December 2023
PD Update
The latest Professional Development events and news from English Australia
Upcoming PD Events
“Swim between the flags? I should stay outside the flags because I can’t swim”: International students’ (mis)interpretations of beach safety messages in Australia
Webinar: 23 January 2024 at 3.00pm-3.45pm (AEDT)
Presented by Dr Shibata, a linguist and surf life saver, this webinar will be useful for all colleges that deliver beach safety information to their students and it could help centres to re-think how this information is conveyed.
Optimising Developmental Teacher Observations
Online: 28 February at 3.30pm-4.15pm (AEDT)
Presented by The Queensland Institute, this webinar aims to provide insights and practical guidance for academic managers and other staff who conduct classroom observations of English language teachers.
Join the 2024 Action Research Program
Read more about joining the Action Research program
Join New Mentorship Program for Academic Managers
In November 2023, the English Australia Academic Managers SIG (AMSIG) launched their new Academic Managers Mentorship Program. The Program will begin in March 2024 and expressions of interest to join the Program from mentees and mentors are now open.
The Mentorship Program aims to support new Academic Managers and it pairs less experienced managers with more experienced managers to facilitate the sharing of knowledge across the English Australia network. During the Program, mentors and mentees meet virtually four times between March-September. In addition, mentors and mentees attend a virtual kick-off workshop and virtual check-in sessions mid-way through the Program. You can read more about the program aims, expectations and timeframe by reading the Mentorship Program Guidelines.
To express interest in joining the Mentorship Program as a mentor or mentee, please complete our expression of interest form by 25 January 2024.
Complete Mentoring expression of interest form
Urgent Call For Volunteers: TOEFL IBT Concordance Study
ETS believes in the power of collaboration and continuous improvement in English language assessment and they are reaching out to the English Australia community to request your help.
Calling All Volunteers: English Language Students of All Nationalities
ETS is urgently looking for English language students of all nationalities and English levels to participate in our concordance study. Volunteers will have the unique opportunity to submit an official IELTS Academic test and then challenge themselves on a TOEFL iBT test – for free!
Why Your Involvement Matters
As a respected member of the English Australia community, your endorsement is powerful. We are seeking your help in promoting the TOEFL iBT Concordance Study among your student population. Your encouragement will not only help us gather valuable data, but also positively contribute to the future of English language assessment in Australia.
How You Can Help
- Spread the Word: Share the details of this exciting initiative with your students.
- Encourage Participation: Motivate your students to participate in the study by submitting their official IELTS Academic test and taking the TOEFL iBT test for free.
- Provide Guidance: Direct interested students to sign-up directly, or reach out to ETS for additional information and sign-up procedures.
Rewards for Participants
Participants who submit both their IELTS Academic and their TOEFL iBT official test scores to ETS will be compensated for their participation.
Ready to Get Started? Click here to download a flyer for your student notice board.
Planning to email them about it? Add our sign-up link to your communications.
Questions or Need Assistance in promoting the initiative? Email us!
Member Spotlight: Monash College’s IDEA Program
This year Monash College relaunched its long-standing tradition of in-house action research with the Inquiry-Driven Education in Action (IDEA) Program. The IDEA Program is a classroom-based action research program, which incorporates emerging evidence-informed practices and is focused on innovation. The 2023 program consisted of four workshops delivered over the course of the year, during which participants received just-in-time learning to support their research projects as they moved through the various stages of the action research cycle.
The program included three projects undertaken by teachers in the ELICOS program at Monash College, which investigated how AI chatbots might enhance reading comprehension skills, the use of Turnitin Peermark for developing students feedback skills and how in-class debating can engage EAP learners. These projects allowed teachers to focus on aspects of the college’s recently launched DEEP program while elevating reflective practice as a core feature of effective teaching. Each project was written up as both an article and a conference poster; these were published and launched at a showcase event at Monash College in November.
As one participant noted, “It was great to hear others’ presentations and see other research strategies. Also to see how interesting others’ projects are. The program … was fantastic and built some team spirit and connection amongst staff.”
New Report: Trends Shaping the Future of Global English Language Teaching
Our research partner, BONARD, has released a new research report Trends Shaping the Future of Global English Language Teaching, which examines the trends emerging as a result of the uneven pandemic recovery of the English Language Teaching (ELT) sector across a variety of destinations in 2023.
BONARD’s international education experts have examined the sector’s performance in 2022, with data drawn from the English Australia annual ELICOS Market survey results and preliminary data for 2023, to predict where it is headed. The report harmonises data from various international destinations and points to some important shifts in the global landscape.
According to the report, Australia recorded the highest volume of student weeks globally in 2022 and BONARD estimates that the sector will reach 90%–95% of its 2019 market volume in 2023, despite accommodation and teacher shortages continuing to impact its recovery.
The study also found that English language learners are getting younger, students are becoming proficient in English earlier than ever before, and the quality of in-country English language education is improving in many source countries, which will have a significant impact on the ELT sector before it flows on to affect Higher Education and pathways.
2024 Dates for your Calendar
English Australia wishes you a fantastic holiday season. Thank you to everyone who has participated in our professional development program this year. It has been an absolute pleasure to learn and grow professionally with our ELICOS community and English Australia members. We look forward to connecting again in 2024.
If you’d like a PD initiative from your centre featured in our Member Spotlight section of next month’s PD Update newsletter, please get in touch with Sophie, Head of Professional Development at English Australia.
Please send your questions, comments or suggestions about the English Australia Professional Development Program to Sophie, Head of Professional Development at English Australia.
