St Francis of Assisi Primary School

- published October 2009

School profile

St Francis of Assisi is a Catholic primary school located in Calwell, a suburb of Canberra in the ACT. It is a K–6 school with 526 students and 48 staff members. Students are organised into 21 class groupings. ‘Peacemakers’ is our school motto. This places distinctive emphasis on an awareness of the interconnectedness of all life, of being mindful about each other, and our need to learn to use who we are and what we have for the good of the whole human race.

School website: www.sfa.cg.catholic.edu.au

Michael Nuttall, Principal

I am now in my fourth year as Principal of St Francis of Assisi Primary School. The school was providing Indonesian language learning for years 3–5 and studies of Asia, in 30–40 minute sessions, in years K–2 and 6. Clearly, the school was committed to the provision of Asia-focused programs under the recognised knowledge and experience of our Indonesian/studies of Asia teacher, Nicola Barkley. I could certainly see the value of our programs to students across all year levels. But, in discussions with Nicola following my participation in the initial forum for Principals involved in the Leading 21st Century Schools: Engage with Asia (L21CS) project, we realised that much more could be achieved. We knew that our school was on the right track in committing to the continuing provision of Indonesian and studies of Asia, but felt that containing the programs to discrete lessons did not enable students to fully engage. Nor did it necessarily engage classroom teachers fully in developing studies of Asia in their programs.

Introducing Asia

Until recently, our studies of Asia and Indonesian language learning programs were provided by a specialist teacher. The programs were discrete with limited impact on regular classroom teaching and learning programs. In 2008, we recognised the importance of our students being active, informed citizens with knowledge and understanding of the Asian region and Australia’s connections to it.

Motivated by the National Statement for Engaging Young Australians with Asia in Australian Schools (National Statement) we developed a three-year plan to integrate studies of Asia into Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE), English and The Arts, through carefully designed and resourced units of work. In addition, we committed ourselves to a K–6 Indonesian language program with close connections to the studies of Asia.

A new way forward

The decision was made to present the 2020 Engage with Asia DVD to staff, together with information about the National Statement with an indication that the time was right to consider our current approach and explore new ways forward. The National Statement provided us with a clear rationale for a more coherent, whole-school approach to studies of Asia. We recognised the need to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of Asia and, importantly, to develop skills that would enable them to be able to connect and engage confidently with our near neighbours.

Accordingly, we resolved to develop a proposal for revamping our current program. We wanted to embrace an approach which would enable students to learn the Indonesian language at all year levels and to ensure that studies of Asia would be incorporated more naturally into classroom teaching and learning programs across the school.

Defining the new approach

An important first step was the development of a proposal outlining a new model of Indonesian language learning and studies of Asia for the school. I assigned leadership of this task to Nicola who embraced it with enthusiasm and a high level of commitment. She understood the school context and the implications for teachers in adopting a new approach.

Essentially, the proposal focused on the extension of the Indonesian Language Program to all year levels in the context of a more systematic inclusion of studies of Asia in the general school curriculum. It drew on the imperatives contained in the National Statement and research related to the benefits of students’ engagement in learning a second language. Importantly, the proposal made it clear that the intention was not to ‘add on’ to the programming demands upon teachers but to adopt a ‘replacement’ model based on incorporating Asia-focused learning activities into existing teaching and learning programs.

The proposal set out a 2009–2011 plan outlining actions for the development and implementation of a K–6 Indonesian Language Program and for the integration of studies of Asia into units of work starting with SOSE in the first year and then moving to English and The Arts in subsequent years. It was felt that such an approach would enable teachers to adopt the new model in such a way that changes could be more readily addressed and accommodated.

Taking the proposal to staff

Initially, Nicola took the proposal to the School Leadership Team comprising the Principal, Assistant Principal, Religious Education Coordinator and three Primary Coordinators. It was fully discussed and agreed to in early October 2008. The proposal was then presented to and discussed by staff who responded positively to its intent. However, it was recognised that significant support would be required by staff in order to implement the proposal. To assist Nicola in her work, a small Asia Education Group, comprising class teachers and Nicola, was established in November 2008 to commence the task of implementation.

Involving the school and broader educational communities

I informed our school board of my participation in the L21CS project and, using the 2020 Engage with Asia DVD, engaged members in discussion of the importance of our intention to develop a more systematic approach to studies of Asia and Indonesian language learning. Through a newsletter in late October 2008, we informed parents of our plans.

I have also shared these plans with my Catholic School Principal colleagues in the Tuggeranong Valley of the ACT. Again, the response has been favourable. Each of the four schools delivers Indonesian language programs and recently we decided to work together on developing a National Asian Languages and Studies in Schools Program (NALSSP) submission for strengthening and expanding our current studies of Asia programs. Our focus is on cross-curriculum mapping and developing an Indonesian languages online learning community with resources and activities for teachers and students. St Francis of Assisi took a leading role in the project submission.

Action planning: implementing the new model

Initially our focus has been on incorporating studies of Asia into the SOSE learning area. We recognised that in this initial stage, teachers would require support in unit planning and implementation.

Late in 2008, Nicola commenced discussion with teachers on the 2009 scope and sequence for studies of Asia. Emphasis has been on assisting teachers to incorporate Asia-focused activities into their units of work. This has required formal support through discussion with individual teachers, working with collaborative planning teams and the provision of time release.

Drawing on her connections with the Asia Education Foundation and the resources she has gathered over the past few years, Nicola has become an important ‘consultant’ and facilitator for staff. Units of work have drawn on ACT curriculum requirements and address key focus questions and essential learnings for students, together with suggested learning activities and useful resources.

To date, action planning has been on a term-by-term basis with a recognised need to track and monitor progress. The aim is to ensure that the teachers have the knowledge, skills and confidence to incorporate studies of Asia routinely into their classroom programs.

Working with other schools: developing a model unit of work

St Francis of Assisi is working with other primary schools across sectors in the ACT on a project designed to develop units of work for sharing and dissemination, and for the provision of professional learning opportunities for teachers. This work is being supported by the Territory Asia Education Advisor. Our school is currently supporting this work by developing and trialling a unit of work focusing on world religions for year 4 students. The unit title is ‘Peacing the World Together’ and relates primarily to the SOSE and English learning areas. Using an inquiry-based model this unit of work is being implemented for four afternoons a week across one term. It has incorporated a pre-test of student knowledge and specifies learning and research skills, development activities, resources and assessment tasks for use in classroom programs. Importantly, this unit, planned collaboratively, has drawn on the teaching and learning resources developed by the Asia Education Foundation and made available through Education Services Australia. Routine use of information and communication technologies, including the use of interactive whiteboards, is a feature of the unit.

Parents and community resources are also being used to bring first-hand experiences into the classroom. Access to the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra has been particularly useful as will be the appointment for the remainder of the 2009 school year of an Indonesian teacher assistant employed and supported through the embassy.

Our intention is to see this unit of work as a model for developing future units of work at St Francis of Assisi, as well as one for sharing with other schools.

Our next steps

A major priority for us is the continuing implementation of our three-year plan to incorporate studies of Asia naturally into classroom programs. Support from the Asia Education Team and our Indonesian/studies of Asia leader will be provided to ensure we remain on track. We will continue to explore ways in which parents and the school community can be informed about and more involved in our implementation of the K–6 Indonesian and studies of Asia programs across the curriculum. We readily recognise that we have more to do on this front. We are committed to a continuing relationship with schools in the ACT to develop quality curriculum resources, and professional learning programs for teachers.