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‘Beyond Language and Culture’: How Amie’s Filipino Class Aims to Enrich Australia-Philippines Relations

Posted on by Vaseline
‘Beyond Language and Culture’: How Amie’s Filipino Class Aims to Enrich Australia-Philippines Relations

Key Points
  • Learning a language can be fun and engaging for children.
  • By incorporating art, songs, music, role-playing and even cooking into lessons, learning a new language becomes exciting for children.
  • For Amie Warburton, an art and Filipino teacher in Victoria, teaching the Filipino language is about more than just vocabulary: it’s also about promoting cultural awareness.
Amie Warburton teaches Filipino as a language other than English in Victoria image

Becoming a teacher of ‘Languages ​​other than English’

“My students like the games, I have already taught them how to play them patintero, and they love it. We also have some cooking classes. The kids learned how to cook turon, pansit bihon, shame (fried rice) and ube ice cream,” says Amie Warburton, a teacher at Red Cliffs Primary School, fondly.

It was in 2021 that Mrs. Warburton began teaching art and Filipino language classes at their school, after volunteering at the school for many years and obtaining her Victorian Institute of Teaching Registration. She then became an Integration Aide and Casual Relief Teacher, and became a full-time teacher in 2012.

Amie class - sarimanok.jpg

Make learning Filipino fun and colorful with arts and crafts. Credit: Red Cliffs Primary School (Facebook)

“We also sing a lot, because the children remember our lessons better when we sing them.”

“My students in grades 1 and 2 usually sang songs and did action songs.”

“For example, our lesson is about shapes and colors, we use hands-on toys. It seems like it’s all just a game, but they remember our lessons better,” Amie explains.

Getting to know the Filipino culture

Through art, children at Red Cliffs Primary School also learn Filipino language and culture. Credit: Provided by Amie Warburton

“I also use additional resources, such as the Smart Learning Suite online, to help the children with learning, especially as many children these days enjoy doing digital activities.”

Warburton says that as a LOTE teacher, she finds it important to choose subjects that are appropriate for the age of the students. She teaches children from primary school to year 6.

Cooking classes with Filipino teacher Amie

Students from groups 5 and 6 enjoy learning Filipino during their cooking lessons with teacher Amie. Credit: Red Cliffs Primary School (Facebook)

Australian children learn Filipino

“I am so proud of my students, even those in the preparatory class, who are involved in every Filipino lesson we teach.”
The teacher, who is from Catanduanes in the Philippines, can’t help but feel the joy she feels every day. She sees her students not only learning Filipino words, but also wanting to learn more about Filipino culture.
“I only have two half-Filipino students here at school. There are also children from other backgrounds, but more than 90 percent are Australian.”
Teaching Filipino at their school is well received by the community, especially the children’s parents.
Her heart skips a beat when she says, “Some parents have texted me and said that every time their child came home, there was a new word they learned in school and they were sharing it with them.”

For Mrs. Warburton, every Filipino lesson she teaches is an opportunity to teach the children the language and increase their understanding of Filipino culture.

Amie art exhibition 2023.jpg

On their school’s Grandparents Day in June 2023, Amie Warburton curated an art exhibition featuring her students’ artwork. Credit: Red Cliffs Primary School

Exchange of knowledge between Australia and the Philippines

Red Cliffs Primary School (RCPS) started their ‘sister school’ partnership program last year. They chose a school in the Philippines that would help further develop the knowledge of the Filipino and English language for Australian and Filipino children.
At the suggestion of RCPS Principal Luke Jeffers, Amie Warburton reached out to the officials of Manggahan Elementary School in Rodriguez, Rizal in mid-2023 to establish and seal a partnership between the two schools.

“We want to further strengthen the relationship between Australia and the Philippines through our school.”

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Amie Warburton (second from left) teacher from Red Cliffs Primary School with Theresa Sapan Francisco, principal of their sister school, Manggahan Elementary School, and teachers Malou Junsay and Austreliet Cablao. Credit: Amie Warburton

“Through Zoom video connections and the exchange of letters, our students can also have e-pen pals here. What they have learned from our lessons, they can apply in real life.”

“It’s also the other way around. The kids in the Philippines can do the same thing, they can practice their English when they write to their Australian friends.”

Before moving to Australia in 2002, Amie Warburton taught in the Philippines for over 10 years, so this project is extra special to her as she continues to teach in Australia, specifically in the Filipino language.

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