Phase 1 teacher participant example
Indonesian years 4-5
Kim Daymond
Western Australia
© Commonwealth of Australia 2007
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Disclaimer
The views expressed in the publication do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian
Government Department of Education, Science and Training.
Acknowledgment
This work was funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and
Training under the Australian Government Quality Teacher Programme (AGQTP).
Attention! TEACHERS AT WORK!
2
Welcome to an example of teachers’ programmes drawn from their work during Phase 1 of the
ILTLP. Teachers were asked to plan, document, teach (at least in part) and share, either a long
term teaching programme (e.g. a semester long programme or longer) or a short term teaching
programme (e.g. a unit or term long programme).
Their work is provided for you to examine, consider and make use of, in expanding your own
understanding of intercultural language learning in practice. Not all programmes provided by Phase
1 teachers have been posted on this website. Some teachers did not feel comfortable with sharing
their and their students work at this time, others did not manage to obtain the various permissions
to include student work and photographs and others did not create programmes that fulfilled the
ILTLP requirements.
What kinds of materials can you expect?
 You will not find models of programming that you can instantly adopt and teach among the
work posted here. That was never the intention. You will find ideas about programming that
you can use, however, working in your own context.
 You will not find ‘best practice’ or exemplars of definitive programmes for intercultural
languages teaching and learning. You will find some outstanding approaches to
programming that advance our understanding of how to make intercultural languages
teaching and learning a rich and effective learning experience for students.
 You may find what you regard as some errors of language use or some hints of pedagogies
of which you may be critical. However, you will also find professional educators striving to
make sense of their work with students, interculturality and language learning. You will find
a great deal to learn from.
What this and other teachers’ programmes show are ‘teachers at work’. The Phase 1 teachers
responded to their particular contexts, the curriculum and assessment frameworks they must work
within, the particular demands they and their students face in languages education and their own
‘learning-by-doing’ in relation to intercultural language teaching and learning. You will see how a
teacher and a group of students working together, taking account of their own identities and
cultural understandings, make learning happen. The teacher profiles and reflections generously
provided by these teachers provide professional insights into the interaction of programming and
‘what happened’. One teacher asks at one stage during her teaching ‘Do I know what I am looking
for here?’ It’s a highly professional question about what learning looks like. It’s a question for all of
us.
You will also get glimpses of pedagogies at work to bring the structure, sequence and assessment
aspects of teaching into life. One teacher scratches her head and asks her children how we might
categorise the groups they belong to, here in Australia and if they lived in Japan, and the words
they would use. Others introduce ICT at crucial moments or involve parents and other teachers.
Reading across these programmes, you will get a sense of the dynamic that teaching from an
intercultural language teaching and learning stance creates, for teachers, for students, for whole
schools in some cases, and for communities in others.
You will learn a great deal!
3
UNDERSTANDING THE LAYOUT
Teacher participants in Phase 1 of the Intercultural Language Teaching and Learning in Practice
project were asked to develop a number of sections in their programmes or units of work. These
sections are explained below. Teachers prepared their programmes on an individual basis, and
may not have followed these sections in the same sequence.
Teacher profile
In this section teacher participants profile their socio-cultural and linguistic enculturation, consider
how this shapes teaching and learning in their programmes and how they apply this in their
interactions with students.
School context
In this section teacher participants describe the context of the school and its language
programmes. They may describe the demographics of the school, the languages offered, the levels
at which it is taught, the number of students taking a language, the number of teachers, resources
and facilities, the assessment requirements and the place of languages in the curriculum.
Programme
The programmes provided by the teacher participants in this section may be a unit of work all of
which was taught in the classroom or a long term programme of which a part was taught. The
module content and assessment procedures follow the teaching policies and instruments and
assessment requirements of the state and territory education system.
Reflection
Here teacher participants reflect on what they learned through their programme preparation,
identifying the changes that the intercultural focus necessitated in their programme planning,
teaching and assessment and the impact this had on their students’ learning.
‘Hari Ali’
A one year Indonesian program for Years 4/5
Context
This program has been designed for year 4/5 students of bahasa Indonesia in Karratha, Western
Australia.
Karratha is a hot, isolated, mining town on the northwest coast of Australia, with a highly transient
population. Students at the school reflect a cultural mix of children from all states of Australia,
India, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland, and of Indigenous students with a wide variety of
backgrounds.
4
Teachers at the school are also highly transient, 50-75% of staff changing each year. There is also
a high proportion of newly graduated teachers. Indonesian has been taught at the school for two
years, Japanese and Chinese being the languages previously taught there. Student attitudes to
LANGUAGES are improving rapidly, and the perception that it is ‘hard and boring’ is rapidly
dwindling.
Though it is recognised that ‘We have a good Languages program here’, it is in the place of most
language programs in primary schools. It provides DOTT (Duties other than teaching) time for the
classroom teacher. Administration is not unsupportive, but shows little interest in what is
happening with Languages (unless I am in their face telling them). Past frustrations with native
speaking teachers, inability to find any Languages teacher at all- particularly in rural areas and
inconsistent department support has left Languages in a fairly poor light.
The class contains 22 beginning students and learners in both their second and third year of
language study. They have 2 x 40 minute classes per week, in a designated languages room.
There are 3 identified SAER students, 1 learner with ongoing psychological issues.
Learners work through a ‘self access’ system of language practice tasks, where they enter and
have marked off each completed activity as well as whole class activities.
Choosing the task(s)
I had initially envisaged using another part of the year long program- which fitted well thematically
with what the learners had been doing. However I changed that as a result of the discussions
which came from the lead up tasks in this unit. The tasks chosen allowed for a pulling together of
language learned throughout the year, and reinforced the underlying intercultural aims.
1) Aims
This program is intended to assist learners to:
1. overcome currently held negative stereotypes of Indonesian people and cultures
(particularly of Muslims)
2.
develop awareness of self and own cultures
3. expand their ability to express themselves in bahasa Indonesia
Communication

