Kurt Mullane, Director, Asia Education Foundation, Asialink Centre, The University of Melbourne
24
description
Building Asia Capability through School Education
Transcript of Kurt Mullane, Director, Asia Education Foundation, Asialink Centre, The University of Melbourne
• Good Neighbour Australia
• Responsible global citizen Australia
• Harmonious Australia
• Creative Australia
• Prosperous Australia
A Brainstorm
Identify 3 things Australian kids should learn
about Asia during their school years
• Asia & its diversity– Ethnicity, traditions, cultures, belief systems & religions– Interactions b/w environments & humans shape the countries of Asia &
its region & have influence globally.
• Achievements & contributions of the peoples of Asia – World history & human endeavour; fundamental to well being & progress
of world– Significant influence on aesthetic & creative pursuits of people & societies
in Australia, the region & globally.
• Asia-Australia engagement– Our histories from ancient times to present are linked– Australians play important roles in major events and developments in Asia– Asian Australians have influenced Australia’s history
The Basics
‘Studies of Asia is about the proper study of humankind: about what is valued, excellent, beautiful, moving, lasting and what are matters of belief.
To insist that the above can be addressed solely through European or Western knowledge… is not only a disfigurement and deformity but is ignorant.’
Fitzgerald, S. Education and the Australian Mind, Buntine Oration 1991.
65% of Year 12 Modern History students chose to do a depth study on Germany
19% chose Russia
2% chose China
“In practice, it is schools and teachers who select material students study
Teachers are unlikely to select material with which they themselves are unfamiliar, or may have never studied.
They choose what they know about and are confident of teaching.”
The Australian Curriculum
Content descriptors:History: 16% of total content descriptions Asia focused…but 96% of
these are elective
Geography: 6% of content descriptions focused on Asia
English: less than 1%
Science and Mathematics: 0%
Content elaborations: History: 14% of elaborations mention Asia
Other subjects: less than 10% of their total elaborations mention Asia
PRINCIPALS’ VIEWS ON THE BENEFITS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING ABOUT ASIA
•Principals’ views on the benefits of teaching and learning about Asia
Building intercultural understanding
Competence for a global world
Enrichment teaching and learning
0 50 100 150 200 250 300
Source: Asia Literacy and the Australian Teaching Workforce, AITSL, June 2013
Building Teacher Capability
• Cultural knowledge/awareness
• Intercultural understanding
• Improved Asian language programs
• Enhanced ICT skills
• Bringing school communities together
97% of all BRIDGE teachers in Australia stated that their intercultural understanding has developed
95% of teachers reported their knowledge and awareness of the partner country has expanded
81% report enhancing their ICT skills and confidence through BRIDGE83% of Australian BRIDGE teachers agree strongly
that BRIDGE has enabled them to improve their second language proficiency
BRIDGE: In practice
Enabling and managing deeper learning through ICT
Transforming
DEECD Victoria - Overseas Study Programs
Objectives:
DEECD Victoria - Overseas Study Programs
Program features
o People-to-people contacts made learning about Asia more authentic and engaging.
o Learning about culture through sister school connections led to greater engagement and improved learning outcomes for students.
250 annotated resource lists
Online Resources
Australia’s future will be “linked to the Asian region in the closest manner in trade and in strife..”
Alfred Deakin Prime Minister, 1900
‘In our own region, this means more Australians who can speak Asian languages, catch cultural meanings and navigate local networks. It means starting with children at school.’
Prime Minister The Hon Tony Abbott MP
December 2013
Kurt MullaneDirectorAsia Education FoundationAsialink CentreUniversity of Melbourne
E: [email protected]: www.asiaeducation.edu.auT:@KurtMullane
