Language Diversity at ANU

A group originally formed in response to a review of the School of Culture, History and Language at the ANU that threatened several language programs in the College of Asia and the Pacific. The Language Diversity Facebook Group is a place where students can come together to celebrate, promote and protect the incredible languages they all love. 

Follow them on Facebook for interesting posts related to languages at ANU - many of which are open to the wider Canberra community. Post to the group if you want to reach out to ANU students with a passion for languages and language learning.

ANU Language Teaching Forum

This forum provides a discussion platform for language teachers and researchers across ANU colleges as well as for language educators from outside the university such as secondary school teachers and educators from community schools. Its main objective is to foster the exchange of research and new approaches in language education.

The LTF meets on the fourth Monday of the month, 4.15 – 5.15 pm Room W3.03, Level 3, Baldessin Precinct Building #110, ANU

The speaker at the meeting on Monday 26 March 2018 is Nguyen Bui, who will present on the topic

Networked Professional Learning in Intercultural Language Education: Evidence of Impact 

The globalisation era presents an urgent need for language teacher professional development in intercultural language teaching (ILT) so that educators can work with and prepare their language students for effective intercultural communication. However, most teacher professional development programs in ILT are purely intercultural training workshops based on short-term, face-to-face, sporadic and top-down approaches, overlooking the expertise, experience and beliefs of teacher-participants. This makes it essential to introduce innovative delivery models to improve teacher professional learning in ILT. Networked learning is seen as a useful approach that can be used to enhance intercultural understanding. This presentation looks into a case study on the effectiveness of a Small Connectivist Open Online Course (SCOOC) (Bartolomé & Steffens, 2015) on intercultural competence and its teaching designed for 84 in-service tertiary English language teachers across cultural and geographical boundaries. 

This forum is jointly coordinated by the College of Arts & Social Sciences (the School of Literature, Languages & Linguistics and the Centre for Arab & Islamic Studies) and the College of Asia & the Pacific (School of Culture, History & Language). 

For more information, contact:

• Ms France Meyer (CAIS, CASS)  E ance.meyer@anu.edu.au
• Dr Duck-Young Lee (CHL, CAP) E duck.lee@anu.edu.au or 
• Dr Consuelo Martinez Reyes (SLLL, CASS) E consuelo.martinez-reyes@anu.edu.au

ACT libraries are looking for volunteer adult literacy tutors

Libraries ACT is hosting two information sessions for people interested in volunteering to help adults (with a focus on those who speak English as their first language) to improve their reading and writing skills: 

• Monday 19 March 2018 at Kippax Library, 11.00 am – 12.00 pm and 
• Monday 26 March at Woden Library, 5.30 pm – 6.30 pm. 

There will then be a two day training intensive for suitable volunteers in June 2018. 

To find out more: contact Rachel, Learning Projects Manager, 6205 9671 (phone) or email Rachel.Davis@act.gov.au