International Languages Exchanges and Pathways

April 2013

Orientation Booklet Foreign Language Assistants

 

 

Table  of  Contents  

I. WELCOME   1  HAERE  MAI   2  

II. THE  LEARNING  AND  TEACHING  OF  LANGUAGES  IN  NEW  ZEALAND  SECONDARY  SCHOOLS   3  

TRENDS,  DEVELOPMENTS  AND  KEY  DOCUMENTS   4  THE  NEW  ZEALAND  EDUCATION  SYSTEM   5  THE  GENERIC  LANGUAGES  CURRICULUM   6  LANGUAGE  ASSESSMENT   8  TEACHING  TECHNIQUES  AND  RESOURCES   9  SUPPORT  FOR  FRENCH  LANGUAGE  TEACHING   10  SUPPORT  FOR  GERMAN  LANGUAGE  TEACHING   11  SUPPORT  FOR  SPANISH  LANGUAGE  TEACHING   12  RESOURCES  ONLINE   12  

III. THE  NEW  ZEALAND  EDUCATION  SYSTEM   13  EDUCATION  ORGANISATIONS,  PARTNERS  AND  THEIR  ROLES   14  ORGANISATION  OF  NEW  ZEALAND  PRIMARY,  SECONDARY  AND  TERTIARY  EDUCATION   15  TYPES  OF  SCHOOLS   16  NATIONAL  AGENCIES  AND  ORGANISATIONS   17  QUALIFICATIONS  AND  DOCUMENTATION   22  

IV. GOAL  SETTING   23    

V. CODE  OF  CONDUCT   28    

VI. MAKING  THE  BEST  USE  OF  YOUR  EXPERIENCE   31    

1 Welcome to New ZealandWe hope you had a safe journey and are ready to take in a lot of information about your new home.The purpose of this orientation seminar is to help you set up life in New Zealand, give you an introduction to the New Zealand education system, provide you with important resources, guide you through your contract and conditions of employment and to give you some tips on New Zealand culture. It is also a great opportunity for you to meet all the other Language Assistants, ILEP sta! as well as Embassy o"cials.

Welcome

ii

In Te Reo M!ori, the language of New Zealand’s indigenous M!ori, Haere Mai means ‘welcome’, and we welcome you to this booklet which aims to give you a small taste of New Zealand and its people.

New Zealand is situated in the South Pacific Ocean 2,200 km from Australia, our closest neighbour and friend. There are two main islands - the North Island and the South Island. Total land area is 270,000 sq km, which means New Zealand could fit into Australia 28 times and the United States or Canada 34 times each. However, we are slightly bigger than the United Kingdom.

New Zealand is truly multicultural. The first settlers in mainland New Zealand were the M!ori, who arrived over 700 years ago, followed by sealers and whalers around 1800, then large num-ber of migrants from the United Kingdom from the 1840s. Eng-lish is the main written and spoken language in New Zealand, albeit with a number of different accents. Te Reo M!ori (the M!ori language) is also officially recognised. Our third official language is New Zealand Sign Language.

The first few months can be busy and challenging and life in New Zealand may be quite different from the life you are used to. ILEP is committed to assisting and supporting Language As-sistants in settling quickly and successfully. We look forward to helping you make your way in New Zealand and wish you well in your life here.

HAERE MAI

2 ! Trends, Developments and Key Documents! New Zealand Education system! The Generic Languages Curriculum ! Languages Assessment! Teaching Techniques and Resources ! Support for French Language Teaching ! Support for German Language Teaching ! Support for Spanish Language Teaching ! Resources Online

The Learning and Teaching of Languages in New Zealand Secondary Schools

4

International Languages are a separate learning area in the NZ Curriculum Framework. From 2010 onwards schools were ex-pected to make every effort to offer students in years 7-10 the opportunity to learn another language. New Zealand schools have a great deal of autonomy and because of this, you will find that the conditions under which languages are taught, vary from one school to the next. For more detailed information, visit the following websites:

www.minedu.govt.nz/Boards/EffectiveGovernance/PublicationsAndResources/EffectiveGovernance.aspx

www.nzqa.govt.nz

While French is still the most widely taught European language, the number of students studying a language in general is rela-tively low. One major difference between the New Zealand and the French/German/Spanish education systems is that subject choice is largely optional. Languages are optional at all levels. It is the school that decides whether learning a language should

be compulsory to a certain year level or a designated group. This has wide implications on both pedagogy and student num-bers. When subjects are not compulsory teachers have to work especially hard to attract and keep their students from year to year. You are likely to see a range of teaching styles from more formal, grammar based to student-centred task-based involving a lot of group and pair work.

The New Zealand Curriculum (2007) is the overarching docu-ment governing the teaching of all subjects. www.nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

Its front section covers generic elements of educating young New Zealanders, such as Vision, Principles, Values, Key Com-petencies, Learning Areas, Effective Pedagogy and The School Curriculum. Each school is responsible for creating its own cur-riculum, incorporating relevant aspects of the NZC, to corre-spond to the needs of the particular learning community. The back section contains the curriculum for each subject area.

