Since 2012, those timid first attempts have evolved into an established program ― one that has yielded excellent results over the past 10 years.
“Since first imagining the bilingual school, we have come a long way,” Trevor Strolla, the school’s headmaster comments with a satisfied smile.
“The first few years were difficult, especially because we faced backlash from members of the community who didn’t believe in the project. With time, thanks to our work, we were able to gain the full trust of the families and the entire community.”
Initial doubts within the community were likely due to a lack of knowledge of the benefits of bilingualism. Little by little, Strolla and his team have shown the extraordinary results that can be achieved when children learn a second language.
Today at Brunswick South Primary School, the curriculum is designed to be taught half in English and half in Italian.
Experience gained over time has allowed the school to refine its methods, as Strolla explains:
“In the early days, students had a very different experience of the subjects taught in English versus those taught in Italian; when they moved from one language to the other, they often ended up covering the same topics. The school became aware of the need to make the experience less fragmented through planning and collaboration between teachers.”
“For teachers, constant collaboration is a great opportunity, but it is also exhausting. Therefore, we take our time when looking for new staff; we have to find colleagues who can understand and espouse the way we operate,” Strolla continues.
“Discussion and collaboration in the classroom at Brunswick South are facilitated by the fact that the classrooms are open spaces, without doors. This encourages interaction in real time, throughout the day, allowing teachers to coordinate with each other,” explains Nancy Cozzo, PLC (professional learning community) leader and Prep teacher.
Cozzo emphasises the importance of being in an environment where everything is familiar, particularly for children in the earlier grades:
“We have found that, compared to the past, teamwork helps the children feel more confident and at ease during Italian lessons, because they know what to expect; the method and approach are the same as those used during English lessons, and this is very important for them.”
The majority of the children arrive at the school without any knowledge of Italian: less than 10 per cent of the 320 students speak it at home, yet they learn to read and write in both languages.
“In the early years the children are generally able to read and write at the same level in both Italian and English,” the headmaster comments.
“The difference grows as time goes by: in Years 5 and 6 they find it more difficult to express themselves in Italian, so we focus our efforts in that direction. We have to try to minimise that gap, which tends to increase.”
“Parents of Prep students often call me concerned because their children read better in Italian than in English,” says Nancy Cozzo, smiling.
At Brunswick South, the staff members don’t just teach language, or through language, they also transmit Italian culture because, as Cozzo says:
"Culture is everywhere; it's not just gelato or pizza. We try to introduce Italian culture into everyday life.”
"Today, for example, with the children in one of the Prep classes, we made up a story with an elephant – Elmer, as the main character. One student said that Elmer had to go to Pisa. We took the opportunity to look at a map of Italy, identify Tuscany, and talk a little bit about the Tower of Pisa. This is how we teach culture,” she adds.
“It’s interesting to see how what is taught in the classroom is passed on to families at home. There are families who have started making salsa, despite not having an Italian background.
"This is a reflection of the school's key policy, that we should do things 'together', as our motto says: insieme tra insegnanti, ma anche con le famiglie (together with our teachers, but also with our families). The sense of community is very strong,” Strolla adds.
Over the years, the ease with which the children learn the language has amazed headmaster and teachers alike, as Strolla recalls:
"We have had to adjust our expectations of what the children are able to achieve. In the first years we perhaps underestimated them and avoided, for their sake, pushing them too hard. Experience and observation have allowed us to adjust our goals and, consequently, our learning resources."
Speaking of learning resources, Nancy Cozzo explains how their development is one of the tasks that requires the most time and commitment from teachers:
"The resources used in the classroom always have to be adapted or, most of the time, created ad hoc, tailored to that specific class of children. It is difficult to use a resource from one year to the next without reworking it, because every class is different.”
The bilingual school in Brunswick South is now a well-established reality, but Strolla continues to look to the future, setting new goals. These include strengthening ties with other bilingual schools in Victoria, creating a shared vision, ultimately aimed at promoting and normalising bilingualism.
