Learning Languages Newsletter February 2015

NEWSLETTER Vol. 1 | 4 February 2015

CHINESE LANGUAGE NEWS

FRENCH LANGUAGE NEWS

GERMAN LANGUAGE NEWS

CHINESE SCHOLARSHIP

STAGE DE NOUMÉA

SEHNSUCHT SHORT FILM FEST

CHINESE LANTERN FESTIVAL

FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2015

GERMAN SCHOLARSHIP

WELCOME TO MENG

DELF EXAMINATIONS

CARNIVAL IN GERMANY

JAPANESE LANGUAGE NEWS

SPANISH LANGUAGE NEWS

NEWS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

NZ JAPANESE HIGHLIGHTS

SPANISH IMMERSION

VLN PRIMARY

JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES

CARNIVAL OF LAS PALMAS

NCEA INTERACT STANDARD

JET LIFE AND JENESYS

TEACHING THROUGH SPORTS

LANGUAGE IMMERSION

For questions, comments or to contribute to this newsletter, please contact Elba Ramirez at e.ramirez@auckland.ac.nz or on 09 623 8899 x48773

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Chinese Language News Chinese Scholarship Programme The Chinese and New Zealand Ministries of Education are offering up to 12 scholarships to New Zealand teachers of Chinese to attend a 3–week intensive language and culture programme in China from 27 June 2015 to 18 July 2015. The programme is targeted towards teachers at the Sustainability stage (teachers who have completed previous pathways) of the PLD pathway for New Zealand language teachers.

Information related to this stage can be found on the ILEP website: http://ilep.ac.nz/PathwaysforLearningLanguages/PLDPathways.aspx Application forms are available from Dmitry Mitenkov at d.mitenkov@auckland.ac.nz Closing date for applications is 10 a.m. Monday, 27 April 2015 This is an amazing program and I recommend it to any of my colleagues. I enjoyed all the lessons we had because we have our caring facilitators, teachers who guided us in learning Chinese, researching, collecting teaching resources and ideologies in our teaching. We are professionals and hard working classroom teachers who wanted to improve our classroom teaching. I believe this course has helped me to be a better language teacher.

Personally this trip has been a major opportunity of a lifetime and a chance to really focus on developing my language skills instead of constantly trying to achieve a balance across the curriculum.

It has been a chance to up skill myself and provide a platform to enable me to feel motivated and confident enough to continue on my return to New Zealand.

This programme has beneficially influenced my thinking about teaching methods and given me valuable insights and methods to take back and apply in my teaching in New Zealand.

This program certainly has changed my teaching style. Through the intercultural learning opportunities in the task, I will help students to improve their authentic interacting and cultural awareness.

Being immersed in the culture gives you much more realistic insight into the culture.

2

Chinese New Year Celebration Chinese New Year (the Spring Festival) is a traditional Chinese holiday to celebrate New Year's Eve from 18 February to the Lantern Festival on 5 March.

The New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association (NZCLTA) invites Chinese language teachers to celebrate the New Year in an evening full of cultural activities and some traditional Chinese food.

For more information, contact Yu Wang, the Chinese National Adviser at chinese@ilep.ac.nz

“Xin Nian Kuai Le” “Wan Shi Ru Yi” Happy New Year

All the best

“Ji Xiang Ru Yi”

“Sui Sui Ping An”

Good luck and happiness

Peace all year round

“Gong Xi Fa Cai”

Be prosperous and good luck

Planning programmes of learning around the Chinese New Year is very easy! Find resources and ideas on the NZ Curriculum Online resource page: http://bit.ly/1yllBUg

The Lantern Festival The Lantern Festival is also known as the Chinese Valentine’s Day because in old times this was the only chance that girls and boys had to mingle. Today, it represents the end of Chinese New Year celebrations.

During this day, people eat "tang yuan" (South of China) or “yuan xiao” (North of China), which are glutinous rice dumplings with sweet or spicy fillings. On this day, Chinese people enjoy the lanterns show after dinner. Some represent animals, insects, flowers, or people while others illustrate popular stories. Some people will set out the sky lanterns and lotus lanterns with best wishes.

3

Chinese Events Event: Auckland Lantern Festival

Auckland

Venue: Albert Park, Princes St, Auckland Date: Friday, 27 February 2015 to Sunday, 1 March 2015 5:00pm – 10:00pm

Event: 2015 Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day Venue: ASB Showgrounds, 217 Greenlane West, Auckland Date: Saturday, 14 February 2015 9:30am – 4:00pm

Palmerston North Event: Festival of Cultures - Cultural Lantern Parade Venue: The Square, The Square, Palmerston North Date: Friday, 20 March 2015 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Wellington Event: Chinese New Year Festival Venue: Frank Kitts Park, Jervois Quay, Wellington Date: Saturday, 14 February 2015, 7:00pm–8:30pm and Sunday, 15 February 2015, 10:30am–5:30pm

Dunedin Event: Chinese New Year Venue: Dunedin Chinese Garden, Cnr Rattray & Cumberland Streets, Dunedin Date: Thursday, 19 February 2015 to Sunday, 22 February 2015

19 February — Chinese New Year (The year of Sheep) 5 March — Lantern Festival 5 April — Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Day)

Holidays & Festivals 4

Eighth Chinese Bridge Speech Competition The Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Auckland and the Confucius Institute in Auckland are holding the Eighth “Chinese Bridge” Chinese Proficiency Competition for Secondary Students in May 2015. This competition aims to encourage students to learn Chinese language and culture, to enhance the understanding of Chinese culture.

Who can apply?

Non-Chinese citizens (neither parent nor grandparent who lives with the student should be a native speaker of Chinese) who were born and brought up in countries outside China and whose mother tongue is not Chinese, are eligible to participate.

The topics:  The friendship between Chinese and New Zealanders  Personal China-related experience  Chinese study experience.

Date: 1:00pm, Saturday, 2nd May 2015 Venue: Confucius Institute in Auckland, OGG Building, 12 Grafton Road, The University of Auckland

The deadline to register is 3 April 2015 to Lisa Shi: l.shi@auckland.ac.nz For more information visit http://ci.ac.nz/examinations-competitions/chinese-bridge-speech-competition

Upcoming National Adviser Workshops

For information about upcoming National Adviser’s workshops, please visit the ILEP website: http://ilep.ac.nz/

5

The story of Meng Qiu, a Chinese Language Assistant Written by Maria Mitenkova Meng came to New Zealand in October and will spend a year with ILEP assisting Yu Wang, Chinese National Adviser and giving Chinese classes to non -native teachers of Chinese in Auckland. Meng has a nice friendly personality and is always keen to talk about her country, language and culture as well as her experience of living and working in New Zealand.

Meng holds a BA in Chinese language and literature and a MA in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. After her first year of doing Master’s she went to Bangladesh as a teacher of Chinese, which was her first overseas experience.

