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Kia ora, bienvenido, bienvenue, huanying, willkommen, yookoso, and welcome
to the news page for the Learning Languages community. We value your feedback
and ideas, and invite you to contact us at learninglanguages@tki.org.nz.
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We update this page regularly with information and materials relevant to learning
languages. There are links to over 2000 quality-assured materials within this
community. Find them by using the menu bars and the quick search facility on
the right-hand side of this page.
Language-specific community news pages
On the right side of this page, you will find links to the community pages for
Chinese, French,
German, Japanese,
New Zealand Sign Language, Pasifika, Spanish,
Te Reo Māori, and other
languages. Check out the many resources for teaching Latin, Korean, and
Indonesian on the other languages page.
Note also the two curriculum items immediately below and check these regularly for updates.
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What's new in Learning Languages
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Greetings to everyone from Margaret Hardiman and Glenda Koefoed, the Ministry of Education's Senior Advisers for languages. Keep an eye on this community page for updates on
initiatives and opportunities arising from the new languages strategy as a result
of the Curriculum
Stocktake report.
Read the message regarding the status of the new learning area learning languages in the revised New Zealand curriculum.
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Mango Languages
Be engaged in real conversations between native foreign-language speakers. An instructor will take you through every step of the process. Languages available include Portuguese, German, Mandarin, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Greek, French, and Russian.
http://www.mangolanguages.com/
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Teach2000
Provide your students with assistance to memorise words and dates in foreign languages, using multiple-choice questions and flashcards. Images and speech are associated with each word.
http://teach2000.memtrain.com/
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AFS Intercultural Programmes
Explore the international exchanges available to teachers and students through AFS. The organisation provides intercultural learning opportunities to help people develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to create a more just and peaceful world.
http://www.afs.org/afs_or/home
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Chain Stories
Explore this project, that gets young language learners to explore the commonalities between the different European languages. Teachers and trainers will be informed how language education contributes to an awareness of the efficient use of language universals.
http://www.chainstories.eu/index.php?id=16
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New category of websites: User-contributed content
In response to the changing nature of the Internet, TKI will now link to selected social software (Web 2.0) sites. Social software allows users to contribute content and to collaborate with others using blogs, wikis, and other tools. These sites will have the head and shoulders icon to show that they contain user-contributed content. While all sites are still subject to rigorous quality-assurance processes, teachers are advised to evaluate this category of sites carefully for relevance and accuracy, and to consider any privacy and security issues before using them with students.
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LEAP: Language Enhancing the Achievement of Pasifika
Make use of this professional learning resource developed for teachers across the curriculum at all levels who work with bilingual Pasifika students in mainstream classrooms. The site includes research-based material for supporting language development, information on being bilingual, and a section about what helps students to learn.
http://leap.tki.org.nz/
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Asia Knowledge
Engaging with Asia is vital to New Zealand’s future. The new Asia Knowledge kete on TKI is aligned to the new curriculum and provides information and teaching resources for becoming Asia Aware. It includes an integrated teaching and learning resource on the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
http://asia-knowledge.tki.org.nz
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Community Facilitator's choice
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Have a look at these great resources for teaching and learning languages.
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Developing Autonomy in Language Learners (PDF 2.65MB)
Download this analysis of 20 successful language teaching and learning strategies. The paper includes sample activities, and strategy charts and templates in different languages, including Chinese and Japanese. The paper was designed to be read by those teaching senior students, but many of the strategies described can also be used for younger learners. This is a large PDF file and may take some time to download.
http://www.nclrc.org/guides/HED/pdfs/full.pdf
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Box of Tricks
Check out the ideas from this online community that focuses on the use of modern technology to enhance learning and teaching, including teaching languages. This site contains social software and user-contributed content. It is recommended that teachers are discerning when using with students.
http://www.boxoftricks.net/ |
The Practice of Policy in New Zealand
This paper was written by Gail Spence, Ministry of Education Senior Adviser for Languages, and examines learning languages policy planning in New Zealand over the past 20 years. The writer explores language policy changes in the context of contemporary issues and influences, and discusses the interaction of curriculum and policy in establishing a generic languages curriculum and the move towards developing Learning Languages as an eighth learning area.
