Assessment of Language Competence Certificates (ALC)
Languages in the News
The Languages in the News page aims to provide teachers with readily accessible and regularly updated items related to languages and language education. We are also interested in hearing from you (email:alc@acer.edu.au), if there is an item you believe could be included.
A language is a window to another world
Joseph Lo Bianco
The Age, March 26, 2008
The study of other languages is important as English becomes more prevalent. IN 2004 I took part in a joint conference of the US departments of education and defence. In the wake of 9/11, languages were a major concern: defence personnel wanted educators to fix the language problem, public institutions needed to offer the "right" languages, linguistic skills had to be tied to security and trade, and "heritage" speakers of strategic languages should help the nation catch evildoers.
Link to article on The Age website
'Lost in translation' means same in any language
The Age, March 25, 2008
Learning another language is essential if Australia is to relate socially, politically and economically to the rest of the world. IT IS well known that one of the 178 million people around the world who speak Mandarin Chinese as a second language is Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd.
Link to article on The Age website
Language skills push for schools
Farrah Tomazin
The Age, March 24, 2008
THE Federal Government is moving to significantly increase the number of students graduating with foreign language skills by pushing the states towards a nationally consistent language curriculum.
New government research to be released tomorrow has found that students are being turned off languages because they believe the subject will affect their university entry scores or because they are told by parents and career teachers that language skills are not relevant to their future.
Link to article on The Age website
International Year of Languages
The General Assembly of the United Nations has proclaimed 2008 as the International
Year of Languages, with the aim of promoting "unity in diversity" and "global
understanding". The slogan for the year is "Languages Matter".
How will your school community celebrate
in '08? For further information, including a 'tool kit', please go to: http://portal.unesco.org/culture/admin/ev...
General Assembly proclaims 2008 international year of languages, in effort
Languages in crisis
The group of eight of Australia's leading universities
has produced a report entitled Languages in Crisis: A rescue plan for Australia.
The report is a well-referenced oversight of languages in education today. It
is an easy-to-read and powerful document which teachers can use in promoting
the case for language learning in their school communities.
Languages
in Crisis: A rescue plan for Australia
Language Matters
Professor Anne Pauwels from the University of WEstern Australia responds to the recent Primary Principals Association Charter in this podcast from ABC Radio National - Life Matters.
Learning
a language in primary school