She did not like it at the beginning – it was extremely hot (up to 46°C) and there were clouds of mosquitoes. She also missed her family badly. It became much better though when Meng started making friends among her colleagues and

It is named after the emperor Qin Shi Huang who is said to have gone there in search of immortality.

students so that at the end of the year she did not

New Zealand is Meng’s second long-term trip

even want to leave. She is still in touch with the

which seems to be very different from the first.

people she met in Bangladesh (300 friends on

She liked it from the start: fresh air, friendly

Facebook!) and hopes to go back and see some of

people, clean and tidy streets. There is also the

them one day.

sea, just like in her hometown and even more

Qinhuangdao, the place where Meng came from, is a small town (3,000,000 people) not very far from Beijing (21,000,000 people), which is also called “a backyard garden of Beijing”. Meng says it is true: her hometown is just next to the sea and much greener and more beautiful than the capital.

beautiful as it is cleaner and greener, with hills and volcanoes. Mission Bay is her favourite place so far – such amazing scenery! Meng does not miss her family anymore, partly because she is older now, partly because of her homestay where she says she feels as part of the family. In

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Bangladesh, Meng shared her apartment with

saying something and do not always say what they

other teachers, here she is lucky to live in a

actually think. At the same time, Meng finds

beautiful house with a garden and have her own

Chinese friendly and helpful: if you ask them for

room. It seems that the only thing Meng does not

help or advice they will never refuse. She has also

enjoy about New Zealand is the public transport

observed that some foreigners have funny

system. She does not drive, taxis are very

stereotypes about China, for instance they may

expensive and buses are not reliable enough.

think that Chinese men have long hair and all know kung fu. This comes from movies, she guesses, and has very little to do with the reality.

Talking about Chinese films Meng recommends her favourite – “Beijing Youth”. It is about the group of young people in Beijing who look for jobs, argue with parents, make friends, and fall in love. Being a young Chinese herself Meng finds it easy to relate

Meng likes her job and thinks she has made the

to their stories and problems. Her favourite

right decision by becoming a teacher of Chinese:

Chinese singer is Jay Chou, a handsome, talented,

when travelling overseas she was pleasantly

and hardworking young man. The three places

surprised to meet so many people who are

Meng would advise first time visitors to see in

interested in Chinese culture and keen to learn the

China are the capital Beijing, Xi’an – an important

language. Whether you want to work or travel in

city in terms of Chinese history, and Shanghai to

China, she believes it is going to be a much more

discover the modern China.

positive experience if you can speak some Chinese, in light of the fact that not many people in China know English. Meng is interested in other languages too. Besides English, she can read and speak Korean which she learned by watching Korean movies, listening to songs and speaking to Korean friends. She also considers learning French one day as it sounds so special and romantic to her.

When asked to describe Chinese people, Meng uses such words as hardworking and diligent. She also thinks people are not very open in China, especially to Westerners; they tend to think before 7

French Language News Stage de Nouméa Teachers are welcome to participate in a two to three -week

long

immersion

and

study

experience

in Nouméa led by ILEP. Accommodation will be with a family, study time will be divided between school observations,

intercultural

inquiry

and

formal

language classes at the University of New Caledonia.

The following teachers will qualify: 

who have completed the TPDL programme or similar in-depth PLD programme



who are involved in levels 1 to 4 of the learning languages area of the curriculum



with a minimum level of French A2 DELF language proficiency



teachers and schools who are engaged in the PLD programmes for the teaching of Learning

For more information visit www.ilep.ac.nz/pld-opportunities/ pld-opportunities-abroad/frenchprogrammes/stage-de-noumea

Languages from –Consolidation stage– onwards.

Complete the ILEP application form. Application forms are available from the Intercultural Programmes Co-ordinator at d.mitenkov@auckland.ac.nz Closing dates for applications: Friday, 27 March, 2015.

French Young Writers’ Competition Jeunes Auteurs Pour l’Europe is an annual creative writing competition by the Academy of Orléans-Tours in France, which offers a French as a Foreign Language section in senior high school students of French from all around to compete. The competition is open to New Zealand students in years 11–13.

The deadline for registration is 27 February 2015.

For more information, visit http://www.schoolforyoungwriters.org/french_Competition/ To register, contact Glyn Strange, at young.writers@xtra.co.nz

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AUCKLAND RIALTO CINEMAS NEWMARKET 19 February – 8 March

The French Film Festival 2015

BERKELEY CINEMAS TAKAPUNA

20 February – 8 March The French Film Festival is the largest French cultural

CHRISTCHURCH

event in New Zealand and has established itself as a

HOYTS NORTHLANDS 26 February – 15 March

prestigious event on the national cultural calendar. It is the largest French film Festival outside France and is

NELSON STATE CINEMAS 4 – 15 March 2015

sponsored by L’Oréal Paris and the Alliance Française.

The French Film Festival showcases the best of contemporary French language cinema, brought directly

TIMARU MOVIE MAX DIGITAL 5 – 15 March 2015

to cinema screens in eleven cities around the country from February to April 2015. This year’s line-up promises to be spectacular, with a mixture of hard-hitting drama

WELLINGTON

and comedy, alongside spectacular animation and a

EMBASSY THEATRE 11 – 29 March 2015

special category to commemorate the centenary of

TAURANGA

The Alliance Française issued study guides based on the

RIALTO CINEMAS TAURANGA 12 – 22 March 2015

World War One.

movies for pedagogical use on 29 January 2015.

DUNEDIN RIALTO CINEMAS DUNEDIN 19 – 29 March 2015

For more information and to download detailed course

HAVELOCK NORTH

http://frenchfilmfestival.co.nz/

outlines for all Education Outreachs films visit:

CINEMA GOLD HAVELOCK NORTH 19 – 29 March 2015

ARROWTOWN DOROTHY BROWNS 26 March – 5 April 2015

PALMERSTON NORTH CINEMA GOLD PALMERSTON NORTH 9 – 19 April 2015

HAMILTON LIDO CINEMA HAMILTON 9 – 29 April 2015

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DELF examinations in New Zealand Growing interest for DELF scolaire exams in NZ schools After a successful launch in 2013, DELF scolaire examinations are proving increasingly popular with New Zealand schools and students. There are 7 schools accredited as DELF examination centres in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Rotorua. The 2014 exam session was held on 18th October and was attended by 269 students (up from 93 last year) from 28 participating schools in New Zealand.

DELF scolaire offers an opportunity for French-learning students to have their language skills certified by an internationally recognized qualification. The success rate was very high this year, with 97% of students passing the exam. Most of them found sitting the DELF scolaire a highly positive and rewarding experience, as well as a great confidence-booster a few weeks ahead of NCEA exams.

