Practice at the East Doncaster Secondary College - Essay Example

Ably guided by the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), I developed a curriculum for my LOTE class customized to a class of teenagers who are slowly finding their own strengths and weaknesses in communicating in a language other than English. Being aware of their cultural profile helps me adjust the curriculum in more relevant ways to their contexts. I have learned from the VELS framework that at their particular level, they “recognize the extent and limitations of their language proficiency and develop strategies for maximising and extending their language skills, knowledge and cultural understanding” (VELS, LOTE Pathway 2, Level 6).

Hence my curriculum encourages them to communicate in Chinese with the help of their first language, so there is much comprehension on their part. We know that some words in English or their native languages do not have exact translations in Chinese. The struggle to express them may be aided by other communication tools such as gestures, pictures, and other expression methods. The strategies of group discussions on the content of the lessons and the project assigned to them greatly help them organize their thoughts and gain more information about how other people think.

This is further strengthened by research, as they are required to do in Part A of the project. Going online to explore the necessary information in planning a thorough and practical tour package to China challenges them to balance everything off and communicate their ideas in Chinese on top of it. Finally, presenting their ideas in a concrete form, such as the cartoon ad they created, with oral documentary in Chinese, is an effective strategy to show how they integrated all their learning in my class and a good culminating activity to highlight their gained knowledge and skills.

Students also evaluate themselves after they have finished the tasks (See Appendix: Chinese Project: School Trip to China Assessment Criteria). This follows the VELS framework that aims for students to become more reflective of their own work and strive to do their best in their endeavours.