| 1 | IntroductionPacific Neighbours: Understanding the Pacific islands is resource book of information and activities for Year 7-10 students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the Pacific region, its history and geography, its political and social development, and its people and their cultures.
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| 2 | Pacific
Introduction
The Teacher guide outlines the rationale and structure and key concepts.
Chapter 1 – Let’s get specific about the Pacific!
This chapter starts with an overview of the geographic, socioeconomic and cultural features of the Pacific island countries. Students will be given opportunities to observe, record and describe the social and physical environmental patterns of activity.
Chapter 2 – Responding to globalisation
This chapter provides an overview of the links between Pacific Island countries and Australia’s relationship with them. The impacts of globalisation and the interdependent nature of the Pacific region are emphasised through an introduction to the Pacific Islands Forum, issues of trade, aid and remittances.
Chapter 3 – The Pacific way?
This chapter focuses on the historical origins of Pacific cultures and societies and makes links to contemporary studies of Pacific cultures. Scientific theories are contrasted with traditional oral histories, and students are introduced to the skills of interpreting evidence and timeline construction. Contrasts between the Polynesian and Melanesian cultures are explored through case studies of Samoa and the Huli people in Papua New Guinea, as well as current expressions of Pacific cultures.
Chapter 4 – Pacific stories and human rights
This chapter focuses on colonial history of the region and the impact that this has had on the people of the Pacific islands. It looks at these events through the lens of social justice and human rights and focuses on the use of primary and secondary sources. It includes stories of people from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru, Banaba and Bikini Atoll as well as Australian South Sea Islanders.
Chapter 5 – Working together to build peace
This chapter introduces students to traditional methods of conflict resolution in Samoa and the cooperative attempts by many groups to build peace in the Pacific region in particular in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands.
Chapter 6 – Pacific challenges
This chapter focuses on sustainable development – exploring how the environment can be used to support the traditional practices of daily life and provide an income without causing economic, environmental and social concerns. Students develop skills in predicting the future through strategies such as the futures wheel and futures timelines based on information about marine environments, climate change, sustainable tourism, forest management and the Millennium Development Goals.
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| 3 | Professional learning packageRead and/or download Modules 1-5 here
Read and/or download background information and advice for presenters here
The aim of the professional learning program is to:
- provide secondary teachers with an overview of the text;
- increase teachers’ knowledge and understanding of the Pacific islands, and
- support teachers to develop engaging and authentic classroom programs for their students in line with local curriculum documents and priorities.
Module 1: Introducing our Pacific neighbours
Pacific Neighbours text: Chapter 1
Curriculum Focus: Geography, Social Education
Global Perspectives, Learning emphasis: Interdependence and globalisation
Module 2: Living in a Pacific paradise: Reality or Myth?
Pacific Neighbours text: Chapters 1 and 2
Curriculum Focus: Geography
Global Perspectives, Learning emphasis: Interdependence
Module 3: Stories of the Pacific
Pacific Neighbours text: Chapters 3, 4 and 5
Curriculum focus: History
Global Perspectives, Learning emphases: Identity and cultural diversity; Social justice and
Human rights; Peace-building and conflict resolution
Module 4: Living in the Pacific: Unique Lifestyles
Pacific Neighbours text: Chapters 3, 4 and 5
Curriculum Focus: Social Education
Global Perspectives, Learning emphases: Identity and cultural diversity; Social justice and
Human rights; Peace-building and conflict resolution
Module 5: A sustainable future for Pacific countries
Pacific Neighbours text: Chapter 6
Curriculum focus: Environmental Education, Education for Sustainability
Global Perspective, Learning emphases: Sustainable futures; Identity and cultural diversity;
Social justice and Human rights
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Teacher background papersHistorical connections with our Pacific neighbours
Professor Stewart Firth, Australian National University, outlines three examples of our interesting links to people in the Pacific based on the pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial history of the Pacific.
- Pre-colonial – Where did the Pacific islanders come from?
- Colonial – The Pacific Islanders in World War II
- Postcolonial – Migration and the Pacific Diaspora
Read and/or download hereTeaching about the Pacific
Dr Max Quanchi, Secretary, Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies, Pacific Island Historian and Educator, outlines some key considerations for teaching about the Pacific.
Read and/or download here
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