Welcome to ADECS

Very pleased to announce the upload of a 2025 Scope and Sequence for Stage 4 languages on the ADECS Teachers Pay Teachers site. Based on Extensive Processing Instruction principles, it is fully aligned to the new framework, and delivers a continuum of language acquisition using topics that are both relevant and engaging to students. The units of work sequenced in the document will be added over the course of this term, however for now, this document provides a solid roadmap for the 100 hours mandatory in 2025. Click here to have a look. 

Looking for languages-specific, NESA-accredited PL this semester? The Term 3 & 4 courses focus on how to:

1. leverage AI to create new teaching, learning and assessment resources
2. program the new K10 Modern Languages syllabus, and
3. create assessment tasks for all Stages

Scroll down for detailed descriptions of each course. 

Each course is available online and in person on multiple dates this semester. For dates and registration details, click here, or to inquire about onsite delivery in your school, click here.

***NEW COURSE*** 

School-based assessment in the HSC Continuers Language courses

Excited to announce that my course on HSC school-based assessment received NESA accreditation in the final week of the accreditation policy. Just in the nick of time! While accredited PL is no longer a requirement, I am nonetheless really pleased that the course met NESA's strict quality assurance measures, giving teachers confidence in the verity of the  content.  Here's a bit of background to it:
At the 2023 annual Chinese Language Teachers Association conference, I presented an assessment model for the Continuers languages courses, which in its design, addresses two issues that frequently come up in the Stage 6 Continuers courses:

1. how to ensure a level playing field between native and non-native speakers, and
2. how to teach, develop and assess higher order thinking skills (HOTS) in Languages  

From this presentation came the 4-hour accredited course, in which participants will gain:

• a stronger understanding of the HSC syllabuses and assessment processes
• ideas for tasks that target the development of skills assessed in the HSC examination (while not replicating its components)
• advice on how to construct task-specific marking criteria and rubrics (not just copy/pastes from NESA past papers)
• skills for developing bespoke assessment materials using AI.

This course is for anyone who might be:

• new to Stage 6
• feeling a bit rudderless in their current approach, or 
• just interested in some new ideas. 

I will post details of the course when it goes live, however if you'd like to receive a notification, email me on (alison.dean@adecs.com.au) and I'll contact you directly. 

As with all of the offerings, I am available to present this in your school - just get in touch and I'll come to you.

Changes to PL requirements for NSW teachers are now in effect.

You no longer need to:

• complete a minimum amount of Accredited PD
• complete PD from across the 4 mandatory priority areas
• write an evaluation for any completed Accredited PD courses
• align PD activities against the 37 Standard Descriptors, instead aligning it to one or more of the 7 Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (the Standards).

This is great news for busy teachers: one less thing to worry about! 

While the mandate for NESA-accredited courses no longer exists, ADECS remains committed to the delivery of high-quality PL for teachers of Languages, and is proud to have been included on the registry of NESA recognised PD providers. 

With new courses on the way, there's never been a better time to join the ADECS mailing list, or follow the business's Facebook page. Get connected!

Face-to-face, NESA-accredited course: Assessment and task design in Languages

Having explored task-based/supported learning and its compatibility with the new K10 Modern Languages syllabus in 2023, attention now turns to how to assess it.                                                                                                                                                         

Assessing by task is quite different to assessing by macro skill, and this course breaks down the elements of the process, drawing on the latest in assessment theory and principles of Understanding by Design to deliver a clear and cohesive approach. Participants will explore:

• how to dissect tasks to establish marking criteria
• the value of rubrics and how to create them
• how to provide feedback that sticks, and
• how to write report outcomes that reflect the whole process

The course is a follow on from the programming workshop of last year, however it is not a prerequisite to have attended that event, as the core principles will be revisited throughout the course. Assessment is my 'thing' (🤓) and as was the case in the programming workshop, there are loads of samples and resources profiled throughout the course.  For more information, check out my blog post, or to register, click through below.

Face-to-face course: Leveraging AI for resource creation in Languages

Over the course of the year, I've been re-working my online TTA course Getting onboard with Chatgpt in Languages into a new face-to-face workshop. It’s called Leveraging AI for resource creation in Languages and builds on the original course content with more prompts and app combinations to support the teaching, learning and assessment of Languages. For those not familiar with the original course, I demonstrate how to use Chatgpt and other AI platforms to:

1. Create stimulus reading texts, listening texts and audio/visual texts

2. Differentiate texts for different proficiency levels

3. Generate comprehension questions, games and exercises

4. Create assessment tasks, marking criteria, rubrics and sample responses

5. Generate course descriptions, report comments, risks assessments and newsletter articles

6. Get teaching advice or another perspective on a text/issue, and heaps more…

We also look at the craft of prompt writing and I take participants through a framework I've developed to step teachers through the process.