read / listen to texts about the daily lives of young people in diverse communities (text
inputs)
5

talk about what they and others do, and like to do each day, and why (learner outputs)

write a card to express positive sentiments to each other

write a text about their own life/special days
Language

explore the features of text types, e.g. cards/images/magazines

extend their knowledge of language required (vocab , grammar) to explore and talk about
daily life in diverse communities
Culture

investigate what ‘special days’ are celebrated in their community/culture and in other
communities, and why.

explore traditional vs contemporary life. eg- when, where and why different clothing is worn
Interculturality

question stereotypes of diverse peoples and cultures and recognise how these influence
our views of others

reflect on and share own perspectives on self and peoples of diverse cultures and how
these views have been created

reflect on and share ideas on what aspects of ones own culture are reflected in our daily
lives, and in our ‘special days’

compare features of special days – what features are common, why/
what are
particular/why

discover and appreciate diversity in their classroom , in Indonesia, in urban/ rural settings
and within different Indonesian/ Australian cultures / regions
2) Content
Language 2
Language functions

describe routine

express opinion (like/dislike/prefer)

use conjunctions

describe appearance
Language
6

revise and reinforce personal information vocab

verbs for daily and special day activities

pronouns

conjunctions dan (and) tetapi (but) karena (because)

contextually appropriate nouns for clothing (pakaian), sport (olahraga), hobbies (hobi ) food
(makanan),special days (hari raya)

adjectives to describe appearance and feelings

adverbs of frequency/time/place
Language 1

words in English (and other first languages) to explore concepts- stereotype, discrimination,
perspective , identify with, traditional/contemporary
Culture

stereotypes associated with; a) Muslim people (e.g Muslim= terrorist) b) Australian people –
city / country / indigenous.

special days—celebrated by students in the class –look at how diverse these days are
across Indonesia, how reflect diff cultures and religions/compare with own.

