Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia (Version 8.4)

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

Through this priority, students learn about, and recognise the diversity within and between the countries of the Asia region. They will develop knowledge and understanding of Asian societies, cultures, beliefs and environments, and the connections between the peoples of Asia, Australia and the rest of the world. Asia literacy provides students with the skills to communicate and engage with the peoples of Asia so they can effectively live, work and learn in the region.

In developing this priority, ACARA has consulted with educators who have deep knowledge of the Asia region and organisations like the Asia Education Foundation. 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.

The Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia priority has been developed around three key concepts of Asia and its diversity, achievements and contributions of the peoples of Asia and Asia-Australian engagement. Each concept contains organising ideas that provide a scaffold for developing related knowledge, understanding and skills. These are embedded the content in each learning area according to its relevance 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 people of the Asia region.

Visit the Australian Curriculum website for details of the Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia cross-curriculum priority.