Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Prologue
- Acknowledgement
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Content and Language Integrated Learning:
- Part III Teaching Academic Subjects through English Medium Instruction
- Part IV Dual Language Learning, Immersion Programmes, and Learner Agency
- Part V Heritage Language Education
- 28 Japanese Heritage Language Education in Dispersed Diaspora Communities
- 29 Approaches to Heritage Language Education in Australia
- 30 Heritage Language Education Policies in New Zealand
- 31 Polish Heritage Language Users in Expected and Unexpected Places
- 32 Heritage Language Education in Diasporic Communities
- 33 Bi/Multilingual Education for Majority and Minoritised Language Speakers in Latin America
- 34 Japanese as a Heritage Language Education in the United States
- Part VI Minority Language Education
- Part VII A Critical Look at Multilingual Pedagogies
- Index
- References
29 - Approaches to Heritage Language Education in Australia
from Part V - Heritage Language Education
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 December 2025
Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Prologue
- Acknowledgement
- Part I Introduction
- Part II Content and Language Integrated Learning:
- Part III Teaching Academic Subjects through English Medium Instruction
- Part IV Dual Language Learning, Immersion Programmes, and Learner Agency
- Part V Heritage Language Education
- 28 Japanese Heritage Language Education in Dispersed Diaspora Communities
- 29 Approaches to Heritage Language Education in Australia
- 30 Heritage Language Education Policies in New Zealand
- 31 Polish Heritage Language Users in Expected and Unexpected Places
- 32 Heritage Language Education in Diasporic Communities
- 33 Bi/Multilingual Education for Majority and Minoritised Language Speakers in Latin America
- 34 Japanese as a Heritage Language Education in the United States
- Part VI Minority Language Education
- Part VII A Critical Look at Multilingual Pedagogies
- Index
- References
Summary
This chapter gives an overview of (heritage) language education (HLE) in Australia that problematises the boundary between what are traditionally thought of as ‘heritage languages’ and First Nations language on the one hand and Modern Foreign Languages on the other. It begins with an overview of contemporary multilingualism in Australia, and the different groups of learners typically seen in HLE programmes. This gives the reader a sense of the audience for language education programmes and the different take-up rates seen across different communities. Australia has been a global leader in the integration of HLE into the mainstream school curriculum, and in the third section I present the major approaches and policies that have driven this development, as well as key figures on the size and scope of these, programmes – spanning programmes in mainstream schools, government-run after-hours classes and the community sector. The chapter concludes with reflections on what these experiences tell us about successful programme design and the challenges programmes need to address going forward.
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- The Cambridge Handbook of Multilingual Education , pp. 575 - 592Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
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