“To learn a language is to have one more window from which to look at the world.” – Chinese proverb
At St Edmund’s we believe that the study of languages opens up so many gateways for our students, and we strive to make their language experience as enriching as possible.
Studies have shown that there are numerous benefits to learning a second language. Creativity is increased, listening and memory skills are enhanced, and one is able to participate more effectively and responsibly in an increasingly globalized world. Studies have also found that through learning the grammatical structures of a second language, a student can improve their literacy outcomes in their mother tongue.
Our language programs offer a total cultural immersion, not simply language acquisition classes. At present we offer French and Japanese, and next year we will begin our journey with Italian. Our language programs run from years 4 to 12 as we focus on the four macro-skills of language acquisition; oracy, listening, reading and writing. This year, in particular, we have engaged with the “Gianfranco Conti” methodology, which has allowed our students to acquire language more rapidly and confidently with a deeper level of understanding.
In order to offer a full cultural experience our staff of passionate and gifted language teachers work hard to provide a plethora of opportunities outside that of simple language acquisition. Twice a term we engage with cooking classes. The classes always relate to the topic and are practical in nature. This year in Japanese students have cooked a range of delicious delicacies, such as dumplings, stir fried noodles and street food. In order to give context and applicability to the language students also engage in history lessons. This year in French students have studied different French speaking countries, the French revolution and are currently studying WW1, offering a cross-curriculum opportunity. In order to understand our role as global citizens we also explore Francophone countries and Australia’s relationship with them.
Now for those of you who have not met our wonderfully gifted languages team, I wanted to introduce them here.
Yuko Leffers has taught Japanese at Eddies for five years. Born in Gifu, Japan, Yuko immigrated to Australia after she finished high school. Her inspiration? A beautiful friendship she developed with an Australian pen pal during school. After working in several sectors, Yuko decided she wanted to work in a job that contributed positively to society, so she became a teacher. “I feel so fortunate to teach at St Edmund’s college where I had my first teaching experience. I also consider that my own experiences as a second language student (Korean and little bit of Spanish) and having worked in different job sectors has enabled me to serve the various needs of our students. I am interested in language acquisition and its process; therefore, it has been an inspiring journey for me to teach and see how students develop language skills. But nothing can beat a gracing moment when I share a smile with my students which shows their comprehension and enhancement of knowledge.”
Madame Merritt is our local born French teacher who learnt French here in Canberra from Yr. 7-12 and then later travelled in University. She has travelled to many Francophone countries, including Haiti, to consolidate her language skills including living as an au pair in Switzerland for a year in a French speaking family. In 2010 after the devastating earthquake, Mme Merritt returned to Haiti with a friend and served in a local mission for 3 months assisting with medical teams and the tent villages The next 10 years have been spent going in and out of Haiti, fundraising, sourcing materials and sponsorship to help children receive an education. She is still connected to the children in Haiti and supports where she can but can’t visit as often as she now has her own 4 children (all Haitian born). Having the French language has allowed her to advocate for the children of Haiti with local governments, as well as be the liaison and translator between Haitian and American teams. She loves the quote by Nelson Mandela that states “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”.
Andy Taylor studied languages at both High school (French) and University (Japanese) in his hometown of Christchurch, NZ. He has lived in Japan for several years working as an English teacher, guide and translator. He now considers Canberra his home and he loves St Edmund’s College. The most satisfying parts of the job for him are seeing students developing their language skills and enjoying learning about other cultures. The highlight of his time at St Edmund’s has been his involvement with the Nagasaki Nanzan exchange. This year would have been the 5th time that Nanzan have visited us, but unfortunately their trip was cancelled due to Covid-19. In its place we have just set up a letter exchange which year 9 students are participating in.
Ashleigh Kerin
Head of English & Languages