A lived curriculum in two languages

THE 21ST CENTURY will require skills and dispositions of Australian students that allow them to participate in working towards global solutions for global challenges. Language skills and a positive disposition to engage with other cultures will be central to such participation. This article argues that bilingual immersion programs which deliver curriculum content in two languages are amongst the most promising designs to achieve global competencies. These competencies include linguistic skills, positive intercultural dispositions and deep knowledge of world issues. The authors present two examples of successful second language immersion programs in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), examined under the lens of globalisation discourses. The findings show that immersion programs offer many opportunities to engage with people, resources and ideals in transnational social fields, and are a viable local alternative to mainstream monolingual schooling in times of economic and cultural globalisation