The facility is one of only eight centres in Queensland, and one of 412 across Australia, to score part of the $9.8 million funding from the federal government.

The trial will test the effectiveness of providing preschool children with early exposure to a language other than English through online learning programs as part of the government’s commitment to reviving language study.

 Management consultant and teacher Darlene Wadham said the team at Red Oasis believed children in the outback should have the same opportunities as their city cousins and so applied to be a part of the trials. 

“The ELLA trials were seen as a fantastic opportunity for children to be a part of this new learning phase,” she said.  

“We recognise that children are learning rapidly in the first five years of life: they are like little sponges. Just look at how they learn to speak their native language in just a few years.

“We know that children learn best through play and foreign languages can be taught using familiar songs, rhymes and words which help children to connect with their own experiences.”

The centre has selected Indonesian out of a choice of five languages partly because Indonesia is Australia’s closest neighbour and because it is not a tonal language, so this makes it easier for the educators to assist with the teaching.  

Children will engage in the learning of Indonesian using IPad Air 2 tablets. 

Five iPads with protective covers are being provided to use with small groups of children.  

Children will have their own log-in which allows their progress to be tracked over the year.  The participation is voluntary and permission is  being sought from families.  

Red Oasis teacher  Madeline  will travel to Melbourne in the coming weeks for intensive training and will continue to be supported via information technology throughout the year.    

For  more information on the trials, visit: https://education. gov.au/early-learning-languages-australia.