Addressing language teacher professional learning needs: an evaluation of the AFMLTA national conference, Canberra 2013.

Morgan, Anne-Marie ; Absalom, Matthew ; Scrimgeour, Andrew 等

ABSTRACT

The 19th biennial AFMLTA National Languages Conference was held in Canberra in July 2013. The conference, along with other professional learning activities conduced at a local level and for individual languages, aims to provide teachers of languages with the opportunity to work toward the professional learning outcomes outlined in the AITSL Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and its Charter for professional learning of teachers and school leaders. These documents highlight three characteristics of professional learning: being relevant, collaborative and future focussed. This paper reports on the evaluation conducted after the Canberra conference and compares the findings for that conference with the previous conference In Darwin In 2011. It reviews the contemporary research on the value of conference attendance for professional learning, and the ongoing work of the AFMLTA in supporting the professional learning of language teachers nationally, and across languages. The paper reflects on the extent to which a national, cross-language forum for professional learning such as the biennial national conference of the AFMLTA meets the expectations of teachers, and of the AITSL standards and charter. We address its relevance to language teacher's needs, its potential for collaboration, and its future-focus, in bringing together both contemporary theories of language learning and current best practices in school languages policy, teaching and assessment. Issues arising from the recent evaluation are discussed as a way forward in planning future conferences and other professional learning.

KEYWORDS

professional learning, conference attendance, languages teacher professional learning, teacher standards, teaching charter, collaborative professional learning, professional associations

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INTRODUCTION

Absalom and Morgan, reporting in 2012 on the AFMLTA's 18th biennial conference held in Darwin the previous year (Absalom & Morgan, 2012), detailed a highly positive response from languages teacher attendees, across a range of measures including program content, quality of speakers, the venue, session types, and networking opportunities. Additionally, they described the ongoing need for what one respondent declared was 'perhaps the only [event] that really binds us as a professional community on a national scale' (Absalom & Morgan, 2012, p. 38). In a workforce often characterised by isolated working conditions, and an ongoing Imperative to negotiate sufficient teaching time in the school curriculum, the need for continuing connections of this kind remains acute.

The 19th biennial conference of the AFMLTA was held in Canberra in 2013, and a similar evaluation to that conducted for the Darwin conference was undertaken and analysed by members of the AFMLTA executive.

As was the case for the previous conference, the evaluation instrument took the form of an online questionnaire, emailed to all registered delegates at the conclusion of the conference. There was a high response rate, with 75% of conference delegates completing the questionnaire.

This paper reports on the results of the Canberra conference evaluation, with a focus on comparison of the new data with those of the previous conference, and discussion of themes emerging from the comparison that inform ongoing consideration of and planning for AFMLTA conferences. This discussion also has wider implications for professional learning for teachers of languages more generally. The discussion is contextualised by firstly considering imperatives and parameters for professional learning in the Australian context, current literature related to professional learning gained though conference attendance, and how the AFMLTA and its constituent members, the state and territory language teacher associations (MLTAs), contribute to these needs. The final section of the paper provides recommendations to take forward for the 2015 conference, to be held in Melbourne, the planning for which Is underway; and for the 2017 conference, to be held in Queensland. The recommendations also point to the need for broader discussion of the ways in which teachers of languages need to connect regularly as a community of practice, for their own ongoing learning, wellbeing and sustainability of the profession; and for engaged, informed and meaningful student learning In languages education.

AITSL STANDARDS AND PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CHARTER AND HOW THEY MATTER

The domain of the Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) seemingly increases each year, broadening its purview and remit for guidance, control of and judgment of the work of teachers in Australian schools. With such wide reach, it is important that teachers understand what AITSL controls and covers, and how it Influences areas of teachers' practice including professional learning. On the Teachers Landing Page' of the AITSL website (AITSL, 2014) nine areas of teachers' practice In which AITSL has a role are listed, beginning with links to its core document, the Australian professional standards for teachers. Other domains are upper teaching levels certification, a 'classroom practice' continuum, registration and initial teacher education requirements, assessment for migration, 'learning frontiers' research, and a section on 'professional growth'. In addition there are resources and tools, such as advice on certification evidence, teaching Ideas, Illustrations of practice, advice for supervising pre-service teachers, self-assessment tools, and teaching 'toolkits' (AITSL, 2014).

On the 'professional growth' page--the professional learning focus of the site--are further tabs for 'research', 'insight', 'support', and two further documents: the Australian teacher performance and development framework (the document that guides review of teachers' performance) and the Australian charter for the professional learning of teachers and school leaders (the document that guides Australian teachers' professional learning). In this last document, the case for the importance of a common professional learning charter for teachers is made, along with descriptions of a 'learning culture' and definitions of 'characteristics of effective professional learning'--namely, professional learning that is 'relevant, collaborative and future focused' (AITSL, 2012, p.3). On a 'professional learning culture', the document states

Professional learning will be most effective when It takes place within a culture where teachers and school leaders expect and are expected to be active learners, to reflect on, receive feedback on and improve their pedagogical practice, and by doing so to improve student outcomes (AITSL, 2012, p. 3).

On the need for 'relevant' professional learning (PL), it states that PL should attend to, among other concerns

... find(ing) new solutions to persistent issues, by challenging ... assumptions about practice', and should be 'based on current research' (AITSL, 2012, p.4).

On the need for PL to be 'collaborative', it states

Collaboration has a powerful effect in magnifying and spreading the benefits of professional learning and adds a new and valuable dimension to the learning undertaken by individuals. It connects teachers and leaders to their colleagues within and across schools and to external experts (AITSL, 2012, p.5).

