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Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other?

Explore the benefits and methods of collaboration between school and tertiary language teachers to improve outcomes for students. Discover ways to share expertise, research, pedagogical approaches, and enhance student engagement. This resource highlights the importance of collaboration in advocating for languages and creating smooth transition pathways. Call to action for challenging conventions and fostering a stronger community of practice.

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Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other?

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  1. Towards greater collaboration: what can school and tertiary language teachers offer each other? Matthew Absalom, Ruth Fielding, Lesley Harbon, Anne-Marie Morgan

  2. Overview • Why collaborate? • Crisis in languages in education at all levels • …divided we fall… • Ways to collaborate • Communication • Sharing expertise (bi-directional) • Research • Professional learning • Student engagement • Advocacy • Call to action

  3. Why collaborate? • To overcome barriers between levels • Addressing perceived differences in expertise and pedagogy • Primary – Secondary – Tertiary: transition issues at every point • Many different pathways and programs • Continuity of language learning is a key consideration for success – communication between sectors crucial to ease transition • Essential for the student experience and to create a stronger learning environment for the teachers involved

  4. Why collaborate? • To provide transition pathways – multiple options for language learners and teachers • By collaborating we can explore the possibilities for consistent pathways from primary through secondary to tertiary • One key discussion point is how to offer continuity in the same language • To consider how teachers in schools and tertiary teachers can work towards a joint aim – more learners of languages, and a continuous pathway

  5. Why collaborate? • To better advocate for languages at all levels • School and university management and teaching staff • Community image and addressing the ‘culture’ of learning and reasons to learn languages • Government and funding agencies • DEEWR, ACARA, AEF • National agencies: Goethe, Alliance Française, embassies etc • Corporate sector

  6. Why collaborate? • To share pedagogical approaches • Same page? • Methodologies or post-method approaches • Shared repertoire of knowledge, understandings, goals & objectives • Level of engagement with contemporary context • Teacher ‘stance’ and positioning • Catering for diversity of learners and learner pathways • Pathways: knowing what others do and providing suitable pre- and post-considerations in teaching and learning

  7. Why collaborate? • For better student engagement and learning outcomes • Transition • Improve pathways • Improved pedagogy • Continuity of programs • Improved funding opportunities • Greater collaborative research potential (especially issues relating to practice, learners, etc.)

  8. Ways to collaborate • Language teacher education offerings • Faculties of Arts for language content and Faculties of Education for pedagogy and curriculum (interdisciplinary) • Both pre-service and in-service programs • Shared professional learning and learning resources

  9. Examples of collaboration • Babel • The only Australian scholarly journal dedicated to languages in education (B rating | ERA 2010) • Professional Standards Project (2002-ongoing) • Aspirational standards with language-specific annotations (tertiary – school panels) (AFMLTA, 2005) • Professional learning project workshops, materials, online resources, in-country programs, ongoing cross-sectoral and cross level collaboration • School/tertiary educators working with school teachers • Continued engagement with project and materials, with further school-tertiary collaboration

  10. Examples of collaboration • Honours/RHD joint supervision • Research projects • Small-scale • Larger-scale • Mutually beneficial • Tertiary and secondary language learners in the process, not just the teachers • Knowledge transfer • Melbourne: Italian mentoring project (T/S, T/P)

  11. Examples of collaboration • Professional association membership and networking • MLTAs, (AFMLTA), ALAA, language-specific associations: conferences, committees • Opportunities for discussion of current issues • Shared celebrations • Guest speakers • Connections with communities • Contribution to position and representation • Other?

  12. Call to action... • Challenge conventional views • Our work: take risks • Ingrained perception of difference (P, S, T) • Professional associations and possible contributions • Long-term perspective • Action now but pay-off later • Broadening conceptions of communities of practice

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