Numbers are likely to keep growing in 2015, with more schools joining the scheme. As two new examination centres will be opened in Palmerston North and Nelson, the DELF scolaire network in 2015 will extend over most major cities and areas of New Zealand.

You can become an examiner/marker!!

There are 20-hour training sessions to become accredited markers/examiners for the DELF French language examinations (levels A1 to B2) for French teachers in New Zealand secondary schools or Alliances Franรงaises with a minimum level of C1 in French on the CEFRL scale.

DELF scolaire is coordinated in New Zealand by the French Embassy in partnership with the Alliance Franรงaise network, International Languages Exchanges Pathways (ILEP), and the New Zealand Association of French Teachers (NZAFT).

10

DELF training courses in 2015 27 to 29 March 2015 at Alliance Française, Wellington 5 to 7 June at Alliance Française, Auckland 19 to 21 June at Alliance Française, Christchurch

2015 DELF scolaire examination dates All centres except Auckland: Saturday 1 August 2015 Auckland centres : Saturday 17 October 2015

For information on DELF scolaire and how to register as a DELF scolaire participating school, see http://www.ambafrance-nz.org/DELF-scolaire Registration is now open for these courses. Register as soon as possible as the number of places is limited!

For information and registration, please contact : patrick.coustance@diplomatie.gouv.fr

Upcoming event

Takapuna French Market (part of Takapuna Beach Summer Days Festival) Hurstmere Green, Hurstmere Rd, Auckland Thursday, 5 February 2015 5:00pm – 10:00pm Join the Takapuna community to turn Takapuna French for the evening. Enjoy a taste of France in Takapuna with a French Market, authentic French performers and entertainment, and snuggle up to watch the incredible French Film, The Intouchables from 8:45pm.

11

Authentic interactions Written by Heike Cebulla-Elder, Queen's High School

Languages at Queen’s High School Queen’s High School in Dunedin with a roll of about 400 students runs a language programme where we offer Maori, French and Spanish as a full year programme for all our Year 9 students.

Next year, however, we have changed the format to a taster programme for the first 6 months after which the students will choose one of the three languages for the second half of their year. We are hoping to expose our students to all three languages this way and encourage them to make a more informed choice about their language option.

You will be wondering what this is about but a former student of Queen’s High, Annielle Tapper, who lives now in the French Alps and teaches English at a local high school has started a project with our Year 9 and 10 French classes.

We are lucky enough to have welcomed Martine and Marceau in our midst – two cute little Now, this year our junior French classes

Marmots who will discover New Zealand while

have embarked on a very special voyage

being hosted by our junior French students. So,

and this is how it happened:

every week we will be sending e-mails to the

Two Kiwis have travelled to France and two Marmots have arrived in New Zealand!!

French

students

telling

them

about

the

adventures of Martine and Marceau. At the same time we will be receiving updates on how our Kiwis – Sebastien and Karl the Kiwi – are doing in France.

12

Over the last months we have received very exciting reports about what our Kiwis have been up to.

They have certainly explored the close surroundings of the Vercours but have also travelled to Paris, Spain and other exciting places for us to discover. All those are in English whereas our students write their articles in French and so far the Marmots have been to Queenstown and Australia as well as visiting farms and the beach. The difference of the language levels between our students and the French students is quite big but mostly there is enough time to edit the articles and use this as a valuable learning experience.

Annielle and I have also enrolled with a website called e-pals which offers e-mail friendships between our junior students. Using this website means that we can – at the beginning – keep an eye on which e-mail contacts work well in that we can see how often they write and what they write. Since the beginning though it has now evolved into many of the pairs using other social media as well. This is very exciting when you meet a student in the corridor telling you that they skyped their partner last night for an hour!!

Kiwi was very tired by this day because she did the full attraction and has visited Disney.

Upcoming National Adviser Workshops

Voilà Marceau! Avec Mia je suis allée à Queenstown avec son frère et sa maman.

Il faisait beau. Queenstown est à la montagne au bord d’un lac qui s’appelle Lake Wakatipu.

For information about upcoming National Adviser’s workshops, please visit the ILEP website: http://ilep.ac.nz/

13

German Language News “SEHNSUCHT” ShortFilmFest 2014 School and university students of German from Auckland to Dunedin met in Wellington for the awards and screening of the winning films in the ShortFilmFest 2014, which is a project supported by the Goethe-Institut, the German Embassy and ILEP (International Languages Exchanges, Pathways). Film makers, their teachers, family and friends enjoyed the films on the big screen at Nga Taonga: Sound & Vision.

“Sehnsucht”, which is a difficult German word to be translated and which evokes melancholy and romanticism, was the topic for 2014.

The wide and varied range of interpretation of “Sehnsucht” of the 28 films sent by institutions from primary to tertiary education positively impressed the judges. These film topics showed happiness, good luck, lunch money, revenge and even for a cuddly tortoise. Two of the prize winning films showed a political dimension. On the one hand, two single sex schools longed for co-education, and on the other, a school claimed the need to keep German as a subject.

14

Top prizes in the three age categories went to: 

Columba College Year 5, Dunedin (Special Prize)



Ramarama School Year 7, Auckland (Special Prize)



Columba College & John McGlashan College Year 9, Dunedin (Second Prize)



Green Bay High School Year 10 & Takapuna Grammar School Years 9/10 (First equal)



Raphael House Rudolf Steiner School Year 12 (First Prize)



Christs College, Year 13, Christchurch (Second Prize)



Victoria University of Wellington (First & Second Prize)

The topic for 2015 will be “Der Igel” (the hedgehog)

KurzFilmFest 2015

‘IGEL’ belongs to the 300 words most used in the German language.

Hedgehogs seem to be so much part of German culture. And even the language is enriched by funny expressions like “Igelhaarschnitt” (for a super short haircut) or “IGeL-Leistungen” (for extra services at medical practices which are not covered by health insurance).

Encourage your learners of German at all levels, from primary to tertiary, to come up with their own creative ideas on this topic and make a film in German of about 3 minutes length. The films are due by 25 September.

Forms and more information will be available online on the National German Adviser’s page on the ILEP homepage soon: http://ilep.ac.nz/NationalAdvisers/GermanNationalAdviser.aspx

Upcoming National Adviser Workshops

„Viel mehr als Internet ... - Freizeit deutscher Jugendlicher“

25 February, Wellington

Intercultural teaching approaches and recent materials on how young Germans spend their leisure time.

10 March, Christchurch

4 March, Auckland

23 March, Dunedin (Talkfest) 25 March, Invercargill

To attend, please RSVP: admin@ilep.ac.nz 15

Goethe-Institut Examinations in New Zealand

Internationally Recognised

The Goethe-Institut in New Zealand offers internationally recognized benchmark examinations at all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference from A1 (breakthrough or beginner) to C1 (effective operational proficiency or advanced). Examinations for adult learners are run throughout the year at the Goethe-Institut in Wellington, and the universities of Auckland, Canterbury and Otago are all examination centres, which means that students of German can supplement their local qualifications with an international benchmark.

