Languages

Languages 

NZ Curriculum (2007)

Ko tōu reo, ko tōku reo,

te tuakiri tangata

Tihei uriuri, tihei nakonako

Your voice and my voice are expressions of identiy

May our descendants live on, and our hopes be fulfilled

Learning a new language provides a means of communicating with people from another culture and exploring one's own personal world.  Languages are inseparably linked to the social and cultural contexts in which they are used.  Languages and cultures play a key role in developing our personal, group, national and human identities.  Every language has its own ways of expressing meanings; each has intrinsic value and special significance for its users.

This learning area provides the framework for the teaching and learning of languages that are additional to the language of instruction.  Level 1 of the Curriculum is for the entry level of students with no prior knowledge of the language being learned, regardless of their school year.

Languages link people locally and globally.  They are spoken in the community, used internationally and play a role in shaping the world.  Oral, written and visual forms of language link us to the past and give us access to new and different streams of thought and to beliefs and cultural practices.  By learning an additional language and its related culture(s), students come to appreciate that languages and cultures are systems that are organised and used in particular ways to achieve meaning.  Learning a new language extends students' linguistic and cultural understanding and their ability to interact appropriately with other speakers.  Interaction is a new language, whether face-to-face or technologically facilitated, introduces them to new ways of thinking about, questioning, and interpreting the world and their place in it.  Through such interaction, students acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes that equip them for living in a world of diverse peoples, languages and cultures.  As they move between and respond to different languages and different cultural practices, they are challenged to consider their own identities and assumptions. 

As they learn a language, students develop their understanding of the power of language.  They discover new ways of learning, new ways of knowing, and more about their own capabilities.  Learning a language provides students with the cognitive tools and strategies to learn further languages and to increase their understanding of their own language(s) and culture(s).

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Subjects in this Department

Academic researcher, Interpreter, Political risk analyst, Secondary school teacher, Translator, Broadcast journalist, Diplomatic service officer, Education consultant, English as a foreign language teacher, International aid/development worker, Logistics and distribution manager, Marketing executive, Patent examiner, Publishing rights manager, Sales executive, Tour manager,