Languages (Version 8.4)

Introduction

The Australian Curriculum: Languages is designed to enable all students to engage in learning a language in addition to English. The design of the Australian Curriculum: Languages recognises the features that languages share as well as the distinctiveness of specific languages.

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Rationale

Through learning languages, students acquire:

communication skills in the language being learnt
an intercultural capability, and an understanding of the role of language and culture in communication
a capability for reflection on language use and language learning.

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Aims

The Australian Curriculum: Languages aims to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills to ensure students:

communicate in the target language
understand language, culture, and learning and their relationship, and thereby develop an intercultural capability in communication

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Key ideas

Language and culture
The interrelationship of language, culture and learning provides the foundation for the Australian Curriculum: Languages.
In the languages learning area the focus is on both language and culture, as students learn to communicate meaningfully across linguistic and cultural systems, and different contexts.

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Structure

Learner background and time-on-task are two major variables that influence language learning and they provide the basis for the structure of the Australian Curriculum: Languages. These variables are addressed through the specification of content and the description of achievement standards according to pathways and learning sequences respectively.

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Student diversity

ACARA is committed to the development of a high-quality curriculum that promotes excellence and equity in education for all Australian students.
All students are entitled to rigorous, relevant and engaging learning programs drawn from the Australian Curriculum: Languages.

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General capabilities

In the Australian Curriculum, general capabilities encompass knowledge, skills, behaviours, and dispositions that, together with curriculum content in each learning area and the cross-curriculum priorities, will enable students to live and work successfully in the 21st century.

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Cross-curriculum priorities

The Australian Curriculum gives special attention to three cross-curriculum priorities:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
Sustainability.

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Glossary

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* The video on this page is published on Auslan Signbank and is reproduced here. This video is licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0.