Exploring what AI can do is a passion project of mine and I can't wait to show participants what's possible, and how it has assisted me in my teaching. Click through for details of the course below.

Face-to-face course: Programming the new NSW K10 Modern Languages syllabus

2024 is the year that the new K10 Modern Languages syllabus is to be first taught in NSW schools. For schools and teachers looking for PL on the new syllabus and how to implement it, I will be running the workshop Programming the new NSW K10 Modern Languages syllabus on various dates throughout the year. The course is face-to-face, NESA-accredited for 6 hours of PL and available to K-10 teachers of all languages and sectors. 

For those not able to attend a workshop, I am available to come into your school and present the course in person. In 2023, I worked onsite in over 30 schools throughout NSW, delivering the course and conducting workshops with individual teachers, faculties or school clusters. 

Check out some of the testimonials from schools I worked with last year. To make an enquiry, or if you already have a preferred date in mind, you can leave your details here or email me at alison.dean@adecs.com.au. 

Details and registration for the remaining 2024 workshops can be accessed via the link below.

In 2022, I was approached by the Sydney Institute for Community Languages Education (SICLE) at the University of Sydney to write a course in languages methodology for NSW Primary and Secondary teachers of other subject disciplines. The Institute had secured a grant from the NSW Department of Education to address the decline in the number of language teachers by offering practising teachers (proficient in other languages) the opportunity to add approval to teach languages to their Departmental accreditation. The rationale behind the project seemed like such a no-brainer to me: in every school I’ve worked in, I’ve known many of my Business Studies, English, Maths and Geography colleagues to be highly proficient, or indeed bilingual, in other languages. Upon learning that I was a language teacher, many of them would express a deep interest in how languages were taught, always with the rider that they would “love to be able to teach it, they just wouldn’t know how.”

So when this opportunity came along, I jumped at the chance. 

Mapped to the AITSL standards, the course comprises of 14 weeks of online modules, followed by a 5-week prac component. For those interested in the content, I’ve written a blog post here. 

I ran the first offering of the course in July last year, attended by 30 enthusiastic teachers from a diverse range of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Every Tuesday they zoomed in for an hour to discuss the readings and tutorial questions from the week, sharing their experiences and learning from each other. The majority have now met the requirements of the course and have received their accreditation to teach in Department schools.

The level of interest in the course has been wonderful, and I will be taking a further two cohorts through in 2024. Teachers interested in finding out more are encouraged to visit the SICLE website (click through below) for more information.

I was recently engaged by a NSW Catholic Education Diocese to conduct a languages curriculum review of one of its schools. The staff's passion and commitment to language learning came through in spades, and I'm really looking forward to our follow-up 'refine and align' sessions. 

If your school is up for NESA registration, or you'd like an objective eye cast over your curriculum documentation, don't hesitate to get in touch. 

After two years at Mount St Benedict College as a classroom teacher and Head of Department, I'm leaving the College to channel all my energies into my business. This decision hasn’t been easy and comes from the realisation that I could no longer do justice to the 3-day-a-week HoD/teaching role, and the ongoing maintenance and development of ADECS . 

My time at Bennies was incredibly rewarding – being back in the classroom reminded me of the realities, challenges and joys of teaching and leading a department, and I am grateful for the many connections I made with staff and students during my time. I was fortunate to have been able to develop and evaluate many of the resources I now use in my courses, and I am particularly indebted to the languages staff for their professionalism and commitment as I shifted the faculty to new models of curriculum and assessment design. 

Looking forward, I am excited to finally have the time to not just maintain the business, but to grow it. First up will be reconnecting with client schools, and working on some collaborations with other providers. Can't wait :) 

I am continually inspired by the educators I meet and work hard to deliver relevant, evidence-based professional learning. Click through for testimonials of my recent work.

Elated to announce that I have graduated with First Class Honours in the Graduate Certificate in International Education  (IB) from the University of Melbourne. I specialised in curriculum and assessment design for the Languages B course, creating scope & sequence and assessment resources as part of the assignment schedule.

Since finishing the course, I've been focussing my energies on creating curriculum and assessment resources for classes running the IBDP and HSC courses concurrently. Click through for assistance in this area.