TEACHER PROFESSIONAL LEAVE CASE STUDY 2009

Robyn Elmi
Weeroona College Bendigo
Phone: (03) 5443 2133
Email: weeeroona.co@edumail.vic.gov.au
Prep – Year 10

Creating Authentic LOTE Learning Opportunities: the sister-school experience

Abstract:
This project provided students with authentic learning opportunities to improve their engagement with LOTE Indonesian, improve their language skills and boost their cultural awareness through the development of a sister-school relationship. The project drew together teachers and students from different learning areas, to ensure a broad cross-section of teachers and students perceived learning a LOTE as relevant, exciting and real


Welcoming ceremony, SMAN 4 Tangsel, Banten Province, Java. April 2009.

Key Words:
LOTE, language skills, authentic learning opportunities , cultural awareness, integrated projects, student engagement.

Introduction:
This case study provides some background and guidelines to the establishment of a sister-school relationship with a school in Indonesia. It details the authentic learning opportunities that resulted for the staff and students from both of the schools involved.

In April 2009, Weeroona College Bendigo formally established a sister-school relationship with SMAN 2 Ciputat (recently renamed SMAN 4 Tangerang Selatan or Tangsel), in Banten Province, West Java. It is approximately 1 ½ hour’s drive from the capital city of Jakarta.

Learning any LOTE presents a challenge for many regional Australian students and their teachers. Most of the staff and students have not been exposed to other languages and cultures in their day-to-day life and they struggle to understand its relevance in their own world. Compounding these obvious problems for the Indonesian language teacher is the perceived threat of terrorism, natural disasters and political upheaval linked to their target country.

Every year most LOTE teachers face that agonising struggle to attract students who want to study LOTE, and the number of students studying LOTE to VCE level has continued to dwindle.
In 2005, I had the most rewarding and profound teaching experience of my career: organising an in-country tour to Malaysia with my Year 10 students (we were not able to travel to Indonesia because of the prevailing travel warnings). Every experience was new, exciting and real – it was one of those times when I knew that I had instilled in my students a passion for life-long learning – the ultimate goal of many teachers. Of course many of our students cannot afford the luxury of travel and I was keen to bring more of these authentic and exciting experiences into my classroom. The establishment of a sister-school relationship, as well as organising and promoting authentic learning opportunities, helped to fulfill these goals.

The other driving force behind this project was the growing political support for teaching languages, which I learned about through LOTE professional development training days and professional reading. There is now more political and educational support for teaching Asian languages in the form of the Melbourne Declaration, The Australia – Indonesia BRIDGE Project, the release of the DVD ‘2020 Schools: Engage with Asia’, and grants which are now more readily available. In the past few years, this groundswell of political support has been increasingly on public record:

“Australia has to make itself the most Asia-literate
country in the collective West.”
The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of Australia in Asia Society, June 2008

“...the Australian Government recognises the vital importance of equipping young Australians with the knowledge and skills to communicate and work with our regional neighbours...”.
The Hon. Julia Gillard MP, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Education, Employment & Workplace Relations and Social Inclusion in Asialink, February 2008.

But the sad current reality in our school is that the majority of our students are not choosing to study a LOTE. My school struggles every year to sustain a Year 10 LOTE class. This year I am teaching a composite Year 9/10 class because of the small number of students electing to study LOTE Indonesian. In contrast to these poor outcomes, many of our Asian counterparts sustain strong bilingual programs from the early years through to Year 12. In our sister school, the study of English is compulsory to Year 12.

Regional Australia can no longer afford to ignore the very real need for educating competent global citizens, which means a strong understanding of other cultures and their languages. By strengthening our relationship with our Asian neighbours and allowing our students to forge friendships and ongoing communication with their Indonesian counterparts, Weeroona College Bendigo is working towards educating global citizens and life-long learners.

Indonesia Climate Change Scheme