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