Sharing a love of languages

Volume 8 Number 5 May 14 - June 9 2012

University of Melbourne students are sharing their language knowledge with school students as part of a new Breadth subject. Photo: Marcel Aucar.
University of Melbourne students are sharing their language knowledge with school students as part of a new Breadth subject. Photo: Marcel Aucar.

University of Melbourne undergraduates are bringing languages to life for school students. By Catriona May.

New in 2012, Languages and Schools Experience is a decidedly hands-on subject available to students studying languages at the University of Melbourne. It brings students with high-level language skills into classrooms as language assistants.

Third year Bachelor of Arts student Chan Ji Hong is a native Mandarin speaker who is also fluent in English and studying French and Russian. He spends every Thursday working as a language assistant at Collingwood College.

“I love languages and I love teaching. This subject is the perfect combination for me,” Mr Chan says. “This is my first time working in a classroom, and it’s really exciting. I enjoy working with the children, they inspire me in different ways.”

The first cohort of twenty students comprises native speakers and students who studied their language to VCE level. They represent a multilingual mix of Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Indonesian, French and German speakers.

Course coordinator Russell Cross said the subject is timely, given the priority governments are now giving to languages education.

“The University of Melbourne, and Victoria more broadly, enjoys incredible cultural-linguistic diversity,” Dr Cross says. “Languages are a vital part of this diversity, and an exciting gateway to new cultures. However, too few Australians are learning a language other than English. Engagement needs to begin with the way languages are taught in schools.”

According to Dr Cross, the best language teaching is relevant to students’ needs and interests. The University of Melbourne assistants help bring a different perspective to the language classroom.

“This subject is a great opportunity to provide an authentic, relevant experience of languages for school learners,” said Dr Cross. “The assistants’ role is different to that of the classroom teacher – they bring insights from the community into their classroom. They are also an aspirational figure. Through the assistants, school students can see the possibility of continuing language study beyond school.”

For Mr Chan, assisting students to learn how to use Chinese has been rewarding. In addition to using a lot of Chinese language in class, he has also done Chinese painting and calligraphy.

“Culture is also an important part of language learning,” he says.

The subject has also helped Mr Chan’s personal development. “I’m developing a lot of confidence through this subject. If you stand up in front of a class looking nervous, the students notice straight away. I’m learning to combat my nerves, and have confidence in my own decisions.”

The subject is run in partnership with the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. The partners aim to expand it in coming years.

Languages and Schools Experience is a level 3 Breadth subject.

www.breadth.unimelb.edu.au.