Why study Indonesian?
These two videos provide a snapshot of Indonesian language teaching, through the eyes of high school teachers, and through numbers.
First, four teachers from the Victorian Indonesian Language Teachers Association (VILTA) explain what makes them so passionate about teaching Indonesian, as well as the challenges they face in doing so.
Speaking are:
Liz Formby, Languages Coordinator at Cobden Technical School
Susi Rekdale, former President of VILTA
Patrick Kelleher, Indonesian teacher at Elisabeth Murdoch College
Aphra Millis, HEad of L.O.T.E. at Newcomb Secondary College
In her article, ‘How poor perceptions and lack of understanding have shaped the Australia-Indonesia relationship’, Jesse Thomas describes the role of language learning in understanding another culture. She includes this video, which gives an overview of the current state of Indonesian language studies in Australia, including numbers of students, some important organisations, and major influences on the uptake of language learning.
Both of these videos form part of a campaign exploring Indonesian language studies in Australia. The campaign aims to draw attention to the important role of language and cultural knowledge in the bilateral relationship, and also to celebrate those in the field of Indonesian language, such as our teachers and young people, as well as other cultural leaders who are pushing to close the gap between Australia and Indonesia via education.
MORE IN THIS SERIES
Indonesian language in Australian schools: a short overview
In Conversation with Julian Hill MP
Australia and Indonesia are losing grip on their languages
Improving Australia-Indonesia relations through education
‘Keep the owl happy’: edtech for language learning
In Conversation with VILTA teachers