Leading 21 Century Schools-Victoria: Engage with Asia

Helen Anderson Helen Hannay

Project Aim• To work with leading Principals to support the

development of Asia-literate schools and students by building their school’s capacity to equip students with inter culture knowledge and competencies required for life in a rapidly changing world.

• The Project will focus on Studies of Asia cross the curriculum with an emphasis on China, Indonesia,

Japan and Korea.

The Project Aims to:

• Increase the number of educators with contemporary knowledge and understanding of Asia

• Facilitate the development of informed and balanced curriculum about Asia

• Provide networking opportunities that lead to the establishment of professional relationships between Australian and Asian educators

• Support the implementation of the National Statement for Engaging Young Australians with Asia in Australian Schools.

This is not a new subject area. It can be

embedded by schools in all learning areas,

particularly in SOSE, English and the Arts.

What is Asian Literacy?

• It assists young people to make sense of their world.

• Asia Literacy is knowledge , skills and understandings about the histories, geographies, societies, cultures, literature and languages of the diverse countries of our own neighbourhood

Initial Engagement in Project:• Two day Professional Learning organized by National Asian

Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP) in partnership with the Principals’ Associations of Victoria.

• Key note SpeakersKathie Kirby, Executive Director Asia Education Foundation Janet Matton Vice President Sales Marketing (IBM)

• Principals’ PanelMary Pendergast Annette Broadfoot and Alistair Raynor

• Resource Kit provided

• Network groups implemented

• Funding made available to support program

• Opportunity for in-country study

Reflections on Conference

• How little Australians know about Asia

• Limited inclusion of Asian content in Australian school curriculum

• How easily Asian perspectives can be embedded in current curriculum

• Social and Economic need to be connected with Asia

Why Engage with Asia?

• “Australians need to become Asian Literate - engaging and building strong relationships with Asia.”

Melbourne Declaration

• Two thirds of the world’s population lives in Asia. Half those people are under 25

• Being good neighbours and responsible global citizens (we need to have an informed attitude and knowledge)

• Australian students identity in Australia is being shaped by Asia

• Asia is Australia’s closest neighbour

• There is a need to relate to and communicate across cultures especially the cultures and countries of Asia

• Asia is now the centre of major business and Chinese is the most spoken language in the World

Why Engage with Asia?

• China is Australia’s top trading partner. China is by far the largest consumer of our products. 20% of our sales go into China

• It is important to promote a harmonious, multicultural society where citizens have shared values based on mutual respect, empathy, knowledge and understanding of each other

• 23% of Australians were born overseas and 5% were born in Asia.800,000 Australians speak an Asian language at home

Why Engage with Asia?

In Summary

• Good Neighbour Australia

• Harmonious Australia

• Creative Australia

• Prosperous Australia

Why Principals should be Involved in this Project?

• To become aware and knowledgeable of Asian studies

• To promote the importance of Asian studies within our communities

• To lead change in this area of the curriculum

• To build capacity for teaching about Asia (teachers teach about what they know)

Project Commitment

• Awareness

• Audit Curriculum

• Development of Curriculum

Ways to Begin

• Review resources-add stories with an Asian influence

• Use Asian Art and Music• Expand Unit focus to include an Asian

perspective i.e. Me and my new School – You, Me and We

• Develop specific Units• Develop Online partnerships with Asian

schools

Purpose of China Tour

• To expose Australian educators/school leaders to experiences of contemporary Asia

• To develop an understanding of the education systems of Hong Kong and Mainland China

• To establish partnerships with schools

Hong Kong Conference “Riding the Tide”

• Change in Hong Kong Education is essential. Need to change pedagogy. Move to independent learning and thinking and creativity and life long learning.

• Community lack of understanding-lack of support• Need teachers to see ‘the beauty of education”. They

need to be happy and have fun.• Need to educate students for the global world.• Competition for enrolment numbers. Call for

diversification of schools.• Change is necessary. Society has entered the global

era.• Large class sizes.

• Change is necessary. We have entered the global era

• Change is difficult. Principal can make a difference- but culture of the school has the biggest impact

“People will change when they say will, not when you say they must change”

• It can happen- but only when a teacher is ready - professional learning is the key

Inspiring Quotes• “Be the change you want to see in the world”

• “A community’s Museum for Values-this is a school”

• “Happiness is to open your heart”

• “Put something down that’s heavy. Then you feel light and happy.