daily routine (kegiatan sehari-hari)– the daily life of an Indonesian / Australian child.

diversity- identify and reflect on 1) negative and positive stereotypes 2) diversity of cultural
life within Indonesia / within Australia/ our classroom.
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SCOPE AND SEQUENCE OF LEARNING (INTERACTIONS)
SCOPE
Intercultural concepts
Text inputs
Indicative interactions
Explore learners’
current concepts of
orang Islam (Muslim
people) / stereotypes
Images of Islam / own
lifestyles
Explore concept of
special days
Texts relating to faith/
celebrations
What are stereotypes?
Are stereotypes positive or negative- good
or bad?
What stereotypes do we have of
Australian /Indigenous people? What
stereotypes do we have of Muslim
people?
How do these stereotypes make you feel
about Indonesian people?
How does this make you feel about
learning bahasa Indonesia?
What are special days?
What activities and values are reflected in
special days? Why?
What are the features of Muslim special
days? Why?
Explore concept of
diversity- in
Indonesia and within
the classroom
Texts which depict
Indonesian life in a
variety of contexts
How common are our lives?
What is it that makes our lives the similar
or different?
How do location/environment, wealth, age,
faith/ ethnicity affect how you live or what
you do?
How does this diversity affect stereotypes
of Indonesian people?
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SEQUENCE
Module 1: Siapa Ali? (Who is Ali?)
Aim: Learners use target language to talk about self and demonstrate cultural understandings when constructing
greeting card.
Learnes focus on the intra-cultural, creating an awareness of the cultural diversity within the classroom and
creating a different concept of “us” (kami)
Learners view cultural aspects of Indonesian celebrations within the framework of their own cultures.
Learners explore stereotyping and express what they have come to discover about Muslim people.
SEQUENCE
Revision:
Siapa saya?
(Who am I?)
TEXT
INPUTS
SIDE intro
video- roleplay using
basic
introductory
vocab as
revision
INTERACTIONS
LANGUAGE
Learner questions:
Who am I? What do I like to
do? What do I do with my
family ? What do I do that
may be different from others
in my class? Where do I go?
What special days do I
celebrate?
Revision of:
Nama saya (my
name is
Umur saya (my
age is)
Saya tinggal di
(where I live)
Saya suka (I like)
New lang:
Kami – we
Hari raya-special
days
Siapa Ali?
(Who is Ali?)
Ways of
looking at
the world
around us
Hari AliRamadan
Exploring
Muslim
practise
during
Ramadan
SUPPORTING/LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
* Siapa Saya ribbon
On long strips of paper,
learners paste a picture of
themselves at the top and
then fill in information
about themselves.
Nama,(name) umur (age),
tinggal di (where I live),
saya suka (I like) as well
as cultural information i.e.
and what special days they
observe.
Strips hung around room
as reminders of diversity.
Picture of
Balinese
carver- with
what appears
to be a mask
or a statuescanned on
computer- TV
connected
What can you see?
Who is there? What is
there?
Can we always trust our
assumptions?
How can we look at
