ASIA LITERACY AMBASSADORS – PARTNERING BUSINESSES & SCHOOLS Building demand for Asia literacy © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

What is an Asia Literacy Ambassador? Ambassadors are individuals who: have been influenced by the Asian region and/or by Asian communities in Australia in their life and work are interested in volunteering their time to link with local school communities and act as role models & mentors will invest their expertise in helping young Australians explore future work and life pursuits © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

School Business Partnerships © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation,

The Speakers Bureau © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation,

Asia Literacy Ambassadors in action © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, (scroll down to ‘Asia skills’ thumbnail)

Asia literacy in schools foundational and deep knowledge, skills and understandings about the histories, geographies, societies, cultures, literatures and languages of the diverse countries that make up our region © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

Enhancement: including your partner school Students seek input from students/teachers at partner school Partner school contribution adds another perspective to interaction Engaging Students in Contemporary Issues Ambassadors share their expertise on an issue Students have access to a primary source of information about an issue they are studying Speakers Bureau Ambassadors share their stories: role-model / mentor Students gain insight into a world outside the classroom, picture themselves in the speaker’s shoes © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013 Engaging Students in Contemporary Issues

For more information… © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation,

A student inquiry project Curriculum based unit: not an add on  3-4 week unit Careers unit? end-of-year elective/enrichment?  opportunity to be creative with your syllabus Allow at least 6 weeks for AEF to match you with an ambassador Ambassador’s role: ideally, at least 1 interaction with students and engagement with the school over 1-3 months (negotiated) Other partners: BRIDGE partners school, other school staff, members of your school/local community AEF report - June 2014: doesn’t mean the project has to end there © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

Possibilities…. © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

Implementing a student inquiry project © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013 Tuning in Identify curriculum need/opportunity Map students’ interests, knowledge, learning needs Draft project outline, register with AEF, engage with Ambassador, other partners Finding out Confirm roles of all involved Implement the inquiry project Monitor progress Sorting out Analyse data gathered Choose strategies for and undertake demonstration of learning Evaluate project and identify further learning opportunities

Roles and responsibilities Schools: – Complete an inquiry project focused on a contemporary issue relevant to Australia and Asia – Organise a demonstration of learning – Engage effectively with an Ambassador and other partners where relevant – Report to AEF on project outcomes Ambassadors: – Complete an ambassador profile relevant to the project – Engage with a school over 1-3 months involving one or more interactions – Support the demonstration of learning as negotiated AEF: – Match ambassadors with schools – Provide support and advice for schools and ambassadors where required – Provide tools for students, teachers and ambassadors (website) © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

How can an ambassador contribute? An ambassador and/or representative of their organisation may contribute by: – Being present in the classroom – Providing input during the inquiry project on their areas of expertise/knowledge – Being available virtually (video-conferencing) – Being available by telephone – Arranging a site visit to their workplace – Linking students to other resources – Assisting in planning the demonstration of learning and making a presentation © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013

Where to from here? © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2013 Search for an ambassador: Explore ‘contemporary issues’ project: Consider curriculum ideas: -> +About the project - > what is a contemporary issue? Regroup in 10 minutes to quickly exchange ideas then hear from an Ambassador Investigate your school curriculum for ideas Some suggestions from the Australian Curriculum: Yr9 Science/Science as a Human Endeavour/Use and influence of science (ACSHE228) ‘Investigating contemporary science issues related to living in a Pacific country located near plate boundaries, for example Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand. Yr7 English/Language/Language variation and change (ACELA1528) ‘exploring languages and dialects through building webcam relationships with schools across Asia’ Yr6 Geography /Geographical inquiry and skills/Collecting, recording, evaluating and representing.(ACHGS041) ‘Exchanging geographical information from schools of countries in the Asia region.’

Asia Education Foundation The University of Melbourne Telephone: Website: asiaeducation.edu.au Contact: © The University of Melbourne – Asia Education Foundation, 2012