The von Zedlitz building at Victoria University of Wellington

The Language Learning Centre (in Māori: Te Pūtahi Reo) was a self-access language learning centre that offered resources and facilities for those learning languages at

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington (), also known by its shorter names "VUW" or "Vic", is a public university, public research university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and w ...

Facilities

Once occupying the whole of the von Zedlitz building, the Centre comprised language laboratories, themed group study rooms, a computer suite as well as a self-access library that includes

graded reader A graded reader book is an "easy reading" book that supports the extensive reading approach to teaching English as a second or foreign language, and other languages. While many graded reader books are written for native speaker children, more oft ...

s, films, self-study courses, textbooks and board games for all ten languages taught at Victoria (English, Māori, New Zealand Sign Language, French, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Samoan and Spanish) as well as dozens of others. Recognising a lack of language learning resources for many Pacific languages it worked with local native speakers to launch an online platform for languages such as Māori, Samoan and Cook Islands Māori. The language laboratories within the Centre were equipped for teaching New Zealand Sign Language in addition to spoken languages.

Language Buddy Programme

The Centre ran a Tandem Language Learning programme which allows students to work with a native speaker of their target language improving their conversation skills as well as learn about their counterpart's culture.

History

The first language laboratory was established at 30 Kelburn Parade in 1967 by the then French Department. In 1974 a language laboratory component was formally introduced into the French programme in order to expose students to authentic materials. In 1989 the university's English Language Institute began placing a greater importance on independent language learning through what was then called the Self Access Centre, a key facility for its English Proficiency Programme (EPP). This later became known as the Language Learning Centre (LLC) and expanded to cater for students of other languages taught at Victoria as well as non-taught languages.

References

{{Victoria University of Wellington 1967 establishments in New Zealand Alternative schools Language schools Victoria University of Wellington