LOTE - Indonesian

Rationale

The ability to use a language other than English and move between cultures is important for full participation in the modern world, especially in the context of increasing globalisation and Australia's cultural diversity.

Learning a language offers students the opportunity to:

• use the language to communicate with its speakers
• understand how language operates as a system and, through comparison, how other languages, including English, are structured and function
• gain direct insights into the culture or cultures which give the language its life and meaning
• consider their own culture, and compare it with the cultures of countries and communities where the language is spoken
• add to their general knowledge
• enhance their vocational prospects.
  

Goals

The goals of learning a language other than English are:

Communication

Students learn to communicate in the target language for many purposes and in many contexts; they are able to extend their social contacts, and have direct access to knowledge, ideas and information written or spoken in the target language.

Sociocultural understanding

In learning to use the language effectively, students develop an understanding of the cultural contexts in which the language is used, as well as the shared meanings, values and practices of the community as embodied in that language. They learn, for example, about the ways in which speakers change the language they use in different contexts, and the vital role which elements, such as gesture play in communication. Through comparison with their own language and culture, students learn that there are many ways of viewing the world.

Language awareness

Students develop an understanding of the way language works (its structure, the role it plays, and its effects), which they can apply to other languages, including English.

General knowledge

While learning an additional language, students gain knowledge of and make connections across a range of concepts drawn from other key learning areas.

In the LOTE Key Learning Area (KLA), these goals are integrated in language use and in the standards of achievement.