Some reflections on the challenges and opportunities of the CCP Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia in the Australian curriculum

This empirical paper draws from the literature to review the inclusion of the Cross-Curriculum Priority (CCP), Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia, in the Australian Curriculum (for students aged 5 to 16 years), together with some of the challenges and opportunities Geography teachers face in planning to implement this CCP. Referred to as the Asia priority, it is one of the three CCPs in the tripartite design of the Australian Curriculum together with learning areas and general capabilities (GCs). Discussion focuses on the Asia priority as a contested form of knowledge in the current curriculum, and highlights some of the theoretical and epistemological issues concerned with knowing Asia, prior to examining the curricula implications for decision-making in teaching Geography. The paper argues that both discipline-specific knowledge offered by Geography, together with knowledge of contemporary issues such as highlighted by the Asia priority, are required to help young people to engage with their present world, as well as to prepare them to live in an increasingly complex world