Indonesia and its people
differently (and each
other), from other
perspectives?
Lihat – see
Kaca mataglasses
Semangka –
watermelon
Tidak – no
Ya – yes
Betul- correct
* Learners are shown
picture of carved
watermelon which looks
like a mask- what is it?
* Students make and
decorate own kaca mata
spesial (special glasses) to
look at the world through
different ‘eyes’ and ‘notice’
things about Indonesian
life
Learners are
introduced to
Ali’s daily life
via Pak Bun’s
PowerPoint
(laptop to
T.V).
How do our lives
compare?
Similarities/differences?.
why?
What would they like and
dislike ?
What is happening in each
picture?
What are similar events in
our lives, if not exactly the
same?
What do these pictures tell
you about Ali’s faith and
practice?
‘berdoa” (pray)
‘berpuasa” (fast)
“masjid”
(mosque) “Quran”
(koran) and
“mohon, maaf,
lahir dan batin”
(request for
forgiveness for
past
transgressions)
* Learners collaboratively
put colour panels of ‘Hari
Ali’ in order on pinup/felt
board.
Whole class – discuss and
write up similarities and
differences on butchers
paper lists.
Learners place text labels
onto pictures
* Collaboratively learners
complete a “Siapa Saya
Ribbon” for Ali- is hung
with theirs
9
Selamat
Lebaran/Idul
fitri.
Positive
tenants of
Islam
reflected in
cards
Traditional/
contemporary
Variety of Idul
Fitri cards
Traditional
/contemporary
celebrations
Christmas
cardstraditional
/secular
Hari Raya
Other
celebrations
in Indonesia
Diversity in
Indonesiacompare
faith/values/
customs
View video –
“Hari Raya”
depicting
Ramadan
/Idul Fitri as
well as Nyepi
(Balinese new
year) and Hari
Kemerdekaan
Independence
Day.
Hadiah
(presents)
Universality
of gift giving
Text- Simple
story in
Bahasa
Indonesia
about gift
giving for Hari
Rayalearners have
to guess what
could be in
the present.
Why do we send greeting
cards?
What values are
represented?
How are these cards like
our Christmas or birthday
cards?
What sentiments are being
expressed?
What images are on the
traditional cards?
What about the ones for
young people?
How does it feel to receive
a card?
Look at these particular
festivals – When do they
take place, why,
what are some particular
features about their dress
and behaviour that you
notice?
What similar events take
place in our lives. When?
Why?
Selamat-as generic
greeting word
Kepada –to
Dari- from
* Together learners
analyse text of cards for
commonly used
expressions wishes.
Linked to mohon maaf lahir
dan batin from Hari Ali text.
Ramadan (month
of fasting)
Idul Fitri
(celebration
ending Ramadan)
Nyep i(Balinese
new year)
Hari
Kemerdekaan
( Independence
Day)
* Using ‘jigsaw’ strategy,
after viewing, learners
compile as much
information as they can
about each special day.
Group leader reports back
to class where all info is
compiled.
Group also has to discuss
similar events and then
whole class discussion
What and how are
presents given at different
celebrations?
What do you feel about
getting presents? What do
presents mean?
Why and how do we wrap
presents?
Hadiah
(present/prize)
*Deconstruct text.
* Play ‘pass the parcel’ -as
each layer is unwrapped
each student has to
answer a question about
hari raya to earn a prize.
Assessment tasks