On the need for PL to be 'future focused', it states that effective PL

... exposes teachers to new and emerging practices and the theories that underpin them. It should focus not simply on improving existing practice, but also on assisting teachers and school leaders to understand the theory behind what practices work in different situations, and when and how to apply a broad repertoire of strategies (AITSL, 2012, p. 5)

and that it

... supports teachers and school leaders to explore research that challenges their thinking, encourages them to develop their own theories of practice and promotes use of a range of effective pedagogical practices (AITSL, 2012, p.5).

The document refers to OECD evidence supporting the high value of individual and collaborative research, and argues for informal dialogue as having the greatest impact on practice. Interestingly, it also states that 'attendance at conferences and seminars ... [is] reported to have less Impact' (AITSL, 201, p. 4). We will return to this point in the discussion in relation to how conferences may provide arguably the most ideal context for Informal dialogue, as well as providing opportunities for and showcasing both individual and collaborative research, particularly that which challenges thinking and expands effective pedagogical practice.

The ideas summarised above frame the AITSL position on professional learning, and, as such, determine much of what teachers must accomplish and report on to demonstrate evidence of meeting the AITSL standards in relation to professional learning (Standards 6 and 7) (AITSL, 2012). We argue below that national conferences provide excellent opportunities for meeting these needs, in relation to professional learning.

THE WORK OF THE FEDERATION IN SUPPORTING PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

Teachers of languages in Australian schools are not solely reliant on the generic AITSL Standards and documents for professional practice guidance. They also have the additional, teacher developed and subject and language-specific AFMLTA Professional standards for accomplished teaching of languages and cultures (AFMLTA, 2005, 2008, 2012) to assist in guiding their practice. These Standards note that accomplished teachers of languages and cultures

engage with current theories of education, general principles of teaching and learning, and classroom management ... (and) keep up to date with developments in the field of education through professional learning and professional reading (AFMLTA, 2005).

The AFMLTA Standards are useful beyond providing broad guidance, however. These Standards were used as the basis for a substantial professional learning program for teachers of languages (the Professional Standards Project [see http://pspl.afmlta.asn.au/]) developed between 2008 and 2012, and these materials have been used extensively by teachers across Australia, and continue to be used by the state and territory Modern Language Teachers Associations (MLTAs) to guide ongoing professional learning opportunities for individuals and small and large groups of teachers (AFMLTA, 2008; 2010; 2012). In addition, a further package of professional learning materials based on the AFMLTA Standards was developed in 2012-2103 (the More Leaps project [see http://moreleaps.afmlta.asn.au]), which addressed professional learning for leadership In language teaching, and included development of a new leadership standard (AFMLTA, 2013). MLTAs also provide further professional learning opportunities at a state and territory level, offering alternative kinds of learning programs, including inquiry and action research project support, collaborative network learning and research, seminars, practical workshops, master classes and reading recommendations.

The AFMLTA and MLTAs also work with other education agencies, such as Education Services Australia (ESA) and the Asia Education Foundation (AEF), to develop and provide contemporary and immediately relevant professional learning programs and resources, available to teachers of languages nationally. In total, extensive and varied forms of professional learning are supported and provided across the nation by the Federation, addressing the imperative for nationally-focused PL In the face of both the Introduction of a national curriculum, and of an ongoing need to address the challenges for languages education that go beyond the boundaries of states and territories and language-specific concerns. Hence the biennial conference needs to be considered within this wider platform of programs that meets many of the ongoing learning needs of teachers of languages In Australia, collectively. The AFMLTA Is in the unique position of being able to take a meta-view of the range of such opportunities, and hence to tailor its conference to complement other opportunities. One challenge that remains in play is to distinguish which forms of professional learning best suit different contexts of provision or presentation, and hence which needs are best met in and through national conferences.

CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH ON CONFERENCES FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

The case for the need for professional learning for teachers is well established, and is promoted not only by bodies such as AITSL, and in the AFMLTA Standards, but Is continually being explored in teacher education programs and in education research literature. The literature reveals interesting evidence about the significance of conference attendance, as part of a range of professional learning activities and approaches in and out of schools. Three Important trends which emerge are:

1. Conference attendance for professional learning is valuable for teachers of all career stages, and is used in different ways by those at different stages McKee (2011) found in a study of teachers from across career stages that regular conference attendance In a subject community (in her case teachers of science) assisted teachers across their careers. Early career teachers reported that it took them several conferences to 'make the most' of conference attendance, but that ideas were taken even from conferences early in their careers, and the opportunity to make contacts with other teachers was always rated as valuable, as was hearing the latest research and engaging with the latest teaching resources. At the other end of the career spectrum, McKee found late career and even retired teachers used conferences to keep up with the latest ideas, including in the use of technologies for teaching; to meet colleagues; and to attend sessions they found personally interesting rather than focused on directly Improving current classroom practice.

Richter, Kunter, Klusmann, Ludtke and Baumert (2011, 2014), In a German study investigating professional development uptake across teachers' careers, comparing an American study and their own research in Germany, found that in the American study 93% of early career teachers (years 1-7 of teaching) attended conferences, selecting sessions dealing with challenging topics; 96% of mid-career teachers (years 7-20 of teaching) regularly attended conferences and participated in activities closely related to their current teaching focus, methods and performance standards, aiming to develop their instructional repertoire; and late career teachers (more than 20 years and often more than 30 years of teaching) retained high attendance at conferences until very late in their careers, and were more likely to attend sessions not directly related to their teaching focus, yet were more likely to attend technology sessions and sessions for interest (Richter et al, 2011, 2014). The German teachers followed a similar pattern for early and mid-career, but attendance levels dropped dramatically for late career teachers.

