Asia Scope and Sequence for English: Professional Learning Workshop
This professional learning program introduces teachers to the Asia Scope and Sequence for English, the accompanying units of work developed for English classrooms and the National Statement. It explores the rationale for a focus on Asia as well as providing time for discussion about useful resources and pedagogies. Alignment to the Australian Curriculum is provided for resource activities.
- Index
- Activity 1: The Rationale
Activity 1: The Rationale
Objectives
- To introduce, and provide background to, the National Statement and the ASSE resource.
- To familiarise participants with the documents.
- To link the documents to national, state or territory, school and faculty curriculum initiatives.
Presenter guidelines
This activity provides participants with the background necessary to conceptualise the National Statement and the ASSE resource as part of a cohesive package of curriculum tools that support a growing need for engagement with Asia.
There are a number of opportunities during this activity for presenters to facilitate a more detailed examination of the National Statement and ASSE resource, if time allows and it is felt that this would benefit participants. Activity 2 provides the opportunity for participants to become more familiar with the structure and detail of the resources. This activity focuses on the rationale for their development.
Linking with state and territory curriculum
It is important that wherever possible, participants are invited to make links to their own faculty, school, state or territory and national curriculum priorities including the emerging national English curriculum. While appropriate opportunities for doing this are suggested in the program, presenters can also take the initiative and respond to participants' comments, encouraging discussion and suggesting that they make reference to the relevant documents.
Establishing prior knowledge
Presenters may wish to show participants the National Statement for Engaging Young Australians with Asia in Australian Schools and ask whether they are familiar with the document or how it has been used in their classroom, to help establish how much prior knowledge the group has.
Similarly, an activity that explores participants' background knowledge or experience of Asia, their familiarity with Asia-related texts and use of these types of texts in classrooms is an important starting point.
Then ask participants to suggest reasons for the development of documents supporting studies of Asia in general, and studies of Asia within English. Suggestions may include:
- the need to take learning, research and experiences since the development of the former Studies of Asia statement into account
- national curriculum developments, such as the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians or the national English curriculum
- a growing or changing need for engagement with Asia
- the need for specific advice and support in the area of English, especially in relation to text selection and student outcomes.