http://www.multilingual-matters.net/cilp/005/0389/cilp0050389.pdf
Language
teachers’ professional development immersion experiences: their contribution
to quality teaching and learning
The Ministry of Education funded Dr Lesley Harbon of the University of Sydney
to produce a paper on language teachers' professional development immersion
experiences and their contribution to quality teaching and learning. Funded
opportunities are increasing for language teachers to spend time in countries
where the target language is spoken. When teachers become more fluent and have
better cultural understandings as a result, then we need to know how that helps
their students learn better. Lesley's paper gives us many insights.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/language/Harbon_27June05.doc
Regional facilitators for second
language teaching and learning
Regional facilitators have been contracted by the Ministry of Education to support
teachers and schools offering language programmes.
The New Zealand Association
of Language Teachers (NZALT)
NZALT is a professional association for over 500 teachers of languages (other
than English or Māori) from the primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors.
Their website includes access to conference details and white papers, information
about professional development awards, a news page, and links to the specialist
international language associations and advisers within New Zealand.
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NZALT Whitepapers
Keep an eye on the Whitepapers part of the NZALT website for the most recent
articles and reports relating to second language teaching in New Zealand.
The material in this collection is frequently updated, and includes papers presented at the 2006 NZALT Conference 'Bridging Cultures, Reaching Heights'.
http://nzalt.org.nz/whitepapers/ |
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School Stories
Read about the experiences of schools that have received funding from the earning Languages Funding Pool. These case studies include examples of program development, useful resources and learning activities, professional development, and community involvement, and can also be accessed from the button on the right-hand navigation bar on this page.
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/language/school-stories/
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Learning Languages: A Guide for New Zealand Schools
This resource provides information to help schools understand the place of languages
within the curriculum. Print copies are available: email orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz, freephone 0800 660 662.
NCEA
For information about registered achievement
standards, sample
external assessments and unit
standards, visit the NCEA
website. Check out the TKI NCEA community for access
to internal assessment resources and support materials.
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BBC Languages
Check out the many resources on the BBC language site. There are introductory
lessons, revision activities, quick fix phrasebooks, and "guide to
slang" features. French, German, Italian, and Spanish are the main
languages covered, but there are also resources for a number of other languages,
and a section showing the family tree of 35 European languages of Europe,
with explanations of how each language evolved. |
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TKI Kete
Have you ever used "Favourites" or "Bookmarks" to store
your favourite websites so you can find them again later? TKI Kete on Te
Kete Ipurangi functions in the same way only better! And it's absolutely
free! Using the TKI kete function, you can save different types of resources,
including websites, in your own space on TKI. This way you can access your
favourites from any computer with Internet access. To find out more, click
on the link above. |
We are currently seeking useful and interesting websites to include
as part of this community. If you wish to draw the online editor's attention
to a website, please email
us.
Events are now listed on the TKI Learning Languages calendar, see right-hand navigation bar.
Message from Senior Advisers Languages
Learning Languages is the new learning area in the New Zealand Curriculum (2007). The learning area statement and achievement objectives in Learning Languages in the New Zealand Curriculum are generic to encompass all languages that may be offered for learning in schools.
Schools are expected to be working towards offering opportunities for learning a second or subsequent language. It is likely that the requirement to offer languages will become mandatory and, in the longer term, the range of years in which languages are to be offered may be increased.
The vision in the New Zealand Curriculum is for young people who will be confident, connected, actively involved and lifelong learners.
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Asia
New Zealand Foundation Education Grants and Awards
Grants are available through Asia: NZ for study programmes in a number
of Asian countries. Investigate the range of scholarships through the
Asia 2000 website, or visit NZALT
for information about the Asia: NZ Funds Awards for teachers of Asian
languages.
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 Telephone Tutorial
The TKI Team would be happy to provide a tour of the site, via the telephone, at your school staff meetings or planning sessions. Contact us at tutorials@tki.org.nz if you would like to explore this option.
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