Welcome to our final blog! We are starting to focus on our next topic which is a HASS Foundation Cross Curriculum Priority in the Australian Curriculum : Asia/Global Education.
What will my child be learning?
Our focus is centred around Indonesia with an inquiry based approach that encourages questioning from students to gain more understanding of Indonesian culture. Our learning journey will incorporate students developing an understanding of culture through deepening their knowledge of everyday life: music, food, currency, language and literature. This will be done through a “Virtual Holiday” to Indonesia, our holiday destinations include local shops, markets, and the library.
How will this be taught?
How will this be taught?
We are delivering this topic with an aim for the activities provided to be authentic. Over a period of weeks, students will be exposed to a variety of lessons that reflect everyday Indonesian life. Last week, our students learning was developed through a role-play type environment. Indonesian food and packaging was set up in our home corner with cash registers that held Indonesian Rupiah. The student’s exposure to a diverse range of food packaging and currency prompted questioning: Why is this money different to ours? What is this food made from? This authentic activity allows for extended learning which was evident when students asked: I want to buy this, but how do I say thank you in Indonesian? It didn’t take long to see all our students making purchases in our “shop” and responding with “Selamat dating!”
Our next stop on our virtual holiday was to our local Indonesian library. In the coming weeks this activity will incorporate our smart board displaying images of Indonesian libraries and here our students are able to borrow books and listen to traditional music.
The images and links below give you an example of the songs we have been listening to and the stories your children have been reading. Its been fantastic seeing students reading to each other using the pictures as a prompt to tell a story!
Our next stop on our virtual holiday was to our local Indonesian library. In the coming weeks this activity will incorporate our smart board displaying images of Indonesian libraries and here our students are able to borrow books and listen to traditional music.
The images and links below give you an example of the songs we have been listening to and the stories your children have been reading. Its been fantastic seeing students reading to each other using the pictures as a prompt to tell a story!
This is our current class favourite song!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4--Qgr_0q8k&index=2&list=PL87F7522A2C222649
We acknowledge the importance of including relevance of the topics we discuss to our students and to the culture that is being represented. Our students were mostly aware that rice is indeed the main staple food for the majority of the population of Indonesia. However, we are exploring why Indonesian people eat rice, how they obtain it and where it comes from, therefore allowing students a richer learning experience.
This learning is not simply a discussion that happens once in the classroom, but instead an introduction to an ongoing learning journey. Incorporating cultural awareness into our classroom assists in students developing a connection to other countries, promotes open mindedness and resistance to stereotyping. Students are then more prepared to embrace multiple loyalties to our community, and beyond.
How am I able to be included in the learning process?
Does your family have Indonesian heritage? Have you been to Indonesia? If you would like to come and talk to our students regarding Indonesian culture, your holiday experience, or simply join us on the days we are discussing this, please do so.