• If you don’t let go, then the burden is still with you.”

• “There are many stumbling blocks. You need to be like water- if something blocks you, move through it.”

• “There is a place for “buffalo style” of leadership. Sometimes you need persistence and push on”

School Funding and StructureFour types of schools

• Government

• Aided

• Direct Subsidy

• Private Schools

• Majority of schools run by school Sponsoring Bodies-like Churches or charitable organizations

• Funding in China 24.7% Govt Budget

Funding in Australia 14.0% Govt Budget

• Still insufficient funding due to large number of students

Academic Structure

Primary Junior Sec Senior Sec Matriculation University

6 3 2 2 3 old

6 3 3 4 new

Reform Initiatives since 2000

• Changes in PedagogyBarriers

1. Rote Learning

2. Teacher knowledge

3. Teacher stress

4. High Academic expectations from parents, Secondary schools and Universities

5. Class sizes 45-50 students

6. Drop in enrolment numbers

Reform Initiatives since 2000

• School Based Management• Curriculum Content-National-Regional-

School• Global Education• Quality Assurance (External School

Reviewer)• Teacher Professional Development• New Academic Structure• Curriculum Assessment• Diversity of education and access• Medium of instruction (MOU)

Respectful and Enthusiastic students

Facilities

Values andTeacher Commitment

The Arts

Partnerships

Strong interest in Australian Education System

Teaching of English and Chinese

English Lessons 4-5 periods per week.

Many schools teach all lessons in English.

Economic and Trade

• 1978-Open door trade policy• Financial Troughs –1987 Asian Financial Crisis1989-Tiananmen Square Incident2008 Global Financial Crisis2009 8.7% Growth indicates China’s economic

resilience. Average growth has been 8.6%• 5-6 million people lifted out of poverty• There is a long term future between China

and Australia – but Australia needs to recognize the need to speak Asian languages

However• China is a developing nation. Has needed to

develop an entire infrastructure (legal, social, medical, education systems)

• Major differences between urban and rural development

• Private sectors are now building infrastructures. The rich are helping to build China. There is a fierce Nationalism in China

• Chinese have a taste for the “best” or good quality products. In 25 years China will be the biggest buyer of “big brand names”

Cultural Experiences

Markets. Expect to bargain. Begin with a third of the asking price

Chinese Junk

Massacre Site Nanjing

300,000 Chinese brutally killed by the Japanese during WW11, The Chinese people are still very angry. The Japanese still refer to this event as ‘The accident of Nanjing”

Sun Yatsen Mausoleum Nanjing

Mausoleum of Zhangshan Ling. First Nationalist Leader. Overthrew the last Emperor. Popular leader but only in power for a short time -died in 1926

Suzhoe Garden -The Administrator’s Gardens

Olympic Games site

The Water Cube. Symbolic to Chinese culture and Chinese Art

Olympic Stadium -The Bird’s Nest

Tiananmen Square Student uprising 1989

Forbidden City

Great Wall of China

Summer Palace

High-rise Buildings

Five hours travel from Nanjing to Shanghai. Only saw high rise buildings when we were expecting to see country side

Shanghai

25.000.000 people. Infrastructure has been well developed.

The Bund

On one side are the old European buildings representing different countries. On the other side is the new Shanghai.

Impact on our Schools –Achievements to Date

• Presentation to staff and parent community of the DVD 2020 School: Engage with Asia DVD. This presentation was

1. A real awakening of the importance of incorporating Asian Literacies in the Curriculum

2. It stimulated discussion on ways curriculum could be modified and developed to include Asian Literacies

• Audit of Curriculum has commenced. Units being modified to include Asian understandings eg Unit Topic “Me and My School” changed to “You, Me, We”

• A stand alone Unit “Our Asian Neighbours”

• Audited resources and purchased Asian focused resources

• Evaluated Art program and discussed how Asian Art can be used as a stimulus

• Incorporated an Asian focus in School Performance

• Established a link with a school in China

• Attend Regional Network Meetings to further our understandings. Have included other leaders in school in these meetings

• Supported a Staff member to apply for further studies-Graduate Diploma in Asian Studies

• Supporting a Staff member to participate in Teacher Study Tour to China

• Reported to Staff and Advisory Boards on Principal Study Tour of China

Australia. Are you ready to be My Friend?