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Language as a Resource - VicTESOL Symposium 2018

Carolina Cabezaz–Benalcazar (fkaCS Board member and PHD candidate) and Melodie Davies (fkaCS Executive Director) were honoured to present at this year’s VicTESOL Symposium – the theme being Language as a Resource.

Carolina and Melodie spoke on Language, Identity and Wellbeing in the early years and the importance of home language as the language of emotion. Within the number of great presentations, the following in particular resonated with our work in the Early Years sector.

Language as a resource or using languages resourcefully? Why perspective matters
Presented by Dr Julie Choi, Lecturer in Education (Additional Languages), Melbourne Graduate School of Education

Julie highlighted how learners’ linguistic and non-linguistic resources are activated resourcefully in and out of the classroom. She made the case that the concept of ‘resourcefulness’ is more helpful and productive than the rather static understanding of ‘language as a resource’.

Strategies for valuing and modelling language learning as an educator in a unique bilingual immersion setting
Presented by Daniel Thomas, Foundation Teacher, Huntingdale Primary School

Daniel focused on the pedagogical strategies used to promote and value home languages in the classroom, whilst also engaging learners in both English and Japanese language through explicitly modelling himself as a learner.

Story crafting with new arrivals 
Presented Dr Mervi Kaukko, Monash University

Dr Kaukko highlighted the value of story crafting as an educational tool to enable newly arrived children to use their language(s), and told us of the many powerful, beautiful stories asylum-seeking students in Finland and Australia shared with her as part of her research. This notion led to a fictional story book Ali and the Long Journey to Australia, and an animation based on the book! The story and artwork were co-created by 13 students at Noble Park Primary School. Watch the video here.

Highlights from the event can be found on the VicTESOL Facebook page.

 

Date published: 28.8.2018

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