language demography', People and Place, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 29-35.
  • Collins, J & Reid, C (2012) ‘Immigrant teachers in Australia’, Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 38-61.
  • Crawford, J 1995 ‘School language learning: where are we really going?’, Babel, v.30, no.1, Apr/ June 1995: 20-23,30.
  • Creese, A 2009, 'Building on Young People's Linguistic and Cultural Continuity: Complementary Schools in the United Kingdom', Theory Into Practice, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 267-273.
  • DEECD 2012a, Languages in Victorian Government Schools 2011, DEECD; Melbourne
  • DEECD 2012b, 2010 - 2011 Teacher Supply and Demand Report For the Victorian Teacher Supply and Demand Reference Group, DEECD; Melbourne
  • Elder, C 2000, ‘Outing the Native Speaker: The Problem of Diverse Learner Backgrounds in 'Foreign' Language Classrooms - An Australian Case Study’, Language, Culture and Curriculum, vol 13, no. 1, pp. 86-108.
  • Extra, G 2007, 'From minority programmes to multilingual education', in P Auer and L Wei (eds), Handbook of Multilingualism and Multilingual Communication, vol. 5, Walter de Gruyter, Inc., pp. 175-206.
  • Group of Eight 2008, Languages in crisis: a rescue plan for Australia, Group of Eight Manuka, A.C.T.
  • Guest D., 2012, Title of memo: S086-2012 Change of Nomenclature from LOTE to Languages and ESL to English as an Additional Language (EAL), memo dated 6 March 2012, Department of Education and early Childhood Development, Victoria.
  • Hornberger, NH 2005, 'Heritage/Community Language Education: US and Australian Perspectives', International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, vol. 8, no. 2-3, pp. 101-108.
  • Kearney, G 1999, ‘Language before linguistics? The cart before the horse’, Babel, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 10-15,37
  • Kipp, S & Clyne, M, & Pauwels, A 1995, Immigration and Australia's language resources, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra
  • Kohler, M, Harbon, L, Fischmann, V, McLaughlin, M & Liddicoat, AJ 2006, 'Quality teaching: Views from the profession', Babel, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 23-38.
  • Leuner, B 2010, ‘Patterns of language use: Polish migrants from the 1980s and their children in Melbourne’, Babel, v.44, no.3, May 2010: 27-37.
  • Liddicoat, AJ, Scarino, A, Jowan Curnow, T, Kohler, M, Scrimgeour, A & Morgan, A-M 2007, An Investigation of the State and Nature of Languages in Australian Schools: Prepared by the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures Education University of South Australia, Dept. of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2007, Canberra, A.C.T.
  • Lo Bianco, J & Slaughter, Y & Australian Council for Educational Research 2009, Second languages and Australian schooling, ACER, Camberwell, Vic.
  • Mascitelli, B and Merlino, F 2011, ‘By accident or design? The origins of the Victorian School of Languages’, Babel, vol. 46 no. 2/3, September 2011, pp. 40-47.
  • Mercurio, A & Scarino, A 2005, 'Heritage Languages at Upper Secondary Level in South Australia: A Struggle for Legitimacy', International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, vol. 8, no. 2-3, pp. 145-159.
  • Ozolins, U 1993, The Politics of Language in Australia, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge [England]; Melbourne.
  • Santoro, N, Reid, J & Kamler, B 2001, 'Making difference count: A demographic study of overseas born teachers', Australian Journal of Education, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 62-75.
  • Smolicz J, 1997, ‘Australia: from migrant country to multicultural nation’ International Migration Review, Vol.31, No.1, pp. 171-186
  • Smolicz, JJ & Secombe, MJ 2003, 'Assimilation or pluralism? Changing policies for minority languages education in Australia', Language Policy, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 3-25.
  • VSL Survey, 2011, undertaken by H. Avara, Victorian School of Languages, Melbourne
  • Weldon, P, Rowley, G, & McKenzie, P 2011, Profiles of teachers in selected curriculum areas: Further analyses of the staff in Australia’s schools 2010 survey
  • Willoughby, L 2006, 'Heritage LOTEs at VCE level: student perspectives on current programs', Monash University Linguistics Papers, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 3-15.
There are 38 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Hayriye Avara This is me

Bruno Mascitelli This is me

Catherine Bryant This is me

Publication Date October 1, 2020
Published in Issue Year 2020 Volume: 16 Issue: 3

Cite

APA Avara, H., Mascitelli, B., & Bryant, C. (2020). Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 16(3), 1480-1499. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803865
AMA Avara H, Mascitelli B, Bryant C. Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. October 2020;16(3):1480-1499. doi:10.17263/jlls.803865
Chicago Avara, Hayriye, Bruno Mascitelli, and Catherine Bryant. “Teaching Languages in a Multicultural Setting: Perspectives of a Unique Cohort of Language Teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 16, no. 3 (October 2020): 1480-99. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803865.
EndNote Avara H, Mascitelli B, Bryant C (October 1, 2020) Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 16 3 1480–1499.
IEEE H. Avara, B. Mascitelli, and C. Bryant, “Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages”, Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 1480–1499, 2020, doi: 10.17263/jlls.803865.
ISNAD Avara, Hayriye et al. “Teaching Languages in a Multicultural Setting: Perspectives of a Unique Cohort of Language Teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies 16/3 (October 2020), 1480-1499. https://doi.org/10.17263/jlls.803865.
JAMA Avara H, Mascitelli B, Bryant C. Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 2020;16:1480–1499.
MLA Avara, Hayriye et al. “Teaching Languages in a Multicultural Setting: Perspectives of a Unique Cohort of Language Teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages”. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, vol. 16, no. 3, 2020, pp. 1480-99, doi:10.17263/jlls.803865.
Vancouver Avara H, Mascitelli B, Bryant C. Teaching languages in a multicultural setting: Perspectives of a unique cohort of language teachers –at the Victorian School of Languages. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies. 2020;16(3):1480-99.