1. No category

professional improvement should be on your 2015 list!
Taken up jogging? Sworn off burgers? Committed to that tropical getaway? Considering our careers form such
a large part of life for most of us, professional development doesn’t seem to make it onto many resolution lists.
If you’re a teacher of languages, GEORGINA MA of International Languages Exchanges and Pathways (ILEP) has
below just taken away your last excuse.
A
new year, and a new start. By now you’re probably well on your way to
sticking faithfully to those New Year resolutions. If your list looks anything
like mine, ‘get fit’ and ‘eat healthily’ feature at the top of the list of ‘to
dos’. Yet perhaps many of us focus too much of our reformative zeal on
the personal sphere, and forget about professional self-improvement.
Developing yourself professionally ensures that you don't stagnate, and
motivates you to stay interested in what you teach. You will be better equipped to
plan and deliver more interesting and effective lessons, which may improve your
students’ motivation and interest to learn. Professional development is of course
also important for career advancement.
Have you included at least one professional New Year’s resolution on your
list? If not, it's not too late to do so. There are a variety of ways in which you
can develop yourself professionally. Here is a list of professional development
opportunities that are available to Learning Languages teachers. It’s a great idea
to get involved with at least one in 2015.
Join a professional association
Joining a professional association is a fantastic way to allow you to continue
your development. Your membership will ensure you are kept up-to-date with
developments in the field and important events, such as conferences and
workshops, and will provide access to a network of professionals and useful
information. There are a number of language-related professional associations in
New Zealand. Some local professional associations include:
»» New Zealand Association for Language Teachers (NZALT) www.nzalt.org.nz
»» New Zealand Chinese Language Teachers Association (NZCLTA) www.nzclta.org
»» New Zealand Association of Classical Teachers (NZACT) www.nzact.org.nz
»» New Zealand Association of French Teachers (NZAFT) - www.french.ac.nz
»» German in Aotearoa New Zealand (GANZ) - http://ganz.ac.nz
»» New Zealand Association of Japanese Language Teachers (NZAJLT) www.japanese.ac.nz
»» Spanish Teachers’ Association New Zealand Aotearoa (STANZA) www.stanza.org.nz
Join an electronic mailing list
Language-specific email groups or ‘listservs’ are an excellent source of information
and resources. Language-specific listservs are the primary medium through which
organisations advertise opportunities, scholarships, grants and other important
information for teachers and students. These are also great platforms for teachers
to keep connected and share ideas and resources. Some language-specific
organisations include:
»» Chinese Listserv - to register, send an email to http://bit.ly/159BSkZ
»» French Listserv - to register, send an email to [email protected]
with ‘Subscribe NZAFT’ in the subject line.
»» German Listserv - to register, contact GANZ http://ganz.ac.nz
»» Japanese Listserv - to register, send an email to
[email protected]
»» Spanish Listserv - to register, visit
http://listserv.rediris.es/cgi-bin/wa?A0=ELENZA
Keep up with current literature
A range of newsletters, magazines, newspapers, academic journals and books
are available for language teachers. The Internet is also an excellent resource to
access a variety of resources for professional development, and there are some
excellent websites available. Reading current language teaching literature helps
to ensure you are aware of current issues and methods in the field and is also a
ready supply of teaching tips and techniques that can be used in the classroom.
The following could be useful to you at some point:
»» TKI Learning Languages Community http://learning-languages.tki.org.nz
»» Learning Languages Newsletter http://learning-languages.tki.org.nz/News-and-Deadlines
»» Education Counts publications http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications
»»
»»
»»
»»
NZALT’s Polyglot - www.nzalt.org.nz/publications/polyglot
Language Magazine - http://languagemagazine.com
The Modern Language Journal - http://bit.ly/1DIZewS
Language Teaching Journal - http://bit.ly/1Cd5TLz
Organise observations
Another way to develop yourself is to get feedback on your teaching from your
students, colleagues, mentor or supervisor. Invite your students to comment on
activities and techniques used in lessons. Ask a colleague, mentor or supervisor to
sit in on one of your lessons and give you feedback on pre-identified areas of your
teaching or general aspects. It could also be useful to observe your colleagues’
lessons, to learn new tips and techniques that you could use in your own classroom.
Attend a conference or seminar
Conferences or seminars can make a valuable contribution to teachers’ professional
development and work. By attending conferences or seminars, teachers can
learn more about the field in which they work, network with other professionals in
the industry and enhance knowledge and use of language teaching techniques
which may lead to changes in professional practice. Teachers may also take
the opportunity to present a paper at a conference or seminar as part of their
professional development. Conferences and seminars taking place in 2015 include:
»» LangSems - www.nzalt.org.nz/langsems
»» Language Education and Diversity Conference https://led.education.auckland.ac.nz
Continued on next page >>
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Views expressed in Gazette Focus are not necessarily those of the Ministry of Education.