L&R&S - Puppet play- using single word prompts learners tell the class about themselves
Writing - Greeting card. Learners construct and write greeting card using phrases and expressing
sentiments reflected in Islam.
Reading- Komang– Learners read a simple story about a child’s experience of Ramadan and
illustrate/answer questions to show understanding.
REFLECTION OBJECTIVE: How has my image of Muslim people changed? What have I learned
about myself? What have I learned about stereotypes?
10
Module 2: Wayan Melakukan Apa? (What is Wayan doing?)
Aim: Learners identify with universal similarities of peoples lives and consider other concepts of ‘we’.
Learners talk about their lives and express what they do and what they like to do.
SEQUENCE
TEXT
INPUTS
INTERACTIONS
LANGUAGE
Hari
Wayan
Diversityexplore
differences
between
Hindu and
Muslim
practises
View
powerpoint –
Hari Wayan
What are the
differences/similarities of
Wayan’s regular day and
your routine / others
routines?
What influences these
routines?
How does his day differ to
Ali’s?
What do you feel about
these aspects? e.g. Why
does Wayan bathe
differently?
Is this the same for
rural/urban people?
With which would most
people identify?
Bangun(get up)
Gosok gigi(brush
teeth)
Bermandi(bathe)
Makan pagi(eat
breakfast)
Berpakaian(get
dressed)
Ke sekolah (go to
school)
Bermain(play)
Various activities
Pulang(go home)
Belajara(study)
Memonton
televisi(watch
television)
Mendengarkan
musik
Tidur(sleep)
Si Berti
Similarities
of routine life
of Javanese
child and
Australian
children.
Watch video –
Si Berti -A day
in the life of a
small
Javanese
child-looking
at his
environmentand how that
might
influence his
day.
What is Berti’s house like?
Do you think it is in the
city or the country?
Are Berti’s family are rich
or poor? What is the
weather like where Berti
lives? How does this
affect what he does? Why
does he come home at
lunchtime? What
responsibilities does Berti
have at home.
Bangun(get up)
Gosok gigi(brush
teeth)
Bermandi(bathe)
Makan pagi(eat
breakfast)
Berpakaian(get
dressed)
Ke sekolah (go to
school)
Bermain(play)
Various activities
Pulang(go home)
Belajara(study)
Memonton
televisi(watch
television)
Mendengarkan
musik
Tidur(sleep)
SUPPORTING/LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
*Learners wear kaca mata
spesial and revisit “Wayan”
slides and consider
Wayan’s daily life.
* Self reflection based on
previous whole class
modelling, learners write or
draw pictures of the
differences and similarities
of Wayan’s daily life and
theirs.
* Construct text-Learners
collaboratively put colour
panels of Hari Wayan in
order on pinup/felt board.
Attach corresponding
verbs to appropriate
pictures.
Introduce dia (he/she).
Learners replace Ali with
Dia in text.
* Learners use the text
cards from Ali’s day to
describe Berti’s day.
* Learners then play
charade game in pairs.
Text of a typical daily
sequence is cut up and
learners have to put it in
order. One pair performs it
for the class with one
student reading it out, the
other acting it out. Then
learners can mix up the
text and do the same task
with the ‘actor’ not knowing
in what order the ‘crazy
day’ will be described.
Assessment tasks
 L&R&S – Learners listen as a daily sequence is read out and show understanding by ordering
images or acting it out.
 L&R&S- Learners use puppets to role-play a typical/special day scenario
REFLECTION OBJECTIVE: How has my image of Indonesian people changed? What have I
learned about why I do what I do?
11
Module 3: Ali Memakai Apa? (What is Ali wearing?)
Aim: Learners discover the variety of traditional clothing in Indonesia and its role. They consider the
difference between rural and urban Indonesian life and
Environmental influences
Learners talk about what they and others wear and describe clothing, sing traditional and non
traditional terms.
SEQUENCE
TEXT
INPUTS
INTERACTIONS
LANGUAGE
Ali dan
Wayan
memakai
apa? What
is Ali and
Wayan
wearing?
Pakaian
traditional
Hari Ali and
Hari Wayan
powerpoints.
DVD
“Destination
Indonesia”some
students
wearing jilbab,
some not.
Books:
Lletters from
around the
world, We’re
from
Indonesia
How do people dress for
different reasons?
What are formal clothes
and casual clothes?
What are formal occasions
in our cultures?
What clothes do we wear
for formal occasins?
What do Indonesians wear
on formal occasionsHindu, Muslim,others (is it
the same for all?)
How does it feel to wear a
jilbab/peci, udeng,
sarung/kebaya?
Why do Muslims wear
jilbab and peci- do all
muslims wear them?
Baju(clothes/shirt)
Celana
pendek(shorts)
Rok(skirt) kaos(tshirt) celana
panjang(long
pants) jins(jeans)
celana
dalam(underwear
) sepatu(shoes)
sepatu
olahraga(sports
shoes) kaos
kaki(socks)
topi(hat)
What sort of clothes do the
young people in the
magazines wear?
What is being advertised?
How do these clothes