German Teachers on the TPDL (Teacher Professional Development in Languages) programme are encouraged to sit these examinations as part of their own language development or extension.

A1 to B2 examinations for young people are offered free of charge at the 5 PASCH (German Partner Schools) in New Zealand and are also available to all school students of German at primary and secondary levels for a small fee.

For more information visit http://www.goethe.de/ ins/nz/en/wel/lrn/prf.html

Reading, listening, writing and speaking are all tested entirely in German.

The A1 examination for young people, “Fit in Deutsch 1� takes just an hour for the written part, which is then followed by a short oral examination which can be done in groups of up to 6 at a time. Depending of the number of hours allotted to German, students can aim for A1 from the end of Year 10 through Year 11, although we have had Year 8 students successfully passing this exam. A2 is generally possible for Year 11 and 12 students, and B1 for Year 13 students, although again there have been Year 13 students who have managed the B2 examination.

German Scholarships Scholarship applications for Year 12 students of German are now open!

Encourage your best students to apply for one of the scholarships to Germany. There will be up to eight scholarships for New Zealand students for 2015/16 from three different organisations (PAD, NZGSE and IDO - confirmation pending), for which different interviews will be conducted in Term 2 in all parts of New Zealand. The final selection round will be held at the Goethe-Institut in Wellington from 26-27 July in the form of a two-day immersion experience.

Year 11 and Year 12 students are also eligible

Application forms for these scholarships will be

to apply for the

available from Mid-February on

Ministry of Education Language Immersion

http://www.ilep.ac.nz/national-advisers/german-

Awards through AFS New Zealand

national-adviser

http://www.afs.org.nz/student_exchange/ liafaq/ 16

Carnival in Germany Written by Heike Papenthin, German National Adviser Many of you German teachers may these days envy your counterparts in the German regions along River Rhine – the “Hochburgen” of the German Carnival. Why? Because it is there where schools will have extra holidays to allow everybody to celebrate the so-called Fifth Season. This year carnival with all its big gatherings, costume parties and kilometre-long parades, showcasing not only “Funkemariechen” (majorettes) and brass bands but also colourful “topic waggons” alluding to current political issues, will take place from “Weiberfastnacht” on 12 February until Ash Wednesday (Aschermittwoch), 18 February.

Streets and Kneipen (bars) fill with people in

costumes, from Germany and abroad, who enjoy these merry times when people are happy to celebrate outside, in spite of sometimes very low temperatures and even snow fall. So it is with envy that people in other parts of Germany (especially the Protestant areas), for who it is business as usual in the Fifth Season, look at cities like Cologne, Dusseldorf, Mainz and Freiburg , where “fools” (Narren) take over town halls and even schools and life comes to a halt during the “tolle Tage”. Historically Karneval (valet = good bye to carne = meat) is a festival just before the fasting period (40 days to Easter). Fun lovers take these "crazy 5 days" as a last chance to get into a frolicsome mood and indulge in humorous and cheerful activities.

Useful links for the language classroom: http://www.schulferien.org/Feiertage/Fasching/Fasching.html https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/pdf24/02_Februar_-_Fastnacht.pdf http://www.hueber.de/sixcms/list.php?page=landeskunde_2_1 http://www.dw.de/partnersuche-auf-k%C3%B6lsch/a-3947429

Life Swap Welcome back, dear teachers of German! I hope you all enjoyed the Life swap Advent Calendar and were able to see the Christmas Special about Duncan’s vivid expectations of the Christkind, and Joerg’s confusion about the meaning of a Kiwi “Bach Christmas” - hilarious and very well observed by William and Steffen, the producers. If not, here is the link, which you may want to bookmark already for next Christmas. What a great intercultural resource!

Heike Papenthin

http://www.goethe.de/ins/ nz/en/wel/ lrn/11703913.html Episode 6 is already in the making!

17

Japanese Language News Highlights of Japanese in Aotearoa 2015 Written by Michelle Lodge, NZAJLT President あけましておめでとうございます！ A Happy New Year to everyone and I hope that everyone had a relaxing break. 2014 was an exciting year for the Japanese Language and Teaching community.

At the tertiary level, Japanese Studies Aotearoa New Zealand (JSANZ) has been active for a year now.

JSANZ (President, Dr Penny Shino, Massey University) is a new advocacy network for promoting Japanese language education and studies at tertiary level in New Zealand (http://www.jsanz.org). It is also working at developing stronger links between the secondary and tertiary sector.

A great example of how this collaboration can work, was the NCEA Japanese Workshop at the University of Canterbury in July, where 226 senior secondary school students from the Canterbury region and their teachers, worked with 23 Canterbury University students on NCEA internal and external assessment topics. A highlight of the day was the combined performance of the popular AKB48 ‘Fortune Cookie in Love’ dance, which was videoed, has had thousands of hits on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=CQE8kGwWsv8) and was featured in the Japan Foundation international newsletter http://www.wochikochi.jp/report/2014/09/fortunecookies.php This video inspired JSANZ and they produced a tertiary Japanese learners’ video involving all the tertiary Japanese programmes in New Zealand. This project became a collaboration between New Zealand and Australia, as Professor Thompson Kinoshita of New South Wales University danced as a representative of Australia, along with New Zealand Japanese lecturers. Check out the Japanese embassy link to see them in action: https://ja-jp.facebook.com/nzembassyjapan.

At a secondary level, several different regions throughout New Zealand ran their own events such as Japan Days, speech competitions and interaction afternoons. The National Speech Competition held at

different tertiary institutions also offered a fantastic opportunity for students of Japanese to not only make connections with other secondary students, but to also meet and interact with tertiary students of Japanese. It is fantastic to hear about all these wonderful events happening out there in the community.

The ALLiS (Asian Language Learning in Schools) funding from the Ministry of Education, and associated projects also really started the ball rolling with clusters of schools working together on their applications.

The positive impact of primary, secondary and tertiary working side by side to support each other with language learning in the New Zealand context is beneficial to students, teachers and their community alike. Each group contributes its own set of skills and all show a passion for New Zealand students being afforded the opportunity to learn Japanese. This will become a major focus in 2015 as schools are awarded funding under this scheme and work towards implementing their proposals.

In 2015, the NZAJLT Exec are working in conjunction with JSANZ to organise a Trivia Night for Years 9 to 10 and hope for it to be taking place in different regions throughout New Zealand. Information regarding this will come out later in February and looks to be a funfilled, interactive evening for all. This too is another fantastic example of tertiary and secondary working together.

