Australian Language Policy and the design of a national curriculum for languages
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Martina Möllering
Abstract
Australia’s efforts at valuing its multilingualism through the development of national language policy have been acclaimed by international scholars on bilingualism, but all is not well with Australia’s state as a multilingual society. A significant proportion of the population is bi- or multilingual, but this is not the norm, which is particularly obvious in the education sector where Australia-wide less than 15% of students in year 12, the final year of schooling, take a language other than English. In 2011, a national language curriculum Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages was drafted, which is discussed in this contribution against the background of Australian language policy and with a particular focus on the distinction between different pathways of language learning.
Abstract
Australia’s efforts at valuing its multilingualism through the development of national language policy have been acclaimed by international scholars on bilingualism, but all is not well with Australia’s state as a multilingual society. A significant proportion of the population is bi- or multilingual, but this is not the norm, which is particularly obvious in the education sector where Australia-wide less than 15% of students in year 12, the final year of schooling, take a language other than English. In 2011, a national language curriculum Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Languages was drafted, which is discussed in this contribution against the background of Australian language policy and with a particular focus on the distinction between different pathways of language learning.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
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Part 1. Policies
- Plurilingualism and the challenges of education 15
- The Council of Europe’s Language Education Policy Profile 33
- Australian Language Policy and the design of a national curriculum for languages 55
- Acts of identity in the continuum from multilingual practices to language policy 75
- Minority language instruction in Berlin and Brandenburg 87
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Part 2. Multilingual practices
- Dynamics and management of linguistic diversity in companies and institutions of higher education 113
- Discourse, representation and language practices 139
- “Because it is my life, and I’m the one who makes choices” – Newcomers in the French education system and career guidance 161
- The effects of language transfer as a resource in instruction 181
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Part 3. Language development
- Effects of biliteracy on third language reading proficiency, the example of Turkish-German bilinguals 199
- L1 and L2 proficiency in Hebrew English adolescent learners 219
- Developing a written lexicon in a multilingual environment 245
- Index 259
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents vii
- Introduction 1
-
Part 1. Policies
- Plurilingualism and the challenges of education 15
- The Council of Europe’s Language Education Policy Profile 33
- Australian Language Policy and the design of a national curriculum for languages 55
- Acts of identity in the continuum from multilingual practices to language policy 75
- Minority language instruction in Berlin and Brandenburg 87
-
Part 2. Multilingual practices
- Dynamics and management of linguistic diversity in companies and institutions of higher education 113
- Discourse, representation and language practices 139
- “Because it is my life, and I’m the one who makes choices” – Newcomers in the French education system and career guidance 161
- The effects of language transfer as a resource in instruction 181
-
Part 3. Language development
- Effects of biliteracy on third language reading proficiency, the example of Turkish-German bilinguals 199
- L1 and L2 proficiency in Hebrew English adolescent learners 219
- Developing a written lexicon in a multilingual environment 245
- Index 259
