Post on 16-Jan-2016
Mandarin Education in the ACT:Pathways to Proficiency
10 August, 2013
Jane Orton, PhDDirector
Chinese Teacher Training CentreThe University of Melbourne
National Provision Update - Since 2008
• Chinese still smallest – max. 90,000 students• German next smallest at about 127,000• Japanese the largest at about 330,000+. • More programs everywhere, especially in
Primary and in the Catholic Sector• Replacing German, even Japanese > tensions• Programs same as ever > same old problems
Key Problems
• Administrators not knowledgeable about language learning, or special needs of Chinese
• Primary = 30 mins a week = a waste of time• Too often just songs + noun clusters, e.g. animals • All levels pedagogy still very limited – a quick rush
to drill in the characters• Almost all teaching is done in English> Kids don’t learn; get discouraged/bored > Give up as soon as they can = 95%
Heritage Speakers/Year 12
• Heritage (home speaker) learners dominate the L2 scene at every level in most schools
• Year 12 ratio of Heritage : Classroom Learner (genuine L2) in Victoria and NSW of about 8 : 1.
> WA barring Heritage students at Yr 12 > anger> Vic – offering bonus for ‘bilingualism’ if take
higher level + considering dividing by number of hours of formal study – under discussion now.
Advances 1 – Programs
• New style primary programs: in WA, Vic, NSW – VERY few but VERY exciting as being done well =+ time +intensive/immersion/ bilingual programs(and still some old ones in Vic, NSW, SA and Qld);– gesture-based (AIM) using drama, stories– CLIL, with content in science, SOSE, ICT– Ready for National Curriculum of min. 350 hrs • New bilingual high school in Melbourne in 2014.
Advances 2 – Resources
• The Language Learning Space – rich supply of well arranged, linked and indexed work on all and everything Chinese
• For teachers and for students• COOL material![Otherwise, too many beginner resources = no
Book 2; most pretty much same old same old in the way they treat language and content – low appeal and no intellectual development at all]
Advances 3– Professional Learning
• Noticeable increase in numbers at CTTC PDs• Noticeable interest from Ts in talking about
teaching