Aiming High: Chinese language capacity in Australian schools
The Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS:ACRI) welcomed Kate Wang, Chinese language coordinator at Rouse Hill High School, to revisit Jane Orton's report Building Chinese Language Capacity in Australia (UTS:ACRI, 2016). Ms Wang outlined the current state of Chinese language in NSW schools and the need to strengthen language pathways before students enter high school and university. Ms Wang was joined by John Meng from CLTA (NSW) on a panel moderated by ACRI Director Professor Bob Carr, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.
Further reading
Chinese-language students of Rouse Hill High School from Years 10 and 12 share their experience of studying Chinese as a second language and outline what they plan to achieve in the future using their language skills: Chinese language learning in Australian schools: Student experiences.
Nick Baker, 'Australia 'missing out' as students continue to shun learning Chinese', SBS News, March 12 2019.
Gallery
Speakers
Kate Wang
Kate Wang is currently the Chinese language coordinator at Rouse Hill High School in Sydney. She is responsible for establishing and growing the profile of Mandarin language at her school by creating the extension language program for year 7 students, an elective course in years 9 /10 and an extra-curricular interest group called "China Club." Kate has 20 years’ experience teaching Mandarin in Australia. She has exercised leadership in languages education as a Supervising Mentor for the Ningbo Program since 2008 and as a member of the NSW Department of Education's Language Advisory Network Group (LANG). She has trialled innovative approaches to teaching through the "China Connect" program from 2011-2014, broadcasting Mandarin lessons to metropolitan and rural schools via connected classroom. Kate is a long-standing member of the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA) NSW.
John Meng
John Meng is the Deputy Principal at Rooty Hill High School in Sydney. He is an award-winning high school executive teacher with a demonstrated history of leadership excellence in educational management and innovation, with a particular focus on Mandarin. He is currently Secretary-General of the Chinese Language Teachers Association (CLTA) NSW. John is skilled in evidence-informed practice, educational technology deployment, technology-infused instructional design, curriculum development, and team building. His passion for public education has enabled him to support the growth of his colleagues and his students at classroom, school and system levels.
