Page 5847 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 7 December 2011
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Directorate provides resources to schools to support ESL students in mainstream classes and in intensive English centres.
There has been an increase in the number of students requiring ESL support in recent years. In recognition of this, the ACT government have committed significant resources to this area. In 2008 we provided an additional $3.144 million over four years, and in 2011-12 an extra $245,000 has been allocated to ESL staffing from the Education and Training Directorate budget. The total ESL budget for 2011-12 is approximately $8 million. This includes staffing support to the introductory English centres and $5.8 million provided directly to schools to meet the needs of ESL students in mainstream classes.
The directorate has three primary introductory English centres based at Hughes, north Ainslie and Namadgi schools. A secondary intensive English centre is located at Dickson college, catering for students aged from 12 to 18 years. In 2012 an additional primary introductory English centre is being established in Belconnen at Charnwood-Dunlop school. This recognises the changing location of families who are moving to newer areas of Canberra and who require intensive support to learn English.
The ACT government has shown its commitment to capacity building of teachers of ESL while in schools through providing scholarships for 40 teachers at the University of Canberra. These scholarships allow our teachers to increase their knowledge and understanding of ESL teaching and learning practices. In addition, all ESL teachers in public schools have access to ongoing support and professional learning. The directorate has identified leading-practice professional learning resources and courses for mainstream and ESL teachers. There has been an increase in the number of teachers trained as facilitators in these courses, thus enabling more teachers to access professional learning in ESL in their own schools.
The directorate’s approach to ESL teaching is based on leading practice and research, where classroom teachers are responsible and accountable for the diverse needs of all students. Every public primary school and high school has a literacy and numeracy coordinator that provides high-level, on-the-job training to teachers. These coordinators work in close collaboration with classroom teachers, supporting them to deliver programs to students with a range of language and cultural needs and experiences.
I would now like to table some additional information. I present the following paper:
English as a second language—Supporting EALD students with LPRs from 2.5 – 4.0.
In addition the directorate accesses national and international experts to work with their school staff. Just last week, a directorate forum brought together 130 school leaders and ESL teachers, focusing on the issues facing schools with ESL populations. Two eminent national speakers in the field, Professor Joe Lo Bianco, chair of language and literacy education at the University of Melbourne, and Misty Adoniou, senior lecturer in language literacy and English as a second language at the University of Canberra, discussed the difference between language and literacy needs of second-
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