Gazette Focus professional development
Language teachers:
Languages 1
2 Languages
Immersion and scholarship programmes
Language
Country
Programme
French, German, Spanish, Japanese,
Chinese, Cook Island Maori,
Various – where the target language
Language Immersion Awards
Samoan, Korean, Gagana Tokelau, is spoken
Tongan and Vagahau Niue
German
Germany
Professional Learning Development
Seminars
Chinese
China
China Scholarship
French
New Caledonia
Stage de Noumea
Japan
Kansai Two-Week Special
Programme
Australia
The Japan Foundation Sydney
Seminars
Japan
NZJEP Programme
Spain
Salamanca Scholarship
Japanese
Spanish
German Language Courses
Managing/Coordinating
Organisation
Website
AFS
www.afs.org.nz/lia
Goethe-Institut in cooperation with
National German Adviser
www.ilep.ac.nz
ILEP
www.ilep.ac.nz
<< Continued from previous page.
»» Community Languages and ESOL Conference - http://bit.ly/1KOIfuU
»» Australasian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association
Conference - http://afmlta.asn.au
Programme
Provider
Website
Introduction to Language
Teaching Programme
ILEP
www.ilep.ac.nz
Participate in workshops
Language Teaching
Consolidation Programme
ILEP
www.ilep.ac.nz
Teacher Professional
Development Languages
Teacher Professional
Development Languages
www.tpdl.ac.nz
Postgraduate Certificate
University of Waikato
www.waikato.ac.nz
AUT University
www.aut.ac.nz
Massey University
www.massey.ac.nz
University of Auckland
www.arts.auckland.ac.nz
University of Canterbury
www.canterbury.ac.nz
University of Otago
www.otago.ac.nz
University of Waikato
www.waikato.ac.nz
Workshops are a powerful and effective form of teacher development. Workshops
can provide an opportunity for experts in the field to share knowledge and
experience with teachers in a comfortable learning environment. They provide
teachers with an excellent opportunity to meet and interact with colleagues or
teachers from other schools as well as to gain ideas, strategies, techniques and
materials that can be used in their classroom. Workshops for Learning Languages
teachers include:
»» Workshops run by the National Language Advisers for Chinese, French,
German, Japanese and Spanish - www.ilep.ac.nz
»» Workshops run by Learning Languages National Coordinators http://bit.ly/1B87ZPY
»» Best practice workshops - http://bit.ly/1AkVefs
Apply for an immersion or scholarship programme
Research conducted by AUT on the impact of immersion programmes on teachers
and language learning in 2011 shows that language immersion and scholarship
programmes can have a positive effect on language teachers’ classroom practice and
language proficiency as well as students’ language learning. A range of Ministry of
Education-funded immersion and scholarship opportunities are available to teachers
through organisations such as AFS and International Languages Exchanges and
Pathways (ILEP). The following immersion or scholarship programmes are open to
Learning Languages teachers: See table at top of page.
Postgraduate Diploma
Master’s Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
To develop your language skills, you might consider enrolling for a language
course or work towards an internationally recognised examination. Language courses
are offered by university or polytechnic language departments, organisations (Alliance
Française, the Goethe-Institut, etc.), community colleges or private language schools.
Internationally recognised examinations can be completed in New Zealand. Below is
a list of some of the internationally recognised examinations available:
Language
Chinese (Mandarin)
Continue your education
There are a number of courses available that can assist you in developing your
language skills as well as language teaching skills and knowledge. You might
consider pursuing a short course or a postgraduate qualification, such as a
postgraduate certificate or diploma, a master’s degree or doctor of philosophy.
Some programmes are funded by the Ministry of Education. The following
programmes are available in New Zealand:
Master of Secondary
School Leadership
If your goal is to become a secondary school principal in 3- 5 years,
the Master of Secondary School Leadership is the programme for you.
• Taught jointly by the faculties of Education and Business at
Victoria University, it focuses on the unique leadership and
management skills needed to lead a secondary school.
• The programme includes 4 week long placements in secondary
schools under the mentorship of an experienced principal.
• Designed to fit with students’ current work and to be completed
in two years.
For further information visit
www.victoria.ac.nz/education/study/postgraduate/mssl
Or contact Dr Brenda Service
[email protected]
French
German
Examination
Hanyu Shuiping
Kaoshi (HSK)
Diplôme d’Etudes
en Langue Française
(DELF)
Diplôme Approfondi
de Langue Française
(DALF)
Start Deutsch
1&2
Zertifikat Deutsch
Provider
Website
Confucius Institute
– The University of
Auckland
http://ci.ac.nz
Confucius Institute –
Victoria University of
Wellington
www.victoria.ac.nz
Confucius Institute
– University of
Canterbury
www.ci.canterbury.
ac.nz
Alliance Française
www.alliancefrancaise.co.nz
Goethe-Institut
http://bit.
ly/1ypgEtK
TestDaF
Japanese
Japanese Language
Proficiency Test (JLPT)
Embassy of Japan
www.nz.emb-japan.
go.jp
Spanish
Diplomas of Spanish
as a Foreign
Language (DELE)
Instituto Cervantes
http://diplomas.
cervantes.es
Maybe reading about all these benefits has made you wish you had included
a professional New Year’s resolution on your list. Armed with a host of exciting
professional development opportunities, you can reflect on the year that has been,
select a professional resolution to focus on and take one step closer to having a
rewarding and successful professional year in 2015. Happy teaching! ✷
Disclaimer: This article outlines some of the professional development opportunities that
are available to Learning Languages teachers. It is not intended to be an exhaustive
list of all opportunities that are available. This article is based on information which
the author considers reliable, but the author cannot guarantee that such information is
correct at time of publishing.
Views expressed in Gazette Focus are not necessarily those of the Ministry of Education.