In late September, CLSSA hosted a two-day conference at the University of Adelaide campus. This was the first time since 2012 that South Australia had the honor of arranging the National Community Language Conference.
Across the conference we had 30 speakers, over 300 attendees and provided 10 hours of TRB approved professional development to more than 85 people. Across the conference we had 30 speakers, over 300 attendees and provided 10 hours of TRB approved professional development to more than 85 people. 164 attendees were from 53 South Australian CLSs, 67 were from interstate CLSs and governance structures. Over 15 mainstream schools were also represented.
Day 1 - The Academic Ideas Forum and Language Leaders Forum
Day 1 included a Ted-X style forum with 14 sector experts and academics sharing ideas and knowledge with 137 CLS leaders. Talk topics ranged from the use of anime in teaching Japanese through to developing multilingual capabilities in SACE.
Day 1 concluded with an evening of intercultural festivities with 147 people in attendance from CLSs, the South Australian Government and other multicultural organisations.
Day 1 Speaker Resources
Rethinking the community language teaching structure Presentation (PDF)
Mark Yao – Principal, South Australian Chinese Community School
Swinging within Cultures: Hybrid identities and negotiating belonging Presentation (PDF)
Dr Nada Ibrahim – Research Fellow, Centre for Social Impact, Flinders University
Thriving through multicultural and multilingual capabilities in SACE Presentation (PDF)
Sally Letcher – Education Consultant, English and Languages Faculty, SACE Board
Creating positive solutions; working together Presentation (PDF)
Andrea Rivett – Principal Consultant, Course Development, Skills SA
Day 2 - The Language Educators Conference
The second day presented two keynote speakers and 13 workshops of which the 247 guests could choose up to 3 to attend. Workshops presented practical and interactive sessions, some topics including the benefits of intergenerational learning, protecting children through effective school governance and utilizing rap as a language learning tool.
Attendees spoke openly with CLSSA staff about the benefits of the conference in building their capacity to run CLSs, build effective curriculums and provide outcomes for their students.
Day 2 Speaker and Workshop Resources
Improving Student Learning through Emergent Experiences Presentation (PDF)
Dr Kathy Swinkels – Lecturer in Primary & Early Childhood Education
Day 2 Workshop Series 1 Resources
Implementing the Quality Assurance Framework to improve the student learning experience Presentation (PDF)
And Handout (PDF)
What’s your Community Language School Readiness Score? (Survey Link)
Heba El-Hakim – Project & Communications Officer, Community Languages Victoria
The value of intergenerational learning Presentation (PDF)
And Handout (PDF)
Dana Lavenant – Principal Consultant, Spark Curiosity Consulting
A simple approach to teaching letters of a language & hands-on activities using online tools Handout (PDF)
Rosary Peter – Administrator, South Australia Tamil School
Day 2 Workshop Series 2 Resources
Building effective language curriculum Presentation (PDF)
And Handout (PDF)
Andréa Hughes – Principal, Brazilian Ethnic School of South Australia
Day 2 Workshop Series 3 Resources
Building the student learning experience: Using digital technologies to engage students and enhance learning outcomes Presentation (PDF)
Maria Batzavalis – Teacher, Norwood International High School
Building strong foundations for learning: nurturing growth mindsets Presentation (PDF)
Handout 1 (PDF)
Handout 2 (PDF)
Christine Vlass – Kindergarten Teacher, Port Adelaide Greek School
Rap as a Language-Learning Tool Presentation (PDF)
Handout 1 (PDF)
Handout 2 (PDF)
Jian Lan & Alex Weigand – Teacher, OCASA School & Musician
Partnerships as a resource – enhanced outcomes through impactful collaboration Presentation (PDF)
William Littleton – Business Development Manager, Australian Refugee Association
CLSSA would like to thank our staff and all of the volunteers who made this event possible. We are so proud to have been able to provide such a successful couple of days to the sector.
