Table Of ContentAsia Literate Schooling in
the Asian Century
Globalization, migration, transnational movements and the development of the
tiger economies of Asia have led education leaders and policy-makers around the
world but particularly in Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand to view
schools as key sites for developing ‘globally competent’, ‘Asia literate’ citizens
who have the capabilities to live, work and interact with the peoples, cultures
and societies of Asia. In what has been dubbed the ‘Asian Century’, nations are
increasingly seeking to transform their schooling policies, curricula and teaching
workforces to engage with the growing influence of the peoples, cultures and
societies both within and beyond Asia.
This is the first book to subject to critical scrutiny and analysis the concepts,
policies and practices of schooling involved in building intercultural relations
with the diverse contemporary manifestations of ‘Asia’. It brings into dialogue
scholars who are at the forefront of current thinking, policy and practice on Asia-
related schooling, and contributes to a broader, international debate about the
future shape of intercultural schooling in a global world. A sia Literate Schooling
in the Asian Century offers chapters on:
(cid:129) Learning Asia: in search of a new narrative
(cid:129) Asia literacy as experiential learning
(cid:129) Professional standards and ethics in teaching Asia literacy
(cid:129) The feasibility of implementing cross-curricular studies of Asia
(cid:129) Deparochialising education and the Asian priority: a curriculum (re)imagination.
This book will appeal to scholars and practitioners in education, and is suitable
as a reference for teacher education courses. It will also interest scholars specialis-
ing in Asian Studies.
Christine Halse is Professor and Chair of Education at Deakin University, Australia.
Routledge Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia
Series editor: Kerry J. Kennedy
Minority Students in East Asia
Government Policies, School Practices and Teacher Responses
Edited by JoAnn Phillion, Ming Tak Hue and Yuxiang Wang
A Chinese Perspective on Teaching and Learning
Edited by Betty C. Eng
Language, Culture, and Identity Among Minority Students in China
The Case of the Hui
By Yuxiang Wang
Citizenship Education in China
Preparing Citizens for the “Chinese Century”
Edited by Kerry J. Kennedy, Gregory P. Fairbrother, and Zhenzhou Zhao
Asia’s High Performing Education Systems
The Case of Hong Kong
Edited by Colin Marsh and John Chi-Kin Lee
Asia Literate Schooling in the Asian Century
Edited by Christine Halse
Asia Literate Schooling in
the Asian Century
Edited by Christine Halse
First published 2015
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group,
an informa business
© 2015 Christine Halse
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial
material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been
asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or
reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical,
or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including
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retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks
or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN: 978-0-415-73853-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-81512-1 (ebk)
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Contents
List of tables vii
Series editor’s note viii
Acknowledgements ix
Contributors x
Foreword xiv
KOICHI IWABUCHI
Introduction: (re)thinking Asia literacy 1
CHRISTINE HALSE
PART 1
Positioning Asia literacy and schooling 11
1 What makes Asia literacy a ‘wicked policy problem’? 13
CHRISTINE HALSE
2 The time has come: histories of Asia literacy 29
DAVID WALKER
3 The concept of Tianxia and its impact on Chinese
discourses on the West 44
RUI YANG
4 Learning Asia: in search of a new narrative 56
FAZAL RIZVI
PART 2
Asia literacy and the teaching profession 71
5 Assessing Asia literacy in Australian teachers 73
DIANNE TOE
vi Contents
6 Asia literacy as experiential learning 89
JULIE DYER
7 Professional standards and ethics in teaching Asia literacy 103
ALEX KOSTOGRIZ
PART 3
Asia in/through the school curriculum 117
8 China’s English: lessons for Asia literacy 119
BOB ADAMSON
9 The feasibility of implementing cross-curricular
studies of Asia 133
ANNE CLOONAN
10 Asia and the autobiographical picture book 151
ELIZABETH BULLEN AND TRISH LUNT
PART 4
Reimagining Asia literacy and schooling 167
11 Deparochialising education and the Asian priority:
a curriculum (re)imagination 169
AARON KOH
12 Asia engagement beyond binaries and boundaries: towards
