Australian Federation of Modern Language

Teachers Associations Inc.

C/- School of Languages

255 Torrens Rd,
West Croydon
S.A. 5008

The Hon Julia Gillard, MP

Deputy Prime Minister
Parliament House
Canberra
AUSTRALIA 2600

2nd June 2008

Dear Minister Gillard,

The Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA) is

the peak national body representing all teachers of all Languages Australia wide –
across all sectors (Government, non-government and ethnic schools) and all levels of
education (primary, secondary and tertiary).

The AFMLTA welcomes the leadership, support and funding provided by the
Australian Government to Languages Education in Australia. We also welcome the
opportunity to work in collaboration with the Australian Government and other key
stakeholders to improve the delivery of languages in schools and the tertiary sector, so
that our students may be the beneficiaries of an education that is truly of international
standards.

The AFMLTA believes that what is required to improve languages education is a

reconstruction of the policies and organisational structures and practices that deliver
it; and that this reconstruction needs to be built upon the centrality of quality teaching
and learning.

All Languages are equally valid

The AFMLTA is deeply concerned with the narrow focus of the recently announced
National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP) – in terms of:
1. the narrow focus of the 4 identified languages
2. the narrow rationale for their selection
3. the narrow focus on high schools.

In relation to the first point, the AFMLTA agrees strongly with the position of
MCEETYA, as declared in the 2005 MCEETYA National Statement for Languages
Education in Australian Schools, which states that all languages are equally valid. We
believe that the NALSSP is very short sighted – and indeed that it contradicts all that
we know about preparing our students for a global world. Globalisation and

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internationalisation require our students to know and understand the Indigenous
Languages of our own country, as well as the languages of all continents. In this era of
globalisation and in these times of ease of communication that has been made
possible through technological advances, the rationale of ‘regional’ neighbours is no
longer relevant – as technology has allowed all parts of the world to become our
‘neighbours’.

In relation to the second point, the AFMLTA argues that commerce, trade and security
should not be the sole drivers of educational decisions. What our students should be
learning in schools needs to be driven by a much broader rationale that goes beyond
current economic and political concerns. In relation to Languages Education, the
rationale for selection of Languages needs to include maintenance and support of
linguistic diversity; the promotion and nurturing of our own Indigenous Languages;
and the need for first language maintenance programs for students of non-English
speaking backgrounds.

In relation to the third point, the research evidence is plentiful that language learning
is best started early – the earlier the better; and furthermore, an early start is essential
for our students to achieve high levels of linguistic proficiency. In addition, a great
deal of effort is also required at tertiary level, particularly in the area of teacher
education.
Recommendation 1:
The AFMLTA strongly recommends that the current range of languages taught
in Australian schools, universities and the ethnic schooling sector be
maintained, promoted, funded adequately and nurtured by all jurisdictions –
across all sectors and levels of education.

MCEETYA National Statement and Plan for Languages Education

The MCEETYA National Statement for Languages Education in Australian Schools
and National Plan for Languages Education in Australian Schools 2005 – 2008 was
agreed to by MCEETYA in 2005.

The first part of the document, the National Statement, describes the nature and
purpose of languages education. The rationale is based on the need for intercultural
awareness and understanding in order for Australia to act in relation to changes
stemming from globalisation and internationalisation. The statement gives a strong
profile to intercultural language learning, and acknowledges the diversity found in
languages education in Australia – and, importantly, states that all languages are
equally valid. It provides guidelines for jurisdictions and schools in deciding on
languages provision in response to local needs and aspirations, together with issues
relating to the availability of teachers and resources, and continuity of languages
learning.
Recommendation 2:
The AFMLTA recommends that the National Statement remain in place as the
overarching framework for Languages Education at national level, given its
ongoing applicability and relevance.

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The second part of the document, the National Plan, is a nationally agreed
framework for action to be taken in the period 2005–2008, within six inter-dependent
strategic areas (strands) for developing languages in Australian schools:
• teaching and learning
• teacher supply and retention
• professional learning
• program development
• quality assurance
• advocacy and promotion of languages learning.
Each strand is developed with an overall objective, an underlying principle, and a list
of recommended actions through which the objectives of the strand can be reached.
Different jurisdictions have responded to the National Plan in different ways, and
currently, it is the Australian Government which has taken the most significant action
in taking the plan forward, through national projects funded through the School
Languages Program (SLP). While significant progress has been made in relation to
some actions within the strands, there remain numerous actions which continue to be
relevant strategic areas of action for improving languages education.
Recommendation 3:
The AFMLTA recommends that the timelines for the National Plan be
extended; and that a work plan for the next quadrennium be developed to
reflect progress made over 2005 -2008, and to prioritise actions for the next
quadrennium within agreed funding parameters.

National collaboration and leadership

The AFMLTA endorses the appointment of the National Curriculum Board (NCB) to
provide national leadership, to drive and support the languages agenda, and to
facilitate national collaboration and work in partnership with the jurisdictions and key
stakeholders.

The MCEETYA Languages Education Working Party has had oversight of the
implementation of the National Statement and Plan during the period 2005 – 2008. As
the National Curriculum Board has now been established and charged with overseeing
Languages Education from 2009, responsibility for the implementation of a revised
Plan, should it be developed, will reside with the new Board.
Recommendation 4:
The AFMLTA recommends that the National Curriculum Board consider the
establishment of a National Languages Institute as the key national body with
the responsibility for policy and curriculum development in Languages; and
that this Institute be accountable to the NCB.

Recommendation5:
The AFMLTA recommends that the National Curriculum Board establish a
sub-group comprised of jurisdictional representatives, key stakeholders and
languages experts to provide sound advice and support regarding Languages
Education; and that this sub-group advise the proposed Languages Institute if
and when it is established.

