Asia
Literacy Conference
DEC,
Novotel Brighton
Keynote:
Jane Hutchens - ABC correspondence (Mandarin and Cantonese speaker, grew
up in HK)
Austn
economy - regional influence, future growth from Asia, particularly from China,
Korea, Indonesia.
- JH sees
this as a bit of a problem, as the govt sees this direction but is it for
us? Don' know where to start.
- Q on Asian
literacy? What does this mean? How do you become AL?
- Perhaps
look at the question, engaging with Asia, a 2 way street.
- In Aust,
people are content, maybe complacent.
- 5 key skills for the future 1. Exploration - know the story 2.
Language 3. curiosity, 4. Empathy 5
Failing - learning and being comfortable with failing
- "Face"
is extremely important in Asian culture -
JH personal anecdote re "face"
- JH
discovering own identity, has been a big motivator for her, this is the (1)
exploration. (2) Language - should be
introduced in kindergarten, bilingualism is important. Language is such an important element in
engagement (perhaps the top skill).
Younger the better. (3) Curiosity
- discussion on different cultures, opportunities to learn, understand and
engage within our own cultures, eg viewing "King and I". (4) Empathy - multi-cultural society, but
racism is always there. There is always
another side to "your" society.
Is there an "empathy" in our society, opportunities for
empathy are all around us. Racism, a
thing of the past? (5) Failing - 24 percent youth unemployment at
the moment, is school playing its part?
Failing in Asia? Here, should let
kids know, it is alright to fail, our kids will be competing with kids from
Asia. Failing could lead to more
creativity. Failure is the best
lesson.
- Question
time - Q: Where does Asia sit now with you since you became ME
correspondent? JH - Middle East felt
like Asia a lot of the time, but women are more "invisible" in the ME
END
Kim
Proctor - Assistance Director
2nd
Keynote - Dr Hassim - Moral Imperative and successful planning for Asia
engagement
- AEF
researcher
- Often, the economic rationale is presented for
engagement with Asia, JH brought other reasons
- Transformation
- of thinking, how Austn society thinks about Asia. Knowledge on its own, does not transform
thinking, need to incorporate what JH said eg empathy
- AL is a
transformative thing, to be able to deal.
Not many can have the ability to know about all Asian countries.
- Being
comfortable with being uncomfortable. To
have the skills to ask the right questions, our students need to be pushed out
of their comfort zones, to see the world differently.
- The Big
Picture - Asia engagement as an essential component of quality education.
Acknowledge regional and global context, future, find humanistic and
instrumentalists reasons for engagement - good neighbour - Australia's national
interest, need a balance. How can
schools do this?
- Charting a course
for Asia engagement into the future. - Towards more mature discourse beyond
piecemeal and general cultural awareness
- Intercultural education - reform movement, process and ideas towards:
- equity, social justice, transform thinking, Global citizenship one of 33 UN
GLobal Education First priorities,
- From
transactional engagement to transformational engagement - Bridging the
psychological distance - how to deal with that?? - A way of engaging that changes ow we see
Asian and how we see ourselves - See map for US version of "psychological
distance" - simplistic version.
- Moral
imperative for Asia engagement is one that is personally meaningful and
contextually relevant - need to avoid stock/standard reasons - co-created
visions statement that guides curriculum and pedagogy (input from leadership,
teachers, students, parents) - Individuals within the school community can see
themselves in the vision
- Successful
planning for Asia engagement requires two keyh elelments: 1. operational
framework - Asia Literate School, 6 key elements (see AEF resource) ALso see
Banks and Banks 2010 Total School Environment, School as a social system - who
makes up your class 2. Conceptual
framework - intercultural education continuum (AEF) Contributions -
incorporate content, Additive - adding, Transformation - common themes from
diverse cultural perspectives eg sustainability, appreciate ways of seeing and
understanding, Social Action - learn and reinforce
- Dimensions of
intercultural education - Content integration - Knowledge construction, ie how
you view and teach is how well students will learn, construct knowledge, Prejudice reduction, Equity pedagogy - how do
you teach students from a diverse background?
