By Ms Michele Sharp, Head of Languages

"In a world shaped by globalization, environmental change and technological advancement, our students will live, study and work in Australia and abroad in ways that we can scarcely imagine. To flourish, they must have the critical capacity to analyse complex information, the ability to communicate in multiple languages (and) the adaptive creativity to find solutions." – Dr Justin Garrick, Strategic Directions Towards 2020.

The language department leads Radford College in global mindedness. We are experts in intercultural pedagogy, promoting international links and high academic standards.

2025 will be another exciting year for our language learners. The teachers in the department are planning excursions and incursions to complement the learning undertaken in class. As part of our Year 10 exchange program, we will be facilitating exchanges and two study tours to France and Japan. These opportunities allow students to put their classroom learning into practice through authentic immersion, such as taking part in a homestay and attending school.

Last month we hosted individual exchange students from Markham College, Peru, and Meiji-Gakuin, Japan, and in the coming week the Year 10 Japanese students will be further developing their hospitality skills when we welcome students and teachers from Konko Gakuen, Japan.

Languages students will again have access to native speakers as part of our Language Assistant program with Momoka Shibata and Emma Plat joining us from Japan and France in Term 2 and 3 respectively. The languages department is very grateful for the support of the Radford families who will be hosting Momoka and Emma for the duration of their stay.

Through the Round Square network, we are actively seeking a sister school in China to establish a yearly exchange. Meanwhile, we continue to engage with the local community and provide cultural activities such as a Chinese Cultural Day to help students build confidence in real-life language use. Our Spanish program is also continuing to grow, including exploratory planning for our first Study Tour to Spain.

Enrichment opportunities such as linguistic competitions and assessments (OZCLO and ACER) are already underway, and we are expecting excellent outcomes again this year.

The languages team are passionate about language learning and are always willing to assist parents and students.

Here are some tips on how parents can assist in languages home learning:

• Small amounts of revision frequently
• The look, cover, write, check method for learning vocabulary and script
• Make flashcards
• Make use of the online platform Education Perfect to which all languages students have access
• Label items around the home
• Visit multilingual places e.g. a restaurant
• Watch a film in the language together
• Learn the language from your child
• Add test and assignment dates on a calendar at home

Perspectives of the newest staff members of our languages team

Ms Lisa Bourne – Japanese Teacher

I found the Radford students engaged, ready to learn and open to thinking about diverse perspectives through learning Japanese. I appreciate the collaborative atmosphere amongst the language department teachers which inspires me to continuously improve as a teacher and connect with students in a meaningful way. I was privileged to be part of the Year 10 study tour to Japan in September 2024 where I witnessed immense student growth academically as well as in their well-being.

Winnie Sun – Chinese Teacher

Teaching at Radford has been a rewarding experience. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the students, who bring enthusiasm and curiosity to the classroom. The students are eager to learn, and I appreciate the opportunity to share my knowledge with them. I hope to continue promoting Chinese language and culture, helping students gain a deeper understanding of and connection to China. The welcoming and supportive school community has also made settling in a pleasure. I’m excited to continue building connections and contributing to the learning environment here.