Asia priority in English History
Barbara Bereznicki
b.bereznicki@asialink.unimelb.edu.au
Aim
To build confidence in teaching about Asia in English
and History
Aim
Don’t boil the ocean
Chinese proverb
21st Century Capabilities
What are 21st century capabilities?
For students
For teachers
21st Century Capabilities
Cisco, a private company in the USA said in its paper Equipping Every
Learner for the 21st Century, Cisco 2008 that:
“… 70% of jobs created in the last decade were ‘interactive intensive’ …
these interactions increasingly occur on a global scale putting a
premium on cross-cultural knowledge and understanding, such as
multilingualism, and the values of appreciation, understanding and
respect. … The importance placed on creativity is matched by a
need for employees to be far more adept at collaboration.”
• Consider how English and History provide opportunities for
students to build their ‘interactive intensive’ skills.
Six modules for English and History
• Walking in the footsteps of the dragon – Years 5 & 6
integrated English and History
• Feudal Japan – Years 7 & 8 History
• Folktales, Sijo, Anime and Cosplay: Stories that change
lives – Years 7 & 8 English
• Strangers bearing gifts: 19th century China – Years 9 & 10
History
• Understanding China through literature – Years 9 & 10
English
• Overarching Professional Learning module
Introduction – Why Asia?
• Melbourne Declaration (2008)
• Australian Curriculum
• Relationship building & good neighborly relations
Australian Curriculum
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia cross-curriculum
priority
• Not separate content areas
• Priorities designed to equip young Australians with the skills,
knowledge and understanding that will enable them to engage
effectively with and prosper in a globalised world.
Do all teachers need to teach the Asia priority?
• Yes.
• The Australian Curriculum identifies Asia and Australia’s
engagement with Asia as a Priority across the curriculum and
at all levels of schooling from Foundation to Year 10.
• Asia literacy is therefore, a curriculum imperative and policy
enacted through the Australian Curriculum. As such, all
teachers, whether primary or secondary, regardless of sector
and regardless of Key Learning Area are teachers of Asia
literacy.
Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia – auditing
tool
Three themes and eight organising ideas to ensure that
students:
• learn about and recognise the diversity within and
between the countries of the Asia region
• develop knowledge and understanding of Asian societies,
cultures, beliefs and environments, and the connections
between the peoples of Asia, Australia, and the rest of
the world.
• have the skills to communicate and engage with the
peoples of Asia so they can effectively live, work and
learn in the region.
How do you do this now?
Asia priority Organising Ideas links to the learning areas
Australian Curriculum
General Capabilities
• Literacy
• Numeracy
• Information and communication technology capability
• Critical and creative thinking
• Personal and social capability
• Ethical understanding
• Intercultural understanding
How do you teach these now?
Joining the dots
• Subject – content, pedagogy, skills, knowledge
• Asia cross-curriculum priority
• General capabilities
How do these link?
What do teachers need to deliver the Asia priority?
Asia Literacy and the Australian Teaching Workforce research
report (Halse et al 2013) identified five enablers that support
teachers delivering the Asia priority in the Australian
Curriculum.
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Experience of Asia from work, study, travel or family connections
Substantial, ongoing tertiary study and/or professional learning
School connections to the countries of Asia
Support from their school and school system
Schools teach an Asia language
• Website > AEF > Policy and research
The research findings state that an Asia literate teacher:
• Possesses expert knowledge of content, assessment strategies
and pedagogy for teaching Asia related curriculum
• Demonstrates familiarity with a wide range of Asia related
resources
• Actively builds intercultural understanding
• Frequently, purposefully and seamlessly integrates Asia into
the curriculum
• Uses ICT to connect their students with students in Asia
• Leads Asia related learning within and beyond the school
How do you do this now?
A note on pedagogy
Consider whether there is a special pedagogy for
teaching the Asia priority
Mindfulness and predisposition?
Survey
Survey – an auditing tool for you and your faculty – adapted
from the Halse research report
1. Complete the survey for you as an individual
2. and, as a member of a Learning Team
What did you learn?
Finding opportunities to teach the Asia priority in English History
Cuc Lam’s suitcase
Watch the video and decide how you might use it with
students
http://nationaltreasures.com.au/treasures/suitcase/
Visual literacy – observing not interpreting
Families of Fortune – Chinese People In The Tweed. NSW Migration Heritage
Museum – Video – observing not interpreting
Finding opportunities to teach the Asia priority
Sample mapping exercise
A small group activity - choose two level descriptions
and locate opportunities to infuse the descriptors
with Asia content.
Report back to whole group
http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/curriculum_resources/australian_curriculum_sample_maps.ht
ml
The modules
The modules will be available online on the AEF website
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6.
Walking in the footsteps of the dragon – Years 5 & 6 integrated English and History
Feudal Japan – Years 7 & 8 History
Folktales, Sijo, Anime and Cosplay: Stories that change lives – Years 7 & 8 English
Strangers bearing gifts: 19th century China – Years 9 & 10 History
Understanding China through literature – Years 9 & 10 English
Overarching Professional Learning module
Reading the modules – small group activity. How would you use them in your classes?
Survey – please take a few moments to complete
su.vc/aef2013
Joining the dots
Australian Curriculum subjects – English History – the core
Professional Learning
Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia – cross curriculum priority
The General Capabilities
Australian Professional Standards for Teachers
Research – What Works and the Prof. Chris Halse’s work (available on the AEF website)
Resources on the AEF website
Websites
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Aussieeducator.org.au – go to Site map
Difference Differently
Chinese Museum – language on the goldfields unit
Scootle
ABC Splash
Resource Banks:
http://www.asiaeducation.edu.au/curriculum_resour
ces/resources_banks.html
For English and History teachers
Geography of Thought. How Asians and Westerners
Think Differently … and Why.
Prof. Richard E. Nisbett
Australia's Asia: From Yellow Peril to Asian Century
David Walker and Agnieszka Sobocinska
For teachers – a few
recommendations
• Texts in translation – rich sources of intercultural
understanding
• Haruki Murakami – Kafka on the Shore
• Yasunaria Kawabata – Snow Country
• Banana Yoshimito - Kitchen
• William Dalrymple - all
• Amatav Ghosh – Hungry Tide
• The Toss of a Lemon - Padma Viswanathan
More
• The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet – David
Mitchell
• Miss Chopsticks – Xinran Xue
• The Last Empress – Anchee Min
• Wild Swans – Three daughters of China – Jung Chan
• Amy Tan – all
• Phryne Fisher’s Murder Mystery - Ruddy Gore – a
surprise awaits you!