Events and Competitions Australia China Friendship Society Promote and conduct the opportunity for ACT schools and the wider community to participate in the annual Lantern Festival. Events and Competitions Australian National University - College of Asia and the Pacific Promote and conduct the annual Australian National University Asia Pacific Day as part of the EngageAsia program. EngageAsia Programs Australian National University - College of Asia and the Pacific Provide and promote opportunities for students and teachers to participate in language immersion workshops, guest lecture series and student ambassador talks at the Australian National University. Classroom Practice and Cultural Immersion Program Canberra Grammar School Establish Connected Classrooms with students and staff in sister schools in China. Establish an independent Confucius classroom at the school to promote cultural and language activities. Coordinate and participate in an annual staff exchange with Beijing Sister School(s) to enhance partnerships and promote intercultural understanding and information sharing. Coordinate and deliver annual study tours to China for students and teachers with a focus on experiencing language and culture in cross-curriculum areas. Mandarin Immersion Programs ACT Education and Training Directorate Promote and deliver the Mandarin bilingual and language programs at Mawson Primary School.
Promote Mandarin pathways at: Mawson Primary School Melrose High School Canberra College Mandarin Immersion Programs ACT Education and Training Directorate - Mawson Primary School Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre Association for Learning Mandarin in Australia Inc. (ALMA) Promote and conduct the bilingual program (Chinese/English) offered at the community based early childhood centre (Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre - CAECC) for children from birth to 6 years located on the Mawson Primary School grounds. Mandarin Immersion Programs Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre. Association for Learning Mandarin in Australia Inc.(ALMA) Employ qualified bilingual early childhood educators to deliver Mandarin programs to young children enrolled at the Chinese Australian Early Childhood Centre. Explore options for expanding Early Childhood Mandarin immersion programs in the ACT.
Working with Teachers and Students Learning a language is a core component of the ACT Curriculum. Providing opportunities for teachers to build meaningful cultural knowledge and linguistic proficiency and for students to engage in quality languages programs are key ingredients for successful languages education in the ACT. Working with teachers and students to develop language skills and cultural knowledge strengthens local partnerships and provides opportunities to establish global connections. PRIORITY: WORKING WITH TEACHERS AND STUDENTS INITIATIVE RESPONSIBILITY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES Australian Curriculum: Languages Implementation ACT Education and Training Directorate Support Canberra public school teachers with implementation of the Australian Curriculum: Languages through activities and events facilitated by the Chinese Language Network. Professional Learning – building teacher capacity ACT Education and Training Directorate Promote and conduct professional learning opportunities to build the capacity of community language school teachers four times a year. Network Liaison – Chinese Language Network ACT Education and Training Directorate Provide the opportunity for ACT language teachers to network once a term through the Chinese Language Network meetings. Explore opportunities to include teachers of Chinese from Community Language Schools to join the Chinese Language Network. Mandarin Language Pathway ACT Education and Training Directorate Provide a Mandarin Language Pathway in Canberra public schools from primary school to college. Mandarin Learning Scholarship Program Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) Offer an annual Mandarin learning scholarship program, Huayu Enrichment Scholarship, to sponsor Australian students over the age of 18 to retain and enhance
Increased networking for language teachers ACT Education and Training Directorate Provide the opportunity for a representative from the ACT Chinese Language Network to attend meetings conducted by the committee of the Modern Language Teachers Association of the ACT Inc. to enhance cross-sectoral input and increase communication and collaboration between languages teachers. Development and provision of community and education websites Association for Learning Mandarin in Australia Inc. (ALMA) Coordinate and promote the ALMA website to provide a comprehensive list of sites where Mandarin can be learnt in the ACT – from playgroups and preschools to adult education. Continue to provide details and promote community events and other activities related to Chinese culture and Mandarin. Mandarin Speaking Ambassadors Association for Learning Mandarin in Australia Inc. (ALMA) Australian National University (ANU) Encourage student ambassadors from the College of Asia and the Pacific to promote tertiary studies in Mandarin. Explore links with the ANU to identify and establish a pool of Mandarin-speaking ambassadors. Identified ambassadors to liaise with school principals and Chinese teachers to visit schools to promote and inspire current students to learn Chinese and engage in Chinese culture. Development and provision of community and education websites Federation of Chinese Community of Canberra Inc. (FCCCI) - Chinese Further develop the FCCCI Chinese School website to provide a contemporary and functional online service to the school community.
evidence of collaborative partnerships with other organisations and associations to enhance the learning of Mandarin and promote understanding of Chinese culture through education in the ACT. Details of the projects and activities funded through the ACT Government Mandarin Culture and Languages Grants round will be published on the ACT Education and Training Directorate website. Blueprint Partners a) ACT Education and Training Directorate The ACT Education and Training Directorate is committed to the teaching and learning of languages in Canberra public schools. The Directorate is working to ensure students receive access to quality language programs with a focus on language acquisition and cultural understanding. The Curriculum Requirements in ACT Public Schools (P-10) Policy 2009 requires all Canberra public schools to provide a language program in one of eight priority languages: Chinese, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. The Policy requires all Canberra public school students in years 3-6 to learn a language for a minimum of 60 minutes a week, and all students in years 7-8 to learn a language for 150 minutes a week. Schools may also choose to offer additional languages, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages. Implementation of this policy has resulted in a significant increase in the number of students learning a language in Canberra public schools. Mandarin Language Pathways in Canberra Public Schools Several Canberra public primary schools offer Mandarin programs. Mawson Primary School offers students the opportunity for intensive study in a Mandarin Immersion Program. This unique program provides a high level of instruction in Mandarin. Understanding of Chinese culture is also incorporated into everyday learning across the school. An established Mandarin language pathway provides the opportunity for students in Canberra public schools to continue learning Advanced Mandarin in years 7-10 at Melrose High School and in years 11-12 at Canberra College. b) Catholic Education