There might be some truth in saying that change (radical change) often occurs once we are in crisis mode. Have we hit rock bottom yet in the learning of Languages in schools in NSW? In many ways we can think we have. And it is not just about the seemingly constantly declining number of students doing languages in their Senior High School years, but also the fact that many young people in our schools do not see the relevance of studying another language (in their present or in their future).
However, if we try to put ourselves in their shoes, perhaps we can understand how we might have gotten to this point. Unless there is an immediate need to communicate with other people in a particular language, which is not the one spoken by close family and friends, they might rightly ask themselves “why would the effort be worth it”?
However, if we try to put ourselves in their shoes, perhaps we can understand how we might have gotten to this point. Unless there is an immediate need to communicate with other people in a particular language, which is not the one spoken by close family and friends, they might rightly ask themselves “why would the effort be worth it”?
It is undeniable learning another language is often hard work. For many, it doesn’t come easily at all and opportunities to practise are not always abundant in certain geographical settings.
So, how do we make Language learning relevant and exciting to the students we encounter in our teaching journey? I know many of us have had to answer the question “What do you see the value of language learning being for young people at school?”. Our answers are varied and probably contain some version of the idea that the world is a big place and it is worth knowing how others think and communicate.
Yet, for many students our valid arguments are irrelevant when confronted with other choices of school subjects that involve seemingly less effort and / or a more immediate reward.
Some of you may even ask yourselves why is it that we need to justify the study of Languages at school? Why is has this not become self-evident? And I guess that is a whole other discussion and argument to be won in our society.
Still, we are confronted with this problem now and I strongly believe part of the answer to solve it will come directly from the young people themselves. We probably just need to ask them directly the right questions to help us understand their perspective. How would they answer the question posed above? How do we create the desire for them to learn another language?
During the Leadership in Languages workshop this year we got our thinking caps to reflect on many questions around this idea. They are all shared here so this reflection can be also done in your own school setting, with other teaching colleagues and even other members of the community. The answers to some of these might give you an insight into how to tackle the issue of an evident declining interest in Language learning in NSW schools.
Most likely, the ones reading this article aspire to the learning of other languages becoming a self-evident need in educational institutions. How we get there will directly depend on our own contribution to the journey of it becoming a wide spread reality.
Please be active in sharing your successes but also the challenges you face so we can all assist each other in overcoming them!
So, how do we make Language learning relevant and exciting to the students we encounter in our teaching journey? I know many of us have had to answer the question “What do you see the value of language learning being for young people at school?”. Our answers are varied and probably contain some version of the idea that the world is a big place and it is worth knowing how others think and communicate.
Yet, for many students our valid arguments are irrelevant when confronted with other choices of school subjects that involve seemingly less effort and / or a more immediate reward.
Some of you may even ask yourselves why is it that we need to justify the study of Languages at school? Why is has this not become self-evident? And I guess that is a whole other discussion and argument to be won in our society.
Still, we are confronted with this problem now and I strongly believe part of the answer to solve it will come directly from the young people themselves. We probably just need to ask them directly the right questions to help us understand their perspective. How would they answer the question posed above? How do we create the desire for them to learn another language?
During the Leadership in Languages workshop this year we got our thinking caps to reflect on many questions around this idea. They are all shared here so this reflection can be also done in your own school setting, with other teaching colleagues and even other members of the community. The answers to some of these might give you an insight into how to tackle the issue of an evident declining interest in Language learning in NSW schools.
- How do you measure “success in Languages” in your school context?
- What factors impact on the success of your Languages program?
- What challenges do you face in relation to sustainability and growth of your Languages program?
- How are you building strong foundations in students in years 7 to 10 and / or in primary?
- Are there any systems in place to assist students struggling in Languages?
- Have you asked your students directly what engages / would engage them in language learning?
- What are you doing to ensure there is one on one time with your students during lesson time?
- How do you ensure there is a sense of achievement and relevance in language learning for the majority of your students?
- Are there ways of exploring less formal assessments up to year 10?
- Are there any partnerships in place with feeder / other primary schools?
- What are the aspects of language teaching that you think are essential to maintain engagement in language learning: grammar as a way of ‘playing with words’ or culture to add empathy and develop 'perspective taking’ skills in students? Both equally?
- What direct advocacy strategies do you implement that work?
- How are you engaging with the next generation of Languages teachers?
- What partnerships are in place with higher education institutions?
Most likely, the ones reading this article aspire to the learning of other languages becoming a self-evident need in educational institutions. How we get there will directly depend on our own contribution to the journey of it becoming a wide spread reality.
Please be active in sharing your successes but also the challenges you face so we can all assist each other in overcoming them!