compare/contrast with
what learners wear?
Can all Indonesian youth
wear these clothes –
rural/urban?
Baju(clothes/shirt)
Celana
pendek(shorts)
Rok(skirt) kaos(tshirt) celana
panjang(long
pants) jins(jeans)
celana
dalam(underwear
) sepatu(shoes)
sepatu
olahraga(sports
shoes) kaos
kaki(socks)
topi(hat)
Warna- colours
SIDE videopameran
modediversity of
traditional
clothing.
Story “The
Magic
Headcloth”
from
Indonesian
Children’s
Favourite
Stories
“The
Buffalo’s
victory”
Majalah pop
(Youth
magazine)s
Read text
from
Indonesian
magazines
SUPPORTING/LEARNING
ACTIVITIES
*Learners wear kaca mata
spesial and revisit “Ali and
Wayan” slides and
consider what they wear at
different times in the day.
*Construct text- Using the
slides of “Hari Ali” on pinup
board, learners collectively
construct the text- using Ali
memakai … (Ali is
wearing…) and then
revise Dia (he/she) by
incorporating it in the text.
* In groups, learners
investigate different texts,
and discover when
Indonesian people wear
traditional clothingdifferences in rural/urban
dressing.
Groups then put clothing
vocab cards on boards
under heading to reflect
what they have learned.
* Learners listen to folk
stories about origins of
traditional clothing
Barrier game majalah
Using Indonesian ‘youth’
magazine, learners choose
a picture of an Indonesian
person, and use
Indonesian to describe it
(clothing and colour vocab)
to a partner who cannot
see the picture. The
partner must try and draw
what is being described.
12
In the classroom…
We began by looking at this photograph- as a PowerPoint on the computer connected to television.
What do you think he is holding? Why do you think that? Learners used the visual cues and
their background knowledge to decide it was a mask or other wooden carving (he is IndonesianIndonesians carve wood-there are knives next to him)
What about if I give you more information? (colour version of photo)
Does this change your mind?
13
They thought it might be painted. I gave them some more clues.
What if I tell you it is something you eat?
Many guesses, then one student guessed it was a semanka (watermelon). They were amazed that
it wasn’t what they had first thought.
Why did the clues help?
One learner expressed that given more information, he ‘saw it differently’.
What is a stereotype?
None of the learners could express what this term meant (building language in first language to
express these concepts necessary).
What do you think of when I use the term Muslim?
Most students responded with negative stereotypes of bombs and terrorists.
Why do you think these things?
We discussed that maybe that was because that was the information given to them- through T.V.
or listening to other adults, emphasising it was a way of seeing an image.
Is this a stereotype?
Yes. Perhaps there is another way of seeing ‘Muslim’.
14
Learners then made their kaca mata spesial (special glasses). Though this idea was originally
intended for a target year 4/5 class, and I thought these students may think it rather ‘lame’; they all
responded very well, loved making them and had a clear understanding throughout the unit that
they were to help them ‘think about seeing things in a different way’. The kaca mata were worn
when we viewed the Hari Ali PowerPoint, looked at other images of Muslim people, wore Muslim
clothing and when we discussed the diversity within our own classroom. They were also worn
when participating in the final task- forming groups – kami dan mereka (us and them).
15
We then revised ‘stereotypes’, and, wearing their kaca mata spesial, the learners viewed the
PowerPoint of Hari Ali (Ali’s Day) - special day during Ramadan- NOTICING what he does.
(This is a series of cartoon style colour pictures of Ari going about his daily activities during
Ramadan. The pictures have not been reproduced for copyright reasons.)
What things does Ali do that is sama (same) as you? What is berbeda (different)?
Learners then COMPARED on large sheets of paper, headed sama and berbeda.
Learners REFLECTED on what they would like about his day and what they might not and why.
Interestingly, learners identified many more similarities than differences. One student offered that
‘going to the mosque is like going to church and that could be the same or different because kids
do different things’. This activity lead to a discussion that we were operating from a stereotypical
view of ‘we’, an assumption that ‘we’ are the same.
Another interaction was learners using copies of the PowerPoint slides on a pin- up board to reorder Ali’s day. I elicited what we knew about Ali using questions in the target language (revision).
Siapa nama dia? (what is his name?)
Berapa umurmu?( how old is he?)
Berasal dari mana? (where did he originally come from)?
Tinggal di mana? (where does he live)?
Suka bermain apa? (what does he like to play)?
