Untitled - Telling Tales from Southeast Asia and Korea - APCEIU

SEAMEO-APCEIUSEAMEO-APCEIUC.TEACHING FOLKTALES TO UNDERSTAND OTHER CULTURESFolktales that promote understanding of other cultures were available to primaryschoolchildren. In Brunei, the programs that helped teach understanding of othercultures were implanted in cocurricular activities such as traditional dances, songs,and games; storytelling; and having ASEAN corners.Indonesia pointed out that it celebrated International Children’s Day to help promoteunderstanding other cultures. Some of them include folktales from the ASEAN regionas well as global folktales.Lao PDR included some stories that helped promote ASEAN understanding whileMalaysia indicated that lessons that promoted understanding other cultures wereintegrated into subjects such as Malay language, English, art education, music, religion,and moral education.FREQUENCY OF PROGRAM OFFERINGS TO UNDERSTANDOTHER CULTURESIn many of the countries surveyed, folktales that fostered appreciation of other cultureswere usually discussed in class once a week (41.7 percent). This was followedby a number of countries that offered the programs once a month (16.7 percent) (seeFigure 17).FIGURE 17: FREQUENCY OF DISCUSSING FOLKTALES THAT PROMOTEUNDERSTANDING OF OTHER CULTURES (%)In the Philippines, subjects such as Makabayan and reading promoted understandingof other cultures. Korea had a so-called Cross-Cultural Awareness Program(CCAP).IMPORTANCE OF PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTEUNDERSTANDING OF OTHER CULTURESLess than half of the ASEAN countries had compulsory lessons to help students understandother countries’ cultures. At least one-fourth of the countries indicated thatit was optional (see Figure 16).FIGURE 16: USE OF FOLKTALES TO UNDERSTAND OTHER CULTURES (%)COUNTRIES OFTEN CITED IN THE COURSES THAT PROMOTEUNDERSTANDING OF OTHER CULTURESWhen asked what countries were often cited in primary-school programs, some ofthe answers indicated that the folktales came from the following countries:Philippines as cited by CambodiaEurope, Asia, and the Middle East as cited by Malaysia and KoreaVietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia as cited by Lao PDRThe other countries did not specify others that they focused on.2627