VATME's Beliefs
Preamble
Australian society has rich cultural and linguistic resources dating back at least 60,000 years. Over one million Australians regularly use approximately 250 languages, manifested daily in family interactions, shopping and commercial transactions, religious and customary observances and television and radio.
The individual members of Australian society may belong to a number of groups (language, religious, geographic origin, class or ethnic) which contribute differently to their sense of identity, values and beliefs, language use and access to power. The Association recognises this and emphasises past and present diversity as a significant influence on Australia’s development. We are committed to fostering linguistic and cultural diversity within a cohesive and more equitable society.
At the same time, we recognise that standard Australian English is the language of participation in public life. Some people have English as their mother tongue and some come to English having first acquired another language. In addition to their first language, individuals have the right of access to the highest levels of communicative competence in English. Since education provides knowledge and access to society, and is itself part of public life, it is the responsibility of all sectors of the education system to ensure access to the development of English language competence in all learners.
This policy is based on the premise that a healthy Australian society requires varied ways of communicating. It does not exclude minorities from public life, but draws on the vitality provided by different perspectives and sources of knowledge.
Language learning and teaching programs, ie. English as a mother tongue, languages other than English (LOTE), English as a Second Language (ESL), English as a Foreign Language (EFL) and bilingual programs should complement one another and not operate in isolation or competition. They should contribute to the learner’s overall communicative competence (including literacy) and to society’s repertoire of communicative skills. Programs should value and build on the experience, culture and language of the learner, whether the home language is a variety of English or a language other than English.
Consequently, the Association will act to develop and support concerns and initiatives both in Victoria and around Australia through appropriate national coordinating bodies under the following guidelines:
Community Participation
Communities have a fundamental right to participate at all levels of educational planning, from formulating policy to making decisions about curriculum, including the teaching and learning processes. Participation means an equal share in decision making which goes beyond activity and involvement in pre-determined programs.
The active involvement and responsible participation of the whole community including its linguistic and cultural minorities in educational decision making is a pre-condition of the development of a democratic society. The foundation of this is widespread information and access to the information on which decisions are based within the community. Participation and negotiation also counter conflict and divisiveness. Therefore teachers and the wider community must develop a range of opportunities to ensure effective participation at all levels of educational decision making.
Participation and negotiation are difficult to achieve in Australian society where these have not formed an established tradition in education. The following developments are therefore necessary:
The development and safeguarding of the rights of all groups, including linguistic and cultural minorities, to be represented in educational decision making at national, state, regional and local levels.
Concerted communication to all concerned (students, parents, the community), in an accessible medium and a language they can understand, of their role and rights in the formulating of curriculum and policy.
Communication with all parents in a language they can understand.
All preservice teacher-training courses must equip teachers with the necessary understandings, skills and strategies to facilitate the effective participation of parents in decision making, including in the development of curricula and educational policies.
Curriculum
The term curriculum refers not only to the domains of knowledge, skills, beliefs and values that comprise formal teaching content but also to the social context in which the teaching and learning take place.
Curriculum content and processes must provide individuals with cognitive, social, linguistic, technological and ethical understandings to enable them to participate fully in, to contribute to and to benefit fully from the economic, social and cultural development of Australian society.
Curriculum content and processes in all educational institutions must be designed to take into account the sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds, systems of belief, interests, abilities and contributions of all people in Australia. To ensure this, learner, parent and community participation must actively be sought in the negotiation of curriculum issues.
(Refer Section 1 above.)
Curriculum content must give all individuals access to the public culture of Australia as well as recognise the validity of their own cultural and historical realities.
Curriculum processes must enhance the individual’s ability to make personal choices based on the conscious evaluation of the variety of attitudes and beliefs present in contemporary Australian society.
Curriculum content and processes should develop an understanding of the inequality that characterises Australia’s diversity and foster a commitment to social equity and justice.
Materials used in all educational institutions must reflect the cultural commonalities and diversities of Australian society and promote the understanding and acceptance of its various cultures. Materials must reflect the cultural realities of the learners and their communities as these are evolving in Australia and their roles and contributions to the whole of society, past and present.
Language Teaching
All societies, social groups and individuals have a range of ways of communicating which may include different languages and different varieties of one language. This range of ways of communicating gives people a wider scope of knowledge, skills, values, perspectives, relationships and ways of doing things which are valuable to individuals, groups and a democratic society. The learning of languages promotes inter-group communication, nationally and internationally. Therefore the learning of any language is to be actively encouraged.
English Language Teaching
Within Australia, appropriate English language programs to meet the range of English language learning needs of people whose mother tongue is not English are required. Regardless of the client group, English language instruction must always take into account the various contexts and purposes for which English is used. The effects of racism on students’ lives must not be ignored.
Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)
All individuals from non-English speaking countries, permanently in Australia, must have continuing access to appropriate levels and forms of English language instruction, including at preschool, at school, in postsecondary education settings, in the workplace and in the community.
Learners of English as a second language must have ongoing specialist ESL teaching and support.
ESL programs must be given equal status with general or mainstream programs so that non-English speaking background groups will be catered for as permanent elements within the Australian population.
ESL programs must be integrated with general or mainstream programs to ensure optimal continued learning and language development.