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Late career teachers, however, increased their professional reading significantly in their later teaching years. Differences between the American and German studies were attributed to the compulsory nature of professional development in America against the voluntary nature of professional learning participation in Germany (Richter et al, 2011, 2014). Given that participation was voluntary in Germany, there is evidence that teachers like and find valuable conference attendance, for personal as well as professional reasons, especially in early and mid-career phases.

2. Conference attendance and collaborative practice is important in establishing and maintaining communities of practice

McKee's (2011) study identified the need for early career teachers to attend subject community conferences to build networks of contacts, and that teachers in these networks continued to gain value from regular 'meeting up' at conferences over their careers. Richter et al (2011, 2014) also found that early career teachers relied on conference attendances to establish networks, in both American and German studies. Ho, Nakamori, Ho and Ho (2013) proposed a model of teacher professional development in Vietnam, building on research into effective models of Knowledge Management aimed at improving teaching quality, in which they suggested that a lifelong professional learning community is the ideal teacher professional learning program, and that it must be supported by a combination of inter-related activities including observing peers, attending conferences and networking with peers.

The OECD report on teacher preparation for the 21st century, Preparing teachers and developing school leaders for the 21st century (OECD, 2012), identified in the AITSL Charter as a critical source for information on effective professional learning, identified that nations including Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden had long histories of promoting collaborative practice as ideal PL for teachers, including in-school staff collaboration and subject network collaboration (such as at seminars and conferences), and that such collaboration greatly improved teachers' experiences of teaching. Conferences that draw on the same participant cohort at regular intervals (such as regular conferences for a particular community like teachers of a subject) provide for the establishment of communities of practice AND facilitate networking with peers, allowing for both concentrated collaborative practice, and longer term collaboration between conferences, and thus serve to both establish and maintain opportunities for collaborative communities of practice.

3. Conference attendance is a common form of professional learning for teachers around the world, including Australia, and is rated as having a moderate to high impact on teaching by most attendees

The OECD (2012) report identifies that conference attendance is one of the most common forms of PL for teachers. The report states that in Australia, 64% of surveyed lower secondary teachers (the survey cohort) attended conferences. In addition, 94% engaged in informal dialogue to improve teaching and 60% were involved in a professional development networks. The figures are roughly similar in other comparable nations. Only four other nations had higher conference attendance rates (Lithuania 68%, Poland 64%, Slovenia 75% and Turkey 68%), indicating that conference attendance remains important for Australian teachers. These participation figures are also important when considering other areas of high participation identified that can also be included as aspects of conference attendance (i.e. attending workshops, engaging in informal dialogue).

While AITSL is correct in identifying from this report (OECD, 2012) that one off conferences and seminars were identified as having lower impact than other types of PL, it is misleading not to include percentage attendance rates, nor to state that there is still considerable recognition of the high impact and personal significance for teachers of conference attendance. That is, while the professional learning item 'individual and collaborative research' was rated by a larger percentage of teachers (89%) as having a moderate to high impact, 'conference and seminar attendance' was rated as having a moderate to high impact by 73% of teachers--still very much the majority, with almost three quarters of all teachers surveyed giving it approval for significant impact on their teaching. In addition, the professional learning item 'informal dialogue to improve teaching', another significant spin-off benefit of conferences (noted above) that provides for significant networking opportunities, was rated as having a moderate to high impact by 87% of teachers.

With these ideas about the value of conference attendance in mind, the data from the two AFMLTA conferences are compared, below.

COMPARISON OF CONFERENCE EVALUATION DATA

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

There were 188 responses (from 248 attendees) for the 2013 Canberra conference (75% response rate); whereas there were 245 responses (from 297 conference attendees) for the 2011 Darwin conference (83% response rate). These are high participation levels for voluntary feedback, and hence the findings from both evaluations can be considered indicative of conference delegate views.

For both conferences, over 75% of respondents were members of their local Modern Language Teachers Associations, indicating that the major audience remains members from within the Federation of teachers of languages associations. 83% (Canberra) and 91% (Darwin) of respondents were over 30 years of age, and well over half of respondents for both conferences were over 40, and the cohort was predominantly female at both conferences (76% Canberra; 83% Darwin). These data are indicative of the aging workforce in the field, as the average age of Australian secondary teachers In 2010 was 45 years, and for primary teachers was 42 years (ACER, 2012). These data may also suggest that there are barriers (such as cost or time considerations) for younger teachers to attend conferences. The predominantly female demographic is higher than the national teacher profile, which In 2011 was 70% female overall, and 57% female In secondary schools (ACARA, 2013; ACER, 2013). While data on numbers of male and female teachers of languages in Australia could not be located, anecdotally It would seem that the numbers of females attending the conference roughly matches the language teacher distribution.

Respondents came from every state and territory to Darwin and from all states and territories except the Northern Territory (NT) to Canberra. Largest numbers came from New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) to Canberra, while largest state representations in Darwin were from Victoria and NSW, with South Australia (SA) and Queensland also well represented. There were 16 international respondents for Canberra, one from Indonesia and the others from New Zealand, and the same number of Internationals in Darwin, coming from New Zealand, the US and Finland. See Table 1, below. These data show trends for local support for conferences (e.g. NSW and ACT for Canberra and NT for Darwin), but also consistent attendance from most states and territories, particularly Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia, and South Australia, which is to be expected with larger membership numbers in these states. The conference continues to attract international interest, especially from nations In our Asian Pacific region, although this Is an area In which more attention might be focused, as there are significant opportunities for increased interaction with our Asian counterparts, who encounter similar Issues and face related challenges in the teaching of languages in their nations, and in the teaching of Aslan languages In particular.