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The AFMLTA welcomes the decision to include Languages in the second tranch of
curriculum development by the NCB. We believe that the efficiencies that can be
gained through a national approach and the reduction in duplication of effort are well
overdue. In the development of national curriculum, it will be important that due
recognition be given to the skills, experience and expertise that reside in groups such
as the Australian Network of Government Languages Schools (ANGLS), the
Federation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages (FATSIL) and
Community Languages Australia to support the development of national curriculum,
language specific curriculum and specialist curriculum.
Recommendation 6:
In order to support the work of the NCB, the AFMLTA strongly recommends
that membership of the proposed sub-group referred to in recommendation 5
include the AFMLTA, ANGLS, peak principals associations, the tertiary
sector, senior secondary authorities, parent organisations, FATSIL and the
ethnic schooling sector.

One of the failings of current endeavours has been insufficient commitment by some
jurisdictions, and their reliance on the Australian Government for resourcing. There
needs to be a joint commitment and responsibility to national collaboration, with
increased and shared accountability.
Recommendation 7:
The AFMLTA recommends that current accountability processes be
strengthened through reciprocal funding agreements and more comprehensive
accounts of progress and achievements by individual jurisdictions – including
collection and analysis of data related to student participation and
achievement.

Access, choice and continuity

As a nation, we need to continue to support a diversity of Languages offerings in our
schools, to respect individual schools decisions regarding Languages to be taught; and
to strengthen the provision of smaller candidature languages, including Indigenous
Languages.

The AFMLTA recognises that any individual school is not able to offer a wide choice
of languages, and that access to smaller candidature languages is not currently
possible or feasible for the range of students who may wish to access them. We
strongly support the ongoing provision of a broad range of languages with mainstream
schools working in partnership with complementary providers: schools of distance
education, government Schools of Languages and after hours ethnic schools. The
existing structures and collaboration can be further strengthened and expanded
through a more targeted national approach which utilises the latest technologies for
flexible delivery of programs.

The development and provision of Languages courses by flexible delivery is an

important strategy, particularly for students in rural and remote schools and in isolated
communities; and for students unable to begin or continue the study of their Language
of choice. National collaboration provides scope to address the current gaps in the
provision of Languages.

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 Recommendation 8:
The AFMLTA recommends a national approach which formally brings
together ANGLS, distance education providers, the Australian Curriculum
and Assessment Authorities (ACACA), FATSIL and Community Languages
Australia to explore how access choice and continuity can be strengthened for
all students across the country.

Teacher supply, retention and training

Given the critical importance of teachers in the delivery of Languages programs, the
most striking and concerning issues in Languages Education revolve around the:
• inadequate data related to teacher demand and supply to inform
workforce planning
• lack of systematic workforce planning to ensure the future supply and
retention of teachers of Languages,
• provision of teacher education to adequately prepare teachers

The recently released report of the Review of Teacher Education undertaken by the
Australian Council of Educational Research (ACER) provides a comprehensive
overview of all matters pertaining to teacher education. The AFMLTA strongly
supports each of the recommendations of this report – and we are of the view that the
implementation of these recommendations is one of the areas of highest priority –
without teachers all other areas of effort will be futile.
Recommendation 9:
The AFMLTA recommends:
o development and implementation of a system for annual data
collection related to teacher supply, which will allow for trend
analysis over time at the national level
o the identification and implementation of appropriate strategies
to attract, recruit and retain quality teachers of Languages
o the implementation of all recommendations in the recently
released ACER Report of Teacher Education.

Professional Learning
Professional learning is central to quality teaching and learning as it enables teachers
to keep abreast of developments in curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and their
particular Language(s). The profession itself, through its networks of national, state
and territory cross-language and language-specific associations, provides a strong and
vibrant professional learning program that is highly valued by its members.
Investment in ongoing high-quality professional learning is necessary to retain,
refresh and reward our teachers of Languages; and to support professional
associations to further strengthen their offerings.
Recommendation 10:
The AFMLTA recommends that:
o quality national professional learning programs, such as the
Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning in

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 Practice(ILTLP) and the Professional Standards Project (PSP)
continue to be developed and supported
o language teacher associations be supported financially to
strengthen the provision and quality of professional learning
o incentives and initiatives be provided to encourage teacher
participation in ongoing and sustained programs of
professional learning.

Research and Development

Ongoing research and development needs to be a strong focus for the NCB, in order
to continue to strive for quality and to provide opportunities for ideas and new
programs to be developed and tested in challenging environments; and to encourage
innovation. The area of assessment in Languages Education in Australia is a particular
area where research is urgently required to inform the field and to develop deep levels
of assessment literacy by teachers.
Recommendation 11:
The AFMLTA recommends that a strong focus on research and development
in Languages learning be built into the work plan of the NCB (via the
National Languages Institute, should it be established), with a specific focus
on assessment.

Promotion of benefits of language learning

We need to change beliefs about the capacity of students to benefit from Languages
education; and to work towards acceptance by all that Languages education is an
unquestioned element of the curriculum for all students, a major government policy
and a strategic priority area. The main ways by which negative attitudes towards
Languages can be countered is through quality Languages programs in schools, and
through a concerted Advocacy and Promotions Strategy.
Recommendation 12
The AFMLTA recommends that a multi-faceted Advocacy and Promotions
Strategy be developed, to promote positive attitudes and perceptions by the
community, parents, students, school leaders, other staff, and employers.

Yours sincerely

Lia Tedesco
President

CC: Barry McGaw, NCB

Tony McKay, NCB