[lg policy] Earlier language lessons for Queensland kids

[Harold Schiffman]

Earlier language lessons for Queensland kids

Tuesday August 26 2014, 10:35am
   <http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/#>
  <http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/typo3temp/pics/055849b214.jpg>

*The Department of Education has announced that Queensland kids will start
learning a language earlier in a bid to improve early student development.*

All Year 5 students will learn a language, previously mandatory only for
Year 6-8 students.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said learning a language helped
students in aother areas.

“Everything we do in education is directed towards better student results
and it’s widely acknowledged that learning a language has a positive impact
on a student's overall literacy, enhancing their learning in other areas,”
Mr Langbroek said.

“While this announcement ensures students can receive an extra year of
language education from 2015, schools are still strongly encouraged to
offer languages from Prep to Year 12.

“State schools decide which languages to offer in consultation with their
school community."

The change to the Queensland Government’s languages policy coincides with a
new phase anguages education in state schools.

Mr Langbroek said the 'Global Schools – Creating successful Global
Citizens' proposal would see all state primary schools offer languages from
Prep by 2025 and all state schools commence implementation of the
Australian Curriculum: Languages in 2016.

“This proposal, that we will consult the community about, envisages a
system in which all state primary schools will offer education in a
language or languages other than English right from Prep,” he said.

“This is part of preparing our young people to thrive in a global society.

“Learning another language provides students with communication skills,
opens their minds to new ideas and builds social and cultural
understanding.”

Mr Langbroek said Queensland state schools should become familiar with the
Australian Curriculum: Languages in 2015 ahead of its implementation in
2016.

“The teaching of languages in Queensland schools is already well
established and widespread,” he said.

“Ultimately we want to see an increase in the number of students leaving
Year 12 with high levels of language proficiency.

“This will require a strong workforce, quality school programs and strong
leadership.”

One of the findings from the Queensland Plan was support for students
having Asian language skills, with the majority of Queenslanders seeing
this as an indicator of a flexible, future-focused curriculum in the
state’s schools.

Currently more than 950 Queensland state schools are teaching a Language
Other Than English (LOTE) to primary students, with around half of those,
some 490, teaching Japanese.

In 2013, around 135,500 Prep to Year 12 state school students learned a
language.


http://www.tourismportdouglas.com.au/Earlier-language-lessons-for-Queensland.11757.0.html


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