Asia+and+australia

Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia priority
The Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia priority provides the opportunity for students to celebrate the social, cultural, political and economic links that connect Australia with Asia.

The Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia priority has been developed around three key concepts; Asia and its diversity, achievements and contributions of the peoples of Asia and Asia-Australia engagement. These concepts are regarded as fundamental to learning in the priority. Each concept comprises a number of organising ideas that provide a scaffold for developing related knowledge, understanding and skills. These are embedded in each learning area according to the relevance of its content to the organising ideas. An organising idea may draw on content from more than one learning area. Taken as a set, the organising ideas provide a coherent framework for the priority.

The first key concept highlights the diversity within and between the countries of the Asia region, from their cultures, societies and traditions through to their diverse environments and the effects of these on the lives of people.

The second key concept examines the past and continuing achievements of the peoples of Asia, identifies their contribution to world history and acknowledges the influences that the Asia region has on the world’s aesthetic, and creative pursuits.

The third key concept addresses the nature of past and ongoing links between Australia and Asia, and develops the knowledge, understanding and skills, which make it possible to engage actively and effectively with peoples of the Asia region.

ACARA has consulted both with educators who have deep knowledge of the Asia region and organisations like the Asia Education Foundation in developing this specific cross curriculum priority. It has also involved practising teachers from learning areas and with expertise in Asian Studies to provide advice about how the priority could be incorporated into each learning area.