His hands wrapped around an iPad, eyes glued to the animation on the screen four-year-old Riley Sarmias is blissfully unaware he's part of a $9.8 million federal scheme to improve Australian second language uptake.
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In November 2014 the Abbott government announced 40 preschools would share in a multi-million dollar Early Learning Language Australia (ELLA) trial to teach one of five languages – Mandarin, Japanese, Indonesian, Arabic or French – using tablet apps and interactive games.
Franklin Early Childhood School was the sole grant recipient in the ACT and principal Julie Cooper said introduction of play-based Mandarin apps was wholeheartedly embraced by the school community, which boasts 43 distinct language and cultural backgrounds.
Changing tack from a system where language study was incorporated into the curriculum in secondary school, the aim of the government trial is to seed children's language studies at an early age, so they can then be built on later in schooling.
Ms Cooper said 67 per cent of the school spoke a language other than English and several were fluent in as many languages as they had years on earth.
Mandarin speaker Jun You Wang, 4, said his favourite was the fishing game, whereas Riley Sarmias, 4, liked the cooking one.
"It's not an English game it's a Chinese game and there are lots of colourful fishes," Jun You said. "I understand all sorts of Chinese words."
What was essential about the style of engagement was that language learning was not contrived, but rather a normal part of the day and a tool right at children's fingertips, Ms Cooper said.
She said the trial programs had unlocked a zeal for language acquisition, even in students that were native Mandarin speakers.
"What's really important in the early years is to access and switch on as many modes of learning as possible," she said.
"What we are finding now is that the children are coming up to teachers and using the language outside the app or game context."
Since February the students have progressed through six educational language games and hope to complete the full series of eight before the trial ends in December.
Franklin Early Childhood School has secured a $2500 grant through the ACT Mandarin Blueprint process to establish after-school Mandarin for fun playgroup sessions next year.