EMPLOYMENT, FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND LANGUAGE FOCUS

At the two conferences, the proportion of respondents' stated employment was almost identical. Around 65% were languages educators, roughly 43% secondary and 22% primary. There were 12% at both conferences who identified as jurisdiction consultants. In Darwin, 10% were tertiary educators, while in Canberra this percentage was slightly lower, which was a little surprising, given the location at a major languages teaching tertiary institution. In Darwin, around 10% were 'others' (book traders, managers, etc.), and in Canberra this cohort's percentage was a little higher.

Most respondents held permanent full time positions. In Darwin 85% held permanent positions, most of these fulltime; in Canberra, 75% held permanent positions, and again nearly all of these were in full time positions. In Canberra, 74% had their conference fees fully covered, mostly by employers, but some were also supported by their MLTAs. In Darwin, this figure was slightly higher, at 80%. This is an Interesting point, as the languages education workforce is known to include many part-time teachers, and there appear to be barriers (cost, time, knowledge of the conference?) to participation for such teachers. Considering ways to broaden participation, with more part-time teachers, as well as more early career and casually employed teachers attending is something conference organisers can consider for future conferences, so that there are opportunities for better understanding of different cohort's needs and perspectives, these perspectives are represented in conference sessions, and interaction and collaboration between groups can lead to a stronger and more informed and powerful professional field.

Languages most represented at both conferences were French and Japanese. See Table 2, below. National Chinese teacher conferences coincided with the AFMLTA conferences in both 2011 and 2013, which may account for lower numbers in this language. The fall in the percentage of Indonesian teachers attending in Canberra is concerning, as one of the most taught languages in Australia, but may be attributed to a higher concentration of Indonesian programs in Darwin. Indonesian teachers, through their state and national associations, are perhaps a cohort that could be approached in preparation for the Melbourne conference, in an effort to boost participation.

CONFERENCE SATISFACTION

A range of general features of the conferences were assessed using five point Likert scales, with measures from 'very satisfied' to 'very dissatisfied'. We address these in relation to organisational issues and conference program content,

a) Satisfaction levels with conference organisation

   In general, levels of satisfaction
   were consistent between the two
   conferences, with responses for
   satisfied and very satisfied tending to
   be in the 82-94% range. Notably the
   'conference overall' satisfaction rate
   was higher, at 94%, for Canberra (91%
   Darwin), followed by the venue, at 92%
   for Canberra (89% Darwin), and overall
   organisation, at 89% for Canberra,
   (86% for the management company
   organisation, Darwin).

   Areas where satisfaction was lower
   included the cost of registration (31%
   dissatisfaction) and online registration
   (11% dissatisfaction). Perhaps impacting
   on the change regarding registration
   cost is the fact that more attendees in
   Darwin were fully subsidised to attend
   the conference. Responses in relation to
   the two key social events, the welcome
   reception and conference dinner received
   lower response rates but consistently
   high evaluations at 86% and 84%
   satisfaction respectively. Overall, catering
   satisfaction was at 81%. See Table 3,
   below, for percentages 'satisfied' or
   'very satisfied' at the two conferences
   across the range of measures.

The responses in 2013 are therefore largely consistent with 2011. Issues arise for registrants when dealing with the online registration processes, catering is never to everyone's satisfaction, and significantly, the high cost of running a conference reflected in registration fees is never well received, and could perhaps be countered by improving understandings of how much it costs to run a conference, or through making comparisons with similar conferences run by other associations,

b) Satisfaction levels with Conference program and content

   In relation to the content of the academic
   program, there was also a high level
   of satisfaction at both conferences,
   with slight increases in 2013 for
   quality of plenary sessions, range and
   preparedness of speakers, the balance
   of practical and theoretical sessions and
   the length of session. It appears from
   these data that conference attendees are
   finding sessions to suit their particular
   PL needs, and there are high levels of
   satisfaction with the selection of plenary
   speakers, who speak to the full cohort of
   attendees. See Table 4, below.

CONFERENCE INCLUSIONS

The AFMLTA invites conference attendees to comment on conference inclusions, as these impact significantly on satisfaction levels, as well as on bottom line registration fee costs (that is, conferences that provide catering and full printed programs, for example, cost substantially more than those that do not). Ranking of importance of items included in the conference saw a high level of correspondence between the Darwin and Canberra conferences. Lunch and morning tea were again rated as very Important. As noted above, registration cost implications of providing catering are significant, so this response needs to be remembered when considering comments about conference fees and in setting these. A printed program was also considered important, with a moderate level of support for printed abstracts. The shift from a printed conference booklet including all abstracts and biographies to a printed pocket program (that folds to fit in the larger lanyard) and online access to abstracts and biographies at both these conferences has been appreciated by respondents, who increasingly bring their own devices and access the more detailed online materials electronically throughout the conference. This shift to online access of conference materials is noted at conferences for other subject areas, also, as a general trend. Support for social events such as a Welcome Reception and Conference Dinner has been declining over the last two conferences, sitting around 55-60% support. Conference dinners have been optional at both conferences, and these data suggest keeping the cost of the dinner out of the registration fee remains important, and that perhaps rethinking how conference dinners are held, if at all, is something for committees to consider.

One idea suggested for the 2015 conference is to focus more on language-specific communities meeting for conference dinners, which also addresses comments that opportunities for more language-specific activities occur. A shorter and lower cost Welcome Reception or consideration of not holding such an event is something committees could also be addressing. The other important inclusion noted by respondents was for International speakers, with in excess of 70% support for its importance at both conferences.

