Challenge

East Asia Summit Leaders at their 2007 meeting in Singapore encouraged the development of projects to foster dialogue among faiths, cultures and communities with the goal of improving relations and understanding between communities in East Asia and elsewhere. 

In response to this call, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade wished to develop an education resource for schools throughout South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand. This resource would enhance students’ awareness and understanding of our region’s diversity.

Approach

We were contracted to develop a resource containing teaching and learning materials that would help students across the region to appreciate the commonalities and points of difference between their own and other cultures and faiths.

We designed the resource for teachers to use within the Social Sciences learning area (or equivalent) of their school curriculum. The materials can either be used as provided or adapted to national curriculum requirements.

We had to bear in mind that English will be a second language for many students. The factsheets are therefore in plain English, design elements enable easy reading comprehension, and blank templates enable the content to be translated if necessary. Large picture packs are included because they transcend language barriers, and when linked with the factsheets, provide students with a lot of information.

The finished resource was designed in a colourful and very eye–catching scrapbook style.

You can download the full ’Know Your Neighbours’ resource and picture packhere.  Please note that the PDF files of the resource book and its accompanying pi cture packs are large, so the downloads will take some time.

Download the complete resource book (except picture packs):
Complete resource book - ’Know Your Neighbours’ [PDF - 39.4MB]

Or download the separate components of the resource book:
Teacher guide [PDF - 7.4MB]
Factsheet - ’Food’ [PDF - 6.0MB]
Factsheet - ’Clothing’ [PDF - 5.6MB]
Factsheet - ’Housing’ [PDF - 5.5MB]
Factsheet - ’Transport’ [PDF - 4.7MB]
Factsheet - ’Buildings and Public Spaces’ [PDF - 4.7MB]
Factsheet - ’Pastimes’ [PDF - 5.3MB]
Factsheet - ’Celebrations and Rituals’ [PDF - 5.6MB]
Factsheet - ’Arts, Crafts and Artefacts’ [PDF - 5.0MB]
Notes and acknowledgements [PDF - 1.0MB]

Download the picture packs:
Picture pack - ’Food’ [PDF - 10.8MB]
Picture pack - ’Clothing’ [PDF - 9.2MB]
Picture pack - ’Housing’ [PDF - 10.4MB]
Picture pack - ’Transport’ [PDF - 9.0MB]
Picture pack - ’Buildings and Public Spaces’ [PDF - 9.4MB]
Picture pack - ’Pastimes’ [PDF - 8.4MB]
Picture pack - ’Celebrations and Rituals’ [PDF 8.8MB]
Picture pack - ’Arts, Crafts and Artefacts’ [PDF - 7.3MB]

Results

Copies of the resource were sent to education officals in Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.  Reaction from overseas has been very positive, and a reprint has already been done. 

Enthusiasm for this resource led to an invitation to travel to the Philippines in April and do a presentation to SEAMEO Innotech (Southeast Asian Ministries of Education Organisation) on the development process.