Languages are critical
By CANDICE KELLER
The Advertiser
12 April 2011
A LEADING national languages expert has called on governments to develop a policy mandating students' cultural learning in schools.
UniSA Associate Professor Angela Scarino, who is the head author of the Australian Curriculum languages draft shape paper, is pleading for schools to acknowledge the critical need for students to learn languages.
Prof Scarino said this would only be possible through a government policy enforcing principals, teachers and parents to embrace language learning and nurture it in the school environment.
''The government has to come forward and declare its position once and for all on the importance of languages,'' Prof Scarino said.
''There's got to be a shift from problem identification and elaboration to finding solutions.
''It's going to be very, very sorry and sad for Australian education if you can't have graduates from Year 12, who are Australian students, learning languages that are important to us (as a country).''
She said there had been a trend away from students engaging with languages over the past 20 years. However, the problem was exacerbated by increasing numbers of native speakers joining language classes with students for whom it was their second language. Prof Scarino said it stretched the ability of the class and could be intimidating.
The focus on language has been reignited through the release of the Australian Curriculum languages draft shape paper late last year which outlined the different languages to be taught in schools and why.
Public feedback on the paper closed last week and Prof Scarino, who also is the Research Centre for Languages and Cultures director, said initial reports had been positive.
She said concerns had been raised over the number of hours for language teaching in classrooms and which languages would be developed first.
The first stage would be Chinese, Italian and an Aboriginal traditional language.
''We've had to set out a rough strategy of development, because you can't work on 20-30 language curriculums at once,'' said Prof Scarino, who also is undertaking research with South Australian schools that have successfully retained language students, particularly in the Asian language realm.
Asian language was identified as a national priority through the Federal Government's $62.4 million National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program.
