Global Schools: Creating successful global citizens

The Queensland Government’s “Global Schools: Creating successful global citizens” discussion paper commits to ensuring that 15 per cent of year 12 students will be studying a second language by 2025, and that every state primary school will be offering languages from prep.

These targets will require prodigious workforce planning if we are to have qualified, proficient, job-ready language teachers in the numbers necessary to teach languages in every school across every year level of primary, with an increased number of teachers required in the secondary sector to assist it to more than double the number of students who complete their study in a second language.

Here are some of the ways that the department could increase the number of language teachers.

1. Provide incentives for existing employees who are native speakers not currently teaching their mother language to become proficient enough to teach a language (this could include payment of HECS, scholarship opportunities, payment of other in-kind benefits, e.g. access to paid study and examination leave, or payment while on teacher exchange).

2. Provide language teachers currently working in the primary sector with access to quality professional development to improve their proficiency and pedagogy, with a view to extending their capability to teach the junior and senior secondary curriculum.

3. Reinstate in-country opportunities, such as the overseas teacher exchange programs and assistantships, which provide opportunities for teachers to run English conversation classes in schools in countries such as France, on a part-time basis. Financial assistance must be provided to successful applicants to offset the costs of travel to another country, and the high cost of living and working overseas.

4. Review LOTE proficiency test processes to introduce different standards of proficiency which take in to account the differing requirements of teaching in the primary or secondary sector.

5. Reinvigorate the bonded teacher scheme, under which the department meets the cost of a teacher’s study on the basis that the teacher will then be bonded to work for the department for a certain number of years, or repay the expenses incurred.

6. Support staff in ethnic schools to become qualified teachers or teacher-aides through funded scholarship programs, internships and other opportunities.

7. Reintroduce human resource personnel, regional LOTE coordinators and/or specialist language teachers/advisors, to support language teachers and schools in the implementation of the National Curriculum.

8. Encourage principals to access the skills and proficiency of language teachers on staff, but also to utilise retired LOTE teachers and native speaking teacher-aides where possible to assist with language activities and events in schools.

9. Work with pre-service providers to develop a range of targeted teacher education programs to attract overseas applicants to study education in Queensland, particularly in areas of language shortages, where the supply of existing graduates does not meet operational needs.

10. Work closely with the National Office of Overseas Skill Recognition (NOOSR) to facilitate the recognition of overseas teaching qualifications, allowing those holding relevant qualifications which are recognised in Queensland to teach.

11. Work closely with the Queensland College of Teachers to ensure that, in areas where there is a shortage of teachers of a particular language, applicants who have worked in other education settings or who are studying teaching but have not yet completed the relevant studies required for provisional registration purposes, receive permission to teach. The QTU does not however, support fast tracked programs such as Teach for Australia because of the inadequate initial preparation.

12. Build stronger networks with academics in language faculties, as well as forging key relationships at a central office level with local embassies and consulate staff of countries whose languages are being targeted.

The department has received a great deal of positive feedback from language teachers and will be working on developing a further discussion paper. The QTU has requested representation on any reference group set up to consider the planning and implementation of initiatives which may arise from Global Schools in the future.

Leah Mertens
Research Officer – Professional Issues

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 119 No 8, 14 November 2014, p8