In addition to this there is the Learning Languages Poster which incorporates the generic languages curriculum, Principles of ef-fective language acquisition, The Learning Languages Area statement and a schematic overview of the elements of lan-guage teaching/learning.

Section 2.1

Trends, Developments and Key Documents

5

Secondary education in New Zealand begins in year 9 (average age 13 years). This can be confusing for a foreigner, who could be excused for thinking that year 7 would be the first year of

secondary school. Secondary education is compulsory until age 16 (usually years 11/12) and optional there on.

There have been major changes in our assessment system over the last 10 years and the NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement) is the new set of national qualifica-tions for senior secondary students in Years 11,12 (average age 16 years) and 13 (average age 17 years).

There is both external and internal assessment of achievement standards and students gain credits towards the NCEA, more than half of which are assessed internally within the school.

Most Year 11 students will aim at NCEA Level 1, Year 12 at Level 2 and Year 13 at Level 3.

Section 2.2

The New Zealand Education system

6

The core strand in the new languages curriculum is: Communi-cation at all levels. The supporting strands are: language knowledge and cultural knowledge.

Cultural knowledge is no longer seen as a set of static facts but rather a focus on dynamic aspects of culture, such as val-ues and attitudes. How culture is reflected in language is an important consideration. Instead of focusing predominantly on language knowledge and mastery, there has been a shift to-wards valuing and understanding cultural differences. This is reflected as much in behaviour as in language. Now it is no longer sufficient to have a knowledge of the language but rather an appreciation of how to use this language appropri-ately in a variety of contexts. Through a study of language and culture, students are encouraged to reflect on their own cul-tural identity and to realise that their habits and beliefs repre-sent only one way of viewing the world rather than being the norm against which to judge other cultures.

The six principles are that intercultural communicative lan-

I. integrates language and culture from the beginning

II. engages learners in genuine social interaction

III. encourages and develops an exploratory and reflective ap-proach to culture and culture-in-language

IV. fosters explicit comparisons and connections between lan-guages and cultures

V. acknowledges and responds appropriately to diverse learn-ers and learning contexts

VI. emphasises intercultural communicative competence rather than native-speaker competence.

In addition to the traditional four skills of listening, reading speaking and writing the NZC language curriculum includes the categories of Viewing and Presenting/Performing. There is an increased emphasis on interacting and negotiating meaning.

The Learning Languages Wall Chart contains 10 Principles of effective second language acquisition. These principles under-pin current best pedagogical practice for language teachers in New Zealand. The principles highlight the need for students to:

I. develop a rich repertoire of formulaic expressions as well as a rule-based competence

Section 2.3

The Generic Languages Curriculum

7

II. focus predominantly on meaning

III. focus also on form

IV. develop implicit as well as explicit knowledge

V. take account of individuals’ ‘in-built syllabus’

VI. have extensive L2 input

VII. have opportunities for L2 output

VIII. have opportunities to interact

IX. take account of individual differences

X. be examined in both free and controlled production

The generic languages curriculum is arranged in four pairs of levels (curriculum levels 1&2, 3&4, which correspond to years 7 – 10 and 5 & 6, Year 11 and 7 & 8, Years 12 & This is only a guideline, reflecting practice in most schools. Each level has a proficiency descriptor which determines what students should be able to do. Assessments reflect these descriptors

Level 1 & 2: Students can understand and use familiar expres-sions and everyday vocabulary. Students can interact in a sim-ple way in supported situations

Level 3 & 4: Students can understand and construct simple texts using their knowledge of the target language. Students

can describe aspects of their own background and immediate environment

Level 5 & 6: Students can understand and produce more com-plex language. They can communicate beyond the immediate context, for example, past and future events. Students can un-derstand and produce a variety of text types

Level 7 & 8: Students can use language variably and effec-tively to express and justify their own ideas and opinions, and support or challenge those of others. They are able to use and identify the linguistic and cultural forms that guide interpretation and enable them to respond critically to texts

Section 2.3

8

Due to a change in the New Zealand Curriculum, NCEA achievement standards have been newly developed and only recently implemented.

Resources for external assessment can be found at www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/subjects/

In the new achievement standards there are 5 assessment types worth up to a total of 24 credits at each level. Schools are encouraged to offer no more than 20 credits at each level. Schools and students choose which achievement standards they will undertake.

In Year 11 students generally sit NCEA Level 1, In Year 12 Level 2 and in Year 13 Level 3. The standards are very similar at each level and are as follows:

1." Listen and Respond"" External" " 5 credits

2." Speak, present"" " Internal" " 4 credits

3." Interact" " " Internal " " 5 credits

4." View and Respond" External" " 5 credits

5." Write" " " Internal" " 5 credits

For the first time, in 2011 students undertook the .3 (interact) and .5 (write) standards and are now required to keep portfolios of work from which they will offer a selection for final assess-ment. Teachers are currently working on ways of managing this new requirement. It is designed partly to develop students’ self-management and judgement skills. Language assistants are likely to be particularly valuable to teachers and students prepar-ing the .3 standard, as their interactions with students can be stored as digitally recorded evidence.