a re-theorisation of Asia, community and curriculum 182
MICHIKO WEINMANN
13 Australia’s self-identity and three modes of imagining
Asia: a critical perspective on ‘Asia literacy’ 197
CHENGXIN PAN
Index 211
Tables
5.1 Characteristics of teachers participating in the Teacher Asia
Literacy Survey 76
5.2 Characteristics of the schools where teachers participated in the
Teacher Asia Literacy Survey 76
5.3 Teacher Asia Literacy Survey participating teachers’ experience in
and initial teacher education about Asia 77
5.4 Teacher Asia Literacy Survey participating teachers’ professional
knowledge and current level of Asia literacy 80
5.5 Teacher Asia Literacy Survey self-assessed professional knowledge
by Asian language teachers and non-Asian language teachers 81
5.6 Teacher Asia Literacy Survey cultural education experience and
overall level of asia literacy 84
9.1 Extract from Year 8 ‘MasterChef’ unit planning document 143
9.2 Assessment criteria for Indonesian language use in ‘MasterChef’
cooking activity 146
12.1 Organising ideas (OI) of the cross-curricular priority ‘Asia and
Australia’s Engagement with Asia’ in the national curriculum 185
Series editor’s note
The so called ‘Asian century’ provides opportunities and challenges both for the
people of Asia as well as in the West. The success of many of Asia’s young people
in schooling often leads educators in the West to try and emulate Asian school
practices. Yet these practices are culturally embedded. One of the key issues to
be taken on by this series, therefore, is to provide Western policy-makers and
academics with insights into these culturally embedded practices in order to assist
better understanding of them outside of specific cultural contexts.
There is vast diversity as well as disparities within Asia. This is a fundamental
issue and for that reason it will be addressed in this series by making these diver-
sities and disparities the subject of investigation. The ‘tiger’ economies initially
grabbed most of the media attention on Asian development and more recently
China has become the centre of attention. Yet there are also very poor countries
in the region and their education systems seem unable to be transformed to meet
new challenges. Pakistan is a case in point. Thus the whole of Asia will be seen as
important for this series in order to address not only questions relevant to devel-
oped countries but also to developing countries. In other words, the series will
take a ‘whole of Asia’ approach.
Asia can no longer be considered in isolation. It is as subject to the forces of
globalization, migration and transnational movements as other regions of the
world. Yet the diversity of cultures, religions and social practices in Asia means
that responses to these forces are not predictable. This series, therefore, is inter-
ested to identify the ways tradition and modernity interact to produce distinctive
contexts for schools and schooling in an area of the world that impacts across the
globe.
Against this background, I am pleased to welcome this book to the Routledge
Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia .
Kerry J. Kennedy
Series Editor
Routledge Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia
Acknowledgements
The work of transforming an idea into a book always involves many more people
than can ever be acknowledged. Opening thanks, however, must go to the con-
tributors who found time in their busy schedules amid a myriad of other compet-
ing commitments to put their expertise, intellectual resources and scholarship
to the task of reimagining what Asia literacy schooling might be in the ‘Asian
Century’. Any book also has silent contributors. This is particularly the case here
because many of the chapters are based on research with students, teachers and
principals. Invariably, it is a condition of such research that participants remain
anonymous but this in no way limits the gratitude felt for their generosity in
contributing time and expertise which has enabled the research discussed in vari-
ous chapters that follow. Sincere thanks also to Professor Kerry Kennedy, editor
of the Routledge Series on Schools and Schooling in Asia , who encouraged the
book’s development from the outset; Kathe Kirby, Kurt Mullane and colleagues
at the Asia Education Foundation in Australia, who have worked for decades to
advance the cause of Asia literacy schooling; Stephen McLaren, for again put-
ting his proofreading and editing skills to work; Christina Low and the Rout-
ledge team, for their support and encouragement throughout; and the wonderful
Trevor McCandless, whose tireless organisation, gracious manner and refreshing
sense of humour were decisive in bringing this book to fruition.