The NCEA workshop (Y11-Y13) at the University of Canterbury will be held on 11 June 2015, and we are excited to have Jonathan Hendriksen, CEO of a visual marketing software company Shuttlerock Ltd as the guest speaker, who learnt Japanese at secondary school in NZ, lived in Japan and listed ValueClick Japan on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2000.

The Second JSANZ Tertiary Japanese Language Speech Contest will be held in 2015, and we expect participants with high motivation and language skills.

If there are any activities or events you would like to see happening, please don’t hesitate to contact us at nzajlt40@gmail.com 18

School Visit Programme The School Visit programme is designed to introduce students to Japan and Japanese culture.

Each presentation is about one and half hour long and includes a brief general introduction about Japan followed by an interactive lesson with activities based on a specific topic.

The Consulate-General of Japan provides members of its staff to give free presentations about Japan and Japanese culture at schools which visit area schools, or welcome visitors to the consulate office.

If you have any questions or would like to receive detailed information about presentations, please contact pr@ac.mofa.go.jp and visit http://www.auckland.nz.emb-japan.go.jp/

Auckland

Japanese Language Courses

Japanese course for beginners and intermediate level held by NZJS: rfu@nzjapan.net Wellington Jkaiwa free conversation class at Embassy of Japan: jkaiwanz@gmail.com Japanese lesson for beginner, intermediate and advanced level at Embassy of Japan: daijikataoka@gmail.com Wellington High School Community Education Centre: www.cecwellington.ac.nz/coursecatalogue/9-other-languages/page/2 Christchurch J-Kaiwa Free conversation class: www.facebook.com/groups/ jetaasouthisland/

Upcoming National Adviser

For information about upcoming National Adviser’s workshops, please visit the ILEP website: http://ilep.ac.nz/

Workshops 19

Japan started the JET programme (the Japan Exchanges &Teaching programme) in 1987 to promote internationalization at the local level.

Most of the participants work as assistant English teacher at public schools Lingy Au, Mitsue-mura, Nara-ken, throughout Japan. In 2014 there are 4,476 participants from 43 countries, 2012-2014 including 244 from New Zealand.

The JET Life

Having lived my entire life in New Zealand, I’ve always had a feeling that something more was waiting for me out there. So when a flyer landed on my desk at University for a chance to work and live in Japan, I grabbed it with both hands. Japan has always appealed to me as a place with rich cultural heritage and an abundance of traditions that make it so unique to the rest of the world so the JET programme was the perfect opportunity to explore this and step out of my comfort zone!

There are pros and cons with each situation but I found with a smaller group, getting to know the students more intimately on a day to day basis was the most rewarding part of the job. After all, kids grow up so fast these days!

During my two year tenure, I was fortunate enough to be able to explore places as far north as Hokkaido, down to the southern beaches of Okinawa. Taking part in festivals that Japan has on offer is also one of the most unforgettable The JET programme has been running since 1987 experiences in my life to date. and aims to promote grass roots internationalization Being exposed to such a wide range of people from between Japan and other nations by inviting young all parts of the world is something I will always be overseas graduates to assist in international grateful for. Having friends from around the globe exchange. really is an important part of the experience and The phrase “every situation is different� means traveling with them on various trips in and around more to me now than ever because that really is the Japan was a huge part of shaping my time on the perfect way to describe the experience. I was placed programme. in a small country-side village called Mitsue in Nara JET has opened up many opportunities for me prefecture, which had a population of less than 2000 heading into the future. I have come back with a people and boasts some of the loveliest grandmas new perspective on life and have made life-long and grandpas you will ever meet. Although Nara is friends from around the world. Through joining the easily accessible from major cities such as Osaka & JET alumni group and staying active within the Kyoto, my closest supermarket was a 30 minute Japanese community in Wellington, I have picked up drive away and getting to the city involved multiple a position at the Japanese embassy helping the next modes of transport. generation of JETs for 2015.

While other Assistant Language Teachers (ALT) I hope to continue the path of building relationships within my prefecture were placed at multiple between New Zealand and other nations as I see schools with thousands of students, I was placed at international relations playing an ever increasingly two schools with less than 70 students combined. important role for future generations to come.

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JENESYS (The Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths)

A youth exchange project and approximately 30.000

youths from Asia & Oceania have participated in this project. From New Zealand, 110 people have been invited to Japan so far. Its aim is to promote potential interests towards Japan and increase visitors to Japan.

Japan had seemed a world away for 18 student representatives of New Zealand until October in 2014 when these fortunate few from around the country were gifted a remarkable opportunity. In September, Japan was a dream, an aspiration for these students, but in October, it was on their doorstep. A great number of Japanese-enthusiasts from New Zealand applied to be part of the JENESYS 2.0 Programme, and 18 were chosen to be amongst the select individuals who would be ambassador’s to New Zealand as they spent 10 days in Japan meeting new people, advancing their Japanese language abilities and really getting in touch with Japan, its culture and its people.

Every minute of every hour, and every hour of every day had been meticulously thought out and planned by the organisers in Japan, so there wasn't a moment lost in the day, from Tokyo Tower to Asakusa to the Imperial Palace. Free time was also scheduled into our days, which was a very beneficial thing as it allowed the students to explore on their own feet and understand what Japan is like at its core. A good balance was met over our time there between visiting tourist attractions and understand Japanese culture by visiting schools and staying with host families. It is very important that both of these aspects are upheld in future JENESYS programmes because being amongst and communicating with Japanese people is possibly the best way to really understand their culture and their virtues as a people. There are definitely things to be gained from visiting historical sites and tourist attractions, but it should not

necessarily be the most important part of a program whose objective is to have foreign young people from around the world understand the culture of Japan and its people.

I am sure that for each participant in this trip a greater knowledge of Japan has been brought back to New Zealand with them, and each of us can now go forward in life with this experience under our belt. It has given us a more open-minded view of the variety in cultures around the globe and also a more openminded view towards our own country and its culture.

A more specific example of how the programme has affected the participants, regarding myself, is that I now have experience in the international relations between Japan and New Zealand. It is a possibility that I will enter into this line of work in the future, and having been on the JENESYS 2.0 Programme and made the connections that I did, entering into this career path might have been made easier.

The JENESYS 2.0 Programme is certainly an opportunity that any pragmatic individual would sieze so to better their future. I recommend to everyone around me both the pursuit of a place on this programme in the future and the goal to one day go to Japan and soak in the culture-rich experience of being there. It was a once in a life time opportunity for me and all of the New Zealand participants, and we are all so grateful for having been part of this journey.

Malcolm Jones

Japanese Film Screening All films have English subtitles.

Free admission and booking is not necessary.