For a more detailed outline of the revised NCEA languages ma-trix see www.ncea.tki.org.nz/Resources-for-aligned-standards/Learning-languages

Section 2.4

Language Assessment

9

There has been a widespread change of approach in the teach-ing of languages in New Zealand schools, largely as a result of the curriculum changes. A communi-cative approach is

used extensively in rec-ognition of the satisfaction pupils experience at being able to use the language they are learning for its intended purpose, that of communication. Task-based methodology (l’approche ac-tionnelle) is particularly well suited to developing oral profi-ciency.

There is an increasing emphasis on using audio-visual and com-puter aids in language teaching; particularly data projectors, in-teractive white boards and web based resources. This corre-sponds to a decrease in reliance on text books. Sources for authentic language and culture exchanges are used for virtual exchanges with native speakers. www.learning-languages-guides.tki.org.nz

Section 2.5

Teaching Techniques and Resources

10

There is a very dynamic website dedicated to supporting the teaching of French in NZ with activities, resource information and ideas relating to the curriculum on www.french.ac.nz

The French Embassy: is active in assisting the teaching of French in New Zealand by providing the services of an Attaché de Coopération who works closely with the National French Ad-viser. The French Government also helps to make available bur-saries and “stages” (to the French Pacific territories) for teachers of French. www.ambafrance-nz.org

The Alliance Française is a primary support for French lan-guage and culture in New Zealand. Auckland contacts are 9a Kirk Street, Grey Lynn Auckland. Tel: 09 376 00 09, Email: www.alliance-francaise.co.nz

Resources are also available for members from the Centre de Resources at the Alliance Française, Dominion Building, Level 3, 78 Victoria Street, Wellington.#

Tel: (04) 474 96 00, Fax: (04) 474 96 03, Email: alliance@paradise.net.nz or alliance@french.co.nz

The local DVD store is worth checking out as having possible resources.

The National French Language Ad-viser is employed by International Languages Exchanges and Path-ways (ILEP). Her role is to pro-mote high quality French teaching and learning in New Zealand schools by supporting teachers of

French and language assistants. The current French Adviser is Glenda Palmer. You will have the opportunity to meet her at your orientation seminar. She will assist you to form your professional goals and visit you in your schools during the year.

Glenda PalmerPhone: 09 623 8899 (Ext 46 366)Mobile: 021 020 56646 french@ilep.ac.nz

Section 2.6

Support for French Language Teaching

11

There is a branch of the Goethe Institute in Wellington (50 Cuba Street, Wellington (www.goethe.de/wellington). The In-stitute plays an important role in supporting the teaching of Ger-man language and culture in this country. It administers the scholarships awarded each year to New Zealand teachers of German to attend a language course in Germany. The Institute also runs an intensive refresher course for teachers every sec-ond year alternating with the NZALT conference and contrib-utes to inservice training course in various centres throughout the year. Up-to-date resources are also always available to teachers from the media library and teachers in or near Welling-ton can arrange class visits. If you need teaching resources you can contact the Institute on: Tel: 04 385 6924 or email: info@wellington.goethe.org.

The Goethe-Institut “Fachberater Deutsch” / National German Language Adviser is employed by International Languages Ex-changes and Pathways (ILEP) and her role is to promote high quality German teaching and learning in New Zealand schools

by supporting teachers of German and language assistants. The current German Adviser is Dr Heike Papenthin. You will have the opportunity to meet her at your orientation seminar. She will assist you to form your professional goals and visit you in your schools during the year.

The website of the German teachers’ associa-tion in New Zealand (German in Aotearoa New Zealand = GANZ) provides all kinds of information and resources from German teachers for German teachers and also works as a platform for exchanging ideas and ask-ing questions related to the teaching and

learning of German in New Zealand: www.ganz.ac.nz.

Heike PapenthinNational Adviser for GermanPhone: 09 623 8899 Ext 48 661Mobile: 021 810 372german@ilep.ac.nz

Section 2.7

Support for German Language Teaching

12

The Spanish Embassy through its Education Office in New Zealand offers support for the teaching of Spanish. The current

Spanish National Adviser, Pablo Mateu Garcia is based in Wellington at the Spanish Embassy.

The role of the Adviser is to promote high quality Spanish teaching and learning in New Zealand schools by supporting teachers of Spanish and lan-guage assistants. You will have the opportunity to

meet with the Spanish Adviser at the orientation seminar and he will assist you to form professional goals and visit you in your schools during the year.

