Language learning

The Curriculum Corporation is ideally situated to produce the core materials for this curriculum, with input from school teachers, academics and curriculum developers already experienced in teaching Esperanto as LOTE in Australia and overseas.

In-service training will also be needed in both the Esperanto language and in LOTE teaching methodology. Existing university courses, such as that of Sydney University, could be readily adapted for the purpose and provided by universities throughout Australia.

All of Australia’s 100,000 primary school teachers could be given ten hours flexible, on-line, language learning and five hours LOTE methodology learning for a $500 (tax free) bonus. This will provide every Australian primary school child with a guaranteed, uninterrupted, properly qualified, on-site LOTE teacher for the rest of her/his primary career, for the cost of the LOTE budget of 2002.

It sounds small but five hours of LOTE methodology is enough for teachers already doing English in their classroom. Ten hours language learning is enough to gain a basic understanding of the Esperanto language as well as an idea of where the language fits historically, geographically, culturally and pedagogically. This understanding would be consolidated and extended through the use of materials supplied for the class and further on-line learning as desired.

In the first year, every teacher can be provided with very good resources to teach a beginner course suited to the age of the students. In subsequent years, teachers of older children will be provided with more sophisticated material and, ideally, some more language practice opportunities, to suit the experience of the cohort. Even at the very best quality, these resources would cost only a fraction of the present LOTE budget and would find ready and lucrative markets in other English-speaking countries. Schools could be fully stocked within the decade, when costs would drop to a much lower maintenance level and funds could start being diverted to secondary LOTE or other areas of need.

By empowering existing primary school teachers to teach a simple international language first, the Australian Government can provide 100,000 language teachers, enough for every primary child, and a third language in secondary for those who want it.