The dates and titles may change due to unforeseen circumstances so please confirm details: www.auckland.nz.emb-japan.go.jp/ culture/film_show.htm pr@ac.mofa.go.jp 21

Meijo University High School Visit On Thursday the 7 August 2014, 36 Japanese students came from Mejio University High School in Japan to experience New Zealand schooling and compare it to their schools in Japan.

The day started off when all the classes went into the hall. As they started to arrive we started singing Haere Mai which means welcome in English. After they asked if they could sing a song and they sung the most beautiful song and most of it was actually in English. Then it was our turn again. All the classes went back to their rooms and the year 8s stayed and did the Algorithm March. They were very impressed.

A bit later on it was time to go and introduce ourselves to the five people that were in our group.

I was in a group with Hannah and Karen. After we had introduced ourselves it was their turn, it was obvious that they had been practicing a lot.

The five people that were in our group were a bit slow so we were running a bit behind. The first class was Room 6. Room 6 showed the students a stick game and the Japanese students showed Room 6 a game where you have to untangle your hands when you are holding hands with someone who is not next to you. The next classes were mostly Questions.

Then it was time for a game of Dodge ball. It was a very tough game and it was also fun and challenging, but in the end Meijo University won.

It was a really fun and exciting day and it was quite sad to see them leave there were some very sad people and when it was time to leave no one wanted to go and we did not want to see them go.

Overall I had a great day and would love to see them again if I ever get the chance.

Written by Carla Brick, Year 8

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Japanese Events

Date: Sunday 12 April 2015 10:00 Door open 10:30 Opening Ceremony 18:00 Event close

Venue: The Cloud and Shed 10, Queens Wharf, Auckland More information http://www.japanday.org.nz/

Join in the celebration of all things Japanese. This day is guaranteed to be packed full or fun, delicious food, and educational attractions to get to know more about authentic Japanese culture.

Event: Canterbury Japan Day Venue: Riccarton Park Events Centre, Racecourse Rd, Sockburn, Christchurch City Date: Sunday, 1 March 2015 10:00am – 5:00pm

Canterbury Japan Day 2015 is a celebration of Japanese culture. This year, the venue will be transformed into elegant, enchanting, and colourful Japanese Autumn. It is a day guaranteed to be packed full or fun, delicious food, and educational attractions to get to know authentic Japanese culture. In addition to the stage performances and indoor exhibitions, there will be hands-on attractions that will ensure visitors the real 'experience' of Japan. The feature attraction, "Theatre of Princess Kaguya" is not to be missed!

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Spanish Language News Spanish Immersion Scholarship 2015 Improve your Spanish and your teaching skills: be immersed in Spanish culture and enjoy a customised pedagogical programme for New Zealand teachers. A two-week immersion programme is offered to New Zealand teachers of Spanish at the prestigious University of Salamanca, Spain.

"Living inside a Spanish apartment with a host family also provided me with valuable insights into Spanish daily life; for example, meals and meal times, popular television programmes screening and household chores.

Having this knowledge will allow me to provide my students with valuable information which allow them to draw comparisons between New Zealand school life and daily life with that of the Spanish, two predominant topics studied in senior level Spanish."

Course dates: 6 July 2015 - 17 July 2015 Who can apply? Applications from all teachers of Spanish are welcome. However, preference will be given to teachers who have completed the TPDL programme or similar in-depth PLD programme and teachers involved in levels 1 to 4 of the Learning Languages area of the curriculum .

"Staying with my host provided me with the opportunity to see first-hand how Spanish people live and interact. Just being able to watch the TV on a daily basis, see what sort of news was reported, listen to the way that Spanish is spoken on an everyday basis.�

More information http://ilep.ac.nz/pld-opportunities/pld-opportunitiesabroad/spanish-programmes/spanish-immersionscholarship Complete the ILEP application form. Application forms are available from Dmitry Mitenkov, the Intercultural Programmes Co-ordinator at d.mitenkov@auckland.ac.nz

2013 Group

Deadline for applications: 13 February 2015

Upcoming National Adviser Workshops

Teaching and learning Spanish through physical activities. Wellington, first week of February.

Brand new ideas from the University of Salamanca for the teaching of Spanish. Auckland, 6 April (tentative). http://www.ilep.ac.nz/pld-opportunities/pld-offered-bynational-advisers/spanish-pd-course

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New Zealand Language Assistants The language and culture assistants programme is an initiative of the Spanish Ministry of Education devoted to providing scholarships for New Zealanders (university students/graduates and teachers) with some proficiency in Spanish. The Assistants will have the opportunity to teach English in Spain in primary, secondary and language schools.

Participants will spend a full academic year, from October to May/June in Spain. Preferred placement in different Spanish regions can be requested.

This programme provides Spanish students and teachers of English in Spain the opportunity to study English in depth and to familiarise themselves with the New Zealand culture by interacting with New Zealand speakers.

The language assistants receive a scholarship which covers accommodation expenses (about 700 euros monthly) an orientation course and full medical insurance. Travel costs to and from the country of origin will be the responsibility of the scholarship recipient.

Candidates must be New Zealand nationals, possess a university degree or be in their final bachelor’s year at the end of the academic year 2015 and be native speakers of English.

The 2015-2016 school year application deadline is 7 April, 2015.

There is no cost or fee to submit applications.

For more information: http://www.mecd.gob.es/nuevazelanda/en_NZ/convocatorias-programas/ convocatorias-nuevazelanda or contact the Spanish National Adviser, Pablo Mateu Garcia at spanish@ilep.ac.nz

STANZA Immersion weekend: A two-day IMMERSION PD in Albany (North Shore) to share ideas, experiences and resources with other teachers practicing Spanish in workshops on interculturality, cultural aspects of the Hispanic world, learning activities and songs.

A Professional Development opportunity to: PREPARE resources for the new year, NETWORK with other teachers of Spanish PRACTICE all your language skills and ENJOY using the language in a supportive environment

For more information http://www.stanza.org.nz/

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Carnival of Las Palmas Gran Canaria is one of the seven islands which form the Canary Islands, Spain. Its capital city is Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

The Carnival of Las Palmas is one of the most famous Carnivals in Spain and is held every February.

It’s Carnival time in Gran Canaria!

31st January - 21st February 2015

BUT‌ What is special about this Carnival?

You can enjoy the Carnival and/on the beach with an awesome weather, which is such a difficult combination to be found in other Carnivals in Europe!

What types of events take place?

The Queen Gala and Draq Queen Gala in which female and male contestants compete to win the first position for the best/most beautiful costume.

The main parade or "Cabalgata" runs through a six-kilometre route across the city.

