Intercultural understanding

The teacher of Indonesian is shown in a range of situations where her commitment to, and development of intercultural understanding is demonstrated on a classroom, whole school, intra-school and international level. Four illustrations of this include: the development of cultural task-based curriculum design; the use of a Voice Over Internet Protocol Service (VOIP) to facilitate teacher and student interactions with an Indonesian sister school; the mentoring of ‘beginning’ teachers at another Government school; and support for a local ‘feeder’ network of primary teachers.

The teacher is aware of the need to develop intercultural understanding and to arrest the decline in students undertaking a second language. By developing a ‘cultural task-based design’ to curriculum, the teacher accommodates students’ different learning needs, leading to increased student retention in language classes. She has transformed the sister school relationship through the use of ICT, breaking down cultural barriers and more effectively supporting learning about cultures and languages. She is able to transfer this understanding to teachers from neighbouring schools that she mentors. The transition from primary to secondary school can be problematic, especially with multiple languages programs. Her work with feeder primary schools is another example of her work in building curriculum pathways.