Pablo Mateu GarcíaPhone: 04 802 5665 Ext 217Mobile: 021 819 140spanish@ilep.ac.nz

Section 2.8

Support for Spanish Language Teaching

Resources OnlineSection 2.9

You will also find a number of resources on the internet

www.ilep.ac.nz/LanguageAssistants/LanguageAssistantsResources.aspx

www.tpdl.ac.nz/resources

www.nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum/Learning-areas/Learning-languages

www.learning-languages.tki.org.nz/Language-Resources

3 !Education organisations, partners and their roles!Organisation of NZ Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education!Types of schools!Who’s who and what’s what in the NZ Education System

The New Zealand Education System

14

The basic roles of the main organisations are

The Ministry of Education is the Government’s lead adviser on the education sys-tem, shaping direction for education agencies and providers and contributing to the Government’s goals for education. The Ministry of Education determines the curricu-lum for learning and teaching in NZ schools. www.minedu.govt.nz

#NZQA's role in the education sector is to ensure that New Zealand qualifications are regarded as credi-ble and robust, nationally and internationally, in order to help learners succeed in their chosen endeav-ours and to contribute to New Zealand society. NZ Qualifications Authority sets and monitors the re-quirements for all qualifications within the NZ system. This also includes determining the equivalence of overseas qualifications in relation to NZ-based qualifications. www.nzqa.govt.nz

#The New Zealand Teachers’ Council sets and monitors the requirements (professional standards) for entry into teaching in NZ. www.teacherscouncil.org.nz

Section 3.1

Education Organisations, Partners and their Roles

15

Organisation of NZ Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Education

Section 3.2

16

Types of SchoolsContributing schools Primary schools with classes from Year 1-6 (few of these teach languages).

Full primary schools Primary schools, Years 1-8.

Intermediate Schools Year 7 and 8 only. Usually found in larger towns and cities. They are a sort of transition zone from primary

to secondary education.

Restricted composite or middle schools

Years 7-10. There are only a handful in the country.

Composite and area schools

Years 1-13. Combined primary and secondary. Area schools are usually found in rural areas; composite

schools are often private schools with a religious base.

Secondary Schools Usually Years 9-13. Years 7-13 schools with an attached intermediate section are becoming more common.

Wharekura / Kura Kaupapa

Maori immersion schools.

The Correspondence School

Years 1-13. Provides distance education for those unable to access education in the usual way. Very important

provider of secondary languages education.

Section 3.3

17

National Agencies and OrganisationsInternational Languages Exchanges and Pathways Languages curriculum area through the promotion of a five-stage profess with principals and senior management, heads of departments, senior t strategy and framework. This involves for example offering workshops/inf offering feedback to language teachers, looking at existing language prog programme to cater better to both learners’, communities’ and the school’s $$

(ILEP) supports schools and teachers to implement the Learning sional learning pathway for schools and teachers in years 7-13. We work

teachers and teachers of years 7 -13 to establish a learning languages formation seminars for principals and language teachers, visiting schools, grammes and working with key stakeholders on strategies to restructure a

s needs.$$

Physical Address#ILEP, University of Auckland, Epsom Campus,#74 Epsom Avenue, Epsom #Auckland 1023, New Zealand $$##Postal Address#ILEP, Faculty of Education,#Private Bag 92601, Symonds Street,#Auckland 1035, New Zealand

Phone:!09 623 8899 Ext 46 355"Email: !d.mitenkov@auckland.ac.nz !

www.ilep.ac.nz !

The Ministry of Education (MoE) is the Government's lead ad agencies and providers. In the early childhood and schooling sectors MoE substantial operational role.

dviser on the New Zealand education system, shaping direction for sector E has responsibility for strategic leadership, policy development and has a

PO Box 1666Wellington 6140

Phone: +64 4 463 8000Fax: +64 4 463 8001#

www.minedu.govt.nz

Section 3.4

18

Te Kete Ipurangi (TKI) – the online knowledge basket – is Ne Education, it provides New Zealand schools and students with a we teaching and learning, raise student achievement, and advance profess

ew Zealand’s bilingual education portal. An initiative of the Ministry of ealth of information, resources, and curriculum materials to enhance

sional development for teaching staff and school managers.

If you have any suggestions or questions, or need assistance with using the site or accessing resources, please contact TKI.

Te Kete IpurangiPO Box 19090

Wellington 6149

Phone: 0800 858 525 Email: help@tki.org.nz www.tki.org.nz

"

New Zealand Qualification Authority’s (NZQA) role in regarded as credible and robust, nationally and internationally, in order to New Zealand society. NZQA is responsible for managing the New Z assessment system, independent quality assurance of non-university e some specified unit standards.

the education sector is to ensure that New Zealand qualifications are r to help learners succeed in their chosen endeavours and to contribute

Zealand Qualifications Framework, administering the secondary school education providers, qualifications recognition and standard-setting for

Postal AddressPO Box 160Wellington 6140New Zealand Street AddressLevel 13, 125 The TerraceWellington 6011

Phone: 0800 697 296www.nzqa.govt.nz

" "

Section 3.4

19

The Education Review Office (ERO) is the New Zealand go care of students in schools and early childhood services. ERO’s report school principals and trustees, and by government policy makers.

overnment department that evaluates and reports on the education and ts are used by parents, teachers, early childhood education managers,

General enquiries: You can email info@ero.govt.nz. If you are emailing or writing to ERO, please include your name and a postal address. A contact phone number can also be helpful.

Local enquiries: ring ERO's National Office on 04-499 2489. www.ero.govt.nz

New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu R advocating for quality public education.

