All students may be required to study a second language. (1 Viewer)

[Sparcod]

Uni plan to stem language "crisis"

Under the plan, year 12 graduates would also get a 10 per cent bonus on their university entry scores if they successfully completed a language other than English in their final year at school.

Sounds good. I thought that languages were compulsory for year 7 and 8 students. I guess that they don't see it as 'good enough'. I can understand why such a plan was devised in the first place.

 

[Tulipa]

Maybe we should encourage students to get the English language right before we start pushing other languages?

I agree with you there but in spite of that, I do think this is a good idea.

 

[banco55]

Maybe we should encourage students to get the English language right before we start pushing other languages?

Where I went to school they had a class called 'language in use' for the students who were crap at english. They went to that class while the rest of the year went to French etc.

 

[Testpilot]

I want my 10% bonus then. I don't care if I've finished school, I want my 10% bonus.

 

[watatank]

I want my 10% bonus then. I don't care if I've finished school, I want my 10% bonus.

i second that.

 

[CSI: CRIMES ™]

NO.

Because then you get Asians who already get UAIs of 100.00, getting 10% added onto that because they already know a language other than English.

true.


Then they should learn a 3rd language:rofl:

 

[jb_nc]

da chinamen learn english let dem cum 2 us keep it real bitches

 

[UnIqUe PrInCeSs]

Damn Straight.

Seriously, this is the gayest idea I've ever heard. I hate that they call it a bonus when really it would pretty much force anyone serious about doing well in their HSC to do a second language.

Even if you believe there are great benefits in people doing a second langauge this is not the way to go about promoting it. Currently there is a shortage of science and mathamatics students but we don't force these subjects on people. Basically, it is left to market forces. If there is a need for a particular field high pay in that feild will attract students to study it.

Education should be about allowing students to choose what they want to do and rewarding them when they do well at it, not about dictating to them what they should do.

I thought Education was about educating students. Market forces require people to be educated, lol. Why don't we let 2nd grade kids choose their subjects?

Still, rather than forcing us to learn some language we won't need or already knew, it'd be better to introduce formal lessons about the rules of grammar in English beyond year 8 level.

EDIT: That is, not necessarily to the exclusion of the textual analysis/cultural studies they currently do from then onwards, but rather in addition to it.

 

[Tulipa]

Um. English is compulsory no?

So why are all you whining about freedom of choice? They're already forcing you to do one subject.

 

[Tulipa]

I don't agree with the reward system per se. Doing a language is difficult but your UAI should be marks based as opposed to anything else. It's not a crisis though either but I think there is merit in knowing another language, especially in a country that purports to be multicultural. I know we're not nearly as large as the USA but there, Spanish is a compulsory subject in some areas because of the number of Spanish speaking migrants.

Also, Optophobia Asian students probably wouldn't be able to count knowing an Asian language.

 

[Sparcod]

Critiques?

Year 7 and 8 is enough isn't it?

10% bonus is pretty big as someone pointed out and that 'reward' is too much.

 

[kami]

In many countries throughout mainland Europe you are required to be study two languages in addition to your native language and I think Japan or China has something similar. It's a really good idea as it opens up the ability to communicate with and hence become familiar with those of other cultures, so can get both cultural and monetary benefits when you are fluent in a number of languages.

When you consider the large number of migrants we have within our borders it makes sense to have another language at your fingertips. Its also important for international opportunities since Australia is pretty much in the middle of an Eastern dominated area with very different languages.

However I don't think it is right to boost someone's UAI unconditionally simply for having studied a second language in the HSC, for example someone who studies Beginner's French in the HSC and never touches it again is hardly going to gain any of those benefits to any significant level.

 

[circusmind]

Good. Australians are embarrassingly monolingual. The bonus is a daft idea, though, just make it compulsory.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

There is nothing wrong with speaking only 1 language if that language is English.

 

[circusmind]

There is nothing wrong with speaking only 1 language if that language is English.

Yes, there really is. Sure, if you're going to be a monoglot, English is probably the language to speak at the moment, but it's always going to be far from ideal.

 

[iamsickofyear12]

Yes, there really is.

No there isn't.

 

[UnIqUe PrInCeSs]

However I don't think it is right to boost someone's UAI unconditionally simply for having studied a second language in the HSC, for example someone who studies Beginner's French in the HSC and never touches it again is hardly going to gain any of those benefits to any significant level.

I don't think it's right to boost someone's UAI unconditionally simply for having studied a subject in the HSC that a large number of nerds studied. For example someone who studies Chemistry in the HSC and never touches it again is hardly going to gain any of those benefits to any significant level.

 

[circusmind]

No there isn't.

Try competing in a world market flooded with multilingual workers. We should be churning out multilingual high school grads if we want to keep up.

 

[ari89]

If they had it when I was at school I would have learnt American English so I could work in America for a bit. Now I'm going to need to learn it in my own time

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Sounds a little useless to me.