Innovation in Language Learning
Gillian Spicer
Institution: Forest Lake State School and Darra State School; Education Queensland, Brisbane
Country: Australia
Gillian Spicer - Teacher of Japanese for Education Queensland – Currently teaching at primary school level.
Gillian graduated in 1989 - Arts Degree in Modern Languages - Modern Greek, French and Italian from the University of New England, Australia, and Japanese hosted by the University of Queensland, Australia. Post-graduate Diploma of Education -1991 in Teaching Languages Other Than English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In progress - Master of Applied Linguistics at the University of Southern Queensland -Technology and Creativity use in Language Learning and Sociolinguistics.
In the early 1990s Gillian taught Japanese and French - high school level at The Blue Mountains Grammar School in New South Wales - initiated a language laboratory and Email Pal exchanges with French and Japanese schools, exciting in the age of floppy discs; initiated language exchanges with visiting high school students from Japan with the Anne Baker College; took students to Sanda City, Japan for sister city exchanges.
1994 to 2000 Gillian taught English and lead four day International Camps at the Kyodogakuen College, Aoyama, Japan. Concurrently, taught English at Junior High Schools in the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. There, she initiated demonstration classes for professional development of Japanese English teachers in Sanda City to run teacher moderated language laboratories; joined international panel discussions on education; contributed articles on cross-cultural understanding to Japanese media; participated in an NHK Japan program (1996) lead by the artist, Susumu Shingu; co-edited the Grand Century Japanese-English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1996) for Sanseido Publishing Company and left a raft of cultural and linguistic resources for their teachers to use, including an initiative that enabled a profoundly deaf Japanese student to enunciate English clearly.
Since 2001, Gillian has taught Japanese in Queensland schools at the primary school level, with an interest in linguistic acquisition at the juncture of primary school aged neurolinguistic development and digital technology in language learning. Her current role at Forest Lake State School allows an environment of students confident in their learning complimented with digital technologies in comparison to her Darra State School students who have recently begun to integrate technology in their learning. Gillian has been a member of the Innovation Team since 2019.
Recent presentations by Gillian include iPad use in Language Learning, at the University of Griffith for Languages Teachers Queensland (LTQ) 2023; Technology in Language Learning in a Changing World at the University of the Sushine Coast Symposium on Language Learning in a Changing World, 2024; Generative AI in Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Queensland for The Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (AFMLTA), 2024. Gillian received letters of Commendation from both the LTQ and AFMLTA for her presentations and an AFMLTA certificate of Appreciation for her national contributions to Language Teaching, including open classroom demonstrations for teachers across Queensland.
With an outlook toward collaboration needed to balance teachers’ work and educational currency Gillian’s experience at both high school and primary school level education brings to light the integral nature of language and culture and the perspectives and needs of contemporary teachers and students.
Gillian graduated in 1989 - Arts Degree in Modern Languages - Modern Greek, French and Italian from the University of New England, Australia, and Japanese hosted by the University of Queensland, Australia. Post-graduate Diploma of Education -1991 in Teaching Languages Other Than English and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. In progress - Master of Applied Linguistics at the University of Southern Queensland -Technology and Creativity use in Language Learning and Sociolinguistics.
In the early 1990s Gillian taught Japanese and French - high school level at The Blue Mountains Grammar School in New South Wales - initiated a language laboratory and Email Pal exchanges with French and Japanese schools, exciting in the age of floppy discs; initiated language exchanges with visiting high school students from Japan with the Anne Baker College; took students to Sanda City, Japan for sister city exchanges.
1994 to 2000 Gillian taught English and lead four day International Camps at the Kyodogakuen College, Aoyama, Japan. Concurrently, taught English at Junior High Schools in the Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. There, she initiated demonstration classes for professional development of Japanese English teachers in Sanda City to run teacher moderated language laboratories; joined international panel discussions on education; contributed articles on cross-cultural understanding to Japanese media; participated in an NHK Japan program (1996) lead by the artist, Susumu Shingu; co-edited the Grand Century Japanese-English Dictionary, 2nd edition (1996) for Sanseido Publishing Company and left a raft of cultural and linguistic resources for their teachers to use, including an initiative that enabled a profoundly deaf Japanese student to enunciate English clearly.
Since 2001, Gillian has taught Japanese in Queensland schools at the primary school level, with an interest in linguistic acquisition at the juncture of primary school aged neurolinguistic development and digital technology in language learning. Her current role at Forest Lake State School allows an environment of students confident in their learning complimented with digital technologies in comparison to her Darra State School students who have recently begun to integrate technology in their learning. Gillian has been a member of the Innovation Team since 2019.
Recent presentations by Gillian include iPad use in Language Learning, at the University of Griffith for Languages Teachers Queensland (LTQ) 2023; Technology in Language Learning in a Changing World at the University of the Sushine Coast Symposium on Language Learning in a Changing World, 2024; Generative AI in Language Teaching and Learning at the University of Queensland for The Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Association (AFMLTA), 2024. Gillian received letters of Commendation from both the LTQ and AFMLTA for her presentations and an AFMLTA certificate of Appreciation for her national contributions to Language Teaching, including open classroom demonstrations for teachers across Queensland.
With an outlook toward collaboration needed to balance teachers’ work and educational currency Gillian’s experience at both high school and primary school level education brings to light the integral nature of language and culture and the perspectives and needs of contemporary teachers and students.