Suka memakai apa? (what does he like to wear)? (at home- for special occasions)?
As learners answered I compiled the information about Ali on a paper pita (ribbon).
This activity created good discussion about Ramadan as the learners had to justify why they
thought each slide belonged where.
16
We revised stereotypes again. Learners looked at images of other Muslim people from children’s
magazines – some in traditional dress, others not. They loved the cartoons of the family, so
different from the ‘fierce’ notion of Muslims that they had previously encountered. The ‘Selamat
Lebaran’ card shows a contemporary/humorous side to Idul Fitri (the feast ending Ramadan) with
the play on the words Idul and Aidul (Idol), as in ‘Australian Idol’. Looking at the card lead into a
discussion about Hari Raya (special days).
What are your special days?
Initially the usual ones of Christmas and Easter were mentioned, but then ‘Guy Fawkes Day- still
celebrated in Karratha/ Dampier with fireworks etc- was mentioned.
Is the culture here in Karratha different from other places in Australia?
One student recently arrived from Trinidad, and shared her experiences of ‘Carnivale’. There was
discussion about the different ways the learners celebrated Christmas.
Are we the same?
Do we all celebrate the same things?
What does it feel like to celebrate a special day?
Do you think everyone feels like that about their special days?
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (U ncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Learners then used the pita Ali (Ali’s ribbon) as scaffolding, and constructed their own pita saya
(my ribbon). Two new students were able to use Indonesian for the headings, but write about
themselves in English (they had been in the class for 2 weeks with no previous Indonesian
experience). Students were encouraged to write as much as they could about themselves and add
anything else they could work out how to write. The level of Indonesian demonstrated varied with
some being able to use single words to write about each category, some using well practised
sentence structures, and some beginning to experiment with their own structures.
Pita were hung together with Ali’s and then used as a focus for considering diversity within the
class. With the introduction of SIAPA? (WHO?), we looked at the pita to answer the question:
Siapa berasal dari Australia? (Who originally comes from Australia?)
Siapa merayakan Hari Natal? (Who celebrates Christmas?)
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I introduced the words kami (we or us) and mereka (them) and revised language from the pita
activity. I asked the class a series of questions using siapa? (who?) and learners moved into
appropriate groups:
Siapa tinggal di Karratha? (Who lives in Karratha?)
Siapa anak perempuan? (Who are girls?)
Siapa punya anjing? (Who has a dog?)
Siapa suka makan pisang? (Who likes eating bananas?)
Siapa merayakan Hari Natal? (Who celebrates Christmas?)
Siapa pergi ke gereja? (Who goes to church?)
The group chosen became kami and the others were mereka.
Discussion followed.
What makes a ‘kami’?
Does it mean we are all the same?
The learners could express that when the criteria changed- the way of looking at something- then
‘we’ became something quite different.
What does it feel like to be ‘mereka’? One learner who was on his own as ‘them’ said he felt a
bit left out. Another wonderful observation was from a boy who said it didn’t feel very different
because ‘kami’ depended on who’s glasses you were looking through!
What has doing this made you think about stereotypes?
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Learners then reflected on what they had discovered by filling out their pemikiran (reflection) sheet.
Most could articulate well the concept of a stereotype and, more importantly, some demonstrated a
shift in awareness.
The response to How has my image of Muslim people changed? was fairly represented by one
learner as: ‘A lot. I thought that Muslim came and shot you.’ (sic)
I particularly liked one response to the question: What have I learned about myself?, which was
‘I learned that its hard to think about yourself’. I believe it was an honest reflection of the beginning
process of some of this higher order thinking.
In answer to the sentence starter Looking through my kaca mata spesial has helped me to
understand that: one student who frequently used to respond to explanations of Indonesian
language conventions (such as reverse noun- adjective order) as ‘dumb’- because it was different,
wrote ‘If I was a Muslim, English would look weird to me’. We had not had any explicit discussion
about this, but he had extrapolated a new view.
Below are students filling out their pemikiran (reflection) sheets.
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My reflection
