LOCAL LANGUAGES TEACHERS WIN FELLOWSHIPS
Under the Australian Government’s highly successful ETLF initiative, 160 language teachers and 45 trainee teachers from across Australia will participate in intensive language and cultural professional learning programmes.
Past participants have returned from this professional learning with improved language proficiency and cultural knowledge, renewed confidence, enthusiasm and inspiration for language teaching.
Mr Truss said, “Miss Hodgkinson has been selected to participate in the China programme and Miss Rutter will participate in the France programme.
“I congratulate both applicants on their success. They will have the opportunity to improve their language and cultural skills through this intensive, in country study programme, to be undertaken over three weeks through the course of this month.”
Mr Truss said, “this exciting programme has recently been significantly expanded, with Australian Government funding doubled this year to $2 million per annum. For the first time, the Fellowships will include trainee language teachers of Chinese, Japanese and Indonesian, as well as increasing the number of places offered to practising language teachers in all country programmes.”
Based on the ten languages most commonly studied in Australian schools, the countries in which the teachers will study in 2007 are China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Mexico, with trainee teachers joining the Japan and China programmes. In addition, due to continued difficulties in travelling to Indonesia, a specially devised programme for practising and trainee teachers of Indonesian will be held in Darwin, Australia.
Mr Truss said, “I wish Courtney Hodgkinson and Jacqueline Rutter the very best in taking up their 2007 Endeavour Fellowship.”
ENDS
