RATIONALE

'The principal reason (for teaching languages) is to do with the deepest purposes of education itself, to instil knowledge, to deepen understanding, to stimulate reflection and to foster skills'
Australian Education Review number 54, Second languages and Australian schooling,  by Joseph Lo Bianco with Yvette Slaughter 

CHALLENGES

• Potential impact (interpretation) of ACARA proposal - significant teaching time reduction
• Competitive curriculum interests
• Aussie cultural viewpoint - students, parents, colleagues
• Availability of teachers
• High quality teaching
• Engaging curriculum

SELLING THE PRODUCT

TO STUDENTS & PARENTS

• ENGAGING CURRICULUM
• ICT BASED LEARNING
• KINAESTHETIC LEARNING
• VARIETY OF TASKS

TO STAFF & PARENTS

• ACARA RATIONALE - pages 9 & 10
• SKILLS & GENERAL CAPABILITES & LANGUAGES  - pages 27-29
• While the value of content can be disputed (competitive curriculum, cultural viewpoint) the value of skill-building - especially of ICT skills - is well acknowledged. 
• The teaching of LOTE is ideal for building general capabilities of:

literacy, ICT skills, critical & creative thinking, ethical behaviour, personal & social competence, and cultural understanding.

LITERACY

Students exposed to different literacy experiences

• French road & weather maps, job & real estate sites, furniture stores - www.ikea.fr, www.laredoute.fr , television & film guides, articles from newspapers & magazines, print & TVadvertisements, songs & music clips, poetry, art, menus - including school canteen menus, some adult & children's lit, movies, blogs, podcasts.

Language awareness strengthened

• In line with English curriculum: text-types; oral presentations; research; grammar - makes them think explicitly about English grammar and grammatical concepts, especially syntax. Prepares them for English language curriculum.

Development of metalanguage

• Strengthens students' knowledge of concepts across the curriculum (see rationale) - grammar, text types, audience and purpose, general terminology.

ICT SKILLS

Use of target language multi-media resources

• Linguascope: www.linguascope.com , Quia : http://www.quia.com/shared/french/, Polarfle : http://www.polarfle.com/, French About : http://french.about.com/ ; YouTube; languages online; BBC; TV5

Accessing digital environments & technologies

• Blogs: http://year10fishyfrench.blogspot.com/ ; http://fishyfrench9.blogspot.com/  ; http://adriengyear9french.blogspot.com/ 
• Student blogs Year 9 : http://anteater-rory.blogspot.com/  ; http://tiff1111.blogspot.com/ http://natzzblog.blogspot.com/
• Student blogs Year 10:  http://prianka96.blogspot.com/   http://jameshanley10.blogspot.com http://tresjoyeux.blogspot.com/ 
•  wikispaces: http://fishyfrench56.wikispaces.com/

Live target language environments & texts

• Tour de France village tours, podcasts, France 2, TV5;
• Colonies de vacances - http://www.capjuniors.com/ ; http://www.planeteaventures.fr/ ; http://www.salutleskids.com/
• Virtual village - http://www.nice-panorama.com/Gourdon/index.php       

Real time contexts

• Chat rooms: http://moodle.vermontsc.vic.edu.au/course/view.php?id=44   , Facebook, ecards: www.dromadaire.com/ , skype.   

Interpreting information & considering information reliability

• 'Colonie' & real estate websites; wikis.

CRITICAL & CREATIVE THINKING

Viewing things from different perspectives, divergent thinking developed

• eg Discussions around how the placement of adjectives impacts on meaning; discussions around noun gender - the arbitrary nature of language; avoir expressions; manquer, prepositions.
• eg Views on multiculturalism (the veil), food, education systems, smoking, faire la bise - http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/videos/la-bise-en-france-france$ltv-1E8F9A33F2E79ACC ; les gestes;  

Learning to notice, connect, compare & analyse aspects of language, students develop critical thinking skills as well as analytic & problem-solving skills

• eg Noticing activities that take faire; cognates & false friends; conjugations; use of the present participle; use of text talk.
• Register - eg the expulsion in The Class.  Formal letter writing.

Develop new ideas & understanding from working across 2 language systems

• English is a difficult language to learn!; language learning is not just a matter of two lexicons; second language learning a tool for improved English literacy; difference is not wrong.
• Students who make strong connections with their own language, especially at the 'soutenu' level, are assisted with general vocab learning in French.
• Use of expressions such as 'touché', 'au fait', 'cause célèbre', 'à propos'.

New comparisons & new connections made - apply & use this knowledge in different ways

• eg Explicit teaching of 'si' clauses in French helps students use the correct tenses in English; in general, helps students use more advanced grammar and vocab in English.
• The 'if we can do this, can we do that?' moment. 
• Use of the relative pronoun - when and where in French& English.
• How English words are imported into French - Lonely Planet Audio

ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR

Respect for diverse ways of perceiving the world

• Yamakasi - its genesis & adherents; the Class; the village
• Food - sustainability, bio, free trade products, demand for high quality produce; nuclear power; DSK
• French class hierarchy
• Academie Francaise

Interrogate generalisations and stereotypes

• Immigrants & immigration generally, multiculturalism, homelessness, unemployment - Paris Je T'Aime; Welcome; Neuilly Sa Mere
• Views of Islam, 'quartiers difficiles'
• Beret and baguette - diversity in France - Lonely Planet Video addresses the stereotype of arrogance

Reflect on & adjust ethical dispositions

• National Identity 
• Nuclear & sustainable energy
• Immigration - les 'sans papiers'
• Education

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE

Able to understand & show empathy

• Paris Je T'Aime - Tour Eiffel (V11eme); Quais de Seine (Veme); Loin du 16eme; Place des Fetes (X1Xeme) - show diversity and build empathy for people of different origins who live in France.  Compare with Australia.
• Medecins Sans Frontieres & Restos du Coeur

Being open-minded about different viewings of the world

• As students' language competence increases, it all seems less foreign and more 'normal' and a range of viewpoints become acceptable for incorporation into their worldview.

Interact in a collaborative & respectful manner

• Students on exchange, penpals
• Mood in the class shifts to become more inclusive as students continue LOTE studies; byYear 9, they are mature enough to discuss issues of difference and racism and xenophobia.

INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING

Understanding of global citizenship

• Sourcing work experience for students with French firms and businesses
• Understanding that French is spoken worldwide and used in a number of international contexts
• What happens in France and elsewhere impacts on Australians eg GFC, the European Union