New teaching resource for language learning

wednesday, 2 November 2016

• ​WA's community language schools supported with $160,000 from the Liberal National Government for teaching resources
• Teachers from not-for-profit community language schools will benefit from new resources covering more than 40 different languages.

The Community Languages Collection, launched at the State Library of Western Australia, will help WA's community language schools to deliver language education by providing a range of generic and language materials that are often out of reach for teachers and schools.

The resources are being supported by the Liberal National Government with $160,000 over three years via the Office of Multicultural Interests (OMI).

The comprehensive resource centre is being delivered by the State Library in partnership with OMI, as part of OMI's Community Languages Program (CLP), which provides grant funding to not-for-profit community organisations to develop and promote the languages and cultures of Western Australian communities by teaching languages other than English after school hours.

Citizenship and Multicultural Interests Minister Mike Nahan said these schools provided a vital service to the community and it was essential they had access to up-to-date resources.

"Community language schools are often run by volunteers with limited teacher training and access to professional teaching resources and yet are essential for maintaining language skills for social, cultural and economic purposes," Dr Nahan said.

"The Community Languages Collection will comprise a range of hard-copy, digital, audio and visual resources that can be used in classes or in the development of lesson plans, ensuring students are receiving the best possible language education."

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the initiative demonstrated the State Library's key role in championing literacy and learning in the community.

"The community access to the teaching resources is part of the State Library's commitment to language groups, teaching associations and the public library community," Mr Day said.

Fact File

• More than 4,350 students across WA attend community language schools funded under the CLP
• Languages currently being supported by the CLP include Arabic, Greek, Hindi, Chinese, Tamil, Vietnamese and Somali
• Teaching publications and resources for more than 40 languages will be available via the State Library and public library services
• For more information about the CLP, visit http://www.omi.wa.gov.au