For more information and dates go to http://www.lpacarnaval.com/events

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News Virtual Learning Network (VLN) Primary Written by Rachel Roberts The Virtual Learning Network (VLN) Primary is a schools’ led initiative, governed by a charitable trust and supported by the Ministry of Education (http://www.vln.school.nz/). Initiated in 2008, through the needs of small and rural schools, the VLN Primary School set out to provide language learning opportunities for Year 7 and 8 students. It was clear from the outset that there was huge potential to extend this scope across the curriculum and to different year levels to target specific learning needs of students across New Zealand schools. In 2008 one French class was run between three schools, led by Matapu School in South Taranaki. By 2014 this had grown to include more than 50 schools (including city schools), with students participating in over 30 programmes of learning and projects. The VLN Primary learning environment consists of Adobe Connect and Skype for synchronous weekly programmes, supported by an Elgg student learning hub (WeLearn), Google Apps for Education particularly shared google docs and google classroom.

Languages offered in 2014 have been te Reo Māori, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Japanese, Cook Islands te Reo Māori & Afrikaans. Next year Korean and Tokelauan will begin. Learning languages through the VLN Primary School enables students access to natural speakers and expert teachers. It gives them a choice not only to learn a language where they might not have the opportunity in their own schools but to choose which language they want to learn. Some students have learnt the same language for 3 or 4 years before they get to secondary school, some have been in several different language classes. Our students are gaining an interest in other cultures, a love of learning languages, and hopefully will make choices to continue languages when they get to high school. There have been over 1000 enrolments in our online classes over the last four years, so watch out for these students coming to your schools!

This type of learning can also create a ‘ripple effect’ for the teachers and school communities. Some teachers will participate alongside their students, brushing up on their language skills and gaining confidence to continue teaching the language themselves. Some schools invite members of the community to support students language learning alongside their online learning. Our language teachers come from our participating schools, as well as language assistants through our partnerships with ILEP & the Confucius Institute Auckland.

Our Confucius Institute Partnership was brought about by a request from one school community who wanted their students to learn Chinese. The Mandarin Language Assistants (MLA) programme is run by Confucius Institute Auckland and places visiting Chinese language teaching students in schools to support language programmes and share Chinese culture for a year. We have adapted the MLA programme by virtually placing Language Assistants with our schools. Each of our online classes has a mentor teacher from one of our schools alongside the MLA. The mentor teacher learns Mandarin with the students and also supports the assistant as they teach the class.

We believe that our work in schools not only provides equity and access to learning opportunities for our students but can also be a catalyst for developing teacher confidence and interest in teaching languages in their own schools. To find out more about the VLN Primary School check out our latest newsletter (http:// us4.campaign-archive1.com/?u=9f152201df3f45ab001d70ad2&id=1086989af3). We would love to hear from schools who are interested in participating and teachers who want to teach languages online.

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TPDL completion of the programme On the 27 November 2014, the ‘Northern Region’ group of teachers who successfully completed the one-year TPDL programme got together to celebrate their achievements.

This time, the function which over a decade of TPDL programme existence has grown into a nice tradition, took place at Music Auditorium of The University of Auckland at Epsom campus. The welcome speech was delivered by Wendy Thomson who has been Project Director of TPDL since its inception. Silvia Insley, an experienced secondary teacher, teacher educator, polyglot and former TPDL professional director, gave an inspirational speech about the importance and joy of learning new languages and cultures. The participants learnt about the PLD available beyond TPDL and got a chance to meet and talk to staff from ILEP and other institutions about the possibilities of further professional development support, collaboration and future opportunities, including intercultural scholarships and language immersion awards. The official part of the event included presentation of certificates and gifts of readers for their students. Traditionally, the handing over of the sets of readers is done by participants themselves who introduce and congratulate each other in a foreign language, which is always fascinating and encouraging to watch. Those teachers who had passed language tests and examinations during the year were awarded their international language proficiency certificates. And finally, the TPDL certificates from the Ministry of Education and UniServices were presented by Dr Andy Shenk, CEO of UniServices. The celebration ended with drinks, nibbles and live music.

Written by Maria Mitenkova

Language Assistants Orientation Programme The 2015 Language Assistants will attend the orientation programme held by ILEP on 9 and 10 February at Kohia Teaching Centre.

A total of 22 language assistants for French, German and Spanish will provide support to language teachers and schools during this new school year.

For more information about the Language Assistants Programme visit http://ilep.ac.nz/language-assistants

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Professional Learning & Development Finding a voice in research: What can it do for me?

Written by Dr Adèle Scott

Adèle is an experienced classroom teacher and university teacher educator, specialising in languages teaching and learning. As well being involved in teaching, learning and research, she enjoys working alongside teachers in classrooms with programme planning and assessment. ajscott@inspire.net.nz

In my recently completed PhD study, I investigated the background and profile of teachers of additional languages in New Zealand schools. I am most grateful to the over 300 teachers who responded to my National Online Language Teachers’ survey in late 2008 (hereafter the NOLT08). The data from the NOLT08 survey gave me a good place to start my exploration of teachers’ perceptions of their role, place and identity. I think it is important that research has a wider benefit than only for the researcher and his/her immediate context. My hope, for this study, is that it provides conversation starters in languages faculty workrooms and at professional learning sessions. I like the way Rod Ellis puts it. Ellis adheres to the notion that research should not prescribe teacher practice, rather that it should “stimulate reflection on the complex phenomenon of instructed language learning and a willingness to experiment with new approaches in accordance with [teachers’] local conditions” (Ellis, 2005, p. 44; 2013).

In other words, with regard to my study, please use it to consider how the teachers’ stories I have shared might inform your teaching situation. Here is a brief look at what I uncovered.

Results of the NOLT08 survey confirmed that teachers of additional languages in New Zealand

schools had different levels of qualifications and experiences depending on the sector in which they were teaching. Teacher perceptions of their roles ranged from those who felt supported and considered the teaching of additional languages an integral part of their professional role, to those who were hindered by a lack of agency and confidence in their proficiency, frustrations with multi-level classes, or assessment demands.

A desire to find out more about individual teachers, particularly those teaching languages at Years 7 and 8 led me to probe into the professional lives of three teachers through case studies. Data were gathered through interviews and regular entries in a reflective e-log focusing on each person’s situated experiences as teachers of additional languages together with their perceptions of their role and identity. These three teachers shared critical moments and experiences that highlighted challenges, tensions, personal and professional developments and successes. They revealed how changing leadership in For more publications that discuss the NOLT08 survey data and case study data in more depth see Scott (2011, 2014b), or for a full copy of my PhD thesis please see Scott (2014a). schools impacted on their language programmes, and how their worth as a teacher of languages was influenced by the support they received from outside the school as well as from within. Important themes to emerge from the case studies include that being a teacher of additional languages requires a commitment of self and an ability to advocate for the learning area.

Both sets of data show that the language teaching profession in New Zealand is made up of wellqualified, resilient, resourceful, reflective teachers who are supportive of one another.