SESSION PREFERENCES

As with the Darwin conference, session preferences in Canberra were reasonably evenly spread, with support for all session types. Ranked in overall order as of most Interest (highest first) for the 2013 (Canberra) conference, they are:

* Plenary/keynote speaker sessions

* Workshop sessions AND Academic/theoretical sessions (equally ranked)

* Classroom based research sessions

* ICT-focused sessions

* Panel sessions

Supporting comments included many requests for a 'mix' across session types. There were also many comments on the importance of inspirational and intellectual content, with one respondent typifying this sentiment:

   Classroom based, ICT and practical
   sessions are often covered in other
   PD, this is one of the few sources of
   international, academic "enlightenment"
   that I can easily access to inspire
   me through the repetitive lessons of
   multiple Year 7 languages classes!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND NETWORKING

In both conference evaluations, respondents were invited to comment on the value of the conference for professional learning and networking opportunities. Very high satisfaction levels were again noted for the 2013 conference, up from 2011. Over 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the conference provided valuable professional learning experiences (85% in 2011), and 84% agreed or strongly agreed that there were sufficient networking opportunities (80% in 2011). Over 75% thought there were good opportunities for formal discussion (62% in 2011), and 83% agreed or strongly agreed that the conference had a clear impact on professional practice (66% in 2011), with a further 10% providing a neutral response to this question. It would appear from the elevated percentages for the 2013 conference that improvements have been made in PL and networking, reflecting revised programming, timing and content decisions.

Some Indicative comments from the 2013 evaluation included:

   I have taken some great ideas away
   for planning and teaching

   The conference has reinforced
   decisions being made in schools and
   validated a change in approach to
   teaching Chinese

   It would be great to take workshop
   materials to show principals

   Just very stimulating presentations
   and a great feeling of solidarity among
   languages teachers

   Maybe there is a need for more
   time for questions and discussion in
   sessions

   The impact is far-reaching and can be
   sustained in cyberspace

   I will certainly try to flip the classroom
   a bit more

   I'd have liked to meet other teachers
   of my language at the beginning

   I have been encouraged by the
   concept of bi-lingual and CLIL
   opportunities

Highlights for professional learning for the 2013 conference were ranked in the following order:

New perspectives on        120
languages teaching
and learning

Practical examples to      105
take to classroom

Theoretical perspectives
on relevant issues         88

Applications of ICT        85
for languages

Discussions about

Australian Curriculum      68

Other highlights, provided in comments, included:

   Confronting the monolingual mindset

   Discussion on raising profile of
   languages in schools, political needs

   Highlight to see so many teachers
   who love their work

   The chance to think beyond my usual
   context, through plenary ideas

   T&L administrator who loved seeing
   what teachers are doing

   Wanted more new perspectives and
   ideas for ICT

   Flipped teaching was great

   Chance to network and talk to leaders

   I didn't really feel there were many
   new perspectives

   Trade displays

   Gender issues

   As a European, what was interesting
   were Asian perspectives

   The most important for me were
   practical examples

   Strong 'save languages' theme

Networking in the 2013 conference was again reported as occurring principally in breaks and at the conference venue generally, as well as In sessions. Both the Welcome Reception and Conference Dinner were noted as places for Important networking, which suggests that these events remain Important to participants for the informal conversations that are such valuable PL for teachers.

Networking opportunities rankings were:

During breaks                     165
At the conference venue            89
Welcome reception                  63
During the conference dinner       45
During sessions                    37
Before the start of each day       36
At programmed
language-specific sessions         27
At accommodation                   22
Away from the conference venue     18
At the end of each day             17

Other places noted in comments for networking included Twitter, and in other social networking media (such as blogs), which were commended by many participants as new territory for networking. There were suggestions for longer breaks to allow for more networking, and for language-specific events at the beginning of the conference to facilitate meetings of same language teaching communities. A number of comments suggested that the conference was well organised for networking, summarised in the following comment:

   Good opportunities were provided this
   time. Keep it as it is.

BEST AND WORST

Respondents were once again invited to comment on the best and worst aspects of the conference. These responses, as for the 2011 conference, were highly varied and individual, but a number of themes emerged from the analysis. Overall positive comments (64) about the program content highlighted the quality and effectiveness of much of what was presented--in particular the variety, relevance and Inspiration provided by speakers, in plenary sessions, paper presentations and workshops. Feedback related to opportunities for networking and collaborative conversations, both formally and informally, was also high (52), consistent with the 2011 conference, with reference to both connecting with local colleagues and engaging with others from interstate and internationally. Keynote presentations received a significant number of mentions (40), with many specific comments on the quality of presentations from both Tim Lindsey and John Hajek. Many respondents (35) commented on the opportunity to engage with innovation and new issues in languages education, and many (21) commented on the diverse perspectives: national, state, local, teacher and research, on offer through the entire program. Finally, a number of respondents (42) commented on the personal and pedagogical empowering effect of attending the conference, or of being involved In the conference organisation.

