Audience and Purpose

The audience for this report is the Tasmanian educational community. The purpose is to inform the next phase of exploring intercultural language learning in an Essential Learnings context.

Background

Languages (LOTE) teaching and learning in Tasmania takes place in the context of the Essential Learnings curriculum. The curriculum reform process has encouraged reflection, innovation and change in curriculum content and delivery.

Within languages education, this period of change coincides with the development and dissemination of the intercultural language learning (IcLL) approach. IcLL corresponds very closely to the pedagogy of the Essential Learnings, and therefore has been the focus of major languages professional learning projects in Tasmania during the last three years.

The Asian Languages Professional Learning Project (ALPLP) Phase 1 in 2003 and ALPLP Phase 2 in 2004 introduced IcLL to a range of primary and some secondary schools across Australia. Following these two highly successful national projects, it was decided to target Tasmanian secondary schools for IcLL professional learning in 2005