Activity 3: Malaysia and the Asian Century
In the first two activities you explored Australia's connections to Malaysia and why these are important. In this activity you will investigate in more detail one of the following: Malaysia's trade, migration, tourism, education, defence or culture.
In this activity, your task is to design a presentation explaining to the government the top three areas Australia should engage in with Malaysia to make sure that Australia is well positioned in the Asian century.
Key inquiry question: What connections to Malaysia should Australia build upon in the Asian century?
Gathering evidence
- Watch the video, Asia Rising: Series Overview (on the right). Discuss as a class the impact the growth of Asia could have on Australia.
- Skim through the Country Brief on Malaysia from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to refresh your knowledge about Malaysia.
- Form a team of five. Divide the topics below between the members of your team. Look for support, comments, evidence and useful data to recommend the areas that Australia should engage in with Malaysia. Use a word processing software such as PrimaryPad or Google Docs to record your notes.
Trade
Research these weblinks:
Watch the video, Emirates connects Malaysia and Australia.
Education and the Colombo Plan
Research these weblinks:
Watch the video, Monash University Malaysia – Study Abroad.
Culture and tourism
Research these weblinks:
Watch the video, Flavours of Australia, Kuala Lumpur – finest culinary creations from Master Chef Adam Liaw.
Defence and security issues
Research the following weblinks:
Current politics and relations
Research the following weblinks:
Ranking and presenting
You should now have very detailed notes on each of the topics.
- Form a circle and share your group's information. Each person should present the evidence gathered on one of the topics above. Those listening can ask immediately for clarification, references or why the speaker thought that fact was significant. The point is not to probe for right answers, but to 'flesh out' everyone's understanding of all five topics, especially how they might relate to the future decades of the Asian Century.
- Consider individually the information that you have gathered and which areas you would recommend Australia continues to engage in with Malaysia. To complete this task, rank the connections using a Ranking Scaffold Worksheet (DOCX 68 KB) (Your teacher will need to set this up for you.) Rank the connections from most (#1) to least (#5) important.
- Provide evidence for your ranking. You should show how each connection makes a positive change for both Australia and Malaysia. One country may benefit more than the other but you will have to show why this is still a positive outcome for both countries. Remember to show the source from which you drew your ideas.
- Once you have written the positive changes under each heading (Trade, Education, etc.) for both Australia and Malaysia, go back and review your ranking. In many cases, you might now want to change the order of your ranking.
- If you used the Ranking Scaffold Worksheet, compare your rankings within your group. If you used the Visible Ranking Tool, compare your top three priorities with your classmates.
- Having selected your top three areas of engagement, decide how you will present this information. Remember that you will need to persuade and engage your audience. Here are some online Educational Technology and Mobile Learning tools and apps you can use to create your presentation.
- Share your presentation with the rest of the class and complete the activity by conducting a class poll and deciding which was the most compelling presentation.