students multiple opportunities to achieve results,
with an Assessment Teacher enabling individualised
assessment.
Teachers have delivered a needs-based thematic
syllabus to empower students with language and
information for meaningful participation in their
local community and improve access to settlement
services. In 2012-2013, settlement and community
information sessions were integrated into class
delivery using a collaborative approach with
presentations from partner organisations, including:
• North Yarra Community Health - general health,
women’s health, men’s health, diabetes awareness
and nutrition sessions, refugee health clinic.
• The Fitzroy Police - police and community
relations, crime and the law.
• Metropolitan Fire Brigade - home fire safety
and emergency evacuation.
“[English classes at FLN] help me
communicate in the community
and speak English with the
parents of my daughter’s
friends.” Turkish student
In 2013 teachers restructured the Teaching
Resource Collection and purchased new resources
including text books, readers, dictionaries, audiovisual resources, interactive computer programs
and digital recorders. Generous donations from
the Brethren of the Middle Park Lodge No. 206
of Freemasons Victoria funded new computers
for two computer rooms, headphones with inbuilt
speakers and ceiling-mounted data projectors for
every classroom, which enable dynamic audio-visual
demonstrations and activities.
Students have ongoing access to educational
counselling to assist with enrolment, class placement
and timetabling, learning pathways, childcare
placement and any issues arising with students’
learning. In 2012-2013 a new counselling room
was set up to provide a more welcoming, specifically
resourced, confidential counselling space.
Volunteers have been invaluable to program
delivery, assisting individual learners with special
needs, enabling multi-group activities, helping
with computer activities and teaching classes for
asylum seekers. Corporate volunteers from National
Australia Bank assist with classroom activities, in
particular reading and conversation groups, and
provide learners with opportunities to interact
with Australians from diverse backgrounds.
Computer Classes
This ACFE funded pre accredited computer literacy
program for adults from culturally and linguistically
diverse backgrounds assists them to learn and
improve their computer skills for employment as
well as understand and make use of computers in
daily life. A specific learning program is prepared
and delivered to every student to suit their skills
level and need.
“I have been attending this
computer class for some time
now. I really enjoyed the class,
and feel a lot more confident
using the computer. I learnt
about filling and placing emails
all together and attaching the
attachments to emails.” Frida
Ali* is originally from Afghanistan and arrived in Australia by boat as an asylum seeker and then spent
many years in immigration detention. When he commenced at FLN he was ineligible for governmentfunded programs, so FLN assisted him with non-funded English support, case work and social programs.
When he was granted permanent residency, he enrolled in the AMEP in the Preliminary Course in
Spoken and Written English. Ali had no prior formal education, could not write and only had some basic
reading in his own language. He had learned some very basic spoken English in single words from
friends and volunteers in detention. As Ali was mature-aged with minimal spoken English, his family
overseas and ongoing health issues, he could not work and was very isolated. He was not participating
in social or community activities. In the last 10 months he has made rapid progress with language and
literacy; learning the alphabet and basic numbers, copying words clearly, recognising and remembering
personal information in English, developing oral vocabulary on a range of topics and communicating
with basic phrases. He has participated in community gardening, attends the weekly Community
Lunch, and drops into the centre outside class hours. A highlight for him was a school excursion to
the Treasures of Afghanistan exhibition, where he could engage with the cultural history of his former
country. He says the Fitzroy Learning Network is like his “family”, and the teachers are like his “eyes and
ears” who help him learn.
*Name changed
Fitzroy Learning Network Annual Report 2012/13
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