Top ranked sessions at the Canberra conference (respondents were asked to suggest up to 3) were (from most mentions):

Linguistics plenary (Hajek)

Asian languages and cultures plenary (Lindsey)

ICT and languages plenary (Absalom)

Horwood plenary (Harbon)

Curriculum plenary (King)

Flipping the classroom (Spurritt)

ICT tools and apps (Dale)

Challenges of Asian languages teaching (Scrimgeour)

Bilingual schools network (Farmer)

Gender and language teaching and learning (Forno)

PowerPoint as an ICT tool (Ogino)

Australian Curriculum Open Forum (Absalom, Morgan, Saunders)

Inspiring, innovating, interacting in the classroom (Jeppesen)

ACT Schools Presentation (Panel of principals and students)

At the other end of the scale, under 'worst thing' nominations, a number of points were noted. Many participants (52) took issue with the quality of some individual presentations, with comments related to relevance of content, quality of presentation, or the perceived imbalance (21) between practical and theoretical sessions (with both 'too theoretical' and 'too practical' comments being made); or between Asian and European languages emphases (again, some of each). Significantly, these comments critical of one form of imbalance being countered by the opposite view highlight the difficulty in catering to everyone's preferences in a conference and community as diverse as this. Programming parallel sessions to allow choice across different languages, different session types and different presenter styles remain important to cater for these differences, as does clear indication of such emphases (e.g. who the session will likely appeal to, its practical/theoretical orientation, its language focus). Other issues of concern were about registration and organisation of the conference and social events (43), moving between sessions (insufficient time) (12), and a generally 'full' program (10), which may perhaps be interpreted as a backhanded compliment. Finally there was a range of comments related to the catering, the conference dinner, the venue location (cold, wet ...) that again are often a constant refrain at events such as this which attempt to cater for so many attendees. Given that attendees were invited to nominate 'worst' aspects, it may be that many had only contextual conditions to comment on here, such as the weather. Notably, 27 respondents stated that they found nothing to dislike at the conference.

CONFERENCE VENUE

Rankings of desirable venue types at the 2013 conference confirmed views from the 2011 conference, in that attendees again preferred a university or conference centre for the conference. As with the previous survey, however, there were comments in the 2013 responses suggesting that if costs are to be reduced, that schools should be considered. Venue choice remains a tension given these responses: most want the more dedicated facilities, but cost factors impinge on this decision. There were many positive comments on the use of the Australian National University (ANU) as the 2013 conference venue, confirming the rankings, and suggesting there will be good support for the next conference venue, The University of Melbourne.

Preferred venues, ranked from most desirable, in the 2013 evaluation were: university (most preferred), convention centre, hotel conference facility, school, no preference.

EFFECT OF LOCATION

An interesting preliminary finding, which appears when comparing the evaluation data of the 2011 and 2013 AFMLTA conferences, relates to the impact of the choice of location on participation. Responses to the importance of 'experiencing a new place and having a break' reveal that this was important or very important for 65% of respondents in 2011 but for less than half (around 49%) in 2013.

For the 2011 conference there were 36 explicit comments about location (out of 233 = 15%). Participants noted that 'the location was a drawcard' and the 'weather was appreciated'--particularly by those hailing from southern Australian states experiencing winter at the time of the conference. However, some participants noted that it is vital to 'make the location more accessible' and that there were both financial and logistical issues with arriving and staying in Darwin.

For the conference In 2013 there were only two explicit comments about location (out of 172 = 1%) both negative in nature: that choosing either 'major state capital cities' or a 'more desirable location' would improve participation.

In terms of provenance of participants, we would claim that Darwin seemed more attractive to the larger Australian states as shown in Table 5. The other notable but banal fact is that when the conference is in a State/Territory capital city there is a higher participation of local people.

Participants in both evaluations were asked about their future intentions with regard to attending the next AFMLTA conference. It is interesting to note that the evaluation data show a slightly higher interest in Melbourne (2015) than Canberra (2013)

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media were used extensively for the first time in the 2011 conference, and were extended and again were important in the 2013 conference. Over 80% of respondents used the conference website, most during the conference as well as before it; and 64% used the AFMLTA website before, during or after the conference. There were 44 participants using Twitter, and many respondents also regularly check the AFMLTA Facebook page. Social communication media have become increasingly important, and will continue to be important into the next conference, likely more so, as Twitter use increases in prevalence in the general population and #AFMLTA twitter use has increased in the past two years (AFMLTA, 2014). AFMLTA's social media are also being used increasingly throughout the year, as a primary means of accessing information about its activities and representation, so a consistent approach here would be sensible. There was also an increase of respondents from the 2011 conference in the 2013 conference who preferred to access the detailed abstracts and presenter biographies available online, and it is anticipated that conference apps will be of increasing importance into the future for such access. Online materials, coupled with the pocket program, appear to provide a suitable combination of program information for AFMLTA conference attendees.

TAKE HOME MESSAGES

A 'take home messages' question provides the AFMLTA with important information about how respondents feel about the conference overall, and what is important to them. There was again a close correspondence between the 2011 and 2013 conferences in relation to significant messages, centred on the opportunities provided for engaging with inspirational speakers and ideas, and for networking.

Take home messages noted by respondents from the 2013 conference covered a range of themes including:

* the importance of sharing ideas and reflecting on practice:

--A renewed sense of enthusiasm for the subject

--Knowing that many teachers share the same challenges

--The number of passionate language teachers, being inspired and rejuvenated

--My passion for the importance of learning a language and the interconnectedness of language and culture has been reaffirmed

--The importance and benefits of networking

* the importance of language learning in schools and sharing both national and state perspectives on curriculum, policy and advocacy

--Necessity of a long term languages policy, the importance of advocacy

* the importance of sharing innovations and best practices in areas such as CLIL and immersion education, and technology enhanced language learning, including the flipped classroom.

--ICT is very important in language learning

Ideas to increase participation noted in the 2013 survey provided some useful insights for future planning. Suggestions included:

* the need to keep registration costs down by, for example, reducing the number of social events and meals provided, and making greater use of digital technologies for information access rather than print programs etc.

* the need to actively encourage participation by providing incentives to, for example, pre-service teachers, community language school teachers

* the need to encourage principals and administrators to attend to better understand the languages education field

Suggestions for content for future conferences included diverse perspectives on:

* the balance and import of sessions dealing with theory and practice

* sessions relating to European and Asia languages

* giving voice to community and aboriginal languages educators

* the need to focus particularly on innovation in language education, including practical sessions on technology enhanced language learning, CLIL, bilingual programs, etc.