The implementation of this unit was in term 4, a shortened term to begin with. We lost time to
camp, concert rehearsals etc, where, although learners didn’t lose Languages time entirely,
classes were broken up and times altered, so that I often did not have my trial class. Whilst this
was a very easy class to deal with, behaviour wise, I found it important to time the discussions
when there were fewer conflicts or external distractions.
All of our explicit discussions occurred in English as these learners had from a few days to a
maximum of 2 years learning bahasa Indonesia. There is no way they could express or
understand the concepts in the target language. I do, however, believe this is something that can
be built up with time and will aim to include more and more language each unit for this purpose.
Comparatives, expressing preference etc are all things that can eventually be used in the target
language. It is important to note that these learners are still building their first language to be able
to express these concepts. This is a lovely cross curricular notion.
This unit also had wonderful cross curricular ‘“values education’ links, and, as noted by their
classroom teacher, could very well provide demonstration of these outcomes as well. I see this as
vastly important in the current climate where I feel more and more pressure to justify the
Languages program, or at least have it make a more valued mark on the whole school planning.
The more I can include real links to the school priorities, the stronger the position Languages will
have in the school.
Although discussion was often in English, target language use was still of high importance, and
English is possibly the most purposeful language use for a while! In the Listening and Responding
task, we were using the target language as a means of creating our groups and learning about
kami and mereka and the associations between that and stereotypes. The writing task scaffolded
and set the base for the listening task.
What did I learn through participating in this project?
I have learned that embracing the intercultural is a journey not easily rushed through, rather
something that will continue to evolve and be refined in my teaching over many years, and that my
understanding will only increase through the doing of it. I have also learned an alternative to
content being my focus (although I have fought against this, in reality, it remained) and providing a
much more powerful way of presenting the same content.
What changes did the intercultural focus necessitate in my program planning, teaching and
assessment?
I chose to create something entirely new, while still drawing on the content and types of materials I
would normally use. Having the intercultural interactions, in the form of a series of questions, at
the forefront of my planning, allowed me to construct learning activities that had a greater purpose
and kept me clearly focussed on what I wanted my learners to achieve.
Being involved in creating the long term plan reinvigorated my planning, and while I know much will
be thrown out for better things in practice, it was a wonderfully professionally rejuvenating exercise
to be involved in (though ‘hair-tearing-out’ frustrating at times).
What impact does the intercultural focus have on student learning?
I believe that an intercultural focus enriches student learning in Languages. It encourages higher
level thinking, the development of a greater self awareness and I truly hope real empathy that may
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be quite missing for many learners. Whilst the priority of learning to communicate in another
language still remains, I believe that learners will take much more than that away with them.
What recommendations would I make to others about implementing intercultural language
learning?
•
In its implementation, intercultural language learning does not require the loss of target
language use or language acquisition as the primary goal. In fact, it enriches these by
encouraging purposeful language use
•
Clearly redefine your concept of culture if it currently represents static culture learning
•
Do not be intimidated by the huge body of knowledge of intercultural language learning ‘out
there’ by feeling you have to have your head entirely around it before beginning. Start with
small steps.
•
By putting the intercultural to the forefront, it does not mean target language use is
diminished, but rather that the intercultural will not remain a nice ‘add on’ –something nice
to do but in reality, with the pressures of current Languages teaching, we don’t get around
to
•
Do not throw out what you are doing. Rather, look at where you are already incorporating
the intercultural and expand on it
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