<div dir="ltr">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">John Hobson</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:john.hobson@sydney.edu.au">john.hobson@sydney.edu.au</a>></span><br><div class="gmail_quote">Date: 6 September 2013 10:59<br>
Subject: Indigenous Australian Language Teacher Degree<br><br>Dear friends,<br><div style="font-size:14px;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;word-wrap:break-word"><div><div><div><h5><span><span style="font-weight:normal"><font size="3">
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A rare opportunity exists to implement an initial teacher training degree in (Indigenous) Australian languages for which we are seeking your support.<br>
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As part of the current review of the 'block mode' Bachelor of Education (Aboriginal Studies/History) at the University of Sydney, a proposal will be lodged by us seeking to add Australian languages as an alternative teaching subject to this degree. Rather than
attempting to build a new degree from scratch and gain approval for it as a teaching qualification, changing an accredited program in this way can be done quickly and relatively simply, and begin producing qualified graduates much sooner.<br>
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The Faculty of Education and Social work has already indicated strong interest in expanding its support for Australian language revival and foreshadowed discussion with the NSW Institute of Teachers to seek more flexible standards for accreditation in Australian
languages, possibly allowing the combination of studies in several languages and some revival linguistics, rather than the currently demanded parity with foreign languages. It is also strongly encouraging our submission.<br>
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The proposal we will be lodging will be for a program that is national in scope, adaptable for students regardless of their language, and with maximum flexibility in recognition of prior learning and external study. While it may only be possible to implement
Australian languages as a minor subject initially, if successful, our longer term strategy will be that it should grow to become a major subject in the degree. We will also be seeking to provide for exit points with qualifications suitable for classroom support
and language centre roles in revival settings in the longer term.<br>
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However, the outcome and precise form of such a program cannot be determined in advance. The critical issue now is that the review recommends this strategic direction as one that would be appropriate and viable for the future of this degree. The precise form
of any implementation would be decided later.<br>
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We therefore invite you to make a submission to the review panel indicating your support, in principle, for Indigenous Australian languages being offered as an elective teaching method in the Bachelor of Education. It would be useful if your submission gave
the panel an indication of why you see such an innovation as warranted and indicated your support for the University taking this action. It would be particularly useful if you could give indicative figures of likely candidates from your area of operation,
or numbers of language programs in need of trained teachers. Such information will inform the panel's discussion of potential cost effectiveness that has potential to be a major topic of concern.<br>
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If you have any questions or would like any further information, or to discuss your submission, please do not hesitate to contact us.<br>
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The formal invitation to submit follows:<br>
<br>
"The Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney is conducting a review of the Faculty's Diploma in Education (Aboriginal) /Bachelor of Education (Aboriginal Studies/History) 'block' program. The Faculty invites submissions from external stakeholders
to the review panel.<br>
<br>
Submissions should be addressed to: Assoc Prof Alyson Simpson, Associate Dean Undergraduate/Pre-service, Education Building A35, The University of Sydney NSW 2006;
<a href="mailto:alyson.simpson@sydney.edu.au" target="_blank">alyson.simpson@sydney.edu.au</a><br>
<br>
Submissions should be no longer than one A4 page and should clearly indicate the relationship between the stakeholder and the block program.<br>
Submissions should be received no later than 23 September 2013."<br>
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Please also feel free to distribute this invitation more widely.<br>
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<div>Regards,</div>
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<div>John Hobson & Susan Poetsch</div>
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<font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" color="#4C4C4C"><font size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><b>JOHN HOBSON</b> | Lecturer</span></font></font></font></div>
<div style="font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
<font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" color="#4C4C4C"><font size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt">Director, Graduate Indigenous Education Programs</span></font></font></font></div>
<div style="font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
<font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" color="#4C4C4C"><font size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt">Faculty of Education & Social Work <br>
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</b></span></font></font></font></div>
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<font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" color="#4C4C4C"><font size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><b>THE UNIVERSITY OF SYDNEY<br>
Rm</b> 221, Old Teacher’s College A22</span></font></font></font></div>
<div style="font-size:medium;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">
<font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" color="#4C4C4C"><font size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt">The University of Sydney | NSW | 2006 </span></font></font></font></div>
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<b>E</b> </span></font></font></font><font style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif;font-size:14px" size="1"><font face="Arial"><span style="font-size:7.5pt"><font color="#0000FF"><b><u><a>john.hobson@sydney.edu.au</a></u></b></font><font color="#4C4C4C"> </font></span></font></font></div>
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<div>"When you lose a language, you lose a culture, intellectual wealth, a work of art. </div>
<div>It's like dropping a bomb on a museum, the Louvre." </div>
<div>Comment by the late Kenneth Hale, cited in The Economist (November 3, 2001). </div>
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