Teaching the Asia priority through the novel

The teacher is an English Literature teacher. In this illustration she leads a lesson based on the novel Chinese Cinderella. The lesson is part of larger unit of work about autobiography and life writing. The teacher asks the students to consider the concepts of time, place and culture in the novel, and how they compare to the students’ own lives. The teacher demonstrates an understanding of the inquiry learning process in questioning students to consolidate their learnings about the novel.

The teacher aims for her students to: “learn that stories of Asia are just as important as stories of Australia, the US and Europe and to feel connected to stories of Asia so that they are interested in their cultures, peoples, beliefs and religions.”

The teacher has taught for three years and has a doctorate in English literature. She is very confident teaching English literature content; however, she is less confident teaching about Asia due to limited experience in this content area. While the teacher is a capable teacher, she is not “connected” to Asia and she is unfamiliar with texts from or about the countries of Asia.

St Mary’s College is a Catholic school in Hobart, it was founded in 1868 and provides a K-12 education for girls (K-2 for boys). The school is currently implementing the Australian Curriculum subjects: English, History, Mathematics, Science and Geography including the three cross-curriculum priorities. This illustration focused on Jane’s first foray into the Asia priority. St Mary’s College is formally implementing the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers through its Professional Review process.