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Languages offered | Implementation pattern | Courses and course levels | Curriculum | Scope of curriculum | Program of learning | Resources | Session times and venues |

Languages offered

Background

The Canberra Academy of Languages was established in September 2016. We have delivered senior secondary courses in French from 2017 to the end of 2023. At the start of Term 2 in 2019, we commenced delivery of a German program; and in 2020, CAL introduced programs in Spanish and Tamil. CAL introduced Japanese to our range of programs in 2021, and Korean in 2022, bringing to six the number of languages offered. As of 2024, senior secondary courses in these same six languages are now offered by CIT Solutions.

Additional possibilities for future years include Arabic, Indonesian, Hindi, and Italian. For Chinese, a viable central delivery program already exists and there are no plans to duplicate those existing provisions.

As previously for CAL, senior secondary language programs with CIT Solutions Centre for Modern Languages complement existing senior secondary provisions in languages in the ACT and we maintain regular communication with students' day schools.

The curriculum from 2020 is based on the Modern Languages courses endorsed by the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS), which were implemented from the start of 2020. For details, see the list of courses on the BSSS website.

Implementation pattern for units offered

The implementation pattern for units follows a two-year cycle so that the four units for a standard languages major are delivered over four semesters. The cycle then recommences. In enrolling, it is important to ensure that a student is not undertaking duplicate units. For this year and next year, the sequence is as follows:

• 2024-S1: The Individual
• 2024-S2: Society and Community
• 2025-S2: The Changing World
• 2025-S2: Diverse Perspectives

Courses and course levels

Beginning courses under BSSS language eligibility guidelines are intended for students with minimal prior experience in the target language, taking account of three criteria: prior participation in school-based language studies; residency in a country where the target language is used; and use of the target language outside the classroom (for example at home).

Courses in languages at continuing level build on prior language learning, generally from high school language courses. They consolidate communication skills so that students can understand and use French in a wide range of familiar contexts.

Courses in languages at advanced level build from a broader set of capabilities, generally from experience gained through bilingual and immersion programs or family language background. They refine and extends communication skills so that students can understand and communicate key information and ideas in a broad range of contexts and can interact with a degree of ease and spontaneity.

A sequence of semester units in ACT senior secondary studies leads to a minor (comprising two semester units) or a major (comprising at least 3.5 units, essentially a two-year sequence). A major in Languages is recognised for bonus points by the Australian National University, under the ANU Awards National Access Scheme.

For students interested in further studies in languages after Year 12, there is also information on options for studying languages at universities on the University Languages Portal Australia.

Curriculum

Scope of curriculum

Current curriculum options offered encompass existing courses in languages, developed under the ACT BSSS Modern Languages Framework, for which there is sufficient demand. This complements opportunities that are available through the school system for students to continue studies in languages that they have undertaken in Years 7-10.

Program of Learning

The program of learning for each course that was delivered by the Canberra Academy of Languages consisted of four components: the CAL implementation of the BSSS Program of Learning; the unit outline; the term overviews; and the weekly modules. The CIT Solutions program of learning is based on the CAL implementation, for which links are provided below. The other components are now communicated to participants via the CIT Solutions Google Classroom portal.

Documents for the CAL implementation of the BSSS Program of Learning are available via the links below:

• BSSS Program of Learning CAL Unit 1 The Individual
• BSSS Program of Learning CAL Unit 2 Society and Community
• BSSS Program of Learning CAL Unit 3 The Changing World
• BSSS Program of Learning CAL Unit 4 Diverse Perspectives

Session times and venues

Classes are conducted after school hours at Ainslie School. Scheduling outside day school hours enables participants to commute from their day schools after completing other classes. Students have a two-hour session of face-to-face instruction each week during teaching weeks and they have two hours of programmed offsite work per week, supported by online resources.

Days and times for senior secondary language programs with CIT Solutions Centre for Modern Languages planned for 2024 are listed below.

• CITSOL French: Wednesdays 5 pm to 7 pm
• CITSOL German: Tuesdays, 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm
• CITSOL Japanese: Thursdays, 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm
• CITSOL Korean: Wednesdays, 5 pm to 7 pm
• CITSOL Spanish: Tuesdays, 5:15 pm to 7:15 pm
• CITSOL Tamil: Wednesdays 5 to 7 pm.

Ainslie School is at 33 Donaldson Street, Braddon 2612, and is centrally located, close to the City Bus Interchange and the Elouera Street Light Rail station.

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