LOCATION

Outer eastern metropolitan primary college

YEAR LEVELS

Years F-6 whole school engagement with Asia.

STRATEGYStatement of whole school intention for internationalising.

The School community acknowledges the importance of including Studies of Asia in the school curriculum and embraces cultural diversity and global awareness with positive attitudes and values.

They aim to prepare students so that they understand and appreciate Asian cultures and thrive within a global community in the challenging, complex 21st-Century world.

Specifically, they aim to ensure that students leave school being able to:

Understand Asia including its’ impact on economic importance and global population

Have informed attitudes about Asian people and countries to deepen their understanding of cultures in an authentic, relevant and ICT enriched way

Know about contemporary and traditional Asia

Connect Asia with Australia from a variety of global perspectives

Successfully communicate with people from Asia

The Engage with Asia policy is included in schools Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan

CURRICULUM DESIGN FOR INTERNATIONALISINGThe whole school Studies of Asia program is both integrated into a variety of Victorian Curriculum areas and operates as a specialist study over a three year cycle rotation of Asian countries across all curriculum levels 1-4 (P-6) with increasing emphasis on Grades 3-6 (Levels 3&4)

A curriculum audit was conducted to see where to include or embed Asia Studies in

the

curriculum.

Asia Units are documented to create an Asian Resource Kit (ARK) to be accessed for future use.

Integrated Units of work on Asian countries are designed for different year levels

Asian resource reading materials incorporated into the English Literacy program.

The school’s Visual Arts program aims to include an Asian focus from each country studied.

A Studies of Asia co-ordinator, oversees the program and builds the school resource library.

STRUCTURE AND SEQUENCING OF THE SCHOOL’S APPROACH ACROSS YEAR LEVELS The table below outlines the rotational country focus of the internationalised curriculum as it has developed so far.

Comparative studies also occur in relation to previous countries studied.

Years 3-6 have one hour a week exclusively for country research activities and the country theme is embedded in other areas of the curriculum.

ILLUSTRATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIESThe core Engage with Asia theme is inquiry based, with explicit stages for research, report and product preparation, parent involvement and showcasing findings. For example:

A Years 3-6 collaborative inquiry unit on Indonesia specifying scope of inquiry,

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CURRICULUM CASE STUDY: ENGAGEMENT WITH ASIA

Year level Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 F - 2 Vietnam Malaysia Philippine

sYears 3 -4

Indonesia India Singapore

Years 5 - 6 China Japan Thailand

questions to be generated, mode of working, duration, and assessment criteria.

A year 3-6 research project on Indonesia for pairs, specifying questions to be researched, presentation style for outcomes, and assessment criteria.

The whole school and community engagement with the school’s international focus and respect for cultural diversity is celebrated in a day’s activities focussed on intercultural understanding.

Extensive preparation for around a term includes research and production of artefacts.

A Years 5-6 research project on Japan for one hour a week formal time for a term. The project outlines the questions to be covered, the activities that will occur (e.g. market day where currency exchange is required) and specifies the nature of the students’ products to be produced and the assessment criteria.

STUDENT PRODUCTSThe Wikispaces for the sister school relationship contains a range of student products, including those collaboratively produced with the Indonesian school.

http://austindo-partnership51.bridge.wikispaces.net/Visit+to+Australia

Students using VoIP e.g. Skype has become integral to the engagement with sister schools and students being able to conduct collaborative projects. The link below is a snapshot of students’ use of Skype for language learning and building cultural understanding. .

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-12/language-learning-in-the-asian-century/4952552

RESOURCE NEEDSPriority was to build up resources on content for Asia studies. For example using with Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre (LMERC) where resources are loaned out on a Term basis; and purchasing material through the Asia Education Foundation, University of Melbourne.

Access to expert professional development

MONITORING STUDENT LEARNING AusVELS standards and achievement

levels govern the assessment requirements.

All projects have explicit assessment criteria or an assessment rubric as part of the curriculum design. (For example see above for assessment rubric for Windows to Asia paired inquiry project.)

Students produce assessment portfolios, including annotated pieces of their work for parents.

The attached unit description for My Virtual Tour of Thailand, specifically engages parents and specifies the portfolio assessment task.

REVIEW TO UPDATE THE WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH AND UNITS A number of units build in a reflection tool.

As the whole school approach develops further the objectives, actions and milestones that are in the Annual Implementation Plan will drive review and evaluation as will inclusion in the 2014 Strategic Plan of objectives for internationalising.

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STRUCTURE AND SEQUENCING OF THE SCHOOL’S APPROACH ACROSS YEAR LEVELS The table below outlines the rotational country focus of the internationalised curriculum as it has developed so far. Comparative studies also occur in relation to previous countries studied. Years 3-6 have one hour a week exclusively for country research activities and the country theme is embedded in other areas of the curriculum.Year level Year 2 2011 Year 2 2012 Year 3 2013 Prep, Years 1 and 2 Vietnam Malaysia Philippines

Years 3 and 4

Indonesia India Singapore

Years 5 and 6 China Japan Thailand

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