The identities of teachers of languages are impacted by the institution within which they work, the discourses about them and their work and how they 30

as individuals behave (what they say about their own regular opportunities for reflection and professional work, the groups they associate with, what activities conversation with colleagues from within your schools they get up to). and with those from your regional languages groups.

Schedule time for other connections with the Being involved in affinity groups—such as the language and culture – through food, films and language specific associations, cluster groups or film interest groups. Try to keep a record of your ideas and societies—encourages a community of discourse thoughts- write them down without trying to analyse through conversations with colleagues and likeminded them straightaway. Delve into your jottings from time people. Palmer (2007) asserts that good teachers to time, occasionally sharing them with others to gain engage in conversations with other teachers and their their perspective on your situation. All of these steps leaders on a regular basis and that these are evidence gathering and contribute to the data conversations are a professional obligation. It is about who you are as a teacher of languages. And, if through conversations with colleagues that reflection you find you can’t stop reflecting, recording, sharing occurs and critical moments are identified. A critical and thinking you could always make it a more formal moment, according to Palmer (2007), is not always process and embark on some postgraduate study. You within the teacher’s control but “one in which a never know where it might lead you! learning opportunity … will open up, or shut down” (p.

150). As they blogged about and emailed their reflections on their practice, the three teachers involved in my case studies shared many critical moments in their practice and noted how being involved in this in-depth reflection benefitted their practice. In the busy-ness of the classroom there is not always time to reflect on what is happening as it is happening. However, we can make the most of the teaching as inquiry cycle to include reflective practices as part of our routine. As mentioned above, this inquiry process may include reflective conversations with peers, the use of reflective journals, or be more formalised as action research. This process can help us to focus on particular needs, and to draw on evidencebased research to improve outcomes for students.

World Café sessions at the As a final word, as you think about and plan the 2014 NZALT conference in teaching and learning that will take place in your Palmerston North classrooms in 2015, I encourage you to plan for References Ellis, R. (2005). Instructed second language acquisition: A literature review. Wellington, NZ: Ministry of Education.

Ellis, R. (2013, 15 June). Eleven principles of instructed language learning. Paper presented at the Languages are Principle, Massey LangSem Conference, Napier, New Zealand.

Palmer, P. J. (2007). The courage to teach: Exploring the inner landscape of a teacher’s life. 10th anniversary edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Scott, A. (2011). Teaching additional languages in New Zealand: One piece of the national jigsaw - pre-secondary teachers of Japanese. New Zealand Language Teacher, 37, 13-18.

Scott, A. (2014a). Teachers of additional languages in New Zealand schools: A national survey and case studies.

(Unpublished doctoral thesis, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand), Massey University, Palmerston North. Retrieved from http://mro.massey.ac.nz/ handle/10179/5972 Scott, A. (2014b). Wicked: The untold story of teachers of additional languages in New Zealand schools. New Zealand Language Teacher, 40, 9-19.

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The new NCEA interact standard: how come and where to?

Martin East, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Auckland, has recently completed a two-year study into teachers’ and students’ perceptions of interact in comparison with the assessment it has replaced. Martin was centrally involved in the assessment alignment process back in 2010 and was very mindful of the range of teacher feedback and concerns that were generated at that time. Martin was keen to find out, at the earliest practical opportunity, how the roll-out of interact was going in practice. To do this he administered a national survey to teachers (2012), and carried out interviews with teachers and two surveys with students (2012 and 2013). The comprehensive findings will be published in a book that will appear in the course of 2015. They tell a fascinating story of the reform process, and its impact on the two key groups of stakeholders – teachers and students. The podcast summarises this process and its impact.

Martin comments, “whenever reforms are proposed, they generate a range of responses from those most affected by them. With something as radical as interact, it is very necessary to involve stakeholders in opportunities to share their experiences so that we can evaluate, from key audiences, how reforms are working out in practice. Without this central involvement from teachers and students we cannot get complete insight into how innovations actually affect the people they are designed to benefit. I would like to thank the many participants who were willing to fill in a survey, or be interviewed, or ask their students to complete a survey. Your involvement makes this kind of research possible.”

Jeni Lemberg National Coordinator Learning Languages, Secondary Curriculum and Learning Facilitator, Southern and Lower North Island jeni.lemberg@canterbury.ac.nz

Deb Ward

In a recently released 20-minute podcast Martin East explains the rationales behind interact, the processes that led to the introduction of the new assessment, and a summary of key findings of his research. The podcast is available from http:// ltj.sagepub.com/site/ podcast/ podcast_dir.xhtml

National Coordinator Workshops Central South and Southern regions Christchurch: Thursday 12 February Nelson: Tuesday 17 February Wellington: Friday 20 February Palmerston North: Monday 23 February

National Coordinator Learning Languages, Secondary Student Achievement, North Island

New Plymouth: Wednesday 25 February

d.ward@auckland.ac.nz

Dunedin: Thursday 5 March

Invercargill: Tuesday 3 March

Northern and Central North regions Napier: Monday 16 February Rotorua: Monday 23 February Hamilton: Wednesday 25 February Whangarei: Monday 2 March Auckland: Wednesday 4

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Meet your Teacher Development Adviser!

I started learning French at high school in Scotland age 11 and was immediately impassioned. When the opportunity to learn Spanish at lunchtimes in sixth form presented itself I did not hesitate. I went on to study a B.Ed at Edinburgh University with French and Spanish and taught two years in Scotland in a co-ed school. I then moved to Jersey where I taught four years before moving to New Zealand 26 years ago. I have been living in Gisborne where I taught at Girls’ High until 2013. There are many rewarding things about teaching languages but perhaps the most rewarding experiences for me were the school trips to Europe; six in total KAREN HOLLIS

with parents and students, covering Madrid, Paris, Barcelona, Seville,

Valencia and London. I have never lost my passion for language teaching and learning. In 2014 I studied the MTESOL full time online through Auckland University. My role with ILEP this year is Teacher Development Adviser, supporting teachers new to language

Karen works with teachers at the Introduction and Consolidation stages At the Introduction Stage ILEP works with principals, senior management and heads of departments to establish a learning languages strategy and framework. This cluster-based introduction programme is suitable for teachers who are new to language teaching. The programme provides teachers with the opportunity to learn the language, get practical teaching ideas and establish a network with other language teachers in similar contexts.

More information http://ilep.ac.nz/pathways-for-learning-languages/initiation-stage

The Consolidation Stage is multi-faceted and provides teachers with a range of development opportunities. Teachers can get support for their language and cultural knowledge through Language Advisers, apply for Language Assistants for authentic input, participate in interesting workshops and network with others to share resources. Teachers can also be part of an on- going support programme that enables them to further their knowledge while creating portfolios suitable for teacher appraisals.

More information http://ilep.ac.nz/pathways-for-learning-languages/consolidation-stage

Applications are now open for 2015 33

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