1.3 Asia/Global Education

 Celebrations Around the World

Happy holidays to parents and carers. As we come into the holiday season once again, I thought that it would be a good time for the students to have a more in depth look at the holidays and celebrations held in other countries. The countries we will be looking at will be picked from our neighbouring continent, Asia.

In groups, students will choose a holiday or celebration from the Asia/Pacific region to investigate. They will find out what the celebration is about, how it is celebrated in that country, and how it came about. By researching into the origins of a different culture’s holidays, students can gain an insight into the people of their chosen country. Though seemingly about the celebrations, a large emphasis will be placed on the origins of it, this way students are able to see past the displays and ceremonies, and see into the history of a certain people.

 I will be sending home some homework with the students at the end of this piece of work. If at all possible, I would like for you to assist your children with this homework. If time allows, it would be of great help for the students to compare the celebrations they have researched with celebrations from a different country. This is where your expertise will come in. I would like parents to think of a holiday or celebration that takes place in your country of birth, no matter which country, and help students to compare these two celebrations/holidays. Students will outline the main points of the holiday you have explained to them, and list some points the two holidays have in common. This information will help all students in the class to understand the traditions of countries all over the world, and how they can connect to each other. If, however, parents do not have time, which is understandable, students can just research a new holiday of their choice.

It is important that students begin to deepen their knowledge of our nearby countries, especially those within the Asia region. This is because Asia is one of the biggest partners Australia has in the import and export trade, with close to 71% of Australia’s exports going to Asia. As Asia continues to develop and be globally recognised as one of the strongest continents in the world, it becomes even more likely that our students will be “living and working in a world where India and China are global economic leaders.” This makes all the information students pick up in schools even more important, as in the future, they may work with, or for, someone from a different culture. It is our job, as parents and teacher, to prepare them for the world outside of Australia. Looking into Asian celebrations and their reason for beginning shows students what has influenced these countries, and how they interact with countries all over the world.

If parents/carers have any questions, please feel free to email me, or set up a meeting.