Every newly arrived immigrant must have access to ESL programs at school, in the workplace and in the community. However, assumptions about English language proficiency and therefore rights to courses should not be decided by length of residence in Australia.
English language instruction must always take into account the various contexts and purposes for which English is used.
English Language Teaching for Indigenous Australians
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For Indigenous Australians, competence in standard Australian English is critical to opportunity and participation in public life. Appropriate and adequate English language programs which value and build on the home and community must be provided for Indigenous Australian learners at all levels of education, including in the community, in the workplace and at school.
Teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
Australia is a regional provider of EFL for fee-paying overseas students. Where courses are to be offered to these groups they should be properly developed special courses designed to meet the particular English language learning needs of the group in question. EFL centres and their courses must be subject to stringent accreditation procedures. Mechanisms to ensure the delivery of high quality courses by appropriately qualified teachers must be established.
Australia provides EFL assistance in the form of foreign aid to developing countries, through radio and on-site course. In order to appropriately meet the significant demands from developing countries, providers must critically examine the sociopolitical, curricular and methodological implications of the differences between ESL and EFL teaching.
Teaching Languages Other Than English (LOTE)
Recent research has consistently shown that there are cognitive, linguistic, social, psychological, political and economic advantages for learning languages other than English (LOTE) if the learning of LOTE is a positive experience. Provides should therefore ensure a strong positve framework for the leaning of a LOTE. The following are common arguments for supporting LOTE teaching at all levels of education. These arguments apply to all learners of LOTE:
Learning another language provides the opportunity for firsthand experience of another linguistic system and the culture it expresses.
The learning of a second language is enhanced if students have a sound knowledge of their first language and if the two languages are provided for and allowed to develop together.
Language proficiency in two languages will facilitate divergent thinking and learning skills. Bilinguals have access to more opportunities for personal enrichment in a culturally diverse society and can make a strong contribution to its development.
In the long term, there will be greater social and vocational opportunities open to those with a knowledge of more than one language.
Victoria’s multilingual character necessitates the development of multilingual services in health, law and commerce, as do Australia’s growing political and diplomatic relations and trade partnerships across the globe.
Development of programs in languages used by communities in Australia will assist in widening the cultural diversity and richness that characterises Australia.
The presence of students of a wide variety of social and cultural backgrounds calls for the provision of curricula, structures, decision-making processes and teaching practices which meet the needs of learners of LOTE. Included is the teaching of Aboriginal languages, where requested, which lead to a further awareness of the uniqueness and value of Australian indigenous languages and their sociocultural characteristics.
The following program options should be provided to meet the diverse needs of learners of LOTE:
Language maintenance and development programs
Second language programs
Bilingual programs
A combination of the above.
Teacher Training
Teacher training institutions should ensure that Generalist Pre-service courses include:
Curriculum content and processes which provide individuals with relevant language and cultural skills to enable them to participate fully in and benefit from Australian society.
Curricula which take into account the linguistic and cultural diversity of groups within that society and materials which reflect that diversity.
A study of English language which is sensitive to the sociolinguistic issues of Australian society.
An awareness of the relationship between language and learning and language and concept development.
ESL support of trainees of non-English speaking background, where appropriate.
An optional introductory LOTE unit for monolingual trainees of English speaking background.
Teacher training institutions should ensure that trainees are familiar with:
The nature of language use and language learning, particularly the processes of oracy and literacy in monolingual, bilingual and multilingual contexts and assessment of learner needs.
Language across the curriculum as well as of language relevant to particular subject needs.
Strategies for involving the community, including parents, in the development of curricula and educational policy
Current educational policies and policy documents.
Pre-service teacher training courses for primary and preschool should include TESOL, LOTE and Aboriginal education specialist preparation as part of generalist teacher training.
Pre-service teacher training for secondary school should include TESOL and LOTE method units with electives for teaching Aboriginal, adult and EFL learners.
Teacher training institutions should ensure that:
Bridging courses with ESL support are provided for teachers trained in non-English speaking countries.
Teaching practice components develop the areas outlined above.
Rigorous accreditation procedures are applied to all TESOL and LOTE courses to ensure delivery of high quality courses by appropriately qualified trainers with relevant classroom experience.
Research
Research in Australia must be carried out in the following areas:
The process of acquiring first and other languages.
The structure and use of Australian varieties of English.
The structure and use of languages other than English in Australia.
The formulation of suitable objectives in second language learning.
The use of first language in teaching English as a second language.
The methodology of language teaching (English as a first language, English as a second language, Languages other than English, English
as a foreign language, bilingual programs) at various levels.
The interface between mother-tongue literacy and English as a second language.
Maintenance of Australian Aboriginal languages.
The language needs of learners with severely disrupted schooling.
The relationship between English as a second language and the integration of NESB learners with disabilities into mainstream society.
Identification and description of effective learning strategies in a cross-cultural context.
Identification of effective cross-cultural techniques for negotiating the curriculum.
The relationship between ESL and mainstream subjects in primary, secondary and tertiary settings.
Assessment of language proficiency and development.
The kinds of school and community programs which are most effective in reducing prejudice.
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The relationship between ethnicity and class as factors of educational, social, economic and political disadvantage.