Roa members work in every community in New Zealand, leading and

Auckland - NZEI Northern Regional Office Level One, 4 Bond Street#Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021 #PO Box 52087, Kingsland, Auckland, 1352#Fax: (09) 360-4008

Wellington - NZEI Central Regional Office 5th Floor, Education House#178-182 Willis Street, Wellington, 6011 #PO Box 466, Wellington, 6140 #Fax: (04) 384 9983 www.nzei.org.nz

The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Associati registered under the Incorporated Societies Act 1908 and the Employme $ in schools and nationally to ensure all young people in New Zealand hav

ion (PPTA) is a voluntary trade union and professional association ent Relations Act 2000.$ For over 50 years PPTA members have worked

ve equitable access to a high quality public education.

PPTA National Office#P O Box 2119#Level 5, 60 Willis Street#Wellington

Phone:$ + 64 4 384 9964#Fax: + 64 4 382 8763#Email: enquiries@ppta.org.nz www.ppta.org.nz

" " " " " " "

Section 3.4

20

The New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZ provides national/local representation and advocacy on a wide range services to assist boards in their trusteeship/employer role, promotes education and training.

ZSTA) promotes excellence in school governance in New Zealand, e of matters of importance to boards, delivers comprehensive support and facilitates ongoing professional development for trustees through

New Zealand School Trustees AssociationTe Whakaroputanga Kaitiaki Kura O Aotearoa3rd Floor - Aurora Chambers, 66-68 The Terrace, WellingtonPO Box 5123WellingtonNew Zealand

Phone: +64 4 473 4955Fax: +64 4 473 4706www.nzsta.org.nz

"

The New Zealand Teachers Council (NZTC) is the prof childhood centres, schools and other education institutions in New settings. NZTC supports the professional status of teachers along with

fessional and regulatory body for registered teachers working in early Zealand. We represent teachers working in both English and M!ori

high quality teaching and learning through our mandated functions.

Level 12#80 Boulcott Street#Wellington 6011#New Zealand

Phone: +64 (0) 4 471 0852#Fax: +64 (0) 4 471 0870#Email: inquiries@teacherscouncil.govt.nz www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz

" " " "

Section 3.4

21

Qualifications and DocumentationNew Zealand's National Certificates of Educational Achievement (NCEA) are national qualifications for senior secondary school students. NCEA challenges students of all abilities in all learning areas, and shows credits and grades for separate skills and knowledge. It enables students to gain credits from both traditional school curriculum areas and alternative programmes.

www.nzqa.govt.nz/qualifications-standards/qualifications/ncea/

The New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF), established in July 2010, contains a comprehensive list of all quality assured qualifications in New Zealand. Specifically, the NZQF conveys the skills, knowledge and attributes a graduate has gained through completing a qualification, enables and supports the provision of high-quality education pathways, requires the development of integrated and coherent qualifications, enhances confidence in the quality and international comparability of New Zealand qualifications, contributes to the strengthening of M!ori as a people by enhancing and advancing m!tauranga M!ori, represents value for money and is sustainable and robust.

www.nzqa.govt.nz/studying-in-new-zealand/nzqf/

The New Zealand Curriculum sets the direction for student learning and provide guidance for schools as they design and review their curriculum.

www.nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/Curriculum-documents/The-New-Zealand-Curriculum

The National Education Goals (`the NEGs')$are statements of desirable achievements by schools, statements of government policy objectives for the school system. This is where the Government lays out national priorities for education which, among issues of local importance, the board must take into account when preparing a charter.

www.minedu.govt.nz/Boards/LegalObligations/NationalEducationGuidelines.aspx

Section 3.5

22

The National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) for school administration set out statements of desirable principles of conduct or administration for specified personnel or bodies.

www.minedu.govt.nz/theMinistry/EducationInNewZealand/EducationLegislation/TheNationalAdministrationGuidelinesNAGs.aspx

DP - Deputy Principal. Second in school hierarchy after the Principal.

AP - Assistant Principal. Third in school hierarchy after Principal and DP.

HOD - Head of Department

HOF - Head of Faculty

TiC - Teacher in charge of a subject. Means the teacher has responsibility for the subject but no o"cial status or extra pay.

BOT - Board of Trustees. Elected board responsible for much

2LL - Second language learning

ESOL - English for speakers of other languages

NESB - Refers to Students from non English-Speaking backgrounds

LOTE - Languages other than English. More of an Australian than a New Zealand expression, but occasionally used here.

NZALT - NZ Association of Language Teachers. www.nzalt.org.nz

NZAFT - NZ Association of French Teachers. www.french.ac.nz/nzaft

NZAJLT - NZ Association of Japanese Teachers. www.japanese.ac.nz

GANZ - German in Aotearoa / NZ. www.ganz.ac.nz

STANZA - Spanish Teachers’ Association of NZ Aotearoa. www.stanza.org.nz

French: www.french.ac.nz

German: www.german.ac.nz

Spanish: www.mec.es/sgci/nz

LangSem - Professional Development days for language teachers run by local region of NZALT, annually - in Auckland, every second year - in other regions.

TKI - Te Kete Ipurangi. The Ministry of Education’s website for NZ teachers. www.learning-languages.tki.org.nz

Section 3.5

4 Your position is funded by the Ministry of Education for the purpose of improving the language and cultural knowledge and communicative competence of students and teachers. It is important that we can show at the end of the year how you have made a di!erence and how you have improved teachers’ and students’ skills and knowledge.Language Assistants are expected to define some clear goals that will be measured at the end of the year.

