TeachMeet presentation, presented at TeachMeet Asia in April 2014, and the Asia Education Foundation National Conference, in June 2014.

1. #ASIAED14
FINDING THE “HOOK”:
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN
ENGLISH AND ASIA WITH
ANH DO
- Perspective - Empathy - Refugee Experience
Lisa Edwards – HT Welfare Bossley Park High @raisingxplorers

2. CONTEXT – BOSSLEY PARK HIGH
Big multicultural school in south-west
Sydney
Wide and varied cultural backgrounds,
including refugees
Limited empathy for the refugee
experience – particularly asylum seekers
coming via boat
Limited perspective of life outside
Bossley Park

3. OUR GOAL
Develop a Year 9
English unit that:
Explores the concept of
perspective
Builds empathy
Addresses the Cross-
Curriculum Priority –
Asia and Australia’s
relationship with Asia
Addresses elements of
the AC general
capabilities

4. INSPIRATION
 There’s a lot of great work
out there already:
Paula Madigan and Viviana
Matiello’s presentation at
ETANSW Conference 2013 –
“No Turning Back”
Billabong High teachers’ DEC
unit “In Their Position”
Lots of other resources
available

5. THE UNIT – “BEYOND BORDERS”
 Week 1: Refugees and what we
know
 Week 2: Modelling critical
thinking about refugees –
UNHCR resources, newspaper
articles, MediaWatch episode
 Week 3: Where do you stand?
Perspective… Go back to where
you came from
 Week 4: Different voices on
refugee issues
 Week 5:Refugee voices

6. WHY ARE REFUGEE VOICES LAST?
 Rethinking the unit
What will really engage
Year 9 students in this
issue?
Humour
Someone they can relate
to
A recognisable character

7. SHOW THEM…
On YouTube:
Anh on Adam Hills in
Gordon St Tonight (7
mins)
Anh on Pictures of
You (16 Mins)
Refugee experience
told using humour,
anecdotes
 Life in Vietnam,
history
Lisa Edwards - @raisingxplorers

8. READ…
 “The Little Refugee”
 Excerpts from “The
Happiest Refugee”
 Visual literacy
 Humour
 Historical context
 Empathy
 Refugee experience
 Physical survival
 Hope
 Friendship
 Intercultural understanding

9. JIGSAW ACTIVITY:
Meaningful discussion… Each group researches one of
the following:
1. Vietnam War, background and other relevant historical
context
2. Experiences of “boat people” from south-east Asia
3. Australian attitudes towards south-east Asian refugees
at the time
4. Vietnamese culture and traditions
5. Australia’s relationship with Vietnam during Vietnam
War, post-war, and today
6. Vietnam today
Members from each group come together to share
responses.

10. PERSPECTIVE / EMPATHY
 Were Anh Do and his
family justified in seeking
asylum?
 What do we know about
asylum seekers today?
 Where are they coming
from?
 Why are they fleeing?
 Is their experience any
different to Anh Do’s
family?

11. READING, VIEWING, AND
BLOGGING
 Focus on asylum seekers/refugees
today:
Newspaper articles
UNHCR resources
Go back to where you came from
Political commentary / materials
 Blogging responses:
Allows for further exploration of ideas
and “discussion” in a safe online
environment – writing for a real
audience, and practice providing
meaningful feedback to each other.
Edmodo, Edublogs, Moodle, Weebly

12. DIFFERENT VOICES
 Speaking assessment
 No “essays on legs”
 AC – assessment FOR and
AS learning
 Panel discussion:
Host
Member of humanitarian org
Refugee/asylum seeker
Immigration Minister
Detention centre worker
 Self and Peer assessment

13. CREATIVE WRITING

14. HAPPY TO SHARE…
Email: lisa.g.edwards@det.nsw.edu.au
Twitter: @raisingxplorers