Languages – Indonesian

Languages open the door to a bigger world.  As General Peter Cosgrove said,

“Language skills and cultural sensitivity will be the currency of the new world order”

Margaret River Primary School has an embedded positive culture of learning Indonesian and have taken a lead in defining the practical possibilities of meaningful relationships through international partner school arrangements, participation in teacher exchange programs with Indonesia, conducting excursions, making international connections and having students who are able to communicate in Indonesian.

In learning a new language, students can learn things that they can learn in no other way. An important part of being a responsible world citizen in the 21st century is to be able to manage sensitive, effective communication and the transfer of knowledge across languages and cultures.

Through learning Languages students can understand and value their own culture and the cultures of other people, so that they can view the world from a wider perspective. Students will encounter, appreciate and understand that there are distinctive ways of thinking and being which shape the way people behave.

Second Language Learning is an important aid to the development of literacy and life skills. It is often forgotten that learning a second language develops literacy skills. By comparing features of their first language with those of another language, learners are better able to understand the structure and workings of English. At the core of Languages learning is the development of communication skills, both written and oral. The development of all these skills prepares students for success in all subject areas and later life.

Second language proficiency opens career opportunities for students that wouldn’t otherwise exist. In response to a rapidly changing global market place, all economically developed countries now recognise the importance of a highly skilled, multilingual workforce. Students with good language skills enhance their future career prospects.

Second language proficiency is valuable to students for many of their own personal reasons. Overseas travel, participation in exchange programs, and world wide communication via the internet are increasingly part of students lives. The pleasure and value of these activities can be significantly enhanced by being able to talk to the people you are mixing with.

Internationalism and global connections are becoming more common through schools.