Goal Setting

24

EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3

IDENTIFIED

NEED

In one of my classes there are a couple of students who get extremely nervous when they speak Spanish. As a consequence, they never participate, and one of them does not even do his homework, because he does not see the point for it.

I selected Year 12 students who were eager to apply for the German Goethe Inst i tut scholarship. I picked them because not all of the students are that interested in the German language even if they learn German. The ones who signed up are really interested and motivated, because they are confident enough in German to compete with others in a foreign language.

Year 13 students which are currently not very engaged, but still show a real interest in learning more about the French culture.

GOAL

Improve participation of particular students in Spanish classes.

To get the Goethe Institut scholarship for Year 12. To get more cultural awareness to the students so they would get more involved in the country, find personal interest and stuck with this language because they want to and not because they have to.

Develop cultural awareness.

ACTION

I'd like to work with them both during the class and after hours so that they'll improve their oral skills and their confidence. First, I'll help them train their general language skills (e.g. by making them read out loud to me until they get used to it, by telling them about my own mistakes in their native language, by asking them to trust their instincts when it comes to understanding Spanish, etc.), then I'll make a list of their most common mistakes.

I want to meet with them on a weekly basis to help them understand the subject, practice interviews and prepare Mind Maps about possible topics. I would like to set up some typical “German daily life situations” like “Café und Kuchen”. I will show them a lot of German Music, Movies and Artists and read through the lyrics. All of the conversations will be held in German and the students will talk a lot without even noticing because they will be so involved in the topics.

Creating a board game close to a ‘trivial pursuit” where each student will have a role. So everyone could be at ease with this project. For example, that means that some would cooperate (in French) about how they imagine the board and some others who are more confident in writing will deal with the composition of the different questions.

PLEASE STATE HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASSSection 4.1

25

EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3

MEASURE

OF SUCCESS

By the end of Term 3 we should see a decrease in the number of those mistakes, as well as in the number of physical ticks, English words, and question intonation occurrences that are caused by their insecurity. Participation in class should improve.

It would be great if the students receive the Goethe Institute Scholarship.

Re-engagement of these students in French Language Learning.

IMPACT

BEYOND

TARGETED

STUDENT

I will try to find out which exercises they enjoyed the most and made the biggest difference, so I can recommend these to other teachers.

Other students might become interested in the topics we are discussing and might start to develop an interest in the German language.

PLEASE STATE HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE STUDENTS IN YOUR CLASSSection 4.1

26

PLEASE STATE HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE TEACHERS YOU WORK WITH

EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3

IDENTIFIED

NEED

One of the teachers in my school does not often speak Spanish to me and her Spanish is not as confident as the other teachers’.

This teacher is perfect in the German language and very confident in grammar and conversation. He has a family and hasn't been able to afford the time to go to Germany recently so he is not so familiar with what is going on there. What is in and what is out. What bothers the youth or what kind of new slang is used nowadays.

One of the teachers is from New Caledonia, and the other one is from New Zealand. The teachers asked me to update their cultural knowledge of French expressions, music, celebrities, movies or cartoons etc. So that the French they teach stays real and up to date. Also the reason is that students will be more interested.

GOALImprove the Spanish Language Skills of the teacher.

To enrich and refresh the teachers cultural knowledge about the country.

To update the cultural aspects used in class.

ACTION

From now on we have agreed that I will talk to her only in Spanish even if she starts the conversation in English and I will carefully correct her mistakes when we are in the staff room but never in front of the students.I will note down how many times per day the interaction was in the target language and what were the errors she had as a habit.

When I am in the High School where he works, we use every single free period possible to create a database of things that are happening in Germany and could be interesting for the students. We split them in 3 categories like politics, student lives and culture. We summarise what is important and write down keywords so he can look things up on the Internet and be up to date all the time even when I have to leave the schools and can’t help him anymore. He doesn’t waste that much time because now he knows in which direction he has to research.

I make power points about music or word documents with up-to-date vocabulary. Also create some dialogues for the students to read and gain vocabulary. I also provide with French movies or TV programmes that are recently released.

Section 4.2

27

EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3

MEASURE

OF SUCCESS

At the end of the term we will be able to know (by looking at the notes) if her language has improved over time.

At the end of the year the teacher will be up to date with what is happening in Germany at the moment.

The teachers will feel more confident about French expressions and popular music and movies.

IMPACT

BEYOND

TARGETED

TEACHER

The notes could help me develop a resource for teachers to use in future, as many native English speakers might have similar problems with Spanish.

The database and keywords will help other teachers in the future.

The PowerPoints can be used by other teachers in other classes.

PLEASE STATE HOW YOU ARE PLANNING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE TEACHERS YOU WORK WITHSection 4.2

5 In class a good first impression will help, and you should try to establish yourself from the start as a well-organised, professional and motivated person.

