2019 Annual General Meeting of LCNAU

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Languages and Cultures Network for Australian Universities Inc. will be held on Friday 29 November 2019 in Arts Lecture Room 4 (G. 60), The University of Western Australia, commencing at 4.30pm.

All current financial members who are entitled to vote are invited to attend (membership must be valid in the 2019-2020 financial year, and fees must have been paid more than ten business days prior to the AGM), that is by Thursday 14 November, 4.30pm.

A member may appoint a proxy to vote and speak on his or her behalf. A proxy form is available here. If returning a proxy form by mail or email, the form must be received by the President no later than 24 hours before the start of the meeting, i.e., no later than 4.30pm on Wednesday, 27 November 2019. Proxy forms may otherwise be given to the Chairperson of the meeting before, or at, the commencement of the AGM.

Call for Nominations
The Association is calling for Nominations by candidates for election as Members of the Committee. All positions on the Committee will be declared vacant and will be appointed by the newly-elected Committee from amongst its number.

Nominations for membership of the Committee must be:

1. in writing and stipulate contact details of candidates including email address; and,
2. delivered to the President of the Association not less than 7 days before the date of the AGM, by 4.30pm on Friday 22 November 2019.

ANU Teaching Enhancement Grant: Transitioning to university: managing expectations in language classes

The aim of this project is to create new online video resources for languages education. These short videos (2-3 minutes in length) are aimed at current and incoming students in our programs who need more guidance on how to improve their skills to be successful university language learners. Two consistent problems facing many first-year students are the mechanics of how learning is performed at university and the expectations of what to learn and how to learn new material. This problem is particularly acute in language learning, given students’ (often) unrealistic expectations. The videos will feature footage from actual language classes, interviews with current students and staff, and general study advice. Since the videos will directly address the question of method in learning, their impact will also increase student autonomy and lead to more efficient use of time spent in class for both students and academic staff.

For more information, go to https://slll.cass.anu.edu.au/students/language-videos.

Associate Lecturer in Chinese

This fulltime, ongoing, teaching intensive academic position is available at the University of Tasmania.

Colloquium Dates: 27-29 November 2019

Venue: University of Western Australia

Theme: “Exchanges: people, knowledge, cultures”

Confirmed keynote speakers: Charles Forsdick (Liverpool), Joseph Lo Bianco (Melbourne), Jakelin Troy (Sydney), Virginia Yip (Chinese University of Hong Kong), Stephen Matthews (Hong Kong)

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Two teachers of Australian Indigenous languages are the joint winners of the Patji-Dawes Award – Australia’s premier award for achievement in teaching languages other than English.

Sophia Mung, a Gija woman from Purnululu (East Kimberley, WA), has been recognised for decades of tireless work to ensure the Gija language is passed down to future generations.

Brother Stephen Morelli is a Christian Brother, teacher and linguist who has worked closely with Aboriginal communities on the mid-north coast of NSW for over 30 years to revive and teach the Gumbaynggirr language.

See the recent story at https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/breakfast/indigenous-language-teachers-win-nations-top-prize/11294722

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LCNAU is pleased to be supporting and maintaining University Languages Portal Australia (ULPA). With the support of the LCNAU Heads’ Cluster, the website has been updated to contain current information, and will be reviewed each year.  Its coverage of higher level courses will commence in 2020. We encourage all of our members to ensure that their institutions have links to the site in order to ensure that students and colleagues are aware of language availability across the sector.

To spread the word amongst your colleagues about this exciting development for the languages sector, encourage them to view this short animated video!

Memberships for the 2019-2020 financial year are now open.

As LCNAU memberships correspond to the financial year, all memberships become due for renewal on July 1. In order to benefit from reduced members’ rates for the 2019 LCNAU colloquium, you need to be a current member and to show proof of current membership at time of registration.

Join or renew here.