* a continued focus on the Australian Curriculum--including state based perspectives, school implementation processes, programming

* the need to expand the offerings by including, for example, more international perspectives on policy & practice, more presentations on leadership in languages, in particular opportunity for principals to speak, and including more new voices, by encouraging students, trainee teachers, new teachers to speak

DISCUSSION

MEETING STANDARDS NEEDS

In terms of meeting the AITSL aims of engaging in professional learning that is relevant, collaborative and future-focused, the recent AFMLTA conferences appear to be providing significant contributions and opportunities for teachers of languages. Feedback from the evaluation of both the 2011 and 2013 conferences indicates that teachers find the conferences, and especially inspirational plenary sessions, forward thinking theoretical sessions and innovative classroom practice sessions relevant to their current and future needs. There are mentions in evaluation comments of emerging program types such as CLIL, bilingualism and flipped learning, work with the new curriculum, use of technologies, and challenging monolingualism as cutting edge issues needing consideration, and being researched and presented and discussed at the conference. Collaborative learning is clearly evident, through participation in and presentation of conference sessions, and in extensive networking with same language teaching communities and with teachers of other languages (note the comment above from the European language teacher who values the Asian languages learning opportunities). Connections between conferences, and with communities seen at each conference, shift the emphasis from considering these conferences as 'one off' learning experiences, which are perhaps of little value, and into the realm of ongoing professional engagement. Such participation supports the AITSL aims of establishing and maintaining a learning culture leading to effective professional learning, where reflection on new learning is occurring, and leading to ongoing inquiry and engagement in issues in classrooms. The conferences are contributing to both individual and collaborative learning, and to the many opportunities for informal dialogue, the aspect of professional learning identified in the OECD work as most valuable for teachers (AITSL, 2014).

MATCHING CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH BENEFITS

Contemporary research on conference attendance, addressed earlier in this paper, identified three trends:

1. Conference attendance for professional learning is valuable for teachers of all career stages, and is used in different ways by those at different stages

2. Conference attendance and collaborative practice is important in establishing and maintaining communities of practice

3. Conference attendance is a common form of professional learning for teachers around the world, including Australia, and is rated as having a moderate to high impact on teaching by most attendees

The evaluation data from both the 2011 and the 2013 AFMLTA conferences confirm these research findings. While the evaluation instruments used for analysis of the 2011 and 2013 conferences did not specifically align teachers' career stages with their evaluation of comments, the range of comments indicates that teachers are using the AFMLTA conferences for the purposes identified in the work of McKee (2011) and Richter et al. (2010). That is, teachers are making important contacts with other teachers, finding affirmation for their own work through the work of others, engaging with new pedagogical practices, being challenged by innovative insights, research and thinking, attending sessions for enjoyment, and up-skilling (in areas such as ICT). Sufficient variety is offered in the conferences to allow all these needs to be met.

Evidence of the development of communities of practice is clear from the evaluation responses, in terms of both satisfaction levels, and in comments about the level and nature of collaborative and collegial engagement. Not only is such collaboration shown to be important for the teachers who attend the AFMLTA conferences, but it is also promoting ongoing clusters of teachers working together past the conferences, such as in the bilingual teachers' network, and in language-specific communities of teachers. The Japan Foundation, for example, was identified in several comments as providing for collaboration between teachers of Japanese, and this collaboration was extending beyond the conferences.

The evaluation data show that, beyond expectations of 'moderate' impact of conference attendance, satisfaction levels, and the value of the conferences for professional learning and classroom practice, are in the high to very high range. That is, although the OECD and other research (Kunther et al [2010] and Do et al [2013]), Identifies conference attendance as a moderate to high learning opportunity, these data support a higher level of value by participating teachers.

The evaluation data also highlight areas for further attention in attracting a more diverse and representative set of attendees, including novice teachers, and part-time teachers for whom there are barriers (such as cost or time considerations) to attend such conferences in other states or territories. Increasing attendance by academics involved in both language teaching and language teacher education in tertiary contexts is also important to share their practices and engage with the school-based language teacher community.

Given the significant changes in curriculum and the dynamism in the linguistic and cultural makeup of Australian community, there are also significant opportunities for increased interaction with our languages education counterparts in the Asian region, who encounter similar issues and face related challenges in the teaching of languages in their own nations, and in the teaching of Asian languages to children of diverse background in particular. A related issue is how to increase participation from languages with high overseas-trained teacher cohorts or teachers of community languages who may not appreciate the relevance of national, cross-language collaboration in professional learning.

CONCLUSION

Teachers of languages in Australia are provided with a range of professional learning opportunities, many of which are organised and developed by the MLTAs and the AFMLTA. Biannual national conferences are an important part of these offerings, and are shown to be highly valued by participants, and consistent with the research literature in terms of their value for teachers' professional learning. In addition, the conferences provide powerful opportunities to meet national, AITSL standards, and to engage more specifically with the AFMLTA standards for teachers of languages. The case for ongoing conferences seems clear, with data arising from the evaluations providing direction for future conferences. The 2015 conference in Melbourne is being planned with regard to findings from these two conferences (2011 and 2013). Planning for the 2017 conference is also being undertaken using these data, so that the AFMLTA can continue to serve the national community of teachers of languages in the most useful ways.

REFERENCES

Absalom, M. & Morgan, A. 2012. What languages teachers want: considering the evaluation of the 18th biennial AFMLTA conference, Babel, 47, 1, 32-38.

Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA). 2005. Professional standards for accomplished teaching of languages and cultures. http://afmlta.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ Professional-Standards-for-Accomplished-Teachingof-Languages-and-Cultures.pdf, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA). 2008. Langauge-specific annotations to the AFMLTA professional standards for accomplished teaching of languages and cultures. http://pspl.afmlta.asn.au/standards.html, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA). 2012. Professional standards for lead teachers of languages and cultures, http: //afmlta.asn.au/mldocuments/Professional%20standards%20for%20lead%20teachers%20of%20languages%20and%20cultures.pdf, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations (AFMLTA). 2013. More Leaps, http://moreleaps.afmlta.asn.au/moreleapsindex.php, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2012. Australian professional standards for teachers, http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australianprofessional-standards-for-teachers, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), 2014. Teachers landing page, http://www.aits!. edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers#, Retrieved 3 February 2014.

Ho, V-T, Nakamori, Y, Ho, B. & Ho, S-D. 2013. Study on a model for teacher professional development in Vietnam based on knowledge management. Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of the ISSS--2013 HaiPhong, Vietnam, http://journals.isss.org/index.php/proceedings57th/article/viewFile/2020/691. Retrieved 5 February 2014.

McKee, J. 2011. Conference attendance benefits every career stage. National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) Reports. 23, 3, 29.

OECD. 2009. Creating Effective Teaching and Learning Environments: First Results from TALIS. http://www.oecd.org/education/school/43023606.pdf. Retrieved 2 February 2014.

OECD. 2012. Preparing teachers and developing school leaders for the 21st century: lessons from around the world, http://www.oecd.org/site/ eduistp2012/49850576.pdf. Retrieved 2 February 2014.

Richter, D., Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Ludtke, O. & Baumert, J. 2011. Professional development across the teaching career: teachers' uptake of forma! and informal learning opportunities. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 1, 116-126.

Richter, D., Kunter, M., Klusmann, U., Ludtke, O. & Baumert, J. 2014. Professional development across the teaching career, in S. Krolak-Schwerdt, S. dock, M. Bohmer (Eds.). Teachers' professional development, Rotterdam, Sense publishers. 97-121.

Anne-Marie Morgan is Associate Professor and Deputy Head of School in the School of Education at the University of New England. She teaches in the English, Literacy and Languages Education (ELLE) team, and is a member of the Languages, Literacies and Literatures (LLL) Research Network. Her research and publication interests include languages and literacy teaching and learning, curriculum literacies, the teaching and learning of Indonesian, and intercultural language teaching and learning. She is a member of MLTANSW, LCNAU, AARE, ALEA, an executive member of the AFMLTA, Vice President of the Northern NSW Council of ALEA, and is editor of Babel.

Matthew Absalom is the Immediate Past President of the AFMLTA. He is a university teacher and researcher, professional linguist, Italian language coach, translator and published author. He is currently employed in the Italian Studies program of the School of Languages & Linguistics at The University of Melbourne. He holds qualifications in music, education, languages and linguistics, and his research interests cover Italian linguistics, computer assisted language learning and languages education. He has a strong background in teacher professional development and is a regular speaker at professional learning events around the country.

Andrew Scrimgeour is a lecturer in Languages Education and Chinese at the University of South Australia. He has been involved in research on aspects of Asian languages teaching and learning, particularly on issues in learning character-based languages. He has been involved as a researcher and professional development provider for a number of federally funded, collaborative research projects, and was involved in the development of curriculum for Chinese for the Australian Curriculum.

Table 1: Provenance of participants

                           Darwin   Canberra
                           2011     2013

Origin                     %        %

ACT                        6.01 %   20.47%
NSW                        16.31%   22.81%
NT                         12.02%   0.00%
QLD                        14.59%   12.87%
SA                         15.45%   9.94%
TAS                        0.43%    1.17%
VIC                        16.74%   16.37%
WA                         11.59%   7.02%
New Zealand                4.72%    8.77%
United States of America   0.86%    0.00%
United Kingdom             0.00%    0.00%
Other                      1.29%    0.58%

Table 2: Language teaching

                  Darwin 2011   Canberra 2013

French            18%           20%

Japanese          18%           22%

Italian           11%           16%

Indonesian        11%           5%

Chinese           10%           5%

German            8%            6%

Spanish other                   5%
languages,

Australian        15%
(Aboriginal
& Torres Strait
Islander)
languages

Other                           9%
(Vietnamese,
Arabic, Greek,
Latin, English,
Korean)

Not currently     9%            18%
teaching
languages

Table 3: Satisfaction levels (very satisfied
and satisfied) with conference organisation,
Darwin and Canberra conferences

                    Darwin          Canberra
                    2011            2013

Conference          91%             94%
(overall)

Conference          86%             89%
organisation

Venue               89%             92%

Catering            88%             81%

Welcome reception   83%             86%

Conference dinner   80%             84%

Online              82%             74% (16%
registration                        Neither
process                             satisfied/
                                    dissatisfied)

Cost of             55% (25%        48% (23%
registration        Neither         Neither
                    satisfied/      satisfied/
                    dissatisfied)   dissatisfied)

Table 4: Satisfaction levels (very satisfied
and satisfied) with conference content and
program

                           Darwin   Canberra
                           2011     2013

Range of themes            88%      88%
Quality of plenaries       85%      89%
Preparedness of speakers   82%      86%
Range of speakers          82%      89%
Prac/theoretlcal balance   72%      78%
Length of sessions         72%      83%

Table 5: Planning to attend conferences

         Canberra 2011   Melbourne 2013

Yes      52.23%          61.83%
No       10.12%          5.38%
Unsure   37.65%          32.80%
Total    247             186