Code of Conduct

29

Do be yourself and smile

be aware that you represent your country in eyes of students

talk about yourself, family, town or city, likes and dislikes, etc

speak target language as much as you can with the students & teachers

use humour

speak slowly and clearly, in short bursts

say things in more than one way, especially for questions

check regularly for understanding (fidgeting, whispering)

always keep in mind what level the students are working at and try to speak at the level (check with teacher)

brainstorm useful language with students before starting activities

be clear and firm with instructions

use gesture to help students understanding meaning

offer help, ideas on what you can contribute

take problems to teacher, HOD

remember that language learning is optional

remember that teachers are very busy, often stressed

remain neutral in staffroom politics

explain how things are in your country and invite comparison

be punctual & reliable

get involved in extra-curricular activities, if interested

be generous with praise

Section 5.1

30

Don’t

judge students/teachers by their level of language

correct a teacher in front of the students

take responsibility for discipline

teach the class alone (unless you are happy to)

be generally critical of NZ – very sensitive

use loads of grammatical terms

sit on desks in a classroom – culturally insensitive

touch children (especially Maori & Polynesian) on the head – tapu

swear in English at school

use s arcasm!

You are encouraged and expected to use the Internet for professional purposes, and you can usually do so at your school. However, you should check with your teacher when you can and cannot use the Internet. Do not overuse it: if you need to use the Internet for personal matters, try to do so outside school. Be careful: if you access pornographic and other unsuitable sites (even accidentally) on school computers, you could be dismissed from your job.

You should be very careful about how you use social networking sites (such as Facebook) while you are a Language Assistant. Keep your profile private so that it can only be seen by people you intend to see it. If you invite other teachers to be ‘friends’, remember to remain professional in what you say on your wall.

You should never swap personal contact details with pupils or invite them to be ‘friends’, or accept similar invitations from them, as this is likely to be regarded as inappropriate behaviour and could lead to disciplinary action. Ask advice from teachers if you want to get pupils involved in online work, for example for projects.

Section 5.2

6 The NZ system is likely to place high demands on you in terms of being flexible and adaptable. The emphasis and expectation we place on flexibility will be one of the main di!erences you will find here in comparison with the European system which tends to be more rigid. It is very useful to have a little collection of activities that you always have with you for this purpose. You will need to be flexible in your relationships with teachers you are working with as the relationship will vary greatly from teacher-to-teacher.

Making the Best Use of Your Experience

32

Groups of schools and their different needsAssistants working at the Year 7 and 8 level will find a difference in language teaching. In secondary schools you will be working with a specialist language teacher but in the primary/intermediate schools, teaching languages will just be one of the many skill areas of a classroom teacher. Try and pitch yourself at the level required. Your role is to assist. Be sensitive to the needs of the individual teachers and try and adapt to them. It is quite likely that you will have one school/ or teacher that you enjoy working with less. Try and focus on your positive work relationships rather than dwell on a negative situation.

Getting involved in school lifeExpectation in most NZ schools is that teaching staff will play an active role in the co-curricular school programme. Co-curricular involvement: helping out at a school camp or trip, sport day, getting involved in a school play, choir or sports team. Whilst being involved in co-curricular activities is entirely voluntary, it does provide an opportunity to help integrate you into the school community and NZ culture. Language Assistants who get involved in the wider school life are invariably the ones who at the end of the year have had the most positive NZ experience.

‘Give and take’ philosophy of NZ work environmentThe NZ work environment is not as ‘unionised’ as in Europe. As a result we tend to not be as rigid about hours and what we can and can’t participate in. This ‘give and take’ philosophy is not about doing unpaid work, but rather contributing some extra time when needed and then taking that time off in lieu at a later stage during a quiet period. It is also about participating in school life that is not part of your job description but may be useful / of interest to you e.g. joining a staff meeting.

Teaching duties and hours of workAssistants employed for 4 days a week are required to work 15 hours of class contact time per week plus up to a further 6 hours a week for preparation time. Preparation time includes: preparing class work, resource materials as well as any email/telephone/ after class contact time you have with teachers to discuss classes/ students, etc. Your salary is based on class contact and preparation time

Section 6.1

33

per week. Teachers therefore expect you to arrive at their school prepared. Marking students work is not considered to be an essential part of the role of the Language Assistants (unless it is providing a useful purpose for your language assistant duties). If you are asked to do some marking then it should be included as part of the class contact time per week and not as preparation time.

Involvement in extra-curricular activitiesIn New Zealand extra-curricular activities play a large role in school life and in most schools, teachers are expected to be involved in some form of extra-curricular activity. Schools are always appreciative of Language Assistants who are keen to get more involved in the general New Zealand school culture. This may include language camps, school trips, school sports days, drama productions etc. Whilst this involvement is entirely voluntary, to participate in the New Zealand school culture outside of the language classes, definitely enriches the overall experience of being a language assistant. From our experience, those Language Assistants who have involved themselves fully are invariably the ones who leave with the most positive experience.

CommunicationIn NZ people do not always separate the argument from the person so if you are too direct or too frank it can be taken personally.

Helpful hints for Language AssistantsWhere possible, the incoming Language Assistant should contact the previous Language Assistant for some insight on the schools and their expectations.

In the ClassroomBe positive, flexible, adaptable, creative and calm – and above all keep your sense of humour!

