This document outlines a teacher's action research project that took her to Cambodia to volunteer at an orphanage and teach at a rural high school in order to raise her Year 10 students' cross-cultural understandings of Asia. The teacher surveyed her students and found that 33% relied primarily on media for knowledge of Asian history and culture. She then spent two weeks in Cambodia documenting her experiences in a blog and bringing resources back to her students. Student reflections showed that learning from their teacher's firsthand experiences provided a deeper understanding of Asian cultures and social injustices than textbooks or media. The teacher plans to further incorporate social action projects into the curriculum and expand units on Asian history.

1. ALL HALLOWS’ SCHOOL Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia........learning through a lived experience. Email: bentleys@allhallows.qld.edu.au Blog: http://herstorycambodia.wordpress.com

2. What prompted my inquiry?

4. maintaining an optimistic and respectful approach to Cambodian culture

5. project’s allocated time

7. AIMS:

8. Process:

9. :Informing Research:

10. Survey of students 47 Year 10 student respondents ( my History and Religion classes). 33% acknowledged media sources as the strongest influence on their understandings of Asian history, culture and issues. In terms of exposure to subject matter that explicitly addresses Asian issues: 21% English 19% Religion 13% History

11. Student perspectives: “ I am not very knowledgeable about Australia’s relationship with Asia” “ My lack of knowledge leaves me uncertain about aspects of Asian cultures” “I would like to learn more about Asian culture and how it is linked to Australia’s relationship with Asia”.

13. Project Stage 1: Savong orphanage and High School, Cambodia Volunteered at Savong orphanage and taught English at Savong High School for 2 weeks (September school holidays) Documented my experience in Blog posts (http://herstorycambodia.wordpress.com / Read autobiographies and biographies of victims of the Khmer Rouge whilst in Cambodia. Used resources my students had made in teaching English Trialled use of text resources for the teaching of English in Cambodia Visited a range of community development centres in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

14. Project Stage 2:Teaching

15. Student reflections: “The experience of my teacher has really impacted on my knowledge of Asia because while she teaches us about Social Justice she didn’t just tell us what we have to do, she just went out and did it” “ Listening to the first hand experiences and visual aids helped me to understand that the situations are real and not just on the internet or in a book” “I now have a better understanding of the injustices and inequality endured by millions of people” “...made it seem as if it is actually possible to make a difference”.

16. Results of ‘Action Research’

17. CHALLENGES: Confronting! Time frame IT learning curve Cultural re-adjustment upon return Teaching English to 30 children aged 3 to 17 in the same classroom

18. Where to from here? Embed social action project in the teaching of Social Justice in Year 10 Religion curriculum Broaden the History (8-10) curriculum to include units of study on Asian history Continue expanding pedagogical practice Foster personal interest in teaching English in a third world country by returning to Cambodia during LSL in 2012