Who am I teaching? , An empowering school culture - disproportionate
emphasis on subject/content etc, how to address imbalance in school
- Reflection 1:
Connect, Extend, Challenge (fr Harvard Project Zero, Visible Thinking)
3
key questions - How are ideas/information presented CONNECTED to what you
already knew? What new ideas did you get
that EXTENDED your thinking in new directions?
What is still CHALLENGING for you to get your mind around?
Australian
Curriculum - Two entry points
- Asia and
Australia's engagement with Asia - learn about and recognise, knowledge and
understanding
- Intercultural
understanding
The
Third Space - about interaction
- Schools
need to be a meeting point for different perspectives.
- Is
multiculturalism about interacting?
- Intercultural
understanding needs to happen with dialogue a "meeting point"
Avoid
- looking at
similarities and differences - too general
- cultures
are interwoven - discrete culture projects reinforce stereotypes and
ethnocentric views
- Piecemeal
cultural awareness - of a selection of culture, better to delve deeper in one
culture
- Content
integration (contributions and additive approaches only)
Reflection
1.
Asia
engagement - everyone's business
1.
Intercultural understanding and competence as
the common base
2.
Learning is then extended by more specialised
studies of Asia and Asian languages
Focus
on process
- common
vision is not a pre-condition
- is is the
result of our views
Reflection
2.
1
thing I shall do for myself (personal and/or professional) - How will you know
when you have achieved it?
1
thing I shall do for/with my school - How will you know when you have achieved
it?
David
Knockles - Headmaster Macarthur Anglican School
A
whole school approach to Asia Literacy
800
students, situated in Camden, WASpish
-
School needed to develop a multifaceted approach to internationalism.
- Direct and
formalised links with other schools. Links with Tokyo, Changmai, Jakata and others in America and
Europe
- So many
different cultural groupings in Indonesia, China, etc. So many different cultures, no country in
Asia is monocultural but actually monocultural.
- International
study tours, US - Music, Europe - music and history, Language tours to Malaysia
and Indonesia
- Have 25
international students eg China and Thailand, having international students is not
a money making venture
- Also
students from China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, S Korea,
Japan Hungary
- Have a
direct exchange with school in Hungary - 2 students yearly
- Foreign
languages study - Indonesian is compulsory from T - 8, reasons being
close vicinity, not a new script - for
pragmatic reasons
-
Languages study cross curriculum eg DT,
Digital media movie project, Geography development project
- Engaging
students - Skype, food, clothes, sport, dance, personal interaction - hosing students
and teachers from visiting schools or link school, study tours
- School
embraced a wider approach to Asia even the world, FL study was just another
subject. Now it is a cultural experience
that fits within the broad understanding
of the school.
Asian
Immersion
Bomabderry
High School in partnership with;
Kangeroo
Valley Public School, Cambewarra Public School, Shoalhaven Heads PS, Bomaderry
PS, Berry PS, Wollongong University
- Program
Structure - Planning days Term 4, develop projects, international students from
University of Wollongong visit classes to provide authentic cultural
experiences, Asia Expo - student
projects and cultural activities
- Problems -
initial interest of staff, funding, timetabling between schools and university,
growth - capacity to stage the EXPO
Benefits
- breaking
down cultural barriers and developing respect and understanding
- Provide
authentic cultural exp
- Enhance
staff and student knowledge of other countries and edu systems
- International
students gaining experience in English and knowledge of Austn schools
James Hudson - Australia - China Business Council,
NSW
Towards
an Asia Literate NSW
Food
security - China will need more demand as time passes,
Australian
students would be advised to consider studying agriculture
Why
are there not more people learning Asian languages?
- Excuses -
Chinese too hard, Chinese are learning English anyway, I'm too old, I'm not
interested in Chinese culture
Only
takes a few words so people see you are making an effort.
Pictures
(by Chinese artist)
I
don'1
\t
have time - 2 clocks
Cultural
skills are more important than languages
Strong
demand for people with a second language - lots of sectors (work) that have
dealings
with Asia.
Australia's
own community, Asian - Australians are an underutilized resource. Empower Australians with Asian backgrounds
with leadership roles.