If appointed to a group of schools, be ready to adapt very quickly as different teachers don’t use LAs in the same way.

Section 6.2

34

Get familiar with students. Ask for pictures and names/or seating plan. Discover their interests and needs.

It is important that you contact the teacher (email/text/phone) the day before you go to a school to ensure the teacher is pre-pared. This is especially important if you don’t visit the same schools on a weekly basis.

When working with the teacher in the classroom, you should be actively participating by interacting with students e.g. moving around the classroom and viewing the students work etc.

Arrange with your teachers the best means of communication with you outside the school.

Always start an oral session with what the students have already practiced and then introduce a new topic.

Discuss topics that students like. This is generally topics that are currently popular with teenagers e.g. music, teenage maga-zines and tourist information on your home region.

At the end of each term it is useful to review the learning covered so students can see their own progress.

Don’t be too critical; highlight what’s correct and not what’s wrong.

Use areas of your own interest in teaching and resource development.

It is important to write legibly on the whiteboard so that students can actually read what is written.

Establish your own pool of resources and teaching materials and always carry some with you when you go to different schools.

It can be really helpful to share ideas and work activities with teachers at your group of schools.

Be open-minded and ready to talk about yourself and your family.

Listen to students’ suggestions and be ready to do research if you don’t know the answer to their questions (especially about culture and countryRespect the teaching methodology of your host teacher, even if you don’t agree with it.

Section 6.3

35

Remember that teachers in your employing schools are likely to have many years of accumulated wisdom and practical experi-ence of what works for their learners.

Be open and flexible but also assertive and clear about what you can/cannot do. Some useful expressions are: “I do not feel comfortable/confident about….”

Speak slowly. Remember that pupils may only be 13 and for many it is their first experience of studying a second language.

Speak in the target language as much as possible.

Try to teach without using detailed grammar terminology as NZ students may only know basic grammar.

Don’t be afraid to suggest ideas to assist the host teacher. If you are tactful, most teachers will be willing to allow you to experiment with your own ideas.

Don’t be afraid to show teachers activities that have worked well in other schools.

Never correct the teacher in front of the classroom unless he/she asks to be corrected.

Don’t be offended if the teacher forgets that the assistant is due at his/her school.

Tell teachers if you are happy to take whole classes.

Talk to your host teacher about your timetable to make it effective.

Keep teachers informed of the materials you have.

Understand teachers are sometimes very busy. Do not be discouraged if they do not have the time to talk to you immediately. Try and choose a time when they have time to engage with you. It may be worthwhile making a list of what you need to know and then arrange for a meeting.

If you have family or relatives visiting from France then consider taking them into the classroom.

Section 6.4

36

Don’t stress out – ask for specific tasks and do them independently.

In the SchoolBe aware of the Anglo-Saxon way of expressing oneself: don’t be direct – be diplomatic.

Work as a professional regardless of working conditions

Ask to be involved in school activities and accept invitations, including taking part in school camps.

Ensure that the school administration has your contact details for last minute changes of plan and or unusual events.

Talk to the salaries officer to ensure that they are aware that you are to be paid during holidays. Your status is that of part-time teaching staff and not temporary relief staff.

Make a point of going regularly to the staffroom and make the effort to talk to people.

Internal politics in schools. It is important for LAs to remain neutral and not get drawn in to any discussions.

Outside SchoolsWhere possible, get involved with extra-curricular activities e.g. sports, clubs etc. Such involvement not only integrates you

more into the host country culture but you will also gain goodwill.

It is very important to have the flatting experience (i.e. sharing a house with other members of your own peer group) and is definitely recommended for improving your language and participating in the ‘kiwi’ lifestyle.

Make good use of your holidays.

Change your habits but remain French and don’t compare.

Section 6.5

37

Buy a car. Cars are cheap but don’t buy too cheap either as it may turn out to be a lemon! Bring an international driver licence.

Gym membership is cheap.

The Warehouse is a good source of cheap goods.

Private tuition charges are generally between $30 and $35 per hour.

Visit the local tourist office and use the “Lonely Planet” guide.

Try to learn the culture of your host country and be tactful and refrain from too much criticism.

Useful Activities for the ClassroomThe following activities have been suggested by previous language assistants:

Primary / Intermediate school students

Games – physical

Videos – to introduce culture

Quizzes

Guess Who game

Songs

Snap cards

Word find

Section 6.6

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Question and answer activity

Photos of your family (as they want to know everything about you at the beginning)

Year-long competition. Divide class into teams with selected team names receiving points for various achievements. (Competition gets them proactive!)

Secondary: Juniors Years 9-11

Same as above

Bingo

Treasure hunt

Practise in asking questions using egg timers

Role play – is very popular with this age group

Competition works very well – intra- and inter-group competition (is especially effective with boys).

Secondary: Seniors year 12 and 13

Talk on a topic for approximately one minute.

Communicative games.

DVD advertisements – describe what is being advertised.

Small group activity – assistant leads discussion on a topic, gives the vocabulary and then asks them to write an essay. Students then swap essays and mark each other’s work.

Section 6.7