LANGUAGES

WELCOME TO 2021

After an extraordinary 2020, I would like to welcome you all back and wish you a happy, hopefully more normal and healthy 2021. I would like to thank all parents in advance for supporting their child/ren in their language learning.

The Languages faculty welcomes back Ms Dickson after her parental leave and looks forward to her ongoing contributions to the French program. 

Congratulations to the 2020 VCE Languages students who demonstrated their resilience and achieved remarkable personal results. Despite languages having been the most difficult subjects to complete remotely, they managed to overcome these challenges with bravoure. Congratulations and we wish you all the best for the future! 

Most students this year will be enrolled in online books and resources, as well as the Language Perfect program. This program allows students to study and practice all language skills online and offers assessments giving students instant feedback on their learning. The annual Language Perfect World Championship will be held from 16 - 23 March 2021 this year. 

I would like to thank all Language teachers for their ongoing support and continuous professional development to improve our programs and to provide the most effective language learning for our students. 

The Language programs are constantly being reviewed and improved and surveys are being conducted to generate more data regarding language learning and student satisfaction. More about this in the coming newsletters.

WHY YOUR CHILD SHOULD LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE - THE BILINGUAL BRAIN 

The benefits of learning another language have been clearly identified by researchers. 

LEARNING A SECOND LANGUAGE: HOW PARENTS CAN HELP

We encourage all students and parents at McKinnon to continue speaking their native languages at home and to continue the study of these languages.

We highly recommend the study of offered languages at McKinnon Secondary College, the Victorian School of Languages (VSL) as well as any other accredited Language Schools.  

Please support your child in learning another language! Research confirms that the parents’ attitude towards language learning has a significant impact on the child's mindset and success.

Another language is a lasting asset in an increasingly demanding global world whilst many other skills undergo constant change. Languages do not only teach communication skills but also develop flexibility, creativity and higher order thinking. Language learning also adds health and social benefits.

As Goethe said “The more languages you know, the more you are human”.

The following article will give you a few tips on how you can help your child! 

http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/learning-a-second-language/

It is never too late to learn another language! 

CHANGE TO ONLINE BOOKS FOR ALL LANGUAGE CLASSES IN 2021

From the start of 2021, most Language classes will be working with the Oxford Kerboodle resources. Kerboodle is the digital teaching, learning and assessment service from Oxford University Press.

Over 3 million students and teachers currently use Kerboodle across 60 courses and a wide range of subjects including Modern Languages, Science, Mathematics, English and Geography.

Students will be enrolled by the School Administrator and will have access from anywhere in the world.

Students in Year 8 and Year 10 French will continue working with Tapis Volant, but also will be able to access the new online book and resources.

I would like to thank our Kerboodle administrator, Mr Nutting, and all language teachers who supported the enrolment process. 

Andrea Fowler

Head of Languages