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| The Access Asia program aims
to increase empathy, knowledge and understanding about
the peoples and countries of Asia amongst teachers and
students. |
Literature includes a wide variety of
creative and imaginative writing, oral performance and
texts which contribute to an appreciation of students’
own cultural heritages and the heritages of other cultures.
Students’ experience and study of Australian texts
is balanced by the study of texts from other countries,
nationalities and cultures.
The study of a wide range of texts provides students with
the opportunity to reflect on different values and value
systems and assists in the development of their own values.
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Asian cuisine has become commonplace
in Australia, movie goers flock to films such as Raise
the Red Lantern and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
and even after the Bali bombings, many areas of Asia remain
popular tourist destinations, especially with young adults.
How many students, however, have more than a superficial
knowledge of this region, which is Australia’s nearest
neighbour, and the heritage of approximately ten percent
of Australia’s population?
Anyone who frequents good bookshops is likely to have
noticed the increasing availability of books written by
Asian authors or written by others about Asia. Many titles
focus on the experiences of Asian immigrants in western
countries or provide insight into the history, stories
and culture of their homeland. Some non-Asian authors
use Asian settings and fantasy writers such as Lian Hearn
and Tamora Pierce have invented worlds inspired by Asian
culture, history and geography for some of their novels.
Yet, beyond the study of the occasional Haiku poem or
Asian legend does your school make a concerted effort
to incorporate Asian voices into the English curriculum?
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In a 2002 survey
of Western Australian English teachers, Pamela Stewart,
Access Asia Advisor, established that many teachers
were reluctant to use Asian content in their programs
due to their lack of knowledge about the cultures
and peoples … and an uncertainty about what
resources were available.
The Access
Asia program through its
professional development sessions, cluster schools,
teacher study tours and publications aims to redress
these concerns. |
By highlighting contemporary
fiction and personal stories on the CMIS Resource Bank we hope to improve
teachers’ awareness of the wealth of material that
could be incorporated into literature programs to enhance
students’ critical literacy and their Asian literacy. |
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