Asia perspectives in the Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business

1. Asia perspectives in the Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business

2. Introduction • Dr Eeqbal Hassim, Senior Manager, Australian Curriculum and Research • Information pack • AEF draft response to Draft Shape of the Australian Curriculum: Economics and Business (request for feedback)

3. Benchmarking • The ‘ideal’ represents what can be achieved with your students in your context. What is your ‘ideal’ for incorporating Asia perspectives into Economics and Business? • Reflect on what you are currently doing with your students: Where are you now? How do you intend to get to your ‘ideal’?

4. The Melbourne Declaration – Australian context India, China and other Asian nations are growing and their influence in the world is increasing. Australians need to become ‘Asia literate’, engaging and building strong relationships with Asia.’ Ref: The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, 2008. This Declaration is the foundation of Australian Curriculum development.

5. Rationale • Why Asia? • The Asian Century • The political (think White Paper for example) • The economic (think China, India, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea…) • (Most importantly) good neighbourly relations Derek Sivers – Weird or just different? (2009) – watch video http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/derek_sivers_weird_or_just_different.html

6. Ways in via the Australian Curriculum • Using the Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia cross-curriculum priority + importance of the cross-curriculum priorities • Using the Intercultural understanding general capability + the importance of the general capabilities • These are not separate content/learning areas or subjects

7. Ways in – Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia This is not a separate learning area. It is taught through the learning areas. (Refer to A3 mapping documents)

8. Ways in – Intercultural understanding

9. Ways in – Intercultural understanding • Shifting from ‘multicultural’ to ‘intercultural’ Multicultural education uses learning about other cultures in order to produce acceptance of these cultures. Intercultural education aims to go beyond passive coexistence to (develop) a sustainable way of living together in multicultural societies through the creation of understanding of, respect for and dialogue between different cultural groups. Ref: UNESCO Guidelines on Intercultural Education, 2006, p. 18.

10. Ways in • Economics and Business is very likely to become a key carrier of the Asia priority in the Australian Curriculum – most ‘Asia literate’ shape paper to date • Asia specific knowledge • Interconnections – Economic policy; hybrid style economies • ICU as essential to business

11. Ways in • The Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia cross-curriculum priority and the Intercultural understanding general capability share a symbiotic relationship. The priority lends itself more to theory, the capability lends itself more to business practices, but they are mutually strengthening. • Asia provides a context for Intercultural understanding, while Intercultural understanding provides the general understandings and skills to engage with Asia

12. Examples • Modern consumerism in Asia, e.g. in the area of luxury goods and life style sector in Asia. Asia today has the highest rate of consumption for luxury goods and high end housing • Luxury service industry, golf/resort management, Marina Bay Sands (Singapore) management, casino, integrated resorts/theme parks. • Countries of Asia that have based their economic growth on specific sectors, e.g. manufacturing, financial and service. • Main financial hubs of Asia, e.g. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore, and their roles as hybrid style economies/cultures between the East and the West.

13. Examples • The growing Halal industry in the region and the role that Australia can play working with Malaysia, Indonesia etc. • Food security for Asia and Australia's role – aligns with Geography • Islamic economics, banking and finance – innovative and rapidly growing niche market in the region. Large commercial banks are now delving into this space, e.g. NAB. It provides an excellent opportunity for comparative studies that help sharpen students' critical and creative thinking; also very relevant to Intercultural understanding. • Where things are made and the interconnectedness of economies and businesses.

14. Examples • Senior years could be focusing on Australia-Asia engagement from the lens of the MDGs and HDIs and wellbeing. It is important for the Economics and Business curriculum to pick up Australia’s role in this space with respect to Asia. Allows for links to other learning areas, e.g. Geography and Civics and Citizenship. • Balancing out this 'human development' focus with learnings that seek to develop Intercultural understanding skills that support Australia-Asia interactions in business.

16. Reflection – A routine for connecting new knowledge to prior knowledge