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February Newsletter
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A message from the MLTAWA President
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I hope you have all had a restful break over the holidays and that you are ready to have a wonderful school year in 2023 teaching Languages.
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The MLTAWA Committee will continue to work hard to support you all in your roles and we look forward to seeing you at the various events we have planned for the year. Dates for 2023 will be released in our calendar soon so make sure to keep an eye out on our website.
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This year is already shaping up to be wonderful as we are extremely lucky to have the AFMLTA international conference in Perth during the July school holidays. Please make sure to visit the AFMLTA Conference page HERE for more details.
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We will be in touch with you all soon with news and updates on Languages events and networking opportunites.
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Wishing you all a great start to the 2023 school year,
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2022 Hilde Dixon award winners
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Congratulations to Colleen Barclay and Francesca Candaten who were the joint recipients of the 2022 Hilde Dixon award at the 2022 AGM, held in November. This prestigious award is the highest honour for language teachers in WA. The Hilde Dixon Award recognises and congratulates excellence in the teaching of languages and the commitment to language education in the classroom AND through involvement in language professional associations in Western Australia. It is also designed to increase the status of the language teaching profession. The award, presented annually, consists of a trophy, a certificate and $500.
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2022-2023 MLTAWA Committee
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It is with great pleasure to announce the new MLTAWA committee for 2022-2023. Marisa Schiavi (President), Colleen Barclay (President Elect), Angela Evangelinou-Yiannakis (Vice-President), Mariel Howard (Secretary), Hua Li (Treasurer), Wida Harding (General committee member), Melissa Ilett (General committee member), Laura Liu (Webmaster), Hema Shankar (General committee member) and Clare Slyth (Membership secretary). The new committee are looking forward to working together in the new year.
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AFMLTA Conference Online Registrations Now Open
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Registrations for the 24th Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (AFMLTA) International Languages Conference are now open.
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Place: Edith Cowan University (Mount Lawley campus), Perth, WAFor further information and registration, please click here. https://afmlta.asn.au/2023-conference-page/. Early bird rates are available until 31 March 2023.
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Meet the committee
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Dr Angela Evangelinou-Yiannakis is the WA Regional Lead for Australian Catholic University in the Teach for Australia Program. Concurrently, she is a Unit Coordinator and Lecturer for Master of Teaching and Master of Education units at the Graduate School of Education, UWA, where she also teaches Languages Education curriculum units. An Honorary Research Fellow, Angela has several refereed publications and a book based on her doctoral research.
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With over 40 years in the teaching profession, Angela has held several leadership positions, including being a Foundation Principal. She is a strong advocate of Languages Education and has helped to maintain and promote the Modern Greek language and culture in WA through various volunteer roles over many years.
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Why did you decide to become a language teacher?
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It happened by default! Trained as a secondary teacher of English and HASS, my first posting was to Katanning SHS. They needed a French teacher, and I had tertiary level French, having studied it in high school through to Year 12 and one year at UWA.
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After my three-year country service, I was posted to Cyril Jackson SHS in Perth and later to Mt Lawley SHS where I taught English, Modern Greek and French. No sooner had I returned to Perth from Katanning than I was approached by the Hellenic Community of WA to also teach Modern Greek at the Saturday morning Greek School and at UWA’s Summer School Program, which I did for many years.
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Later, I became the Director of Greek Studies at St. Andrew’s Greek Orthodox Grammar School, teaching Modern Greek through to Year 12 ATAR level. During my years of teaching Modern Greek, I also studied the language formally to improve my competence, including undertaking an advanced-level intensive course in Modern Greek at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece.
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What is your favourite thing about teaching a language?
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My favourite aspect of teaching a language is the reward of witnessing my students developing a love for the Target Language (TL) and Culture, demonstrating an understanding of the mechanics of the TL but also of their own language through the study of the TL, and applying the TL in their daily lives. This tangible evidence makes all the effort and careful thought that goes into preparing and executing Languages Education lessons even more worthwhile!
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What advice would you give your younger self starting out as a teacher?
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“Angela, you should have continued studying French at UWA! You know you loved the language, and still do, and that you were very good at it, so dropping it because it was consuming many hours of your undergraduate study time was not wise, in hindsight!”
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I would also advise myself not to take to heart lessons that don’t go well because there are many factors beyond a teacher’s control that can contribute to such an outcome. I would remind myself that, as teachers, we do make a difference!
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News
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AISWA Languages Professional Learning 2023
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A number of PL are available from AISWA for both Primary and Secondary teachers, including the very popular and successful 'Many Languages - One Methodology' course. All sectors are welcome to participate.
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Applications Now Open for the 2023 Australia-Indonesia BRIDGE School Partnerships Program
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The opportunity is for two Australian teachers per school with applications welcome from all learning areas, disciplines, sectors and year levels. The key program dates and aims are outlined below.
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- Applications close: Monday, 3 April 2023
- 12 hours Professional Learning Program (Virtual): September - October 2023
- School Visit / Homestay (in Australia): November 2023
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WAATI Conference
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Free After school Korean Language and Culture classes for Y10-12 student at Curtin
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This course is an excellent opportunity for high school students looking to enhance their pathway into a University degree, or for students just wanting to learn more about Korea, its dynamic culture and be able to travel in Korea at ease. This course is open to students who have never formally studied Korean language before, and classes include basic Korean communication skills as well as some cultural activities ranging from cooking to K-pop. Students following blended entry pathways to University are strongly encouraged to apply. Students with very limited Korean language ability with family links to Korea are also very welcome to sign up.
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Invitation for 2023 MJS Grant Application for Japanese Language Teachers in Australia
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The MJS Centre’s grant scheme is provided by the Nippon Foundation Fund for Japanese Language Education Program (NF-JLEP). All grant recipients will also receive a lifetime membership of the NF-JLEP Fellows.
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OzCLO training day update + rego reminder
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- Training Day cancelled
- The training day that was scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 15 will NOT take place, unfortunately. There are still plenty of training resources available online, though; check outhttps://ozclo.org.au/training-materials/.
- Registrations open until Feb. 24!
- Teachers should register themselves and their teams at https://www.ozclo.org.au/registration/.
- Registrations opened on Monday, Jan 16 and will close on Friday, February 24.
- The cost is $40 per team.
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Hakuhodo Foundation – 14th Japanese Language Exchange Program
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The program is open to middle schools outside of Japan that teach a Japanese curriculum. This program invites students studying Japanese at overseas schools and their accompanying teachers to Japan for international exchanges and intercultural experiences in Japanese with Japanese students of the same age.
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We would love to hear from you!
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Do you have an article or news you would like to share with our members? We would love to hear from you at [email protected]
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Stay tuned for more news, updates, events and resources on Languages Education with our monthly Newsletter.
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Please note: This is an automatic newsletter with no replies monitored - if you wish to contact MLTAWA, please email [email protected] . If it is a membership related concern, please email [email protected] or for website access issues please email [email protected].
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