Language – Bahasa Indonesian

Languages at St Lawrence Primary School – Bahasa Indonesian

At St Lawrence Primary School, we teach Bahasa Indonesian using the innovative Teachers as Co-Learners (TCL) approach. This method is grounded in academic research and practical classroom strategies, making language learning engaging, effective, and accessible for all students.

Why Learn Indonesian?
Indonesian is one of the easiest languages for English speakers to learn. It is highly phonetic, meaning words are pronounced exactly as they are spelled. The grammar is simple, with no verb conjugations, noun genders, or complex tenses, allowing students to focus on building vocabulary and communication skills quickly and with confidence.

About Teachers as Co-Learners (TCL)
In the TCL approach, students, education support staff, and classroom teachers learn Indonesian together, using language needed to communicate in everyday situations both in and beyond school.

Key Features of TCL:

  • 15-minute language sessions delivered by classroom teachers, 3 times a week
  • Supported by a Language Assistant with weekly timetabled sessions
  • Highly structured lessons using explicit teaching, constant feedback, and frequent review of core content
  • Based on the research of Dr Gianfranco Conti (Extensive Processing Instruction) and Dr Kathryn McFarlane (Autonomous Language Learning)

How it Works:
TCL combats the ‘forgetting curve’ through spaced repetition and repeated exposure to language. This improves student engagement, retention, and academic outcomes.

Whole School Approach:
TCL fosters participation from the entire school community, encouraging communicative language use beyond the classroom and integrating language learning across curriculum areas such as Mathematics.

Using Indonesian at St Lawrence
We practise useful Indonesian phrases together in our classrooms three times a week using instructional videos. Students are encouraged to use greetings, single words, and short phrases whenever they can during class time. Examples include:

  • Boleh saya minum? – May I have a drink?
  • Boleh saya minta…? – May I have…?
  • Boleh saya pinjam…? – May I borrow…?

Two sample units are available on our website to show how we practise Indonesian together.

 

Functional Language Clips